Alfred Hitchcock has long been revered as the master of suspense. Each of his sixty-seven films are marked with Hitchcock's identifiable flair: a mind-twistingly clever, yet unnerving plot; a cameo (only spanning a few seconds) of the portly director himself and last but not least, a magnificently blonde leading lady. But as it always goes, Hitchcock's genius came with consequences. Recently, several books have been released exposing the director's issues with women. In celebrity biographer Daniel Spoto's Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies, the author quotes Hitchcock as saying of his heroines, "Nothing pleases me more than to knock the ladylikeness out of them." According to Spoto, Hitchcock fell helplessly in love with a number of his lead actresses, one of whom - Tippi Hedren - he sent into clinical shock after having her be attacked by real birds for a full week during filming of (what else?) his 1963 classic The Birds. He then reportedly demanded she be at his "sexual beck and call" during the filming of Marnie that same year.

Nonetheless Hitchcock's films remain some of the greatest cinematic experiences in recent history. In honor of what would have been Hitchcock's 111th birthday, we gathered some of the director's most memorable leading ladies - all blondes, all beautiful and all equally alluring.

Beauty news from around the web...

Natalie Portman Models for Dior
As per usual, Natalie Portman looks flawless in Dior's newly released images for its ad campaign, Diorskin Forever. The ad comes as a surprise, however, since Portman announced she would not be affiliated with Dior designer John Galliano in any way after he was videotaped making anti-Semitic remarks. How will the actress explain herself now? - Via HuffPost Style

Gwen Stefani's Releases New Fragrance
Super G Harajuku Lovers Fragrance, Gwen Stefani's adorable new scent, is currently on sale. With notes of pineapple, tangerine and banana nectar, the perfume smells as sweet as it looks. The fragrance retails for $45. Honestly, we'd pay that just for the doll on the bottle. - Via Racked

Sedu to Sell $700 Blow-Dryer
Is dry hair really worth almost a month's rent? The Icon-Privé dryer weighs 1.05 pounds and delivers up to 21,000 RPMs (in layman's terms, it'll dry your hair really fast). Calling itself the most technologically advanced dryer in the world, it has 18 different temperature speeds, an ionic off/on switch and a transformer that uses 70 percent less energy than other dryers. This machinery makes letting our hair air-dry look like the stuff of medieval times. - Via WWD

Tanning Beds and Drugs Have Similar Effect, Study Finds
This explains so much. A new study from UT Southwestern Medical Center found that the brain activity of people who frequently use tanning beds is very similar to that of drug addicts. Further emphasizing the comparison, tanning can become a compulsive activity due to neurological triggers. Maybe it's time to rethink that gym-tan-laundry lifestyle, Jersey Shore? - Via Fashion Etc.

Dolce & Gabbana Add to Beauty Line
After launching a successful makeup collection this past spring, Dolce and Gabbana has announced its plans to add a foundation and lipstick-gloss to its beauty line this September. The Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation will be available in 15 different shades and will retail for $55, while the Passion Duo Gloss Fusion lipstick will be available in 20 and retail for $34. Quality is important, Domenico Dolce told WWD, but the packaging is equally so. That from a fashion designer? We're shocked. - Via Racked

What better time to release a million-dollar perfume then during an economic recession? DKNY's latest venture is an exquisite fragrance bottle carved from 14-karat gold and coated in 2,909 precious stones, including a 7.18-carat sapphire, a 4.03-carat pear-shaped diamond and 3.07-carat ruby. Yikes.

Slightly redeeming is the fact that net proceeds go to Action Against Hunger, a charity that works to fight world hunger. But wouldn't giving the money straight to charity might have been a tad more efficient? The good news is, if you fancy the scent without the bejeweled exterior, the fragrance alone is available at department stores for $42.

Shockingly, DKNY's price - though high - is not entirely out of the ballpark of other luxurious perfumes. Check out our gallery of the most outrageously expensive scents we could find and tell us: would you ever pay this much to smell nice?

For as long as we can remember, American women have harbored intensely jealous instincts toward their French counterparts, who -- whether due to myth or actual truth -- have long been revered for their effortless beauty, flawless fashion sense and, of course, that je ne sais quoi.

Who has embodied all three of those qualities better than Audrey Tautou? The French actress has starred in films such as "Amélie," "The Da Vinci Code," and most recently, "Coco Before Chanel." In honor of her 36th birthday, we put together five French beauty lessons we've learned from the actress. Check out our gallery below:

Rihanna Spends $23,000 A Week on Stylist
No pain, no gain? We suppose that anyone who changes their hairstyle as often as Rihanna is going to have to shell out the big bucks. Top celebrity stylist Ursula Stephen - who has reportedly also become a close friend - charges the singer about $3,200 a day for styles that have included a "Matador Red" bob, blond highlights and bright red hair extensions. But watch out, RiRi - you can't add hair extensions to a bald head. - Via StyleCaster

Ashley Greene Shares Beauty Advice
The Twilight star dished on her beauty routine, her increasingly proactive skin care methods and what products she can't live without. We're intrigued by a natural beauty tip Greene learned on set - drawing freckles over your foundation gives the illusion that you're not wearing any makeup at all. Somehow, we think we'd end up looking more like we'd been splattered in brown paint. - Via BellaSugar

French Women Lie More About Beauty
Sick of hearing about the effortless beauty of the French? This survey's for you. A recent study commissioned by Benefit Cosmetics found that French women are more likely than American women to lie about their weight, length of their beauty routines and number of sexual partners. This ought to leave American women smirking (at least until the next French Vogue hits the stands). - Via Daily Mail

15 Cool Lollapalooza Beauty Looks
Thousands flocked to Chicago last weekend to see Lollapalooza, the city's annual music festival. So what better time to find summer's coolest street style beauty looks? We're especially loving the Black Cards' Bebe Rexha's metallic headband and messy waves. To be fair, it was a good 90 degrees out this weekend - we're not positive these girls can take full credit for their "tousled" hair and "glowing" complexions. - Via BellaSugar