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Photo 5/11
Avril Lavigne
The pink highlights and dramatic, borderline Goth-looking eye makeup, well � just complicates her look. The less severe smoky eye and blonde hair (sans the pink) complements her soft features making her look more friendly and feminine.

Photo 6/11
Scarlet Johansson
Johansson's too-blonde, almost yellow, single process color never really worked for us. She already has the pin-up thing going for her, so the super blonde hue and ultra smoky eye seen here makes her look more Playmate, less A-list. The darker blonde shade and softer makeup helps her look classier and more striking -- not just another overly blonde starlet.

Photo 7/11
Denise Richards
We wish we could say this photo was taken on Halloween, but alas, it was not. Richards broke beauty rule No. 1 here: Don't pair eye makeup with a bold lip. Plus, she is very beautiful, so a more toned down look is a much better choice for her. And as for her hair, that half-up, poufy number is very Barbie-like (not in a good way) and unflattering -- her loose waves are a vast improvement.

Photo 8/11
Beyoncé
This pop diva changes her look all the time, so we're glad that the skunky highlights and pink, sparkly lips didn't last long. The subtle makeup in her "after" photo lets her natural beauty shine through, and her smooth, sleek hair doesn't overshadow her gorgeous face.

Photo 9/11
Carrie Underwood
When Underwood was fresh off the "American Idol" boat, her look was much more beauty pageant-appropriate. Nowadays, her look is still glam, but more understated with sleeker hair and softer makeup that accentuates her eyes.

A transformation in the form of a makeover is hypnotizing to watch and there's just something voyeuristically fun about it. You know, seeing someone go from drab to fab, geek to chic, blah to beautiful, etc. And many budding starlets scream "makeover" when they are fresh off the boat -- before top makeup artists, hair and fashion stylists, nutritionists and trainers have had a chance to get their hands on them.

Then, while celebrities are in the throes of trying out different hair colors and styles and makeup trends, searching for their best look (and maybe themselves) in the process, hits and misses are inevitable. Unlike us though, they get immortalized via photos that the free world has access to (in places like "Us Weekly" not Facebook). Since some of the "hits" happen when celebs are wearing less makeup, more natural looking hairstyles and not committing any beauty crimes, we decided to do a round up of the best celebrity makeunders -- because really, makeunders don't get quite enough love.

See the makeunder photos now.

Not all of these makeunders are created equally though. For the starlets that regularly rock borderline trainwreck-y beauty looks, their "after" photo represents a serious makeunder moment. But for some of the other celebs, their over-the-top look might have simply been the result of an off night when they decided to take a big beauty swing � and missed. Nonetheless, less is usually more when it comes to beauty as the following photos of these famous women prove: Drew Barrymore, Christina Aguilera, Angelina Jolie, Avril Lavigne, Scarlet Johansson, Denise Richards, Beyonc�, Carrie Underwood, Ashlee Simpson Wentz and Kate Gosselin.

If you delayed gratification and made it this far, now go and check out the best celebrity makeunders.
BY MOLLY ROEMER | SHARES
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