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…)

Gossip Girl is back - and we seriously couldn’t be happier! Aside from the entertaining drama, we’re always watching for the fashion and beauty, too! Last Monday, we couldn’t stop staring at Blake Lively’s gorgeous updo and decided that we needed to know how to get Serena’s look.

We turned to the fabulous stylist Ricardo Rojas, the founder of Ricardo Rajos Hair Studio, for advice. He’s worked with some of the most notable fashion brands, including: Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Dolce & Gabbana, and more. His list of celebrity clientele? Even more impressive since it includes Liv Tyler, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Heidi Klum, Amber Valetta, Gisele Bündchen, Natasha Bedingfield, and Carmen Kass — to name a few. (He was also Donatella Versace’s personal stylist before opening his own salon.) We thought he’d be the perfect stylist to tell us how to get Blake’s sophisticated, glam style.

“Without a doubt, from the hair to the dress, the entire look is Grecian Goddess with a modern twist,” says Rojas. “Serena’s hair looks very done and polished, yet fun and effortless at the same time.” He’s kindly provided step-by-step instructions and product recommendations, so you can re-create this look at home…just in time for tonight’s new episode! (more…)

Gossip Girl star Blake Lively looked every inch the glowing beauty at the recent Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 premiere. I especially adored how her trademark long blonde locks were done in loose waves with little braids tucked in here and there. To recreate her look, I turned to expert hairstylist Jet Rhys. Jet is the owner of Jet Rhys Salon in San Diego and was more than happy to take some time out of her busy day to share her tips with us. “Blake has stepped out of the box with this fun, flirty look,” she says. “And it’s so easy to do!” Read on for her step-by-step instructions and product recommendations…

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We came across this photo of Keira Knightley at the premiere of her latest film, The Edge of Love, and wanted to know how to get her earthy, yet romantic look.

We asked Carissa Paserella, a professional makeup artist who has over 12 years of experience, to tell us more about Keira’s look. (Make sure to check out her blog called Hooked On Beauty, where she dishes out a ton of useful advice!) Carissa is also a natural beauty, so she’s absolutely the perfect person to break down this look. “Keira Knightley embodies the best in what I call ‘Natural Chic,’ which is basically using neutral, brown and earthy tones with just a kick of liner for a beautifully natural and not overdone evening look,” says Carissa. Below, she elaborates further with step-by-step directions and product recommendations: (more…)

A couple months ago, Lucy Liu went to a charity benefit, from which we spotted photos of her gorgeous updo. We thought it was the perfectly chic, undone chignon that looked both effortless and playful. Naturally, we wanted to know how to get this look for ourselves!

We turned to Lea Journo, stylist/ eponymous salon owner, for advice. Originally from Paris, she’s worked with brands like L’Oreal, Gaultier, Yoshi Yamomoto, Alexandre de Paris and Sergio Bossi. Today, Beverly Hills is her home base, where she works on the locks of A-listers like Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Emily Mortimer and Kate Bosworth. Thus, she naturally knows all about how to create sophisticated updos like Lucy Liu’s. “This style is easiest to create a day or two after shampooing, as hair is slippery and more difficult to style right after it’s been shampooed and conditioned,” says Lea. Here are her step-by-step tips on how to re-create this look: (more…)