Blog Posts by RealBeauty.com

We went to an event last week hosted by LUSTER Premium White to learn about their new whitening toothpastes made with essential oils. They flew in their medical Aromatherapy expert Dr. Daniel Penoel along with one of his American patients who he had helped. His patient gave her testimony on how after countless hours of time and money for treatment, the pain from her interstitial cystitis was able to be alleviated with essential oils.

Dr. Penoel explained that too many of us are too quick to pop an Advil or Motrin when we have a headache, rather than go to an aromatherapist and get a mix of essential oils to treat it naturally like they do in his native Florence.

Clearly there are certain conditions and health issues that are better left to our physician and FDA-approved drugs. But what about using lavender to induce better sleep? Or peppermint and eucalyptus to help clear chest and nose congestion?

According to our experts at UC Berkeley, "some essential oils are toxic if swallowed,

Keeping your head and ears warm is essential, but wearing a hat isn't always conducive for great hair days. And although outside our office looks like a snow globe, we're excited about fedoras for spring. Here are three different hairstyles that look great underneath a hat. (Related: Try on a celebrity hairstyle.)

Sectioned Ponytail
Smooth all of your hair back into a low pony and secure with an elastic at the base of your neck.
Divide your ponytail in half; wrap a black elastic (clear for light hair) about 2-3 inches below the base of each tail. Add elastics to both tails every 2 inches, stopping about a half inch above your ends (try Goody Ouchless Latex Elastics, $3, at drugstores). Try this easy half-up hairstyle.


Tousled Waves
Make the hair under your hat smooth by using a 1-inch round brush to pull your damp roots tight. Aim your dryer at the brush and continue section by section until your hair is straight and dry.
Take small sections of hair and mist them with a flexible

For some women, perfume is the finishing touch to make them feel completely ready to head out the door. For others, it's an unnecessary layer which causes headaches-literally.

But here at Real Beauty, we love our fragrances. Recently, a staffer who's default scent is Philosophy Amazing Grace, fell in love with Stella McCartney STELLA. Excited about adding a new perfume to her wardrobe, she made a trip to Sephora, her new boyfriend in tow. A wrench in the plan: the boyfriend took one whiff and said, "Please do not buy that." She opted for Marc Jacobs Lola instead.

What are your thoughts on this? Should she had said, "Forget you-I'm buying what I like!" or is her reasoning right in line, since the object is to turn on your boyfriend, not make him sneeze?

Should you care if your guy likes the perfume that you're wearing? Do you like his cologne? What perfume do you wear, or do you rely on your own personal natural scent? Sound off below.

On the hunt for a new perfume? Take our free

Proof that winter and cold viruses aren't going anywhere: the drugstore end caps are overflowing with DayQuil and Mucinex, the streets are a mess of icy slush and our cubemate is currently hacking and sneezing like a madwoman. When the Purell sanitizer fails and you wake up with a sore throat, here are some easy makeup tips to keep you looking feverishly good between achoos. More: How to Look Amazing on Lousy Days and Cold Preventers We Swear By!

Nose
Dot petroleum jelly over the raw, red spots. Then dab a dense cream stick foundation onto your clean fingers and gently press over the area with your fingertips until the redness disappears. Try Shiseido The Makeup Stick Foundation. Related: 26 Great-Skin Tips

Lips
If a clogged nose has you breathing through your mouth, you've probably got dry lips. Put petroleum jelly on them, then dab a berry-colored stain on top to give you some color. Try Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain. If your lips are peeling, gently rub them with a damp washcloth.

Whether you first heard them from your mother or at your first slumber party, beauty urban legends cause us to buy promising skin creams and follow off-the-wall regimens. Here, we've listed seven of the most common beauty myths out there-and their answers. Say it with us: The buck stops here! Check out the other 26 beauty myths here.

1. Myth: I pluck one gray hair, multiple gray hairs will grow back in its place.
Fiction. This isn't true - which is good because some of us were starting to worry! While plucking gray hairs won't make more grow back in its place, it's not a good habit to get into since it can damage the root.

2. Myth: Cocoa butter will help get rid of stretch marks.
Fiction. There are plenty of creams and lotions that claim to eliminate or at least minimize stretch marks. While we would love for all of these to work, stretch marks are caused by weight gain or loss, and usually can't be reversed.

3. Myth: Split ends can be reversed.
Fiction. Unfortunately, once split ends

Valentine's Day is finally here (and we can't wait to see all the red and pink disappear from the store shelves). If you're a single girl like us hopefully you're spending this Sunday night out with good friends a la Carrie and Miranda in Sex and the City. After you put your hands up, follow these makeup and hair suggestions that only your girlfriends will notice and appreciate-that's why they're amazing!

Pastel Lids and Hot Pink Lips
If you always stick to neutral eye shadows and sheer gloss, take a cue from 90210 stars AnnaLynne McCord and Jessica Lowndes and experiment with pops of color. Go for an icy blue or lilac hue on your eyes or a bright pink lipstick on your pout.

Sculpted Waves
Men prefer hairstyles that are loose and tousled so they can run their hands through it. Whitney Port's side-swept, retro curls scream "hands off," which is why they're best worn around your girlfriends.
To get the look, use hot rollers or a large curling iron. Wrap each section with the iron

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? Wrong, says Dr. Gloria G. Bramer, a Georgia-based licensed clinical sexologist. According to her, an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away (we're sure apples are fine too, but we prefer this prevention method)! "An orgasm is one of the healthiest things you can give yourself each day. From a sexologist's point of view it should be included in your routine along with brushing your teeth and washing your hair." Click ahead and find out how you can instantly improve your complexion by taking this advice to heart. Then, check out the other 28 reasons why sex is good for you, from head to toe.

1. Sex makes you glow.
It's true - sex gives your skin a heavenly glow. Bramer says that having sex improves blood circulation, which helps to pump oxygen to your skin and make it brighter. It also helps to eliminate toxins and can actually make your lips a little fuller.

2. It cleanses your pores.
No need for pore cleansers: Sex will do the trick, depending

As beauty editors, we can't help but have an impact on our immediate friends and family when it comes to hair tips, makeup how-tos and skincare advice.

One person in particular who we do struggle with is our male significant other, which got us thinking: where is the line between being nicely groomed as a male and going overboard? If the tables were turned, can you imagine waiting an hour for your guy to get ready? Men aren't supposed to be high maintenance-that's our job. Here are six DO's and DON'Ts of male grooming. More: Beauty Secrets From Real Women

1. DON'T: Manis/Pedis - André Leon Talley is the only man who should remain the pedicure prince-it works for the Vogue editor-at-large. But as for our main squeeze who isn't a head honcho at one of the most well-renowned fashion magazines? We'd rather not have our guy sitting with us at our next salon visit.

2. DO: Nail clipping - No more hangnails, guys, and keep them short! We just hope that he opts for the clipper and not his