Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesWhen we saw this photo of Brooke Shields at the opera we thought for certain she asked her hairstylist to build in a hefty hair helmet just in case the construction around Lincoln Center was unstable. Or perhaps her high updo is a secret compartment where she keeps her opera tickets and lipstick.
We could understand (maybe) this ‘do if she was 5 feet tall and wanted to give the illusion of being more statuesque, but come on, she's 6 feet! We would have much rather seen Brooke in a textured updo or a high braided bun. Not only does this coif put her in cone head territory, but it adds about 20 years to her age.
We also have some gripes about her makeup. Ladies, we can assure you that if your eyelids are puffy or showing even the tiniest bit of aging, a white frosty shimmery eye shadow is going to bring more attention to the problem. We're fine with the eyeliner on the top lash line but the eye shadow must go. We're also ditching the frosty pink lipstick. It's just plain bad.
Beauty Bailout: Let's start with removing the hair helmet and converting it into a feminine braided bun. First, give your hair a smooth blowout. Then, brush hair into a high ponytail and fasten with an elastic bungee. Tip: If you're worried about frizzies and rogue hairs escaping your braid, prep ponytail with a styling paste like Bamboo Style Shape Texturizing Paste.
Braid the ponytail and fasten the end with a dark elastic band (if you're a brunette) or a clear elastic band. Roll the braid around the base of the ponytail and secure with bobby pins. Spray the entire head with a flexible hold hairspray like Dove Style+Care Strength and Shine Flexible Hold Hairspray.
Now, let's update the makeup… Brooke has such beautiful blue eyes, she needs to wear eye makeup that is going to bring out the blue and give her eyes a lift. We would definitely use eye shadows from the Anastasia Catwalk Palette, since the eye shadows have anti-aging ingredients like brown algae, sea whip extract, and vitamins A, B, C, E and F. These shadows also have diamond core powder, which diffuses light for a soft focus effect (perfect for women over 40).
We would start by covering Brooke's entire upper eye area with Day Rate from the Anastasia palette, which is a pale matte pink. This would brighten Brooke's eye area without bringing attention to puffiness or creases.
Then, we would use a crease-contouring makeup brush like MAKE UP FOR EVER 214 Small Precision Crease Brush to apply Couture (a shimmery copper, which will bring out the blue in her eyes) from the Anastasia palette in a windshield wiper motion in the eye creases. Then, we would blend like crazy!
As we said before, we would leave her eyeliner and other makeup "as is" except of course for the "trapped in the ‘80s" frosty pink lipstick. We think Brooke would have looked gorgeous in a pigment-rich rose colored-lipstick like Lipstick Queen Sinner in Rose. We would have started by lining her lips with a flesh-colored lip liner and then applying the lipstick with a lip brush.
Brooke, we hope you know we wrote this because we love you. You're one of the great beauties of our time and we refuse to let you throw in the towel and start wearing aging makeup and hair helmets just because you're getting close to 50. Look at Sophia Loren! She's still rocking sexy cat eyes and bombshell curls and she's almost 80! We're not saying you need to bring back Blue Lagoon Brooke, but just try and remember you're not in the AARP quite yet.
If you're a beauty addict, Janna will be your enabler. Just an occasional user? She'll be your bad influence. Visit her blog at mybeautybinge.com and indulge!