Curly Cues

A rallying cry to ringlets has some of Hollywood's most fashionable heads, including Christina Aguilera's and Sarah Jessica Parker's, taking a twirl. "What's cool about curls," says actress Kathy Najimy, "is the hour I save blowing my hair straight." Whether tightly coiled or loosely furled, "curls give a softer, romantic feel," says L.A. makeup artist Lisa Fanjoy. "There's a playfulness and sexiness to them." And no strand suffers in the process. "It's a way of getting big hair without teasing it," says New York City hairstylist Oribe, who created the soft spirals Celine Dion sported at last month's Grammy Awards. The curls, he adds, "had a young, superstar attitude. She loved it!"

Creating the effect requires the old standbys: hot rollers, if you've got a few hours, or a curling iron and a protecting moisturizer to reduce heat damage, if you don't. But the bountiful tresses aren't for all, or for all occasions. "It's not the trend to do every day," Oribe says; ringlets are "glamorous hair." And, he warns, don't be persnickety with your own crop of curls. "Brush and fuzz them out so there's something off about them," he says. "Try not to go Shirley Temple." with Karen Brailsford in Los Angeles

behind the seams

what was she thinking?
Will & Grace star Debra Messing got caught up in the dark side at the SAG Awards, donning a black Gucci silk knit dress with a hook-and-eye overlay. The actress called the lusterless outfit "comfortable" and her binding Brian Atwood shoes "sort of crazy dominatrix." "Debra wanted to go edgier," explains her stylist Lori Eskowitz-Carter. In fact, bystanders cheered the look, and while L.A. stylist Vincent Boucher thought Messing could have used "some color," she otherwise passed muster. "I think she looked sexy as hell," he says.

Q&A

Q. Penélope Cruz always has full lips that look like there is not much on them, but I know better than that. Can you find out how she makes her lips look like they do?
Kirsten Sogoian, Irvine, Calif.

A. Cruz's kissable pucker is indeed enhanced with a beauty trick or two. The star's makeup artist Whitney James says Cruz almost exclusively goes for a gloss-free matte lip, done mostly by using M.A.C.'s Spice-shade lip pencil. James adds a bit of color with Cruz's favorite Nars lipstick hue, Manhattan. Then, to make the actress's lips appear fuller, she does a highlight trick in which she puts a dab of a matte substance like Blistex in the center of Cruz's bottom lip. "Because it reflects light, it makes the lips look bigger," James explains.

Q. All the guys are wearing sunglasses that are dark on top and lighter on the bottom. Brad Pitt wore them to the Golden Globes. Who makes them?
Tres Bullard, Atlanta

A. You can snag a pair of ombré lenses, as they're called, everywhere from pharmacies to high-end optical shops. Pitt's groovy retro shades are Christian Dior's Mini Motards. They come in eight colors, including gray, orange or green shaded and blue, violet, yellow or pink rainbow. The sunglasses retail for $210 and can be found at Sunglass Huts and department stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's and Neiman Marcus.

Q. I absolutely loved Alicia Keys's eye makeup at the Grammy Awards. Any and all tips on how to get her look would be great!
Amie Padilla, Vancouver

A. Keys's flashy Arabian-princess-meets-Vegas-showgirl eyes were done by New York City makeup artist Carmon Springs. She applied a row each of black, white and gray Swarovski crystals to the singer's lids with white Duo eyelash adhesive and used a black eyeliner from M.A.C. to define the eyes. Springs says achieving the dazzling effect takes patience—it took her about 30 minutes to do each eye—and an extra pair of hands. "I would suggest getting a friend to help you out because placing each crystal one by one is an intricate process," she says.

winner's circle
The West Wing's Janel Moloney played the green goddess at the SAG Awards in a sexy jersey dress by Eric Gaskins, paired with Stuart Weitzman sandals and a Kathrine Baumann clutch. Even costar Bradley Whitford liked the frock. "I thought it was very, urn, complimentary to her figure," he said, grinning.

star talk

No one, especially a kid, likes to be told no. As a teen, what style item did you want most and couldn't have?

Naomi Judd
"I wanted shoulder pads and silk stockings with seams because I loved '40s glamor. My mother said the Joan Crawford look didn't work for a grade-schooler!"

Singer Nelly Furtado
"Great leather boots. You have to buy the cheaper ones when you're a kid and can't afford real leather boots."

Wrestling's The Rock
"I always wanted the Michael Jackson leather pants and jacket, but we couldn't afford it. So my mom got me pleather ones that had all the zippers. I was happy, though."

BORDERLINE BRILLIANCE
Who says squares can't be hip? Just be sure they're studded with rhinestones, like the bright buckles worn by Jennifer Lopez and Mary J. Blige. They "add razzle-dazzle," says L.A. stylist George Blodwell. A rep for Dolce & Gabbana, who made both singers' outfits, agrees: "It's our version of the glammed-up suit." As for adding accessories, it would be "a bit too much," says Blodwell. "The buckle is chicer than any piece of jewelry."

More From This Article

Do you have questions about star style? E-mail Steven at seams@people.com

Send e-mail to stylewatch@people.com