Ben Stiller presented Star Trek’s Oscar for Best Makeup at Sunday’s Academy Awards in full Avatar makeup — and he’s not the only one getting his Na’vi on. Here are some great YouTube tutorials on how to get true blue makeup a la Pandoran princess Neytiri from the hit film Avatar:

Click here to view the embedded video.

This tutorial from Youtuber dope2111 (above) shows how you can create a sexy Avatar look of your own with cheap ingredients from Hobby Lobby. She even uses Play-Doh! (Man, I miss playing with Play-Doh.)

Here’s a really beautiful Avatar-inspired makeup look from KlairedelysArt that’s a bit darker:

Click here to view the embedded video.

In case you’d like your man to match your Avatar look (couple’s costume party, perhaps?), here’s a look for the boys from Youtube user petrilude:

Click here to view the embedded video.

My girl Amber also posted about a hilarious Avatar makeup vid from Youtuber glowpinkstah on her blog Beauty Blogging Junkie, but it seems Youtube has removed the video! Sad stuff. Anyway, let me know how these looks work out! I’ll be sure to post if I decide to get all crazy Pandora-style for you guys.

It seems like every third sentence I read in beauty magazines is “Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize”. But we’re not all estheticians who are taught how to get that perfect glow — and some of us fear we’ll commit the mortal moisture sin of clogging our precious pores and end up more gooey than dewy. How do you work in your acne gels and other treatments? Where does toner come in? We’ve got a quick, simple guide to turn any girl who’s confused by the barrage of products and systems out there into a luminously complected skincare starlet:

STEP I: CLEANSE & TONE

Wet your face and apply cleanser onto a cotton ball (tissues can leave residue on your skin — not pretty). Start applying to your face from the center (nose and the parts of your cheeks closest to your nose) and work outward. Tone afterward, using a cotton ball and making only one sweep over your face — using too much toner or astringent can dry your skin out of healthy oils.

MY PRODUCT PICKS: philosophy | purity made simple | one-step daily facial cleanser, Biore Pore Perfect Triple Action Astringent

STEP II: TREAT PROBLEM AREAS

Now’s when you apply your acne gel, eyelash conditioning treatments, et cetera. Apply them in quantities directed by the label (usually a pearl-sized dab’ll do ya) with your fingertips, or a foundation brush if your fingernails are on the long side. (We don’t want to scratch that sensitive facial skin!) For stubborn blemishes, choose treatments with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide — they’re both proven to treat pimples very effectively.

MY PRODUCT PICKS: iQ Derma Clear Remedy Acne Treatment Lotion (for a salicylic acid treatment), Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10, Maximum Strength (for benzoyl peroxide), Lashfood

STEP III: MOISTURIZE

First, pat eye cream along the brow bone and along your undereye area using your ring finger. (It’s the weakest finger, and we need minimal pressure here as this is the area with the thinnest skin.) After treatment products have dried completely, apply moisturizer as needed evenly over face, neck and decollete. If this is a morning treatment for you, apply sunscreen after moisturizer has fully absorbed. That’s it! Three steps — could great skincare get any easier?

MY PRODUCT PICKS: MAC Mineralize All-Over Lotion for a daily moisturizer; Mojave Magic Luminizing Moisture is a great sunscreen that does double duty with a hint of color to smooth out your complexion while it protects your skin.

As usual, MAC makeup is abound at this spring’s Fashion Week in New York City. MAC artist Charlotte Tilbury developed the vampy look to the left for Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. runway. “The feeling was 1930’s prostitute — trampy, smoky eye, deep ‘rougeoir’ lips and beautiful pale skin,” raves Charlotte.

Here’s exactly what Charlotte did so you can copy the look to a T and score the style for your Halloween debut as any character from The Black Dahlia:

EYES:

• MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder and Fluidline in Blacktrack – blended and smudged around and into the eyelid for a feline-shaped eye.
• MAC Lip Treatment – dabbed on eyelid over eye kohl for a wet look effect.

FACE:

• MAC Face and Body Foundation – applied all over face to give pale, doll-like skin.

LIPS:

• MAC Lipmix in Crimson and Burgundy – blended together and applied to the lip. (Note: the Crimson shade is available at Pro stores only)
• Lip Pencil in Burgundy – applied around the lip to give an over-drawn shape to the mouth.

Pop quiz: What could make gamer guys watch an awards show red carpet? The answer: Olivia Munn. Even Star Trek hottie Chris Pine couldn’t resist the pull of G4’s vixen Attack of the Show! hostess, and we thought it was time gamer girls and guys alike got some love from The Beauty Bunny.

So what makes Miss Munn so alluring? Aside from producing unusually high amounts of estrogen relative to her proximity to a Playstation 3, Olivia’s appeal could be related to her standby choice in eye makeup: the bronze smoky eye. It’s a sort of “unsmoky” smoky eye that works for daytime. Glamour’s beauty bloggin’ babes first took note of her penchant for the look, and provided us with a guide on how to steal it yourself and win the heart of your favorite Halo champ this Valentine’s Day:

1. If you have dark undereye circles, cover them up with some concealer before continuing. Smoky does not equal sleepy.
2. Next, line your upper lashline with black eyeliner.
3. Then, smear a little cream bronze eyeshadow around your eyes. Almay Bright Eyes Eye Shadow should have the perfect shade for your skin tone — and it’s awesomely inexpensive to boot.
4. Finally, dust a little rose shadow like the lighter hue of Clinique’s Colour Surge Shadow Duo in Victorian Pink in the folds of your upper eyelids for shading.

That’s all it takes! Questions? Comments? Want to know how to do Olivia’s loose chignon from the Grammy’s? Just leave me a comment and I’ll see what I can do.

Blustery snow days are here, and despite the holiday merriment, now is the winter of our skin’s discontent — in beauty terms, it’s the most dehydrating time of the year! Luckily, you don’t have to wrap yourself in Tauntaun intestines for top-shelf winter skin protection: leading dermatologists and authors of the Amazon.com bestseller Write Your Skin a Prescription for Change Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields have shared some expert skincare tips with us on how to fortify your skin so it looks fresh, hydrated and healthy in the cold, dry, harsh winter months.

• Hydrate your skin from the outside in: As the weather gets crisper and drier, switch to a heavier moisturizer and eye cream to keep skin well hydrated. Since the outside humidity determines how dry your skin is (not how much water you consume), slather on that moisturizer if you’re feeling dry. Turn on the humidifier — the humidity in your house should kept at 50%.
• Take warm showers, not hot ones! Although you may be tempted to take long, hot showers to ward off winter chill, avoid them; they actually draw moisture out of your skin and make you itchy. Instead, go for tepid, quick showers. And try switching to a moisturizing body wash. Follow this up by applying a heavy moisturizer to damp skin after bathing or showering to seal in extra moisture.
• Every day is “Sun”day. *Gonnnnnnnng* Just because summer is over doesn’t mean you should let your SPF guard down. Protect skin with a broad-spectrum sunblock containing zinc oxide, avobenzone or mexoryl every day of the year, even when you can’t see the sun. And be particularly diligent if you’re on the ski slopes: UV radiation increases 10%-12% for every 3000 feet of elevation.
• Stay kissable: Carry a lip balm with sunscreen (look for one with shea butter) and apply generously throughout the day. Use a gentle exfoliant at night before bed to remove dead skin cells. Avoid licking your lips and breathing through your mouth while you sleep: both can severely dry lips.
• Don’t forget your hands & feet! Hands and feet can be dramatically affected by cold, moist air. To keep them at their best, protect them from the elements by covering up — but immediately remove socks and gloves once they get wet: the moisture can cause dryness and cracking, and can even lead to a fungal infection. A great trick: blow dry your feet, paying particular attention to the area between your toes. Slough away dead skin with a pumice stone or a microdermabrasion paste, which can stimulate exfoliation while leaving behind a protective film. With cold and flu season in full swing, you probably wash your hands more often than usual — just remember to apply a thick moisturizer to hands after every wash.
• Avoid the frizzies: To combat seasonal hair woes such as static electricity, dandruff, spit ends and that dreaded frizz: wash hair less frequently, switch to a rich, heavy moisturizer, limit the use of your blow dryer, and decrease the setting of your flat iron.
• Think cotton: Fabrics made of wool or synthetics increase perspiration and can be irritating, especially to dry skin. Instead, opt for clothing made of cotton, especially the layers closest to your skin.

Looking for tips to spice up your party makeup this holiday season? Look no further! Project Runway star and L’Oréal Paris consulting makeup artist Collier Strong has some tricks for making your holiday look a gorgeous success:

Dramatic, full lashes

Strong recommends using Telescopic Explosion Mascara, a new mascara with a breakthrough spherical brush offering 360-degree coverage from any and every angle. This mascara is designed to reach even the smallest lashes & separate every little lash from root to tip for explosive definition. “Layer multiple coats and take advantage of how this brush gets every little lash—especially the corners!” Strong says.

Sophisticated red lips

Nothing says instant glamour for the holidays like red lips. Try Colour Riche Anti-Aging Serum Lipcolour in Real Red. “Select a shade that compliments your skin tone based on the undertone of the lipstick itself,” Strong instructs. “Those with fair skin should try reds that have a blue undertone; olive or dark skin should opt for orange undertones.”

Matte eye shadow

Be bold and accessorize any party dress with statement makeup. Try HIP Matte Shadow Duos in any of the five shades. (I like bronze shades with red lips, personally.) Expert tip: “Use shadow along the lash line to give more definition and to blend eyeliner for a softer, smokey effect.”

Striking eyes with eyeliner

Create evening eyes in just one step by applying dramatic eyeliner. Opt for HIP Chrome Eyeliner in Gold, Silver or Purple. “For eyes that really pop, try using the silver or gold liner in the inner corners of the eye,” suggests Strong.

Want a hair professional’s advice, but don’t want to pay the high salon price? No need to shell out the big bucks for a classy coiff — the ladies from fab NYC hair salon Butterfly Studio gave us the blow-by-blow(dryer) on scoring styling tresses when you don’t have the time or money for a salon visit. Here’s advice straight from the salon’s hairstyling professionals:

Kattia Solano on how to create va-va-voom volume:

1. First, apply a volumizing product on damp hair.
2. Then flip your hair over and dry it upside down, which is the key to creating volume at the roots. At first, it will look a bit out of control, but you can set the hair with Velcro rollers or smooth out with a curling iron.
3. If you use a roller set, blow dry with heat for a few minutes and then finish with cool air.
4. Remove rollers and brush or run your fingers through hair. If you use a curling iron, then you can set the curls in place by spraying 2 inch sections with hairspray and curling.

Dana Vuljevic on reducing oily buildup in hair:

“If you have oily buildup: add a 1/2 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, such as Palmolive or Dawn, to your shampoo.”

Nicole Descoteaux on ditching hairspray buildup:

1. Shampoo hair as normal to prepare.
2. Create a paste with baking soda and water.
3. Work the paste into hair. Comb through and leave on for five minutes.
4. Rinse and condition for optimum results.

Kattia Solano on making hair grow faster:

“Brushing your hair 100 times a day will not make your hair grow faster.It simply stimulates the scalp, but it will cause breakage. To help your hair grow faster, simply massage the scalp for five minutes at a time. This will also stimulate the blood flow and will NOT cause breakage.”

Yikes! Went a little crazy with the tweezers, and now you’re stuck with brows that resemble Mr. Bigglesworth? I’ve got bad news for you, chickadee: once plucked, your eyebrows can take months to eventually grow back.

Luckily, we’ve got a little procedure to help cover up and fill in your sparse eyebrows. Here’s what to do:

1. Find an eyebrow pencil in a shade that matches your brows (or what’s left of them) as closely as possible.
   TIP: You can go slightly darker if you have naturally light brows like I do; just make sure it stays true to the tone of your hair color (that is, warm or cool tones).
2. Don’t have a pencil on hand? Try an eyeshadow that matches your brows. You can fill in color with shadow, although it may not look as realistic as pencil; try applying it wet if the effect is too powdery.
3. Use a brow stencil like Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Classic Stencils to ensure you draw your brows in a realistic shape; if you don’t have a stencil, just use a photo to draw an outline of the brows with a brow pencil, then fill in from there.
4. Pick up clear eyebrow gel at any drugstore. No need to spend a lot of cash on this product, though we do like the ones by Victoria’s Secret and Anastasia Beverly Hills.
5. Use the gel to smooth down and even out brows; it can also help to smudge excess brow pencil or shadow evenly through eyebrows and spread the color to those nearly bald areas without a too-intense effect.
6. Keep brows in place with a spritz of hairspray applied to a toothbrush. Brush your brows into place with the toothbrush or an actual eyebrow brush, if you’ve got one.
7. Next time, get brows professionally tweezed, waxed or threaded — or just read my post on how to pluck your eyebrows right for some tips on getting better results!

Oh, the joys of moving! I was subjected to them myself this past weekend, and I have to say it’s one of those life events in which looking gorgeous isn’t likely. Still, we all want to look as fab as we can whenever we can — and what if you happen to be helping a cute new boyfriend move?

Here are a few tips for staying at least moderately stylish through the harrowing experience:

• Pull your hair back — moving can be a sweaty experience, which very rarely creates a flattering look, plus your hair will probably get mussed anyway. Put your hair in a ponytail if it’s long enough, or if you have short hair like I do, wear a headband.
• Don’t bother with liquid foundation – you’ll sweat it off anyway. Instead, opt for mineral powder foundation like Pur Minerals to keep looking smooth.
• Keep eye makeup simple, and go for waterproof mascara. You’ll thank me later.
• Use a colored lip balm instead of lip gloss or lipstick to keep your lips from getting chapped and dry in the weather.
• To keep any makeup, moisturizer and what-have-you from sliding around in the heat, use Skindinavia makeup finishing spray. Trust me, it’s amazing. I couldn’t live in Houston without it!