GWEN STEFANI'S NUDE MAKEUP: YES OR NO?
Last night at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards wasn't the first time singer Gwen Stefani had sidestepped her signature winged liner and bold red lips for shades of nude. But perhaps it wasn't her most successful.

Gwen Stefani wears the look she's most known for in this photo from the launch of her Urban Decay collab.
I'm a huge fan of Gwen on The Voice. She's a fantastic coach, all warm and maternal and very smart. I particularly enjoy the work of her longtime beauty dream team, hairstylist Danilo (we chatted with Danilo here) and makeup artist Gregory Alt – whether more natural or over-the-top dramatic, Gwen always looks uhmazing.
But Gwen's Billboard Music Awards look last evening... something seemed off, and sparked some social media discord.
The nude lip colour got much of the blame, but it wasn't the real problem. Gregory Alt went for a soft eye-makeup look, without a trace of the black liner and thick inky lashes the star often wears. Mistake, I think.
Not that Gwen can't carry a less defined eye. But those bold brows and exaggerated highlighting – pardon me, strobing – and contouring create an overall effect that overpowered her eyes and made people ask WTF? Here, look at some random images in which Gwen wears a better version of her Billboard makeup:
gwen stefani in nude lips
back to gwen's billboard awards makeup
Gwen's Billboard Awards makeup looked better on the jumbo screen as she performed onstage – the soft eye makeup made her look vulnerable, which I think was the point.
In this snap from Danilo's Instagram feed, Gwen looks fantastic under those bright stage lights.
And the eye makeup worked in Gwen's selfie, of course.
But off-stage...
What do you think about Gwen's Billboard Awards makeup? Yes or no?
Update: here's what Gwen's makeup artist Gregory Arlt had to say (nothing unexpected, really) about things.