Take Advantage of the Vintage
Since Whitney Port looks hot every time we see her, we thought we'd ask her opinion on looking great at holiday parties. "I love to browse second hand stores, because they always have great necklaces that look unique but aren't expensive. I'll layer a few of them over a simple black dress to make it festive for a cocktail party. I also like to look out for big cocktail rings. They're so easy and fun." Sounds good to us!
Draw Attention To Your Eyes
Most of us are too busy running out the door for work to worry about the details of our makeup. When you have extra time to get ready before an event or party, play up your eyes with flattering eyeshadow colors or apply a smokey eye. LORAC's Femme Fatale Collection ($35, Sephora.com) includes all the tools you need to make your eyes stand out.
Carry A Fun Clutch
Not only does a clutch make a great accessory, it also has the important responsibility of holding your lipstick. We love Jessica Alba's bejeweled clutch. It is simple enough to not upstage her dress, but it adds an extra oomph to her look.
Pair Your LBD With Colorful Shoes
There's nothing particularly original about the little black dress, but we will see it again and again, because it's classic and extremely flattering. Jazz your LBD up with a pair of brightly colored shoes, like Mandy Moore did with bright red heels. It adds a pop of color to an otherwise plain color palette.
Don't Fall Into A Workout Rut
Staying out late and snacking on party trays will leave you feeling bloated and gross after a while. Always make the time to get a good workout in, whether it's 30 minutes of cardio or a more intense routine, like Tracy Anderson's Metamorphosis ($89.97, Tracyandersonmethod.com). Kate Hudson is just one of Tracy's celebrity clients, and she always looks hot and healthy on the red carpet
How To Apply Bright Blush
Bright coral cheeks like Emma Watson's are achieved by applying blush to the apples of the cheeks. Once you have a good amount of color on the skin, blend it upward and outward for a natural flush.
Sport Shiny Hair
To get an attention-grabbing hairdo, celebrity stylist Mark Townsend says to add a large dollop of Dove's Body and Lift Mousse ($4.29, Drugstore.com) to damp hair, and blow dry it with a round brush. Divide hair into 3-inch sections and spritz some flexible hold hairspray onto each section before wrapping it around a 2 inch curling iron. Add extra shine by rubbing a small amount of Dove's Nourishing Oil Leave-in Smoothing cream ($5.59, Drugstore.com) through hair.
Wear A Fun Hair Accessory
Dress up your hair with a sparkly clip or colorful headband (We love the ones from Ban.do)! Not only will your head look a bit more festive, but it will pull hair away from your face, showing off your beautiful features and (hopefully) flawless makeup.
Lock In the Moisture
Cold weather can strip your face of its natural oils, and heavy holiday makeup can further irritate the problem. To keep Kristen Stewart's skin moisturized during the filming of Twilight Breaking Dawn, makeup artist Stacey Panepinto used SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Masque ($52, Skinceuticals.com). Try applying the mask 15 minutes before your makeup for an extra sexy glow.
Paint Your Pout Red
Red lips are an instant attention grabber. Let them stand out by toning down your eye makeup and blush. If you don't think you can pull red lips off, chances are you haven't found the right shade yet. Keep trying! We love the Scarlet Rouge Lip Color from Tom Ford
Walk The Line
Apply mascara to lashes before applying eyeliner." Lucero has found that coated lashes help guide liner along eyelids in a flash, and blend mistakes into lash roots so they practically disappear. Goof-proof cat eyes? Meow.
Curl And Commute
Braids will put you on-trend, and on time! Evangelista tells clients to knot their wet hair to look instantly chic. Replace a curling iron by loosely braiding wet hair during your commute. By the time you arrive at the office and untangle your braid, hair will have set into delicate waves.
How To Apply Illuminizer
Start with a clean, moisturized face, and apply a thin layer of primer to keep makeup from settling into your creases. Mix a couple drops of illuminizer into your foundation and apply evenly to your whole face. Wait for it to dry before you apply any other makeup, and you will see a noticeable glow, just like the one Mila Kunis is sporting!
How To Fill In Brows
Makeup artist Michelle Phan suggests swirling a small angled makeup brush in a neutral toned eyeshadow and using it to go over your eyebrows. Then, fill in the finer details with your eyebrow pencil. Always blend the color into your eyebrows by using a brow brush. These small tricks will make eyebrows appear fuller and neater.
How To Apply The Perfect Eye Makeup
Apply your eye shadow to the lower lid, and blend it upward onto your upper eye lid. Take your eyeliner and draw a line starting at the outside corner of your eye and work your way inward, making the line more narrow as you get to the inner corner, like Emmy Rossum has done. Line the inner lower lash line (also known as the water line) to make eyes really pop. For some added sparkle, moisten a small makeup brush with water and dip it into silver eye shadow. Dot it onto the inner corner of your eyes and blend.
Low, Side Ponytails
When you're on the road for the holidays, the last thing you want is a fussy 'do that needs a lot of maintenance. Low, side-ponytails are perfect for when you're on the go and can't wash or blow-dry your hair. To get Taylor Swift's look, gather hair into a low ponytail, then move it to the side of your nape, and secure in place. Tousle the tail for a casual textured effect.
Get A Timely Blow Nut
When a blow dryer is involved, suddenly a bathroom can feel about as speedy as the post office or DMV. If your dryer is the time-snatching culprit, "Try sectioning hair before you style," advises Evangelista. With less hair on your brush, locks will dry much faster.
Frizz Fighter
Showering at night can cut back hair styling time in the morning, but pillow and towel static make hair frizzy. Evangelista recommends spraying straggly hair with a fresh water bottle and adding a defrizzing product to damp hair. It'll dry in no time and your frizz will be yesterday's news.
Invest In Your Arches
Well groomed brows take any beauty look from drab to fab. Brow gel can awaken your face when you don't have time to use a pencil. Lucero recommends Anastasia's Tinted Brow Gel to instantly groom and define eyebrows with just one sweep of the wand.
Band Aid
One signature timesaving style comes compliments of Blaire Waldorf. Slip a headband on top of dull hair for an instant accessory update and easy camouflage for half-styled hair. Evan Rachel Wood even makes a simple updo look super glam with a thin black band!
Half-Up, Half-Down
Ali Landry's half-up, half-down hairstyle is an easy and low-maintenance look that's perfect if you plan on being on-the-go this winter. The pinned-back hairstyle gives off a polished look while the loose locks give it a feminine and elegant touch.
Curly Crop
If you have a short crop, Evan Rachel Wood's long, curly bangs are a versatile look that'll hold up on all your travels. Just spritz a scrunching spray on wet locks and finger-style into place for a no-hassle look!
Braid It
Don't want to do the ponytail thing? Then, whip up a big, gorgeous fishtail braid like Alanis Morissette. This hairstyle will keep your hair out of the way and in place, while still looking totally on trend.
Knot It Up
A top-knot like Gwen Stefani's is not only great for traveling, but it's also one of this season's trendiest looks. The best part about it is that there's no wrong way to rock this hairstyle. Simply flip your head over and twist up hair into a bun, and secure on top of your head.
Bold & Bangin'
If you always pull your hair back, especially when you're on the road, consider some bold bangs like LaLa Vasquez to amp up the glam factor.
You Can't Let Your Roots Show
Grown-out roots are another trend that can turn out bad, if done incorrectly. Madonna's sleek blonde 'do and dark roots are the perfect of example of how to pull off the look without appearing sloppy. "A little bit of root gives great depth to color and is also becoming much more common with the ombré trend," Potempa says. "To get rid of the 'color line' between your roots and color, avoid getting solid colors and be sure to get a mix of tones in your hair so the roots blend with the overall color when it grows out."
You Have To Match Your Brows To Your Hair Color
Depending on how drastic the color is, just because you decide to dye your hair, doesn't mean you have to dye your eyebrows too. When Emma Stone went back to (her natural) blonde, she kept her eyebrows a soft, honey brown, which looked amazing. If you feel the need to tweak your eyebrow color just a bit, try shading it in with a pencil or powder so you can avoid the maintenance of a regular brow dye.
You Shouldn't Wear Bronzer If You're Already Tan
Even girls with tan skin want to have a glow! Lea Michele's bronzed cheeks look great on her olive skin, without looking fake. Kidd says to apply it in the hollow of the cheekbones and on the temples to add warmth and shape to the face. "You should never apply bronzer all over the face, as it will look like a mask: Use it to highlight features or add a subtle glow in key areas."
You Can't Wear Eyeliner Underneath Your Eye
Remember that pesky rule about keeping eyeliner on the tops of your lids, not underneath your eye, otherwise they'll appear smaller? Well, that is true. But, there is one way to get around it. "For the lower lash line, draw right on the edge of the rim--not on it, since that makes eyes look smaller," says Kidd. Also, try using a brown or taupe color to keep eyes looking soft and round like Nikki Reed.
Blush Goes On The Apples Of Your Cheeks
Wondering how Julianne Hough got her chiseled cheekbones? By contouring her blush instead of putting it on the apples. "I like to pump up the cheeks by adding brightness and color," Lucero says."If you are wearing a dramatic red lip, you can offset the cheeks by keeping the blush back above and behind the traditional apple area." Now, how about them apples?
You Have To Wash Your Hair Everyday
Although most women don't abide by the 100 strokes a day rule anymore (we hope!) some still follow the everyday wash rule. And we hate to break it to ya, but that "rule" is actually just a rumor. "Your best hair day is usually a day or two after washing," says Aussie celebrity stylist Sarah Potempa. "Our scalps produce oils and the more you wash your hair, the more oil your scalp produces. You won't see results right away, but after a few weeks of washing your hair less, you will notice that these natural oils will distribute more evenly."
You Have To Match Your Manicure And Pedicure
As our favorite Project Runway hosts like to say about some of the designers' work: "It's too matchy-matchy!" This rules applies to nails, too. Don't worry about matching your hands to your toes anymore, these days it's all about mix-matched hues and complementary shades. If you're rocking a gold polish on your hands like Selena Gomez, try a silver or other metallic on your toes.
Redheads Can't Wear Red Lipstick
Redheads wearing red lipstick used to be a major makeup faux-pas, but alas, no more! Christina Hendricks leads the pack of redheaded beauties who rock the rouge lip trend. Celebrity makeup artist Jemma Kidd says to pull off the look, you shouldn't focus on hair color. "Hair Color is irrelevant when choosing the right shade of red--it's skin tone that counts," explains Kidd. "Pink tones are best suited to cooler 'blue reds,' while darker, Mediterranean, and Asian skins are better suited to 'orange reds.'"
You Can't Wear Blue Eye Makeup
After the abundance of blue eyeshadow in the '80s (don't lie, you wore it too) women everywhere were too afraid to wear the cool color out of fear of looking dated. Lucero says otherwise. "Navy and indigo eyeliners are on trend and look really modern when applied as a sexy cat eye," Lucero says. "Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner in Indigo is easy to apply and will last all day. Plus, the indigo shade will make the whites of the eyes appear brighter, resulting in a fresh, beautiful and youthful look." Considering how bright Kerry Washington's peepers look, we'll take Luceo's word for it!
You Can't Wear Flashy Earrings And A Flashy Necklace
Although this rule existed for good reason (too much jewelry and you'll start looking like Mr. T,) there is a way to pull it off. If you're wearing a knockout necklace like Emmy Rossum, keep your earrings proportionate in size. Although she's rocking super sparkly bling on her ears and décolletage, the well-proportioned pieces keep the ensemble looking classy, not trashy.
