Every year around this time, we camp out in front of the TV and brace ourselves for the stunning, but oft-underwhelming beauty looks that come traipsing down the red carpet. Whose chignon will be the most perfectly-sized? Who will nail smokey eye makeup better than the rest?
While awards season hair and makeup seems formulaic at this point, we were honestly surprised by the number of ladies (and fellas) who brought it tonight: Viola Davis went au naturel, Gwyneth was literally glowing and Angelina Jolie looked the prettiest (and happiest) she has in a while. While there were mostly successes, there were unfortunately a few who fell short. See all the standouts -- the good, the bad and the meh -- in our beauty gallery below.
And check out our picks for Oscars 2012 worst-dressed and Oscars 2012 best-dressed. And after all that, see many more Oscars 2012 red carpet looks over at HuffPost Style.
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