Golden Globes 2012: Best of beauty

Fashion isn't the only subject on center stage when starlets walk the red carpet during awards season. I'm a strong believer that hair and beauty can make or break a look -- or, in my opinion, save a particularly bad dress -- especially when it's applied to withstand multiple step-and-repeats, a live show, and, if you please, a series of after-parties. Here are my top picks for the stars that showed best face (and hair) at this year's Golden Globes.

I was not won over by Sarah Michelle Gellar's tie-dye Monique L'huillier gown, but I did love her royal blue smokey eye and the sublime ethereal glow that was so perfectly dusted on her shoulders and decolletage.

Makeup artist Jake Bailey (who has personally given me a killer pink pout and softly smoked-out eyes during a fashion week of yore, and so I can attest to his greatness) created Gellar's smoldering look and shimmery skin for the occasion. He "mixed equal parts AHAVA mineral body lotion and M.A.C. strobe cream to add a healthy sheen" to her exposed upper body. Her eyes were emphasized with L'Oreal's new Infallible eyeshadows in "Midnight Blue" and "Sultry Smoke" (a shimmering royal blue and dusty dove gray, respectively) applied with his fingertips -- a budget-friendly tip, and we'll certainly be taking note.

I was also psyched that "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" actress Paula Patton led the marigold yellow trend that was dominate at the GGs, but so much could have gone wrong if she opted for a bold hued lip. Luckily, makeup artist Fiona Stiles gave Patton a sheer sparkling peach lip color (COVERGIRL Queen Collection lip gloss in "Starlet Sand") and opted for rosy cheeks to bring warmth to her face. Stiles layered COVERGIRL's Simply Ageless Sculpting Blush in "Lush Berry" under Patton's face powder and a layer of powder blush to set the look for a lasting flush.

[Patton image via Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]

Oribe's Richard Marin (part of the team that is also responsible for Taylor Swift's Vogue-worthy bangs) gave funny gal Tina Fey her stylized bedhead for the show. (Fey wore a berry-colored Oscar de la Renta that I felt pretty "meh" about.) Marin added serious volume and movement to Fey's layered bob by layering on three of the brand's signature products (Creme for Style, Royal Blowout styling spray, and Impermeable Anti-Humidity spray) and using a flat iron to bend the edges into soft waves. The final product was spritzed onto the underside of Fey's hair while her head was flipped upside down for extra "omph" factor.

I was really (really) not a fan of Zooey Deschanel's lime green "one-of-a-kind" Prada, however, I was struck by her "doe-ier than usual" eyes. Jorjee Douglass (who also handled the beauty for "500 Days of Summer") used Rimmel products on the brand's spokes-gal (of course) to create the look and said she was inspired by Emma Peel from the '60s show, "The Avengers." Several coats of Rimmel's Lash Accelerator mascara were applied to Deschanel's lashes and a "feathered line of liquid liner was added to her bottom lash line to emphasize and thicken the shape. And what about the "New Girl" starlet's "tuxedo" manicure? Definitely deserves an honorable mention of the night.

[Fey & Deschanel images via Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]