Blog Posts by Cosmopolitan.com

The actress has come a long way since "The Rachel" (which she recently called "the ugliest haircut I've ever seen"), but Jen is still one of the biggest tresses trendsetters in Hollywood. From her infamous brunette layers to her sleek blonde transformation, we look back on all of her most memorable styles.

Read More »from Jennifer Aniston's Most Iconic Hairdos

By Gabrielle Frank

Ever dreamt of quitting your job and getting paid to write steamy romance novels? Well, you might actually be able to make that fantasy come true. Sales of erotica and romance are sky-high - the latest figures claim the genre makes around $1.36 billion a year! - and nearly 10,000 romance books were published in 2010 alone. So we got the long-time queen of women's lit, Barbara Taylor Bradford, to spill her success secrets. Considering she just published her 27th book, Playing the Game, which is as un-put-down-able as her first, the woman clearly knows what she's talking about. Read on and you just might see your book at the top of the best-seller list.

Q: You've written so many books, nearly one a year for over two decades. Where do you continue to find new, fresh ideas for the plots?

A: I find plot ideas just by keeping my eyes open. One day, I saw this blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman walking somewhere, and I started thinking about what her story was

Read More »from Want To Write A Best Seller? Read This!

When Cosmo went undercover in tanning salons and employees told us that UV beds and booths are an excellent source of hard-to-get vitamin D, we called them out for telling a total lie. And now the American Academy of Dermatologists is calling them out too.

Related: 13 Healthy Foods That Can Make You Fat

The Academy, the largest and most influential derm organization in the country, just released a statement saying that vitamin D should never be obtained by fake baking, even if you're Vitamin D deficient. "Unprotected exposure to UV radiation from the sun or indoor tanning is not safe. Individuals who intentionally expose themselves to UV radiation for vitamin D are putting their health at risk for developing skin cancer," explained the president of the Academy. And he added that the only safe ways to boost your vitamin D levels are through food, beverages, or supplements.

Related: 7 Ways to Fall Asleep When You Feel Wired

Researchers also concluded that the risks of being

Read More »from What Tanning Salons Don't Want You To Know

So you're having a little get-together this February 6th? No need to stress. Celeb event planner Jes Gordon, author of Party Like a Rock Star, offers surprisingly simple tricks.

By Bethany Heitman

Related: 20 Fun, Fearless Ways To Meet A Guy

1) If you're serving beer, don't keep the bottles or cans in the fridge - they will be hard for people to access and take up too much space. Instead, pick up some colorful buckets at the dollar store, fill them with ice, and store drinks in them. If you place two tubs at either side of the room, you'll force people to move and mingle more as they go back and forth to get drinks.

Related: Your Decorating Dilemmas-Solved

2) Cupcakes are a crowd-pleasing dessert. Start with a ton of basic butter-cream frosting (you can either buy it or find a really simple recipe online). Then separate portions into different bowls, and mix in flavors. Add pomegranate juice (or a drop of Pama Liqueur) to one, a drop of mint extract to another, and a splash of

Read More »from 8 Easy Ways To Throw The Best Super Bowl Party

By Zoe Ruderman

Most guys are not shy about letting a woman know when they're ready for action. But men tell us all the time that there are few things hotter than a woman who initiates a hookup. So, learn to read his in-the-mood signals (in some cases, before he even realizes it), with the help of Janine Driver, author of You Say More Than You Think, and beat him to the punch.

1. He gets an "eye erection".
His pupils dilate, making the black part of the eye go from small to larger, something that happens when arousal spikes.

Related: 6 Surprising Facts You Don't Know About Men Today

2. He hooks his thumbs in his belt loops.

It's an attempt to highlight the crotchal region and get you thinking about his junk.

Related: 8 Hairstyles Men Love

3. He touches his nose a lot.

Unless he has a cold, this could be a sign since the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine recently reported that the nerves in a guy's nose and his erectile tissue are linked.

Related: Is Sex Making Him Sick?

Read More »from 7 Signs He Wants to Have Sex (Besides the Obvious One!)

By Zoe Ruderman

If your man comes down with a runny nose, a fever, and fatigue this winter, it could be the flu. But there's also a very small chance that it's the sex sniffles, aka post-orgasmic illness syndrome (POIS). Scientists just identified the condition, which causes guys to feel flu-ish after ejaculating and can last for up to a week.

Related: Body Clues You Should Never Ignore

According to a report on the study on Reuters.com, the symptoms could be caused by an allergy to semen. And one of the researchers added that many of the guys who suffer from POIS don't realize they have a diagnosable condition and may have just been chalking up their sex flu to a regular flu. Luckily, the allergy can be treated with years of repeatedly exposing the patient to skin injections of his ejaculate.

Related: 6 Surprising Facts You Don't Know About Men Today

But don't worry - while researchers aren't sure exactly how many men suffer from POIS, they say it's probably a small Read More »from Is Sex Making Your Husband Sick?

Natalie Portman's mind-blowing acting job isn't the only thing that mesmerized us - and the Golden Globe critics - about Black Swan; we're also obsessed with the adorable bun she rocked in the film. Tommy Buckett, stylist at Marie Robinson in New York City, reveals how to recreate it in four easy steps.

By Stefanie Tuder

1. Start with slightly damp hair. In the palm of your hand, mix together sculpting gel and a dab of conditioner (so the gel won't harden). Apply the mixture to your roots, and drag it through to the ends. Be sure to get around your whole hairline, including the back of your neck, to prevent flyaways. And use a good amount of product - enough to make your hair feel almost wet.

Related: Unforgettable Makeup Looks To Try

2. Using a boar bristle brush, tightly gather hair into a ponytail at the crown of your head. Gaze at the ceiling and lift your chin as you brush to ensure the strands at the nape of your neck stay taut. Secure with an elastic.

Related: 4 New PartyRead More »from The Secret To Scoring Natalie's Perfect Black Swan Bun

By passing these relationship tests, you'll show him that you're more than just a cool chick - you're girlfriend material.

By Chris Connolly

1. You Hole Up Together

It's an early lust ritual: You hang out Friday night, blow off plans with friends, and come to, groggy and sexed-out, sometime on Sunday. Says Mark*, 27: "The first time Karen stayed over two nights in a row and was happy to hang in one of my shirts and no makeup - that's when it clicked that she could be the real deal." Being with each other around the clock tests if you can coexist. So keep the convos light, resign to using your finger as a toothbrush, and resist staying till his alarm goes off on Monday morning.

Related: 6 Surprising Facts You Don't Know About Men Today

2. You Make an Ass of Yourself

"On my first date with Sara, we went ice-skating," remembers James, 32. "She lost her footing and bonked her head on the ice. My first thought was 'Ohmigod, she's dead,' but to my surprise, she started

Read More »from 4 Make-or-Break Dating Moments