Joni Mitchell's 2026 Grammys Makeup Is All About a Red Lip

When it comes to music royalty, there are few people in the same stratosphere as Joni Mitchell. The award-winning singer-songwriter graced us with her presence at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on February 1st, looking like a vision in gold—a nod, perhaps, to her previous 11 wins at the ceremony. She’s up for an award tonight for Best Historical Album for Joni Mitchell Archives − Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980), but truthfully, it was her stunning red lip that won the evening.

“Joni loves a pop of color on her lips,” her makeup artist, Loren Canby, tells me over the phone. “She loves rosy tones, and she has beautiful blue eyes, [so] she wants her makeup to enhance her, but to still look like her.” Canby used Merit products to achieve Mitchell’s red carpet look, and the Merit Signature Lip in Vermillion, a warm red shade in a matte finish, looked absolutely stunning on the 82-year-old. As for the trick to helping the lipstick last for mature skin, without feathering or settling into fine lines? It’s all about layering.

“I used multiple layers,” reveals Canby, noting that she would blot each layer with tissue, see what came off, and then go back in with a lip brush for another layer to stack the pigment. After four rounds, she used a setting powder to lock the lip into place for the night.

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And then there’s Mitchell’s complexion, which Canby reveals is mainly due to the Grammy winner being “a magician,” adding that, “she doesn’t have pores, and her skin is incredible.” She used the Merit Great Skin Serum and Great Skin Moisturizer to prime and prep Mitchell’s skin. “Joni loves to glow,” she says. “[The serum and moisturizer] are really hydrating and glowy. [Then] we used the [Merit] Minimalist Complexion Stick in Bisque, but not all over her face; just around her nose and chin.”

an older white woman with a red lipstick and gold outfit

Joni Mitchell at the 68th Grammy Awards.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Believe it or not, there was no additional highlighter to create this otherworldly glow—just a bit of cream blush, the Merit Flush Balm in Stockholm, a lively baby pink shade. “I love them because they’re super sheer, and it looks like a natural flush,” says the makeup artist, who applied the blush just around the apples of the cheeks. No other contour or highlight was needed, she says, as “the flush balms are dewy, and they give a nice glow to the cheek.”

Although Canby used nothing on Mitchell’s brows (“her brows are almost white and she likes to keep them au naturale”) the eyes looked defined and fluttery with couple of coats of the Merit Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara in Black. “I wanted her lashes to pop, and she has super long lashes already,” says Canby. Finally, she added a hint of brown liner, using the already-cult-favorite Solo Shimmer Shadows instead of a traditional eyeliner. “[I used] Brun, a deep brown, [instead of black] because she’s fair and has light eyes, and she’s wearing a navy undertone to the outfit,” says the makeup artist.

Paired with the flush of color on her cheeks and that brilliant, warm red lip, it’s clear the Joni Mitchell still knows a thing or two about owning an award show carpet.

Eager to try out the Grammy-winner’s glam for yourself? Keep scrolling for all the products used to create her look.

Signature Lip