Best Makeup and Hairstyling Predictions (February)

Well, the Oscars shortlist was full of shocks and snubs for Makeup and Hairstyling. Two of my top five last month weren’t shortlisted, so we say farewell to the campaigns of Bill & Ted Face the Music and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. It seems elaborate prosthetics simply weren’t the Academy’s cup of tea this year.

Despite zero campaign help from Warner Bros. (they were pushing Wonder Woman 1984 for this category, which wasn’t shortlisted), Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) was somehow still able to make the Academy’s final ten. That shows huge strength for the film’s chances here, so it rightfully rejoins the top five this month.

In my December piece, I had pondered the potential of a surprise nomination for Pinocchio. Lo and behold, there it is on the Oscars shortlist in this category. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. The fantastical makeup and hairstyling are precisely the kind of flashy work the Academy loves to acknowledge here, so a nomination for the Italian production is starting to look more likely.

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING PREDICTIONS:
1. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
2. Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)
3. Mank (Netflix)
4. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Warner Bros.)
5. Pinocchio (Roadside Attractions)

MAJOR CONTENDERS:
Emma. (Focus Features)
The Glorias (Roadside Attractions)
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)
The Little Things (Warner Bros.)
Mulan (Disney)