Spring is in the air and that was very apparent tonight on the Academy Award's red carpet! This awards show never disappoints with all the glamour and the fashion. There seemed to be a light, freshness in all the beauties that graced the red carpet as neutrals and pastels were the color du jour. Subtle plums created sweet, but statement making smokey eyes; while nude lips provided a lovely complement to their overall look for Jennifer Lawrence and Jennifer Garner.

Their ashen grey smokey eyes, though light in color never lacked any drama for both Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. Both ladies kept the skin youthful and fresh with hints of pink on their cheeks and lips.

Continuing with the neutral trend, but adding her own flair to it, was the lovely Jessica Chastain. She was my favorite of the evening oozing old Hollywood glamour with her make up, hair and dress. The eyes were kept very simple with a shimmery nude eyeshadow on the eyelid, a warm, but very faint contour in the crease and a clean but dramatic black eyeliner on the upper eyelid only. Her skin was flawless and her cheeks had a soft pink glow. The finishing touch to complete her look was a perfectly, classic red lip.

Below are a few products to help you recreate this look.

Eyelid Color - Chanel OMBRE ESSENTIELLE Eyeshadow - Lotus (Champagne shadow with a slight shimmer)

Crease - MAC Eyeshadow - Soba (Gold Brown with Gold Shimmer)

Eye Liner - Bobby Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner - Black Ink

Lashes - Ardell - #123

Blush -MAC Cosmetics Sheertone Blush - Pinch O' Peach (Warm Peach)

Lips -MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Lipcreme -Prolong (True Red)

Let me know if you had a favorite red carpet look and you want to recreate it!

Jamie

Hands down (pun intended), my brushes are the most important tool in my make up kit. The right brush with right product can achieve beautiful results! This is one item that I will tell you DO NOT scrimp on your brushes. Bite the bullet and spend for QUALITY; the results are well worth it. It's a small investment with a major payoff. There are brushes that I've had for 10+ years and they are in just as good of shape today as they were the day I bought them (now this is also because I'm meticulous in taking very good care of them, but that is for another post coming soon! :) The 5 basic essentials ...

193 Angled Foundation Brush

This brush is a synthetic bristle perfect to be used for a cream or liquid. I like that the over all shape of the bristles are wide enough to be used over the whole face, but because they come to a slight point it can double as a concealer brush for a little spot concealing when needed.

129 Powder/Blush Brush

This is a natural bristle brush perfect for a pressed or loose powder. The bristle shape of this particular brush is large enough to be used as a powder brush or small enough to be used as blush brush. (Either use the brush for blush or powder. Trying to use the same brush for both could have a disastrous ending.)

266 Small Angled Brush

This is one of the most multipurpose brushes I own. This brush is a natural bristle brush. It's perfect for using a powdered product to line your eyes, smudge your eyeliner or even add a little color to fill in your brows. There is a synthetic version of this brush (263 Small Angled Brush) that is ideal when using a cream or liquid liner.

242 Shader Brush

This has been a staple of mine for years. It can be used for any make up product that is powder, liquid or cream. The bristles are stiff enough to give a bold, intense payoff of color, yet soft enough to you could lightly brush product onto the skin to get just a hint of the color showing. I use this to apply color to my eyelids or brow highlight, to smudge eyeliner for a smokey eye or even use it as a concealer or lip brush. (As stated above with the powder/blush brush, you must designate what this brush will be used for. You can't jump between smudging eyeliner one day and then using the same brush for concealer the next.)

217 Blending Brush

I've saved my favorite brush for last! This is a blending brush for the crease of your eyes. It's a natural bristle so it's best used for powder products. The dome shape of the bristles are perfect for flawlessly blending colors together and achieving that airbrushed look.