Blog Posts by Glamour Magazine

When it comes to some (not all I promise!) personal care routines, I have a horrible memory. I usually forget to take my handful of morning vitamins; flossing, and I hope my dentist doesn't read this, is a rare occurrence; and my eyebrows can veer towards uni- territory before I take action. Same goes for tooth whitening…

I may be a constant brusher, but I find most teeth whitening systems either tedious or just plain uncomfortable. So I was pleased to discover Listerine's new Whitening Pen, which is neither of those things. Totally portable, and a lot less awkward than the bulky tooth trays, the Pen can be used up to three times a day, and it promises a more dazzling smile in two weeks time. I just started using the Pen, while reading or watching TV, so I can't say that my teeth are movie star white yet, though I can report that it happens to also be a super breath freshener. Because mouthwash is another thing I am always forgetting…
$12.99, at drugstores.

Looking for a

Weirdly, one of the things I remember most clearly about the first season of Felicity--do you remember that show?--was that the characters would sometimes cuddle up in the middle of the day and nap together, all snuggly and warm, and that comes close to my definition of heaven. When E and I were long-distance, we'd spend the first part of our visits very busy and cramming everything we missed into a few days, but the last day, we'd spend napping together in bed. Books, pillows, my face in the crook of his shoulder, the day going slowly but entirely too quickly. The day going perfectly.

Are you afraid to relax? Learn to be comfortable with doing absolutely nothing.

When I was working at home, my boyfriend used to tease me that I worked an hour, maybe an hour and a half, and then I spent the rest of the day napping. This is not a true statement--I never napped during the day. Maybe I napped once or twice. Sure, there were times when I would get home from a trip and spend the entire next

Without getting too much into specifics, my day job involves a deep understanding of the science behind getting you to buy things at the grocery store. Part of my deeply ingrained distrust of the consumer packaged goods industry is because I know first hand just how much effort they put into trying to convince you to buy a package of, say, Oscar Meyer Lunchables. In what other world would you have honestly become convinced into believing that paying $3 for a little tray of 2 ounces of meat and cheese paired with six crackers is a healthy and frugal choice? Seriously, you guys, the Cold War is still being played out today, but the Superpowers are companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft and Campbell's. I wasn't all that surprised when I read Marion Nestle's comments in the recent Yahoo News post titled "10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You To Know" but for those of you who haven't glimpsed into the grocery wars, some of her comments may alarm you. Here are my favorite four

There is something about cold weather that calls for hot soup. Maybe because the weather is cold, and the soup is hot and warming. That is my very scientific theorizing, and I believe I have both legs to stand on. The nice thing about soup, too, is that it is so easy to make, and it can be made in big batches to feed you for a week, or made in giant batches and frozen to feed you weeks from now.

Mightyfoods has a round-up of gorgeous-sounding, wonderfully filling winter soups made with in-season ingredients that will feed you forever and make you happy that it is the winter, and you are warm and full. That's the best way to be when it is chilly out.

Check out even more delicious and healthy soup ideas from the new SELF.com.

More from Elastic Waist and SELF:

• Destitution Diet: Crock pot-ty goodness
• Lose weight without dieting
  Nine ways to drop a dress size and not stress over a single bite
• 20 Superfoods for weight loss
  It's time for a new

The whole world is full of things, and somebody has to look for them. And that's just what a Thing-Finder does.

I'd forgotten quite how charming Pippi Longstocking was until I started reading it to Crabkid over the past month. Like many a little girl before her, Crabkid adores Pippi and is fascinated that she doesn't have to go to school, has no parents to tell her when to go to bed, and keeps a horse on her porch. Plus she rolls cookie dough out onto her kitchen floor, scrubs said floor with brushes attached to her feet like ice skates, possesses a pet monkey with a straw hat, and wrestles the strongest man in the world...and wins.

She's also a Thing-Finder, teaching her little friends Tommy and Annika to keep their eyes open for treasure of all kinds: "lumps of gold, ostrich feathers, dead rats, candy snapcrackers, little tiny screws, and things like that." When I read this chapter to Crabkid she was thrilled by it, being something of a Thing-Finder herself. And in this

This morning I leaned in real close to the mirror and jerked back in horror. My skin is not baby-smooth and delicately pink even on my best days, but it has not been quite this--unfortunate in a very long time. Pimples. A constellation of tiny pimples, angry little bumps along my jaw and my chin and cheeks. I am a ball of zits, a zit ball, not even a ball, just a giant zit, and it is not attractive, as it turns out. And it is because of stress.

Give your face and body the star treatment in your own home (and on a reasonable budget!) with these get-radiant tips from the pros.

Some people thrive on stress. Some people internalize the stress and sort of glow from the inside with the brutal, incandescent energy that stress turned into action and dynamic fortitude can create. Of course, it is nuclear, radioactive, dangerous and it isn't good for you in the long run, but it can be used for good in the short term.

Me, I break down a little bit and the pieces that fall off are replaced with

Ebay is at its best when one is looking for vintage pieces from big-name designers. Because of the nature of bidding, timing, and luck, I've won an array of fancy items for prices nowhere near what they were actually worth. Take a designer like Valentino. I first started looking for his stuff last week when I came across those amazing glasses, and when I searched today, I found a few stunning options that (if you didn't love them) could be sold at a consignment shop for nearly a full return on your investment, or you could save them and watch their value grow. I love this feminine white dress, serious power suit, and ultra-pristine crocodile purse.

Guarantee great, authentic designer buys with these handy eBay shopping tips.

More from Lucky:

• A Month of Outfits
  Take a closer look at these 30 ensembles from Lucky's November issue, on newsstands now.
• Fall Classics Under $100
  Lucky scouted the Web to find 16 completely chic--and wallet-friendly--essentials to update

Kim takes a break from cardio workout to exercise her ego. Turns out self-improvement books don't have all the answers.

Related: Kim learns that growing up means being less than perfect.

More from Elastic Waist and SELF:

• Lose weight without dieting
  It's time for a new slim-down mantra: Eat more to weigh less. No joke!
• 20 Superfoods for weight loss
  It's time for a new slim-down mantra: Eat more to weigh less. No joke!
• Easy recipes that don't rely upon prepackaged foods
• Subscribe to Self for Just $1 an issue. Free Pink Striped Tote!