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At the Los Angeles premiere of The Vow, Rachel McAdams experimented with a brand new look: Thick, eyelash-grazing bangs. “They were a fun change,” hairstylist Mark Townsend told us. “We were inspired by an old Kate Moss photograph.

Rachel has done wispy bangs and side bangs. We thought a full fringe could make a fresh statement.” Townsend went on to say that because McAdams’s has an oval-shaped face, nearly any style bang would work on her. They’re also a flattering look for someone with a high forehead or a heart-shaped face.

Have you been searching for the perfect tweezer but have had no luck?  Well, get in line…I am tired of spending money on tweezers that DO NOT work!  Ugh…However, a linkedin acquaintance from Slice, sent us a fabulous tweezer designed by famed architect Michael Graves, that will not only grab your coarse hairs but easily extract them! YAY!!!

Slice collaborates with some of the most innovative designers on the planet.  They take everyday objects like scissors, safety knives, letter openers, ceramic knives, safety cutters and rethink them.

Slanted Tweezers designed by Michael Graves for Slice

These tweezers are perfectly aligned with hand-filed slanted tips, and a wide comfortable rubberized red soft-touch grip for expert precision, every time.  They can be used at home or at a professional salon and retail for $19.99.

Get perfect shaped eyebrows for your face with tweezers by Slice

Slice was founded in 2008 by TJ Scimone as a way to help fund long-term care for his son, Alex, who is autistic. A minimum of 1% of all Slice product sales is donated to help fund autism research.  By purchasing their products, you’re helping to find a cure for the millions of children and their families who live with autism every day.

Also available:  slanted stainless steel tweezers, pointed soft touch tweezers.

*Order now and receive free shipping by entering coupon code:  FREESHIP020812

the bender sisters

Between the ages of 13 and 30, Jennifer Garner, did a lot of growing up…And one big lesson she learned then was how to properly pace the major events of her life.

Garner, soon-to-be a mother of three, decided to open up to Britain’s The Sun about being raised by strong, confident women and how that has impacted her Hollywood life especially when it comes to love.

Actress Jennifer Garner with husband Actor Ben Affleck

While in her 20s, she married Scott Foley, known for his role as Noel in TV hit Felicity, who she divorced eight years ago and found divorce a crushing experience.  “I thought the divorce statistics would never apply to me.  I was beyond heartbroken when they did,” Garner expressed.  Following her divorce from Foley, Garner, now 39, started dating Ben Affleck.  In 2005 they wed.

According to Garner, “Ben is not only my husband, he has helped me in every way.  He is the base of my life.  He is an incredibly loving and generous man.  I expected he would be a great dad and he is.  The couple has two daughters Violet, 6, and Seraphina, 3, with a third child on the way.

Jennifer exclaimed that another perk of getting older was becoming more confident.  “I have figured so much more out about life and feel the older women get, the more beautiful they get.  We become ourselves which is something you can’t teach anyone at 18.”

Amen…Jennifer is so right on!  Look around you and watch older women and how they carry themselves and conduct their lives…It’s quite educational:)!

BSW Buzz

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner…It seems to sneak up behind us when we are just slowly getting use to a New Year!  But don’t fret…Ulta Beauty and Ulta.com have everything you need all in one store/place.  Check out some of the hottest new celebrity and designer fragrances a long with the best beauty gift ideas for 2012′s Day of Love!

Soul2Soul (NEW!)  These fragrances from Faith Hill and Tim McGraw will be available exclusively in 141 ULTA locations and online at ULTA.com.  Both retail for $31.50 for 1.7 oz.

Faith Hill Fragrance

Tim McGraw

Vera Wang Lovestruck, is feminine, romantic and spontaneous.  Retails for 1.7 oz, $68

Vera Wang Lovestruck

Vera Wang Night Princess 1.7 oz, $60 (NEW!)

Vera Wang Night Princess

This floral, woody scent contains top notes of wild berries, watermelon and sweet raspberry; middle notes of jasmine petals, spicy orange blossom and passion rose; with base notes of crushed sugar, musks and vanilla.

 Justin Bieber Someday 1.7 oz, $45

Justin Bieber's Someday

Playful, thought-provoking, fresh yet flirty and nothing but ordinary, the bottle comes with a removable, crystal heart charm from Justin. What better way to carry his heart on your sleeve? Top notes, Mandarin, Juicy Pear, Wild berries, Middle notes, Jasmine, Creamy Florals, Bottom notes, Vanilla, Soft Musks.

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush, $11.99

Physician's Formula

Multi-reflective pearls provide a soft iridescence to highlight contour and add radiance to cheeks.  Infused with Physician’s Formula Happy Boost Blend, featuring Happy Skin and Euphoryl, natural plant extracts which have been shown to promote a feeling of happiness by mimicking the effect of Endorphins and helping protect the skin from environmental stress.  The sweet scent of Violet provides a feeling of joy each time you apply.

Too Faced Romantic Eye Classic Beauty Shadow Collection, $36

Too Faced Romantic Eye Classic Beauty Shadow Collection

A woman is most beautiful when she is in love!  Indulge in Too Faced’s newest eye shadow lesson collection filled with romantic-inspired shadow shades that will bring out your inner bride, bombshell or classic beauty, all with an ultra-feminine touch.  (a $73 value)

Butter London Snog, $14

Bright, happy, and hot pink!!!  The perfect color for V-Day:)

Butter London Nail Polish in "Snog"

Butter London Come to Bed Red, $14

The sexiest red in history…a color that says so many things…!

Butter London in "Come To Bed Red"

 the bender sisters

Lisa Marie Presley celebrated her birthday today at Graceland to launch the new “Elvis…Through His Daughter’s Eyes” Exhibit.

Get The Look with M.A.C Cosmetics courtesy of Stacey Ellis of Byu-Ti Salon, Santa Monica.

Face: Apply  Mineralize Cream Foundation, with a sponge, spread evenly over face.  Set the foundation with Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder, on a large powder brush.

Dust a little color on the cheeks with Powder Blush color, Fleur Power. Apply to cheek and sweep back to the ear.

Eyes: To create this warm smoky eye, start with the lightest eye color, Mylar, apply to the inside corner of the eye and under the brow.

Apply the warm brown color, Bronze, from the outer corner across the lid and blend up into the crease of the eye.  Run this color under the eye and smudge a little to get this smoky effect.

Line the eye with Technakohl Liner in Graphblack.  Apply a thick line along the top lash line and run the liner along the inside lower lash line.  Create full lashes with two coats of False Lashes Mascara.

Lips: With the smoky eye keep the lips glossy and nude with Tinted Lipglass, try the color, Nymphette.

And there you have it!

Makeup artist Stacey Ellis is a regular contributor to BSW.  Check out her step-by-step tips for creating Ashlee Simpson’s makeup look from the 2012 SAG Awards here.

Was Pat McGrath’s super simple trick for getting the cat eye liner on the Valentino spring 2012 couture runway so perfect?

For the fourth consecutive year, my go-to salon for anything hair, BYU-TI has been selected for the 2012 Best of Santa Monica Award in the Hair Salons category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA). Yay!!!

For anyone who doesn’t know, the USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country.  Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Nationwide, only 1 in 120 (less than 1%) 2011 Award recipients qualified as Three-Time Award Winners. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

Byu-Ti provides clients with more than just a beautifying experience.  From the wholesome ingredients to the services provided, the goal is to “serve” with integrity, excellence and professionalism.  Creating a salon experience that supersedes a client’s expectations, Byu-Ti Salon (pronounced beauty) is the premier hair boutique led by beauty industry veteran, Natasha Sunshine-Antonioni.

Natasha Sunshine-Antonioni has run her fingers through some of Hollywood’s most notable manes including that of Ivanka Trump, Elizabeth Pena, Sean Young, Molly Sims and Eva Herzigova. Known in Los Angeles and New York City fashion circles for her keen sense of style and unique approach to hair therapy, Natasha created a six-step consulting system to identify and meet the needs of her high-profile clientele, and also developed her own exclusive collection of hair care products.

And in just a few weeks Byu-ti Salon will be opening its second location in Brentwood, CA which will no doubt be a huge success.

Seriously if you are as obsessed with your hair as we are you will LOVE Byu-ti.  One visit is all it takes for you to be a client for life.

Tired of your nails cracking, splitting and just breaking off without warning…Then check out Duri Cosmetics Hemp Seed Liquid Wrap.

Hemp Seed Liquid Wrap

Duri Cosmetics Hemp Seed Liquid Wrap ($5) really gets nails into tip-top shape in no time.  Hemp Seed Liquid Wrap can restore weak nails back to optimum health in just 3 to 14 days!

• Contains tiny fibers that provide strength and support for healthy, natural nails.
• Fortified with nylon fibers to reinforce weak and/or splitting nails.
• Enriched with Hemp Seed Oil Extract to aid in restructuring distressed nail cells and maintaining healthy nails.
• Rich in essencial fatty acids – Omega 3, Omega 6 and Linolenic acid (GLA).

Okay girls, I know we aren’t all cut from the same cloth and not all of us were given ‘perfect features’…HOWEVER, we can take what the big man above gave us and make the best of it.  Believe it or not, there are celebrities who do just that!

Sarah Jessica Parker

One of our favorite celebs is Sarah Jessica Parker…Not really equipped with the perfect features, but this girl knows how to dress and make the most of what she has.  Jessica is always camera ready with her beautiful sparkling blue/green eyes!  Although she has a long face and nose, Jessica looks great with a slicked back pony tail, cat eyes with silvery shadow on her lids and a mauve shadow in her crease.  A little bronzer dusted on her cheeks and forehead, an elaborate necklace over her putter dress and she is Red Carpet Ready.

Kirsten Dunst

Another one of our favorite spunky celebs who knows how to highlight her best features is Kirsten Dunst.  Kirsten’s skin always looks flawless and just radiates.  Her makeup is simple and clean.  To get this look try using a brightening skincare product followed by an SPF of 25 or higher.  Your skin will love you!

Tina Fey

Now if you wear glasses and have the attitude of “why bother putting on makeup,” then check out Tina Fey.  She knows how to take her look and give it a little boost.  Tina being a mother of 2 youngsters, tends to sometimes forget about herself.  Are you like this too?  No need to worry.  Once you get the kids down, treat yourself to a home facial lifting mask that will restore your self worth and lift your face at the same time!  Sudden Youth is the perfect skincare line for all ages.  Especially for us gals who have been around the block a few times:)  2 times a week we gently sweep on our Facial Contour Recovery Lift and before we know it, we are calm, cool, collected and more youthful looking!

For a daytime into night look try some lengthening mascara to help accentuate your beautiful eyes behind your glasses.  There is no excuse for letting yourself not look and feel good!  5 minutes is all you need…even with the kids banging on the bathroom door and barging in!

Katy Perry

Katy Perry is famous for constantly changing up her looks.  But without makeup, Katy is just another average Jane.  This girl knows how to work it!  Bravo to her since it has made her millions…Katy adds extra lashes to her big blue eyes followed by several coats of mascara.  Katy’s eyes are her best feature and she knows exactly how to enhance them.  Her hair is always different which makes her stand out even more.  If you want to be adventurous, head over to your nearest salon and go for it!  Do something different yet versatile.  You can even try a rinse just in case you aren’t ready to make it permanent.

So, start looking at yourself in the mirror or ask your closest friend to point out your fabulous features and then work it baby!!!

‘Okay Mr. DeMille…We’re ready for our close up…’

bsw beauty dept.

For an event at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah over the weekend, Kate Bosworth’s makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan wanted to be sure the star’s face was clear and happy—in spite of the harsh conditions.

She started by massaging a soothing cream all over Bosworth’s face and neck, turning next to an under-eye moisturizer and a gentle serum, which she applied in small circles outward from the center of the face. “Kate has amazing skin so she really doesn’t need a heavy foundation. I went with a sheer-glow formula that evens out the skin tone without a heavy coverage,” Deenihan said.  A dusting of mineral powder and a creamy poppy blush dabbed on the apples of the cheeks were the finishing touches.

Now if we can just get someone to do the same for her hair.  A bit of a stringy mess wouldn’t you say?