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Amanda Peet: 'High Crimes'

Peet plays second fiddle to Ashley Judd in "High Crimes."

(In Style) -- A struggling, homeless artist, Jackie (Amanda Peet), sees herself as the black sheep of her family -- especially when compared with her sister Claire (Ashley Judd), a beautiful, high-powered attorney in the Twentieth Century Fox release "High Crimes." But when Claire's seemingly perfect life is shattered when her husband (Jim Caviezel), a military operative, is arrested, Jackie lends more than just sisterly support.

"She adds color and off-balance to the film," says hairstylist Deborah Mills-Whitlock of Jackie, who, after moving in with Claire, falls for the rookie military attorney assigned to her brother-in-law's case. But though her quirkiness soothes the plot's serious undertones, it never outshines her strong sensibility and smarts. Says Mills-Whitlock, "She still presents herself as a smart female individual."

Hair

To liven up Peet's medium-brown tresses Mills-Whitlock clipped in five pieces of the lightest blond hair she could find. "I wanted her hair to be funky, but not too colorful or overdone," she says. "Her outfits were already pretty jazzy." After applying a little styling spray, Mills-Whitlock crunched hair with her hands then used her finger to draw a slightly imperfect center part. To create Peet's "twisty turvy" updo, she merely put hair into a "messy" ponytail by partially pulling it through the elastic band so it fanned out below. "It's so simple," she says. "Occasionally Amanda would do it herself."

Eyes

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"I wanted the look to be about the eyes," says Abel, who kept Peet's cheeks and lips neutral so her blue eyes would pop. She began with a base of Ben Nye CH-2 Creme Highlight in Light on lids then swept on Stila eye shadow in Kitten (a shimmery soft shrimp shade). To create a strong, smoky eye, she contoured and defined top and bottom lash lines with a soft smudging of Stila Azur (a deep cobalt blue), before enhancing the bottom rim with Ben Nye EP-90 eye liner in Onyx. She finished by coating lashes with Lancôme Eternicils waterproof mascara in black.

Face

"This is one of Jackie's mild, not-pumped-up looks," says makeup artist Luisa Abel, who enhanced Peet's classical features by first smoothing on a base of Laura Mercier foundation in Warm Ivory then applying Ben Nye CH-2 Creme Highlight in Light under the eyes. She followed with a dusting of Shu Uemura face powder in pink No. 300. For a natural rosy cheek she dabbed on Lanc me Blush Focus in Close-Up topped with Bourjois Pastel Joues Blusher in Rose De Jaspe. To enrich Peet's natural lip color she slicked on Shu Uemura lip gloss in Grape.

Clothes

While Armani and Marc Jacobs are staples in her somewhat straight-laced sister's wardrobe, Jackie is more inclined to scout thrift shops and the Salvation Army for her fashion finds. "Her style is very original. She wants to stand out," says costume designer Sharen Davis, who borrowed a lot of period pieces for the film. And while Peet's real-life style ranges from slouchy and boyish to incredibly girlie ("I love clothes that are balletic and ethereal," Peet says.), Jackie's mismatched styling has a homemade "Urban Outfitters meets Goodwill" flavor. Even her fingernails -- often painted both blue and purple -- show character.