Blog Posts by The chicks at TotalBeauty.com

In my gig as a beauty editor, I get a lot of advice that wows me. Use eye cream on chapped lips to heal them instantly (genius!). Condition before you shampoo if you have fine hair (gives you all of the moisture, none of the weight).

But for every bit of wisdom, I get some duh-inducing duds. Or worse, I get some advice that just isn't doable. Case in point: "Apply your makeup in natural sunlight."

Right.

First of all, there's not a whole lot of sunlight at 6 a.m. when I'm wielding my mascara wand in a still-sleepy stupor. And even if I did have the luxury of waiting until there were some decent rays, not many of them make it through the 6x12 inch window above my shower.

The solution? A foundation so amazing that I could apply it in a dark closet and still come out looking flawless, like one of these.

But then there's the other extreme -- the foundations that are so bad, you could have a professional makeup artist swiping them on in a freakin' meadow and

Full disclosure: I've got about $3,000 worth of hair products in my bathroom right now. Yes, I did the math. And yes, I'm as horrified as you are.

Related: 15 Best Hair Care Products Under $10

While my girlfriends who've stayed at my place love me for my hair product addiction ("Your bathroom is like the Sephora for hair!"), I'm about to stage a Dr. Drew-style intervention on myself. Styling creams and shine sprays spill out every time I open a cabinet, and there's no room to actually stand in the shower thanks to all the shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, scalp exfoliators, clarifying rinses … are you starting to see my problem?

Related: 15 Worst Shampoos

So I went to a few of my go-to hair experts to help me pare down. They filled me in on the only products I really need to create any hairstyle I'm after. Check out their list here. Then tell me -- do you agree? Or should I hang onto this amazing texturizing spray?

No. 1: Leave-in conditioner

I have dark circles so dark that on some mornings, my co-workers steal worried glances at me and wonder if I ever sleep. My circles are that bad.

Related: The No-Fail Cure for Under-Eye Circles

That's why I'm constantly searching for -- and spending a hefty chunk of change on -- products that claim to lighten said darkness. And with every new package I open, I have hope. Hope that this product just might be the miracle I'm after. Hope that I may finally be able to look like I got a full-night's sleep, just once.

Related: Look Well-Rested When You're Insanely Sleep-Deprived

If you've got dark circles, acne, wrinkles, fill-in-your-particular-beauty-bummer here, I bet you can relate. And like me, you probably have a bathroom cabinet full of products you bought with the kind of hope I'm talking about here -- hope that's dashed when you're left amazingly underwhelmed.

It's a frustrating journey, but thankfully the beauty industry is constantly coming out with

Last week was a whirlwind of end-of-the-year projects at work, elbowing people in the mall because I procrastinated on my Christmas shopping again, and doubling up on therapy before going home for the holidays.

After surviving Secret Santa with the fam and enduring my mother's incessant pleas for grandchildren, I'm finally back home in my nice, quiet apartment.

And I just realized New Year's Eve is only a few days away.

And I haven't even thought about buying a new dress.

Related: Stunning Eye Makeup Looks for the Holidays

There's no way I'm hitting the mall during post-Christmas return-a-palooza, so it looks like I'll be re-wearing my always-reliable LBD. And since I'd like to hide the fact that I wore this same dress last year, I found some red carpet hair and makeup looks that'll keep my friends staring at my gorgeous hair and face.

Here are my top five options. Which hair and makeup combo should I try?

Chanel Iman

Chanel Iman

Iman's double-winged tip is

You know that yearbook photo -- the one where you're nothing but big teeth, brows, and hair -- that you look at disbelievingly and wonder, "What the holy Henry was I thinking?"

We all have that photo. Heck, some of us have entire albums full of them. And that's OK. They represent a certain time in our lives. A gentler, more naïve time. A time when people clearly didn't know anything about hairstyles. Or so we tell ourselves.

Here's the thing: As life goes on, we amass more and more such photos and always wonder why we looked so lame then when right now we're so fabulous. Then it hits you. "Aack. Will I soon reflect on my current fabulous hair and think it's completely unfortunate in a few years?" Probably. And, that's good news, because you can always chalk up unflattering beauty judgments to a "sign of the times" and escape 100 percent blameless.

Related: The Best and Worst Nail, Hair & Makeup Trends of 2010

Take these 5 celeb hairstyles that we've culled from

OK, I need some help. Each year my resolution is to "lose weight and get in shape."

And it's always a disaster.

Last year I tried this detox diet, and while I lost 5 pounds in a week, I also passed out in the shower. In 2010 it was Atkins, which worked … until I went on a bender at Panera Bread.

Related: 11 Easy Ways to Blast More Calories

So I'm turning to you. I want to know the foolproof, can't-screw-it-up, easiest-to-follow diet that you swear by. The one that actually has a shot of working for me this year. To kick-start the search, I asked TotalBeauty.com readers for their go-to weight loss plans:

"Low carb, I lost 70 pounds and it's easy to maintain. You're not hungry, plus I gained muscle and my blood pressure and cholesterol have gotten much better." -- Josie K.

"Eat seven small meals a day. Lost 50 pounds. And I don't feel deprived." -- KayCee T.

"Anti-inflammatory diet. No processed food, no sugar, no dairy, all natural foods. I have lost 29

Why is it that on the mornings when I most need to look and feel great (say, when I'm meeting my boyfriend's parents for brunch or I've got a huge presentation at work) I wake up with a fatty zit between my brows?

Related: 12 Instant Fixes For Hair and Skin Problems

Indulge me in my whining for a moment. I thought acne was supposed to be relegated to my awkward teen years. Shouldn't it have been banished from my world like my braces, ugly glasses, and those horrible '90s hairstyles? Are you with me?

At least back in the day, a good 80 percent of my friends were also making a beeline for the Clearasil aisle. Now, I always feel like the lone "grown-up" who's still seeing spots. Which is why I make it a point to be up on the products that will make those spots disappear. Immediately.

Want to know the fastest-working acne products on the market? As well as the ones that don't work at all? Keep reading.

THE WORST NO. 3: CLINIQUE ACNE SOLUTIONS POST BLEMISH

Last year I made the trek from Los Angeles to Toronto to visit my boyfriend's family for Christmas. This journey involved a cab ride, a five-hour flight, a three-hour layover in Philadelphia, an hour-long flight in a terrifyingly small plane, and more McDonald's value meals than my already-growing-holiday-belly-pooch needed.

When we arrived, I was bombarded by well-meaning relatives trying to cram every manner of fruitcake, frosted cookie, and roast beef sandwich down my throat.

Related: 7 Snacks That Taste Fatty But Keep You Skinny

Then it was onto the couch, where we sat for hours watching old home movies (have to admit, my BF was a pretty cute kid) and eating chocolate truffles (apparently, the go-to gift for who-knows-if-this-chick-is-going-to-stick girlfriends).

No wonder I could barely zip my jeans for the flight home.

I have a funny feeling that this year will be no different, but at least I've come up with a plan to beat the bulge that happens when you