Venice Film Festival 2026 Delivers High-Glamour Red Carpet Beauty
The 2026 Venice Film Festival, running until 12 September, has already delivered high-octane red carpet beauty, from Brittany Snow's Old Hollywood curls to Nina Dobrev's smokey eye.
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The takeaway
- The 2026 Venice Film Festival runs until 12 September and marks the informal start of awards season.
- Brittany Snow wore Old Hollywood-inspired curls; Nina Dobrev debuted a standout smokey eye on the red carpet.
- Marie Claire Beauty Director Hannah Baxter named Pamela Anderson, Sydney Sweeney, Kendall Jenner and Amal Clooney among the standout beauty looks.
The 2026 Venice Film Festival is underway, running until 12 September, and its red carpet has already produced some of the most glamorous beauty moments of the year, according to Marie Claire.
Marie Claire Beauty Director Hannah Baxter credits the Italian event with a singular ability to coax out high-octane looks. "There's just a certain something to the Italian event that coaxes out some of the most glamorous beauty moments of the year," she writes.
Baxter offers her own theory for the extra polish: "Maybe it's because we're all not-so-secretly mourning the end of summer, celebrities included, that inspires a touch more glitz and glam."
Two looks have set the tone so far. Brittany Snow debuted Old Hollywood-inspired curls. Nina Dobrev wore what Baxter describes as "the type of come-hither smokey eye that announces that, yes, you are so winning the breakup."
The festival doubles as the informal kickoff to awards season, which begins each September. Marie Claire will continue tracking hair and makeup from Venice through the festival's close on 12 September.
The list of red carpet standouts to date includes:
- Pamela Anderson
- Marion Cotillard
- Sydney Sweeney
- Kendall Jenner
- Rooney and Kate Mara
- Zazie Beetz
- Amal Clooney
- Bianca Balti
- Nina Dobrev
- Maggie Gyllenhaal
- Brittany Snow
- Laura Dern
- Claire Foy
Coverage comes from Baxter, who has held roles at The Zoe Report, Coveteur and Bust Magazine, and whose writing has appeared in Harper's Bazaar, Allure, The Cut, Elle, InStyle, Glamour, Air Mail, Vogue, Architectural Digest, Byrdie and Nylon. She authors the Marie Claire newsletter Face Forward.
With the festival running until 12 September, expect more headline beauty moments from the Lido before awards season shifts into full gear.
Source: Marie Claire Beauty
Olivia Hart
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Senior reporter covering business strategy at Eurasian Beauty Journal.
