Blog Posts by RealBeauty.com

For holiday season, don't be afraid to glitz up your eyes a bit by wearing a metallic eyeliner or shimmery eye shadow. Even if you're thinking, "I wore glitter in middle school/high school/college - never again!" you can still get away with a little sparkle here and there if you choose the right places. Here are tips for how to put a twinkle in your eye at every age.






20s
For Katy Perry's bold look, rim your eyes with silver or gold shadow, says makeup artist Angelique Velez. Pair it with black eyeliner, a few coats of mascara and finish it off with a neutral pink or coral lip.







30s
"If your eyes are your favorite feature, make them pop with a metallic liner," says MAC senior makeup artist Fatima Thomas. Naomi Campbell wears a sultry gunmetal gray hue.







40s
Metallic blues and deep purples are some of hottest fall trends. If you want to turn on the brights like Sandra Bullock, use these electric hues as a liner instead of an eye shadow.







50s
Allison Janney plays up her eyes with a blend

Even though we know the actresses on TV have a army of hairdressers and makeup artists to make them appear virtually flawless, we can't help but envy the way the look on our favorite shows. Read below to get some dos and don'ts from the TV stars who turned heads with their hair this week.

DO have a go-to hairstyle. Our favorite Seattle Grace resident Meredith Grey has her signature wavy locks down to a science. Click here to see how you can get her look and save on morning prep time.






DO Experiment with the side braid. Although it may seem like a clear snatch from Lauren Conrad's usual updo, Heidi Montag of The Hills proved Lauren isn't the only one who knows how to do a good side braid. Click here for an easy step by step guide to get a side braid like Heidi's.




DON'T Forget half of your hair at home! NeNe Leaks sported a new weave on the reunion of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and it looked like a bob gone bad. Check out these tips to do short hair the right way.






Related Links

What's worse than buying a lipstick at the drugstore, only to find that it's too sheer or frosty? And once you use it, you typically can't return it and you're out the money.

Enter RealBeauty.com's Ultimate Lipstick Challenge: one day, eight diverse women, and 137 lipsticks. Being surrounded by the best lipstick brands out there would be any beauty lover's euphoria, but we had a mission to accomplish: find lipstick shades that will work seemingly on every woman.

Well, we did it, and we have the testimonies to prove it. Our models range in age from 20s to mid-40s, and are of almost every ethnic background under the sun. Read on to find out which shades made the cut.

Nude - Smashbox Photo Finish Lipstick in Flawless
We had the most nudes to test out of all the shades so we were happy to find one that didn't look muddy. Camille describes the hue as "a subtle tint of color that makes me feel chic without overdoing it." Click here to see how it looks on everyone and where to buy it.









Red

So long sweet summer - hello frigid winter! Although we love the sight of a first snowfall, we'd rather pass on dehydrated flakiness that winter brings. Watch our video here on how to make your skin glow during these cold months, and then read below for more hydrating tips.

Change your soap. Start in the shower by lathering up with an ultra-hydrating body wash. "Bar soaps can contain harsh surfactants, so it's best to stick with a creamy, moisturizing formula," says P&G Beauty Scientist Rolanda Johnson

Shorten your showers. Nothing is better than letting the hot streams message your back. But it's important to keep your daily showers short and make sure the water is warm, not hot. Pat yourself dry with a towel, but leave a little water on your skin.

Moisturize before you towel-off. Immediately apply a cream that contains hydrators like glycerin, dimethicone, and ceramides, which are lipids that reinforce your skin's protective barrier so moisture can't escape, says dermatologist Eric

Show up to holiday parties with a beautiful hairdo that's not only current and trendy, but a cinch to create. Check out our videos here for an easy instructional step-by-step and pretty soon, you'll be the belle of your holiday soirée!



Next, read more below for how to create beautiful hairstyles for an elegant night out.








Half-Up Hairstyle
Not only does half-up hair look incredibly sexy, but it also draws attention to your features, and it's so, so easy to do. Here, Stacy Pitt, stylist and owner of Styles on B, gives tips on how to create this 'do.










Sophisticated Chignon
The best DIY updo trick is to start with hair that hasn't been freshly shampooed, since texture is key to getting strands to hold. Try coating your fingers with a dab of wax when you pull your hair back for added "grip." Click here for how to finish off the look.









Related Links

• Best of Fall Makeup and Hair
• Get Inspiration from the Red Carpet
• Braided Updos, An Unexpected Twist

When it comes to hiding your under-eye circles, your regular concealer that you use to cover blemishes won't cut it.

You need is a peach-based one in a shade slightly darker than you would normally use to neutralize the purple rings, says NYC makeup artist Dara Klein. "Identify your skin tone first relative to your level of under-eye darkness."

• More on covering up skin flaws

For example, if you have fair skin and very dark circles, your instinct may be to choose a light concealer. But this shade will actually enhance your circles because it'll only match the skin around the eye and not the shade of the actual darkness. So go up a shade - it'll be light enough for your skin tone but corrective enough for the level of purple under the eye.

Once you find a good concealer, apply it with a small brush for the most precise coverage, says Klein. "The key is to only apply the concealer only over the rings, nowhere else." Use a tapping motion instead of wiping the brush

In the blink of an eye, all your kid's fun size Reese's Cups and Three Musketeer bars were replaced with empty wrinkled wrappers.

Regardless of how skeptical you may be of detox programs, these at-home tricks are low-drama and budget-friendly. Here's a plan so you can stop feeling like you got hit in the stomach with a pillowcase of candy.

Lemon Water
Add lemon to your water through out the day. The acid in the lemons assist the cleansing process. Citrus fruits, such as lemons, contain a pure concentrated form of citric acid. Citric acid works like bleach on fat. Due to its acidity and high ph, citric acid is able to actually penetrate and break down fat molecules.

Help things along
Try a detox tea, such as the one by Yogi Tea. It contains 21 herbs hailed for their purifying properties, such as burdock, dandelion, juniper berry, and ginger. Despite the range of herbs, it isn't something you have to hold your nose to be able to choke down.

Sweat it out
Sweating is one of your body's

Courtesy of Hype HairWe love rediscovering great makeup finds and adding them back into our beauty regime, especially ones that make us look amazing with almost no effort.

Laura Mercier's Metallic Creme Eyeshadow ($22, blurmercury.com) will be your holiday makeup lifesaver. Seriously. We picked up the helpful tubes in Platinum (base) and Burnished Copper this weekend at our local Blue Mercury store. Both are fantastic hues for every eye color and skin tone. Plus, this eyeshadow won't leave those horrible crease marks on your lids, and it provides a sticky enough base to apply regular eyeshadow on top that will last all day or night.

• How to Apply Liquid Eyeliner

1. Use your eyeshadow brush to apply the Platinum base color all over your lid, being sure to blend up towards your brown bone.
2. Next, use your eyeshadow brush to apply the Burnished Copper color to just your lid, blending to the outer corner, lash line, inner corner and crease. Voila. You've just created a chic smokey