Nina Dobrev at the Met Costume Institute Gala - classic, elegant, stunning. One of my favorite looks of the night

During my post-college New York City years, I lived on 81st and Lex. I’m so much more an uptown girl than a downtown one, and my little corner of the city felt like the perfect location: safe, gorgeous, clean, close to Central Park, within 4 blocks of both an express train and a local train, crawling distance from some of the city’s best bars and restaurants–that’s not saying much in a city stocked with great bars and restaurants!–and, of course, only 3 blocks away from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

(Oh, random side note: I watched the “I Heart NY” episode of Sex and the City yesterday, with its 4th-season-finale 9/11 coda, and it made me CRY! What a beautiful love letter to the city.)

But back to the Met. I used to walk over there on the weekend, flash my student ID for free-entry (I know, I know…but I was on a minuscule Conde Nast assistant salary!) and wander its corridors, usually finding myself in the Impressionists wing or “Royal Furniture and Stately Rooms” section.

Danes! Well done - I LOVE the 60s French hair and makeup.

One night, I was taking a cab cross-town from the Upper West Side when, as we exited the park onto 5th Avenue, a cacophony of lights exploded to my right. I looked and realized it was the Costume Institute Met Gala, a yearly celebration of the history of fashion sponsored by Vogue which was nowhere near as uber-famous as it is now. (I’m telling you, social media…!) I hopped out of the cab, spent 20 minutes watching the arrivals, and then walked the five minutes home, hugging myself at my good fortune to be living in what felt like the center of the universe.

Everybody thinks their time with a person, place or thing is the most special, but I’m particularly stubborn on that point regarding my own New York years. I lived there from 1998 through 2006, just after Giuliani cleaned it up, but while there was still grime and crime on the Lower East Side, before the Meatpacking District became EuroDisney and while Brooklyn was so far away it might as well have been Boston. Then came the 9/11 years, and everybody was a New Yorker: no city was more beloved, no place was more mythic. The city felt like I imagine Paris in the 1920s to have been: it sparkled and dazzled with promise, gold dust, money, and affection. Of course, with that affection came more money, and more scrubbing, and more transplants, and more Americana. I left a couple years before the economy crashed, not long after they opened a Red Lobster in Times Square. For me, that was the beginning of the end.

Emma Stone wears Lanvin - adorable, no?

Now when I go back to the city for work, it feels different. I’m older, obviously, and the nature of cities–especially a city like New York–is change. I’m reminded of a line in You’ve Got Mail, of all movies, when Meg Ryan’s character says,

“People are always saying that change is a good thing. But all they’re really saying is that something you didn’t want to happen at all has happened. My store is closing this week. I own a store, did I ever tell you that? It’s a lovely store, and in a week it’ll be something really depressing, like a Baby Gap. Soon, it’ll be just a memory. In fact, someone–some foolish person–will probably think it’s a tribute to this city, the way it keeps changing on you, the way you can never count on it or something. I know because that’s the sort of thing I’m always saying. But the truth is, I’m heartbroken. I feel as if a part of me has died.”

Each year when the Met Gala rolls around, for some reason it’s one of those moments that pulls me back in and makes me remember, with both affection and pain, how much I miss “my” old New York. I’m happily ensconced here in LA, maybe forever, and trips back a few times a year are enough to satiate me.

Kate Bosworth in Prada, looking incredibly severe, and yet still beautiful. She's wearing NARS Volga Pure Matte Lipstick.

Still…with apologies to Ryan Adams, I’ll always love you though, New York.

Here, a few more of the Met Ball Costume Institute Gala looks that wet my whistle:

Gwyneth Paltrow goes for the pulled-back bun again, with super glowing skin

And here's a full-length shot of Gwyneth's Prada dress

Kirsten's makeup was by NARS and her outfit is Rodarte

Carey Mulligan's makeup is a master-class in the perfect smokey eye

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(Star Tracks)

Could Nina Dobrev be any more gorgeous here? The rosy cheeks, the fluttery lashes, the loosely curled waves, the thrift-store dress bought on vacation…it’s all perfection. (And who else was dying over this week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries. Anybody? Bueller?)

I received a press release from Nina’s celebrity stylist, Alicyn Blackman, so I thought I’d give you the lowdown:

“I went for a polished wave for a beach-meets-glam look,” says Blackman. “I applied black 15in1 Miracle Hair Treatment from Nina’s roots to ends, then used my fingers to blow dry her hair until 75% of the moisture was out. I then used a boar bristle round brush to smooth and curl the ends. I finished off her look by using a 1.5″ barrel curling iron, then brushed out her hair to bring all the curls together. A final spray of black 15in1 smoothed her flyaways and added great shine!”

Scarlett Johansson channeling Grace Kelly on the cover of Vogue, as photographed by Mario Testino

I love me some Scarlett Johansson, so I’m especially thrilling over these glamorous photos from the new issue of Vogue. Bring it, Vogue! If you keep up photo shoots like this, I might actually start reading you again!

The entire shoot makes me want to watch High Society while wearing a ball gown and dancing to Cole Porter:

Scarlett Johansson photographed by Mario Testino for Vogue

Scarlett Johansson photographed by Mario Testino for Vogue

Scarlett Johansson in Vogue, photographed by Mario Testino

Scarlett Johansson photographed by Mario Testino for Vogue

And here’s Scarlett at the premiere of The Avengers, looking predictably gorgeous:

Scarlett Johansson at The Avengers premiere

Scarlett opens up in the Vogue interview about her “horrible…devastating” divorce with Ryan Reynolds, saying, “It really throws you. You think that your life is going to be one way, and then, for various reasons or whatever, it doesn’t work out.” Pesky fate, always sending awry best-laid plans. Alas.

You can read more ici.

Carrie Underwood wearing Abed Mahfouz and Oscar de la Renta shoes. Carrie's makeup was done by Melissa Schleicher for Too Faced Cosmetics

I was vaguely aware that the Academy of Country Music Awards took place earlier in the week, but was too busy to scroll through any photos. Those country gals do it up right! (I love big hair, having cut my teeth in Texas and Georgia, but the amount of foundation Southern women wear always makes me giggle. You can spot a Southerner at twenty paces from the foundation alone!)

Today, I stumbled across this picture of Carrie Underwood on the red carpet and was immediately struck by how damn pretty she looks. It shouldn’t be surprising–she’s a pretty girl!

But still: gorgeous, no?

Carrie’s makeup was done by Melissa Schleicher for Too Faced Cosmetics. Here’s a makeup breakdown on how to get the look:

Eyes: Too Faced Smokey Eye Eyeshadow Collection, $36, TooFaced.com.

Lips: Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Barely Legal, $19, TooFaced.com.

Skin: Too Faced Royal Oil Coconut Oil Body Bronzer, $35, and Too Faced Natural Face Palette, $39, TooFaced.com.

Contributing Editor Gloria Yang writes:

As part of the pre-Academy Awards beauty ritual, St. Tropez invited a bunch of celebrities and editors/bloggers over to their suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills for a “Skin Finishing Treatment” with Sophie, their New York based “Skin Finishing Expert.” Since Nadine was busy, I went as a last minute replacement (Thanks Nadine!).

St. Tropez, if you’re not familiar, is one of the most popular self-tanning lines among celebrities and beauty editors. They’re beloved because of their deep but natural-looking color, and at the Four Seasons suite, there were five levels of tan to choose from:

The Pastel Tan – For lovely pale-skinned gals like Emma Stone and Rooney Mara, the Pastel Tan just evens out the skin tone with a spritz of St Tropez Self Tan Mist while key areas are highlighted with Illuminators in Violet and Rose.

Rooney Mara at the Academy Awards

The Luxe Tan – Think Gwyneth Paltrow.  Skin is evened out with Self Tan Mist and custom-finished with an Illuminator in Rose, Gold or Violet.

Gwyneth Paltrow at the 84th Academy Awards

The Vintage Tan – This tan mimics that perfect beachy tan, a la Jennifer Aniston. This tan is achieved by massaging the Gradual Tan Lotion into the skin so the tan develops over time for a soft dewy glow. Finish the tan with the Rose Illuminator or Bronzing Rocks.

Jennifer Aniston at the ELLE Women in Hollywood event

The One-Night-Only Tan – Perfect when you only need a tan for a night, this color can be removed instantly with soap and water. It’s also super quick drying so it doesn’t transfer onto your clothes.

Heather Morris at the 2011 Golden Globes

The Contemporary Tan – A bespoke tan, customized for each individual. This is what I got in order to even out my entire body.

See, while my arms and face have a bit of natural color, the rest of my body has an alien glow-in-the-dark quality.  (It’s so pale that Sophie thought I might have vitamin D deficiency!) The Contemporary Tan evened out my entire body, creating a gorgeous glow that made my limbs look more slender and toned. One tiny hiccup: Sophie might have over sprayed my face because 4 hours later, I looked like Snooki. Introducing Glooki!

The tan lasted about 3 days on my face and 5 days on my body. Touching up with St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse was super easy, too. That telltale DHA scent–you know what I’m talking about; that sour milk smell so common to self-tanners–is absent in all St. Tropez products, plus everything dries in a flash! One caveat: the spray tan does rub off ever so slightly on your sheets and towels, but it comes off in the washing machine.

I used to be perfectly content with my pastiness – after all I’ve lived with blindingly white legs my entire life. After getting a spray tan, I’m not so sure anymore. Even though a spray tan–er “Skin Finishing Treatment”–from St. Tropez may be out of my budget and not that convenient for my schedule, the Bronzing Mousse is a great at-home alternative.

Visit the St. Tropez website at StTropezTan.com to learn more!