Nicole Kidman Brushes Off Makeup Malfunction With On-Stage Kiss

The camera often captures what the naked eye can’t see, and no one learned that lesson more recently than Nicole Kidman.

The Oscar winner stepped out at Women in Film’s Crystal + Lucy Awards in Los Angeles Tuesday night, looking glamorous as usual in a sequined Nina Ricci gown and strappy gold stilettos. Access Hollywood confirms Kidman stunned in person, but unfortunately, photographs from the event snapped the elegant star in a more unflattering light – literally.

Unforgiving flashbulbs showed off patches of white powder blanketing Kidman’s enviable complexion, recalling Angelina Jolie’s similar mishap at “The Normal Heart” premiere last year and Kidman’s own appearance at a “Nine” event in 2009. The cosmetic blunder is an easy one to commit, as celebrities and their makeup artists often apply a last-minute touch-up before hitting the red carpet. Translucent HD powder is usually the culprit in these cases, thanks to a fine-grained texture that makes for heavy-handed application.

PHOTOS: Nicole Kidman’s Makeup Malfunction?

Nicole Kidman’s Makeup Malfunction?

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Makeup was probably the last thing on Kidman’s mind during the ceremony anyway, when she accepted the Crystal Award for Excellence in Film. The A-lister revealed one of her earliest professional regrets, telling the crowd about a role in a Jane Campion film she rejected because it would have required her to “wear a shower cap and kiss a girl.”

“I wanted to be the kind of actress with long, flowing hair who kissed boys,” she explained.

PHOTOS: Nicole Kidman: From The Outback To The Oscars!

Nicole Kidman: From The Outback To The Oscars!

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Kidman then made up for the past by brandishing a shower cap at the podium and giving longtime pal and fellow Aussie Naomi Watts a big smooch on stage.

Who could think about face powder after that?

— Erin Biglow