Blog Posts by The chicks at TotalBeauty.com

I have dated some real winners and some real … well, not winners. Some went to college, some didn't. Some were good to me and some were absolutely not. So what do these men have in common besides me and the city I live in (which, by the way, made this list of the Top 10 Hottest-Guy Cities)? Well, to be honest, they all kind of looked the same. I have a type. A physical type, that is. I rarely ever date beyond the blonde, blue-eyed type.

And I don't think I am alone in this. I believe most people date a certain category of people, don't you? It doesn't have to be the entire package that's the same, perhaps just the jaw line or even the dry sense of humor. I found evidence for this argument when looking at these odd celebrity couples that once dated and then comparing their former flames to the celebs they're dating now. Check out some of my findings:

Sofia Vergara

These days she's riding high on the success of "Modern Family" and is happily dating former Florida senate

Our Executive Editor has been away at New York Fashion Week running from show to show in stilettos (OK, so she really wore flat black boots, but stilettos just sound better), tweeting backstage beauty tips, and freezing her now L.A. weather-accustomed fanny off.

Meanwhile I've been salivating over the gorgeous makeup trends, scoffing at the Snooki-inspired hairstyle seen at Peter Som, and discovering who is sneaking into the Mercedes Benz tent. What I discovered during all of this "research" is what I really care most about is the insane, yet brilliant, nail art that's been making news. Have you seen how absurd, amazing, downright disturbing and outrageously fun it all is?! And can you tell how excited and confused it makes me?

Here are some of my favorite NYFW nail highlights. The question is though, would you actually wear any of these designs? You know, in "real" life?

At Ruffian, Kristina Estabrooks made luxurious black and shell tuxedo manicures.

At Jason

Sure, boyfriends and husbands get to have opinions on things. For example, they can offer suggestions on where to go for dinner, tell us how much they love our new sexy perfume, serve up some tax advice … that's all good.

However, when it comes to our beauty, and especially our beauty routine, I feel like it's a "Don't ask, Don't tell" situation. Don't ask us about it. Don't tell us ways we can improve our looks.

But then, as I was getting ready for my Valentine's Day on Monday, a ritual that took about an hour and a half, I realized that I was probably wasting a ton of time on stuff my date doesn't even notice. And it got me thinking, maybe men can offer up some beauty tips (just don't ask about this) or at least tell me what he notices and what he doesn't.

That's when I decided to hit up Ky Henderson, Editor-in-Chief of ModernMan.com and dating columnist for some tips on what we should and shouldn't spend time on when it comes to our beauty.

Turns out, his tips

Operator: 911, what is your emergency?

Me: Hi, I'm going to need backup. I've got a pimple that's broken into my chin. I want to pop it, but I'm scared. It's armed, it's dangerous and it's threatening to ruin my date this weekend!

Operator: Alright ma'am, calm down. We both know that unless you know how to pop a pimple the right way, you're only going to end up getting hurt. Now listen carefully, I'm going to need you to walk into your kitchen.

Me: My kitchen?!

Operator: Yes ma'am, you're going to need to trust me. Walk into your kitchen and open your cupboards. In there you will find at-home fixes for your skin care emergency.

Alright, so maybe that's not quite how the dispatch officer would handle a phone call to 911 about a looming zit or puffy eyes emergency, but perhaps it should be. Especially since skin care experts say you don't need a miracle cream to clear blemishes and zap zits, soothe facial irritation, bring pH balance to the skin, calm insect bites

**WARNING** No amount of beauty tips will garner you a promotion if you suck at your job, are lazy and unmotivated, or get caught talking smack about your boss when you by accidentally hit "reply all" to the company email chain.

So how on earth can beauty tips or wearing the perfect office hairstyle (see what it is) possibly get you a promotion or help you get hired? And why does your appearance make a difference when you are clearly packing some awe-worthy qualifications? Well, if you think about it, appearance affects how we are treated and treat others all the time. So why would the office be any different? "Newsweek" found that hiring managers rank appearance as the third most important character trait, right behind experience and then confidence.

To help you in your "I'm awesome at my job, please notice me"-mission is makeup artist Carmindy from "What Not to Wear" and lifestyle and fitness consultant Ashley Borden. Here are some of their tips to helping you get the

That's right, the Beiber, everyone's favorite kiddy crooner, has changed up his signature hairstyle. You know, the one that is arguably as famous as the pop star himself. This photo was allegedly taken and tweeted behind-the-scenes of a "Rolling Stone" shoot and shows his usually down and wispy hair up and spiked.

(See the best Tweeters to follow here)

We like it, and think he should keep the change. Looks a bit cuter … er, can we say that without breaking any laws?

Anyway, before we get a restraining order a la Kim Kardashian, what do you think? Do you like his old sideswept style that flips 14-year-old girls' hearts or the new spiked look?

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I can be walking past a perfume counter in Macy's, catch the sweet scent of Bulgarian rose and almond wafting through the air and be immediately transported to my sophomore year in college when I had a rather torrid love affair with an Englishman and wore the scent Hanae Mori like it was going out of style. That, my friends, was a good year.

We all have those perfumes, don't we? You know, the ones that defined a period of our life and every time we smell it are reminded of that vacation in Paris, the summer at the beach or even high school?

When I asked my coworker Audrey which perfumes defined her life, she told me about these:

"Anais Anais, $40: All of my friends wore this classic Cacharel fragrance in high school and while we were sorely lacking in originality, we made up for it by having fun lip synching to the Bangles' 'Walk Like an Egyptian' and dancing like those hot girls in Robert Palmer's 'Addicted to Love' video.

Chanel Cristalle, $94: The fresh flowery

Don't get me wrong, some of these celebrities -- even before they were famous (or when caught without makeup) -- looked way better than I could ever hope to look, even if I had amazing genes and could stop chowing down on cake … mmm cake. Sorry, sidetracked. Like I was saying, before these stars had boatloads of money and fame, they were pretty, but NOT as freakishly perfect as they are now. They were human. And you know, had skin problems, acne, frizzy hair, crooked teeth, flat chests, crooked noses and the like.

Why is this important to point out? Well, because it reminds us not to get down on ourselves for every little imperfection and hopefully is a nice reminder that the reason why many celebs look so good is because of the fact that they're famous and can throw money at every "problem."

So to boost our confidence, I put together a little gallery showing some of our favorite stars before and after they hit the big time.

Leighton Meester

Before: In 2004, right