Last week, as the awards season wrapped up for another year, actor Rami Malek was probably still basking in his post-Oscar win glow.
The Bohemian Rhapsody star, who took home the Oscar for Best Actor, has had a stellar awards season, also winning a BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for his role as Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic.
Yet, it was Malek’s partner and Bohemian Rhapsody co-star, Lucy Boynton, who has really been stealing the show for the past couple of months.
This is because Boynton, who stunned in a custom Rodarte violet gown during the Academy Awards ceremony, has spent the awards season slowly but surely turning herself into a new-age beauty icon.
With her bleached blonde bob and classic features, the 25-year-old American-born, London-raised actress did something most actresses shied away from this season – she took risks and tried bold new beauty looks that we weren’t seeing anywhere else on the red carpet.
“Lucy was game for pushing a look each time,” Boynton’s hairstylist Jenny Cho tells the Standard. “Jo [Baker] and I were blessed this award season with our dream muse Lucy and Leith Clark, who is her incredible stylist, who understood Lucy’s aesthetics and sensibilities. I think our stars really aligned and that’s how the magic happened.”
Cho, whose other celebrity clients include Emilia Clarke, Jennifer Lawrence and Amanda Seyfried, said she never set out to be in the celebrity world, but after assisting celebrity stylists she discovered a love for it. The LA-based hairstylist was joined by makeup artist Jo Baker and stylist Leith Clark to become the dream team behind Boynton’s award season looks.
While Cho was introduced to Boynton through her agent, Baker has been working with the actress for a couple of years.
Baker says: “Lucy would come to LA every few months and we would have a couple of things here and there to do together. But 2019 really kicked off with a bang and this gave us momentum and endless events to have fun with.
“I think we are just getting started and I am always so grateful for Lucy’s confidence and fashion forward approach to red carpet events. That paired with an amazing stylist makes for a dream situation because in short, it all starts with what she is wearing and we start to day dream from there.”
Baker, an LA-based Londoner, got her start after working in the fashion industry and a photographer friend asked if she wanted to do a shoot with Usher, who became her first celebrity client. Now, Baker's clients include Sharon Stone, Emmy Rossum and Olivia Wilde.
Baked said: “Jenny Cho is such a pleasure to collaborate with. She just gets it. Cool girl hair with inventive and clever flare. We always discuss and conjure up ideas and looks together.”
And thus, a new red carpet star was born. Boynton’s hair has been woven into ‘60s-inspired knots, adorned with bows and, for the Oscars, coiffed into a sleek old-school glamour look – a favourite look of Cho’s. Boynton’s makeup has been all about the lashes, long and spidery offset by colourful shadow, unpredictable liner and blush-coloured lips.
Cho, who is working with Emilia Clarke for her Game of Thrones press tour and Jennifer Lawrence for her X-Men tour later in the year, will be working with Boynton again for the Met Gala in May. We can’t wait to see what they do next.
Jenny Cho’s go-to hair products
“My most-used product is the Sam McKnight ‘Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist’. I love how Sam has mastered the perfect dry shampoo and instant texture combo in a can. I also love a good mousse like the Bumble and Bumble ‘Thickening Full Form Mousse’, Unite 'BOOSTA' spray and a smoothing cream like Suave Professionals 'Sleek Anti-Frizz Cream' and Suave Professionals 'Strong Hold Hairspray'.”
Jo Baker’s go-to beauty products
“The go-tos I am loving this season are Chantecaille 'Future Skin Foundation' for the no makeup makeup base that feels like you are not wearing makeup at all.
“For mascara I am loving 'Doll Eyes Mascara' by Lancome and I recently discovered this very specific shade of minky brown eyeliner by Charlotte Tilbury called 'Veruschka Mink' which is the perfect soft grey brown liner and quite possibly the best brown liner shade for inside the eyes. Most browns inside the eye will look reddish and too intense but this shade 'Rock 'n' Kohl' makes eyes look refined and moody - and who doesn’t want that.”
