Beauty & Fashion Tips - Rags & Rouges Style Tips

Here you see Jessica Biel in a stunning cocktail number she paired with a simple black clutch and this season’s snakeskin heels. She attended an opening for the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York.

Like the look? Click on the picture to buy something similar!

Here you are looking at the Maggy London Cutaway Silk Dress from Nordstrom’s. This sheer crinkled chiffon has just enough ruching to flatter those pretty features of yours with an Empire waist that works with any figure.

Check out these adorable snakeskin pumps by Charles David featuring a 4 inch heel. Named the Naiya ,these are both sexy and feminine at the same time with a pump showcasing a knotted detail at the heel. The leather upper is snakeskin and the shoes are leather lined and also have a covered heel and leather sole. Only at Zappo’s girls!

Here you are looking at a model from the BCBG Spring 2008 Collection. Diane Kendal, head makeup artist for BCBG used white eyeliner to really make the girls’ eyes pop out amongst the crazy runway lighting. This look may seem a little extreme to you, but you can use the same technique sparingly to give your eyes just a little more wake-up. This will brighten your eyes and if you are feeling like you look a little tired, will wake them right up.

The trick is to use a white or pale pink shaded eyeliner along the corner of each eye. You don’t want to go all the way around, or your eyes will literally look like they are popping out of your head. Use it sparingly and experiment to see how much you need to really wake up those tired eyes. Smudge it with a Q-Tip and blend nicely for just enough brightening. The product I like is Sephora Eye Bright, I bought two and keep one in my purse for updates during the day. Click on the picture to purchase!

Beauty Tip: Want to brighten those eyes a little bit more? Go au naturale on the lids, forego the eye shadow and give them a sheen using just a smidge of lip balm. Yup, lip balm. Here you see Sephora’s Kiss Me lip balm, a super soft emollient that will give your eyes just the right amount of sheen AND moisturizing at the same time. Careful girls, a little really does go a long way here!

If you are looking for a new designer fragrance, look no more. Since we were talking earlier about Hilary Swank, I thought it most appropriate to feature the fragrance she campaigns for — Insolence by Guerlain. This fragrance was created by Maurice Roucel, also the creator of L’Instant. If you have ever wondered what the color Violet smells like, you want to check out this scent. You find a lovely combination of violet and raspberry. Also enclosed in this chic scent is a hint of orange and just a smidge of rose to make this not only an intense scent, but extremely sensual as well. Other ingredients in this scent include Spiral Accord, Iris, Sandalwood, White Musk, and Tonka Bean. This scent is young, irreverent, and so super sexy. You’ll be surprised at just how long this one lasts as well. You have to try it. Perfume Emporium is now offering up to 70% off and FREE SHIPPING!! Click on the picture to purchase!!

You have to love this Louis Vuitton piece that the every so stylish Hilary Swank is sporting. Here she is in London promoting the Guerlain fragrance Insolence. You will not only see her here, but in glossy ads for the fragrance. This outfit features a stunning Louis Vuitton number, patent pumps, and a structured bag.

Like the look? Click on the pictures to purchase something similar.

While this dress by Milly does not have quite the same pop the Vuitton piece does, you can get a similar look at a considerably better price. This dress is chic and sleek and comes with the signature Milly twist that you can dress for either day or night. Featuring sleeveless shift with a funnel collar, this dress is made only of Italian fabric and has just enough Lycra to hug those curves of yours in all the right places.

Pick up the Via Spiga Nobile pumps that feature a contemporary cap toe and piping detail and funky, chunky 3″ heel. These shoes also have a leather sole and lightly padded footbed. Get ‘em at Zappo’s!!

Here you are seeing the always stunning Jennifer Garner shortly before an appearance on The Today Show. Jennifer was in New York promoting her new flick, The Kingdom. Glowing in a very simple satin dress and this season’s peep-toe pumps, Jennifer looked simply elegant. I love the dress, and Jennifer Garner always looks terrific, but as you can see, as pretty as satin is, it does have a tendency to crease. I would recommend a jersey knit in a bold color such as this if you are going for a simple look that still stands out in the crowd without worrying about the wrinkle factor.

Like the look? Click on the picture to purchase something similar!

Here is an excellent piece from Victoria’s Secret. This is a curvy matte jersey fabric that hugs you in all the right places, and drapes exactly where you want it to. Go off the shoulder, cocktail, open-back top, tie-back halter, off the shoulder, or V-neck tie waisted on this one. You will get instructions included on how to wear this oh-so versatile piece for $48. Talk about bang for your buck!!

Pair it with these gorgeous pumps by Christian Louboutin. The sexy peep-toe wraps around a metallic leather platform and 4 inch covered heel that showcases his signature red color blocking.

Have you ever wanted that stay-put look like Lauren Conrad is showcasing here? This star from The Hills has such a polished look that is easy to covet. You will be surprised at just how easy this look is, and you can do this whether you have bangs or not.

Step 1 — Part hair on the side you prefer and tuck both sides behind your ears so that the rest falls naturally.

Step 2 (If you have bangs) — Spray your bangs with extra hold spray and sweep them along the hairline and secure in place. Secure with a bobby pin. If your bangs are not long enough to sweep all the way to the other side, secure with a sparkly or jeweled bobby pin for an additional splash of glitz.

Step 3– With or without bangs, secure the ends that you have smoothed behind your ears with bobby pins and let your hair naturally fall over the pins to cover them adequately.

Step 4 — Smooth the finish of your hair by misting an extra-hold hairspray over the front and sides and finishing with a fine-tooth comb.

Beauty Tip: Spritz some hair spray on your bobby pins before you secure them on your hair for that little bit of extra traction. You will be surprised how long they will last in your hair!!

Shoes, shoes, everywhere shoes. So many choices, where do you settle if your budget isn’t as big as your heart? Piperlime, a subsidiary of The Gap, is one of my all-time favorite shoe stores. Here you are going to find all of the latest looks at a fraction of the cost and with some very chic designer labels as well. This Fall, pumps are very big for some reason. Hm, maybe cuz they’re just so PRETTY! Let’s have a look at what Piperlime is offering this season that is right in line with some of Fall’s yummylicious trends…click on the picture to purchase!

Animal prints are super big right now for both bags and shoes for the Fall. Check out one of our old standby favorites, Steve Madden. Here he merges both the animal side and the peep-toe in the cutest shoe ever. This shoe features a 4 inch heel, hidden platform, and a cute buckle accent. And believe it or not, but this print is giraffe, in fact that’s what this shoe is called, Giraffe. The upper on this one is 100% pony hair. So unique, and so affordable. Love it! Pair these with some tapered jeans or wide-legged pants, or for a night out, a pencil skirt.

By Guess footwear, you have this lovely Zebra pump featuring a Square toe and contrast piping. The slimmest 2 inch heel is all you need for these bold shoes, and the upper here is also 100% pony hair.

Snakeskin is something else you are going to be seeing a lot of in handbags and shoes. Here you have the snake-embossed Oh Deer pump by Rinna. This sexy number features an almond shaped toe, piping detail, and 4 inch leather wrapped heel with unique inside color blocking. This one is all leather baby. And they’re going fast, so don’t waste your time girls! I can see these with some skinny jeans and a glitzy top for a night out with the girls.

If you are wondering what shade of gloss to go with this Fall, you can be safe with pretty much anything to be honest. With this Fall’s main color scheme being the gray palette, any color will look great. Pink frosty lips are still quite big on the celebrity scene, as seen here with Eva Longoria’s beautiful smile at this year’s Emmy’s. And why not? A great pink lip gloss will wake up your lips and give you a little sparkly look during some of the duller more gray moments in the colder months.

The product I swear by for lip gloss, and I mean SWEAR by, is Revlon’s Color Stay Overtime Sheer. This stuff is essentially BULLET PROOF. I also use designer lip gloss such as Chanel and Dior, hafta say, the cheap stuff works better as far as longevity goes.  I wore this to a party the other night and ate, drank, and was merry with the same application all night long.  I actually have to use makeup remover on my lips to remove it, so when it says it is overtime, it means it! You get a very pretty shimmering color and shine that lasts as long as 12 hours. Use one end to smooth on the gloss. Wait for it to dry, then flip the stick and use the other end to slick on the shimmery coat. Liquefied color pearls will add a beautify shimmer to your lips that lasts all day long. Click the picture to buy it, or pick it up at your local pharmacy for $12 bucks.

Beauty Tip — Choose a color that has some blue undertones, it will make your teeth look whiter. Also, dab a smidge of foundation on your lips to set the glossy look that much better.