Wintery Holiday Nail Look – Neutral and Frosty Glitter!

This is a great nail look for winter and the holidays. It’s neutral with a little frosty bling, so honestly, you could even wear it year round. I’ve been sporting this look quite a bit this winter season. It looks really impressive, gets a lot of compliments, and it’s surprisingly easy. Watch the video above to learn how to do it!

(I’m using CND Shellac Nail Polishes, which are a gel hybrid polish. This is a specialty nail polish that I don’t recommend unless you’re willing to put the time into learning how to properly apply it. It’s also more costly than regular nail polish (plus you have to use a UV light to cure each coat of polish), so you have to be willing to put down a little money in the beginning too. If you’re willing to put the time and money into it, then I DO recommend these polishes. 90% of the time, I’m wearing Shellac over normal nail polish. As much as I can be a girly girl, I’m pretty tough on my hands, so normal polish chips way too easily. With Shellac, I can rock a beautiful manicure without chipping for 2-3 weeks!)

  1. Apply a base coat.
  2. Apply two coats of neutral color polish.
  3. Let the second color coat try enough so that it’s not wet, but so it is a little tacky to the touch.
  4. Using a precise makeup brush or paint brush, apply loose glitter to the tips of each nail.
  5. Using your finger, wipe away any glitter from the skin, and press your finger onto the glittery tips of each nail to lift off any excess glitter (so we don’t gunk up our top coat polish brush with glitter!).
  6. Apply at least two coats of top coat (loose glitter has a tendency to poke through one layer of polish, so two will really seal it in and make the nails nice and smooth).

Here are the products I used, as well as some alternate polishes if you’re not using CND Shellac.

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  1. CND Shellac Base Coat – $13
  2. CND Shellac Bare Chemise Color Coat – $18
  3. CND Shellac Top Coat – $13
  4. Supernail Loose Glitter in Silver Rush – $5
  5. OPI Natural Nail Base Coat – $7
  6. OPI Barre My Soul Color Coat – $8
  7. OPI Top Coat – $9
  8. Tropical Shine Cushion Pink Nail File (Fine) – $1
  9. Beauty Secrets Coarse 100 Grit Black Nail File – $1
  10. Napoleon Perdis Small Eye Brush – $20
  11. Sephora Collection Cuticle Pusher – $14
  12. Revlon Cuticle Trimmer – $4
  13. Tweezerman Nail Clipper Set – $9

I HATE WEDDING PLANNING

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I know, I know, that sounds super dramatic. But so far, wedding planning hasn’t exactly been fun for me, which, if you know me, is a little surprising. I LOVE this kind of stuff. (And if my wedding planner is reading this, NONE of this is a reflection of you. You are awesome, so patient and helpful, and I am so relieved to have you as part of my wedding planning team! xo!)

I got engaged in the end of February (read that story here) and have made what feels to ZERO progress wedding planning. We haven’t set a date, we have no venue, nada. I’m basically failing at it.

Well, that’s not completely true. In the past ten months (holy crap, I’VE BEEN ENGAGED FOR TEN MONTHS?!?! Get it together, Salaun! Plan that wedding!), I’ve chosen a wedding planner, set my budget, seen about a bazillion venues, done lots of pinning on Pinterest, and started the beginnings of the registry process (last weekend I registered for ONE thing on Amazon…progress!).

When it’s all written out like that, it feels like I’ve actually done SOMETHING, but for 10 months of being engaged, I definitely feel like I should have done a bit more. (We’ve always planned to get married in August/September of 2015, so we haven’t postponed the wedding or anything due to lack of planning, we’ve just shortened our allotted planning time).

But back to the hating wedding planning thing…I wouldn’t say that I currently hate wedding planning. I think I’ve finally reached the turning point where I’m excited about it again (don’t get me wrong, I was SO excited to get engaged, I have absolutely LOVED being engaged ever since, and I am so pumped to marry to Charlie… it’s just the planning an actual wedding part that is more the headache.) I went to a good friend’s wedding last weekend — Congrats to the Givens!!! — and it helped propel me out of the grumpy planning phase. BUT, before that turning point, every time I dove into wedding planning, I came out on the other end stressed, having a bridezilla-lite freak outs on the regular, and just not wanting to do it. At all. And also feeling extreme guilt every time I saw friends or acquaintances because the go-to conversation starter when you get engaged is “How’s wedding planning going?” My response was always, “Not any further than the last time we talked! Soooo, pretty much nothing.”

And here’s why…

Inside my head, and sometimes on the outside (*sheepish smirk*), I’m a princess. I don’t have one of those wedding binders with all the details already planned for my dream wedding, nothing like that. But, like probably every girl out there, I want to have a FANTASTIC wedding. In my head, I’d love to have a $100k wedding (imagine all you could do!!!), but practically speaking (and even if I had an extra $100-grand to throw at a wedding), that is a bit excessive. Frankly, as princessy as I can be, spending an astronomical amount of money on a wedding just doesn’t make sense to me. I think that amount of money can go a lot further on a number of other things (like buying a house, taking an epic vacation, paying off student loans, getting a new car, investing in something, etc.).

But let’s be honest, the princess in me is at odds with the financially practical side.

We’re planning to get married in the Santa Barbara area (right now, our top venue choice is in Camarillo). This area is one of the most expensive places to get married. It’s a destination wedding location for many people. The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is $30k (excluding the honeymoon), while the average cost of a wedding in Santa Barbara is nearly $45k (minus the honeymoon). I just started my own business, so I want my wedding to be as economical as possible. Pretty tough when you’re planning a wedding in the 6th most expensive place in the country! And then, when I go to see venues that fit in my budget, they fall dramatically short of the wedding I’m picturing in my head. So, this beginning step, finding a venue, mostly ends in disappointment. None of the venues (aside from the one that was half my entire budget) feel like the right now. Oh, I also have a ginormous family and want all my family and friends to be able to come, which doesn’t alleviate the budget concerns at all.

I do think that choosing your venue is one of the toughest pieces of the wedding planning puzzle. The venue sets the stage for the entire wedding, so it has to feel just right. You have to be able to visualize your entire wedding there. And then it has to fit the price too.

I will also say that right now, in my life, everything is huge and life-changing. I started my own business shortly after getting engaged, I’m remodeling (aka nearly completely rebuilding) my house in Santa Barbara, oh, and I’m planning a wedding. All, huge, things. If you didn’t already know, my fiancé and I don’t currently live in the same city either. I’m based in Santa Barbara, while he’s full-time based in Hollywood (my work does allow me to split my time about 50/50 between the two cities though). So, wedding planning also involves planning to move my life to a whole different city. Another HUGE thing. (Don’t worry, SB peeps, I’ll still be in Santa Barbara about 1-2 days a week, but will most likely be based in Hollywood, rather than based in Santa Barbara). So, as you can see, wedding planning has often been put on the back-burner, for obvious reasons.

Like I said above though, we’ve narrowed our venue options down to a top favorite, and I’m feeling good about it (I’m just seeing one more option this weekend before making my decision). And the wedding I went to last weekend really re-inspired me to get back into the wedding planning game, and I can tell I’ve rounded the corner out of “I hate wedding planning!” town, and it feels good. (Trust me, I know there will be more freak outs, but over all, I’m in a better place with it.)

If you’re feeling like you’re in a wedding planning rut or you just do not like it, it’ll change. It might take 10 months, but it will. And a good thing to keep in mind is that while yes, your wedding is a reflection of you and your fiancé and you want it to embody everything you both are in your love and fabulousness together, but it’s also a reflection of where you are right now, at this point in your lives. It doesn’t define you or dictate your worth as individuals or as a couple, and it doesn’t have to be the end-all celebration of your life together. Saying that out loud seems like an “oh duh” statement, but I think we get wrapped up in trying to make this day something more than it is. Don’t get me wrong, I think weddings are incredibly meaningful, precious, and wonderful, but it doesn’t define your relationship or your future as husband and wife. And that’s something to keep in mind (talking to myself here!).

FALL OOTD: POP OF BURGUNDY

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It’s finally starting to really feel like fall in Santa Barbara! Leaves are changing colors and falling, the air is getting crisp, I might have to relight my pilot light soon, sweaters are (sometimes) necessary, I’ve worn socks to bed a few times (SO WEIRD, I KNOW), and Starbucks is using red cups. AND I got a cold, which is super lame. But alas, FALL!

There are so many things I absolutely love about fall — sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving!!!, cozying up by the fireplace, warm drinks, soup — but I especially love dressing for fall. So, here’s a super easy, casual fall outfit that is great for that transitional summer/fall weather (which, yes, we’re still experiencing here in California. Sorry for those of you in in the polar vortex). For colder climates, throw on a long sweater and swap the sandals for boots!

GET THE LOOK

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  1. FOREVER 21 Colorblock Wool Fedora Hat • Forever 21 • $14.90 (in burgundy/navy)
  2. Nordstrom Leather Bow Felt Fedora • Nordstrom • $46.00
  3. Hat Attack Fedora • Hat Attack • $105.00
  4. Revlon Shine Lipstick Plum Velour • Revlon • $7.99
  5. Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick • $21.00 (in vampira)
  6. NARS Audacious Lipstick • NARS • $32.00 (in charlotte)
  7. Fornash Signature Long Necklace • $48.00
  8. Gorjana Fancy Horn Long Necklace • Gorjana • $58.00
  9. St. John Collection Arrowhead Long Pendant Necklace • St. John • $80.00
  10. H&M – Sleeveless Blouse – Natural white – Ladies • H&M • $24.95
  11. Calvin Klein Sleeveless Blouse • Calvin Klein • $44.99
  12. Equipment Signature Super Vintage Sleeveless Silk Blouse • Equipment • $106.00
  13. Factory always skinny jeans • Gap • $24.00
  14. Joe’s The Skinny Jean • Joe’s Jeans • $84.97
  15. rag & bone/JEAN Zip Detail Skinny Jeans (Kensington) (Nordstrom Exclusive) • Rag and Bone • $151.80
  16. Carrini Buckle Strap Thong Sandal • $12.73
  17. MICHAEL Michael Kors Kayden Jelly Thong Sandals • MICHAEL Michael Kors • $69.00 (in nude)
  18. Birkenstock ‘Gizeh’ Birko-FlorTM Thong • Birkenstock • $89.95
  19. Steve Madden Danity Satchel • Steve Madden • $49.97
  20. MICHAEL Michael Kors ‘Large Hamilton’ Saffiano Leather Tote • MICHAEL Michael Kors • $358.00
  21. Givenchy Antigona Box Calf Satchel Bag, Gray • Givenchy • $1,965.00

My Necessities for Fighting (and preventing!) a Cold

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This weekend, I got hit with a pretty gnarly head cold. I’m sniffly, sneezy, sinus head achey…all that good stuff. So, I needed to stock up on my cold fighting goodies, and I figured I’d share them with you! Now, when you’re sick, it’s all about getting your immune system back up and filling your body with healthy things! Many of the below items are things I use on a daily basis, but some of them I add specifically when I’m feeling sick. In no specific order…

  1. Moisturizing Hand Lotion. Colds happen more frequently in dry, cool conditions, which also dries out our skin. Plus, if you’re washing your hands and sanitizing them a lot to prevent spreading (and catching) germs during cold and flu season, then your hands are probably going to be feeling a little dry. I like to keep moisturizing lotion on hand (get it…hand…?!) all the time, but especially during winter. (Pictured: Vivo Per Lei Dead Sea Hand & Body Lotion)
  2. Moisturizing Lip Balm (with SPF). No matter what lip color I’m wearing on a certain day, I always keep some clear, moisturizing, and SPF-filled lip balm handy, especially during winter when things dry up a bit. Sometimes, I’ll also dap a little on my nose if it gets too dry and chapped from all those tissues. (Pictured: Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing SPF 15 Lip Balm in Quenched — this is one of my favorite clear lip balms)
  3. Apple Cider Vinegar.  Apple cider vinegar is great for for many reason (digestion, weight loss, energy boost, skin clarity…the list goes on), and for that, I try to make sure I have a little bit mixed into my water on a daily basis (usually it’s the first thing I do when I get up…glass of water with a splash of vinegar). Sometimes, life gets in the way and I forget to have it, but I’m super diligent about drinking it when I’m feeling under the weather. It’s really great for helping to detox your body and get all the bad stuff out. (Pictured: Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar)
  4. WATER. When you’re feeling sick, HYDRATE. This is SO important! And, when you’re not feeling sick, hydrate anyway. Staying well-hydrated is one of the best things you can do for your body.
  5. Local Honey. Not only does honey make your tea taste great, but it can also help relieve cold symptoms! Local honey helps fight allergens that may be floating around in your city. Honey also works as a natural cough suppressant and helps fight bacteria.
  6. Sinus Rinse. One of the more frustrating things about having a cold is a runny nose and all that sinus pressure. Sinus rinses are a little weird at first, so they take some getting used to, and sometimes they’re not super comfortable, but it’s really good for you, so I highly recommend it! It helps flush out your nasal passages to clear out all that gunk in there and the saline solution helps to kill bacteria. I also gargle with warm salt water to kill germs and sooth sore throats. (Pictured: NeilMed Sinus Rinse)
  7. Hand Sanitizer. Fall/Winter is cold season, which means more germs are flying around, so carry some hand sanitizer with you to keep your hands extra clean. I love this EO Lavender spray sanitizer and keep it in my purse all the time. (Pictured: EO Organic Lavender Hand Sanitizer Spray)
  8. Cough Drops. Cough drops help soothe cold symptoms and provide relief to congestion. I like going with lemon mint and opting for sugar-free options, like these Ricola ones. (Pictured: Ricola Lemon Mint Sugar Free Cough Drops)
  9. Chicken Soup. Not only is chicken soup a yummy winter meal that makes you feel nice and cozy, but it also helps to soothe cold symptoms. Any hot liquids (soup, tea, etc.) help to loosen up mucus so you feel less congested and clogged up, but chicken soup also has anti-inflammatory properties too! (Pictured: Trader Joe’s Low-Sodium Chicken Broth)
  10. Tissues. Don’t get your snot everywhere. Duh. (These are basic ones I got at CVS because they’re cute and perfect for throwing in your purse, but the medicated ones are nice too!) (Similar to Pictured: Kleenex Pocket Packs)
  11. Tea. I am a BIG tea drinker. I have caffeinated tea every morning and some herbal tea nearly every night before bed. But when I’m sick, I especially like to have tea with some boosting health benefits too, like Yogi Green Tea Super Antioxidant or Yogi Echinacea Immune Support. I also really love Trader Joe’s Chamomile and Bedtime tea for, well, bedtime. Again, hot liquids help to sooth your throat, break up mucus, and speed up recovery time. (Pictured: Yogi Echinacea Immune Support Organic Tea, Yogi Green Tea Super-Antioxidant Organic Tea, Trader Joe’s Chamomile Tea, and Trader Joe’s Bedtime Tea.)
  12. Vitamin C & Multi-Vitamins. I take Vitamin C and a multi-vitamin every day (my favorites are these gummy ones from Trader Joe’s). Vitamin C can help you shave a day off the duration of your cold. It’s nearly impossible to overdo it with Vitamin C, so take your vitamins and eat Vitamin C rich foods! (Pictured: Trader Joe’s Gummy Vitamin C and Multi-Vitamins)
  13. Echinacea. Echinacea is a safe and relatively harmless supplement that can help boost your immune system. It’s not something I take regularly, but I do stock up on it and take it daily when I’m feeling sick. (Pictured: Nature Made Echinacea Pills)
  14. Tylenol Cold. Depending on the type of cold you might have (feverish, head congestion, coughing, etc.) you might want to get some pain relievers with some added bonuses in them. I try not to use medication unless I’m feeling really bad, but this cold I’m having right now is causing a lot of sinus pressure and giving me some bad head and ear aches, so I need a little something to take the edge off. (Pictured: Tylenol Cold – Head Congestion)
  15. Dayquil & Nyquil. Like I said above, I’m not big on medication unless I’m feeling really icky, but I will do a day or two of Dayquil and/or Nyquil when my cold is feeling really bad. If you’re going to be taking medication during the day, try to go for options that are non-drowsy so you can still be alert (unless you’re taking the day off and can sleep all day to recover!). (Pictured: Vicks Dayquil & Nyquil Cold & Flu Relief Liquicaps)
  16. Cold-Pressed Green Juice. Green juice can be like a shot in the arm — it’s full of rich nutrients that help boost your immune system and keep you healthy. I try to get a good green juice or smoothie in every few days all the time. When I’m sick, I also like to make sure I’m focusing my diet on foods that are super healthy. Your immune system is down, so feed it good stuff! Cold-pressed juice is important too because it gets more juice from the fruit and retains more nutrients than juices that are pasteurized normally. Trader Joe’s just came out with a line of cold-pressed juices that are tasty and more affordable then lots of the juices out there (they’re $5 each). Whenever you’re buying and drinking juice, look at the ingredients. Stick with juices that do not have any sugar added, but use whole ingredients. Also, even if the juices are made with real, whole foods, juices can be high in calories and (natural) sugar, so don’t over do it!
  17. Grapefruit Seed Extract. This supplement has tons of antioxidants and phytonutrients (called bioflavonoids) that help fight disease and eliminate free-radicals. It is a proven immune system booster and stimulator. It helps fight bacteria and viruses too. I usually mix it in with my daily apple cider vinegar and water, but I especially make sure to take it when I’m feeling under the weather. I usually add 10 drops to my water. (Pictured: Grapefruit Seed Extract Liquid Concentrate)
  18. Citrus Fruits. Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, etc.) are high in Vitamin C, the benefits of which we’ve already covered. These fruits are also high in fiber, which is good for your digestion. These foods are low in calories and sugar, which makes them great snacks for when you’re sick and not up for exercising as much as you might if you were super healthy. I love squeezing about half a lemon into my tea!
  19. Ginger. Fresh ginger helps with digestion, helps to clear our your microcirculatory channels, and helps to decrease congestion. I love throwing it into my smoothies or slicing some up and putting it in my tea. (Alternative to fresh ginger: Nature’s Way Ginger Root Supplement)
  20. Garlic. Garlic contains allicin, which has powerful healing capabilities, especially with colds and congestion. I love cooking with garlic, so it’s a pretty normal part of my diet, but when I’m feeling like my immune system is a little low, I’ll throw a clove into my smoothie. Yes, you can taste it, but if you fill your blender up with other yummy ingredients, that one clove shouldn’t taste too strong. (Alternative to fresh garlic: Nature’s Bounty Odorless Garlic Supplement)

The final thing you should do when you’re feeling sick or have a cold is to get REST! I tweaked my back last week during boxing, so I’ve been taking it easy the last couple days. When you have a cold, you should get plenty of rest — sleep mainly, but also consider taking it easy on your regular workouts. Oh, I also get a yearly flu shot to help keep me healthy during flu season.

Hope these are helpful and hope any of you feeling sick start feeling better asap!

Creepy Broken Doll Makeup Tutorial (Halloween Makeup Look)

Here’s a creepy broken doll makeup tutorial I got by request from one of my subscribers! (You guys tell me what you want to see, and I’ll do it!)

The Steps…

1. Generously apply very light, full-coverage foundation to your face and neck (any skin that will be showing). Cover your eyes and mouth too. Choose something that dried matte. I’m using Revlon Colorstay in Ivory. Then, apply a coat of translucent powder all over. I’m using Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in Translucent.
2. Apply neutral eyeshadow. I’m using my Bobbi Brown SOHO Chic shadow palette and putting white on my lids and brow bones and medium/darker brown in the crease. (Here’s a more affordable shadow palette that’s really similar.)
3. Use a brighter pink blush to create very circular blush marks on the apples of your cheeks.
4. Line your bottom lashes with white eyeliner, like NYX’s Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. We’re doing this to make our eyes appear larger, so line the waterline, lashline, and beneath the lower lid.
5. Using liquid black eyeliner like Maybelline’s Eye Studio Master Precise Liquid Liner, line beneath the white under your eyes, we’re drawing on a new bottom lashline.
6. Line the top lid with the black eyeliner too.
7. Apply really dramatic, full false eyelashes to the top lashes. I’m using Ardell Double-Up #204.
8. Apply more natural, but “doll-like” lashes to the bottom line we just drew on with the eyeliner. I’m using Ardell Natural #116.
9. Curl the false eyelashes and apply a coat of mascara to all the false eyelashes.
10. Using the liquid black eyeliner, draw on a few cracks and holes. Make these look splintered like broken porcelain!
11. Apply another coat of foundation to your lips and let it dry. Using a matte lip liner (like NYX Slim Lip Liner Pencil #831 Mauve), draw the shape of the top of a heart on your top lip. Make this lip much narrower than your normal lips, but still pouty. Draw on the bottom lip to match the width of the top lip. I filled in my lips using this liner as well.
12. Using the black eyeliner, draw lines from the corners of your real lips straight down to connect beneath the chin.

Pop Art Makeup Tutorial (How To Do Comic Character Makeup)

I’ve always loved the pop art style of art. Roy Lichtenstein is one of my favorite artists (I was an art and communications studies major in college), so I wanted to recreate a pop art style makeup look that you can do for Halloween. This is a surprisingly easy look that you can do completely with some pretty basic makeup items.

Let me know if you have any questions about the look or if you have any requests for other Halloween looks!

At-Home Acid Peel – First Impression & How-To Apply

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My skin has been acting up a bit lately — random breakouts that keep popping up, some of which heal fine, but others have left a few marks on my skin. So I wanted to do something that would give my skin a refresh. I’d been hearing a lot about at-home chemical peels and wanted to give one a try.

If you’re not familiar, a chemical peel (also called an acid peel) uses a chemical solution (usually acid) to smooth the texture of your skin by removing the damaged outer layers. Chemical peels are typically administered by a dermatologist or at a skincare spa — it’s a pretty serious skincare treatment. When you get a chemical peel, the outer few layers of your skin basically blister and peel off…it can look a bit gnarly (seriously, just google it).

Despite the zombie-like appearance, a chemical peel is one of the least invasive ways to improve the appearance of your skin. Sun exposure, acne, or just getting older can leave your skin tone uneven, wrinkled, spotted, or scarred. A chemical peel can help improve acne or acne scars, age and liver spots, fine lines and wrinkles, freckles, irregular skin pigmentation, rough skin and scaly patches, scars, and sun-damaged skin.

Chemical peels are not cheap, and right now, splurging on one just isn’t in the budget for me (plus, I’d have to hide out for like a day or two to avoid exposing people to the zombie-ness, which isn’t super convenient right now). So, I decided to check out some at-home alternatives. The Peter Thomas Roth 40% Triple Acid Peel has gotten great reviews, so I decided to grab a sample at Sephora. For this at-home peel, you apply it once a week for 12 weeks, for optimal results. You only need to leave the solution on your skin for 2 minutes — super quick!

Watch the video for my first impressions and what I thought!

Best and Worst Dressed at the 2014 EMMYS

I LOVE awards shows and I LOVE awards show fashion, but so often, I’ll watch the show and then have a thousand other things going on that I never getting around to posting a review. By the time I actually HAVE time, usually a month has passed. But I want to change that. So (only a couple weeks late), here are my best and worst dressed at the 2014 Emmys!

Best Dressed

169_3395_350Julia Roberts in Elie Saab

This is such a cool dress. I love the color, and the cut is very interesting. I just want to touch it! With all those little balls on it — the texture is so neat, and it looks amazing on her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

169_3399_350Uzo Aduba in Christian Siriano

Red is HUGE right now, and we saw a ton of it at the Emmys. And this dress is perfect. The color is amazing, and really compliments Uzo. The cut is so sexy and she pulls it off so well — she’s just oozing sexy ‘tude (get it…”uzing” LOL). I love it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lizzy Caplan in Donna Karan Atelier
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I first saw this dress from the front, and thought it was pretty basic, but looked really good on Lizzy. But then I saw the back, with that WHITE! It is gorgeous. The front is simple and interesting with the cutouts, but then the backless back and that big white back and train make it so dramatic and exciting! 

 

 

 

Lena Headey in Rubin Singer

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I didn’t realize she had so many tattoos! Anyhow…This dress is gorgeous. It’s simple and classic on the one hand with the black and the smooth fabric, but very interesting as well with the asymmetrical hem, the off the shoulder look, and the subtle striping in the fabric. She did a great job with the makeup too — soft smokey eye with a hint of pink lipstick and blush.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Louise Roe in Monique Lhuillier
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As we’ll see with Caley Cuoco’s dress below, Monique is loving the red and pink combos lately, but where Caley’s Lhuillier dress was a bit of a miss for me, this dress is awesome. In fact, I think it’s at the top of my list. I love the abstract watercolor-ish floral pattern and the dramatic colors. The asymmetrical hemline showing her great legs off, and the volume in the skirt are really great as well. I like that she kept the hair and makeup simple and matched her nails and shoes to the dress too.

 

 

 

 

Keke Palmer in Rubin Singer

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Another Rubin Singer gown makes the “best” list! Apparently this gown was custom made for her — and you can tell! The fit is perfect, and the color is just exquisite – it all compliments her so well! There’s lots of drama in the silhouette and the color, so she did it right by pulling her hair back and opting for simple makeup – that really focuses all our attention on the dress!

 

 

 

 

 

Honorable Mentions
Allison Williams Giambattista Valli
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I really like this dress. The colors are great and give that princess ball gown silhouette some spunk. The shape is great on her too. It’s just a little boring to me, and I feel like we’ve seen this type of look on her a lot.

Claire Danes in Givenchy Haute Couture

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We’re still seeing red. And this red is incredible – a bit more on the orange side, and it looks great on Claire. I like the cutouts, the silhouette, and I even like the belt, surprisingly. I also love the matching lipstick. The neck wreath thingy though…it kills me! I just wish it wasn’t there. That’s the only thing I don’t like about this stunning dress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna Gunn in Jenny Packham
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This dress looks amazing on Anna. The color is great with her strawberry blonde hair, the cut is slimming, it’s interesting with the top beading and the slit. Overall, it’s a great choice. It’s a safe dress, though, a little mellow for my personal tastes, but she looks excellent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worst Dressed

Laura Prepon in Gustavo Cadile
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There is WAY too much going on here. Teal, emerald, peplum, one shoulder, shoulder flap, the tail or train thing…none of it works, and it’s all really distracting. Feels very old school prom. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lena Dunham in Giambattista Valli
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What is even going on here? A friend of mine described this as resembling a tampon (UH. GROSS). But really, need I say more? Mistakes were made.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Caley Cuoco in Monique Lhuillier

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I want to like this so much! The cut is dynamic and intriguing, the red (again!) is fierce, and Caley is rocking some major confidence, and that’s super hot…But the tulle combined with the red and hot pink just makes it look young and prom-ish. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michelle Dockery in Rosie Assoulin
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First, it’s too long. It shouldn’t be bunching up at the bottom like that – with this type of fabric, that’s really noticeable. I just really don’t like this, and I know it made a lot of people’s “best” lists. I think it was a brave choice, and it’s very retro, but the blue, green, and cream don’t work for me. I think the cream washes her out and the colors aren’t right for her. Also, those wings don’t do it for me…all I can think is that she looks like a sea slug.

 

 

 

 

 

Katherine Heigl in John Hayles
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So, when I first saw this, I assumed it would be a more mature woman wearing it…not some 30-something. This dress fits her great, her boobs look great, unfortunately the color kind of washes her out…but that’s all beside the point… it’s about 30 years too old for her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mayim Bialik in Oliver Tolentino
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I LOVE this color. So, so much. Bu it’s all wrong for this type of dress. It it looks like she’s playing dress up as a renaissance queen or rich colonial woman. There’s just WAY too much dress. And then with such a bright color…way too much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mindy Kaling in Kenzo
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Mindy’s makeup and hair are on point. She looks beautiful. But this dress, ahhh. The neckline and silhouette aren’t terrible for her and the color works…but that damn silver stripe! It bugs me so bad! The stripe ruins the dress and makes the fabric look cheap.

What did you guys think? Did you watch the Emmys? Who were your best or worst dressed?