Catherine Zeta-Jones has spent four decades defining Hollywood glamour through a constantly evolving aesthetic. From her 1990s breakout to her recent roles in major streaming hits, her beauty choices have mirrored the shifting tides of pop culture.
1940s curls and the 1990s grunge of 'For All Time'
In 1992, before she became a household name, Catherine Zeta-Jones released the song "For All Time," showcasing a striking duality in her style. According to the Glamour report, the music video featured both a vintage 1940s-inspired look with side-flipped Hollywood curls and a more contemporary 90s aesthetic involving a graphic half-updo bun and chunky French tip nails. This era of the actress's career was defined by this ability to pivot between classic elegance and the era's gritty, sheer eyeshadow trends.
As she moved into the mid-90s, her look became more polished for major premieres. For the Men In Black premiere in 1997, she utilized signature face-framing layers, while her appearance at the Air Force One premiere featured a high-contrast berry lip . This period also saw her pay homage to her character Elena in The Mask of Zorro with a low flamenco bun, proving her knack for using hair and makeup to anchor a character's identity.
The 2002 Oscar-winning chignon and the rise of the side fringe
The early 2000s marked a period of intense experimentation for the actress, ranging from blonde highlights to the signature side fringes seen during the Intolerable Cruelty premiere. When she claimed her Best Supporting Actress award for Chicago in 2002, she opted for a more grounded, classic look: dark hair in a low, center-parted chignon paired with a brick red lip. This balance of high-glamour and polished simplicity became a hallmark of her presence on red carpets throughout the decade.
During her frequent appearances at the Glamour Women of the Year awards,Zeta-Jones continued to push boundaries. In 2005, she paired a teal blue dress with a matching sheer teal smoky eye, and by 2006, she was making statements with a sleek beehive and a '70s-inspired curtain fringe. These years demonstrated her ability to master various decades of style, from the '70s to the modern '00s.
Channeling Morticia Addams through 'dark feminine' makeup
The current decade has seen Zeta-Jones lean into a "dark feminine" aesthetic, largely driven by her role as Morticia Addams in the Netflix series Wednesday. working alongside Jenna Ortega, the actress has embraced "method gothic" beauty, utilizing inky black liners and dark cherry lips to match her character's energy. This shift follows her recent work in the Amazon Prime series Kill Jackie, where she plays a complex former cocaine dealer.
This recent era has seen her move away from the softer, nude-lipped looks of the 2010s. While she briefly experimented with a lilac lip color on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2022, she has largely returned to a more intense, sultry palette. This evolution suggests that as her roles have become darker and more matriarchal, her beauty kit has followed suit, trading soft curls for slick high buns and blood-red lips.
The evolution of the signature CZJ smoky eye
While her hair and lip colors have shifted, the actress has maintained a consistent focus on defined eyes. From the cool-toned dark blue smoky eye worn for The Haunting to the sheer black smoky eye seen at the 2025 Emmy Awards, eyeliner remains her most reliable tool. as the article notes, she even recently referenced a blue-silver ensemble for a Kill Jackie premiere, continuing her tradition of color-coordinated glamour.
However, several questions remain regarding the future of her aesthetic. While the report highlights her recent "method" looks, it is unclear if these gothic tones are a permanent shift or merely a response to her current character archetypes. Additionally, the source does not clarify if her recent move toward darker, more intense makeup is a personal stylistic choice or a professional requirement for her increasingly mature roles. We are also left wondering how her 2026 Kill Jackie looks will further evolve her signature style.
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