The Surprising Reason Natalie Portman's Makeup in Vox Lux Took 4 Hours To Do

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In the age of modern celebrity, the film Vox Lux tells a tale as old as time: young aspiring singer catches a lucky break that catapults her to superstardom, only to watch things ricochet from good to bad at a blistering pace. What makes Celeste (played by Natalie Portman)'s story different, though, isn't in how it originates, or even the music — it's the movie's hair and makeup.

"Celeste is a powerful, strong, and dark individual, so it was necessary to express that through [her look]," the film's head of makeup Anouck Sullivan told POPSUGAR. "As an unraveling pop star, she is quite literally hiding behind the makeup. The hair department head Esther Ahn and I wanted her to look otherworldly — and yes, we wanted there to be a lot of glitter."

While she admits there wasn't one singular inspiration behind Portman's character, Sullivan said: "I kept in mind that today's pop stars have, throughout the decade, competed and tried to outdo one another on stage." And upstage she did. How, exactly, she did it just took a little fine-tuning.

Behind Natalie Portman's Transformation Into Celeste
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Behind Natalie Portman's Transformation Into Celeste

When it came to sourcing the goods, Sullivan knew the makeup team had to stock up on sparkle. "Shopping was a lot of fun to create all these distinctive looks," she said. "It entailed many trips to the garment district, art supply stores, and makeup shops. I bought strips of iron-on studs and rhinestones, glitter, and Swarovski crystals. We would cut them up and strip them apart to use on Natalie, the backup dancers, and Raffey Cassidy [young Celeste]. Our hair department had a stock of gems to add to the loot. We had so much to play and create with."

"I bought strips of iron-on studs and rhinestones, glitter, and Swarovski crystals. We had so much to play and create with."

As you might imagine, taking all those materials and bringing them to life took some time. "When Natalie transformed into Celeste, the makeup was just a piece of the puzzle that helped her get there," said Sullivan. "Natalie was super easy going and a pleasure to work with. She was very patient with us while in the chair, as it took almost four hours each day to get her ready for the performance look. We told jokes and laughed a lot throughout, which made it all the more fun."

Make Up For Ever Glitter
sephora.com

Make Up For Ever Glitter

There was so much glitter everywhere, even people not involved in the film's production started to take notice. "Our transpo driver said that — in all his years — he had never seen such a mess in a trailer," Sullivan said. "It was a glitter bomb for days. I used the Make Up For Ever Glitter ($15) on Natalie's lips over her lipstick."

Stila Cosmetics Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow
stilacosmetics.com

Stila Cosmetics Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow

"For Natalie's eyes, I used the Stila Cosmetics Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow ($24), along with other staple products," Sullivan said, referring to the many rhinestones and gems she picked up at the crafts store.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Loose Glitter
sephora.com

Anastasia Beverly Hills Loose Glitter

"Anastasia Beverly Hills Loose Glitter ($15) is also an excellent glitter that we used on the backup dancers," she added.

On Creating Multiple Different Looks in 1 Day
Everett Collection

On Creating Multiple Different Looks in 1 Day

"The second act of the film in which Natalie appears, it all takes place in one long day," Sullivan said. "Therefore, the looks help tell the story of a hectic day in a pop star's life. [The film's director] Brady [Corbet] was adamant about Natalie having three full hair, makeup, and wardrobe changes throughout this day. I took bits of young Celeste and tied them in to her other looks."

The 1 Product She Used the Most on Set
pinkygoat.com

The 1 Product She Used the Most on Set

"Natalie would make fun of me because I would squirrel away and clean a few of her lashes at the end of the day."

"I was running out of my treasured Pinky Goat Lashes ($13), which are only available in California," Sullivan said. "Overnight just wasn't fast enough! Natalie would make fun of me because I would squirrel away and clean a few of her lashes at the end of the day, and then hide them in what she called my petri dish. Thankfully, I never ran out, but it came close."

Why Natalie Portman Had a Silver Streak in the Film
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Why Natalie Portman Had a Silver Streak in the Film

"The hair designer, Esther Ahn, had spoken to Brady about Celeste's hair being silver to give her an androgynous, robotic look," Sullivan explained. "She used a silver gel from Manic Panic to sculpt Natalie's hair, which was fully silver on all sides during the performances."

Manic Panic Virgin Snow Semi Permanent Cream Hair Color
sallybeauty.com

Manic Panic Virgin Snow Semi Permanent Cream Hair Color

"I think Esther would say she went through a lot of the Virgin Snow Semi Permanent Cream Hair Color ($10) and black Manic Panic hair gels she used on Natalie."

A Note on Natalie Portman's Holographic Nails
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A Note on Natalie Portman's Holographic Nails

A character's manicure is rarely something that takes front-and-center in a film, but Portman's long, black-but-glittery stiletto nails are an exception. "Natalie really wanted her character to have super long nails, so I arranged for Rachel Shim, a nail artist, to come on set," Sullivan said. "As Natalie was on a tight schedule, we hadn't been able to do a camera tests before the start date. Needless to say day one was a challenge. Creating a character's hair and makeup look for the first time while getting a full set of gel nails was interesting, to say the least."

"Creating a character's hair and makeup look for the first time while getting a full set of gel nails was interesting, to say the least."

Luckily, everything turned out well in the long run: "Rachel was amazing and came well prepared. I had asked her to bring silver and gunmetal polishes and for a geometric, futuristic design. She had custom-made stamps that she used to layer silver varnishes on top of one another in a pattern. The final touch was, of course, some chunky holographic glitter. They really put Natalie right in to character — it such a great touch."

Natalie Portman in Vox Lux
Everett Collection

Natalie Portman in Vox Lux