Tilda Swinton in 'Trainwreck': Here's the scoop on her transformation

Famous for her avant-garde style and bare-bones approach to beauty, Tilda Swinton is unrecognizable—and shockingly conventional—as Dianna, the ruthless editor at a raunchy men's magazine in Trainwreck. "She's over the top, over-tanned, and does everything in the biggest way," says makeup artist Kyra Panchenko (A Most Violent Year) of the actress' transformation. "Tilda kept saying in her cute accent, 'I'm a hot mess.'"

The first step toward achieving the Oscar winner's makeover was a daily, hour-long session with self-tanning cream, followed by "layers and layers" of bronzers on her face and décolletage. "She's [normally] translucent, and we turned her the color of a coconut shell," says Panchenko.

The next order of business? The natural redhead—who normally wears her hair cropped and icy blond—opted for a custom shoulder-length topper by wig maker Alan D'Angerio (Working Girl). Just don't ask for this shade at the salon. "It's very over-ombré'd," says Panchenko of the color. Translation? "Filthy blonde, I guess."

Pachenko then turned her attention to Swinton's eye makeup, swapping her trademark barely-there look for dark and dramatic smokey eyes. "She said, 'If I'm going to put makeup on, I'm going to put on the most eyeliner I can,'" Panchenko says. "We spent a lot of time on the eyes."

And if you think Swinton's look seems somewhat familiar, you'd be right. The 54-year-old—who was given creative control over her character's look by Trainwreck director Judd Apatow and star Amy Schumer—decided to style herself after former Vogue Paris editor Carine Roitfeld (below).

Think head-to-toe black leather, sleek 4-inch stilettos, tousled hair, and kohl-rimmed eyes. Says Panchenko of Swinton's on-camera look, "We had a little bit of Carine happening in a very respectful way."