The Hollywood Reporter has their 2015 beauty issue out, with alternate covers featuring Reese Witherspoon and Taraji P. Henson with their makeup artists. There are profiles of the beauty experts who work closely with celebrities behind the scenes, typically hair stylists and makeup artists, along with a list of Hollywood’s top 25 beauty products featuring far too many lipsticks. Lipsticks are a dime a dozen in my opinion and while I understand that lipstick can transform a look I don’t consider them a beauty product you need to splurge on.

My favorite article lists the top 25 beauty moments of 2015. Apart from maybe Lupita’s hair and definitely Adele’s makeup for “Hello,” none of these other looks would have occurred to me. Maybe if I watched Empire I would have thought of Taraji as Cookie though, she’s getting a lot of buzz for her character’s styling. Social media buzz aside, you get the impression that these “top beauty moments” heavily depended on the beauty experts’ willingness to talk to THR, which is totally understandable. It’s just that only a handful seem memorable enough to make this list. Here are the ones I particularly liked, with more at the source.

Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon

Fan pages devoted to Cookie’s beauty, including tens of thousands of YouTube tutorials on how to re-create the diva’s makeup, have flooded the Internet this year. Why the obsession? According to Ashunta Sheriff, Henson’s makeup artist both onscreen and off, “Cookie is uninhibited, and that is giving women the courage to try new things. She isn’t afraid of the trends, whether it’s a dark plum or bright turquoise eye shadow.”

Lupita Nyong’o’s Cannes “Fronut”

Nyong’o’s attention-grabbing fuchsia lip coupled with a hairstyle that garnered its own hashtag, #fronut, was the ultimate display of fresh glamour on the Croisette…

The finishing touch was a full donut bun, courtesy of London-based hairstylist Vernon Francois, which instantly became hashtagged #fronut on social media — a nod to the natural Afro-feel Francois wanted. “I had been in Uganda, and there were lots of women in buns,” Nyong’o tells THR of the inspiration. The 32-year-old, who’s starring in the play Eclipsed and gearing up for the Star Wars: The Force Awakens press juggernaut, posted a photo of the look on her Instagram, saying, “They are calling it a #fronut. I like that.” So did 76,223 of her followers.

Adele’s “Hello” Beauty

The haunting lyrics, the voice and the alluring eyes — defined with winged liner, thick lashes and pristinely groomed eyebrows — are flaunted in six entrancing minutes of director Xavier Dolan’s video for the first single off 27-year-old Adele’s much anticipated album. “He wanted it to be very much Adele, which is always a polished beauty look,” says the chanteuse’s longtime makeup artist, Michael Ashton, of Dolan’s vision for the black-and-white shots.

L.A.-based brow artist Kristie Streicher had groomed the brows into a signature feathered look that tapers at the end. And Ashton did the liner as he so often does: using gel liner from the inner to outer eye corner for outlining the desired shape, then filling in with a precision-tip liquid liner and winging it at the end. He’s using a new technique for lips, however: “Defining the mouth with lip liner, then blending it with nourishing lip balm into the natural lip tone, which gives a beautiful freshness that doesn’t look too overdone.”

Cara Delevingne’s Bushy Brows

Call it the Cara effect. Delevingne’s brows have inspired the sudden popularity in bold shapes and the launch of dozens of new products and brow bars (extensions are one way to get a full Delevingne-esque set). As Umbreen Sheikh, owner of New York City’s Wink Brow Bar, has said: “Ninety-nine point nine percent of women come in asking for [brows like Delevingne’s].”

Kirsten Dunst’s “It” Haircut, the wavy bob

After months of contemplating a cut, the Fargo actress lopped off 10 inches of long blond hair, resulting in a chin-grazing bob that flaunts her natural wavy texture while showcasing the year’s “It” style: “I had bleached my hair the year before, and Cervando was like, ‘Let’s cut this shit off!’ ” Dunst tells THR.

I used to think that products were not as important as technique, but I’ve changed my mind over the years, especially after I started buying better makeup like Urban Decay eyeshadow. (Not a paid plug, I just love the colors and pigmentation. I have Naked palettes #2 and #3, with #2 being may favorite.) Products do make a big difference, and I want to know what the celebrities are using. I’m really sad to hear that Adele uses Maybelline gel eyeliner, though. I’ve tried it and it made my eyes water so badly I had to take it off. Maybe I applied it wrong and should give it another shot, but I stay away from gel eyeliner now. I would love for Adele’s makeup artist to do a tutorial on how to achieve her “Hello” look. For now we’ll have to settle for the videos made by makeup experts trying to recreate the look and getting quite close.