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Never Have a Bad Blowout Again: Drybar’s ‘How To’ Video Series

Apr/11/2013 at 12:11 PM ET

Fact: Whenever one of the PEOPLE StyleWatch editors comes in with particularly amazing hair, we ask “So, did you go to Drybar?”

That’s because the rapidly expanding beauty chain, which specializes in giving girls good hair days (and a little wine) for $35 to $40 is becoming a must-visit before any big event for girls in N.Y.C. (and Dallas, and Phoenix …)

But no matter how many times we go and how closely we watch our hairstylists, we haven’t been able to master that Drybar magic at home — until now. We’ve got the first look at Drybar’s latest venture, and we’re super excited about it.

Founder Alli Webb has created a series of videos, talking us novices step-by-step through every element of each blowout that Drybar offers (above, check out the “Mai Tai”). Using the shop’s signature styling products, she makes it easy enough for anyone to do at home with an iPad and plenty of sectioning clips.

Check back at their their site for even more instructional videos very soon, and be sure to share the results with us on Twitter!

An Ode to Kristen Stewart’s Fabulous Kids’ Choice Awards Braid

Mar/25/2013 at 12:29 PM ET

Kristen Stewart braid, hair Matt Baron/BEImages (2)

When choosing her look for the Kids’ Choice Awards Saturday night, Kristen Stewart had to be a savvy planner, choosing a hairstyle that would go with her edgy Osman shorts suit — and withstand a possible sliming.

So she turned to Fekkai stylist Adir Abergel for an undone fishtail braid that looked gorgeous and sassy on the red carpet, and held up remarkably well underneath a bucket of green goo onstage.

The star’s pretty braid is perfect for the spring days ahead — it’s breezy, sexy and will last through a long day outside that turns into a night out. Want to get the look yourself? Below, Abergel shares how he created the style for Stewart:
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Was Jennifer Aniston a ‘Bad Girl’ or a ‘Babysitter’ at the People’s Choice Awards?

Jan/10/2013 at 01:30 PM ET

Jennifer Aniston Kevin Mazur/Wireimage

Jennifer Aniston. LBD. Awards show. Three phrases that go hand-in-hand.

The star stuck to one of her signatures at the People’s Choice Awards on Wednesday night, choosing a sweet and sexy Christian Dior leather dress that hugged some curves and showed off those super-toned arms. But it was her hair and makeup — specifically the inspiration behind both — that had us really intrigued.

Chanel makeup artist Angela Levin tells PEOPLE that her inspiration for Aniston’s look was a “bad girl in a pretty dress.” She used crimson blush and a neutral pink lipstick on the star, but really gave Aniston’s eyes some drama.

“To make it look a bit messy,” Levin smudged Aniston’s upper lid with Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous eye shadow in “Mirifique,” she says, layering dark purple, golden brown and light pink hues on top and blending. She added black liner between Aniston’s upper lashes, for added intensity, and three coats of Chanel mascara to make the actress’s eyes pop.

For all the sexiness of her makeup, though, hairstylist Chris McMillan says he went for a wholesome “California babysitter” look with his leading lady’s locks. “It’s that hair that I always thought was cool when the sitter came over,” he explains. “It’s just good, sexy hair.”

Exclusive: All the Details on Allison Williams’s ‘Girls’ Premiere Makeup

Jan/09/2013 at 09:00 PM ET

Allison Williams
Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage

When makeup artist Julie Harris went to prep Allison Williams for Wednesday night’s Girls season two premiere in New York, she hardly had to say a word.

“I just told her what I was going to do, and she let me do it,” Harris, speaking from The Cinema Society and HBO event, tells PEOPLE. And thankfully, “she said she loved it.”

Harris was inspired by Williams’s embroidered Altuzarra bustier top and complementary skirt. “It’s black and gold, and she really loves to emphasize her beautiful blue eyes, so I used a metallic gold shadow (CARGO‘s color palette in “Baja”) to really play them up,” she says. A few extra coats of CARGO’s TexasLash black mascara and extra emphasis from CARGO’s TexasLiner black liquid liner completed the star’s pretty peepers.

Because Harris put so much emphasis on Williams’s eyes, “we did a softer lip,” she says. (She used CARGO’s lip gloss in “Fresno,” which Williams kept with her for touch-ups.) Some CARGO blush, bronzer and highlighter gave the actress a bit of an added glow. “She looks stunning,” Harris says. “It’s a classic, yet sexy, look.”

Scott Barnes’s Blog: Beauty in Times of Tragedy

Nov/13/2012 at 12:30 PM ET

Scott Barnes
Jesse Grant/Getty

Thanks for welcoming Scott Barnes to PEOPLE StyleWatch! The celebrity makeup artist has been hard at work lately, releasing his second book, Face to Face, and blogging for People.com. This week, he talks about beauty’s role in times of tragedy:

This has been a really tough few weeks for me and, I’d guess, many of you. Watching the devastation caused by Sandy has been heartbreaking. For 20 years, I called New York my home, and many people very dear to my heart still live there. Having to watch from afar as they worried about what Sandy might bring — and then having to watch as they struggled to put the city back together again — put so many things into perspective.

But that brings up an important point since this is, after all, a blog about beauty: People often confuse beauty with frivolity or vanity. In the face of tragedy, it may seem silly, even cruel, to care about how we look. But is that really the best philosophy? I don’t know that it is. After all, if you’ve been reading this blog, or my books (hopefully both!), you know that I believe that makeup can be an empowering tool.

When you take the time to look your best, those are the days you feel strongest and most confident. You feel like you can go out and do anything. For that reason, I’d argue that remembering to take care of yourself in the face of tragedy — whether it’s a hurricane or any other personal loss — is extremely important. If you feel great, you automatically convey confidence to the world. It’s one small step toward picking up the pieces and getting back into life again. Taking care of yourself in even a few small ways is hugely uplifting.

Celebrity Groomer Spills on Making Hollywood’s Men Look Hot

Jul/27/2012 at 06:00 PM ET

Olympic Uniforms
FilmMagic (2); Inset: Courtesy Matt Beard

Sure, stars like Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm and Zac Efron look smoking at their movie premieres, but let’s be real: it’s not like they’re getting themselves ready for these events! That task falls to the very skilled hands of celebrity groomer Diana Schmidtke, who has coiffed the tresses and perfected the complexions of Hollywood’s hottest leading men.

“It all started with going to beauty school,” Schmidtke tells PEOPLE. While training, “I saw that the hair and makeup artists were always having the most fun on set.”

As she rose through the ranks, the Illinois native groomed guys for junkets, award shows, magazine covers, talk shows and ad campaigns. Now, she travels the world with her clients — Hemsworth (and brother Liam), Efron and Hamm plus Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson, Alexander Skarsgård and Seth MacFarlane, to name a few — prepping them for any and every photo opp that comes their way.

Tricky Trend: How to Pull Off Orange-y Red Eyeshadow

Jul/25/2012 at 10:30 AM ET

Orange Eye makeup Getty (2); WireImage

We don’t want to say, “Don’t try this at home,” but mastering orange-y red eyeshadow is not for eye makeup amateurs.

Recently, Marion Cotillard donned the look at the N.Y.C. premiere of The Dark Knight Rises, while Emma Stone was bright-eyed last month at a press event for The Amazing Spider-Man in Moscow. And though these ladies look gorgeous rocking the statement style, it’s important to remember they had a professional apply it.

“This is a difficult trend to master without looking like a red-eyed raccoon,” celebrity makeup artist Jenn Streicher tells PEOPLE. “It’s best when worn subtly.”