Which Hollywood heartthrob got naughty at Elle?

18 super women you should get to know.

The Kristen Stewart lesbian rumors begin to swirl.

There are some things women should never forgive.

Everyone’s goin’ neon with the nails this season.

A few ways to eat yourself beautiful.

Those are the cutest pigs I’ve ever seen.

That’s Katy Perry? Homegirl looks chic.

Is Katie Holmes really a “woman of Hollywood”?

Brad and Jen have another secret rendezvous.

Don’t mess with Lebron James!

Get Kim Kardashian’s beauty secrets.

Most of the time when I see “Stars Without Makeup!” on a magazine cover, it’s on the front of some tabloid surrounded by unattractive candid shots of gorgeous stars like Jennifer Lopez in an effort to “humanize” them and make it seem like they’re more like us “regular” folk.  And I don’t know about all of you, but these sort of pictures always scare me a little–if  celebrities look this bad without their makeup, what hope do the rest of us have?  I know that I can’t ever leave the house with at least eyeliner or mascara on without feeling like I look sick.

So when I first heard about French Elle‘s “Stars Sans Fards” (literally meaning “without makeup”, but also suggests a sort of “openness”), I was a little scared and also surprised–it definitely doesn’t sound like something I’d expect to see in a magazine like Elle.

Once I saw the pictures, though, I was completely awed.

The women on the cover don’t look like what I’ve come to expect from those paparazzi no-makeup shots: they look absolutely beautiful. Why don’t I look that good without makeup on?  I love the idea of the “au natural” look, but I’ve never been brave enough to try it myself. I know what I look like before a swipe of cover up and a touch of blush – no one else needs to see that.

Of course, all of the women photographed for the magazine are actresses and models who are naturally stunning, and it’s not like these were just candid shots snapped as these women were walking out of the grocery store, but still. We’re so used to seeing them with tons of makeup or Photoshopped in pictures that to see them completely natural is shocking (in a good way).

It’s awesome to see such an influential magazine showing women in such a realistic way.  The un-Photoshopped, no makeup, simple hair and clothing look on the Elle covers isn’t something that’s likely to be seen on any American magazine, though, where expensive clothing and jewelry  and perfect hairstyles dominate the covers. Where photo retouching is so commonplace that we’ve all come to accept the perfect, unattainable beauty and body types represented in most magazines and advertisements as normal, when in fact it’s completely unnatural and doesn’t represent the common woman.  Here in the U.S., most women don’t look like Victoria’s Secret models, yet that’s what we all strive to look like because it’s what we’re told is beautiful.

But maybe French Elle‘s April cover is a step in the right direction.  These pictures show that beauty isn’t just attained by piling on the makeup, hair products, and designer clothes.  I’m not saying we should get rid of all those things, but I think that less focus should be placed on them as the standard of what is “beautiful.”  Let’s hope American magazines take the hint and start showing some more “real” and natural looking women on their pages.

That is true beauty.

She is the All American Girl, Goldie Hawn’s daughter and my ultimate girl crush. Who is she? Kate Hudson!

My feelings for Kate began to blossom the first time I saw her in Almost Famous and now it’s a full-blown love affair. She has it all: beauty, talent and that precious boy, Ryder Robinson. She steals the show in every movie she’s in from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days to Fool’s Gold.

You almost want to hate her perfect hair, skin and wardrobe, but you can’t! Kate Hudson is the America’s sweetheart and you can’t help but want to sit on a couch and eat takeout with her.

Hudson is sweet and cheery, and that bubbly personality is what draws us to this peppy blonde. In reality I think we could call her our modern day Barbie. She is the blonde babe that every man is after, luring in Chris Robinson, Owen Wilson, Dax Shepard and Lance Armstrong. And why not? This girl has the hottest bod goin’ and she’s made it abundantly clear that she got it the healthy way.

In January she was voted best dressed by Vogue, just another reason why I love her. Her bohemian-yet-glamourous style is totally her own, and she pulls it off perfectly. And it’s not just Vogue (and me, her biggest fan) that thinks so; her style and beauty have been flaunted for years on the cover of magazines from People to Elle.

But, the best and coolest thing about Kate Hudson is that she isn’t some pampered, spoiled star; she actually gives back to the community. Kate started participating in community service projects before 1997 when she graduated from Santa Monica’s Crossroads School. She’s not just doing good deeds because she’s famous – she’s doing them because she cares.

I heart Kate Hudson. For her beauty, style, soul…and for being the cutest mom around.

Jessica Alba makes me hate myself in Elle.

Is David Beckham cheating on Posh?!

Rihanna takes a break from Chris Brown.

Exercise to make the best of your body shape.

Beware of the reality TV scam.

Who said there aren’t any jobs out there?

Fergie makes cute shoes!

Save money. Brew your own beer!

What does your future look like? Tyra knows.

Lisa Rinna really wants to get back on TV.

Shiny lips and skinny hips? Huh?

(Woops. Sorry if you haven’t watched it yet. But don’t worry; this episode is so juicy it’s still totally worth watching.)For the past 5 episodes, I’ve been as annoyed with Kate as everyone else. I even joined in on the hating by calling her names like “baby” or “big boobies.” But last night, I was truly impressed by her determination to win. I found myself rooting for her throughout the entire episode; I mean this girl worked her freakin ass off. And, she even made a friend!

Beyond the impression Kate made on me with her enthusiastically buying cheese and pink dog toys for Maggie Rider, the actual challenges of this episode were awesome. I don’t know if it was because it focused so much on the underdog (Kate) or that it was actually a good episode. Probably the latter.

I was immediately intrigued by the Kate and Ashlie partnership for the Fashion photo shoot. It was nice to see two contestants in this show actually have fun with the task at hand. Team 2 disgusted me. Dyshaun definitely took the cake when it came to being the biggest catty, immature bitch. The completely inappropriate and diva-like comments he made to the stylists during the model’s hair and makeup sesh made me want to slap the ish out of him. Dude, you’re really not that special. The moment Ashlie stuck up for Kate and put him in his place was absolutely glorious. About. Damn. Time.

I was pretty disappointed, almost outraged, when Team 2 won the challenge. Kate and Ashlie totally killed it. But I think the loss was in part due to Kate’s absolutely heinous outburst in front of the judges. Thinking about it makes me cringe. This girl has to learn to keep her mouth shut. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, she spoke up again after she learned she was done-zo. She has massive balls — probably because she had nothing to lose at that point, just gain another embarrassing moment on national televsion. But whatever.

I was a fan of Stylista last night and am actually excited to see how the next few episodes pan out. I’m definitely all for Team Ashlie.

Ok, so despite my initial disappointment with this show, I found last night’s episode pretty entertaining.

1. Because Kate’s mannequin was absolutely absurd and a total embarassment. Is she for real? That dress? Those scarves? That noisy combination of accessories? She has not displayed one ounce of fashion talent, not to mention her inability to act like an adult. When I look at her I think of a 12 year old.

2. Because of the foreshadowing of the full on battle that will most likely continue between Ashlie and Megan. My prediction is that Major-Issues-Megan will obviously play dirty and probably go for Ashlie’s jugular. While Ashlie will probably stay strong despite the “Satan’s little hand-foot maid” attempts to knock her down. The bitch fights between them will only get more intense, which will make me want to watch. I’m such a sucker for the drama.

3. Because of Jason and his break down?! Now we’re only on episode #2, kids. For someone to get that stressed out over an editorial page is a little ridiculous. I understand that he wanted to do a good job and not fail at the task, but to upset yourself to the point where you get hives and then a full blown anxiety attack is not healthy. Sure, some people have anxiety issues, but if that’s the case you should avoid situations that may trigger it, i.e. work in an industry that pretty much revolves around pressure and stress.

All of the seriousness of this aside, how everything went down was kind of funny. We have Jason on the floor covering his face, moaning. While Danielle, bless her heart, is trying to console him. Then he is put on a wheel chair and wheeled into an ambulance. Of all things, Kate thinks the best thing to do is send him a card?!!!!! I wonder what it’s like in Kate’s head (empty?), because clearly she isn’t in touch with reality. Then we have a Megan and Ashlie fight, during which I kept thinking, “Megan what in God’s name are you wearing. Please wash your hair.”

When elimination time came around I was kind of surprised they sent Jason home. I mean, the poor guy just went through something pretty traumatic and now they’re like, “thanks, nice try, see ya later.” I thought he was going to break out in hives again. But he seemed to handle the situation pretty well, at least on screen. He probably walked into the elevator and when the doors finally closed, he huddled in the corner, covering his face, and tears, tears, tears.

Oh Stylista, you’re so cold-hearted.

Now that Project Runway is over and Leanne-imal is out designing wave-inspired ensembles, what the hell is a girl supposed to do on Wednesday night? Read a book? Study? Write that paper that is due on Thursday?

Hell no.

Your favorite reality show may be over for the season (or forever, if all of these rumors are true), but that just means it’s time to find a new one. And no, we don’t mean some Real World/Road Rules challenge; those are meant strictly for Saturday afternoons when you have absolutely nothing else to do. At all. And it’s raining. And you are so hungover you can’t even get up to find the remote.

How about Stylista, a reality series following 11 aspiring magazine editors as they compete for Elle editor Anne Slowey’s affection? The show kicks off tonight on the CW and is most definitely gonna be 100% awesome.

“How on earth can a show about magazines ever compete with Heidi and Tim Gunn?” you ask.

We can give you 5 reasons:

1. It is produced by Tyra Banks, which means it is guaranteed to be awesomely bad.

2. 7 girls and 4 (most likely) fabulous gay men.

3. Like any reality show there is sure to be some serious backstabbing, conniving, and a whole lot of crying. And let’s be honest: it is always refreshing and fun to watch that sh*t when it doesn’t involve you and your friends.

4. Did we mention that crazy Tyra Banks is behind it?

5. It gives you a sneak peak into the world of fashion magazines and answers the age old question: does anyone in the magazine industry actually eat?

We will most definitely be tuning in tonight (martini in hand) and covering every. last. second of this show on Thursday mornings. So, watch with us; it’s not like you have anything better to do.

Top one favorite activity: A fashion-based art project fueled by margaritas!

This spring, designers such as John Galliano, Christian Lacriox, and Dolce and Gabbana have been drawing inspiration from the art world to produce amazing, eye-catching pieces that are an art school dropout’s (read: me) dream come true. And while pieces like this might be difficult to put together on a Sunday afternoon; with some ambition, craft supplies, and a little buzzed-up creativity, you too can be a part of this wikkid hot trend!

Necessary supplies:

* Something you want to spice up. This can be a dress, purse, pants, skirt, t-shirt…literally, anything. If you want to go blank canvas style, hit up American Apparel or save your money and just get a three pack of Hanes wife beaters. However, I personally think this project gets even more exciting when you’re working with something that already has a pattern on it, so don’t rule out that plaid skirt from your private school days.

* Paint. The options here are to purchase actual fabric paint, which can be a little pricey, or buy acrylic paint and mix it with fabric fixative. Plus, when you’re done, you can still use the leftover acrylic to create a piece for your wall that matches your gear. Yay! All of these materials are available at craft stores like Michael’s and Joanne’s Fabrics, or in the craft departments of some superstores.

* Paintbrushes. You can just go with one size, but I think using a few different sizes to create variation in the brush strokes makes the final result more interesting.

* Paper plates. Disposable, relatively eco-friendly paint trays.

* Bowl of water/paper toweling. For cleaning messes.

* An armature of sorts. I usually use a chunk of cardboard trimmed to the size I need for whatever I’m working on. Cheap and easy. (Just like you)

* Tape or tacks/pins. To hold the piece of clothing in place on the armature.

* Newspaper/tarp/an old sheet. This could get messy, and landlords frown upon paint-splattered floors.

* Margaritas. Though I suppose it could be argued this is not essential to the project, I beg to differ.

Recipe for disaster:

1.) Mix a margarita. Consume.

2.) Wash your sh*t. In this case, clean clothes are good because the paint will stick better/last longer.

3.) Cover the floor. Duh.

4.) Put the item on the armature. If you need to, affix it to the armature with the affixing items. *You might not actually need this. Some items are just more annoying to work with on an armature, but in the case of say, t-shirts, using one will probably save you a lot of headache.

5.) Pour/mix your paint. A lot of it. Because nothing is more annoying than to be in the middle of creating only to realize you have to stop and make some more pink.

6.) Grab your brush and go to town! For inspiration, here are some links to excellent arty designer examples:

Elle video

Elle slideshow

Blog

7.) Let it dry for at least a few hours. Because it would suck to go out to the bar thinking you’re all fly and end up getting paint all over the bar stool.

8.) To clean, hand wash in cold water. Lest you run the risk of ruining your artwork/tainting all the other clothing in the washing machine.

Tips:

- Tone ‘er down. I’m all for buckwild, but with a project such as this, it’s easy to go overboard. The first time around, it might be in your best interest to keep your design relatively simple, or at least take it slow.

- Bite off someone else’s sh*t. If you’re not sure where to start, take your cues from the OGs: abstract expressionist works are especially well-suited to this project.

- Embrace your inner kindergartener. Because it’s supposed to be fun, damnit!

DIY for life!

In this month’s issue of Elle magazine, People.com reports that Jessica Biel opens up about the struggles of being hot in today’s Hollywood. Gag me.

In the article, Jessica says, “Parts that I want aren’t going to me. Like “The Other Boleyn Girl” with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. I don’t want to say there’s nothing I love that I can’t have. But there’s still the occasional script that the director doesn’t want to see you for. They want that top tier of girls.”

Biel was named “Sexiest Woman Alive” by Esquire magazine and said, “I thought the Esquire cover was going to be really positive for my career. But it wasn’t, really. [One director told me] ‘I’m not looking for the sexiest woman; I’m looking for the girl next door.’”

Here is the photograph that appears next to the new Elle article. Is it just me, or does this scream contradiction?

I really feel for you, Jess. You’re more than just the pretty face and killer body everyone associates with you as an actress. By the way, here she is, not exploiting her sexiness. And here she is again. And again.

You need to realize that not only is it possible to be sexy and have a respected career as an actress, but that it’s completely obnoxious to talk about just how sexy you are and complain about it at the same time. You’re the one posing for these pictures! Don’t blame other young actresses like Scarlett and Natalie – they are sex symbols, too. Maybe it’s your agents and publicists who aren’t getting you the roles you want, and maybe when it comes down to the auditions that you get, you need to make sure your acting skills are top-knotch before making excuses. Obviously actresses like Charlize Theron could handle parts that required acting over looks.

I’m not same-sex oriented, but Jessica Biel is smoking. There’s no denying it. Apparently she’s not denying it, either. But you know what would make her even sexier? Being humble and appreciative of everything that comes with her lavish, million-dollar, coverpage career.

But, Jessica…I have to ask. Do you really want to go back to this?

Yeah. I didn’t think so.