Get the Oscar look at home

2010-03-04 19:19

New York - Hollywood folk have two secret weapons when it comes to looking picture perfect for a big red-carpet event like the Oscars: hair and make-up.

Sure, the dress is a big deal, but the total look is incomplete without the right hairstyle, lipstick colour and oh-so-long lashes. And the wrong make up drags down a dress.

Gwyneth Paltrow was the Oscar belle of the ball back in 1999 in her pink Ralph Lauren dress that, quite frankly, did not fit her very well; you hardly noticed with her princess-style bun and fresh-faced make-up.

She did not fare as well a few years later in a Goth dress by Alexander McQueen, yet it is those raccoon eyes that really linger in our collective memories.

Increasingly, stars know how important the total look is, and they will book their beauty team for an event weeks in advance.

The challenge for the beauty team, though, is that the dress is often a last-minute choice so they show up with the tools to do retro-glam, smoky-sexy or cutting edge-cool styles with a few strokes of their brushes.

The Associated Press asked two experts, hair stylist Oscar Blandi, who has his own salon on New York's Madison Avenue, and Ricky Wilson, celebrity make-up artist for Dior, to craft beauty routines that would capture the striking Golden Globe looks of Emily Blunt and January Jones.

Both these looks, while very Hollywood, can be appropriate for a cocktail party, maybe even a dinner date, says Wilson.

Emily Blunt

Blunt's feminine look, complemented by a soft-pink, delicate gown by Dolce & Gabbana, started with flawless skin, says Wilson. "You want to look really beautiful, natural - like I wake up and look this great. Of course, it can take a lot of work."

Wilson, who counts Beyonce and Sharon Stone as clients, starts with a radiance serum to brighten and smooth the skin and then a breathable foundation to even out the tone.

He uses a brush to apply everything because, although fingers are a little more agile, a brush has a light touch and can get into fine lines.

Nothing can look heavy here, and it is important to have a very even hand.

For the eyes, Wilson uses a light, buttery but not opaque shade of white to be used from crease to brow bone, followed by a lavender-grey shade on the lid only. It will open up the eye, he explains, which will be further enhanced by dabbing a little light shimmer right at the inside corner of the eye.

Then comes the black eyeliner, not applied in one straight line but using many short strokes along both the upper and lower lashline, and then several coats of black mascara, letting the layers dry before applying the next one.

Dewy lips come with an application of lip balm with the fingers, creating a smooth surface before the lipstick goes on. "It's like a slip," Wilson says.

His favourite lip product is Dior's Lip Glow - "modern-day mood lipstick", according to Wilson. It is a pretty pink shade in the tube but actually responds to each person, creating a unique shade that should flatter the wearer's colouring.

Blandi also says Blunt's oh-so-natural look for her hair has many more steps than you'd think, yet isn't hard to do.

Bedroom hair

Hair preparation is the key, he says, by blow drying the hair without ever pulling it tight (and using a diffuser instead of straight-on heat) and taming fly-aways with jasmine oil.

"This is a sexy approach. It's 'bedroom hair'," describes Blandi, who works with Jennifer Garner, Katie Holmes and Julianne Moore, among other celebrities. He thinks it was the right look for Blunt because the dress did not have a lot of accoutrements.

"If your dress is simple, amplify the hair and make-up, and vice versa."

Blandi then uses the curling iron, alternating the position of the cord with each section of hair: If one curl, held for 10-15 seconds, is done with the cord facing upward vertically, the next one has the cord facing downward.

He saves the crown for last, working only with the cord facing down and loosening up on the curl.

His tip to at-home stylists: take smaller chunks of hair in the curling iron. Use your fingers to tousle the hair; a brush would undo the work you just did. A cool, quick blow-dry on medium speed, again with the diffuser, will set the style.

"The best part of this look is it looks better later on," Blandi says.

January Jones

Jones' dramatic, asymmetric black Lanvin dress, which made sure she wouldn't be confused with Betty Draper, required equally striking make-up and hair.

Pulling together the bottom half of the hair into a pony tail, saving a strip of hair that will later be used to hide a rubber band, Blandi teases with a brush already spritzed with hairspray to reach the crown of the hair.

He secures the top with bobby pins in the middle of the back of the head.

Then he teases the pony tail so the hair has a lot of body before he swirls it into a loose bun.

The position of the bun at the nape of the neck is important with the most flattering spot matching the jawline, Blandi says. He takes the last hanging strip of hair and camouflages the rubber band and tucks the end into the chignon.

He uses bobby pins to keep the bun in place.

Jones wore a stretchy black headband to add to the drama; a similar one is easy to find at a mass-market store.

Blandi positioned the bottom back of the band below the bun and stretched the rest to land just behind the ears and about a half-inch above the hairline in the front. The slightly pouffy top gives height behind the headband.

A lot of hairspray is the final step for the hair.

Wilson takes over the modern pinup look with just a little powder on the T-zone and matte bronzer to sculpt the cheeks, but not much else on the skin so it will not distract from the very black eyelashes and red lips he plans.

Red for every woman

With his finger, he applies a light beige powder eye shadow under the brow, pressing it in so it does not "drip," and then a lighter champagne-coloured shadow on the lid. A brown shadow goes on the crease from the outside edge of the eye to about two-thirds in.

He uses an eyelash curler before he applies no fewer than three coats of mascara. (If you get mascara on the lid, wait until it dries before you gently scratch it off with a cotton swab to avoid smudging, he advises.)

To create a clean backdrop for the red lips, Wilson uses a little more light powder on the bow between the mouth and nose, and then he uses a cherry red lip pencil to create the boundaries for the lipstick.

"There's a red out there for every woman," Wilson insists. However, he adds, it will take trial and error to find out if a blue-toned red or an orange-toned red is best for you.

After Wilson has found and applied the right red, Wilson cleans up the edges with a bit of concealer on a make-up sponge. Because of the bold colour, a neat, perfect application can make the difference, he says.

OK, so the lip is really bold and you are worried about it. It probably looks great, Wilson says, but a touch of shimmery gloss just at the centre of the top and bottom lip should alleviate any apprehension.

He adds: "The celebrity look can push women out of their regular box, which is where they should be for special events."

- AP