Just a quick post about how gorgeous Natalie Portman looked on the opening day of the Venice Film Festival.  Her bold red dress by Rodarte was perfectly offset with her neutral makeup choices.  I love the detail of the shoulders and the neckline on this dress.  And this shade of red is what I’m going to be looking for when I start populating my fall wardrobe.

The one thing I’m not so crazy about is the clutch that is paired with the dress.  Does it look like a makeup bag to anyone else?  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a few makeup bags in my time that I thought could double as purses….but now I see how that doesn’t really work.  I’m sure this is some gorgeous designer bag but it stands out to me as something that should have been left at the vanity.

Back to the gorgeousness though:  the lightly lined eyes, with what looks like brown eyeliner to keep the look as natural as possible, is perfection.  The application really makes her brown eyes look otherworldly.  I am a big fan of MAC’s Stubborn Brown Powerpoint Eye Pencil to help achieve this defined yet delicate look.  It looks like a touch of white shadow was dabbed underneath on the inside corner of her eye to really make her eyes pop.

I’m feeling inspired to shop for beautiful red shirts and dresses and bags. And I’m feeling inspired to play up my eyes and neutralize my lip color.

There were plenty of red carpet looks this week, between the Emmys and the Venice Film Festival:

What looks inspired you?