Dakota Johnson's Oscar Worthy Pony Details

Dakota Johnson's pony was everything on the Oscar red carpet.  Why can't ours look like that every day?  Inspired by her bangs, Mark Townsend, created a fresh, youthful ponytail.  Here's the scoop on how to get her look.

“For the Oscars I wanted her hair to reflect her personality and style, and the Saint Laurent gown she chose to wear was very vibrant," comments Mark Townsend.  "We decided her hair should be off the dress, but not necessarily up, so I went for a young, cool ponytail. She has the most amazing fringe so we kept them down with some face framing layers to keep the style modern and perfectly imperfect."

To create the look, I started by adding a few drops of Dove Youthful Vitality Silk Crème to her damp hair and blow dried with a Mason Pearson brush.

For texture and grip, I liberally sprayed Dove Refresh+Care Invigorating Dry Shampoo throughout her hair, then gathered it just above the occipital bone, securing with a tight elastic.

The key to dressing up a ponytail is in the details, so I pulled a small amount of hair from the ponytail, wrapped it around the base to hide the elastic, and secured with bobby pins.

To create additional texture I sprayed Sally Hershberger Glam Waves Spray in my hands and raked it through the ponytail.

I finished by spraying Dove Style+Care Extra Hold Hairspray to add shine and keep her hair in place all night.

The Best Drugstore Beauty Buys Right Now

Not only are these the best new drugstore beauty buys, but they're also game changers, proving you don't have spend your whole paycheck for sophisticated, effective products. Out of all of the products I receive to test out, only few are really innovative.

Dove DermaSeries, This new skincare collection was formulated by a dermatologist and the line is clinically proven to moisturize and relieve dry skin better than a prescription.  Boom!  Personally, I'm obsessed with the Intense Repairing Body Cream.

John Frieda Color Refreshing Gloss, One of my favorite celebrity stylists, Harry Josh helped to formulate this is a salon-quality weekly color gloss that not only matches your hair color, but also the tone.  I use it once a week to keep my deep brunette hair in check.

L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Last Lipcolor, This long lasting lip color is intense in pigment and rich in shine.  The two-step lip lacquer has serious staying power (they say 24 hours, but I confess, I've never worn it that long) and the second step keeps lips moisturized.  My fave shade is Red Infallible.

Simple Skincare Micellar Cleansing Water, There was a point in my life where I hoarded cleansing waters.  All very expensive and so luxorious!  This one is a drugstore beauty buy that removes makeup and cleanses your skin.  Just put some on a cotton ball and you'll immediately feel refreshed.

Maybelline Brow Drama, $7.99, This brow mascara has an interestingly shaped brush.  Nervous to use it at first, I then found it gripped every single hair, and the color tint is nice.  To use: Run the wand through your brows from the outside in and then inside out to make sure you coat every hair.

How to Be a Dove 'Real Woman'

Ever wonder what goes into a "real women" casting?  I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at the new Dove Beauty Bar Beauty Chain Campaign shoot, which is a video thanking the women who use Dove, to talk to some of the ladies involved. Not only did I find out about the casting process, but also how you can be a part of it. 

Through word of mouth, 75 women attended a casting and 22 of them were shot for the Dove Beauty Bar Beauty Chain campaign.  As a Dove girl myself, I knew exactly what they were looking for and wasn't surprised when I arrived on set and met Sheri Adams of San Francisco, a mother of four and Renata Zeiguer of the Bronx, a 26 year old yogi. While the Dove woman has a range of ethnicities, ages and body types, one thing's always for sure – she's not a model or actress, radiants confidence, has good skin and has a passion for the brand.

Sound like you?  Then you may want to make a Dove Beauty Chain like the one shot that day.  The face morphing technology is unreal!  I made one called "Three Generations" with a photo of myself, mom and grandma.  Check it out, create your own and spread the Dove love.

My Emmys Beauty Look

Of course by now you've read all about your favorite celebrity beauty looks from the Emmys red carpet, but I've been getting a lot of questions about my dress (since it had pockets) and beauty look that I have to share it with you.  Getting ready for this big moment was a collaborative effort between the Dove team, my hairstylist and makeup artist and of course, myself.  I knew exactly what direction I wanted my hair and makeup to go in for my Emmys beauty look, which was influenced by my glamourous Monique Lhuillier gown.

I woke up at 7am feeling like a child on Christmas morning (and I'm not a morning person), hopped in the shower and took the one shower challenge with new Dove Body Wash.  I'm sure you saw the video I shot in my previous post on the new formula, which was upgraded and now has a richer lather, but is still a mild cleanser.  I can't get enough.  The promise is 'softer, smoother skin after just one shower,' just what I seek.

At 8am my makeup artist was at my door and then with me on the carpet for the day.  The look: Audrey Hepurn inspired.  Yep, you got it – old Hollywood glamour. "To balance out such a glamorous gown, I made sure to keep the hair and makeup fresh and youthful," she remarked. Think Taylor Swift.  Not that I wanted to look like her, but she's a celeb who can pull off old school Hollywood without looking like the mother of the bride.  "For the makeup, I didn't over line the eyes or lips and kept all of it soft and smudged.  With the hair, it's all about texture and making sure the updo doesn't look too perfect."

So what do you think of my Emmys beauty look?  You can wear it for any formal event.  It was a fantastic experience and I'm so thankful!

Emmys Day Excitement

Grateful.  Grateful.  Grateful!  I felt like I was living a dream yesterday on the E! red carpet with Dove at the Emmys!  Did you watch?  Here are some pics.  I seriously couldn't stop smiling.  Alicia Quarles and I gave two women a huge surprise and it felt awesome to be able to do that for someone.  In case you missed it, check out the video!

My 2nd E! Commercial for Dove

And here it is, the second commercial I shot this summer in LA for Dove that's currently airing on E!.  This time red carpet stylist, Micaela Erlanger (who's responsible for everything Lupita Nyong'o wears), joined Alicia Quarles and I.  As you can see, it was a really fun shoot day and great pleasure to work with these talented women.  Make sure you tune into the E! red carpet on Emmys night to see what Dove and I have in store!

Big News! My Dove & E! Emmy Partnership

Happy Monday!  I couldn't wait to share this news with you!  You might have seen me tweet, "It's all happening," or noticed I've been working in LA pretty much since my honeymoon.  Now, I can finally share what I've been working on.  Yes, it's a dream come true – I've partnered with Dove and have been working with the E! channel on a surprise project.

If you tune into E! starting today you'll start to see a very familiar face in commercials leading up to the Emmys... and that's not all.  I've been blessed with the opportunity to partner with Dove, who is sponsoring the Emmys and E! red carpet! Working with E!'s Alicia Quarles, two commercials will air pre-Emmys showing you what I'll be doing on Emmy day.  Then...

... on Emmy day, make sure to tune into E! Live from the Red Carpet, because Dove and I have a surprise in store.  I'll also be covering the carpet, attending the Emmys and Govenors Ball.  Make sure to follow my Twitter (I'll be tweeting along with the E! hosts) & Instagram for live updates.

The Emmys are on Monday, August 25th, so tune in and watch the red carpet live stream on E! online.  If I were your boss, I wouldn't care.

Here's a behind the scenes video from one of my shoots featuring the new Dove Body Wash:

And you know me, there's nothing in the world I'd rather do than work with a brand I've been using since I was a child (from beauty bars to body wash) and with an entertainment network providing insider access – straight from the red carpet!  It truly is the most perfect partnership and I couldn't be more grateful.

Spring Skincare Adjustments to Make Now

It's finally starting to feel like spring in NYC!  How's everyone doing out there?  Let me guess, you've been singing Pharrell's Happy in your head on repeat.  Just like the weather effects your mood it also effects your skin for better or worse, so to help steer you in the right direction I spoke with Dr. Marmur, a NYC based dermatologist, to give you guidance skincare adjustments you need to make for spring.  Yes, added moisturization is one of them.

What skincare adjustments should we be making for spring as the weather begins to warm up?

Skin goes through a little shock with every season change, so be ready to listen to it. The winter to spring transition brings out extra sensitive skin due to allergies and colds. Definitely amp up the moisturization with calming products with humectants.

Moisturizing is easy, but is it important to start in the shower?

The shower is critical to happy skin. I can tell immediately when someone's rash is simply from too much harsh soap and too many long hot showers. I recommend using Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash with NutriumMoisture, because it offers both mild cleansing and skin natural moisturizers to nourish skin’s protective layer and my patients can really feel the difference.

New Beauty Innovations: 5 Favorites

Since there are so many new beauty launches in month, it's very rare that I want to write about all of them.  Typically a few stand out amongst the rest as true beauty innovations. Lately, it seems every press event I attend and package I open showcases new beauty technology that excites me enough to write a post.  That's why this '5 Favorites' post is dedicated to the newest beauty innovations that are changing everything.  From reusable at-home hair dye to fragrance that promises to last all day, check them out.

L'Oreal Preference Mousse Absolue

If you color your hair at home (and who hasn't) you're used to mixing the chemicals and then tossing them after your dye job.  Well, L'Oreal Preference Mousse Absolue is a real innovation in hair color as there's no mixing involved and whatever color is left over, you can reuse.  Because the product is held in two separate chambers, it mixes together when pumped out and doesn't go bad.  Depending on your hair length, you may be able to get a full two uses out of one bottle, but I'd keep the extra to occasionally tint my brows.  Available in 16 multi-tonal shades, you can snatch this beauty innovation at drugstores for $14.99.

LACOSTE Noir L.12.12

Now, this is for your man, but I'm hoping the technology makes it's way into our fragrances as well. Typically, fragrance fades over time.  This fragrance by Lacoste, Noir L.12.12, has time release technology to prevent that from happening.  Yes, imagine your scent lasting all day long.  How?  The fragrance notes are encapsulated in a complex called, cyclodextrin, which reactivates them when it comes into contact with moisture on skin.  It's a very light, woody scent available at Sephora for $69.

Dove DermaSeries

As a huge fan of Dove, I was excited to receive a mailing of the new Dove DermaSeries Collection.  Consider it Dove breaking into a prestige drugstore category.  Woo hoo!  Developed with dermatologists, the five piece collection targets dry skin and gentle enough for those with eczema.  They're actually drugstore products that are comparable to prescription creams.  The complex combines 12-Hydroxysteric Acid (12-HSA), a fatty acid that works twice as well as stearic acid and glycerin (potent humectant) and natural emulsifiers to activate PPARs, proteins found in the skin to boost skin’s natural cell renewal creating a better quality hydration barrier than even prescription creams.  Available at drugstores this month.

Nars Dual Intensity Shadow

When doing your eye makeup, eyeshadow is a key player and if you're a makeup junkie, you know you can use any eyeshadow and apply it wet or dry to get two different effects from the same powder.  However, not all eyeshadows are created equal.  NARS Dual Intensity Shadows were formulated to be worn wet or dry.  It didn't come as a second thought that... oh yea, you can wear them wet... too.  The formula is a first of it's kind and delivers unlike anything else. I've tried them.  NOTE:  These will be available later this year, but trust me, they're worth the wait!

Skindinavia Makeup Spray Primer

Known for their makeup setting sprays, Skindinavia just launched the first on the market, makeup spray primer.  I've always been a fan of the makeup setting sprays, especially when I know I'll be in heat or sweating thanks to dancing my butt off, but this new spray primer is intriguing.  Meant to be worn under makeup or alone, I like it because it's free of silicones (unlike most primers), but still creates a smooth canvas for makeup application.  The real benefit, it makes makeup last longer.  NOTE: This will launch on Skindinavia.com on May 1st.

Sundance FunDance with Dove

I couldn't think of a better way to put new products to the test than to be placed in a climate where I'd need to use them the most.  Enter Dove and their new Advanced Hair Series Oxygen Moisture collection.  While I would have obviously tried out the products in the comfort of my own apartment (these actually apply to my hair type: fine and flat), Dove decided to take me and some of my beauty editor friends to Sundance to experience them in the cold, dry air.  YES!

I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that snowmobiling with my friend Phil Picardi of Teen Vogue was the highlight of the trip.  Check out this pic.  But a close second was getting a blowout next to Meredith, (Kate Flannery), from The Office at the Dove pop up salon in Park City.  My fiance, Joe and I are obsessed with The Office and firmly believe that Meredith and Dwight make the show.  Of course, I had to talk to her.