Blog Posts by YouBeauty.com

Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesIf you tuned in to the Teen Choice Awards, then you may have noticed the stars dressed a bit, well, provocatively for a kid-friendly award show.

Selena Gomez's barely-there strapless dress and sky-high heels might not be "age-appropriate," but the ensemble gives us flashbacks of the crop-tops, hot pants and miniskirts we donned in our high school days. In fact, my own freshman class' skin-tight, midriff-baring scanties prompted the senior girls to start a "freshman clothing drive" in the lunchroom (talk about freshman hazing!).

Recent studies have shown there's a scientific reason for this: Ovulating women have a tendency to hike up their hemlines. Could it be that's just our hormonal teen selves peeking out again?

MORE: The Beauty Benefits of Ovulation

If you have a teenage daughter, then you know that combining raging hormones with dressing appropriately is like mixing oil and water.

At a small school in Washington, several tween girls showed up to this year's 8th grade promotion

Read More »from Age Inappropriate Fashion at Teen Choice Awards: How Hormones Pick Our Outfits

ThinkstockAn inside look at fat talking-the unflattering habit of talking smack about our beautiful bods.

"Ugh, I hate my thighs."

"I really need to go on a diet."

"I wish I had your arms."

If those comments sound familiar, then you're no stranger to fat talk.

Fat talking-the tendency to make negative comments about our bodies-is a tried-and-true staple of female culture. Today, researchers are just beginning to study why we do it and how it affects the way we feel about our bodies and ourselves.

In the early 90s, anthropologist Mimi Nichter, Ph.D., unexpectedly stumbled onto fat talk while she was studying teen girls. During a series of focus groups, she noticed that they all reported a familiar ritual: One girl would say, "I feel so fat," and the other would respond with, "You're not fat!" The exchange was a normal part of daily life; the girls repeated it over and over throughout the day.

QUIZ: What's Your Unique Body Type?

Once Nichter started listening for

Read More »from Are You a Fat Talker? Ditch This Bad Habit

ThinkstockHave you given up on button-down shirts because they pull and pucker across your ample bust, creating peep-show-like gaps between the buttons? Or do you drown in certain dresses because your small set doesn't fill in all of the material at the top? If so, you know how frustrating it can be to dress your chest.

Finding the proper fit, rather than being a slave to trends or copying what your fashionable best friend wears, is the key to looking your best. "The wrong fit can make you look bigger than you actually are," says Bryn Taylor, a personal stylist and founder of The Re-Stylist. "Dressing appropriately for your chest-whether it's large or small-lifts your confidence, improves your posture and makes you look better."

Follow these expert tips to find the most flattering fit:

Courtesy of Diane von Furstenberg

If you want to show off a large chest tastefully…

There's nothing wrong with being proud of your "girls." But if you'd like to put them on display, avoid tops that dip too low and reveal

Read More »from Dress for Your Chest Size: Expert tips on finding the most flattering fit for your bust size.

ThinkstockEating for beauty doesn't mean a lifetime sentence of salad (although leafy greens do wonders for your looks!). Indulge in the ultimate treat-chocolate-and reap some pretty major beauty and health rewards while you're at it.

Chocolate and beauty
The good news is some chocolate can have significant beauty benefits. The not terribly bad news is, the only chocolate that can deliver these benefits is dark chocolate with at least 70 percent cocoa content-which doesn't apply to most treats found in the candy aisle at the grocery store, so choose wisely.

On the heart front, "cocoa contains naturally occurring plant substances called flavonoids that help keep platelets less sticky, decreasing your risk for heart attack or stroke from a clot," explains Kristin Kirkpatrick, R.D., M.S., Wellness Manager for Cleveland Clinic's Lifestyle 180 program, and YouBeauty Nutrition Advisor.

According to Kirkpatrick, dark chocolate relaxes blood vessels, which in turn reduces blood

Read More »from Beauty Benefits of Dark Chocolate: Sweet-aholics, rejoice! Chocolate is proven to boost your beauty.

ThinkstockHuman beings are creatures of habits. Art Markman, Ph.D., YouBeauty Psychology Advisor, explores how your daily habits affect your beauty.

When you think about psychology, you probably think about feelings, or personalities or the way you make decisions.

You may not spend much time thinking about your habits. Yet, most of your life is spent doing the same thing you always do in the same situation.

Your life is driven by routine.

Think about a typical day. You probably have a routine in the morning. You brush your teeth, shower, put on makeup and get dressed. You are not thinking carefully about each step. You can do almost all of it without thinking at all.

MORE: Is Your Personality Making You Fat?

That's a good thing. You don't want to spend a lot of time thinking about what you have to do next. You'd rather spend that time getting yourself mentally prepared for the challenges and excitement of the day.

The importance of habits in your life, though, also means that there areRead More »from How Do Your Daily Habits Affect Your Beauty? More Than You Think!