This year is already shaping up to be a major one for Zendaya. Hot off the heels of her longtime stylist, Law Roach, semi-confirming that she secretly wed her partner, Tom Holland (“The wedding’s already happened! You missed it!” Roach teased at the SAG Actor Awards last month), and stopping by Las Vegas for a little fun, the actor has been dressing for her bridal era—and last night, while presenting the award for best director at the 2026 Oscars with costar Robert Pattinson, her glam was matching this new phase of life too.
The actor’s go-to glam team—Ernesto Casillas for make-up, Ursula Stephen for hair—spoke to Vogue exclusively about this moment and look. It was the perfect complement to her custom Louis Vuitton chocolate brown dress, styled by Roach.
When we chat, Casillas has just sent Zendaya off to the 2026 Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards, where she wore a dress that paid homage to both an iconic Whitney Houston Essence cover and Sex and the City. “That was such a fun look,” he says. “We played with some metallics on her eyes.” It was also a moment of surprise, the make-up artist tells me. “She was like, ‘We can do more of a lash.’ I was surprised and excited.”
It was Roach who brought Casillas into the Zendaya universe about three years ago. Now, he says, the two of them are in a great glam groove. “At first, we didn’t deviate too much from the textures and colours that we like,” Casillas says. “But now, we’re playing outside of that.”
Tonight, Casillas created the actor’s burnished glam with Prada Beauty. “My signature is beautifully layered skin with dimension, a pop of colour, and glow,” he says, adding that Prada’s new Touch Blush was the perfect final pop for a monochromatic beauty look. On her lips, Prada Balm in Noisette stays within the colour scheme while giving a touch of gloss.
When we chat, the fashion look—which the make-up artist calls a “grown and sexy dress” by Vuitton, paired with jewelry from Cindy Chao and a Rolex timepiece—had been selected, but glam was still a little up in the air. But when the star walked onstage, it was clear they decided to “go with the monochromatic vibe” Casillas thought would look gorgeous with the dress: “It’s a smoldering, bronzy brown eye. Same thing on the cheeks. And keep the lips a little more hydrated-looking but still within that monochromatic colour scheme.”
He adds that Zendaya has recently started changing up her incredible eyebrows. “Zendaya does her own eyebrows,” he says. “If they need a little bit of a trim, she’ll take care of it. As of late, we’ve been going for a slightly thinner brow. It’s lightly filled in, not as much of a statement brow as she used to do.”
Another major beauty change? A recent transition from an Italian bob to a bixie. While it wasn’t originally chopped by Stephen, she’s been maintaining the trendy cut. “She wanted a cut that was short but would offer versatility,” the hairstylist tells Vogue. “One that would really work with her natural texture.” Casillas adds, “She’s so happy with the haircut and feels like it’s very her. I feel like it’s made her more open to playing a little bit more.”
When it came to styling the bixie for the Oscars, Stephen and Zendaya decided to lean into the big moment. “Tonight, we traded her natural texture for a more polished look,” she says, adding that they used the GHD Speed Hair Dryer, which won’t be available until May of this year. “Then we kept her side part and tucked it behind her ears.”
Zendaya—and her glam team—are just getting started. Next up? More (faux!) bridal content coming in anticipation of The Drama, out on April 3. Then she’s reunited with partner Holland on the silver screen for The Odyssey. And lots of fantastic glam looks too.
