Jennifer Hudson's Springy Oscars Makeup

Jennifer Hudson's makeup was almost as impactful as her tribute performance last night.  One word to describe her look: Flawless.  I spoke with her makeup artist, Shannon Pezzetta, to find out the exact products she used to create that gorgeous smokey eye and customized lip shade, because you know you want them.

Skin

Of course her makeup prep began with a mini facial.  As it should!  Shannon Pezzetta massaged Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum onto her face to create radiance and followed up with the Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream to hydrate the skin and create a base for makeup.  She then used Lancome foundation as a base and highlighted her cheekbones with Cargo Blush in Laguna. Then topped it off with a dusting of Bronzing Powder in Golden by MAC.

Eyes

Using a mix of eye shadows from Stila's In The Garden Palette, Pazzetta created a smokey dark in brown eye with a hint of gold on the lid.

Lips

Of course, her lip look would be customized.  I don't expect anything less for J. Hud! Pazzetta  custom created a peachy, orange color by blending Inglot #401 with Nars Audacious Lipstick in Juliette.

Anna Kendrick's Smokey Eye Secret

Anna Kendrick was one of the first to arrive on the Oscar red carpet and I thought she looked stunning.  "I wanted to create a look that had a presence, but wasn't overpowering and wouldn't compete with the dress," her makeup artist, Vanessa Scali remarked.  Her intense eye makeup was the focal point and the secret?  It took two liners to complete.  Here's exactly how to get her eye makeup.From the lash line to the crease and underneath the lower lashes, Scali blended Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Eye Shadow in Smolder it into the skin well so that the edges would be soft . Then, she used Beautiful Color Eye Shadow in Glisten on the brow bone and a touch in the center of the eyelid.

She then used two eyeliners to pull off the crispness of the look.  First, she lined Kendrick's top lash line and outer corners of the lower lashes as well as the water line with Beautiful Color Precision Glide Eyeliner in Black Violet. Followed by Sunkissed Pearls Gel Eye Liner in Deep Sea Pearl smudged into the lash line. "This makes saturates the black at the base of the lashes. It isn’t a hard line­­--just rich and dark."

A few coats of black mascara on the top lashes, with one, soft coat on the bottom finished the look.

The Exact Lipstick Used on Margot Robbie

Those lips!  Oscars presenter, Margot Robbie stunned in a black Saint Laurent dress paired with fiery orange-red lips. "We were inspired by old Hollywood glamour and wanted to make a statement," says makeup artist Tyron Machhausen, who spills the exact color she's wearing.  Because, you know you want it.

Tyron Macchausen highlighted the actresses cheeks and kept her eyes clean, focusing on liner and mascara.  His secret weapon? Hourglass Panoramic Long Wear Lip Pencil in Raven topped by Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Raven.  The liner and lipstick combo allowed for those lips to take the spotlight.

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.

Lupita Nyong'o's Award Winning Lip Balm

It would be a sin if I didn't report on this.  If you were watching the Oscars last night, you know that one of the moments that really peeked my interest (and if you're reading this blog yours too) was when Ellen stole Lupita Nyong'o's lip balm out of her purse (see here). Well, breaking news: I got the scoop.  Lucky for Clarins, it was their HydraQuench Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm.  You're welcome.

Oscar Makeup Trend: Smoky Eyes & Nude Lips

The Oscar red carpet was exciting, especially when Kate Hudson showed up and completely put most others to shame.  Well, in my book.  Piercingly defined, smoky eyes and nude lips seen first on Giuliana Rancic, then on celebs like Penelope Cruz, Sandra Bullock and Kate Hudson, was not only my favorite makeup trend, but also the most wearable seen tonight. It's sophisticated, glamorous and with the right tools, anyone can pull it off.  Here's all you need:

Smoky Eyes: The right tools are essential.

Eyeliner Sharpener  Your liner needs to be as precise as possible.  Fluff, Shadow Brush This has a rounded shape and is used to apply shadow to the lid.  Angled, Crease Brush This helps to get into that crease and contour the eye shape.  Blending Brush Blend and shade, blend and shade.

Nude Lips: Preparation is key.

 Lip scrub to remove any dead skin. Lip balm to moisturize.

Oscar Beauty Must-Haves: What the Pros Used

After being glued to red carpet coverage and speaking with publicists, makeup artists and hairstylists all day yesterday, I am beyond over the Oscars!  Truth.  However, there's so much to talk about.  Here's a round up of some of the beauty loot the pros used on celebs like Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Hudson, Adele and more before they hit the carpet.  Believe it or not, a lot of it is from the drugstore!

For an added shine boost, Jennifer Hudson's stylist, Kiyah Wright used Clairol Professional Jazzing in Coffee Bean, let it sit for five minutes and washed it out before shampooing.

To enhance her spray tan (which she got the day before the Oscars) Salma Hayek's makeup artist, Jo Strettell, applied St. Tropez Gradual Tan Plus Firming Body Lotion to her body before she hit the red carpet.

To mimic her soft pink dress, Anne Hathaway's manicurist, Tom Bachik, first used L'Oréal Paris’ new limited-editionVersailles Romance Colour Riche Nail Collection (coming out in March) called "The Palace Life."  Then added a personal touch by painting her grandmother's initials on her ring fingers.

To get just the right amount of smolder, Stacy Keibler's makeup artist, Matthew VanLeeuwen glided and smudged Elizabeth Arden's Beautiful Color Smoky Eyes Pencil in Smoky across her lids.

To straighten her hair without it falling flat, Kerry Washington's stylist, Takisha Sturdivant-Drew used Moroccanoil Volumizing Mousse on her damp strands before blowdrying.

To leave a little bit of sheen on her skin, Jenna Dewan-Tatum's makeup artist, Kayleen McAdams, used Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil on her body.

To ensure bounciness in Adele's bouffant, her stylist Michael Ashton finished her look John Frieda Luxurious Volume All-Day Hold Hairspray.

For a lasting style with texture, Jennifer Aniston's stylist, Chris McMillan, used Living Proof's Prime Style Extender, which also allowed for touchable hair.

To protect her hair and extensions from the heat of the curling iron, Jessica Chastain's stylist, Renato Campora, spritzed it with Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Heat Protectant & Shine Spray.

On her lashes, Charlize Theron's makeup artist, Pati Dubroff, used Diorshow Mascara in #090 Catwalk Black.

Oscars Best Dressed: Hair, Makeup & Gowns

The Oscar red carpet was flooded with award worthy deep center parts, romantic updos and stunning eye makeup.  The award for 'Best Dressed' isn't taken lightly as it includes hair and makeup, because let's be honest, it's the total package that lands you on that list.  Here are my picks and rules for nailing it. Rule 1: Have the Perfect Recipe

A good glam squad knows how to collaborate to put a look together.  Think about it, the hair, makeup and dress can't all be elaborate.  Sometimes one or two of them need to sit back and allow the other to take center stage.  Other times, they all work cohesively like a perfectly blended cocktail.  

Rule Two: Rock Confidence

You've probably heard me or someone else say this over and over, but it's true.  Confidence is your best accessory.  Most celebrities nail the confidence factor no matter how uncomfortable their heels are to walk in or what the weather is like outside and most opt for sleeveless styles. According to a Dove survey, 61% of women, ages 18-35, feel sexy and feminine when going sleeveless. 

Jennifer Lawrence

Amanda Seyfried's Hair Stylist Hints at Her Oscars Red Carpet Look

I just got off the phone with Amanda Seyfried's hair stylist, Jenny Cho, who was busy running around "fine tuning her kit" for Oscar day.  Besides working with Amanda, she's also doing Jennifer Gardner's hair on Sunday.  Eagerly awaiting the red carpet, I got the scoop from Amanda's long time stylist about what we will be seeing on Sunday and her styling must-haves. After working with Amanda for about five years, Cho says, "When we get ready for an event like this it’s magical because everything comes together from the dress to the shoes to the makeup and the hair and there’s a moment where magic happens."

Being part of the Oscars this year is extra special as Les Miserables was nominated for Best Picture, so of course, eyes will be on her!  As a tease to her dress, Cho explained it has aspects to it that are new for Amanda, hinting at the shape.

"On each red carpet event I want my clients to look their best and in doing so, sometimes hair or makeup have to sit back," she explains.  However when I asked what would take center stage this Sunday, she simply stated, "Let's just say Amanda's wearing the whole look, it's not wearing her."

As for fine tuning her stylist kit, Cho's go-to products to create the Oscar-worthy style on Sunday will be Suave Professional Moroccan Infusion Aragan Styling Oil and their Lightweight Hairspray.  The oil is a complete must-have, because it will be used from start to finish.  First, on Amanda's damp hair to prep before a blow dry.  "It helps me glide through it and allows me to start her hairstyle in the right direction," Cho explains.  Then, as a finishing touch at the end to add shine and smooth fly aways.

Oscar Beauty Predictions from Top Beauty Bloggers

With the Oscars the Sunday, awards season will be wrapping up and we've seen some stunners on the red carpet this year.  From side swept retro-inspired curls, deep bordeaux lips and neutral nails, it's been quite glamorous.  For the pinnacle of awards season, the Oscars, I predict the trends to continue, but for old-school Hollywood glamour to really take center stage.  Check out what my other blogger friends predict, as we've all been glued to the red carpets this season.

I think we'll see more women take on the vampy lip! We saw Claire Danes rock it (in a throw back to her days on My So Called Life, 90s-style!) at the Golden Globes and it showed up on many runways during NYFW and, I think, will continue to pop up on the Red Carpet at the Oscars through the fall.  - Alexis Wolfer, Editor in Chief of TheBeautyBean.com

I definitely think we'll continue to see bold red lips paired with sleek dresses and, of course, bold lashes and a gorgeous smokey eye. - Jamie Stone, Founder of queenofthequarterlifecrisis.com

i'm predicting emerald green making a presence on the red carpet (be it fabulous gowns or accessories), there also seems to be a crazy influx of romantic 'do's this award season, would love to see more of the waves we saw at the grammys, and also, as with always lately, fabulous nail art! - Aly Walanksy, Columnist at SheKnows.com

I think we will see a lot of black and jewel tone gowns accented by super clean skin, sparkle-free makeup, and a split between red lips and nudish lips. Personally, I'm in the red camp! - Bryce Gruber, Editor of TheLuxurySpot.com

I'm betting the farm on Old Hollywood glamour reigning supreme: deep-side parts, red lips, strong brows, and lots and lots of shiny, lacquered Veronica Lake waves. I'd love to see the ante upped in terms of wow-factor dresses: I feel like too many celebrities have been playing it safe recently. My fingers are crossed for an out-of-nowhere killer fashion choice like Nicole Kidman's acid-green Dior dress in 1997 or Michelle Williams's mustard-yellow Vera Wang in 2006. We've got a spate of gorgeous women nominated for Best Actress, so I'm looking to Naomi Watts, Jessica Chastain and Amy Adams to bring it. And nobody is sweating her dress more than Anne Hathaway right now: she's all but guaranteed to win Best Supporting Actress, so look to her for the dress of the night. - Nadine Jolie, Founder of NadineJolie.com/blog

Best Actor Winner, Jean Dujardin's Groomer Dishes on Oscar Night

A year ago, I (like most) didn't even know who French Actor, Jean Dujardin was, until he starred in The Artist and became an Oscar nominee for 'Best Actor' along with American hotties, George Clooney and Brad Pitt.  Well, after Dujardin took home the title last night I called up his groomer, Louise Moon to get the scoop on how she prepped Hollywood's new star for the battle of the sexy, but the dish went on and I found out so much more.

"Being a groomer you have to be supportive of the actors, but not in their face," Moon states.  "When I got him [Dujardin] ready for the Oscars he was exhausted so I had to be really low key, shut the door and make him relaxed.  Sometimes he’s very talkative, but not this time."

Moon met Dujardin at 1pm to prep his skin and style his hair.  No one else was around – no stylist, assistant or manicurist.  "He's a very simple man and trusts me to do what needs to be done to make him look refreshed," she commented.  She found him exhausted.  He's been traveling and on a whirlwind of press tours and awards shows in the US and Europe so his skin was her main concern.

It was dry from climate changes so after moisturizing, she used Talika’s Eye Therapy Patches, helped to minimize dark circles and puffiness around his eyes and then the Talika Skin Retouch Eye Contour Wand (available Spring) beneath both eyes.

Since he has fine hair, she thickened it up by applying Leonor Greyl Mousse au Lotus Volumatrice (I'm a huge fan of this, too) just to the roots and then blowdrying.  "He likes his hair to look alive, but not not perfect so I like to give it a bit of texture by layering products without having it look like they're layered," states Moon.  She then uses a small dollop of  Leonor Greyl Huile de Palme, which is a gloss to give it a bit of sheen for the red carpet lighting.

I spoke with Moon this morning around 10:30 and it turns out she just left Dujardin.  "I've been with him since 8am," she says.  "I'm just as exhausted as he is now!"  He had a series of interviews this morning and Moon was on call.  A day in the life of a celebrity groomer.

And you have to check out this video Leonor Greyl made... no words.

This is What An Oscars Party in LA Looks Like

As I was live Tweeting and Pinning who was wearing what lipstick shade, the inspiration behind Emma Stone's bun and deets on Tina Fey's extensions and of course, the spray tan company that made all of the actresses glow on the red carpet (St. Tropez), I was sipping champagne and watching the Oscars at the Mercedes Benz party at the Soho House in LA with two of my girls, Jamie Stone and Sydne Summer.  It was quite a scene, maybe better than being at the Oscars themselves... maybe. We got ready giving ourselves DIY manis (thank God for Sally Hansen's Instant Manicure) at Sydne's place while watching the E! red carpet and headed over in time for the Oscars to start.  I have to admit, when in NYC, I normally watch awards shows in my sweats on my computer as I live tweet, but when in LA...

Girl Crush: Mila Kunis, A Guide to Her Complete Oscar Look

I have a total girl crush on Mila Kunis.  I think she's totally sexy without even trying and was so excited to see her pull off a girly yet sultry look at the Oscars last night. Her hair and makeup were on point complimenting that gorge lavender Elie Saab gown.  Here's the full scoop on how to get her look:

Tracey Levy of Lancome gave her a sultry overall look to compliment her gown.  The focus was on her eyes.  Products used: Lancome Color Design 5 Pan Palette in Coral Crush, Color Design Eye Shadow in Impress, Le Crayon Khol Eyeliner in Black and Hypnose Waterproof Custom Volume Mascara in Black.  A dusting of Blush Subtil in Sheer Amourose and hint of Color Fever Gloss in Blazing Pink combined with La Laque Fever Lipshine in Lucent Nude topped it off.

Tresemme Celeb Stylist, Mara Roszak, gave Mila a romantic updo.  She began by applying Tresemme Naturals Mousse to her wet hair and rough dried it parting it to the side.  Then, with a 1" curling iron she waved the hair away from the face.  Once all curled, she brushed them out with her fingertips and pulled Mila's hair softly into a messy chignon that was structured, yet unstructured.

Conquer the Red Lip

Afraid to take the risk of going red?  Don't be! Tackle the hurdle by making sure you consider the hue and consistency of the lip color before applying and you'll look as flawless as Sandra Bullock at the Oscars. Above all, the red lip is an accessory and should be treated as such.  Here are a few tips to rock this glamorous statement: 1)   Texture : Choose a creamy lipstick over matte because they tend to be more moisturizing.  Avoid mattes especially if you tend to have dry lips.

2)   Shade : Consider the season, your outfit, skin tone, and your mood!  If you have fair skin, choose a product with cool, blue undertones, whereas orangey-reds look better on olive complexions.

3)   Saturation : Very very red…or sheer with a hint of red…or somewhere in between?  Depending on how many eyes you want on you when you walk in the room, you can adjust the intensity of your lip color.

4)   The rest of your makeup : A cardinal rule of makeup is to focus on one feature and one feature only.  Fire engine red lip?  Skip the blue eyeliner.  Hot pink blush?  Forget the purple mascara.  Your features should not clash – they should complement each other.  If you're doing a red lip, keep the rest simple.

5)   Time/Place/Outfit . At the mall with jeans and a t-shirt, your best bet would be to sport a red-tinted lip balm.  In a ball gown at the opera, you can up the ante and go for a full-blown deep red.  Always make sure your version of the red lip is appropriate for the setting.

Oscar Party & Dove Giveaway

Last night to celebrate the Oscars I hosted a Red Carpet inspired party sponsored by Dove. Starting at the beginning of E!'s red carpet coverage promptly at 6pm, ten of my good friends piled into my tiny NYC apartment and we had our own version of Fashion Police in my living room. Overheard at the party:

"Obsessed with Rachel McAdams!  Dress, hair, everything!"

"Zoe Saldana looks like a purple monster!  The bottom of her dress looks like hair scrunchies!  Tragedy!"

"Julianna's boobs have to be fake and Ryan Seacrest looks like a frat boy."

"Dove is the only thing that touches my face and my body."

"Richard Gere should go for the buzz cut."

Thank you Dove for supplying me with everything needed to make this party a success! My friend Crystal who owns Tasty Morsels Bakery even made branded Dove cookies that had a gold foil dove in the center.

Dove Giveaway!

How did you celebrate the Oscars?  Celebrate Dove's new product launch of Visibly Smooth, their latest deoderant that will leave you stubble free for longer, by participating in my giveaway!  Comment below by telling me how you celebrated the Oscars and five winners will be chosen at random.  Winners will be announced on Friday.  Good luck!

Award Winning Sandra Bullock

This Monday's Muse is Sandra Bullock as she was by far one of the Oscar's best dressed on the red carpet this year in a Marchesa gown and ended up taking home an Oscar for "Best Actress" for her role in The Blind Side. Bullock's smooth strands were blown out by Fekkai, who wanted to create a simple, sleek style to compliment her elegant dress. Chanel makeup artist, Angela Levin, created a modern Hollywood look by keeping her skin dewey, coating the lashes with three layers of mascara and popping the lip with Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Color in Paris.

After 20 years of acting, this well deserved award opened up many doors for Bullock.