Baltimore Ravens cheerleader Olivia applies lipstick prior to the Ravens NFL football game in Baltimore, Maryland.By Mitch Lipka

(Reuters) - If you're going to be on either end of a kiss this Valentine's Day, you might want to consider smooching bare-lipped. Most lipstick contains lead.

Lead has been banned in paint since 1978 because of its toxicity at low levels, but it still shows up in small amounts in some of the best-selling lipstick brands.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which did an analysis of a study of lead in lipstick conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, wants consumers to know that most of the 400 different lipsticks tested were positive for the substance (link.reuters.com/caz56s).

"Recognizing that there is no safe level of lead exposure, we need to be protecting women and children from all levels of exposure," said Stacy Malkan, co-founder of the campaign -- a non-profit coalition of environmental- and cancer-prevention groups.

Malkan's group wants the FDA to set a limit for how much lead lipstick can contain and to study whether there are any

Read More »from Could Your Valentine's Kiss Give You Lead Poisoning?

By Beauty Expert Kerri Winick, GalTime.com

It doesn't take a lot of work to get luscious lips!
Kiss dry lips and feathering color goodbye! There's an art to achieving pout perfection!

Celebrity makeup artists Kenecia LaShae and Amy Elizabeth give GalTime the scoop on getting your lipstick to stay put.

• For a smooth and kissable pout, kick things off with a lip scrub. LaShae says it's a great way to banish dead skin cells. Next, treat your lips with a lip balm or cream. Elizabeth says this will prime and prep the area. Put the rest of your makeup on, then blot any excess. (Try: Fresh Brown Sugar Lip Polish, $22, Elizabeth Arden Advanced Lip-Fix Cream, $21.50, or Burt's Bees Ultra Conditioning Natural Lip Balm, $3.99.)
  

Elizabeth Arden

• Lightly line and fill in your lips with a soft lip liner. Look for one that either matches your lipstick, or is similar to your natural lip color. If you're going for a more "natural" look, Elizabeth recommends skipping the liner. A sheer lipstick or lip shine is all you

Read More »from The Secret to Stay-Put Lipstick

By Rachel Silver, Birchbox

Brunch Braid

A couple weeks ago, we shared an Instagram of staffer Rachel's 'Brunch Braid' (a.k.a. an upside-down French braid with a bun) and we were overwhelmed by the interest in how to create this style! Your wish is our command. Rachel re-created the look with step-by-step photos and tips so you can do it yourself.

You will need:

1 strong pony holder
1 thin pony holder
1 sock that matches your hair color
Scissors
Bobby pins
Hair spray
Hair Brush

Step 1:
As with most styles and updos, second or third day hair is best.

Brunch Braid

Step 2:
Flip your head upside down and brush your hair out.

Brunch Braid

Step 3:
While upside down, grab a small chunk of hair from the nape of your neck and begin to French braid.

Brunch Braid

Step 4:
Continue the French braid untill you've gone two-thirds of the way up your head. Fasten the braid with a thin pony holder.

Brunch Braid

Step 5:
Flip right side up and brush through the top of your hair. Take a strong pony holderRead More »from Upside-Down French Braid Photo Tutorial

A few months ago I splurged on a gorgeous fancy schmancy dress. It wasn't the most practical purchase but it fit like a glove and I just had to have it. Since then, I've gazed at it hanging in my closet, willing the perfect dress-worthy occasion to present itself. Happily, good things do come to those who wait. My boyfriend of three years asked me to a "special" dinner date at a "secret" location and, I, for once, had exactly the right thing to wear for what was sure to be his … proposal!

On the appointed day, I freed my gorgeous dress from its protective wrapping and put it on.

That is, I tried to put it on. The dress, my beautiful dress, that fit like it had been tailor-made mere months before was now impossible to zip and I had no one to blame but myself and my piggy ways. I, like so many women before me, had fallen victim to dreaded winter weight gain but had been too busy eating macaroni and cheese, guzzling eggnog and blaming the chilly air for yet another missed

Read More »from 7 Ways to Lose Extra Winter Weight Before Spring

I recently cut my hair shorter than I've had it in years. Yes, it coincided with the birth of my second daughter. No, it doesn't mean I've given up (well, maybe it does, but that's not something you should say to me).

It's funny how people think they have a license to say anything to women who cut their hair short. And by "funny" I mean rude and totally not funny. Here are 7 things you should never say to a woman with short hair about her hair. Unless you're trying to be funny (in which case, see above).

do NOT go there
"May I help you, sir?"
This is what the saleswoman in the bookstore said to me when I was 12. I had ripped a picture out of Seventeen magazine and unfortunately declined to have my mom accompany me to the salon in an attempt to duplicate the model's haircut. The lady felt really bad when I burst into tears. She felt even worse when she just couldn't figure out why the little boy was crying.

Related: 15 stylish ways to wear a bun

do NOT go there
"It totally reminds me of Sandy Duncan in 'Peter Pan.'"

Read More »from 7 Things You Should NEVER Say to a Woman with Short Hair

By Devin Toth,

Valentine's Day hair should be both romantic and sexy. It's should be really done up and special, but not intimidating or perfect. It's what I call approachable Hollywood glam! Here are some ideas to achieve the look.

1) Apply moose and blow it out with a round brush to give your hair some fullness-some oomph. Once it's blown out prep it with beautiful hold hairspray. This will help the hair hold the curl we're about to create.

Related: 28 Moves for a Wow-That-Was-Amazing Night

2) After it's prepped, take a small curling iron and wrap small horizontal sections around it (TIP--you can leave the ends out of the iron to make it more modern).

3) Once you're done curling, spray a flat brush with more hairspray and brush those curls out. This will combine the curls, creating a beautiful S-wave. After that, repeat spraying and brushing spraying and brushing; that's the key to this style.

Related: 10 Questions Men Are Too Afraid to Ask Women

Read More »from Wow Him with This Sexy Valentine's Day Hairstyle

By Kate Sullivan, Allure magazine

Are all cool women former high school Goths? I recently learned that Melissa McCarthy and Cate Blanchett, two of my favorite actresses, shared this common past.

When I met McCarthy on the set of her diva-style makeover shoot for Allure's January issue, we talked about her fashion history. As teens, she and her best friend Brian Atwood (yep, that Brian Atwood) would hit up Chicago's Goth clubs. McCarthy told me:

"I wore white-white Kabuki makeup, and I did weird things with proportion, like I'd have these tiny red lips. My hair was dyed a raven blue-black. When I was 16, my sister got really mad at me because I had spent the night in Chicago and I came back with the first two inches of my hairline shaved off-and since I wore white stage makeup I would continue it up so my head looked incredibly deformed. I just got a kick out of it. So I walked in the door, and my sister said, "Isn't anybody going to stop her?" But they didn't. My mom would

Read More »from Melissa McCarthy and Cate Blanchett Were Goth Teens

half sleeve tattooIs there anything more romantic than someone tattooing your name on their skin? Don't answer that if you detest tattoos. I think it's terrifically adorable. And yes, it could turn out to be a terrible idea if you break up. But you could always cover it up somehow. Still, for those not willing to add the letters, I will offer an alternative. And that's a heart. A simple or ornate heart. It's the perfect idea for a Valentine's Day gift for your sweetie who loves ink.

Oh the heart tattoo ... how I love thee. So sweet, symbolizing a love so pure (yes, I'm being all sugary silly) and it can be placed just about anywhere, even amidst other tattoos. Just like this woman's half-sleeve. There's a cupcake (talk about sugar)! A rainbow! And tiny hearts and stars.

More from The Stir: Are Tattooed Moms the New Black?

I gathered up some other super cool heart tattoo ideas so you can show them to your tattoo artist and make it your own.

Check out this panda blowing heart kisses.

Read More »from 12 Heart Tattoos that Are Perfect for Valentine’s Day