Blog Posts by The chicks at TotalBeauty.com

Like almost every other woman in America, I can't get enough of Jennifer Aniston. I love her hair. I covet her body. And I devour articles about what, exactly, she does to look so hot. Is it Pilates? Yoga? Lasers?

Turns out it's actually just a smoothie.

Related: 10 Smoothies for Perfect Skin

Jennifer Aniston calls it the Wonder Smoothie, and she drinks only this smoothie one day each week.

I call it starvation, but potato, pot-ahhtoe.

Related: Can You Afford to Look Like Jennifer Aniston?

The drink is made up of fresh, organic vegetables, including beetroot, cucumbers, spinach, garlic, carrots, celery, and kale.

Nutritionist Jeannette Jackson says the smoothie has great health benefits. "Beetroot helps clean the blood of toxins, celery and carrots boost potassium and sodium levels, and kale and parsley offer immense benefits to the brain, so you'll feel less stressed."

Related: 10 Ways to Lose 5 Pounds by This Weekend

If you're thinking

Bikini season is upon us, which means my love handles are trumping my usual excuses to ditch the gym. Whether I'm tired, feeling lazy, or crazed at work, the mere thought of my cute new suit inspires me to show up for spin class these days.

But I'm embarrassed to admit there is one exception: I bail on my exercise plans if my hair looks amazing.

Related: 13 Excuses Super-fit Chicks Never Make

Call me the girliest of girls, but nothing ruins a great blowout faster than a sweat session. Which leaves me with a choice: toned abs or sleek hair?

Related: 9 Secrets Your Personal Trainer Won't Tell You

It turns out I can actually have both. Celebrity stylist Angelo David says there is a way to salvage your blowout after a hard workout. Here are his 6 clever tricks to gym-proof your blowout:

Tip No. 1: USE DRY SHAMPOO

Dry shampoo has become wildly popular in the last few years and for good reason: When you don't want to wash your hair but probably

Last week, Lady Gaga confirmed that she'll soon be releasing a fragrance of her own. What does it smell like? "An expensive hooker," Gaga said.

Related: Editors' Signature Perfumes

Not quite your style? How about smelling like Khloe and Lamar's "unbreakable bond" or Britney Spears' "fantasy"?

Roll your eyes all you want, but countless celebs are making bank in perfume sales these days. (Check out the insane amount Paris Hilton's fragrances have grossed.) Clearly there's a market. But who's coo-coo enough to actually buy one of these cheese-tastic scents? 



I am.

Related: The 5 Workouts Celebrities Swear By

Now, before you judge, you should know that I'm not the only beauty editor who loves her some Kimmie K. eau de parfum. In fact, all of my fellow Total Beauty editors admit to having at least one celebrity fragrance they secretly love. Want to know which ones we keep hidden in our sock drawers and spritz on not-so-proudly? Here they are.

When I shop at Whole Foods, I feel like I've got the grocery store equivalent of a "Get Out of Jail Free" card -- and I toss foods into my cart with abandon.

Gluten-free cookies? They're healthy!

Multi-grain bread? That freshly baked "Seeduction" loaf won't make me pudgy.

Related: 8 Healthy Snacks That Are More Fattening Than a Twinkie

But after a few months of working out like an Amazon woman and shopping for "healthy" food at Whole Paycheck, my scale still isn't budging. Which is why I called in the big guns: clinical nutritionist Stella Metsovas, BS, and registered dietitian Andrea N. Giancoli, RD. Here's what they told me: Shopping at health food stores can be a dieter's worst nightmare. Why? Because it can fool you into thinking everything is good for you -- even when you know deep down that those organic oreos and artisan crackers are as fattening as the stuff that's sold at Super Target.

Related: 7 Snacks That Taste Fatty but Keep You Skinny

To

When I was little I wanted to be a ballerina. (Well, either that or a check out girl.) But, because I was born with two left feet and about as much grace as Oscar the Grouch, I soon realized that being lifted by Baryshnikov was not in my cards.

That doesn't mean I don't still marvel over the majesty of the ballet. The elegance, the sophistication, and quiet reserve the dancers bring to their art is truly remarkable -- and don't even get me started on their bodies. Long, lean, muscular, strong and powerful -- ballerina bodies are certainly sights to behold and forms to covet. 'Till now I've wallowed over this more than I care to admit, but now it looks like I no longer have to. Hear ye: You don't need God-given talent to achieve the beautiful, limber body of a ballerina.

Related: 5 Workouts Celebrities Swear By

Former New York City Ballet dancer Mary Helen Bowers, 32, who trained Natalie Portman for her role in "Black Swan," just released a new exercise and

For a recent bachelorette party in Vegas, I packed the usual suspects: false lashes, my cutest cocktail dress, and my butt pad.

Go ahead and laugh. Yes, I have a butt pad. In fact, my mother bought it for me. It looks like gigantic, flesh-colored granny panties with foam butt cheeks attached to them. And while my self-esteem plummeted in my tween years thanks to the unsolicited gift, I guess I owe her a belated thank-you, because big butts are back in style.

Related: 6 Simple Moves for Very Sexy Legs

True, it's been a while since Sir Mix-A-Lot was singing about how his baby's got back and J.Lo was reportedly insuring her best ass-et for $27 million. But now sweet little booties like Pippa Middleton's are getting spanked (heh) by big-bottomed celebs like Christina Hendricks, Nicki Minaj, and leather-dress-ripping Kim Kardashian.

Related: The 5 Workouts Celebrities Swear By

And if being on-trend isn't a good enough reason to want more junk in your trunk, it turns

http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/african-american-beauty-myths?cid=2590

My best friend is like another sister to me. We tell each other everything -- and we're brutally honest with each other.

"Do these jeans make me look fat?" one of us will ask.

"Yup, they do, sweetie," the other will reply.

"Is my hair as bad as I think it is?"

"Mmmmhmmm, never go to that salon again."

What can I say? The truth hurts -- and I'm glad I can count on my bestie to give it to me straight.

But this weekend, when I suggested my BFF try Bobbi Brown's new neon lip glosses, her reply went something like this: "Have you lost your mind? I would never wear neon pink lips -- my skin is too dark!"

Related: How to Pull Off Bright Color Trends Now

The idea that black women with darker complexions can't wear bold, bright hues is one of many age-old African-American beauty myths that are totally bogus -- but have somehow managed to stick.

Related: 10 Easy-to-Recreate African-American Hairstyles

After hearing this misconception for the

I love my husband, but I hate his grooming habits.

Related: 8 Father's Day Grooming Kits He Will Actually Use

He is constantly "borrowing" my lip balm (and never returns it), still believes a just-rolled-out-of-bed hairstyle is OK, and thinks keeping his feet clean means clipping his toenails once every few months.

I mean, I don't need him to transform into an uber-metrosexual, but a little more effort would make a world of difference. Smoothing down his ruffled hair, using his own chapstick, moisturizing his scaly feet -- it's the little things, right?

Related: Beauty Tips from a Man: What He Notices (and Doesn't!)

So this Father's Day, instead of the usual tie or button-down, I've decided to help myself by nudging him in the right direction with a few cool, effective grooming must-haves. If your husband is like mine, you'll want to check out these eight gifts that may actually improve your relationship (or at least put an end to the lip balm-related fights).


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