Emmys 2008 Dresses And Makeup Highlights

As always, watching the Red Carpet Shoe makes me wish the entire E! team would be fired and replaced. Preferably by mimes. But we're not here to discuss Giuliana Rancic and her vocabulary, are we?

It's always a bit weird: The stars are in full evening wear, all blinged and hair-sprayed out, but since the red carper arrivals are happening at 3-5 PM L.A. time, we see them in harsh daylight and it's probably a bit too hot for them to really feel comfortable. Sometimes it shows:


A more streamlined yellow dress was the one Mariska Hargitay was wearing. I love her, just not sure about the Sarah Palin hair:


Colorful dresses tend to steal the show and seem somehow more right at that time of the afternoon. There were several light aqua/sea foam colored dresses, as you can see on Jenna Fischer (Gustavo Cadile), Christina Applegate (Reem Acra) and Cynthia Nixon (Calvin Klein):




I like Brooke Shields too much to question the 80s glam of her dress (Badgley Mischka ):


Eva Longoria Parker was the most visible star who went with a short dress (Marchesa). Usually I dislike big bows on short women, but here it works, somehow:


I usually wait with the makeup recap until the day after, but since we're speaking of Eva I must comment on this so two years ago look, especially since I didn't like it in 2006, either. Too much black around the eyes, lips that are at least a shade too pale than healthy and the too-peachy blush that should have been named after J. Lo. I wish Eva would hire a new makeup artist, preferably of the Bobbi Brown school of thought.




Now, let's look at some black dresses, because you can't get more Hollywood than that. Debra Messing is gorgeous, but the dress (Monique Lhuillier), while pretty, seems a bit too much. It's a lot of goth drama for a hot L.A. night. And Kate Walsh is pulling off something most of us wouldn't (and shouldn't) attempt: horizontal stripes.

The next one isn't actually black, though it looked so in most photos and when I saw her briefly during the arrivals (I'm another one of those who didn't even consider watching the actual ceremony). I think Hayden Panetierre got it right with her midnight blue dress. Not many 18 year olds can look as polished and glamorous as this:


My favorite dress of the night- Heidi Klum in Armani Prive:


Next: The hair and makeup.


Photos: Faded Youth Blog, Just Jared

Idol Goes Big And Gives Back

Although Wednesday's American Idol won't be saying goodbye to another contestant, (the results will be shown Thursday night) they will be airing their Idol Gives Back show for the second year in a row. The fundraiser will be raising money for both U.S. and international charities and will feature big stars like Brad Pitt, Hollywood it-couple David and Victoria Beckham, Miley Cyrus, and former Idol winners Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks. I recommend having a box of kleenex handy as the show will also include heartfelt stories informing people firsthand on how this special will be making a difference in the lives of many.  

Randy Jackson goes from judge to performer.

Former Idol winner and country superstar Carrie Underwood shares a laugh with Teri Hatcher.

Brad Pitt shows his giving heart and waves to his adoring, not to mention screaming, fans.

Fergie, in skin-tight leather pants, cartwheeled across the stage during her performance, squashing all pregnancy rumors.

Celine Dion visits a South African orphanage.

Teen idol Miley Cyrus visits with a young girl in Kentucky, showing her support to the charity organization Save the Children. 

Paula Abdul puts a smile on a young boy's face as she spends time at Goshen Elementary School in California.

Girl-next-door actress Reese Witherspoon reads to a class at New Orleans CDF Freedom School.

No stranger to charity work, U2 frontman Bono visits with a volunteer in Tanzania.

- Erin Dustin

 

SAG Awards Hair & Makeup

The good news: the smoky eye look seems to be on its way out (I have nothing against the idea of a smoky eye, but what you see on the red carpet is usually lost in translation once you encounter it face to face in the East Village or the Jersey malls). Faces looked fresh, eyes reasonably (unless you're Lisa Rinna) accentuated with black eyeliner and mascara, matte skin, neutral (but usually not beige, except for Eva Longoria who should have gone a couple of shades darker) lips, very little shimmer and no more goopy Paris Hilton mouths.



Christina Applegate's makeup stood out, and not necessarily in her favor. I was happy to see a bolder lip color, but that shimmer all around her eyes looked weird (click on the image to see what I'm talking about).

Teri Hatcher seems as always to have a little more eye makeup than most. And since I didn't have it last night, here's also a picture of her dress:


The bad news is that almost everyone looked like they had their hair and makeup done by the same people. Other than a few actresses (Debra Messing, Marcia Cross, Angelina Jolie) the ruling hairstyle was the soft, messy updo. The weather didn't help things. It rained in L.A during the day and made for a soggy red carpet and frizzy hair.

Another thing of note is the absence of necklaces. Instead, everyone seems to have opted for long, dangling earrings. there were also some pretty bracelets.

An overview of the dresses is in last night's post.


Images: Just Jared, A Socialite's Life

The hazards of too much makeup

Too much, too wrong, too ugly.