As far as winter goes, we’re not out of the woods yet—it’s more like that hideous stage where you can’t bear to wear the black turtleneck AGAIN, and yet you’re not at all ready to bare all in anything requiring a faux tan. What to do? Play with your hair and makeup, of course. No matter what you’re wearing, check out this month’s beauty tips to help get you through the last leg of cold weather and excited for spring. No rendez-vous with a bathing suit change room mirror required.
Tip #1: Brighten up a natural look with a berry-hued lip stain. Rashida Jones just oozes coolness—I’m still sad that she’s no longer dating my TV boyfriend John Krasinski. (Although Emily Blunt is quite lovely too.) But Rashida has this low-key beauty thing going on: here, she doesn’t do much to her hair, and on her face, lets her freckles shine through. Along with the barest hint of liner and blush, the berry lip stain is all she needs to dress up her look. How refreshing when we’re used to seeing stars (hello, Carrie Underwood) with a full face of pancake makeup.
Tip #2: Wear your hair in a chic side chignon. It’s only the hottest red carpet hairstyle around right now. (Check it out on Nicole Kidman and Taylor Swift.) Christina Applegate’s version is just perfect: not too messy and not too “done,” just somewhere in between. Check out this tutorial for the how-to.
Tip #3: Get ready for spring with bright pink lips. I’m a gloss girl—and probably you are too. But I’m coming around to the idea of grown-up lipstick like this pinky-coral on Jessica Biel. See how face-brightening it is? If you really want to feel extravagant, watch this space for news on Chanel’s Rouge Coco lipstick, launching in March. (This was part of the press kit, which beauty editors around the world were raving about.)
Tip #4: Warm up your skin with auburn hair. Don’t get me wrong—I’m no Audrina Patridge fan. But when I saw this recent pic, I became intensely jealous of her hair colour. Sometimes adding the hint of red to brown hair can look very, very wrong, but this is just right: see how it enhances her complexion? My friend E. used to swear by a Garnier box colour to get this effect. Your mileage may vary, so if in doubt, see a professional.
Tip #5: Beachy waves are always in style. After a misstep at the Globes, it’s good to see Jennifer Garner back in fine form with a by-the-book beachy hairstyle. (She must have spotted Julia Roberts’ do at the same event and decided to call her hairdresser.) Will this ever go out of style? Nope. Does it flatter almost everyone? Yep. To achieve it, you’ll need to get quite comfortable with a flat iron and some salt spray (I’m still using David Babaii for WildAid‘s version… it seems to last forever). Check out this video for instructions.
Tip #6: Add a pop of colour with bright blue liner. Think you need to save your electric blues and greens for summer? Think again. As Gabrielle Union demonstrates, with the right outfit—please don’t wear this with a sweatshirt and Uggs—a hint of bright colour around the eyes can shock and delight. Miss Union went the matchy-matchy route here, but you don’t have to. And remember, if you’re doing colour on the eyes, go for neutral makeup everywhere else.
