Throughout awards season, VIOLET GREY will be deconstructing the nominees’ most memorable red-carpet beauty moments of the year. On hand for commentary (and the occasional insider tip) will be the actresses’ makeup artist, hairstylist or both.

Awards-season voters can’t seem to get enough of Claire Danes’ portrayal of bipolar CIA operative Carrie Mathison in the Showtime series Homeland. Since the show’s 2011 debut, the actress has picked up two Emmys, two Golden Globes and a SAG Award, along with a lengthy list of nominations.

Tomorrow Danes is again up for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actress in a Drama Series. In her corner (as usual) will be her longtime hairstylist Peter Butler and makeup artist Matin Maulawizada. For the past 11 years, the duo have created consistently modern, yet classically beautiful, red-carpet looks for the 35-year-old actress. “She sits down in the makeup chair and does not pick up the mirror once,” says Maulawizada of his wholly trusting client. “Peter and I will do our thing, and then at the end, she will take a quick peek in the mirror and go; 99 percent of the time she will not ask us to fix anything.”

FULL NAME
Claire Catherine Danes

HOMETOWN
Manhattan, New York

CURRENT NOMINATIONS
2015 Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series — Drama
2015 Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series

BEAUTY TEAM
Makeup artist, Matin Maulawizada
Hairstylist, Peter Butler

BEAUTY PHILOSOPHY: CONSIDER THE DRESS
From Armani Privé to Valentino, the actress is hardly monogamous when it comes to designers. “Claire always chooses a hair look once she has the dress on,” says Butler, who opted for a classic roll set to match her ladylike Christian Dior sheath dress for the 2014 Producers Guild Award event. “She never goes into a styling session with a predetermined idea.”

Expert Advice: Use a curling iron to pin-set hair. Once the hair is cooled, take out the pins and let the hair down. Gently rake your fingers through and allow the hair to settle, spritzing it with a light hairspray (Butler prefers Vidal Sassoon’s Flexible Hold Hair Spray) for touchable, movable style.

BEST HAIRSTYLE SURPRISE: FAUX BOB
“I happened to walk into the room as she was trying on this dress,” remembers Butler of the sheer Armani Privé look she donned for the 2013 Emmy Awards. “She held up her hair and decided that it would be best to have it up and off her shoulders. And then I just created this faux bob; I didn’t even ask, I just did it and she loved it.” Soon after, when Danes hit the red carpet and Butler was still driving back home in his car, the actress was receiving calls from her Homeland producers. Butler’s clever craftsmanship had made them believe she had drastically chopped off her long, Carrie Mathison hair.

Expert Advice: The key to creating this look, according to Butler, is selecting a great setting lotion when blow-drying the hair. He prefers to prep damp hair with Vidal Sassoon’s Boost & Lift Foaming Air Mousse, which allows the hair to acquire the right amount of “grip” for the pinned-up look.

BIGGEST MAKEUP RISK: VAMPY LIP
When makeup artist Matin Maulawizada first saw Danes trying on this black Givenchy asymmetrical dress, he knew instantly that a dark, vampy lip would be the focal point of her beauty look. To persuade the actress, who was initially apprehensive about the idea, Maulawizada applied the lip look first and requested Danes stare at herself while Butler styled her hair. By the end of her beauty session, Danes, as well as everyone else in the room, was completely enraptured by the rich tones of her lipstick.

Expert Advice: Maulawizada first filled in her lips with two lip pencils from Laura Mercier (Deep Wine and Red Chocolate). He then finished the look with a swipe of Laura Mercier’s Cocoa lipstick.

BEST BEAUTY LOOK OF 2015: PEACOCK PALETTE
“I thought at first it might be a little risky to go too matchy-matchy,” explains Maulawizada of the peacock-inspired palette he selected to complement the actress’s peacock-feathered Valentino dress. “But I knew the outcome would be too beautiful, so I did it anyway!”

Expert Advice: Maulawizada layered NARS’ Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow in Giove over the brand’s Eyeliner Pencil in Kalisté to create the ideal shimmery blue finish.