Blog Posts by SHAPE magazine

Gucci, Prada , Louboutin-it's no secret that red carpet clothes and accessories don't come cheap. As if the couture alone isn't enough, stars usually opt for a little extra sparkle that can run upwards of ten, twenty, even hundreds of thousands of dollars. But not anymore: "Celebrities are turning to jewelry designers like Patricia Brown for their red carpet looks instead of top international jewelry houses because one of the biggest trends in fashion right now is affordable luxury," says celebrity jewelry and fashion commentator Colin McDonald.

We scouted five celebrity looks accented by baubles you can actually buy-on a budget.

Kat de Luna1. Kat Deluna in Chelsea Taylor: Whine Up singer Kat Deluna hit The Bra Book digital launch in Manhattan in this fabulous Swarovski studded leopard-print cocktail ring ($191 at ChelseaTaylor.com) from Chelsea Taylor Jewelry.













Hilary Duff



2. Hilary Duff in Kenneth Jay Lane: Singer Hilary Duff didn't follow the rule of taking one accessory off before she left the house.

How label savvy are you?How food-label savvy are you? Although food labels are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), cutting through the fat (ha!) to understand the fine print can be difficult for even the sharpest of grocery shoppers. Here are 10 sneaky ways food manufacturers cash in on your healthy intentions:

1. If the label says "0 Grams of trans fat..."
A mad-scientist project gone wrong, trans fats are created in a lab by partially hydrogenating healthier oils. This process destroys the many good benefits of the original fats. What's worse, consuming trans fats ups your risk for heart disease and metabolic syndrome. Most nutritionists recommend avoiding them altogether, which doesn't sound so hard except current labeling guidelines allow manufacturers to round anything less than 0.5g/serving down to zero. Eat more than a few servings, and you've consumed a significant amount of the Frankenfood.

Avoid it: Anything that says "partially hydrogenated oil," "hydrogenated vegetable oil," or

Skinny Skinny Coffee ScrubNothing will ever replace a healthy diet and active lifestyle. But we could all use a little extra help from time to time with looking and feeling our best. Here's our cheat sheet to the best beauty products that offer a shortcut to a slimmer-looking physique. Shh...just don't tell anyone!

1. Your daily brew (pictured left): Take a deep whiff of SkinnySkinny Black Coffee Organic Body Scrub ($30 at SkinnySkinny.com) and you'll feel as if you're sipping a warm cup of java. But the organic ground coffee beans in this stimulating scrub are better at fighting cellulite than fatigue. Caffeine's dehydrating effects tighten the skin and improve the appearance of the detested "C" word. In a circular motion, apply the scrub to your cellulite-plagued body parts, and get ready to be wowed by the results.

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St. Tropez Tan2. Sneaky shimmer (pictured left): No time for calf raises? St. Tropez Instant Shimmer Stick ($22.50 at StTropezTan.com) offers a

Christine TiegenBy Tiffany Tse and Christine Teigen

The world knows her as a top swimsuit model. We know her as the quick-witted mastermind behind So Delushious, her drool-inducing food blog. Christine Teigen, who goes by Chrissy, is a boss in the kitchen and a hot commodity in the modeling world (she was dubbed "Rookie of the Year" in Sports Illustrated 2010 Swimsuit Issue). She's also the first to admit that her long, lean limbs and killer bod take hard work. After Teigen launched a successful low-carb diet to prep for a major photo shoot last summer, we requested her arsenal of low-carb recipes for ourselves. The supermodel happily revealed her top five-all in her own words!

1. Yum Nua (Thai Beef Salad) (pictured below): "My mom made this for me all the time growing up. It was one of the few Thai dishes I actually enjoyed. What a silly child I was. Now I love Thai food. She made this for potlucks at school and I always felt so cool and special because everyone else had boring, bland casseroles.

The science behind spanxIt's the biggest hoax in fashion history. Some might even call shapewear controversial-from its potential health implications to dates being misled by "toned" bodies that are really squeezed into figure-flattering undergarments. Even still, we're thankful for them, we wear them, and many of us are proud of our use of them. Now all we want to know is, how does this fashion technology work? We turned to experts to uncover some of our probing shapewear questions…

How does shapewear attempt to make us skinny?

Shapewear brand Va Bien's co-founder and fit expert Marianne Gimble says, "it makes us skinny by sewing or knitting together elastic or rigid fabrics that are cut into such a pattern that when worn, the finished garment nips and tucks the body."

ResultWear shapewear designer Kiana Anvaripour tells us other minimizer benefits: "Properly fitted undergarments improve your posture, your confidence, and the way you walk, which gives you an all-over sleeker physique."

Don't worry about these hyped-up sexual issuesWe already answered some of your burning questions about whether or not you're normal when it comes to sex (you are!), but it's easy to freak and fret when you're dealing with a sensitive subject, like sex. However, some sexual issues simply don't deserve your distress. Experts say to cool it a bit with these common concerns:

1. Am I normal for liking porn or having fantasies? Yes, says sex therapist Sari Cooper. Some people fear that if they allow themselves this pleasure, it will overtake their lives and make them sexual addicts. "Unless the acts are violent or abusive (rape, harassment, sex with minors) or interfere with one's ability to maintain their job and/or responsibilities as a parent (as in compulsive sexual behaviors) or is illegal (prostitution, thus putting oneself and one's family at risk) most fantasies and consensual sexual behaviors are 'normal,'" she says.

RELATED: What Would a Marriage Counselor Say to these Celebrity Couples?

2. The penis goes limp: Holistic life

Adult ADHD or overachiever?"Every generation has an amphetamine crisis," Brad Lamm, board-registered interventionist and author of How To Help The One You Love begins. "And it is driven by women." With this declaration Lamm goes on to describe an epidemic of abuse of prescription ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall that affects everyone from high school students to famous celebrities to soccer moms. Thanks to societal pressure on women to be perfectly thin, smart, and organized and to easy access to these drugs from doctors , a huge black market has risen to meet the demand.

Lamm, who not only runs a prominent lifestyle intervention agency but was also personally addicted to Adderall, explains that for many women it all starts with the desire to be thin. "Adderall for many women is a wonder drug, at least temporarily, for losing weight." In addition to weight loss, the drug is fabled to give you laser focus and the ability to quickly accomplish your entire to-do list. For these reasons, abuse is

Healthy ElvisRemember when you were in elementary school and your mom packed your lunch in a paper bag? Turns out she had the right idea. Opt out of eating a pricey, calorie-laden lunch at a fast food restaurant and take 10 minutes the night before to pack a balanced meal you'll look forward to and feel good about eating. Here are some of our favorites:

1. The Healthy Elvis (left): Fried peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwiches, dubbed The Elvis after the famous singer's penchant for the tasty concoctions, get a healthy remake in this easy recipe . Ditch the bacon and replace the PB with a more nutritious option like natural sunflower seed spread or unsalted almond butter. Just be sure to choose one without hydrogenated oils, added sugars, or salts.

Ingredients:
2 slices whole grain bread
2 tbsp. nut butter
1 banana, sliced
1 tbsp. agave nectar

Directions:
Toast bread, then spread nut butter on both slices. Layer sliced bananas in between the bread and drizzle