Couture is always over the top, and you can’t have a natural makeup look and nude lip paired with some of these crazy confections! The beauty look has to hold its own. Here are some of the most fantastic beauty looks from Paris Couture Week and how to get inspired at home.

Above, Riccardo Tisci (the hottie of the Couture world, I must say) poses with runway ready models before his show. Eyes were airbrushed and smokey and lips were red, red, red. Try Bed Head Girls Just Want It Lipstick in Love, it’s on sale!

Okay, sometimes you will see a nude lip – when all the color’s been painted out of a model’s face and she’s been contoured like crazy for an uber-pale, vampiric look like this one at Elie Saab, right.

More eyes were airbrushed at Valentino, that is when you could see them. Hues like yellow, lavender and bright electric blue were banded like raccoon masks. You probably don’t want to go that far, but you might want to experiment with some bright colors in the Controversy Bed Head Quad Shadow.

Chanel’s shocker came in the way of mile-high hair in a combination Lady Gaga bow and Marie Antoinette pouf. There were even some Tavi-esque steel blue streaks (haven’t you heard the young blogeuse has gone blue-haired old lady??) which both harmonized with the pastel palette and contrasted with the prim fashions, as blue streaks always say something a little punk, non?

This high, textured French twist is the perfect unfussy but fabulous updo for a New Year’s Eve bash. If it gets a little messy dancing or downing the bubbly, all the better.

To achieve this look from the Spring 2010 Louis Vuitton runway, first apply a nickel-sized amount of Redken Thickening Lotion 06 Body Builder to damp hair and blow dry.

Curl 1″ – 2″ sections of hair around a wide-barrel curling iron. Once curls have cooled, backcomb your entire head. Gather hair in the back, racking the front locks back with your fingers, and twist up to create a French twist. Secure with bobby pins. Use the picture above as your guide, pieces can be messy and falling out, it’s all part of the fun.

Mist with Redken Workforce hair spray.hair

On rainy days like we’ve been having, fighting the frizz is pretty futile. And no one knows how to go big and let their frizz flag fly like a redhead. Refinery29 put together a tribute of their favorite redheads (including Karen Elson (channeling Grace Coddington, natch) and Lily Cole, above) and pointed out that natural redheads are actually on the decline. So we surely must do something about preserving this natural (or sometimes not-so-natural) beauty.

Products designed specifically for certain hair colors are gaining popularity, but it’s still the most difficult to find products for redheads like Claire Oleson, pictured with Cole above. One product referred to me by blogger and ginger blogger Amber McNaught is Boots Botanics Radiant Red. And for a whole trio of products for redheads, try John Frieda Radiant Red (popular name) shampoo, conditioner and glaze.

As for the frizz that often accompanies red hair, a great product to combat that is  Redken Outshine. I smooth this on after blowing my (admittedly blonde) hair out and it really gives it a sleek look and helps keep it from puffing out. Also look through all Girlznight’s shampoos for frizzy hair to find the perfect one for you!

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The fashion industry hasn’t seen much of Gemma Ward since the passing of Heath Ledger in February 2008 (to whom she was linked romantically), but I was still holding out hope for one of my favorite wide-eyed mannequins. And I’d be even more excited to see her do a campaign or two now that she’s being seen a bit curvier! But, after pictures of her celebrating her 22nd birthday at what can only be described as a healthier weight and the street shots above came out, Ward’s agent has announced her retirement.

The announcement seems to have come on the heels of nasty comments which started on the BryanBoy blog about Ward’s weight gain as if to say “She’s not trying to model anymore, could you just leave her alone?”

I really hope maybe in a few years when she’s ready to be in the public eye again she’ll do something fashion or entertainment related, or just a campaign here and there – at her old weight (seen bottom left, above) or her current one, she looks beautiful either way.

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What to do with all that pumpkin after Halloween? How about nourishing your party-ravaged skin? This pumpkin spread recipe is great for dry skin types.

Honey Pumpkin Spread

5 tablespoons canned organic pumpkin
1 teaspoon agave sweetener
1 tablespoon softened organic butter

Combine everything together and mix well to make a smooth paste. Make sure your face is clean. Spread Honey Pumpkin Spread over your face in an even layer. Rest for 15 minutes. Rinse and enjoy the softened skin.

We got this recipe from Kayla Fioravanti, ARC Registered & Certified Aromatherapist and the Co-founder and Chief Cosmetic Formulator for Essential Wholesale www.essentialwholesale.com. You can find ingredients for lots of home made cosmetics at her site.

If you’re just not the DIY type, try Dermalogica skin prep scrub followed by Dermalogica intensive moisture balance for intense moisturizing.

Oh those Obamas and their firsts. First Lady Michelle Obama is now the first First Lady to pose on the cover of Glamour Magazine for their Women of the Year issue. I’m not as huge a fan of Mobama’s style as some, but I do love her cover look here. A fantastic red dress for the holidays paired with a hot statement necklace is style well done. I even like her hair and the fact that she seems ironic about showing off her arms for the billionth time. But, lest we become confused, Glamour editor Cindi Leive says she didn’t feature Michelle as a style icon, but as an empowering example for women. Calling her mentor in chief is a bit over the top, but not as annoying as hearing about “first dog” Bo’s birthday party. Vom.

It’s nice that the magazine focuses on Michelle’s role as First Female and even includes some White House interns in the photo feature. But don’t worry, they also get her to give readers dating advice. She advises against going for the “cute” guy, if you’re wondering.

Braids have been big in celebrity hair trends for a while, usually involving a discreet grouping of a few strands off the face. The style grew – both in size and popularity – recently when Alexander Wang featured glamorous, long braids on his Spring 2010 runway and Frederic Fekkai hair stylist Renato Campora quickly adapted the style for Blake Lively at the Emmy Awards. Here he tells us how to get the style.

“Whether it’s a soft and sexy loose braid or a chic and strong braid, you can start out by applying Fekkai Coiff Strong Hold Volume Mousse,” he said. (You could also try GHD Maximize Mousse.)  Campora then applied Fekkai Coiff Extra Control Styling Gel to prep the hair and make it easier to braid. (Another great gel is Matrix GelTrix Strong Hold Gel.)

He then teased all the hair to add dimension to the braid.  By adding some hair extensions, you can create extra length for a more dramatic look. For a classic braid, separate the hair into three parts and secure with clips.  Afterward, braid the entire length and fasten at the end.

Campora finished Blake’s style with Fekkai Coiff Magnifique Ultra-Light Finishing Creme. Try Paul Mitchell Express Style Quick Slip Styling Cream for an alternative.

For more braid inspiration, you could check out Diane Kruger’s Cannes Film Festival Style here, or search for pics of Jennifer Lopez at the VMAs.

Perfect hair – the holy grail of beauty wishes. L’Oreal Professionnel says that there are just four steps to achieve this lofty goal.

Preparation

Protective treatments that target and fortify the cortex of your hair with Alpha Hydroxy Acids and strengthen your hair, reduce porosity (what lets in nasty stuff like polution and humidity) and prime your hair for professional services as well as home treatments.

Creation

Salon services and at-home treatments that integrate the best technology in coloring, highlighting, smoothing and volumizing.

Protection

Intensive treatments to condition the hair’s cuticle and surface areas for optimal shine and manageability.

Perfection

Maintaining all the previous steps by staying on top of your haircare. Maintain and preserve beautiful, radiant and renewed hair between treatments.

A lot of these steps, especially the perfection maintenance step are best targetted to your specific hair needs. Here are some products to check out depending on your hair type.

Volume Expand

Absolut Repair

Age Densiforce

Liss Ultime

Volume Expand