Blog Posts by DivineCaroline

'Tis the season for holiday parties, family gatherings, and, of course, scores of snapshots-not to mention posing for the annual holiday card. This year, instead of shying away from the camera, strike a confident pose with flawless makeup. Following are four gorgeous, photo-ready makeup looks for you to try in time for your next fete, along with easy-to-follow instructions on recreating them


Bold, Beautiful, and Berry-licious
Berry-hued lips, as seen here on Camille Belle, are all the rage this season. The actress used Tom Ford Lip Color in Violet Fetale ($48 at Bergdorf Goodman), but you can get a similar-looking lip for a fraction of the cost by snagging Laura Geller's Lipstick in Sweet Berry ($15.50 at Macy's). Compliment the deliciously daring pout with dramatic eyes. Start with a shimmery mauve shadow, like Chanel's Illusion D'ombre in Illusoire ($36 at Nordstrom), on the upper lid and use a light rose-pink iridescent hue, like Emerveille (also from Chanel; $36 from Nordstrom), on

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Wedding-related decisions don't stop after "I Do." After the cake is cut and the guests have sobered up, there's a perhaps-sweaty, perhaps-stained wedding dress hanging in the closet, waiting to be dealt with. It's an incredible symbol of your big day that you spent months agonizing over, but you're never going to wear it again.

What to do? Do you sell your gown or keep it as homage to your wedding day? We polled our Facebook fans on whether they'd consider selling their dresses, and the answers ranged from "Not a chance" to "I wish I had" to clever ways to get more mileage out of the gown. Check out these ideas from our readers and let us know if you'd consider letting go of your wedding dress.

More from DivineCaroline
Halloween 2011: What the Stars Wore
Seven Pointless and Painful Wedding Traditions
Awkward Family Pet Photos
5 Steps to Creating Beautiful Buns
The True Cost of a Wedding
Wedding Etiquette Every Bride Should Know

Connect with

Read More »from After "I Do," What Do You Do with Your Wedding Dress?

While it's common knowledge that frequently washing your hands and covering your mouth when you cough are good preventative measures for cold and flu season, turns out a lot of the things you've heard about catching colds are oldwives' tales and half-truths. Before you take drastic cold-fighting measures, such as making your boyfriend sleep on the couch or wearing a face mask on the airplane, find out the true culprits of your sniffles.

Can cold weather make you sick? No.
Many of us recall our mothers yelling after us to "Put a coat on or you're going to catch a cold!" as we carelessly ran out the door jacket-free to play in the wintry air. Evidently, getting cold has nothing to do with catching a cold. Public health expert Dr. Mark Callahan explains that in order to catch a cold, a person must be exposed to a virus; temperature has no impact on a person's immune system. People are more prone to colds in the winter simply because more time is spent indoors passing the virus

Read More »from The Truth About How You Get Sick

All your cooking questions answered-you know, the ones you're afraid to ask aloud for fear of sounding as if you've been living off pizza delivery and uncooked ramen. No judgment here.

1. How do you keep pasta from clumping?
You don't want your pasta to stick together like mob wives in an FBI investigation, so make sure you're boiling it in plenty of salted water (4-6 quarts per pound of pasta) in a large enough pot. Don't overcook. (Follow the cooking time on the package; pasta should be al dente, or still slightly firm). Do not rinse after boiling unless you're using it in a cold dish. If you're not otherwise saucing it, toss with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (the good stuff).

When to Toss Your Produce


2. How do you know if wine has gone bad?
If wine smells vinegary or mildewy (like wet newspaper), it's gone bad. If wine (red or white) looks brown, it's gone bad. If wine tastes funny, it's gone bad. If wine came out of a box, it was probably not good to

Read More »from 12 Common Cooking Questions Answered

It's that time of year again, when costumed strangers gather to mingle, flirt, and gorge themselves on candy corn and "spooky" punch. Halloween parties are a great way to meet new people, but it's not always easy to tell if there's boyfriend material lurking behind that zombie makeup, those superhero tights, or that fake chest of rippling abs and pectorals, or if his intrigue is just cape-deep. Fortunately, a lot can be gleaned about his personality from the costume he chooses. Click through for the lowdown on what his Halloween garb reveals about him.


The Bun Maker



If he's a new dad, this is a cute and funny costume-and maybe you shouldn't be hitting on him because he might have a wife or girlfriend at home (or with him at the party). If he's not a new dad, then this costume does not bode well for his eligibility. Not only because he's awkwardly advertising his desire/ability to impregnate women indiscriminately (not a trait we look for in a boyfriend) but also because, at least in

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As the holiday season ramps up, we're bound to come across the inevitable holiday party appetizers. As much as we love them, appetizers can be some of the biggest saboteurs when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet. First off, they are small and seem "harmless," causing us to not pay great attention to what and how much we eat. Second, many of them are unbalanced, containing mostly refined carbohydrates and fats, and lastly, we tend to fill ourselves up on them, leaving little room for the more healthy part of the party-the meal.

Saying no to all appetizers isn't the answer, but being aware and smart about the choices you make when the plate of Swedish meatballs walk by is. These guidelines are good whether you're entertaining or if you are going to someone else's party.

8 Ways to Cheat on Your Diet and Still Lose Weight

Those to Forget:

1. Frozen
Appetizers made from scratch tend to be better options than frozen or packaged. If it looks like an appetizer

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You don't have to have the face or body of a model to look good in front of the lens. Following are seven simple, surefire ways to being ultra-photogenic and appearing fabulous the next time the camera flashes.

1. Stand Tall
Hunched shoulders and overall poor posture can add several pounds to your look. Not only does slouching make you appear shorter, but it also draws attention to any cushioning you may have in your mid-section. Create a thinner-and more confident-physique by standing straight with shoulders rolled back and chest pushed forward.

Tips for Looking Thinner Without Dieting

2. Work Your Angles
According to professional photographer and America's Next Top Model's regular Nigel Barker, you can instantly shave pounds off your appearance by placing one hand on your hip and looking over your shoulder. Nigel explains, "You're twisting your silhouette…and creating lots of different angles on your body so that [the] eye immediately looks all over the body, not just at one

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It's officially cold and flu season, that magical time of year when the whole world feels like one big puddle of snot. And the worst part? There's not much you can do. There's no cure for the common cold, so the best we can do to ease the symptoms is to take some over-the-counter medicine, drink plenty of fluids, and stock up the latest season of Bridezillas to wait it out. Your friendly pharmacist or doctor can always point you in the right direction, but here are some tips on how to pick the pill (or liquid or lozenge) that offers the most relief in the quickest amount of time so you can sleep and let your body heal itself. (Of course, if your symptoms get worse or don't go away within a few days, call your doctor.)

The Symptom: Aches and Pains
The Solution: Aspirin or Ibuprofen
If you're feeling body aches, take an NSAID pain reliever like Advil, Motrin, or generic ibuprofen, which block the chemical signals that cause inflammation and stiffness. Many people find pain

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