The Make-Up Artists Guild has been around such a short time that it’s hard to say if they’ll have much prognosticative capability. As such, we can’t really say we know how it will affect Oscar, nor can we really get a firm grasp on what will win these awards, but we’ll do our best.

MAKE-UP & HAIR STYLISTS GUILD AWARDS

Best Period and/or Character Make-up

Brooklyn (Peter)
Carol (RU:Wesley)
Cinderella (RU:Tripp, RU:Thomas)
The Danish Girl (RU:Peter)
Mad Max: Fury Road (Wesley, Tripp, Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: Volume is often better than quality. When a film has both, it has to surely be considered a major competitor. Edge to Mad Max: Fury Road.
Peter J. Patrick: The Danish Girl has more make-up, but less is sometimes more.
Tripp Burton: Mad Max has the most make-up here, so it will probably win over the prettier alternatives.
Thomas LaTourette: I think the different styles of make-up used in Mad Max might propel it to a win over the more period specific work of the other nominees. Cinderella which did not have to stick to a specific era might benefit from that, but still will probably lose to Mad Max.

Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling

Brooklyn (Peter)
Carol (RU:Wesley)
Cinderella (Tripp, RU:Thomas)
The Danish Girl (Thomas, RU:Peter)
Mad Max: Fury Road (Wesley, RU:Tripp)

Wesley Lovell: This might be a tougher sell for Mad Max: Fury Road. While there aren’t a lot of hairstyles on display, they are certainly inventive. This is likely to be one of the few categories where it loses out to something more stylish/pretty.
Peter J. Patrick: Just a hunch.
Tripp Burton: Cinderella has some outrageous dos that should propel it to a win over the bleaker Mad Max, whose most famous hairdo is a lack of hair.
Thomas LaTourette: The very stylized work of The Danish Girl or Cinderella seems likely to triumph over the buzz cuts of Mad Max.

Best Special Make-up Effects

Black Mass
Ex Machina (Peter)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
Mad Max: Fury Road (Wesley, Thomas, RU:Tripp)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Tripp, RU:Wesley, RU:Peter, RU:Thomas)

Wesley Lovell: Since most of Mad Max: Fury Road was done with practical effects, even the myriad aliens of Star Wars may not stand a chance, especially since this award may well be the equivalent of a Best Prosthetic Makeup award.
Peter J. Patrick: The eye-popping effects in Ex Machina would be my choice if I had a vote.
Tripp Burton: Can voters deny the sheer numbers of creatures created for Star Wars?
Thomas LaTourette: I would think that Black Mass stands little chance against the more diverse work that happens in the sci-fi films. Any of them could win, but I would place Mad Max and Star Wars as the likely winners.

Best Contemporary Make-up

The Big Short (Wesley, Peter, Tripp, Thomas)
Furious 7 (RU:Thomas)
Pitch Perfect 2 (RU:Wesley)
Sicario (RU:Peter, RU:Tripp)
Youth

Wesley Lovell: This is certainly a tougher category to predict. However, there was just too much work on The Big Short, especially being a less contemporary film than the other four, for it not to win. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if they went a different direction.
Peter J. Patrick: Another hunch.
Tripp Burton: Not really sure how this will go, so I will guess the Best Picture nominee takes it.
Thomas LaTourette: The Big Short had the largest and most notable cast, so it might do well here. Otherwise the bruising that the cast of Furious 7 took might take them into the winners circle.

Best Contemporary Hair Styling

Ex Machina (Peter, Tripp, Thomas)
Furious 7
Pitch Perfect 2
Spectre (Wesley, RU:Peter, RU:Thomas)
Spy (RU:Wesley, RU:Tripp)

Wesley Lovell: There are only three characters in Ex Machina. That doesn’t give the creators much room, the others all have much larger casts with tons of opportunities. I’ll give this to the elegance of Spectre over the cheesy elegance of Spy. Then again, I could be wrong altogether.
Peter J. Patrick: Let’s go with the nifty looks of Ex Machina.
Tripp Burton: This would seem to be between the robotic creations of Ex Machina and the disguises of Spy. I think the better liked film will take it, but who knows.
Thomas LaTourette: I really have no idea who might win this award.