The 2009 Makeover Awards

The 2009 Makeover Awards
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Best Style Graduate: Taylor Swift

Tsuni/GammaUsa; Don Arnold/WireImage
"I adore being girlie," Taylor Swift has told us. And, at 19-years-old, who can blame her? But this year the platinum-selling songbird has transitioned from prom-pretty gowns to sleek and sophisticated minidresses. Stylist Sandy Spika helps Swift pair her trendy French Connection dresses with the Louboutins the 5'11" beauty loves. Clearly, when it comes to being girlie and glam, Taylor Swift is at the top of her class.

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Best Rule Breaker: Rihanna

Jon Furniss/WireImage; SplashNewsOnline.com
The singer has always been a style renegade, effortlessly slipping into daredevil designs again and again. But after a tumultuous year, Rihanna came through stronger and even more confident. "Her look has definitely gotten bolder," says her hairstylist, Ursula Stephen. "Every time she steps out the door, it's like a fashion show. And she's not scared of anything now." That's apparent in her courageous style choices-think bright neon makeup, linebacker-size shoulder pads and short hair that's surprisingly chameleonlike. Says her stylist, Mariel Haenn: "She likes going against the grain."

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Best Makeup: Michelle Obama

Fame Pictures; Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Mrs. O has never disappointed in the beauty department. "We always have a clean look going for her," her makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Myles told the Chicago Sun Times. "She's a beautiful woman with gorgeous skin." But as Mrs. Obama transitioned from candidate's wife to First Lady, so too did her makeup regime undergo a White House upgrade. These days, M.O. is ever camera-ready with in soft shades of shadow and eye-defining-but not over-the-top-false lashes. Said Grimes-Myles: "We want her to be read very natural and polished."
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Best Sly Fox: Megan Fox

Juan Rico/Fame Pictures; Adhemar/Broadimage
Megan Fox is sexy. Period. So, when she used to hit the red carpet in thigh-high minidresses and platform heels, it was almost an unfair amount of flaunting. But this year she proved at the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen premieres that she can whisper as well as she can shout. Clingy jersey dresses revealed a slice of shoulder or a well-placed slit showed a single leg. Still sexy, but this time stylish as well.

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Best Character: Drew Barrymore

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Since filming Grey Gardens, Drew Barrymore has been inspired by Old Hollywood glamour, explains her makeup artist, Robin Fredrikz. While promoting the series, the actress time travelled from '20s finger waves to Brigitte Bardot-worthy '60s teased hair to edgy '80s updos. The result? A series of looks as memorable as her critically acclaimed role.

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Best Street Style: Jessica Biel

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Stunning beauty? Check. An Olympic-quality physique? Check. A passion for fashion? Well…not always. This year Jessica Biel went from fussy, not-so-flattering off-duty ensembles to effortlessly sexy casual looks. The transformation may be due to the influence of stylists Cristina Ehrlich and Estee Stanley ("They really opened my eyes to how much fun fashion can be!") or even of designer boyfriend Justin Timberlake, but doubtless Biel deserves the credit for pulling together looks as hot as the rest of her.
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Best Short Cut: Halle Berry

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic; Gilbert Flores/Celebrity
When Halle Berry chopped off her locks in May, no one was more surprised than we were-just months before, the beautiful star told us she loved having a long mane: "There's only so much you can do with a pixie!" But whether the change was motivated by her wash-and-go mom lifestyle or the sultry summer heat, there's no doubt in our minds-Berry has never looked better.

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Best Bob: Ashley Greene

WireImage
The phenomenon that is Twilight has certainly changed the lives of its young cast, but in the case of Ashley Greene, it changed her locks as well. "I cut it to make my hair fit under [my character Alice's] wig properly," she has said of her enviable bob. "I didn't have to go quite so short but I figured it's the only time I would ever do it." Lucky for Greene the layered cut flatters her delicate bone structure in a way her long mane could not. That's not to say she's sold on the trendsetting style: "It's cute short, but I'll grow it back out."

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Best Use of Extensions: Eva Longoria

Jordan Strauss/WireImage; WENN
With stylist Ken Paves as her main mane man, there's no doubt that Eva Longoria Parker has access to the world's best extensions, including his Hair U Wear line. So when the actress was forced to go short for her role as Gabrielle in Desperate Housewives, she wasn't limited by her shoulder-length style. From week to week, Longoria Parker switched between her bouncy crop and loose long curls for the most versatile hair in Hollywood.
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Best Post-Baby Body: Gwen Stefani

Ramey; WENN
Baby weight, what baby weight? Just months after giving birth to second son, Zuma, Gwen Stefani "revealed an amazing set of abs in front of thousands of people" at a No Doubt concert in Canada. So how'd she do it? The superstar got busy at the gym the old-fashioned way four days a week with trainer Mike Heatlie. "I've tried yoga and Pilates before, but I just prefer old-school fitness workouts," Stefani told InStyle.

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