The Over-50-approved Beauty Trend at Variety Power of Women 2026
Just as Pamela Anderson is finally making up with makeup, it seems women over-50 are falling back in love with full glam and falsies.
At Variety Power of Women, held in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, more than a few high-powered female celebrities and change makers favored an “everything under the sun” beauty approach — or, in this case, “everything in the makeup bag” — with eye-catching lash extensions that called the future of “clean girl” into question.
Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy notably led the lash trend on the carpet, adding full sets that flew over her matte shadow and kissed the tops of her hooded lids. Her makeup artist, Afton Williams, took to Instagram before the carpet to tease the type of lash she used. “POV making my lash selection for tonight @melissamccarthy,” Williams wrote, tagging the ultra-buzzy brand, Lilly Lashes, in the corner.
Lauren Graham
Lauren Graham at Variety Power of Women LA 2026.
Gilbert Flores/Variety
Fellow “Gilmore Girls” star Lauren Graham sported a similar eye, only she used an inky black mascara to embellish the length of her natural lashes in lieu of extensions. Graham also dragged a shimmery charcoal hue from her outer corner to her inner corner to accent her bottom line.
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Gilbert Flores/Variety
Elsewhere on the carpet, Queen Latifah’s sprawling lashes gave McCarthy’s a run for their money. Likely imagined by her longtime beauty collaborator, Frank Guyton, the flirty falsies spanned the width of her top line and tickled her bottom brow bone. Paired with a prominent pink lip and punctuating updo, the glam appeared as if it were plucked from an early 2000s look book.
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson was honored at Variety Power of Women.
Gilbert Flores/Variety
On the opposite end of the extension spectrum was Jennifer Hudson and her subtle clusters. The artist and cover star, who was honored with Variety’s Changemaker of the Year award, tapped artist Adam Burrell to construct her matte gold smoky eye topped with wispy lashes and a naked waterline. The — arguably — understated aesthetic north of her nose balanced the drama of her blood-red lip.
Selma Blair
Selma Blair on the Variety Women of Power carpet.
River Callaway/Variety
Meanwhile, makeup visionary Stephanie Navarro complemented Selma Blair’s punk-girl pixie, with a lash aesthetic that settled somewhere between Graham and Hudson. Her eyes were further decorated using a rose-colored shimmer on her lids and along her bottom line. The warm hue popped with the blush on her cheeks.
With lashes on the mind, it may be a good time to start thinking about the inevitable revival of eyeliner. As we age, mastering the art of eyeliner can become increasingly difficult. Speaking with WWD, Keyerra Madeline, a pro makeup artist at Blushington salon, said, “For women over 40, eyeliner isn’t about doing less makeup. It’s about changing the technique so the makeup works with the eye you’re actually working on. The biggest mistake I see is treating the eyelid like a flat canvas. It’s important to factor in your skin type, texture and the shape of the eye itself.”
See here for additional tips on how to perfect the ideal wing.
