By now Lupita Nyong'o is a household name after she took home the Oscar for best supporting actress, thanks to her role in 12 Years a Slave, and became the spokeswoman for Lancome. Now she can add People's most beautiful to her list of accolades. All this year she's been completely blowing up the beauty world, and for good reason. Lupita leads the pack at pairing bright, bold colors with her makeup on the red carpet. But when you're brave enough to rock a sort Afro, bright hues are just a stroll in the park. Ahead, we have over 30 red-carpet reasons why Lupita should be on your inspiration board.
This twisted pixie style from the MTV Movie Awards is one of our favorites from Lupita. She also sported an extradramatic smoky eye look.
For the GLAAD Awards, Lupita's hairstyle was something akin to cat ears (too cute)! She also paired a bold green eyeliner with a bright orange lip.
Lupita graces the cover of the May issue of Marie Claire, and she celebrated the accomplishment in this Elvis-esque pompadour style.
For her turn in the Miu Miu front row, Lupita matched her dark plum sweater to her aubergine lip hue.
Her best look yet was this 18-karat headband she wore on the Oscars red carpet and on the stage as she accepted her award for best supporting actress.
Lupita's entire look was a win at the premiere of Non-Stop, thanks to her teased updo and icy-blue eyeliner.
No one is greater proof of the versatility of short hair! With a middle-parted do with unexpected height, the actress went for an earthy makeup palette with shimmering lids and a brick red lip.
With a smile like that, it's no wonder she's a cover girl! Glossy raspberry lips and quartz eye shadow put the focus on her glowing skin.
Not many actresses would dare to match their eye shadow to a verdant Dior couture gown, but Lupita rose to the challenge with rosy lips.
Ted Gibson and Nick Barose created this ultraviolet NYFW look centered around her pastel Calvin Klein Collection dress.
It was a classic red lip paired with a modern 'do for the first-time nominee.
It was an earthy palette with mahogany lipstick and peach lids for Producers Guild Awards red carpet.
The winner hit it out of the park with a taller-than-expected hairdo and turquoise ombré eyes that matched her Gucci dress.
Lupita wore a faux widow's peak on the Critics' Choice Awards red carpet that directed the eye right down to her silvery gray eye makeup.
At the Golden Globes, Lupita rocked the red carpet in a stretched-out Afro and side part.
To celebrate her first DuJour magazine cover, Lupita toned it down with flushed pink tones on her lips and cheeks.
We couldn't help but be reminded of the guys from Kid 'n Play and the House Party movies when we saw Lupita's hair at the W magazine party ahead of the Golden Globes! Her gold and gunmetal eye shadows made her palette twice as nice.
Instead of typical neutral tones, Lupita opted for warmed-up versions of nude hues at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Sparkling, golden shadow adorned her eyes, while a bright peach shade added some color to her lips.
At the Independent Feature Project's 23rd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, Lupita looked edgy with a vampy lip hue and dark metallic eye shadow.
Lupita used strategic highlighting to pull off her gorgeous glow at the 12 Years a Slave premiere in Paris.
In one of her first red carpet appearances this past May, Lupita was channeling Grace Jones with a sexy box haircut and glowing skin.
A shock of silver shadow and berry lips created a heightened yet sophisticated look on Lupita at the Museum of Modern Art 2013 Film Benefit.
Bright red lips and soft black eyeliner were all she needed to create a classic look at The Invisible Woman premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
A deep berry lipstick offset her hazy blue eye shadow at the premiere of 12 Years a Slave at the Toronto International Film Festival.
A hint of silver liner decorated her eyes at a screening of 12 Years a Slave in October.
We love how she paired her royal blue dress with a dark mahogany lipstick hue at the Broadway opening of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in September.
Bronze glitter looked downright jaw-dropping on Lupita at the New York Film Festival's premiere of 12 Years a Slave.
Lupita utilized her glow and paired it with neutral makeup hues at the 2013 Movies For Grownups Film Festival.
Not many people can pull off electric purple lipstick, but Lupita wore it flawlessly at the Governors Awards this month.
Pairing shimmering blue shadow with a glossy red lip may be considered a beauty faux pas, but on Lupita at the 12 Years a Slave Accenture Gala, it looks flat-out enviable.
This glossy lip hue is somewhere between red and pink, and it looks gorgeous paired with the actress's rose-hued dress at the GQ Men of the Year Party.
Lupita wore her blue eye shadow with a tomato-red frock at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
Her blue-silver shadow was a standout while she sat front row at the Miu Miu Spring 2014 show during Paris Fashion Week.
At the 2013 Telluride Film Festival, the starlet made a case for going monochromatic in clothing and eye shadow.
Not many people could pull off purple shadow and pink lipstick together, yet the result is incredibly beautiful on Lupita at the 12 Years a Slave LA premiere.
Gold lids, orange lips, and a yellow dress made an alluring combination for the actress at the 17th annual Hollywood Film Awards.
She went pretty in pastels with her makeup at the 12 Years a Slave press conference in Beverly Hills in October.
Blue shadow and an orange dress may not seem like a typical combination, but at the Fox Searchlight Party at the Toronto International Film Festival, Lupita pulled it off.
To offset her bright chartreuse outfit, Lupita stuck to creams and nudes for her 12 Years a Slave portrait at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.