When you flip through an entertainment magazine do you end up gawking at the stars’ luscious eyelashes? The Kardashians, Beyonce and Jennifer Aniston—they all seem to have out-of-this-world thick, long eyelashes that make their eyes pop. You may not be Hollywood royalty, but surely there’s a way to pump up your eyes’ volume more than a few coats of mascara. Right? There are many ways to give your eyes a “come hither” boost but your eyes’ health and safety should always come first. We’ll highlight a few solutions that will make you want to bat your eyelashes.

Better Lash Care
One of the easiest, safest ways to get longer, fuller lashes is to simply take care of the ones you’ve got. Don’t tug or pick at your lashes, be sure to wash off all mascara before bed and be especially careful if you wear waterproof mascara, which can dry out lashes. Be sure to replace tubes of mascara that are 3 to 6 months old. After time mascara tubes can build up bacteria that can cause eye infections.

Conditioner
Just like your hair needs conditioned, your eyelashes do, too. You can use Vaseline or Aquaphor at night or buy an over-the-counter lash conditioner that contains proteins that strengthen your lashes such as keratin or biotin. The protein helps prevent lash breakage. Conditioners generally carry very few risks when used correctly and can show significant lash growth in a matter of weeks.

False Eyelashes
False eyelashes that can be applied with glue are a fast fix to give your lashes a little va-va-voom. In fact, many celebrities have false eyelashes applied by make-up artists for their special events. However, there are health risks with this alternative. False eyelash glue can cause allergic reactions, irritation and swelling. Reusing false eyelashes can also increase the risk of eye infections. If you are going to use false lashes, try to use them just for special events where you don’t have to wear them for long periods of time. Also, throw the lashes away after each use.

Extensions
You may have heard of hair extensions, but what about eyelash extensions? With eyelash extensions, tiny synthetic eyelashes are glued onto individual lashes. However, this option doesn’t come cheap. Eyelash extensions can cost up to $300 and may last only a few months. Also, extensions can cause damage to natural eyelashes when they fall off.

Medications
A lot of attention has gone to new medications that increase lash growth such as Latisse, but does it work and is it safe to use? At about $90 a month, Latisse is an expensive option, but according to most research and doctors it works. Latisse uses an ingredient called Bimatoprost, similar to the body’s natural chemical Prostagladin, that makes eyelashes grow. Like any medication, Latisse can cause complications and infections. Some reports of eye pigmentation change, darkening of the skin around the eye or redness and itching have occurred.

Have you looked in the mirror lately and noticed a few more fine lines around your mouth or across your forehead?  We all do it. Don’t panic and run for the Botox. Avoid the costly cosmetic surgery with less expensive ways to turn back the clock.  Here are a few cheaper and more natural remedies than going to the extremes of cosmetic surgery. Plus, Some are even free!

1. Retinoids

A derivative of vitamin A, Retinoid-based skin creams are the only thing on the market that have FDA approval and proven evidence that they smooth lines and lessen wrinkles.  Prescription medications like Retin-A, Renova or Tazorac can help increase the skin’s production of collagen which promotes new skin growth.  Patients who use retinoid creams can see a dramatic improvement in a matter of weeks.

2. Stay out of the sun

Exposure to harsh UVA and UVB rays speed up our skin’s aging. While hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen are all great sun protection, doctors recommend broad-spectrum sunscreen with high SPF like 80 or 90 that can block long-wave UVA rays.  Wrinkles are largely caused from these intense rays which can be blocked by sunscreen ingredients such as Helioplex and Mexoryl.

3. Get your sleep

Getting your beauty rest isn’t just a joke; it should be an important part of your skincare routine! Researchers explain that when you’re tired your body produces more Cortisol, a stress hormone.  When your Cortisol levels are high it can breakdown your skin’s collagen production.  To get a good night’s rest, try going to bed 20-30 minutes earlier, shutting off your cell phone, turning off your TV and avoiding exercise right before bedtime.  You’ll wake up with rested, glowing skin!

4. Antioxidants

Antioxidants act as your skin’s personal body guard by attacking free radicals–particles that lead to wrinkles, sun damage and skin cancer.  Antioxidants also can protect against environmental factors that harm the skin like pollution and smoking. The best way to get antioxidants is from food and from applying antioxidant rich creams.

5. Exfoliate

Exfoliating helps scrub off the dead, flaky skin cells exposing fresh, more moisturized skin. Not only does this give you a more youthful appearance, it also boosts collagen production and allows retinoids and antioxidants to penetrate the skin easier.  So, exfoliating can give you an instantly younger look while aiding in long term effects as well.  Unless you have sensitive skin, regular exfoliating with face scrubs or at-home chemical peels is encouraged.

Besides being super low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, plus a good source of Potassium and Vitamins A and C (us health junkies are loving this!), watermelon is also a pure and natural beauty enhancer. It’s true! Watermelons act as a natural beauty product. If only women knew about the skin secrets behind this juicy fruit, they’d be rubbing it on their faces just as much they eat it. Okay, maybe not quite like that, but watermelons can act as a natural moisturizer. Not to mention, it’s an effective skin toner and skin tightner! Try it for yourself! Here are some clever beauty uses to try at home using watermelon:

The Watermelon Face Pack

This is the perfect remedy after you

’ve been outside all day in the blistering heat. Take roughly one cup of watermelon pulp, and apply it to the face and neck areas. Rinse after 15 minutes. This will invigorate the skin making it soft and supple, as well as giving it that cool and youthful shine.

Alleviating sunburn is another great use for a watermelon face pack. Watermelon pulp along with cucumber pulp can help heal sunburn and lighten skin complexion. Got a bad sunburn and don’t want to look like a lobster? Then apply about a half cup each of cucumber and watermelon pulp to the burnt region for 20 minutes and watch the pain and redness fade.

The Watermelon Scrub

Grate a watermelon, extracting all of its juice. Then mix with a pinch of gram flour (flour made from ground chickpeas) and wah-lah – you’ve got an authentic beauty scrub! Apply the paste to the face, leaving it on for 15 minutes before rinsing. The end result is an excellent scrub that will leave your skin radiant.

So, this summer when you get ready to chow down on some delicious watermelon at your next BBQ, remember to snag some leftovers for your cosmetics collection.

DIY-beauty can be a great way to save some dough. But if you’re thinking you have to resort to crazy (and smelly…) tactics involving mayonnaise, egg yolks or other odd kitchen items, think again!

Here are a few affordable (even totally free in some cases) ways to look and feel your very best with the help of common household items.

Great Hair

1.       Pump up the volume

Try adding mousse into your hairstyling routine. It brings more bang for the buck than some other hair-pumping products.

Another (totally free!) way to add some lift to your ‘do is by blow-drying your hair upside down. Flip your hair over and dry the hair away from the scalp. When it’s barely damp, flip it back and continue styling.

2.       Bring out the shine

Add a weekly hot-oil treatment to your beauty regimen. Sound expensive? It doesn’t have to be! Pick up some jojoba oil (you can find it at natural food stores for around $10) and substitute this for pricier hair-repair products.  Just spread the oil generously through dry hair, pop on a plastic shower cap, and cover your head with a hot towel for about a half-hour. When time’s up, rinse your hair with cold water to seal in the moisture. Then, head out and show off those shiny tresses!

Glowing Skin

1.       Erase the redness

To reduce redness and soothe irritated skin, all it takes is a quick trip to the fridge. When you soak a washcloth in cold milk and place the washcloth over your face for about 10 minutes, the proteins, fat, amino acids and vitamin A found in milk can rejuvenate your skin and help it look soft and glowing.

2.       Banish puffy eyes

The caffeine found in tea bags can help tired-looking eyes appear brighter and more awake. By shrinking the underlying dark blood vessels that create puffiness around the eyes, the caffeine can help your eyes look bright once again. Find two tea bags and soak them in hot water for about a minute. Then, dunk them in ice water for a few seconds. Lie down and apply the tea bags to your eyes for about 15 minutes while you take a breather.

Dazzling Smile

1.       Mix your own smile-whitener by creating a homemade paste of baking soda and water. By brushing with this paste a few times a month, you can whiten your teeth by as much as one or two shades.

2.       Keep your teeth white between brushings by treating new stains before they set in. When drinking red wine, choose some crunchy raw vegetables to accompany your drink. By chewing up the veggies, you can help rub away any new stains.

It’s time to go forth and look beautiful! All in the comfort of your own home, no less. Have some tips to add to our list? We want to hear ‘em!

Myth 1: Rubbing lemon on your teeth makes them whiter without damaging them.
FALSE. The citric acid from lemons will make them whiter, but it also wears away the enamel. Don’t make this a habit!

Myth 2: Special shampoos can fix split ends.
FALSE. Special shampoos that rehydrate your hair will only work to prevent damage after you cut your split ends off.

Myth 3: Sunscreen is unnecessary on a cloudy day.
FALSE. Clouds are just made of water droplets. And just like you wouldn’t forget sunscreen coverage for playing in the pool, neither should you for an overcast day. UV rays are the problem-causing light frequency and can easily penetrate any amount of cloud cover. Cover up!

Myth 4: Eating chocolate causes breakouts.
FALSE. As long as you don’t overdo it, chocolate is part of a healthy diet. Diet plays a very distinct role in skin problems. The best way to promote a healthy complexion is to eat a diet rich with anti-oxidants, nutrients, Vitamin E and simple carbohydrates.

Myth 5: Wearing acrylic nails too often will destroy your real nails.
FALSE. They actually do a pretty good job of protecting your real nails. However, you can certainly do damage to your real nails if you try to get acrylic nails off improperly, like picking them off piece by piece. Treat your acrylic nails with the same respect you give your real nails, and everything will be fine.

Got any more beauty tips passed to you that turned out to be bunk? Let us know about them!

There are countless reasons cosmetology professionals attend beauty school to learn their trade – cutting, coloring and styling hair isn’t something that everyone can do. Well, at least … isn’t something that everyone should do. So here are five more great reasons to see a professional.

My own experience with self-styling started early. When I was little, my mom used to trim my bangs, and got the blunt, straight-across look by pulling a piece of Scotch tape across my fringe and then cutting under that. Seemed easy enough. Until I tried it myself, and ended up with at least an inch difference in length from the left to right side of my forehead. I remember my mom hiding a laugh behind her hand when I begged her not to tell Dad, and she replied, “Oh honey, I don’t think we’re going to have to!”

I also used to cut my own hair in college, when I was broke. I tried to fool myself into thinking it looked halfway decent, but I’m pretty sure that was the reason why every day of the week was a bad hair day and I wore ponytails for four years straight.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one. Some other misguided wannabe amateur hairstylists have provided their own hair horror stories here:

“Oh my, I am the hair disaster queen! I let my dad cut my hair in the 8th grade. He cut it way too short and uneven. I cried. The very next day was our holiday play and there was not enough time to go somewhere to get it fixed so I looked like an idiot! I also tried to touch up my roots once with a drugstore hair color kit and they turned bright orange. I called around and found a salon that could fix it the next afternoon, but I had to come to work in the morning with orange hair. I wore a hat. I had only worked here for a few months at the time and even with the hat I was super embarrassed. It has been a long road, but I have finally learned to leave my hair in the hands of professionals!” -Angie

“Sometimes, when I am between haircuts, I’ll do a little styling to delay paying the 15 bucks on a haircut for another week or so. Using what scissors happen to be in the kitchen junk drawer, I stand on my tippy-toes - like it helps - in the bathroom mirror and cut around my ears, thin out my sideburns, trim the bangs, and try my best to angle the blades to fade my hair on the sides. This means I do nothing to the back, which results in a strange effect in which I look relatively well-groomed straight on … for a few seconds. But if you spend any time looking at me, you can see the back come hulking around. I would compare this look to a batting helmet I wore in little league – minimalistic in front with excessive padding in the back.” -Kevin

“When I was probably 13 or 14 I used that Sun-In stuff when I was at the lake. I didn’t think it was doing anything, so I kept spraying on more and more. I had used the whole bottle before I realized that my hair wasn’t turning platinum – it was turning orange.” -Lacey

“I tried to color my hair once with one of those box dyes. I went ahead and got the premium kind that included do-your-own highlights. Yeah, that was a bad idea. I freaked out halfway through letting the highlights sit and washed it all out. So first off, the color turned out dark red instead of light brown and I had these blonde patches were the color took. I looked like a sunburned leopard… or something like that. Red hair plus blonde spots equals not good.” -Chris

So what about you? Have you ever tried to color or cut your hair and ended up horrified by the results? Share your stories below – we’ll commiserate. And next time? Make sure to go to a licensed hairstylist who has legit training from a cosmetology school, eh?

Have you ever had one of those days where your hair just doesn’t want to cooperate? (Duh. Who hasn’t had a bad hair day?) I have found one of the best ways to combat those nasty hair days is to check in with Makeup and Beauty blog. They‘ve posted 101 hair tutorials just right for the average woman who wants to spice up her look, try a celebrity hairdo or just receive some hair tips.

This blog maps out 101 different tips and hairdos through list format. All you have to do is simply click the link and it will take you to a different website or blog detailing the certain look or tip. It’s pure genius! Just think – you can look through the list when you have a big night out with the girls, the interview for your dream job or a date with that special someone – and find the perfect hair style for the occasion. Not to mention, if you are a current or future professional hairstylist, you can get inspired to give fresh, new ideas to your hair design clients.

Let’s see if you can make the cut in styling your own hair. We want to hear from you about your bad hair days and how you survive them! Or drop us a comment if you’ve tried any of the tutorials and if they worked for you.

From Marilyn Monroe to Audrey Hepburn and Raquel Welch, what do most vintage beauties have in common? Long, luscious, almost supernatural lashes. If you want to get the look of ladies like these, you’ve got to use a classic product.

So, say goodbye to your modern mascara wand and say hello to a time-tested favorite. Cake mascara has long been the product of choice for professional makeup artists because of its dramatic results.

But, make sure you have a few extra minutes for application. To achieve your desired look, you’ll need a bit of patience and a steady hand. It comes in a powder form and you add water using a small, toothbrush-like applicator.

Cake mascara addicts love it because you can add as many layers as you like and it won’t clump. However, because this product is water-activated, try to steer clear of wearing it at tear-inducing events since it is more likely to run than water-resistant mascaras.

We recommend trying Longcils Boncza. Not only because it was Marilyn Monroe’s brand of choice, its natural formula contains beeswax and rosewater. A couple of the other brands currently available contain thimerosal, which is a mercury-containing preservative – so be careful to read ingredients before you make a purchase!

A quick how to on cake mascara application:

•    Dampen your applicator brush.
•    Rub the moist brush in the cake until it reaches a creamy consistency Hint: a little goes a long way
•    Comb the brush through your lashes using an out and upward motion
•    Use a brush to separate and define lashes
•    Continue adding layers until you’ve reached your desired look. Allow at least 10 seconds between coats.

Are you looking to save some cash but don’t want to sacrifice your beauty regiment to the recession gods? I’ve got some good news for you: Hollywood makeup artists like Troy Surrat, Ashunta Sheriff and Brett Freedman recently spilled a wealth of information to Elle magazine. They recommended beauty products that cost less, but still promise to pay off big.

Here’s an edited list of their picks (I’ve whittled it down to the ones that can be found at drugstores for $10 or less):

• $2: Blistex Lip Tone
• $2: Jordana Premium Lipliner
• $3: Rimmel London 1,000 Kisses Stay-on Lip Liner in Tiramisu
• $3: Maybelline New York Expert Eyes Twin Eye & Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde
• $4: Wet N Wild Mega Glo Illuminating Powder in Catwalk Pink
• $4: Ardell Duralash Naturals
• $6: Maybelline New York Great Lash Mascara in Very Black
• $6: Styli-Style Line & Seal Eye Pencils
• $6: Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara
• $6: CoverGirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers in Fig
• $7: Rohto Ice Eye Drops
• $7: CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Minerals Pressed Powder
• $7: L ‘Oreal Paris Hip Concentrated Shadow Duo in Lively
• $7: Rimmel London Lycra Lash Extender
• $8: Maybelline New York Dream Mousse Blush in Peach Satin
• $9: L ‘Oreal Paris Hip Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss
• $10: L’ Oreal Paris Hip Pure Pigment Shadow Sticks
• $10: Neutrogena Soothing Undereye Corrector
• $10: Neutrogena 3-in-1 Concealer

Do your nails crack or break easily? Nail strength, like so many of our traits, is passed down from our parents. So, if your mother complained about broken, chipped nails, chances are, you will, too.

But, don’t despair! You are not completely doomed! There are some steps you can take to save your nails from nub status. Just check out these tips:

1. Wear short nails. The longer your nails are, the more likely they are to break. File your nails regularly to maintain short, pretty nails that are less likely to break, chip, crack or split.

2. Eat calcium-rich foods. Nail strength depends a great deal on calcium. By taking in calcium-rich foods like cheese, milk, salmon and broccoli can improve the strength of your nails and prevent breakages.

3. Use less polish. Unfortunately, nail polish can dry out weak nails, too. The next time you visit a nail technologist, request a buffer instead of polish. Buffing can still give you a shiny, classy look and it comes with an additional bonus – it stimulates nail growth.

4. Avoid nail polish remover. This will be easier to manage if you follow tip #3! Since nail polish remover lists alcohol as one of its main ingredients, it can cause your nails to become more brittle and more prone to breaking. Try to limit yourself to about once a week – so try to think ahead about upcoming events before you try out any funky neon colors.

5. Cut down on H2O exposure. Since water can make your nails dry out, prolonged exposure can cause your nails to split and break more easily. Make sure you dry your hands and nails thoroughly after washing and bust out the gloves for dish duty.

6. Slather on hand lotion. Hand lotions with a rich formula, not containing alcohol, can help seal in moisture and help make your nails more flexible. It’s better to bend than break, right? So, make sure to follow up apply a generous amount of lotion every time you wash your hands.