Blog Posts by Self Magazine

Declare your independence from heavy makeup! For your prettiest summer face, lighten up with tips from celebrity pros.

Reveal gorgeous skin

To even your complexion without masking its true tone, use a water-based tinted moisturizer that's semimatte, rather than one with shimmer, says Rachel Goodwin, a makeup artist for Chanel in Los Angeles who counts Penélope Cruz as a client. Need more coverage? Blend a dime-sized drop of foundation with a dollop of lotion. "This mix hides flaws but is still translucent," Goodwin says.

Skin care basics-for all ages!

Rev up rosiness

Get a healthy glow with a sheer cream blush, which melts seamlessly into skin. To find the most flattering shade, pinch cheeks and choose a color that mimics your lit-from-within warmth. Using the tips of your index and middle fingers, pat product on the apple of cheeks in a circular motion. "It delivers an instant pick-me-up to skin that doesn't seem clownish," says Napolean Perdis, a makeup artist in L.A. Read More »from How to be a natural beauty

Refined sugar gets a bad rap for a reason.

By Carin Gorrell, From the July 2009 Issue

Unless you're prepping for a colonoscopy, we don't advise shunning food in favor of downing copious amounts of gross liquids. That said, there are health benefits to "eating clean," says SELF contributing editor Joy Bauer, R.D. She means opting for foods that are naturally free of man-made stuff but full of good-for-you nutrients that keep your body systems humming along. Follow her healthy one-week diet, and you may even drop some weight along the way. Get started with these simple steps, then try an enticing one-week menu.

Read all about the dangers of detox diets!

Skip added sugars

"White sugar, brown sugar, honey-all sugar pumps calories into your diet and spikes your blood sugar," Bauer says. Consuming too much of it also promotes inflammation, which can increase your risk for heart disease and certain cancers and make you feel foggy and fatigued. So stay away from foods that list Read More »from How to eat clean: Avoid detox diet and still eat clean with these helpful tips!

The Biggest Loser trainer-and SELF's newest contributing editor!-is always go-go-going. What you see on TV is only a slice of Jillian Michaels's life. When she's offscreen, she's still whipping her contestants (and herself!) into shape.

How does this powerhouse fuel her jam-packed schedule? She prioritizes. "If I didn't work out and watch what I ate, I'd easily be 200 pounds," she admits. "I'm not the girl who loves to go to the gym. And I'm not the girl who loves broccoli, either. But I am the girl who feels potent, capable and confident when she feels strong, and I don't want to give that up. To me, it's about building a better body." Find out what a fitness guru really eats with SELF's day in the diet of Jillian Michaels.

Breakfast: To start the day off right, Michaels stocks up on carbs for long-lasting energy. "Breakfast is usually whole-grain Ezekiel English Muffins with almond butter," she says. "And I eat two whole English Muffins, about 500 calories." Try these

Read More »from How to eat like Jillian Michaels!

It may seem silly to relearn something you've been doing since childhood, but many of us may be brushing the wrong way, says Carmen Schuller, D.D.S., a dentist in New York City. Do you zip through your routine? Load up on toothpaste? Assume an electric brush works better than a manual one? You've got a lot to learn! What's more, cleaning your pearly whites may be one way to protect your heart from the blood-clot-causing bacteria in dental plaque, according to research from the University of Bristol in England. Maintaining a healthy mouth will mean fewer visits (and payments) to the dentist and a happier you. Follow these smile-saving steps to perfect your dental do-it-yourself.

Pick the best brush

Choose a soft or extra soft toothbrush. "A stiff brush can harm gum tissue, remove enamel and abrade the teeth," Dr. Schuller says. Keep it simple: Manual brushes offer you more control than electric varieties, says Dr. Pearson, who likes Colgate 360 and Oral-B CrossAction. Replace

Read More »from Total mouth makeover: Keep your smile in tip-top shape with our brush-up course

Adopt one (or all) of these simple strategies to drop pounds and feel great!

Remember when you were a kid and eating was as simple as "Open, chew, enjoy"? You didn't count the grams of fiber and fat in your PB&J. You munched when you were hungry, stopped when you were full and ran off to play with your Cabbage Patch Kids. But choosing a meal as a health-minded adult can be as complicated and joyless as a calculus final. Enough! Here are 20 commonsense rules that make eating right as easy as pie for you and your inner 8-year-old.

1. Eat like a tourist in Greece.

The sunset over your office park isn't as stunning as the one over an Aegean beach, but a plate of grilled fish and fresh vegetables and a glass of wine is as delicious in Athens, Georgia, as it is in Athens, Greece. Plus, a Mediterranean menu can help lower your risk for heart disease and keep you slim, says Susan Mitchell, Ph.D., coauthor of Fat Is Not Your Fate (Fireside).

See our tips: 20 superfoods for weight loss!

Read More »from 10 easy ways to eat healthier right now!

How to beat the number-one on-the-job diet trap: the office stash of sweets

We've noticed that the candy jar has replaced the watercooler as the workplace hot spot: By midafternoon, the bowl sitting on the SELF research desk gets more traffic than Google. (We're not alone: Fifty-two percent of you say you share a candy stash with coworkers, and 23 percent dig into it at least once a day, a Self.com poll reports.) A little treat now and then is no big deal-in fact, it can help keep you from feeling deprived-but the easy availability of fattening freebies often crowds out more nutritious snacks and causes weight gain. "Some people can pass it up, but others get in the habit of eating candy regularly without realizing it," says Pat Vasconcellos, R.D., a spokeswoman in Boston for the American Dietetic Association. Here's how five different goody-grazing personalities can indulge without overdoing it.

The socializer

Is this you? You check in with the bowl regularly, catching up on Read More »from 5 ways to beat office candy cravings

There are only three couples still standing on America's most star-studded, bedazzled dance floor, and tonight, a champion will be named. What better time could there be to check in with last year's winner, Brooke Burke? Since taking home the title in November, this self-described "mom-preneur" has been getting back to the business of raising a family (she has four kids!) while juggling her latest business venture, ModernMom.com. SELF talked to the former swimsuit model, TV host and reality show winner about everything from staying in bikini shape and figuring out a healthy summer diet to maintaining your sanity while balancing a crazy schedule. Find out what Brooke had to say.

SELF: You were dancing up a storm every week on TV - and training off-screen everyday in between! - less than a year ago. What did you learn from the show, and how have things changed for you since Dancing with the Stars wrapped?

Brooke Burke: I think that experience was probably the most challenging three

Read More »from Brooke Burke talks Dancing with the Stars, bikini-body tips, and healthy summer foods

Look hot, not bothered! SELF has the how-tos to keep you feeling gorgeous, despite the steamy weather.

Back off base
It's a simple equation: The less foundation you use, the less likely it is to run by midday. That doesn't mean you have to go barefaced, but "you do want makeup to appear as effortless as possible during warmer months," says Nikki Uberti, a makeup artist in Los Angeles. Avoid a meltdown by applying an oil-free tinted moisturizer with a damp sponge in short, outward strokes. Because the sponge is more porous than your fingers, this technique ensures uniform coverage that sinks into skin.

See our tips: Learn how to use water to make your skin glow and hair shine, and keep your makeup looking fresh!

Get cheeky
Cream blushes add a dewy radiance that won't clump in the heat the way powders do. The best way to get a pretty flush without the goop? Pat a dab of light cream blush (try Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel) on the back of your hand to let you work the color into a makeup

Read More »from Makeup tricks that will help you beat the heat and keep you looking gorgeous