Blog Posts by BeautyRiot Diva

It's so easy to look at a magazine spread of an actress and believe that she's perfect looking. The reality though, (which Shine staffer Joanna Douglas has shown) is far from flawless. But it's not just photoshop that's to blame.

We asked -- OK, kind of harassed -- celeb hairstylists, makeup artists and fashion stylists to give us the secrets they use on photo shoots to make celebrities and models look so darn flawless. They've spilled the beans (see it all here), which is awesome, because a lot of these tricks are things that we can totally steal for our everyday lives.

Until they invent Photoshop on the go (oh wait, is that just plastic surgery?), we may not look completely perfect, but these 13 photo shoot secrets will get us pretty dang close:

We had so much fun putting together this list. It was tough to pick our faves, but we chose the best products, looks and trends we love for August. Check out a few of them below, and click here to see the entire list.

e.l.f. beautybooks
They're famous for their dollar products (that are actually good!) and in August e.l.f. is coming out with lip and eye "beautybooks." Each one has 12 shades, 2 tools and tips to get the perfect look -- for only five bucks. Plus, they look like spiral notebooks, so you could easily stash one in your locker or desk drawer without anyone being the wiser.

Wearing shorts at night
Not convinced? We've got a few genius reasons why:

1. Shorts have all the leg-baring sexiness of a skirt, minus the worry that it'll fly up and show your thong.
2. It's a great way to get more mileage out of your summer wardrobe (and totally justify your purchase of a new pair).
3. Even when this trend fades away, you can still wear your shorts during the

Ladies, don't you feel so lucky to be a woman? We get to do all the fun things, like wearing makeup, dressing up and doing subtle things to drive him wild on date night (without revealing our secrets, of course).

Men, on the other hand, aren't so subtle about things. We asked real men to admit the sexiest things a woman can do (and what totally turns them off), and all of their feelings came spilling out. See their confessions here.

Curious? Read on to see what works and what doesn't. They also surprised us quite a bit with their honest opinions when it comes to our hair. Yep. (Click here to see if your guy ever lies to you after your salon appointment.)

Tip 1: Don't wear red lipstick

Most men replied back with a resounding "NO!" when asked if they preferred a mouth coated in lipstick. When it comes to your sexiest pout, the majority of men prefer a more natural look. They (for the most part) don't care what's being worn on the runways, but do care

I guess it's true -- married couples do start looking alike.

Check out how similar Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi look now, after Portia got her bangs cut to match Ellen's yesterday.

Both have super short hair in the front (we think Portia's might be pulled back), golden highlights, and they wear it swept to the side. Click here to see how to style the look. The couple even got their hair cut and styled by the same stylist, Lea Journo. Oh, and we can't forget the same happy, totally-in-love smiles on both their faces.

• What do you think of Portia's new bangs? Is it cute or weird when couples look alike?

• If you're thinking of getting bangs, take this quiz first -- it'll help you find the perfect style.

• Keep up with the latest celebrity hair news by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

I know, I know, we're barely mid-way through the year, but I just couldn't help myself. These hair disasters are just too hilarious -- there's no way I could wait until December to share them. (Plus, with stars like this one on the list, I'm pretty sure I'll have plenty more looks to show you by the end of the year.)

Now, please don't think I'm picking on any of the celebs on this list. Well, OK, I am a little, but that's just because I was so surprised to see them with such crazy hairstyles. Normally most of them look so gorgeous! (Click here to see all of them with far better looks than the ones below.)

Check out my finds for the worst hair so far this year, and let me know what you think. Was I too harsh on some? Did I leave out a truly hideous style? Share it in the comments.

Look 1: Agyness Deyn's bowl haircut
Remember bowl cuts? You'd sit in the middle of the kitchen while your mom literally put a bowl on your head and started snipping? Who wouldn't want to

Does anyone else get a bit emotional while watching those makeover shows? Where they take a plain Jane and -- with a little bit of work and some top-notch advice -- turn her into a gorgeous, confident woman. Seriously, the transformation (and her reaction upon seeing herself in the mirror) just warms my heart.

OK, maybe you don't get sappy from seeing makeovers like I do. But what if there was a show that did celebrity makeunders? You know, stripping stars of their plastic surgery, makeup and hairspray and revealing their natural beauty. You're bound to get teary-eyed at that, right?

Here are some of the makeunders we would perform on those celebs. Click here to see the entire list.

Christina Aguilera

First step? Complete product removal. Just wipe it all off. And wash out the copious amounts of hairspray she must have in to make her style look so stiff. Then, we'd keep the retro style, but give it a softer, more modern finish.

And since we know Christina Aguilera

Over the weekend, I got to meet Vanessa Hudgens at the Neutrogena Beach House. While she was super nice and I loved talking with her, my main obsession was with her glowy makeup look. It was perfect for a beach event: a little glam but not too done up. (Unlike these makeup disasters, yikes!)

Makeup artist Karan Mitchell shared her how-to with us (no surprise that she used Neutrogena products, but you could totally do this look with whatever makeup you have, it's so versatile). Check out her how-to below, and get other celeb makeup how-tos -- Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Aniston and tons more -- here.

"Because the look was for the beach we made sure to use products that were not only beautiful but also high in SPF factors to guard her skin from getting too much sun," Mitchell said.

Step 1: I prepped her skin first with Neutrogena Healthy Defense Liquid Moisturizer SPF 50.

Step 2: Starting with her eyes, I first used the peach base color from the Butter Cream Neutrogena

News update: I took the plunge and dyed my hair last week. Yep, I went from my usual brunette (which has been my total safety blanket for the past few years) to a light, strawberry blonde. And surprisingly, I loved it. Until I realized none of my fave makeup looks looked good on me anymore.

I would've normally gone running to the sink to wash out my new hair color, but I liked it way too much to panic this time. Luckily, there was an easy way to change my makeup look to totally match my hair color. With the tips below, I (and you) can keep the gorgeous color I love without compromising the rest of my look.

Good news for all you raven-haired women -- you have the ability to wear a smoky eye like no one's business. So play up your eyes with dark, smoky shadows and use a jewel-toned eyeliner for a pop of color against the black.

Just try to stay away from dark lip colors to avoid looking too vampy. Kim Kardashian's nude lips bring the perfect balance to her