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 1st E! Commercial for Dove

Have you been watching E! lately?  Well, whether you've been Keeping Up with the Kardashians or not, I scored a copy of the commercial that's been airing all week starring Alicia Quarles and yours truly.  We have something huge planned for Emmys night with Dove, so make sure you tune into E!'s red carpet coverage.  PS: A new commercial airs this week so tune in!  For more...

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.

Emmy Beauty Trend: Short Styles

Short hair swept the Emmys last night!  Anyone notice the trend? When speaking to my blogger friends last week, many of them predicted lobs on the red carpet, but what was interesting was the way they were styled.  January Jones and Christina Hendrix  sported old-Hollywood waves, while Elizabeth Moss, Lena Dunham and Michelle Dockery opted for straight, sleek strands. But it was Claire Danes, who had everyone talking thanks to her faux bob.  Have long hair, but want to rock the trend? Here's how: To elongate her neck and show off her Armani Prive gown, Claire's stylist, Peter Butler decided to go for a short faux bob.  First, he applied mousse to her damp hair to help add texture and blow dried.  Next, he gave her a low side part and used a large-barreled curling iron to curl her hair inward, which also helped to smooth out her hair’s texture. Then, created two small pin curls at the nape of her neck and combed the top of her hair down and under, pinning as needed into the base.   To finish her look, he tucked the hair on the left side of Claire's head behind her ear and spritzing Frizz-Ease Moisture Barrier Firm Hold Hairspray for hold. 

Here's a video I created about how to get the faux bob look, in case you're still a bit confused.  It's easier than you think!

Emmy Beauty Predictions from the Best in the Biz

Sunday is Emmy Day, one of my favorite awards shows!  Not only is Homeland nominated for 'Best Drama Series', but so are Claire Danes and Damian Lewis for 'Best Actress & Best Actor in a Drama.'  Imagining a sweep.  You with me?  Either way, I know one things for sure, your eyes will be glued to the red carpet!  Here are some beauty predictions for TV's biggest night from yours truly and some of my friends, the best on the web. I think we'll see a combination of wine stained matte and nude glossy lips complimenting  "undone, done hair."  Nail art will still be in play for some of the younger actresses, but for the most part, nude nails will take center stage.

I predict we'll see toned-down glamour: fewer big barrel curls and more undone waves. And I'll be shocked if there's nail art — or much nail color at all, actually.  - Annie Tomlin, Beauty Director of Refinery 29

I'm predicting a lot of half-up 'dos. I think the long, side-parted waved look is finally played out (since it's been officially A Thing since 2003) and updos are typically more common at the Oscars for a more formal feel. I think we'll see some straight half-up looks with height. Of which, I'm a fan. - Amber Katz, Founder of Beauty Blogging Junkie

If the runways at NYFW were any indication, we'll see lots of off-white and nude nails - although I wouldn't write off nail art just yet, just expect it to be toned down (like rhinestones and appliqués on nude nails!). I also expect at least one celeb to debut a new "lob" (aka long bob!) and at least some plum lips! - Alexis Wolfer, Founder of The Beauty Bean

I'm predicting a lot of jewel tone dresses (royal blue, deep purple, etc) and I agree with Alexis, there will definitely be a few "lobs"! - Jamie Stone, Founder of Queen of the Quarter Life Crisis

I think we'll be seeing more relaxed, soft waves than usual—the world of hair is all about what's touchable right now. - Beth Shapouri, Blogger for Glamour's Girls in the Beauty Department

I'm predicting we'll see some gorgeous red and berry lips in both matte and glossy textures, as well as more subdued nail art. I think we're past the stages of crazy nails, so we'll see things like nude with a small gold stone or an inverted French. And of course, fingers are crossed for someone to debut a fabulous new haircut, but you can hardly predict that one... - Rachel Adler, Beauty Director of Beauty High

I'm predicting a move away from all the romantic curls we saw in the past and a lot more sleek straight looks.  I love the Emmys, beause I feel like they are a little less HUGE in the glamour.  The stars look more like "people" -- while the mermaid curls may come out for the oscars!  Also, I'm assuming there'll be a chance in the nail art we see - nail art was SO big last year, but now post-runways, we seem to be seeing more subtle (classic, actually) looks.  Also there was a lot of pretty bold lips on the NYFW runways this year. I hope it stays! - Aly Walansky, Founder of A Little Aly Tude

I'm expecting that the Emmy celebs will take a cue from the New York runways, and we'll see a few bold orange lips, hair down and in messy waves (glam post-grunge), and nude nails in tones of peach, beige and cream. - Nadine Jolie - Founder of Nadine Jolie

Award Winning Hair: How to Get Sofia Vergara's Loose Waves

If you noticed Sofia Veraga's wardrobe malfunction at the Emmys, you were paying too much attention to how tight her Zuhair Murad gown was and not enough attention to her bombshell waves were.  Let's focus on the positives people!  Inspired by the texture of the dress, Jen Atkin, Sofia’s Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy Celebrity Stylist commented, “Sofia is a sexy woman who can work a full volume look so we did a twist on a 60s style and made it modern by keeping it long with loose sexy waves and volume at the crown.”  Check out this video on how to recreate her look:

Ginnifer Goodwin's Makeup Artist, Mai Quynh, Dishes About Emmy Day

Imagine being a celebrity makeup artist during an awards show.  Now imagine prepping two A-listers before they hit the red carpet.  We've all seen Rachel Zoe's reality show and watched her style several celebs during awards season, but what about the glam squads?  Truth is, their schedules are just as hectic.  I spoke with Celebrity Makeup Artist, Mai Quynh, while watching the Emmy red carpet to chat with her about her week of prep, Emmy day and accidental embarrassing bagel bonding session she thanks Ginnifer Goodwin for.

Her day started at Ginnifer Goodwin's house at 9:30am, a client of six years, who she only had an hour and a half to spend with considering it was the Emmys and she was booked up.  "I kept trying to woo her with ideas for her look, but she really didn't care about what we did," Quynh commented.  "She trusts me."

Even though Quynh's been collaborating with the rest of the glam squad since she saw Goodwin's dress about a week ago, it wasn't until that morning that she decided to play up Goodwin's eyes creating an edgy contrast to her lady like Monique Lhuillier gown.  "The eyes were inspired by Twiggy. I left the middle of them really light by using nudes and concentrated the darker colors in the crease," she explains.  Key products: Mark Keep It Going Long Wear Eyeliner and Shadow Duo in Entourage and Mark Lash All You Want Mascara.

"“I had to leave Ginnifer with an assistant for a bit to pop over to do another, newer client's makeup," she states.  "As I was running out Ginnifer threw a bagel with cream cheese at my face and I shoved it down my mouth while I was driving.  When I got to the next location the hair stylist told me my skin was flaking off and I realized it was just dried cream cheese on my cheek!"

As crazy as the day was, and as anxious as she gets, Quynh stalks Getty images in hopes she approves her girls finished looks on the red carpet.  I spoke with her after Goodwin walked, which was a huge success.  She was anxiously awaiting the next one... and then, she can relax.

Makeup Artist Scoop: Behind the Scenes at the Emmys with Gretchen Mol

As I was watching the Emmy red carpet (yes, live on E! of course), I was chatting with some of my favorite celebrity makeup artists who created the looks for some of the biggest stars for the evening.  First, Daniel Martin, a friend of Boardwalk Empire's Gretchen Mol, who after about a week of debate decided to swap out a red lip for a contemporary eye. First introduced to Mol through an editor at Vanity Fair about 2 1/2 years ago, he's been the artist behind her fresh faced looks ever since.  Creating her Emmys look began last Wednesday when he received a picture of her red, vintage Valentino gown, but was finalized just this morning.

"Gretchen's very classic looking so when she gets dressed up she can look retro," Martin exlpains.  "Initially we wanted to do a red lip with the red dress, but  keeping that in mind, we swapped it out for an eye to make her look more modern and chic."

Prep began at 12:30 PST, but before they even got together, Mol texted Martin to remind him to bring his Clarisonic Opal.  "I got her addicted to it," he says.  After cleansing, he used Lancome Genifique Eye Light Pearl, around her eye area and also as a highlighter on her cheekbones.  Topping off her skin with Armani Maestro Foundation, since it "looks great on camera whether it's still photography or video."

The real focus was on her eyes.  "She has small eyes so if she wears anything heavy on them when she smiles they get lost so I had to be strategic about creating depth without eating up the eye," Matin explains.  His secret?  Concentrating color on the outer corners.

He drew a subtle cat eye with Lancome's Le Crayon Kohl in Black Coffee and smoked it out so there were no harsh lines and continued to create a sensual look using a combination of black and coffee toned shadows.  "Her eyes change color from blue to green to grey and reflect what she's wearing beautifully," Martin says.  "The red Valentino and dark sultry eyes make them appear green tonight.

Lancome L'Absolu Rouge Lipstick in Rich Cashmere and nude gloss completed the look.  In her clutch?  The lipstick and blotting papers were all she needed.

2011 Emmys Best of Beauty

I love awards shows, but the Emmys holds a special place in my heart because my very first national TV segment was two years ago on the E! red carpet live from the Emmys breaking down how the A-listers prepped for the red carpet.  Now, I'm bringing you the BeautySweetSpot Emmy Beauty Awards – the top 5 looks and how to get 'em Christina Hendrix

I give props to any red head who can pull off a daring shade of red lipstick.  As soon as I saw her on the red carpet, I knew she'd be my favorite look of the night.  Makeup artist, Vanessa Scali used Dior Beauty to create an "effortless chic" look.  Her champagne eyes were complimented by siren red, Rouge Dior Lipcolor in Blazing Red #638.

Nina Dobrev

The Vampire Diaries actress looked stunning in Donna Karan, but I loved 40's inspired her hair done by Andy Lecompte of Wella Professionals.  A dramatic side part is key to this retro look.  He curled her hair in 2" sections with a 1" barrel iron and used a dollop of Wella Professionals Pearl Styler to keep it in place.  Bobby pins kept loose strands over one shoulder for the night.

Sofia Vergara

She's so sexy she never fails to impress.  I love how her lipstick matched her dress and her lashes were like wow!  Makeup artist, Kayleen McAdams used CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara in Very Black with Liquiline Eyeliner in Black Fire along the top of her lashes to create definition.  On her lips, McAdams used LipPerfection Lipcolor in Rapture #280.

Julianna Margulies

While I wasn't crazy about her Armani Prive grown, I did love her coif. Inspired by old Hollywood, stylist, Matthew Monzon worked his magic by first creating tons of volume with Lenor Greyl's Mousse au Lotus Volumatrice,  blow drying with a 2" round brush and then setting with velcro rollers.  A deep part was key to the retro feel and using a 1 1/2" barrel curling iron, Monzon curled the bottom sections in rotating directions.  To hold, he used Lenor Greyl's Laque Souple Light Styling Spray.

Olivia Munn

"We were channeling Olivia's inner 1940's siren," commented her makeup artist, Uzo for NARS.  I like how Olivia looked like a more glamorous version of herself for the red carpet.  Highlighted skin, filled in brows and a pretty lip was all it took to get her ready for the big day. The key product – NARS Orgasm Illuminator.  It took three lip products to achieve this feminine, flirty lip all by NARS: Rosebud Lip Liner Pencil, Montego Bay Pure Matte Lipstick and Piree Larger Than Life Lip Gloss (new for fall).

Lea Michele's Emmy Hair How-To, "Undone Done"

One starlette stood out amongst the rest on Sunday night at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, Glee's Lea Michele. Classic perfection.  Her navy, silk Oscar de la Renta gown complimented her figure, yet the ruffles at the bottom made it a red carpet stunner. With such an elegant look complimented by over 400 carats of Lorraine Schwarts mesh jewels, I was glad to see the birthday girl left her hair down.  Everything worked. “Lea wanted her hair to look touchable and super modern, and full hair with lots of volume and a bit of roughness was perfect against her flawless gown” said her stylist Mark Townsend.

Love the look?  Follow the step-by-step straight from Townsend himself.  Since Lea is in the middle of shooting Glee, she wasn't able to experiment with color, but Townsend added custom pieces into her hair for dimension.

Starting with clean, damp hair, he used Dove Body & Lift Volumizing Mousse and blow dried with a round brush for added lift.  Then, he used a 2" curling iron to give slight bend (not actually curl the hair) from the ends to the roots and clipped each section with a barrel clip for five minutes to allow them to cool.

To achieve the undone look, Townsend took the hair out of the clips and scrunched it with Dove Daily Moisture Therapy Replenishing Mist.  To finish, he spritzed a small, natural bristle eyebrow brush with hairspray and ran it through her bangs creating a center part.

Lea also carried around hairspray with the eyebrow brush in her clutch in case she need to touch up!

Emmy Beauty Predictions

This time last year I was in LA getting ready to do a beauty segment for E! on secrets of the stars beauty habits on the red carpet during the Emmys.  The experience was incredible!  I was with E!'s own Ashlan Gorse and chatted it up for the rest of the day with people like Padma Lakshmi, Blake Lively, Drew Barrymore and the cast of Mad Men. This year, I cannot wait to watch the Emmys and have some beauty predictions of what type of makeup looks the nominees will be sporting from Physician's Formula Celebrity Makeup Artist, Joanna Schlip.

"At this year's Emmy's we'll be seeing two very distinct looks," remarked Joanna.  "I'm betting on retro glam and and feminine using monochromic, knock-out neutrals."

Last year, Leighton Meester sported the rocked glam look in a chic white dress perfectly.  It's all about flawless skin, defined brows and a sharp red lip.  Joanna also thinks the cat eye will be a huge focal point, but this time, more exaggerated.

Will you be tuning into the Emmys this year?  Who are you excited to see on the red carpet?