Last night, Sabrina Elba attended the 2024 CFDA Awards in New York to celebrate fashion’s biggest designers of the year. Her knit halter dress—designed by the CFDA’s only Black nominee, and winner of American Womenswear Designer of the Year, Diotima’s Rachel Scott—complimented her gold jewelry and timeless fall beauty look.
“Awards season glam generally tends to fall in the cooler months so you get to see a lot of those beautiful autumnal colors come out on the carpet,” Elba tells ESSENCE of her maple, monochromatic tones. “It’s also a season for change, and people tend to change their hair or do something fresh and up the stakes with the glam.”
Paired with a brown highlighted cut, the S’ABLE Labs founder’s skin prep began 24 hours ahead of the event. “I always use the Qasil Exfoliating Mask the day before,” Elba says of her A-beauty product that gives her moonlit skin. “This ensures I get a really good exfoliation and I’m looking really bright and glowy the next day.”
Then, she uses Rooibos Micellar Water as the base for the remainder of her skincare routine. The antiseptic Black Seed Toner, hyperpigmentation-proof Baobab Moisturizer, and no-tox botox Okra Face Serum follow for makeup application prep. To compliment her skin-first routine, makeup artist Vanessa Eckels went in with Hourglass’s Veil Hydrating Skin Tint then touched up with Vanish Airbrush Concealer.
Eckels lightly set her complexion with Vanish Airbrush Pressed Powder in shade Tan and soft, radiant, and golden bronzer and blush from the Volume II Ambient Lighting Palette. The tones paired well with a matte brown feline eye and a neutral rose lip for a fall-ready look. The end result? A mélange of pale yellows, coffee browns and soft taupe eyeshadows.
To complete the look, she used the smaller side of the Veil Powder Brush with a fool-proof technique. “I pressed and rolled the brush into the center of the face to lock in the makeup for a super smooth finish, which is a must for special events,” Eckels says. With this year’s awards season at an end, Sabrina Elba’s beauty moment is a tell tale sign of the holiday beauty looks that lie ahead—and the tones to add to our wishlists.
