Beauty Watch: Michelle Trachtenberg at the AXE Fix Club

You know what? I don't care whether Michelle Trachtenberg played bad girl Georgina on Gossip Girl. I'm convinced she's as nice as the character she played in Ice Princess. (Admit it -- you've watched it a couple times when it's been on The Family Channel.) So when she showed up to a party at the AXE Fix Club during the Sundance Film Festival on January 17 sporting Shirley Temple curls, it just confirmed my suspicions that she's a good girl. Come on -- bad girls just don't do Shirley Temple curls. Especially paired with gold shadow, gleaming skin and glossy nude lips. They just don't.

See more photos and learn how to recreate Michelle's look after the jump.








HAIR:
I'm not gonna lie -- this look takes some serious work. But if you put in the time, your hair will look fabulous. You'll actually need to start the night before you want to achieve this look by ragging your hair. After washing your hair, take 1-inch strips of cloth -- anything from an old sheet to a T-shirt will do -- roll a section of hair in it, and tie it in a knot. You'll notice that Michelle's locks are straight from the roots to the cheekbones, so be sure not to roll up the rags any higher than that to get the look. Repeat this for 1-inch sections of hair all over your head and then sleep on it wet.

After unrolling the rags in the morning, your hair will be super curly! If you're jonesing for even tighter curls, take a 1/2-inch curling iron to sections of hair. Finish with a few spritzes of a shine-enhancing spray like Frederic Fekkai Glossing Sheer Shine Mist ($22.50 at bathandbodyworks.com), spritzed on your palms and then lightly dabbed onto the hair to bring out the glossiness.

COMPLEXION:
Michelle's skin is gorgeous and gleaming. Get the look with a luminizer dabbed on the apples of your cheeks. Try Prescriptives Liquid Powder in Translucent ($35 at prescriptives.com), which is oil-free and will make your skin glisten.

EYES:
A few different products are necessary here to get the subtle smoky eye seen on Michelle. Start by sweeping a yellowish gold shadow like Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Sippin' and Dippin' ($19 at benefitcosmetics.com) across your lids. Sweep from the inner to the outer corners, stopping right at the crease, and then along the inner corner of the lower lashline just until the tiniest lashes give way to the bigger ones.

Next, take a goldish brown shadow such as Smashbox Eye Shadow in Safari ($16 at smashbox.com) and sweep from the middle of your lid to just outside the outer corner, creating a subtle cat eye.


While the black liner is actually on the subtle side, you'll notice that it's on both the upper and lower waterlines and the lid and lower lashline. This helps to smoke the look out a bit more. Try Too Faced Lava Gloss ($16.50 at toofaced.com), an extremely creamy and glossy black eye pencil.

Finish with two coats of black mascara on the top lashes to make them long and lush. Try LORAC Visual Effects Mascara in Jet Black ($19.50 at loraccosmetics.com), which has a curved and concave brush that lengthens, thickens and separates lashes to the fullest.

LIPS:
Lips should be full, juicy and glossy -- and slicked with just enough color to be noticeable but not detract from the rest of the look. Try Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Mango ($13.50 at clinique.com).


NAILS:
Finish off the look with a gorgeous wine-colored nail polish. This will add a touch of sensuousness to the whole look and really just takes it up a notch. Go for a creme with minimal shimmer so it really stands out on the nail. Try Essie Nail Polish in Poor Li'L Rich Girl ($9 at essieshop.com). So apropos for Georgina, don't you think?