Why we like it: Molly Ritterbeck, beauty assistant at "Seventeen" magazine, elegantly sports a slick, sophisticated bun.
Tip: Apply gel to hair like Biolage Gelee, $15.75 and use a comb to slick the hair back.
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Plum lips
Why we like them: Celia, beauty editor at style.com rocks a fierce, don't-mess-with-me merlot-colored lipstick.
Tip: Use a reverse liner like CARGO The Reverse Lipliner, $16 along with a dark lip color like this one on Celia to prevent feathering.
Not sure if this hue is right for you? Take this quiz to find your best lip color.
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Dream waves plus a perfect "bronde" hair color
Why we like it: What's not to like about Stephanie Karmokolias's hair? No, really. Her polished waves are, well, dreamy. And her hair color is that divine bronde (brown plus blonde) color.
Tip: She said all you really need to recreate her waves are "dirty hair and a curling iron." Done and done. Use a two-inch wide barrel curling iron if you have long hair like Stephanie, or a one-inch iron if it's closer to shoulder length.
Why we like it: Lesly Forrester from styleitonline.com can somehow pull off this original, avant-guard, Jem-like (yes, we just dated ourselves) eye makeup look -- and no, she's not a model.
Tip: To get her look, use a fine tipped liner brush along with MAC Chromaline in Genuine Orange, $16.50. Trace the shape of your eye, outside of your eye line.
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Smurfette-style nails
Why we like them: Petrina Goldman, another MAC public relations team member, is wearing our fave of-the-moment nail trend. It's a very unpredictable shade of blue that shockingly works with both casual and dressy attire. And it never ceases to garner a ton of compliments. Not daring enough to wear it on your nails, swipe it on toes.
With the explosion of reality TV and the popularity of gossip sites and magazines exploiting "stars" like Kate Gosselin or Kim Kardashian, we all have an undeniable fascination with real people. So this year at New York Fashion Week, we thought that instead of showing off beauty trends seen on models, we'd share our favorite hair and makeup looks seen on real women.
After all, real women either inspire or get inspired by fashion and beauty trends that models display on the runway or on the pages of a magazine -- and we're the ones that have to make them work. Since trends seen on models or celebrities seem somehow less attainable, it was refreshing at New York Fashion Week to see everyone from makeup artists to public relations professionals to photographers recreating looks they had seen at a fashion show the day prior, or stepping up their usual hair and makeup routine in the spirit of the fashionable week.
As we approached these real women, some were slightly frightened when we pointed our cameras their way, some flattered, some confused, some annoyed, but after the initial awkwardness of approaching them passed, we think most of them felt pretty flattered. The makeup looks you're about to see range from a perfectly executed red lip to avant-garde eye makeup, and the hairstyles you'll find span from zig zag braids to dreamy waves. To top it all off, we also share real woman sporting of-the-moment nail colors and formulas. If nothing else, we hope these photos will provoke you to try a new hairdo or lip color, and we offer up steps, tips and product suggestions to help you recreate these looks.
