If a gown is curve-hugging, colorful or strapless (bonus points if it ticks off all three from this list), then we'd imagine that it has a good chance of becoming one of Reese Witherspoon's red carpet dresses. 

The Louisiana-born star's awards show fashion M.O. may be predictable, but it's far from boring. After walking countless red carpets, Witherspoon has curated a signature look that is all about gorgeous fabrics in vibrant hues with interesting necklines and cut-outs. Not to mention, she's perfected that whole hand-on-the-hip pose.

So in celebration of Witherspoon's 40th birthday on March 22, we decided to take a look back at the Oscar-winning actress' best red carpet dresses. These 14 striking style moments (which are arranged in no particular order) prove that once you've discovered something that works for you, it's perfectly OK to stick to that.

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If you're supposed to dress for the job you want and not the job you have, perhaps Michelle Obama dreams of being ... a garden?

The first lady wowed in yet another floral look -- it's her third this month and second in two days! -- for a state dinner in Havana, Cuba Monday night. 

The long-sleeved Naeem Khan dress, which she paired with black shoes, drop earrings and a lovely updo, blended in perfectly with the landscaping at the Palace of the Revolution. 

Perhaps Obama took a cue from her daughters, who wore the same designer for a state dinner back in Washington, D.C. earlier this month. 

Or perhaps this is just her way of letting us know it's finally OK to whip out our spring dresses. Thanks, FLOTUS!

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Drop everything: The Marimekko for Target collection is finally revealed!

The Finnish design house, known for its playful patterns and bold colors, did not disappoint with its 200-piece-plus collection for everyone's favorite chain retailer. Its many fun prints come in a slew of options, from bathing suits to palazzo pants to beach towels. 

Most clothing items retail under $50, many will be available in up to a size 3X, and then, of course, there are the most beautiful garden tools we've ever seen. This just might be Target's best collaboration yet. 

Check out our favorite looks below, head to Target to see the rest, and get your credit cards ready for when it finally launches in stores on April 17. 

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Carrots are some of the most versatile veggies in the produce aisle.

Whether they're shredded in a salad, roasted in the oven, juiced for a smoothie or baked in a cake, carrots are an appropriate ingredient for every meal of the day.

But as nutritious and delicious as they are, carrots also prove that too much of a good thing can sometimes be bad. And by bad, we mean Oompa Loompa bad.

Fact: Eating too many carrots can actually turn your skin orange.

It's a medical condition known as carotenemia and, aside from the shock you'll get from seeing your skin turn a cartoonish color, the condition is generally harmless.

So, what's happening here?

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, a natural pigment that gives the root vegetable its orange color. When you consume too many carrots -- or sweet potatoes, pumpkins, or any other food that is similarly high in carotene -- excess beta-carotene will enter the bloodstream and be stored under the skin, thus giving it a yellow, orange or golden tint.

What qualifies as "too many carrots" is different for each person since it depends on an individual's metabolism, but an average, healthy dosage of beta-carotene is six to eight milligrams a day. According to a Columbia University health blog, "for carotenemia to set in, you might have to consume as much as 20 milligrams per day (or, three large carrots)."  

While the condition is seen in adults, it is most common in infants and children, according to the Scientific American. And, since carotene can be excreted in sweat, the color is usually most concentrated (and visible) on the palms of the hand, soles of the feet or on the face's laugh lines -- aka, the nasolabial folds.

But there is an upside to that unnaturally golden glow.

The body converts some of that beta-carotene into vitamin A, which helps to boost your immune system and maintains healthy vision and -- you guessed it -- healthy skin.

Plus, cooked carrots supply the body with an abundance of antioxidants and are a good source of fiber, vitamins C and K and potassium.

If you need some extra carotene in your diet, add carrots to your daily meal plan with the recipes below.

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Diane Lane and her daughter Eleanor Lambert know how to liven up a red, er, black carpet. 

The mother-daughter duo attended the "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" premiere in New York City on Sunday, and judging by their smiles and laughter, they clearly had a blast. 

Both ladies looked great. Lane, 51, plays Clark Kent's mother Martha in the superhero flick and wore a floral dress with a plunging neckline by Naeem Khan while 22-year-old Lambert opted for a chic white crop top and skirt. Lambert is currently signed with Wilhelmina models, so it's no surprise she knows how to work the red carpet just as well as her mother, a seasoned Hollywood pro. 

The ladies were joined by Lane's co-stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jesse Eisenberg and Gal Gadot, who looked wonderful in an embellished Balmain minidress. Director Zack Snyder was also at the premiere, along with Matthew Morrison, Will Smith and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. 

"Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" hits theaters March 25. 

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A woman's makeup routine is largely defined by her specific needs and concerns. Whether it's finding the perfect foundation for dark skin or learning how to cover a pimple without anyone noticing, you can achieve any look with the right tools and techniques. This statement certainly rings true for people of Asian descent.  

Each individual's face is uniquely different, however there are largely shared experiences when it comes to applying makeup to Asian eyes, particularly women with monolids (eyelids with no crease) and thin, short eyelashes. But if there's anything we've learned from the YouTube tutorials below, it's that you don't have to take extreme measures such as plastic surgery to emphasize your natural beauty.

Check out the six makeup tutorials for Asian eyes below, including how to layer fake eyelashes to make smaller eyes appear bigger and the secret to a dramatic cat-eye for narrower eyelids. 

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Winter's over. And so is all that "trying to wear serious coats and look like a professional grown-up" stuff. 

What we're saying is, now that the weather's getting warmer outside, you have a little liberty to free yourself, to have fun with your style. Dress like a kid. Show your bratty youthful side.

One day a week, leave your blazer and tie at home and throw on one of these options. It'll make you happy, and when you're happy, you look better. We wouldn't recommend wearing them all at the same time, but hey -- do what makes you happy.

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A new Kickstarter campaign aims to help kids with autism by providing a necessity for school or travel: a backpack.

The Nesel Packis a backpack specifically geared toward 6- to 12-year-old students with autism. Inspired by existing sensory tools like compression vests and weighted blankets, the Nesel Pack features pouches for weights, different strap options (with fuzzy, comfortable linings), clips for accessories like "chewies" and a very durable base. 

There is also a display slot that gives kids the option to customize their backpack with their initials, name or a photo of their favorite stuffed animal or pet.

The Nesel Pack is the brainchild of a group of University of Minnesota students, led by senior Martha Pietruszewski. "We had hundreds of meetings with parents, occupational therapists, teachers, and leaders in the autism community to learn what exactly we could do to most benefit the students," she wrote on the Kickstarter page. 

"Think about walking through the hallways at school, or maybe going to a busy airport," she added. "For some, these are normal, mundane things. For students on the autism spectrum, the amount of sensory input can be overwhelming and stressful."

Thus, the university students created the Nesel Pack, "to provide a comfortable and durable solution to those in need." They've nearly reached their fundraising goal of $10,000, which will allow them to finalize the design and put in their first production order.

As of now, one Nesel Pack backpack costs $115, which Pietruszewski says is a reflection of its incredible durability, though she added that they aim to reduce the price in the future. They've also partnered with Fraser -- a leading provider of autism-related services in Minnesota -- which will facilitate Nesel Pack donations to kids in need. So, those who want to support the new brand but don't necessarily need to buy a backpack are still encouraged to pledge money as it will go to the Fraser initiative.

Said Pietruszewski, "With your help, we want to get these bags into the hands of as many students as possible."

H/T PopSugar

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Good news for cuddly animals and the people who love them!

Luxury clothing designer Giorgio Armani announced today that his labels will be 100 percent fur-free, starting with the autumn/winter 2016 collections.

The brand pledged to go fur-free after working with the Humane Society of the U.S. and the Fur Free Alliance, a coalition of 40 animal protection organizations in 28 countries working to end the fur trade.

“I am pleased to announce that the Armani Group has made a firm commitment to abolish the use of animal fur in its collections," the Italian designer said in a statement released by the HSUS. "Technological progress made over the years allows us to have valid alternatives at our disposition that render the use of cruel practices unnecessary as regards animals. Pursuing the positive process undertaken long ago, my company is now taking a major step ahead, reflecting our attention to the critical issues of protecting and caring for the environment and animals.”

Armani joins the ranks of other luxury brands that have committed to fur-free apparel. Last year, Hugo Boss announced its dedication to treat animals better: In addition to committing to furless garments, the company also said it would ban angora, down feathers sourced from force-fed, live-plucked geese, and give preference to more humane wool suppliers, the HSUS reported. 

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Levi Strauss & Co. is giving away its special sauce.

The blue-jeans behemoth said Tuesday that it plans to reveal its strategies for reducing water use by 96 percent when making denim, so the tactics can be adopted by competitors across the industry. The announcement came on World Water Day, the holiday designated 23 years ago by the United Nations for celebrating the availability of fresh water. 

“Water is a critical resource for our business, the planet and people around the globe, but usable supply is becoming increasingly scarce,” Michael Kobori, vice president of sustainability at Levi's, said in a statement. “We’ve long been committed to being water stewards, but realize more needs to be done. We’re setting competition aside and encouraging others to utilize these open source tools.”

Levi's introduced its suite of 21 water-saving methods in 2011, including strategies like buying only sustainable cotton and using less water when finishing and washing denim. Since then, the company has conserved more than 1 billion liters of water. If its techniques were to become industry standard, Levi's estimates they could save 50 billion liters by 2020. 

"Making the jeans we wear is a very thirsty business," Brooke Barton, water program director at the nonprofit sustainability group Ceres, told The Huffington Post on Tuesday. "Levi's commitment to open source this technology means that others in the apparel sector have no excuse but to step up their game."

Levi's, whose CEO Chip Bergh famously eschews washing his jeans, said Tuesday that it plans to double-down on its sustainability efforts by 2020, the year many companies have set for overhauls in their supply chains and environmental policies.

By then, the company aims to source 100 percent of its cotton from farms certified by the nonprofit Better Cotton Initiative or from recycled material. Up to 80 percent of all Levi's products will be made with water-saving techniques, trademarked under its Water<Less brand. Under the supervision of the industry-backed auditing group Joint Roadmap Towards Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals, it will eliminate all chemical pollution from its factories. And, as part of an initiative backed by the White House, all corporate employees at the company will complete Project WET water education training.

The idea of allowing competitors behind the curtain in hopes of fostering higher industry standards isn't new.

As far back as the 1960s, Swedish automaker Volvo invented the three-point seat belt and promptly gave away the design to other manufacturers to make all cars safer -- not just its own. 

More recently, in 2010, Nike released a tool featuring many of its environmental design techniques, for free use by other clothing manufacturers. Three years later, the company folded the tool into a free app called Making that draws data from the Nike Materials Sustainability Index.

In June 2014, Tesla pledged not to sue anyone who used the electric carmaker's patented technology "in good faith," in hopes of cultivating a bigger industry for rechargeable vehicles. The argument was that copycat companies would expand the market, and the rising tide would raise all ships.

Levi's move is less about increasing competition and more about sharing strategies it's already developed. It's a refreshing perspective in a time of water crises. 

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While walking around in New York City, a billboard ad from Calvin Klein caught the eye of Heidi Zak-- but not in a good way.

Zak, the CEO and co-founder of lingerie company ThirdLove, saw a billboard for the designer's new spring campaign in New York's SoHo neighborhood. The first image features a full-body shot of actress Klara Kristin along with the words, "I seduce in #mycalvins." The image directly next to it features a close-up of rapper Fetty Wap. The phrase on his ad? "I make money in #mycalvins." 

Zak posted a video on YouTube in response to the ad, calling out the designer for the billboard's offensive message about women.

"I'm personally offended by the Calvin Klein billboard ad in New York City that highlights a dated gender stereotype: that men are the breadwinners, while women are sex objects," she said. 

In the same video (watch below), Zak interviewed people on the streets of New York about the ad and discovered she wasn't the only one who found it demeaning.

Said one passerby: "It's unfortunate that so much of advertising is dependent on perpetuating these stereotypes about what men and women are and what their value is, that women's are totally located in their bodies and appearance and the men's are in their ability to make money and in their brains."

Last week, Zak and the ThirdLove team also started a Change.org petition with the hashtag #MoreThanMyUnderwear to get the billboard taken down, and she personally wrote a letter to the CEO of Calvin Klein.

"It’s striking that almost a century after women won the right to vote, companies like yours are still propagating these offensive and outdated gender stereotypes: Men go to work and make money, while women are nothing more than sex objects," she wrote.

The Change.org petition gathered 242 supporters and is now listed as a "confirmed victory," since the billboard has been removed. However, in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Calvin Klein asserted that a "planned rotation" sparked the move:

This billboard was taken down overnight as part of the planned rotation of our spring 2016 advertising campaign. We take all of our consumers' concerns seriously, and as a global brand, we promote gender equality and the breakdown of gender stereotypes across the world. Our global advertising campaign images feature many different musicians, artists and models wearing all of our product categories, including our underwear products, sharing how they feel about and live in their Calvins.

Still, Zak told The Huffington Post that the ad's removal sends an important message.

"This victory highlights that women can do anything we set our minds to, and we deserve advertising that reflects that," she said. "I believe, and ThirdLove stands behind the fact that women can do much more than seduce -- and we are more than our underwear."

H/T Cosmopolitan

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While photographer Kate T. Parker was taking photos of her two young girls, she found the "strongest" ones that resonated with her most showed her girls being "100 percent themselves" and "not caring what they look like."

Parker wanted to bring this message of embracing strength and inner beauty to other women and girls, so she started the "Strong is the New Pretty" campaign. In the video above, see some of Parker's stunning images and watch her explain how she's hoping to help women and girls embrace their true beauty. 

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Attention Kmart shoppers, there's an awesome new addition to the brand’s latest catalog.

Kmart Australia has taken a big step toward inclusivity by featuring models with disabilities -- and the public is loving it:

A rep for Kmart Australia told Buzzfeed that this is the first time the company has featured children with special needs in its catalogs.

"At Kmart Australia we want to reflect every person who walks into our stores -- whether they are a team member, a customer, a contractor or supplier. Inclusion is important to us at Kmart no matter a person’s race, gender, ethnicity, age, ability, appearance or attitude and we are focussed on continuing to improve on this commitment," a Kmart Australia rep told The Huffington Post.

One of these models is 6-year-old Matilda McKirdy who has Down syndrome, according to Daily Mail. Matilda's mother, Bree Anastasi, told Daily Mail she believes the power of advertising can shift peoples’ perspectives on individuals with disabilities.

Another model is 11-year-old Cooper Smith from Melbourne. His mother, Bronwyn Leeks, told Buzzfeed that Cooper has always wanted to model and had a positive experience at the shoot.

“He still couldn’t really believe he was in the catalog!” she told Buzzfeed. “He was so excited to see himself represent Kmart and represent kids who have a disability. He is very proud of who he is including the fact he has cerebral palsy.”

Though she and her son are brimming with pride, they also just want Cooper to be seen as any other kid.

“Right now it’s a big deal that mainstream media is finally including children with varying abilities,” Leeks told The Mighty. “One day it won’t be a big deal, it will be the norm. For now I want them to see a child looking forward to Easter who happens to use a walker because he happens to have a disability.

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Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian have just been hit with a multimillion-dollar lawsuit for failing to promote their own makeup line on social media, Gossip Cop reports. 

Hillair Capital Management reportedly claims that it invested $10 million into the Kardashian sisters' makeup line, "Kardashian Beauty," after their former business partner, Boldface, went under, according to TMZ. The company is now seeking up to $180 million (their estimated profit loss) from the Kardashians, which includes the original $10 million they invested. 

The Huffington Post received the following statement from Michael Kump, a litigator representing the Kardashians in the case, via email: 

This complaint is an obvious attempt to create leverage by hedge fund operators who took over the Kardashians’ cosmetics brand. The Kardashians have suffered enormous damages as a result of the many failures and breaches created by the operator’s mismanagement of the company. The lawsuit is a disgrace. It is a jumble of false accusations which will be exposed as lies.

The drama over the beauty line started back in 2012 when the reality TV stars partnered with Boldface to launch a line called "Khroma Beauty." After a trademark dispute over the word "Khroma," the brand was forced to change its name to "Kardashian Beauty." Amid the legal mess, Boldface was apparently struggling to stay afloat, according to TMZ, and that's where Hillair came in. 

In court papers, Hillair Capital Management maintains that it "agreed to put up millions of dollars to help the Kardashians salvage their struggling" beauty line, and claims the sisters failed to actively promote their own brand, Gossip Cop noted. The sisters are also being accused of breach of contract, fraud and deceit and negligent misrepresentation, among other things. 

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Gina Rodriguez is waxing poetic about body image yet again. 

A champion of body positivity and diversity in Hollywood, the "Jane the Virgin" star has often spoken candidly about the abundant diversity issues -- both in size and race-- that exist in her industry. 

In a new interview with Yahoo's Joe Zee, Rodriguez gave perhaps her most honest comments on the topic yet. When Zee began to compliment Rodriguez on "never falling into the pressure" of being a certain size, Rodriguez was quick to interrupt. 

"Of course I've fallen into the pressure," she said. "Of course I've fallen into the culture."

Opting to honestly reveal the work that goes into self acceptance instead of simply preaching its importance is refreshing to hear from someone in Hollywood. But lest we forget, Rodriguez is quick to remind us that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. 

"You go to television and film, and, it does add 10 pounds, and I don't look like a skinny mini, and the truth is that's OK too, and that is beautiful also," she said.

Amen, Gina. Amen. 

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The face of Queen Bey's merchandise campaign is showing everyone that diversity = slay.

Jillian Mercado, who has spastic muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, was cast to model in Beyoncé's "Formation" line, and may we say she looks fierce. 

The model is featured on Bey's merchandise website rocking different looks while in a wheelchair. Not to mention she's also front and center when you enter the site. 

Though modeling for Beyoncé is quite a milestone, Mercado is no stranger to the fashion industry -- in fact, she's pretty darn accomplished. She signed with IMG Models last year and has starred in a 2014 Diesel campaign as well as advertisements for Nordstrom among other modeling jobs. She's also a fashion blogger and an outspoken activist for more diversity and representation in the industry. 

Ultimately, she hopes to change perceptions and work toward more inclusivity in fashion.

“Working with IMG, my goal is to make it so that I am not the model in the wheelchair and I’m just the model,” Mercado told Vogue last year. "I want the people who were hesitant in pursuing fashion because of the way that people might perceive them to know there is a place for them.”

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