In Honor of The Beauties of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

If you know me at all, you know that I'm a fan of the Twilight books and movies. I reluctantly agreed to reading the books last year in August after endlessly making fun of my best friend, Shelby, for being so obsessed with them. I constantly teased her about her vampire love and how juvenile the whole thing was. And then, I read the first book. In six hours. Within three more days, I had read the last three books. They're not short books, either, all being at least 500 pages. But after reading them, I became enveloped in the love story between Bella and Edward, and also the love between Bella and Jacob. So now, I'm one of those lame Twi-hards wearing my 'Team Edward' shirt to the midnight premieres of the movies. I even have a shirt that says, "My husband has my heart, but Edward can have my neck."And when I get pregnant, I plan on wearing a shirt that says, "little nudger," in reference to Bella's pregnancy in the final book, Breaking Dawn (the first installment of which is starting to be filmed soon). Anyway, this post is in honor of the beautiful women in the third installment of the movies, the just-released Eclipse. Enjoy!

One of the great things about Kristen Stewart, who plays the main character, Bella Swann, is that she isn't your typical movie-star beauty. She has an every-woman quality about her, and she pulls off playing her character amazingly well. Bella is described as plain and clumsy in the books, and while I fathom it takes a little makeup to make her plain-looking, she is so relatable as Bella. But I love how she steps up on the red carpet, wearing funky, youthful dresses and interesting hairstyles. She never looks like she tries too hard, but always looks amazing.

Anna Kendrick, who plays Bella's human friend Jessica Stanley, has finally grown up and into a classy, chic young woman. Previously on the red carpet, we saw her in clothing that didn't show off her figure and that was altogether unstylish. Now, she's got great taste, wearing classic shapes in fresh colors and matching her hair and makeup perfectly.

You don't get to fully appreciate Tinsel Korey's beautiful Native American features in Eclipse because of her character's drastic scars along the right side of her face. She plays Emily, the fiance of wolfpack leader, Sam.

Nikki Reed is another actress I was fond of before the Twilight series. She co-wrote the screenplay for the autobiographical film about her own life, Thirteen, several years ago, in which she also acted. I love her with her natural, darker hair, instead of the blonde hair she must have to play Rosalie Cullen, Edward's other vampire "sister."

Julia Jones plays Leah Clearwater, the first and only female werewolf in the history of Quileute legends. We only have a few short seconds with her in Eclipse, but she's going to be pretty prominent in the second installment of Breaking Dawn. Her Native American features are exotically beautiful, and I love how natural she is.

I first became a fan of Elizabeth Reaser (who plays the Cullen vampire family matriarch, Esme) a few years ago when she played Rebecca Pope (aka Ava) on Grey's Anatomy. I love her chic, effortless-looking style and how simple she tends to keep her hair and makeup. It just shows off her lovely features.

The role of Jane, a Volturi vampire guard member, is played by Dakota Fanning. While I didn't think she was a particularly attractive child, she has truly grow into a beautiful young woman. And she's incredibly talented, to boot. It's also nice to see that even though she's grown up in the limelight and has matured quickly for her age, she hasn't ended up like many child stars, on drugs and drinking and partying all the time.

Bryce Dallas Howard plays Victoria, the bad vampire after Bella because Edward killed her mate, James, in the first Twilight film. This role was previously played by Rachelle Lefevre, but I think Bryce did a much better job. Her fiery red hair matches the character's description perfectly. She has some of the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen.

Ashley Greene plays Alice Cullen, Edward's "sister" so to speak. She has beautiful features that are very delicate and sometimes, almost elfin.

Alex Rice plays Sue Clearwater, the mother of Seth and Leah (who become wolves) and friend to Bella's father, Charlie. You only very briefly see her in Eclipse, but I have a feeling she'll be more prominent in the Breaking Dawn films.

This is Christian Serratos, who plays Bella's human friend, Angela. You don't get to appreciate how lovely she really is in the movie, but this shot from the Twilight premiere shows off her gorgeous face.

EEEEWWWWW

Have you ever gone through the latest celebrity gossip magazine and seen some beautiful starlet's makeup and thought, "She must have put her makeup on in the dark!" ? I've thought that many, many times. And with as many amazingly talented makeup artists there are in Hollywood, no celebrity, no matter what status, should EVER walk out of the house looking like the following ladies do.

I'm a huge fake lash fan, but Avril, really? Don't do hot pink/red lashes. Ever.

I get that Taraji P. Henson doesn't want anyone to know she has under-eye circles (Heaven forbid!) but piling on powder that's nine shades too-light for your skin is never, ever attractive, flattering, or becoming in any way whatsoever. If she wanted to disguise her dark circles, a little concealer the same color as the rest of her face with a touch of yellow to it would do the trick.

Luck and good lighting were on Leighton Meester's side when the picture on the left was taken because the light added some warmth to her skin at least. But nothing can be done with the heinous purple and metallic gold eyes and bold berry lips. I love the berry and red lipsticks I've seen Leighton wear on the red carpet, but she normally has very soft eyes with thick, dark lashes that are complimentary, not contrastingly scary. The picture on the right looks like death, literally.

Don't forget to blend in your powder before leaving the house! While I'm personally a fan of super dark berry lips, not everyone can pull them off, and Kellie Pickler is one of the people in that category. Try it out before you go out in public. If the look screams, "Overdone!" then go with something a little more natural.

I get that we all get a breakout every now and again (trust me, I know - I get them possibly more than every now and again) but that being said, I also know that there are amazing products on the market now that, along with maintaining a strict cleansing routine, drinking lots of water, and eating healthy, can make even the most acne-prone skin flawless. If you just can't get your skin cleared up, at least cover it up before you go out! A little concealer can go a long way. You can't fake great skin, but you can cover up bad skin.

Drew Barrymore's look on the left is so beautiful, and it's one of her best. It helps solidify why she was chosen to be a Cover Girl. But the look on the right is....horrifying. I can barely find words to describe it. But please, Drew and you reading this, don't ever do the, "I threw some flour on my eyes and then put on too-dark lipstick for the hell of it" look. Ever.

The look on the left is fresh, youthful, and so pretty. But the look on the right is downright scary. The super shiny eyelids and cheeks with all that dark eyeliner, plus the intense red lipstick just make X-Tina look like a mess.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is so beautiful, but this overdone bronzer makes her skin look splotchy and uneven, and even makes the texture look porous and bumpy (though I do see she has a bit of a breakout on her chin here). A little tinted moisturizer, powder, mascara, and lip gloss and she would have been perfect.

All I have to say about this repeat offender is JUST SAY NO!

I much prefer Angelina with her natural, un-bronzed skintone and nude lips. This look ages her ten years.

All this sugary-sweet bubble gum-pink makes me sick. The lashes need toned down, as do the over-applied blush and too-bold lipstick. A few brushes of bronzer on the cheeks and a pretty nude lip gloss would make her look stunning.

It's not 1984 and you're not David Bowie, so DON'T, Solange!

Just In Time For Mother's Day!

I haven't always been a fan of Kelly Osbourne's often rebellious sense of style (or lack-thereof) but recently, she's really caught my eye. Her radiant mother, Sharon, has always been a beauty in my eye (I adore that exceptionally unnatural burgundy hair). Kelly, on the other hand, has made more of my "worst-dressed" lists than not. But since joining the 'Dancing with the Stars' crew and updating her look, she's really blossomed into a rather fashionable beauty. She has beautiful eyes, and I like that she is comfortable with her fair skin (although I know she's turned to spray tans for the show, but hey, that's show biz). Regardless, I love this mother/daughter duo!

Beautiful mother!

Sharon still looks incredible at 57.

Sharon never fails to look flawless.

Her skin is so radiant - gorgeous!

This look is so soft and feminine - I love her glowing cheeks.

This is a chic, mature update on her edgy rockstar look. Love the fuchsia lipstick!

So ladylike!

I love the toned-down eye makeup with the pale lipstick. It reminds me of Lady GaGa's Viva Glam lipstick for MAC.

Lady Gaga Love!

I absolutely adore Lady Gaga. Period. Her amazing theatrics, costumes, hair, and makeup are so unreal, and her music is unbelievably catchy. I love her so much I've bought all her music videos on iTunes and made an honest attempt to learn the dances to every one of the songs in the privacy of my living room. Tragic, I know. I just happen to think she's incredibly talented and she's truly the unusual icon of this generation. I like to think of her as the Madonna of the millennium, because she's A) such a style chameleon, B) so controversial, and C) has such a sexy confidence and a "don't give a damn what people think attitude" that I've always tried to evoke myself.

Recently, Lady Gaga paired up with MAC to create a special Viva Glam lipstick called Viva Glam Gaga ($14), a soft, pale pink that I had to travel to Cincinnati to find! It was sold out online and at the nearest MAC counter, but I absolutely HAD to have it. I must say, it's well, well worth it! Launched with Viva Glam Gaga was Cyndi Lauper's Viva Glam Cyndi, a bright coral-red (also $14). The very best part of these great lipsticks is that the full price paid for every tube of lipstick goes to the MAC AIDS Fund, helping to research cures and treatments for the most deadly illness in the world. A double whammy - you get to look good AND do good! I adore it. Here's a shot of the two incredible musicians wearing their special-edition lipsticks, and a few of Lady Gaga where I adore her makeup.

Love her or hate her, it can't be denied that she's innovative, unique, and unafraid to take risks and be different. That's something I'm personally inspired by!