Blog Posts by Woman s Day

By Alexandra Gekas

Whether you've got chapped lips, fine lines or a serious case of razor burn, there are plenty of products out there that claim they can treat your beauty woes. But not all products are created equal. We spoke with experts to find out what ingredients you should look for the next time you hit the drugstore's beauty aisle.

Chapped Lips

Every winter your lips get dry and flaky, which, if you're not careful, can lead to painful chapping. According to Neal Schultz, MD, a New York City-based cosmetic dermatologist and founder of DermTV.com, the key to a good lip balm is its ability to hold in moisture. "The two most important things are petroleum and beeswax," says Dr. Schultz. "And a good rule of thumb is, if it's cold enough to put on a coat, it's cold enough to put on lip balm." Try: Beeswax Lip Balm, $3; BurtsBees.com.

Razor Burn

Of course you want smooth, hair-free legs, but razor burn can defeat the purpose of shaving altogether. Not only is it

By Mandy Major

Every year, countless beauty gizmos hit the market, promising to lift, tone, smooth, de-wrinkle and transform you into your most stunning self. With so many choices, though, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of what to try-especially with the hefty price tags these types of products typically come with. To help you sort the fabulous from the forgettable, we rounded up nine popular beauty gadgets and put them to the test.

The promise: The sonic scrubber "improves skin tone, reduces the appearance of pore size and helps skin care products work their best."
Score: 4 out of 5
What WD had to say: The tester found the product "extremely easy to use," and liked that it required minimal time commitment. Although the tester experienced some redness at first, she felt the product was worth the money. "Because you can use this product morning and night as part of your regular washing routine, I think the price tag

By Amanda Greene

Neck and Neck

When shopping for their body type-pear, hourglass, athletic-most women already know what styles work best. But did you know that switching up your neckline could make a big difference, too? Read on for the best necklines-from crewneck to scoop neck-for every shape as well as a few of our favorite dressy and casual finds.

Full Chest: Dressy V-Neck

Sleek hardware down the arms dresses up this tri-blend tee, while the v-neck flatters a bigger bust by drawing the eye upwards. Plus, the relaxed fit and draped sleeves are a forgiving cut for the curvy girl. Dolman hardware T, $19.50; Gap.com

Full Chest: Casual V-Neck

Classic, but far from boring, this cotton blend tee features a modest v-neck trimmed with silk, proving that even a busty girl can show off her neckline… without revealing too much. Silk trim luxe v-neck, $25; BananaRepublic.com

Full Chest: Dressy Scoop Neck

Layer this gauzy, light-as-air blouse

By Gail Sheehy

Real Life: Going from Wife to Caregiver

In my books and speeches, I always tell women to look forward to the passage into midlife. Having checked off most "shoulds," women generally feel a new sense of mastery in their late 40s and 50s. You've done your best to please your parents, your boss and your mate, and to raise your kids. Now it's time for you.

Then you get The Call. Mine came in a beauty salon. I was getting ready for a concert that night with my husband, Clay Felker, a magazine editor and publisher, and founder of New York magazine.

"It's not benign."

"Not benign?" I repeated dumbly.

"The cyst on Mr. Felker's neck, it's not benign."

The caller was my husband's surgeon. I hadn't heard from him in two years.

"But two years ago when you did the biopsy, you told us-"

"The pathologist recut the old biopsy slides. It's cancer."

The cyst on Clay's neck had returned, which prompted the pathologist to take a sample from a different area of the original biopsy. And it was

By Woman's Day Staff

Why do we gossip? Primarily because 1) it's fun and 2) it helps us figure out what's going on inside each other's head. Plus, according to a few recent studies, it's actually good for us. Hearing or relating exciting news spikes dopamine (the feel-good hormone) levels in our brain and helps us form bonds with the people we're talking to. So, get on with it! If you need a conversation starter, here are four of our favorite topics.

1. Money and Power

Why do we love hearing salary rumors and trying to find out how much our neighbor paid for stuff? "Because money is an easy way to keep score," says Frank McAndrew, PhD, a professor of psychology at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. It's all about keeping up with the Joneses. And tracking the doings of powerful people is our way of making sure they aren't engaging in anything corrupt, says Robin Dunbar, PhD. After all, you can't hold their feet to the fire if you don't know what they're up to.

2. Sex

By Hallie Levine Sklar

The key to making healthy life adjustments that stick is taking it one step at a time. With the help of this guide, dedicate the next month to working on a weekly healthy habit-like eating more veggies, sleeping longer and more. Taking each change week by week will give you a fair chance to feel the positive impact on your day-to-day life.

Week 1: Eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Produce is chockful of antioxidants that help reduce the risk of heart disease, and a serving is probably less than you think. "One serving of most fruits and veggies is about the size of a baseball," says Noel Bairey Merz, MD, medical director of the Women's Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. To fit more into your day, try adding bananas or berries to your breakfast cereal or pancakes, top your pizza with veggies, and mix shredded carrots or zucchini into casseroles.

Going meatless for dinner at least once a

By Tori Rodriguez

Even though you can't always control what happens, you can productively deal with what life throws your way. Whether you tend to fall prey to faulty logic or interpret situations in pessimistic ways, by recognizing your own knee-jerk reactions, you can shift your state of mind from negative to positive. We spoke with mental health experts to get their advice on the best ways to handle the most common negative mindsets and learned that a little tweak in attitude can make a big difference in outcome.

Situation #1: Your boss points out a mistake you made on a report and you're instantly gripped with fear that you're going to be fired, even though you're a top performer.

To overcome this type of attentional bias, in which you over-focus on the negative despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD, author of the bestselling book A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness, suggests the following approach: "Remember that

By Larry Dabrow

Much of the excitement regarding last year's Academy Awards had to do with Kathryn Bigelow's win for Best Director, which marked the first time a female director has received the coveted award. However, many "firsts" have occurred over the 80-plus years the award ceremony has been held. As you prepare for this year's Oscar ceremony, take a look at 10 other notable Academy Award milestones.

First Film to Win the "Big Five" Awards: 1934
It Happened One Night

The awards generally perceived as having the most prestige are Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay (original or adapted). Somewhat amazingly, it took a mere five years of award bestowing before It Happened One Night became the first film to claim them all. It hasn't happened too often since then, though. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ran the table back in 1975, while The Silence of the Lambs did the same in 1991. Photo by Jerry Murbach via DoctorMacro1.info.

First Child