Reese Witherspoon

Whoever coined the expression "dumb blonde" must not have known Reese Witherspoon; after all, the feisty Oscar winner attended Stanford before she made it big in Hollywood. "She's definitely a smart girl," says stylist Chris McMillan. "She's not like one of the old-time movie stars who walks around the house in marabou slippers." Of course, when it comes to beauty, even Witherspoon likes to indulge her inner diva. "We've curled the hair, straightened it, air-dried it, spiked it," says McMillan, who cut her trend-setting bangs. "She's always looking to evolve."

1991: The budding star lands her first movie role in The Man in the Moon. "I wanted to be like Dolly Parton," Witherspoon has said of her childhood inspiration.

Witherspoon shows off a girly 'do. "It's nice to look kind of feminine in my off time," she has said. "It's the schoolgirl in me. I went to an all-girls school."

She may be inspired by Old Hollywood, but she's always Reese. "She's comfortable with herself and isn't putting on makeup to look like somebody else," makeup artist Molly R. Stern has said.

She debuts a sophisticated new look for the Oscars. "It was the turning point for her image," Valentino has said of the night. "Her presence was that of a new Grace Kelly."

She frames her baby blues with trendsetting fringe. "Her bangs aren't cut straight across; it's not at all little girl-like," hairstylist Mark Townsend told Allure. "It's flirty and grazing her eyes."

At the Penelope premiere, Witherspoon shows that she knows how to brighten up her look. "Reese loves wearing extra blush," makeup artist Jillian Dempsey has said.