Blog Posts by Sarah Bernard

This week The Thread got to mingle with the gorgeous/hilarious Emmy-winning Melissa McCarthy at Ivory’s reinvention party in New York City. And you can talk to her too! As Ivory’s new brand ambassador, the mom-of- two will be the host of Soap Dish, Ivory's new online Facebook community for modern moms.

Melissa McCarthy is a very busy lady these days. She’s the star of "Mike & Molly" on CBS and just filmed Judd Apatow’s sequel to “Knocked Up.” She’s launching her own plus-sized fashion line (the black leather pants she was wearing when we met were her own design) AND she's mom to her two little ladies Vivian and Georgette. As Ivory’s brand ambassador, Melissa will be sharing all the trials and joys of modern mom life on “Soap Dish” their new online Facebook community where fans are invited to come and vent, exchange ideas, share stories and support each other. As Melissa says, if you comment on the site that you served your kids pudding for dinner, chances are someone else

There are many gift-giving philosophies out there. There’s the “If I like it, you’ll like it” concept or, my least favorite, the “I’ll just get the same generic candle/gift card/book for everyone and call it a day” option. When Thread viewer Jude emailed us for help getting her friends thoughtful gifts that would reflect their own distinct personal styles, I thought, “That’s my kind of girl!” In this episode see how we helped Jude give her three girlfriends a customized selection of beauty indulgences to keep them pampered all year long.

 Since every girl loves to sample new beauty indulgences, Jude loved the idea of giving different products to Tenae, Karrie, and Marina, as they have completely different tastes and sensibilities. Our friends at P&G have done some of the legwork for us. They’ve created a selection of gift packs filled with goodies according to different style “types.” The first thing we did with Jude was to discuss her friends' personal style. Marina is a

The pleasures of the holiday season are many but the pain can be equally powerful come January when we realize the damage we’ve done. This year wouldn’t it be nice to not have regrets for a change? We asked celebrity fitness and nutrition experts-- the pros who keep Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Jennifer Aniston in line--to give us their tips for getting through the holidays without those extra 10 pounds. Are you in?

BOBBY STROM, celebrity trainer who has worked with Jessica Biel and Britney Spears and whipped Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively into shape for “Green Lantern”

"Give yourself one meal a week. Christmas dinner is only one meal, not a three day long event. For that one meal, say, 'I’m going to have some candied yams and pumpkin pie and potatoes.' That’s it. Doesn’t mean you eat like crap for the whole day. Before you eat something think, 'If it’s not worth it, don’t waste it.' If someone says, 'You have to try this cake it’s awesome!' Ok, maybe it’s worth the calories. But picking

Here's Eva Longoria with her boyfriend Eduardo Cruz, trudging through the airport-- although in Eva's case by "trudging" I mean looking relaxed and cool, but not cool in a ridiculous I'm-wearing-an-uncomfortable-cocktail-dress-to-squeeze-into-an-airplane-seat kind of way. We know Eva is TINY but even here we can observe the tricks she employs to make us forget that fact. Her platform ankle boots and the mid-thigh hemline of her ruched grey mini dress—which happens to be a $34 number from Express!— help elongate her shapely legs. There's another reason I love this look. The ruching on the dress means that it’s flattering in the ab area. I’m sure this is not a concern for Eva but for the rest of us who have just emerged from a weekend full of pumpkin pie, it sure is helpful.

I never think of traveling in a dress but Eva's put together the perfect airport ensemble, which I am going to try to re-create on my next trip. Easy-on-and-off boots, plus a washable cotton dress that's comfortable

You probably know her best as Melissa on “Two and a Half Men,” but on Nov. 30 the adorable Kelly Stables stars on TV Land’s “The Exes,” a new sitcom about three divorced guys living together in an apartment across from their divorce attorney (Kristen Johnston). Sounds crazy, right? But crazy in a funny way. Stables plays Eden, Kristen’s plucky assistant who tries to show the divorcés how to enjoy life and plunge back into the dating game. See what Kelly has to say about Eden’s penchant for high hemlines (and low necklines) and the best place for a girl with size 4 feet to find platform heels.

Am I imagining it or would Eden and Melissa, your character on "Two and a Half Men," probably have a lot to talk about?

Melissa was more ready to settle down and Eden is not, but there’s the same bubbliness. You know, I became a cheerleader when I was 14 and I can’t get out of my pom-poms! First of all, I haven’t grown any since then. I’m 4’11. I really can fit into my cheerleading outfit. Maybe

I don’t feel like I’ve finished putting my makeup on unless my lashes are "major" as Rachel Zoe would say. And my standard for acceptable lash length has grown by several inches. I blame that one on the Kardashians and Nicki Minaj.

Celebrity makeup artist Elena George (@ElenaGeorge1mkp), who works with us on The Thread, has a theory. She thinks the trend came from people making a virtue out of their unsophisticated—i.e. clumpy— mascara applications. Could be. The exaggerated look and the distinctive mod vibe is fun, though. And if that goes with your fashion, give it a try.

If you want to attempt the spider-lash look here are two options:

What you eat and how you take care of yourself (getting enough sleep, consistently removing your makeup before bed) has a lot to do with how your skin looks and feels. But weather is also a major player. Cool, dry air, which is what many of us are experiencing right about now, accelerates moisture loss and leads to itchy, flaky skin. But what if you live in the rainy Pacific Northwest or have a sun-soaked, less humid California address? We invited New York-based dermatologist Dr. Lisa Airan to our studio to talk us through a battle plan for each area of the country.

No matter where you live, Dr. Airan’s most important tip for battling dry skin is this: Take short luke-warm showers. The get-in-and-get-out approach will keep your skin from losing hydration. And here are her more specific tips according to which region of the country you’re in:

Northeast

Winter means a drop in humidity and, for many, lots of time spent indoors in dry heat. A humidifier can do wonders