I was a bit underwhelmed and unimpressed by the looks at yesterday’s Emmy Awards show, which is why it’s taken me all day to muster the energy to write about it.  (Must I?  Sigh.  Okay.)  What I did like were the soft, artfully messy, feminine updos that abounded; what I don’t like is the “red lipstick” trend, which feels too harsh and forced. 

Debra Messing’s hair looked pretty and modern, not to mention amazingly healthy and shiny (it’s all about the shine, people!)

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Lauren Conrad from The Hills has signed a three-book deal with HarperCollins to write young adult novels loosely based on her own experiences.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict they’ll be huge bestsellers.  Sigh.  I’m currently sick as a dog (have a few different, un-fun things personal things going on) so have been spending a lot of time in bed watching half-hour shows, as that’s all my attention span can handle right now.  Last night, I watched about six episodes of The Hills in a row, and I couldn’t stop thinking how damn cute Lauren’s perfectly wavy hair is.  Below is her author’s photo, and predictably, the ringlets are utter perfection.

My favorite method for fat, juicy curls like LC’s: apply mousse and a tiny bit of grooming cream to wet hair, then quickly blowdry.  (Spend one or two extra minutes on the hair near the crown and around the face, but don’t worry about making the rest of it look sleek; just get it dry.)  Starting about five or six inches down from the roots, near the ears, use a 1″ to 1.5″ curling iron–or a newer flat iron with rounded plates, like those by CHI or FHI–and curl the hair, wrapping the front pieces outward, away from the face.  Repeat all over the head, alternating the direction of the curl, and finish with another dab of grooming cream or shine serum, on the ends, and a shot of volumizing or soft-touch hairspray.

Let’s be real here. You might not want to be…you might despise yourself for it…you might proclaim that it’s everything wrong with the world…but you’re secretly, at least in part, kind of fascinated by The Hills…or, at the very least, the weird fact that its stars have suddenly become the biggest things in Hollywood. I spoke with Christine Symonds, celebrity hairstylist at Warren-Tricomi Los Angeles, who has been doing Lauren Conrad’s hair for three years, and who created her “soft, romantic” look last night. Lauren always looks cute as a button, with to-die-for hair…and she has Christine to thank.

Q: How do you decide upon styles for Lauren? Does she come to you with ideas, do you suggest styles, or is it usually collaborative?

Christine: Lauren is really great about having a vision about what she wants. She will tell me what her ideas are and more often then not I completely agree with her. We usually are always on the same page about what the final look should be.

Q: Can you give us the quick cheat-sheet version of how to re-create Lauren’s hair from last night?

Christine: We first curled her entire head of hair and then pulled the back section of her hair in a messy bun and left the 2 front sections out. With the section we left out we started twisting back pieces and securing them into the bun with bobby pins. We left out a few front pieces to leave the look feeling a little messy and undone. The key to mastering this look is making sure it doesn’t look too “perfect”.

Q: Looks pretty damn perfect to me!  What products do you use on her?

Christine: We used Warren Tricomi finishing cream and Redken hairspray to secure the look.

Last night, The Dark Knight premiered in New York City at Loews Lincoln Square.  Heath Ledger’s family–as well as a bevy of starlets–were on hand to witness his reportedly-Oscar-worthy performance.  Here’s hoping; wouldn’t that be an amazing moment?

La Blake, looking absolutely stunning; the hair, the legs and the bronzed glow are all perfection

Heath Ledger’s sister Kate:

So, I guess I need to resign myself to the fact that Lauren Conrad is a bona-fide celebrity, huh?  Looking good, as always

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