I’m not sure if Lauren Conrad ever trademarked her signature side-swept braid, but I’ve got to say Jennifer Anniston did it better at the Oscars. That’s why she’s the inspiration for this perfect back to school style. Start practicing the do’s we’ll bring you in this series now and they’ll take no time when you’re dragging your sorry butt out of bed come September.

Redken Session Stylist, Noah Hatton tells us how to get the look.

Hatton suggests duplicating Aniston’s look by first creating a low side-part. “Then, pull a two-inch front hair section away from the larger side of the part and separate from the rest of the head – this will be the hair included in the braid. Begin French braiding this piece right along the forehead hairline, stopping two to three inches from top of the ear,” he said. “Secure with bobby pins, or a hair clip for an added accessory element. Keep the natural texture for the rest of your hair and finish with Redken workforce 09 flexible volumizing spray for all-day hold that will last when running from class to class.”

For a variation on this look, Hatton recommends pulling the rest of the hair back into a ponytail and securing with elastic in the middle of the crown. “The braided element in the front adds an instant update to the standard ponytail,” says Hatton. For extra control and to tame flyaways, try prepping the front section with a bit of GHD Maximise Mousse before braiding. After braiding, tame any loose pieces with a small amount of Joico Shine Defining pomade after it’s been secured.

[Image; Source: Redken]

Paris Haute Couture presentations were scaled back this season because of what the French call “le crise,” and the smaller presentations harkening back to the heady days of mid-20th century couture went far towards keeping focus on the artistry, and not the spectacle, of the fashion industry.

Some designers are certainly feeling the pressure from the business side of their companies to create more commercial designs. But instead of churning out boring ball gowns and suits, coutouriers seem to be taking the recession as a challenge to really express their creative visions in ensembles that are still commercially viable.

The suits at Giorgio Armani Privé, above left and center, seeming to be made for the woman epitomized by front-row attendee Cate Blanchette, remained chic and modern. The high-style was in the details, where it’s often best kept. Crystals, jewels, paillettes and sequins applied with a deft hand jazzed up what might otherwise simply be beautiful basics – like high-gloss leather paillettes covering a black suit.

Above right is a fabulous example from the Valentino show that really shows what couture can do. Where else would this qualify as a little black lace dress but on the haute runways of Paris? Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli delivered their first really original show since taking over the design reins.

“A story of shadows,” Piccioli described their collection to WWD. “The essence of couture, its construction.”

[Source; Source]

The Fall 09 Fashion Ad campaigns are starting to leak onto the internet so we can all get a glimpse of what will be filling our glossy September issues of all the big fashion rags.

First up and perhaps most hotly anticipated is Madonna’s newest ads for Louis Vuitton. These ads are pretty different than last season’s with a lot (I mean a LOT) of air brushing.

Next up is Kate Moss’s turn for Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne perfume, shot by Craig McDean with that perfect Parisienne backdrop – the Eiffel Tower. She’s also wearing the YSL tuxedo jacket.

Keira Knightley is looking feminine and beautiful in the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle campaign.

While Emma Watson’s real star turn of the summer may be in the next Harry Potter film, everyone’s also abuzz about her ads for Burberry. We’ve been seeing Watson looking all grown up at fashion shows and red carpet events for a while now, but this is one of the first times she’s been photographed so mature.

Although Lady GaGa has a pretty outrageous reputation her make-up is, in some ways, quite minimalist as she tends to put all of the attention on her eyes. Achieving her look is surprisingly simple and you can tone it up or down accordingly by using different amounts of eye make-up.

The Base: Start by sweeping your whole eye area in a white shimmering shadow. You don’t have to put a lot on if this is for a day look, but if it’s for a night out feel free to be a bit liberal. Make sure you blend in the shadow at the corners of the eye to avoid a patchy look.

A Darker Shade of Pale: Next take a silver colour and blend this across your eye sockets to create a contrast with the white shimmer. Blending is definitely the key to this look so make sure you take the time to really work the powder in.

Charcoal: The third step with the eye shadow is to darken the outer corners of the eye. Take a dark charcoal eye shadow and blend it into the corners of your eye starting right in the outer crease. Smooth it over with an applicator for a flawless finish.

Bright Eyes: Finish off your shadow by applying a little bit of the white shimmer to the inner corners of your eyes and on the lower lash line. This will brighten the look up a bit and gives it more of a dramatic edge.

Finish your eyes with a black eyeliner across the top of the lashes and either lashings of black mascara or false eye lashes for true GaGa style. To keep the focus all on your eyes smother your lips in a clear gloss and ensure that your foundation is flawlessly applied.

I was lucky enough to sit in on a beauty seminar by Dermalogica at the Clothes Show London and they dished out some fabulous advice on basic skin care.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat. How many times should you wash your face on a morning? According to Dermalogica experts twice. The first wash gets rid of pollution and dirt. The second wash opens and cleanses the pores. Dermalogica Precleanse is the perfect product for this process as it keeps your skin healthy but is gentle enough to avoid completely stripping the skin.

Ear, Ear. Don’t just wash the face and neck. Take the cleanser right up behind the ears and along the hairline. According to Dermalogica specialists many people experience outbreaks in this area due to build up from hair products. Daily cleansing helps to prevent it so get scrubbing behind those ears!

Go Easy on the Exfoliating. At maximum you should be exfoliating twice a week otherwise you run the risk of stripping your skin too far. Exfoliating is designed simply to remove dead skin cells so there is no need to make it a daily ritual. Stick with the cleansing tips above and a face scrub once or twice a week and you’ll have everything you need for healthy, glowing skin.

Skin Map. Don’t just use one product and hope for the best, use a different product for your different skin needs by using skin mapping. Dermalogica has split the face into 14 different zones and recommend using a range of products to tackle different skin problems in each area. Your eyes for example require an intensive moisturiser to prevent and minimise lines so it’s important not to scrimp when it comes to your skin. Visit the Dermalogica website to book your free skin map consultation.

Daily Sun Protection. Most of us only use sun lotion when we’re on holiday but Dermalogica experts are adamant that our skin is at risk of sun damage all year round. For that reason they recommend that you wear sun block every single day which will help you off-set the aging effects of the sun.

Last weekend the Clothes Show Live came to London and it was jam-packed with beauty gurus, stylish celebs, and well-known fashion authorities such as Caryn Franklin. She was offering up some top tips on how to shop like a stylist and I’ve compiled them all here for your use.

Tip One: Forget trawling up and down a hundred different shops looking for an item that doesn’t exist. Most shops sell similar types of products so you’re not going to get anything vastly different even if you do search the entirety of the UK high street.Find a few choice retailers that offer your body shape a good fit and stick with them and their offerings. This will take all the frustration out of shopping trips.

Tip Two: Don’t let the size on the label affect how you feel about your body. Men’s clothes are measured in inches but for women there is no standardised sizing. As a result you will fit into different sizes in different shops so you can’t let this effect your self-esteem. Take the size you usually fit into, the size above and the size below into the fitting room and pick the one that fits you best. Not the one with the size you want sewn onto the inside.

Tip Three: Finding the perfect garments are like finding the perfect partner – most of the time it takes more than one look to fall in love. Don’t ‘date’ clothes on the hanger, simply pick out garments you like the look of and head straight to the changing rooms and get to know them a bit better.

Tip Four: Create a ‘capsule wardrobe’ of key items such as a nice pair of tailored black trousers, a white fitted shirt or a classic blazer or jacket. All of these items are so versatile that you will be able to use them for years to come and simply buy some key accessories each season that enable you to tap into the key trends.

Tip Five: Start exercising your purse power. In these tough times shops are more desperate than ever to see you part with your cash but if you’re not careful you can end up looking like a fashion victim. Remember that just because a magazine says you should wear it doesn’t mean you have to. Make fashion about your style and your body and you’ll always look fabulous.

Beyonce Knowles is a style inspiration to women all over the globe, and lately she’s been strutting her stuff in that time-age fashion staple: black leather The real charm of this outfit is that she has kept it feminine by using fitting lines and layers of chains around the neck even though the overall effect is quite black and broody.

To steal Beyonce’s style start by finding a fitted leather jacket that follows the natural curves of your body. This black leather bomber jacket from Oli is just the job as it is fully lined making it functional as well as fabulous. This little black beauty will only cost you £58.72 making it a must-have for any budget-conscious Bargainistas.

Beyonce is wearing a designer necklace in this shot but you can create the same effect by investing in this gorgeous heart-shaped padlock necklace from whatsabouttown.com At only 18.95 it’s a total style steal as it comes with two different layers and the padlocks are crystal encrusted. If you have the budget for it buy two to really create Beyonce’s piled up look!

If you’re really strapped for cash you can go craft shopping on ebay and make yourself a replica using some silver chain and some small silver padlocks. Comparatively this will only cost you in the region of £10.00 so it is much more wallet friendly to make your own!

Top off your look with a pair of square edged black sunglasses. These are true retro style and are the sort of item that will keep coming back season after season. You can pick these up for just £5.00 at Asos and they will see you all the way through this summer’s throw-back trends.

While dark eyes are fine for everyone, dark lips are typically seen only on gothy, dark-haired beauties. But for Doo.ri MAC makeup artist Tom Pecheux created a much more approachable – and achievable – look.

“The look is graphic and powerful but the shimmer makes it a bit glamorous,” he said. “She is made up but in a very young way.”

The lips were created using a mixture of MAC’s Studio Finish concealer with Black Lipmix patted onto lips for a sheer gray mouth, allowing some of the natural lip color to show through. To take this look off the runway, try patting a little bit of a moisturizing concealer like Bed Head Wipe Out Fixx-it Stick Concealer to lips followed by a swipe of Bed Head Girls Just Want It lipstick in Fashion.

The eyes for this look are also easy. An invisible set powder was applied as a base, followed by a blend of black eye shadow and a pearl glitter “drawn along top lashline in a wedge shape tapered at inner corners and thick at the outer corners of the eyes.” A black liquid eye liner was brushed on the top lashline for extra definition.

Skin was kept natural and used sparingly, with a oil-absorbing powder on top for a matte finish.