STYLE » Steal Her Movie Looks

Nicole as Nadia in Birthday Girl
In the dark comedy Birthday Girl, shy British bank teller John Buckingham (Ben Chaplin) tries to buy himself a wife, courtesy of the mail-order bride service From Russia With Love. What he gets is sexy Nadia (Nicole Kidman), a woman who looks innocent but ultimately turns his life upside down. A birthday party for Nadia turns out to be an especially chaotic event, then again, "Nadia's always dressed for a party," says costume designer Phoebe De Gaye. "Nadia goes barelegged even in the dead of winter," says De Gaye, "and tends to wear an eclectic mix of extravagant clothes that are a couple of years old mostly Moschino, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana." It's not exactly your traditional Russian dressing.

- Hair
Over five different tints were mixed to darken Kidmans tresses from strawberry blonde to "very warm color" (a dark auburn), explains hair and make-up artist Noriko Watanabe. As for styling, her character "wore her hair very causally" says Watanabe, either downas a messy updo or half up half down. "Just something she could do herself. We made a point of using an inexpensive rubber band to pull her hair back"

-Make Up
"Nadia is beautiful in an overly made up way, so we wanted an extremely dark eye" says Wanatabe, who used Chanel Precision Eye Definer in black (to heavily line both upper and lower eyelids) and Lanome Intencils Full Intensity waterproof mascara. For the lips, Wanatabe used an intense purple red lipstick by Chanel called Vamp. "The look is a little trahsy but still very beautiful". To balance the eyes and lips the stylist used a very natural, very pale brush (Chanel powder brush in Caprice is a close match) "to add a touch of rosiness".

- Clothes
When Nadia meets John for the first time, her limited vocabulary (one word: "Yes") puts a damper on any deep conversation. So this first visual impression when Nadia arrives at the airport was crucial: Her beauty had to transfix him. And the stylist had one other goal for her look (pictured here): "We wanted it to be authentically Russian," says De Gaye. "It's very feminine but kind of extreme. We loved the spider shirt (a Wolford black knit with mesh insets) because it was like she'd already ensnared him in her web of deceit." Paired with it: a custom-made and-dyed Jean-Claude Jitrois russet leather trench coat.

Nicole as Satine in Moulin Rouge
Director Baz Luhrmann has described his latest film, a musical set in the dance-hall demimonde of Paris on the eve of the 20th century, as "Rocky Horror meets Titanic." So it's no surprise that Nicole Kidman, who plays a courtesan named Satine, struts in the sort of corsets both Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Kate Winslet's Rose Bukater might have worn. Actually, given Kidman's glamorous makeup and waved hair, make that Rocky Horror meets Titanic meets Gilda. "She's like Rita Hayworth," says set makeup artist Maurizio Silvi. "Fragile but still the star." And the songs by U2 and Madonna, among others that she and co-star Ewan McGregor sing? Cutting-edge. Can(can) this flick be any more of a mix?

-Hair
Stylist Aldo Signoretti applied a light mousse to wet hair, then blow-dried it straight. Next, he pressed a waving iron (like a curling iron, but with two barrels) onto one-inch sections, down the length of her hair, to create waves. Signoretti then worked Sebastian molding mud through hair and brushed it back, leaving the front section loose. Finally, he pulled hair back into a twist, securing with pins. "It's very simple—just what they'd do in the late 1890s," he says.

-Face
Silvi created a pearly complexion with Clinique Balanced makeup in Ivory 01. He often skipped blush for a translucent finish, but in some scenes he brushed Visiora Compact powder blush in PC 103 onto cheeks.

-Eyes
Using cool tones to complement her light eyes, Silvi layered Yves Saint Laurent Perfecting Eye Shadows #9 in Matisse Blue and the gray shade from the Visiora eye-shadow quad OP 491 on lower lids. He lined top lashes with the quad's black hue, then added a touch of its white shadow to inner corners. Last step: a coat of Yves Saint Laurent black mascara.

-Lips
After lining with Clinique Neutralizer pencil, Silvi applied lipstick-a mix he created from several shades, including Clinique Think Red and Christian Dior Roulette Red. "Red lips look good with her pale skin," he says

Thanks to InStyle Magazine