How Tos

We simply adore Reese Witherspoon and think she’s totally gorgeous.  We also think she’s been making more smart, but bold fashion choices lately.  We particularly liked her fashion-forward Rodarte dress at a recent premiere and thought her makeup complimented the choice appropriately.

We wondered how to get a similar naturally gorgeous look and asked celebrity makeup artist Melissa Walsh to help us out! “Reese’s look is natural with a modern twist,” says Melissa. “The matte pink lips rather than the usual neutral shade update a classic and give it a new fresh feel.” To get the look, follow Melissa’s instructions behind the cut. (more…)

We’ve been seeing Kate Hudson in the media everywhere lately for her most recent film and so naturally, we’ve been tracking her fashion and beauty choices as well.  At an event last month, she pumped up the volume with glam waves and we thought that it was such an effortless and accessible look that we wanted to know how to get it for ourselves.  

We asked Jeannine Brousseau, a stylist at the new Sally Hershberger Salon in Los Angeles, to help us out.  ”Kate has modern classic beauty in this playful 80′s inspired look,” says Jeannine. “This look can be accomplished surprisingly fast for that quick change using a curling iron or hot rollers.”  Liz kindly has put together instructions on how you can get this effortlessly chic look, so make sure to check it out below! (more…)

It’s not easy to dress warm while looking cute, and this challenge is even more difficult when jetting away to a winter ski/ snowboard getaway.  Keeping warm on mountain peaks and on the ski lift is essential, but there is no reason to sacrifice your style for the sake of practicality.  This “How To” focuses on how to look stylish and warm both on slopes and après ski, so that you look less Abominable Snowman and more Snow Bunny.  Read on after the cut for some pictures of celebrity inspiration, and offerings from some winterwear designers who know exactly how to blend fashion and function: (more…)

All of the TDO editors adore Isla Fisher. She’s funny, smart and gorgeous. She’s also clearly not afraid to have a little fun with her makeup. Her look, pictured right, highlights her natural beauty, but also is a playful and sexy. We think it’s a fabulous look to take from day to night…and we wanted to know how to get it!

The fabulous makeup artist Farah Reid from Blow, The New York Blow Dry Bar, had the answers for us! ”Isla is one of my favorite actresses. Her makeup is one of the more current trends going on,” says Farah.  Here, you can see that many peachy shades are utilized and a bit of color is used wisely around the eyes, letting them pop and overall, enhancing her natural coloring. For Farah’s tips, just click behind the cut.   (more…)

New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to get ultra glammed up and have some fun with it! You want your look to be really stunning. But you also don’t want it to be difficult to maintain and to last since you’ll be ringing in the New Year at your party of choice – most likely with no more than a small clutch (that doesn’t leave room for an arsenal of makeup for touch ups). We loved Amy Adam’s retro-inspired look (pictured left) that looks alluring, but not too intimidating to replicate. With a few days left to practice, we know that you’ll be able to rock this look out!

To help guide you through the process, we turned to Farah Reid, the resident makeup artist at Blow, The New York Blow Dry Bar, for her tips. “It’s super easy to re-create this retro glam look at home,” says Farah. Click behind the cut for her step-by-step instructions on how to get this look: (more…)

With the holidays just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to learn a few new (beauty) moves and get glammed up for all those holiday parties.  We took inspiration from Heidi Klum’s Emmys look, which is influenced by the 40′s.  We loved how she transitioned between two looks: soft, controlled waves and an elegant ponytail. It’s really perfect for anyone who is hopping from one soiree to the next, but want to change up their look through the night.

Naturally, we had no idea how to replicate this look – but we called for help from Helena Faccenda, Klum’s incredibly talented personal hairstylist.  “Veronica Lake inspired hair adds instant glamour to the holidays,” says Helena.  She’s kindly provided step-by-step instructions so you can recreate the look! (more…)

Whether it be an office holiday party or a party thrown by your nearest and dearest, dressing and looking chic for holiday parties is not confined to wearing the latest holiday novelty sweater (a la Mr. Darcy of Bridget Jones’s Diary), unless you plan to wear one to make an ironic statement.

Holiday parties give you a chance to dress more festively, and to let those festive dresses hanging your closet a chance to breathe apart from during wedding season.  Dig through your clothes or pick up a few new items to update your wardrobe to incorporate some of these elements into your holiday outfit:

1. Sequins — When I think holiday party, I instantly think shine and sequins, and the best thing is that you can incorporate this element as little or as much as you want to – and still look celebratory.  Whether you choose to embellish your outfit with Bajra Sequin embellished scarf or to pick a dress with subtle sequin details such as this Charlotte Ronson Sequin Racerback Dress, you are sure to catch people’s eyes from across the room or in holiday party photos.  If you are brave and looking for a striking and dazzling sequin detailed option, this Hanii Y Sequin LBD flapper inspired little black dress that is will make you look chic.  My personal favorite is this Sequined Cummerbund belt, which will perfectly accent your waist and add instant glamor to any outfit. (more…)

Belts have been a huge trend for the past few seasons now – and we don’t see them going away anytime soon. They can truly update an outfit or transform a look instantly. But with so many options, how do you know which one is right for you? Sometimes, we’re stumped, too! We turned to a couple of fashion experts who could help us decipher what type of belt to buy, what width is best for your body type, how to wear it and much more. Read below for our best belt tips! (more…)

The perfect red lip conjures different memories for everyone. For me, it is my first memory of beauty, having seen it as a child in old school Revlon print ads and Marilyn Monroe movies.  But beauty’s most classic and gorgeous trend can also be the most intimidating to achieve, but as I learned upon my interview with Troy Surratt, who is a celebrity makeup artist for such stunners as Ashlee Simpson, Jennifer Lopez and Paris Hilton, it doesn’t have to be that way.

There are a few simple steps that you can take to avoid red lipstick mistakes – such as the dreaded lipstick on teeth (my personal pet peeve) or bleeding of color outside the lip line – and make sure you look as fabulous as Gwen Stefani does (pictured left).

For ensuring the durability and lasting of your perfect red lip, Troy has a few Lipstick 101 tips: (more…)

We all love the start of a new season, especially fall, mainly because it means new clothes!  That was my favorite thing for back to school – buying shiny new school supplies, and most importantly, the outfit for the first day.  But what are you supposed to do with all the summer clothes still hanging in your closet?

That is exactly the dilemma we will be discussing in today’s “How To;” how to transition the clothes you have from summer to fall so that you can merely invest in a few key new pieces and not have to replace all of your clothes.

First, a look at some celebrity inspiration:

What can we learn from these stylish ladies? (more…)