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Then and Now: How to Pull off ’90s-Inspired Makeup

(Photos: LaFace Records, Sundance Channel, Lisa Frank)

From the revival of Doc Martins to grunge-inspired runway shows, ’90s throwbacks are everywhere these days. Not that we’re complaining. After all, it was the decade that spawned girl power and an infinite number of crushes on Zack Morris.

After the New York Times smartly broke down the reinterpreted grunge look in an article last week, we decided to revisit our favorite looks from the ’90s and give them a modern facelift. Cue up your favorite Now That’s What I Call Music! CD and join us on a trip down memory lane.

How to Create Classic Waves With Pin Curls

We’ve been on a bit of a retro kick with our hair lately and The Oscars last weekend reinforced our love of cascading waves. Can we get some of whatever Jessica Chastain is having? Pin curls are one way to get classic, old-Hollywood waves—plus they’re the basis for lots of updos since they make it easy to build lots of volume in your hair. Watch our tutorial above, with Ojon lead stylist Gwynne Mims, for the step-by-step instructions on how to score this vintage-inspired look.

—Lorelei

Find our favorite Ojon products in the Birchbox Shop.

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Top 7 Best Dressed at the 2013 Oscars

This year’s Oscars have been a parade of surprises—and not in the way you’d think. From minimal color to minimal volume to minimal jewelry, the red carpet was ruled by neutrals and bare shoulders. While there were certainly a few over-the-top gowns, the fashions erred more on the side of demure femininity. Here are our top six favorite looks—and we want to hear yours too!

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior: We’re not ranking our picks, but if we had to vote for best dressed it would go hands down to the Silver Linings Playbook star. The pale pink, delightfully poofy gown set off her pale complexion perfectly. And can we talk about the delicate jewels draped down her back? Amazing.
Naomi Watts in Armani: This memorable sparkler definitely has the coolest neckline we’ve seen in a while. We’re thrilled that Watts wore her hair up to show off the dress’ geometric lines.
Charlize Theron in Dior Haute Couture: This fitted white peplum stunner highlights every single one of the actress’ features, especially her supershort haircut. You are a vision, Charlize.
Amanda Seyfried in Alexander McQueen: Halters are hard to pull off but the Les Misérables star looked radiant in her beaded number.
Jessica Chastain in Armani Prive: Redheads take note: Nude is definitely your color. Our jaws dropped when we saw the Zero Dark Thirty star hit the red carpet. Chastain’s retro waves and red lipstick made her look like the epitome of Hollywood glamour.
Amy Adams in Oscar de la Renta: Uhhhh. Princess gowns at the Oscars are amazing. Princess gowns made by Oscar de la Renta are even better. This powder blue frock is beyond dreamy.
Jennifer Hudson Roberto Cavalli Couture: Sleeves, baby!The singer stunned in form-fitting navy blue, proving that you can be sexy and covered up at the same time.

—Meredith

For more Oscars fun, check out our Pinterest board with all of the evening’s looks.

Cop Jessica Chastain’s Pre-Oscars Look!

At a recent pre-Oscars party, Zero Dark Thirty star Jessica Chastain rocked a subtle but oh-so-chic combo of pretty pink lips, matte skin, and impeccable liner. Here’s how to recreate her look:

Step 1: You won’t find a lick of shine on Jessica’s flawless face. Before applying your go-to complexion perfectors, start with a mattifying moisturizer like this one from Benta Berry to get a totally even canvas.

Step 2: Add pale peachy blush to the apples of your cheeks. Opt for powder that you can use to build up the color like Benefit’s Coralista shade.

Step 3: Draw attention to your eyes by lining your upper lash line with an inky liner like this one from stila. No matter your skill level, you can achieve the perfect line with these troubleshooting tips. Follow with a few coats of mascara.

Step 4: Now for the fun part—your lips! Grab a long-lasting, vibrant pink (we’re currently obsessed with Elizabeth Arden’s Blush Lipstick) and follow these easy application tips.

Step 5: Complete the look by adding a deep side part to your hair and smooth away any frizz with a nourishing hair serum like this one from Amika.

—Ally

Check the Birchbox Twitter feed for more Oscar commentary and red carpet trend spotting.

The Best Beauty Looks from This Year’s Oscar Nominees: Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway and More

We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.

Were you surprised by the 2013 Oscar nominations? Save for a few upsets (how is Ben Affleck not nominated for Best Director?), I was pretty pleased with this list, especially since a handful of my beauty muses are in the mix. To celebrate this year’s leading ladies, here’s a roundup of their best red carpet looks of all time.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Model-Morphosis, our favorite NYTimes feature, is back for the season! We could spend hours scrolling back and forth to see before and afters of the backstage makeup and hair. [NYTimes]

Jessica Chastain’s new video for Yves Saint Laurent Manifesto fragrance is out! It involves loads of purple paint, a color that Monsieur Laurent considered the height of seduction. If we looked as good as Chastain covered in pigment we probably would have pursued finger-painting a bit longer. [Huffington Post]

Gwyneth Paltrow is the new star of a six-month global Max Factor campaign. But since the makeup brand isn’t sold in North America, we won’t be seeing it here. She also recently took on the role of ambassador for Hugo Boss’ women’s fragrance, Boss Nuit Pour Femme. [WWD]

Social media has become a HUGE part of Fashion Week. If you’re not instagramming and tweeting, you’re nobody. With so many hashtags flying around, who came out on top? You may be surprised by the answer. [Refinery29]

Jennifer Lawrence (love her!) is on the cover of the new W in loads of feathers, accompanied by various feathered friends. We’re on board if this is a reference to the Mockingjay but we do wish she was looking a tad happier. [Jezebel]

—Lorelei

Get organized this weekend! Spend $75 on anything in the Birchbox Shop and get this adorable exclusive organizer tray for free.

Reading List: Emma in Beauty and the Beast, Shaving Bump Solutions, The Invisible Bike Helmet and More

Can you believe it’s already mid-way through August? It’s time to get serious about some outdoor eating, time at the pool, and sundress-shopping. This weekend is the perfect time to catch up on these activities, plus some reading. Scope out our favorite stories from the week below:

(Photo: TMagazine)

Two Swedish women have solved the major issue of how to be safe and stylish while cycling by inventing an invisible helmet. No, it’s not clear plastic, and sadly it’s not really invisible. But it is a personal airbag that inflates from your collar—crazy! The price is a touch out of our budget right now but here’s hoping we can afford it in a few years. [TechCrunch]

J.Crew has some of our favorite ads ever and now we’re prepared to like them even more. They’ve enlisted real (real glamorous, that is) women to star in their fall campaigns across print, web, and social media. [The Cut]

Jessica Chastain is the new ambassador of Yves Saint Laurent’s (or is it Saint Laurent?) newest fragrance, Manifesto. The actress is not just a fan of the fragrance—she’s a true scent addict and wears a new fragrance for each of her movie roles to help her get into character. [WWD]

We’re on a bit of a shaving kick lately. We’ve reached the hottest part of the summer so it only makes sense. Along with smooth legs and short shorts, shaving also brings nasty shaving bumps—gross. Read this solution for razor bumps before your next shave. [Women’s Health]

How absolutely gorgeous does Emma Watson look on the cover of T Magazine? We’ve known she’s a stunner but that cat eye is to-die-for. Next up for Hermione? “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” an adaptation of one of our favorite books. Even more exciting though is a little nugget hidden in this profile: she’ll be starring (presumably as Belle) in a new adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast”. [T Magazine]

—Lorelei

For even more ways to get the smoothest shave possible (and prevent those pesky bumps!) read our 5 Tips to a Better Shave article!

Mary-Kate Olsen Goes Brunette For the CFDA Awards

Mary-Kate (left) and sister Ashley Olsen with their newly-won CFDA award for Womenswear Designer of the Year. Also notable—MK’s change of ‘do! (Photo: peoplestylewatch.com)