The surprising story behind Celeste’s unconventional beauty look at the Brit Awards 2026

Singer Celeste just put the final nail in the coffin for clean girl beauty at the Brit Awards 2026. With her soulful jazz voice, the singer has previously channelled vintage glamour on the red carpet – whether that’s been vintage Vivienne Westwood or the archive Gucci gown for the 2020 Brits Awards.

But at this year’s Brit Awards, Celeste channelled the ‘vampire romantic’ beauty trend in a grey leather ensemble.

Defined by dewy skin, just-bitten lips and heavy kohled – almost bruised-looking – eyes, there’s a dark, moody nostalgia about the vampire romantic beauty trend. True to the aesthetic, clouds of blurred black eyeshadow and eyeliner circled Celeste’s eyes at the 2026 Brit Awards, with what looks like a base colour of sepia-brown eyeshadow underneath, bleeding up to the brows. Gone too is the ‘60s-inspired voluminous Afro, replaced with a shag and extra-long, uneven, cheekbone-skimming fringe.

It’s a look she’s slowly been building up to of late – first at the 2026 Fashion Awards, with her cut crease sooty eyeshadow that went all the way up to her brow bone. Then again, at the Wuthering Heights premiere three weeks ago, where her heavily defined eyes started to become her trademark.