Mia Andre
It's not every day we get a new superhero movie that's just about the superwomen. After all, it's a male-dominated genre, and most superhero names end with "man"—looking at you, Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the like.
No shade to those crime-fighting hunks, however, we, collectively, are bored. Madame Web, however, we can get behind. This film—starring Sydney Sweeney, Dakota Johnson, and Isabela Merced—follows four different Spider Women as they come together following Madame Web’s (Johnson) awakening as a clairvoyant hero. Of all of the Spider Women, Araña, played by Merced, is one of the most exciting.
Mia Andre
Obviously, in celebration of the milestone role for Merced and the film as a whole, the actor had to show up to the premiere looking as bad as the crime she tries to stop. And on February 12, she did just that, from her web-inspired gown to "sophisticated, understated" glam.
In addition to her vintage Atelier Versace gown—that was full of web-inspired detailing from the semi-circles making up the bodice to the see-through, fringey effect making up her skirt—her makeup nodded to the siren-like beauty of a black widow.
Mia Andre
“Tonight’s look makes me feel timeless in a way,” Merced tells Byrdie exclusively. “We’re mixing a really futuristic hairstyle with classic makeup and a classic dress from the ’90s. I love the idea of playing with timelines and playing into the themes of Madame Web.” She adds that she worked with stylists Chloe & Chenelle to select her 1999 gown that was worn on the runway by Naomi Campbell. “I had told them that I wanted to play with time and decade hopping—bringing the future but what we thought the future would look like back in the early 2000s, late ’90s.”
Celebrity makeup artist Allan Avendaño gave us all the details on the beauty look that brought Merced’s spider-inspired ensemble to life, telling Byrdie that “the inspiration for Isabela’s look was simply classic, sophisticated, understated glamour.” He adds that they went with “a ‘barely there’ eye, glowing skin, and a neutral pinky nude lip” for the occasion.
Mia Andre
The duo listened to '90s pop music—"any music will do, but the more chaotic the better," says Merced—and the actor sipped on a Yerba Mate while they got glam going. "My favorite part of my getting ready process is when I've been zoned out for a while, just thinking about how stressful the night is going to be and then Allan's like, 'here look at this,' and then I look at myself in the mirror and I realize Hey, at least I'll look good while I'm stressed," says Merced. Avendaño adds that their glam time is always full of laughter and genuine conversation.
Avendaño used a full face of Armani Beauty for the look. He says that the “glowing skin” started with a base of the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation ($69) mixed with a couple of pumps of the Armani Fluid Sheer Glow Enhancer ($42) in Shade 10—blending those together on her face before adding the Luminous Silk Concealer ($42) in Shade 4 and Fluid Sheer Glow Enhancer in Shade 2 on the high-points of her face for more glow.
Mia Andre
However, the glow didn’t stop there. After creating a dimensional glow with a few shades of concealer—shades 4, 6, and 10, to be exact—Avendaño went in with blush to create “a glowing from within look,” adding that he loves to layer her blush. For this step, he reached for Luminous Silk Glow Blush ($39) in 60, applying it after her foundation and concealer settled. “I then use a blending sponge with a little foundation on it to blend out edges and diffuse the color,” he says. “I then dust a bit of powder to set everything. Then I dust another light layer of blush on top of the powder.”
The last steps before sending Merced off to the red carpet? “Applying the Armani beauty Lip Power Lipstick ($45) in shade 108 and then blotting it off before applying again” to really make the color last. Then, “A dusting of the Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Glow Setting Powder ($69) in her T-Zone” to control where her skin shines through the paparazzi flash. Also, of course, some “talks about life,” catching up on all the gossip in each other’s day-to-day.
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