*Headdesk*

Ever felt like the world is out to get you?

I swear, these last two weeks have just been one insane thing after another.

On top of some personal drama, I started a new job (well, went back to an old job) last week and between working full-time, going to school several nights a week, and trying to get all of my homework and reading done I'm starting to completely lose my mind.

My solution?

Give it a shot.

It helps.

I swear.

Aside from that, I'm planning to sit down this weekend and figure out exactly when I need to get everything done and spread it all out so I don't go straight off the deep end. After I get that squared away, I will be back to my regularly scheduled blogging.

Never fear, I have plenty of reviews piling up and tons of new products and new episodes of my fave CW shows to chat about.

In the mean time, hope you're all having a less stressful time than I am!

Little J For the Win

Who's ridiculously stoked that Gossip Girl is officially back?

ME!

It has been long few months, you guys. I was really starting to go into withdrawal mode and that is not pretty. I need my weekly fix of Upper East Siders!

After watching last week's episode, I was left feeling a little confused. I feel like maybe my brain is malfunctioning or something... because the only thing I could think was how much I loved Little Jenny Humphrey's look for whatever galla the gang was attending.

That is practically blasphemy for me... I constantly moan and groan about how awful they style her - the ridiculous faux-punk-wannabe-badass vibe just doesn't work. This time, though, I don't know what happened, but she looked gorgeous.

I'm talkin' out-shining both Blair and Serena and that is not an easy task.

See? I'm not crazy. The girl looks great in this fabulous embellished Moschino coat and an Andrew GN sequin dress.

And the hair and makeup, oh, the hair and makeup... Stunning!

Soft and pretty colors, youthful and glowing skin, great pop of color with the lipstick... I have nothing negative to say. At all. And I always have something negative to say about Jenny.

Here's a few other angles:

Great, no?

And how cool was this hair? Very toned-down Lady Gaga-esque with the hair-bow thing. It doesn't even look fried and ratty here! Such an improvement!

I believe it's official - Little J wins the episode.

Keep it up, Jenny. I'll be watching you!

[photo credits: gossipgirlfashion.net, taylormomsen.net, gossipgirlonline.com]

Beauty Was the Biggest Winner

Who's got the scoop on some of the amazing makeup at the Oscars? I DO, I DO!

This is the end of my Oscar coverage - aren't you sad??

I know you are. I definitely am. I won't have any award shows to talk about for a long time... Le sigh. So upsetting.

Ah well. Moving on.

Let's get started, shall we?

Cinderella of the Night - Cameron Diaz - all of her makeup is by CHANEL

• Soft Touch Eyeshadow - Sand
• Intense Eye Pencil - Noir
• Inimitable Mascara
• Lip Definer - Rouge
• Rouge Coco Lip Color - Gabrielle
• Gabrielle was also dabbed on Cameron's cheeks as blush

Belle of the Ball and big winner - Sandra Bullock - all products by CHANEL

• Vitalumiere Satin Smoothing Fluid Makeup
• Les Regards de CHANEL Palette (limitede edition) for her brows & eyeliner
• Inimitable Mascara (3 coats)
• Rouge Coco Lip Color - Paris (LOVE THIS!)
• Paris dabbed on the cheeks as blush

On top of the lovely makeup, Sandra's hair looked flawless. Glossy and perfect and just fabulous.

Rachel McAdams had her makeup artist sister, Kayleen, take care of her makeup. All the products she used to get this super natural look are CHANEL.

• Fluid Iridescent Eye Shadow - Fountain
• Quadra Eye Shadow - Spices
• Soft Touch Eye Shadow - Slate
• Rouge Coco Lip Color - Rose Comete
• Glossimer - Flutie

Oh, Maggie Gyllenhaal, you've redeemed yourself for me.

Her eyes are practically glowing, no? She looks fresh-faced and gorgeous.

• Chantecaille Foundation
• La Mer Powder Foundation
• Cover Girl Sculpting Blush - Rich Cinnamon
• Nars Blush - Dolce Vita
• Cover Girl Smoky Shadowblast - Bronze Fire
• Nars Soft Touch Shadow Pencil - Skorpios
• Shu Uemura Pressed Eye Shadow - N ME Brown 860
• Cover Girl Lash Blast - layered both black & brown
• Nars Lip Color - Schiap

Miley Cyrus had one of my absolute favorite makeup looks of the night, not to mention those earrings are ah-mazing. I don't have the details on the products used, but I couldn't avoid including her because I really think her hair and makeup were perfect for the night. The fluttery lashes and pinky-nude lips were fab.

Kristen Stewart is smiling! AGAIN! That's like...four times in one night! I'm not even sure I know what to do with myself.

• Benefit That Gal Face Primer
• Armani Silk Luminous Foundation
• Shu Uemura Blush - Peach 45
• Jillian Dempsey for Avon Kohl Eyeliner - black
• Avon True Color Eyeshadow - Midnight Plum
• DiorShow Blackout Mascara
• Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Multi-Pencil - Twice As Nice (for lips)

A great look for Kristen, but I really do wish she had some kind of jewelry on. At least some sparkly studs or something? I don't know. I feel like it just needs something.

Also, I would like to give a huge THANK-YOU to Renato Campora from Frederic Fekkai for getting her usual mop of hair off of her face and into a great updo.

Not a whole lot of info available for Anna Kendrick's look, but I do know that she had on Tarte's Natural Lip Stain in Charmed and their Lip Gloss in Jake & Samantha.

The look was natural and very pretty, but mostly I wanted to mention her because I loved her hair! Look at the back!

Love the braid!

Amanda Seyfried may have let her dress overshadow her, but her face look absolutely beautiful anyway - all products are CHANEL.

• Tient Innocence
• Intense Eye Pencil - Noir
• Quadra Eye Shadow - Smoky Eyes
• Soft Touch Eye Shadow - Ivory
• Inimitable Mascara
• Powder Blush - Rose Petale
• Rouge Coco Lip Color - Perle

Last, but most certainly not least, we have Zoe Saldana. Her dress was... questionable. Very questionable. Her makeup, however, was spot on. Natural and glamorous all at the same time - all products are by NARS.

• Orgasm Illuminator
• Cream Blush - Enchanted (will be released in Summer 2010)
• Multiple - Lamu
• Eye Shadow Duo - Brousse
• Eyeliner Stylo - Nuits Blanches
• Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara
• Lipstick - Love Devotion (will be released in Summer 2010)
• Lipgloss - Ophelia

Alright, that's it for me. I'm officially over the Oscars.

So, what did you think? Love Sandra's bold lipstick or hate it? Think Miley went overboard on the lashes? Can't believe they caught Kristen actually smiling? Let me hear it, Ladies!

[photo credits: imdb.com]

Oscar Night: Watercolor Wins

Have you had enough Oscar coverage yet? Almost done, I swear!

These are my last two favorite dresses of the night.

First we have Rachel McAdams in Elie Saab.

How gorgeous is this dress? Patterns can be very tricky on the red carpet. They can look washed out or overpowering, or just plain ugly, but I love this. It's subtle and pretty and the flowyness looks great on her. The proportion is perfect and I definitely think this risk paid off.

Here is my second favorite surprise of the night, after Cameron Diaz - Maggie Gyllenhaal in Dries Van Noten.

I'm not sure I've liked anything Maggie has worn on a red carpet, well, ever... But, I love this. Love it. I'm not even sure why. The color is fun, the cut is flattering - she looks ridiculously tall and slender, and I just think she looks better than she has in quite a while.

So, that covers it for Oscar fashions... I'm staying away from the really atrocious dresses. I don't feel like tearing anyone down *cough* Sarah Jessica Parker & Faith Hill *cough* so I'm just not gonna do it. Capiche?

I will, however, get into some pretty sweet beauty details for you in my next post.

In the mean time, what do you think? Like my favorites? Hate 'em? Think I've lost my mind? Let me know, ladies!

[photo credits: nymag.com, justjared.buzznet.com, imdb.com]

Oscar Night: Twilight Takes The Cake

I make no secret of my love for all things Twilight. I won't even apologize for it. It's your prerogative to hate on it all you want, but you have to admit that the Twilight girls looked pretty great at the Oscars.

I don't say this lightly, because about ninety percent of the time I think these two girls make some pretty awful red carpet choices. Not this time, though. Oh no, this time they seem to have gotten some decent stylists and I am hereby begging them to hold on with dear life.

Kristen Stewart in a midnight blue, silk organza Monique Lhullier.

Is that...dare I say it... A SMILE? I wasn't even aware that Kristen knew how to smile! I'm so proud of her! It would also appear that she actually washed her hair. I don't even know if I can handle this. The whole look is sophisticated without being too old, and glamorous but still laid-back, which fits in with Kristen's usual style. I nearly did a double-take when I saw her on the screen because, well, frankly, she usually looks ridiculously awkward, disheveled, and mismatched. Not so this time. Yay, Kristen!

One thing - stop channeling Miley Cyrus and please stand up straight!

Nominee for Up in the Air, Anna Kendrick in peach-colored Elie Saab.

I love Elie Saab and I love this dress on Anna. The draping is so pretty I can hardly even handle it. The off-the-shoulder neckline is really flattering on her, too. This is such a vast improvement over most of the events I've seen her at I'm just in awe. She's been one of my favorite people since she starred in the indie flick, Camp, and I'm so glad she's finding success.

P.S. Great shoes!

[photo credits: nymag.com, justjared.buzznet.com, imdb.com]

Oscar Night: Cinderella Who?

I'm not positive, but I can say with relative certainty that none other than Cinderella made several appearances on the red carpet on Sunday.

So, when you look at the following dresses, try to keep this in mind for comparison.

Ready? Okay, good. Here we go.

Our first Cinderella wannabe? Cameron Diaz in Oscar de la Renta.

I pretty much never have nice things to say about Cameron's fashion choices. I usually think she looks like she rolled out of bed, threw on the first bizarre dress that was hanging in her closet, and forgot to brush her hair. All of that aside... She looked amazing at the Oscars. The dress was perfect, event-appropriate, glitzy enough without looking completely bedazzled, and she looked incredible in it. Her hair was healthy and full of body, it looked totally glam and the makeup looked flawless. I'm officially impressed, Cameron.

Cinderella number two was a starlet who, for the second year in a row, makes me wonder what in the world she's doing at the Oscars.

Miley Cyrus in Jenny Packham.

Hmmm... I'm a little torn. It's a little ballerina mixed in with the Cinderella... But I really like the color. And I like most of the silhouette. The top is clearly too small. She's tiny, for goodness sake, how hard can it be to put an extra inch of fabric up there? She also has the worst posture known to man, but to be fair, maybe she's worried that her boobs will pop right out of the underwear-as-outwear-bustier-top if she stands up straight? Okay, so, aside from the sizing and posture issues, I find that section in the middle a little bizarre. Why are there two waists? Either make it a natural waist or a drop waist, not both.

I know that's a lot of downsides to this dress, but I can't lie, I kind of like it anyway. What do you guys think? Thumbs up or down?

Next, we have an up-and-coming Starlet versus a bona fide Diva in a battle of the Armani Prive Cinderellas.

Contender #1: Amanda Seyfried

I hate to say it, but I think this is just too much dress for her. It just seems to swallow her up. And I hate the neckline. I don't think it's flattering at all. It makes her looks broad-shouldered and flat-chested. Neither is a good thing. Better luck next time.

Contender #2: Jennifer Lopez

I suppose if anyone can rock this look, J.Lo can... But I'm just not really a fan. I don't like that it looks like two completely different dresses from two angles. Ball gown or figure-hugger - pick one. I like the neckline better, though. And you've got to admit - her butt looks fantastic.

I think this might be a case of choosing the lesser of two evils so...

I officially declare J.Lo the Armani Prive Cinderella winner. But I'm giving the Cinderella-of-the-Night award to Cameron.

What do you think? Did you like that Cinderella was in the house?

[photo credits: nymag.com, justjared.buzznet.com, imdb.com]

Oscar Night: Ruffle My Feathers

There were a LOT of ruffles at this years Academy Awards.

No, like, really... Almost more than I can handle, and I love ruffles.

There was some good, there was some bad...

There was some cah-razzzeeeeeyyyyy.

So, without further adieu... Here we go.

First up we have Up in the Air's Vera Farmiga wearing a stunning fuchsia Marchesa gown.

This was one of my favorite looks of the night. That is... A whole lotta dress right there, but I really think she pulled it off. It fits her perfectly and the simple hair and minimal jewelry really pull the look together. Love that lipstick, too!

Next up we have Elizabeth Banks in Versace.

I wanted to love this dress, I really did. I almost did, too. But there was one thing that threw the whole thing off for me - the fit. It's too small. From the front it was clearly suffocating her poor chest and it looks uncomfortably tight around the rest of the bodice. See that puckering near the seams? That means there needs to be more material there. Aside from that, I adore the ice grey color, the simple hair (complete with a lovely peekaboo-sparkle headband), and the smoky makeup. It was definitely almost there.

Our first questionable moment came from a red carpet favorite of mine - Diane Kruger in Chanel.

Okay... It's weird. It's half ruffled, half not. There's also lace and ruching and ribbons and...oy. A lot of stuff. I have to say, though, it's very Diane. She is always one to take risks on the red carpet and I, for one, think she usually knocks it out of the park. I like to think of her as a less-intense Chloe Sevigny. All in all, this isn't my favorite dress, but I think it's a pretty color and check out the lovely detailing... I like it. So there.

Bringin' the sexy back in a flesh-toned Versace was Demi Moore, who must have discovered the fountain of youth because she's clearly getting younger instead of older.

She looks hot, no two ways around it. Great dress, great color, great shoes, great everything.

Avatar may have lost out on most of the big awards, but one of it's stars was certainly going for the fashion win - Zoe Saldana in Givenchy - I'm just not sure she fared any better than her film did.

Is it just me or does Zoe's dress look a little bit like the purple part is trying to swallow the sparkly bodice? It really looks like two dresses thrown together. It's one part sparkle, one part flamenco dancer, and all parts over-the-top. I actually love the color, it looks beautiful on her... The rest of the dress? Not so much. I just can't get on board with this one.

Stay tuned for more trends from the Oscars!

[photo credits: nymag.com, justjared.buzznet.com, imdb.com]

Handsome Men's Club

In case anyone has a few minutes to spare...

Watch. Laugh. Drool. Enjoy.

You're welcome!

Eye Can't Do It... Or Can I?

My friends... I have a confession to make.

I have issues with eyeliner.

There. I said it.

I speak the truth, y'all.

I am terrible with eyeliner. I can't draw a straight line to save my life. I rely on excruciatingly slow processes and painstaking application methods to get something that even resembles a straight line, and even then I usually end up having to use a q-tip or a smudge brush to soften it.

I don't know what my problem is. I've watched the YouTube tutorials, I've spent limitless time in front of the mirror trying to practice... I just can't get both eyes to have the same, even, straight line unless I spent about twenty minutes on each one.

It is so frustrating.

There is one thing that really helps, though... The influx of gel & cream liners that seem to be flooding the market lately make me so happy! For some reason I have much better luck applying liner with a brush than with an actual eye pencil. For this reason alone I've spent way too much money on various shades of Bobbi Brown's Long-wear Gel Eyeliner.

At $21 it's not heinously priced, but it's not quite easy on the wallet. It is, however, my favorite of all the cream/gel liners that I've tried. It's easy to use, goes on smoothly, and stays on forever.

On a recent drugstore makeup binge, the same one that led me to discover the Maybelline Eye Studio Color Plush quads, also gave me a potential alternative to my beloved Bobbi Brown.

Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

It's priced at $9.99 it is certainly easier on the wallet, the packaging is pretty close to Bobbi Brown's, which I love, and it comes with it's own application brush... This is a no-lose situation, girls.

[photo credit: Temptalia]

I immediately lunged for this little baby in the Plum shade and tore it open the second I got home.

[photo credit: Temptalia]

The consistency is a little... I'm not sure how to describe it, but I don't think it is as thick or pigmented as the Bobbi Brown. The swatch above is from the fabulous Temptalia, and the reviewer there loved it. It actually took me a few tries before I decided that I did, indeed, like it very much. At first I couldn't get an even application and the color looked a little sheer, but once I got into a groove it really did look the way it does in that swatch. It's a very pretty color, it goes on pretty smooth, but you may need a few layers to really get a saturated color.

All in all, a pretty decent product at half the price of Bobbi Brown.

Anyone else tried this liner? Did you have the same issues I did with getting a fully saturated application? Let me know!

[photo credits: bobbibrowncosmetics.com, temptalia.com, maybelline.com]

Oscar Night 2010: The Boys Bring the Hotness

While I'm having some intense inner debates over my picks for Best & Worst Dressed as far as the ladies of the night, I have no problem at all definitively deciding that the boys can rarely do any wrong.

Well-fitting penguin suits makes me smile. And there were some really well-fitting ones last night.

So, in lieu of a fashion critique (at least until I fully wrap my brain around all of the photos and my memories of the broadcast) I bring you my favorite Boys of Oscar Night 2010.

Chris Pine & Colin Firth

George Clooney & Gerard Butler

Jake Gyllenhaal & Matt Damon

Robert Downy Jr. (I have no idea what he's wearing, but I whole-heartedly believe that Robert can wear just about anything and I'll be okay with it) & Ryan Reynolds

Sam Worthington & Tom Ford

And the youngins' bringing up the rear - Taylor Lautner & Zac Efron

Let's all take a moment to swoon, wipe the drool, and get ready for the fashion smackdown that will decide who comes out on top of the ladies event.

[photo credits: nymag.com, justjared.buzznet.com]