Deenie went to a party on my behalf last week…but neither of us could figure out what exactly the event was for.  Regardless, she writes…:

“Oh, the glamour. Oh, the glitz. Oh, the boys. So, I attended an Evenings in Vogue event last Friday at 1 Oak, on behalf of my better blogging half, Nadine.  The music was loud, the girls were sexy, the boys were sexier, and the drinks were pomegranate martinis. Enough said.

As if those hot tickets weren’t enough to entice me in, there were booths of “events,” like at a fair…only instead of face painting with donkeys clomping about, they offered portrait painting against a backdrop of posing models. St. Ives offered a manicure booth (which I partook) and the CoverGirl station was equipped with every product in their inventory, including their new TruBlend family of products. The make-up artists at CoverGirl diligently beautified the milling hotties with Outlast All-day Lipcolor- one way to make all the sexy lips look even sexier.

After all that pampering and perusing I was pooped. I may or may not have grabbed several risotto balls from the caterer’s tray before leaving the vixens. Sigh.  Tough night.”

I don’t watch The Hills anymore; not only do I feel too old for it (and most everything on MTV, and pretty much all gossip blogs, as well), but whenever I am sucked into the vortex, my brain cells seem to shriek, “You’re really gonna do this?  We’re outta here!”  The further I am from twenty, the more shows like this seem incredibly vapid and pointless, and the more annoyed I get that unsubstantial confections get thrust to the top of the “talent” heap.  Regardless…gee, aren’t they pretty here in Rolling Stone?  (What’s most fascinating about this show—much more interesting than the Lauren/Heidi/Spencer feud—is the difference in color between Audrina and Whitney.  Whitney actually looks like a human being—pale in LA?  Shock!  Horror!—whereas Audrina looks like she spends her days soaking in a bathtub filled with DHA.  Time to give up that membership to Sunset Tan, my dear.)

I must say, this picture is actually really cute

Can we call ‘em or what?  My favorite ball of cute Kate Hudson is People magazine’s Most Beautiful cover girl.  Sure, she won an unfair advantage in the genetic sweepstakes, but Kate seems proof that with a (faux, please!) bronzed glow, beachy hair and huge smile, the world is your oyster.  Not going to lie; as a fellow flattie, I also have enormous respect for her in not only accepting but embracing her God-given mini-boobs.  Take your cleavage enhancing and stuff it (or don’t) — Kate is sexy and adorable just as she is.

(Speaking of Kate’s faux-tan, Jolie has undertaken the painstaking process of testing out facial self-tanners to find one that will not make her break out.  So far…no…nope…no way…another zit…how hard can it be Chemists of the World??)

People doesn’t go on sale until Friday, but People.com gives a sneak preview of some other hotties featured, including:

The cast of Gossip Girl (love!)

Salma Hayek, rocking the shine serum and smokey eye

Eva Longoria and Tony Parker (when it this basketball stuff over?  I love sports, but it’s the ONE I cannot stomach)

Vanessa Hudgens, looking adorably fresh-faced (well, she is only, like, twelve or something)

And Carrie Underwood…who is always way too orange around the chin for my tastes.  She’s gorgeous, but I do not love her makeup artist–a five o’clock shadow is not acceptable.  The loose waves, however, are perfection

To everybody who posted your biggest beauty question: thank you!  It took me a few days to weed through them all and take notes (I’m currently working on edits for Confessions), so now I have a loooong list of future posts and items to research.  (The best deodorant that won’t leave marks?  Beats me!  I’ve tried scores over the years, and I’ve never found one that actually works — including Degree Ultra Clear, which says it’s Little Black Dress approved…but it’s not.  Degree, you lie!)  In honor of the ‘fro I’m rocking today, let’s tackle frizz first.

You don’t have to spend oodles of money on an effective anti-frizz product, nor do you have to so thoroughly weigh down hair with shine serum that it becomes a grease ball.  The trick in banishing frizz is to combat it when your hair is wet, not damp or dry; this will make a huge difference in the sleekness (and lightness) of the finished look.  My personal favorite is Phytodefrisant (apply a quarter-sized dollop) but at $26, it’s not as cheap as, say, John Frieda Frizz-Ease Serum (roughly $9) or Neutrogena Triple Moisture Healing Shine Serum (about $7.50), both excellent alternatives. 

- Rub the serum in the palms of your hand and over fingers, then work it through your combed-out strands, starting at the bottom; this ensures the most product will deposit on parched ends, and the least amount on your roots. 
- If you plan on airdrying hair, scrunch a dime-sized amount of hydrating cream (see below) on the lower-half of hair and then keep your hands off!  (Handling leads to frizzilation.)  The areas near your roots don’t need any hydrating or glossing cream, unless superdamaged or coarse.
- To blowdry hair smooth, I like to blast my bangs first (away with thee, wavy bits!), then pull up the top half of hair from my ears up, beginning in the back and underneath, and working my way forward and toward the crown.  (Play around and do whatever works for you; what’s truly important is working in small chunks to get hair bone-dry.  For those that have cowlicks, I strongly recommend drying those areas ASAP!)
- Remove every last bit of moisture.  Even slight dampness will lead to later frizz on drier, less healthy strands. 
- Finish with a dime-sized amount of glossing or hydrating cream, combing it through hair with fingers, avoiding roots, and making sure to swipe the underside and random back bits of your ‘do.  Two of my all-time favorites are Fekkai Glossing Cream and John Frieda Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Cream. 
- Dedicated frizz-fighters can use a flatiron to quickly lock in straightness, but make this the exception, not the rule, as heatstyling will dry out hair over time…which leads to frizz!  Ahh, the cruel irony.

Gwyneth Paltrow is rocking my world yet again.  What is up, G?  This is how it’s going to be now?  You disappear for eons, leaving me bereft…and then magically reappear again (and again and again), each time looking more flawless than the last?  Looking like this after two children is absolutely ridiculous (and I want the number of your colorist, too).  We also have the perennially-adorable Liv Tyler here, going for the one-two punch of People Prettier Than Anybody I Have Met, Ever.  (Hmm, how much do you think their beauty tax would be?  I place it at 75%.)

Gwyn looks especially pretty because of her eyes; imitate with a generous helping of mascara (or individual false lashes applied at the middle and outer corners of eyes), followed by smudged black liner and shimmer on your browbone

Photo courtesy of DailyMail