DIORSHOW Mascara has a cult following in the prestige market the way Great Lash does in the mass market. A good friend of mine swears by the stuff, so I threw down $24 for a tube of the mascara with a magical reputation. 
Some of you will consider this sacrilegious, but I don’t think this mascara is all that impressive. The waxy, sticky formula caused an unfortunate lash clumping situation. 
Even though my friend swears this stuff to be smudge-free, my experience did not sync with hers. Ultimately DIORSHOW was a big fat disappointment. I still prefer Blinc for my mascara splurge. 
Gucci
Yup, that’s Adrien Brody for Prada.
Bottega Veneta
Alexander McQueen
Ami
Dior Homme
Andrea Pompilio
Berlutti
Damir Doma
Jolie served in Atelier Versace. She turned it out to pimp her directorial debut. Don’t love the shoes, but when she tries even a little she easily steals the show. 
Mila Kunis looked bored and made this one-strap Christian Dior boring too. She can do better, but can’t seem to shake this recent ugly frock streak. 
Let’s get the brides out of the way. First, Jessica Chastain arrived in an ill-fitting Givenchy. In recent awards seasons, Givenchy seems to lend out dresses willy-nilly and doesn’t bother to make sure they are tailored correctly. For as many style successes as they have, they have an equal number of fashion failures. 
Kate Beckinsale always brings the over-try, sponsored here by Roberto Cavalli and accompanied by Len Wiseman.
Jessica Biel wore a matrimonial Elie Saab, obviously unable to stifle her wedding enthusiasm. 
Sofia Vergara showed us the source of the Nile in Vera Wang. Sarah Michelle Gellar drowned in a big blue and white tie-dyed Monique L’huillier. 
Best grown women: Downton Abbey’s Elizabeth McGovern, Diane Lane and Madge both in Reem Acra.
Vivienne Westwood dressed Andrea Riseborough who stars in Madonna’s movie W.E.
The gorgeous Gucci girls = Salma Hayek and Evan Rachel Wood.
God bless Melissa McCarthy; she tried in Badgley Mischka. Take a cue from Octavia Spencer who looked incredible in a light lavender Tadashi Shoji. 
Modern Family’s Ariel Winter looks all grown up in Dolce & Gabbana. Shailene Woodley chose a lovely Marchesa gown, but unfortunately paired it with bad posture. 
Claire Danes deviated from her usual favorites Calvin Klein and Narciso Rodriquez in favor of this embellish-backed J. Mendel number. I’m ambivalent – love the back, hate the front. 
Michelle Williams wore Jason Wu. She should stick to Prada or Miu Miu. Is that burned out velvet? Emma Stone also failed to impress in a mediocre Lanvin gown. 
Frieda Pinto wore lapis Prada and it won’t be everyone’s favorite, but I think she’s lovely. Juliana Marguilies also chose a bold color statement with this sleek eggplant Naeem Khan.
Laura Dern sparkled in an emerald Andrew Gn gown.
Did you get the memo that Reese is reinventing herself as sexy? Zac Posen painted her red and gave her hips. 
Nicole Richie is quickly morphing into a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills. At first, I loved this Julien MacDonald metallic dress, but the more I look at it, the less excited I am, especially over that messy hem. 
Where have you been Natalie? We’ve barely seen you since you gave birth. Weird dress by Lanvin. 
Madeleine Stowe celebrated her career revival in Vera Wang. Charlize Theron is like awards show pizza; even when she’s bad she’s not that bad, and here she’s pretty decent in Dior Couture. If only she could wipe that smug-ass look off her (recently tweaked?) face. 
Karen Elson headlines Anna Sui.
Haider Ackermann
Balenciaga
Comme des Garcons
Kate Moss for Louis Vuitton.
Christian Dior
Lindsey Wixson works a doll pout at Nina Ricci.
Giorgio Armani.
Jil Sander.
Abbey Lee at Nina Ricci. Anybody else think she looked a little off this season?
Christian Dior
Daphne at Fendi.
Marc by Marc Jacobs
DC favorite Ginta Lapina at Carolina Herrera.
Proenza Schouler
Stella McCartney
Erdem
Viktor & Rolf
Rochas
Christian Dior
Rochas
Ralph Lauren
Emilio Pucci
Alexander McQueen
Oscar de la Renta
Emilio Pucci
Backstage at Chloe.
Fendi
Antonio Berardi
Ann Demeulemeester
Valentino
Commuun
Christian Dior
Yohji Yamamoto
Acne
Diane von Furstenberg
Rick Owens
Barbara Tfank
Burberry Prorsum
Donna Karan
Gabrielle Greiss
J Mendel
Hermès
Valentino
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac
Loewe
Lanvin
Stella McCartney
Norma Kamali
Louis Vuitton
John Galliano
The best and worst of the A-list: Kate Winslet in Elie Saab and Gwyneth Paltrow in Pucci. Gwyneth’s face looks better than it has in a while, but the dress is confusing and wrong. A transparent midriff, really G?
Another disappointing turn for Katie Holmes in Calvin Klein Collection. Bad fit, uninspired color, and boring shoes combined to create another dud for Mrs. Cruise. 
Evan Rachel Wood provided a refreshing relief from the onslaught of red in an immaculately tailored Elie Saab.
Hate to say Christina Hendricks looked unnecessarily big in an embellished Johanna Johnson gown. The open toe and low heeled shoe makes her legs appear chunky. A darker tressed Elisabeth Moss stayed in the same color family as her co-star in a pinky-nudish Marchesa adorned with shimmering vines. Damn, I miss Mad Men.
Let’s get the Glee bitches out of the way: self-important Lea Michele vamping for the flashbulbs in Marchesa, Jenna Ushkowitz in an architectural Ghadah Paris, and Diana Agron in Roskanda Ilinic. 
Naya Rivera’s chic, black, subtly-detailed gown made Heather Morris‘ selection look fussy by comparison. 
Colfer proves that photographically satin betrays both genders. Darren Criss showed up his more well-known cast mate in a slender suit by John Varvatos. 
Of the hostesses, Cat Deeley didn’t embarrass herself or wow in Monique L’Huillier. I question the clutch choice with this particular gown. 
Even with ample style resources, Padma Lakshmi in Armani Privé and Heidi Klum in Christian Siriano reinforce the notion that most models can’t dress themselves worth a shit. 
You would think that the Fashion Police might dress a skosh more fashionably, right? Giuliana wore a crimson Cavalli which got lost in the sea of red gowns. Kelly Osbourne did a bit better in plum J. Mendel. However, for someone who regularly critiques others for failing to make fashion forward choices, this safe dress felt more Lea Michele than Kelly Osbourne. Though let’s face it, none of these third tier hangers-on get first pick of the best gowns. 
Prettier than most ladies, how about a little Mario Lopez palette cleanser? Werk those dimples son. 
Joel McHale also looked dapper and fresh in his icy tux coat. 
Not much better than that dreadful Wonder Woman costume, Adrianne Palicki arrived in anti-photogenic satin. Super likable Connie Britton looked lovely in a deeper shade of the night’s most favored hue. For a woman her age, the face and body are damn aspirational and underrated. 
Minka’s old lady Christian Dior underscored the impact of Galliano’s departure on the house. This gown isn’t going to give Jeter any regrets. 
Usually Claire does Narciso or Calvin Klein; instead she went in a different direction with this flashy Oscar de la Renta gown. The perennially overrated Emily Blunt donned Elie Saab. Elie Saab provided many of the evening’s strongest looks, but this wasn’t one of them. Why does she always have that just-ate-a-canary mug on her face?
Julie Bowen did de la Renta this year and kept the accessories minimal. Sofia Vergara rocked Wang (Vera not Alexander, obviously). Don’t match the lipstick to the dress please.
For comics, Kristen Wiig impressed in ombre Zac Posen, and Amy Poehler rocked Peter Som. Her dress was featured right here on Demeter Clarc in the best of blue for Fall 2011 RTW.
Pint-sized Nina Dobrev was swallowed whole by bloodshot Donna Karan. Hate the necklace too. Margulies‘ unseasonable white Armani Privé evoked Styrofoam cup. 
Let’s finish strong and severe with Game of Thrones actress Lena Headey in Alessandra Rich. A different bag and belt could have catapulted her from an eight to a ten. The fantastic Christine Baranski served a seasonally appropriate dark blue Zac Posen and outshone many attendees half her age. 
My dear friend Sam is getting married soon and she recently inquired about how to achieve a natural, dewy, minimalist look for her big day. She cited Kate’s (Moss not Middleton, ya’ll) recent nuptials as inspiration.
Wedding makeup is tricky business. The bride must consider lighting, photography, and longevity. Often what works on camera can look down right freakish in person. Furthermore, who can be bothered with endless touch-ups on such an important occasion?
Most brides aim for subtle enhancement to show their best selves. The approach for each bride must be individually tailored to achieve optimal results, but there are a few hard and fast rules for wedding day makeup that simply should not be ignored.
Despite what you might have learned from last weekend’s Jerseylicious marathon, a smoky eye doesn’t work for everyone. Those with hooded eyelids or smaller eyes should stick to lighter neutral shadows. A smoky eye can easily melt into a raccoon eye without proper preservation. If you insist on breaking out some intense shadow for the big day, have at it, but for the love of Aucoin please no super bright colors. Save the hot pink and purple; this is your wedding day and not a club crawl through the Jersey Shore.
Keep shimmer to a minimum. A little here and there to catch the light is fine – corner of the eyes, brow bone, a smidge on the cheek bones, a dab in the center of the lip or arch of the cupid’s bow (NOT all locations por favor). Shimmer reads prominently in photographs. If you go crazy with the highlighter all over; you’ll appear oily and shiny in your pictures. Soft matte works best on camera.
Dramatic brides may consider a red lip. Proceed with caution. Red lips are extremely high-maintenance. Gotta keep it off the teeth, off the dress, and reapply often for maximum punch. A scarlet smoocher can easily dominate the face and take over a photo. The wrong shade of red causes the rest of the face to recede. The tendency is to overcompensate with too much color elsewhere or look washed out. Consider a subtle red wash on the lips to keep features balanced.
Go easy with the foundation and concealer application. Let your skin and inner light shine through. Remember the aim of these products is to perfect the skin, not mask it. Splurge on high-end foundation and concealer, even if you go budget in other areas. Without a perfected base, the whole look crumbles.
Invest in a primer. A decent primer provides staying power. Primer is the key to 8-12 hours of longevity, so you look as good at the end of the reception as you did walking down the aisle.
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