Magic (Red) Carpet Ride

I did not watch the Emmy Awards last night.  Nope.  I watched the commentary to Dark and Stormy Night, a side-splittingly hilarious send-up of all those 1930s dark house movies (my personal favorite, And Then There Were None).  The film was made by Larry Blamire and his usual Bantam Street suspects, the same low-budget indie group who put together The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra and The Lost Skeleton Returns Again.  I like to think of them as Fighting Owl Films, five or ten years from now, with a slightly larger budget and a few more resources.  If you have absolutely no clue what I'm talking about right now, do yourself a favor and find a copy of any of the above mentioned films.  You won't regret it.  Oh! While you're at it, check out Fighting Owl Films website to see a group of talented indie filmmakers just getting started.  Alright, end of plug.

So, I skipped out on the Emmys.  That doesn't mean I missed all the fashion action.  No, sir.  The morning news networks and the Interwebs made darn sure of that.  As I have been inundated with Award Show couture, I thought, "Well, when in Rome..." and made up my list of the best, worst and what the heck moments from the Red Carpet.

The Good

Claire Danes in Armani.  This is, hands down, my favorite for the night.  The whole look is sweet, sexy, and just plain gorgeous. 

Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta.  The ruffles, hair and makeup are young and fun, but the gown's color and overall silhouette, paired with some killer statement jewelry, keep the look sophisticated.   

Nina Dobrev in Zuhair Murad.  This seems to be the critics favorite this year, and it's tough to argue with them.  The look is flawless. 

The Bad

Keri Russell in vintage Jean-Louis Scherrer.  Overall, I have no problem with the dress, makeup or hair.  The entire look is very well pulled-together and lovely.  It's just not formal enough for a black-tie event, in my opinion.  Maybe an evening at the theatre, a wedding, or cocktail party, but not the Emmys.

Lo Bosworth in Karen Caldwell.  This is another girl who didn't get the memo about the Emmys being a formal event.  This is a precious dress, but it's not formal.  Throw a sweater over it, and you could wear it to the office.  My major problem with this look, though, is the hair.  It looks like she fixed it, but then decided to take out a bobby pin, or something, undoing a large chunk, which she just ignored.  I don't want to be mean, but if I started to go out with my hair like that, I would hope that someone would point it out to me so I could fix it.   

Lauren Graham in Yigal Azrouel.  This hurts my heart.  I love Lauren Graham, and to see her in something so odd and unflattering is almost unbearable.  I actually thought this was a pantsuit at first glance, which might have been cool, but then realized it's just that straight of a skirt.  Also, what is up with the colorblocking and the wing-like back?  On top of it, her hair is messy, and while that is the style right now, it doesn't work with this dress.  It looks like she needs some hairspray and a brush.  Her face, though, as usual, is gorgeous.  Oh, that was painful to write.  I shall go home and watch a season of Gilmore Girls as penance.

The Ugly

Anna Paquin in Alexander McQueen.  It looks like she's ready for battle.  Between the weird breastplate thingy, the poor fit, and proportions being all off, it's not my favorite.  She's a beautiful girl, and I think this could be a really cool dress, but they don't work together, and that's just unfortunate.  I will say that she worked the attitude, so she must have felt good in it, and I guess that's what's most important.

Christina Hendricks in Zac Posen.  I cannot stress how much I adore Christina Hendricks.  She's stunningly beautiful, funny, strong, and I would freaking kill for curves like that.  That said, I hate this dress.  I mean, hate this dress.  I think it's the feathers.  Instead of giving off the old-school Hollywood glamour vibe they were probably going for, it comes off as a negligee.  She looks amazing in it (of course, she'd look amazing in a paper sack), but it looks like a nightgown.

January Jones in Versace.  The dress is odd.  I have no idea what that material is supposed to be.  January Jones is otherworldly gorgeous, but that doesn't mean the dress needs to look like it came off an alien spacecraft.  On top of it, someone needed to hand her a brush before she got out of the car.  And yet, she still looks beautiful.  Just goes to show, it's not the dress, it's the girl.

Bonus:  The Awesome

Betty White in something she pulled out of her closet.  When you're that awesome, you don't need a stylist.  Congrats, Betty, on your Emmy win, and on your remarkable career and fabulous comeback!  We love you!

Extra Special Bonus:  What Do You Think? 

Rutina Wesley in Douglass Annette.  Critics have been torn on this one, and I wanted to get your opinions.  I'll agree that this was a risk, but did she pull it off?  I can't decide on this one.  Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Now, for today's dip into the magic bag o' samples:  Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden!  According to Sephora:

Eyeshadow Primer Potions from Urban Decay are unmatched in the beauty industry! The genie in these bottles fulfills three wishes: eyeshadow that lasts, more vibrant and lasting color, and absolutely NO creasing. Apply Primer Potion to lids before shadow application and it dries down almost instantly, creating smooth lids that are super-powered eyeshadow magnets. Urban Decay offers several unique shades in their Eyeshadow Primer Potions, but all boast the same unbelievable function. Eden is a matte-finish, tawny hue and gives you a stunning "no makeup" look when worn alone or complements other eyeshadows worn in combination. Packaged in a pretty genie bottle, all these Potions are applied with a magic wand and flocked applicator.

Well, let's give it a try, shall we?  I didn't have a genie-shaped bottle or a flocked magic wand applicator, since my sample came on a card, so I pulled out the old concealer brush to apply the primer.  Its texture is similar to frosting, but it went on very smoothly, and was a very pretty nude shade.  If you like matte, nude eyeshadow, you don't have to put anything on over this.  It works fine on its own.  I, however, needed to test how it worked as a primer, not as an eyeshadow, so I still had some work to do. 

To really test it, I pulled out a very soft, very blendable (very easy to rub off) eyeshadow trio.  Let's see how well you hold onto three eyeshadows, Mr. Bon--I mean, Urban Decay!  (*hesitant, embarrassed evil laughter*) 

The eyeshadows went on easily, and blended with no problem.  Four hours and a lot of humidity later, they still look like they did when I put them on.  Well done, Urban Decay.  Well done.  It's a good primer, so I may have to check out their Sin color next time I'm in Sephora.  It's a shimmering champagne, and one that I might just wear on its own.  $18, Sephora.com.

*Photos by Harpar's Bazaar