Big Kid
Tips for Teenage Skin & Hair
Some helpful tips and things we wish our mothers had taught us about taking care of our skin and hair when we were teenagers.
Beauty & Style
Hair Thursday Secrets REVEALED!
Sarah, the resident hair guru of HairThursday.com, answers your four most frequently-asked hair questions.
Pregnancy
My Bridesmaids Are Pregnant. Hooray! Now What?
Guest columnist Nicole of Not Perfect sets the etiquette record straight when the bumps in your wedding planning are of the baby variety.
Beauty & Style
Bargain Bin Lip Glosses
Guest blogger Isabel of holaisabel journeys to the Bottom of the Drugstore Bargain Bin in search of the perfect lip gloss.
Travel
How to Prepare For a Trip
Holly Burns of Nothing But Bonfires shares her pre-travel tips to help calm your nerves and ensure that you won’t ever bring the wrong pair of black pants.
Life & Style
Fall Fashion Plans! (I’m all giddy just thinking about it!)
Guest author Heather B presents the Smackdown’s Fall Shopping Guide: the must-haves, the must-avoids, plus how to be trendy AND thrifty.
Beauty & Style
Your Bra-Fitting Dilemmas: SOLVED!
Nicole of Not Perfect answers your bra queries and tells you how to find that perfect fit.
Beauty & Style
Redefining Beauty
Amalah is on maternity leave and a young writer in the women’s magazine industry gives us her insider’s view on body image and the beauty biz.
Baby
How Much Does it Really Cost to Have a Baby?
Amalah is on maternity leave and Amanda from Mandajuice and the Naked Ledger joins the Alphamom Virtual Village and steps in with her expertise.
Pregnancy
When The Worst Happens: Helping a Friend Cope With Pregnancy Loss
I have to admit that the first time I read this question I frantically zeroed in on the Back button and got the hell away from it, once I realized what it was about. It took a few days before I was able to go back and really read it. And then it took a few days after that before I realized I just couldn’t answer it. Not by myself, anyway.
Pregnancy
Smackdown Updates II: Preemptive SPF, Smudgy Mascara & Pre-Motherhood Jitters
Another batch of great updates on past columns! Links to the original questions are in the bolded headers, and my responses are in italics. UPDATE ON: Using Anti-Aging Products in Your 20s Hi, I wrote in asking what kind of products I should begin to…
Uncategorized
Smackdown Updates: Sunscreen, Teeth Whiteners, Field Trips & Handbag Dilemmas
Thank you SO MUCH to everybody who sent in updates to past questions! These were all really great to read. If you’ve got an update to a past question and would like to share what worked (or what didn’t work), please drop me a line…
Money & Work
What You Wore: Company Holiday Party Update
(Presenting! A detailed update to the cocktail-dress dilemma! An actual, real-world look! Me, slacking off because dear GOD, I have to wrap presents and bake cookies and ASSEMBLE THINGS and I’m pretty sure the directions on Noah’s new art easel thing are in Chinese and…
Pregnancy
Advice Smackdown Bat Signal: Hair Help in Houston
Amalah! I need the help of your wise, beautiful readers. It’s not for me, it’s for my 22-weeks-pregnant-with-twins sister. She moved down to Texas last year, and recently got her first haircut since moving. She told the stylist, “I want to keep it long, and…
Beauty & Style
Get This Actual, Real-World Look: Liquid Liner
I used a black liquid liner in college. I would do this heavy black line around my eyes and then a little up-and-out cat eye thing in the corner. I would do this over white eyeshadow. I would also cry myself to sleep at night…
Products & Services
Get This Actual, Real-World Look: Bare Minerals for Day & Night
While I have still not personally used the INSANELY POPULAR Bare Minerals line (I’ve had weird itchy reactions to bismuth in the past and am just a little askeered of what slathering it all over my face might do), when Tara volunteered an eye-makeup demo…
Beauty & Style
Get This Actual, Real-World Look: Asian Eyes, Take Two
Today’s eye makeup demo is courtesy of the absolutely adorable Umi, who will be showing off her tricks for Asian eyes, but honestly, I’m thinking this look would rock on anyone with dark eyes. I’m actually wondering if my brown eyes are dark enough to…
Beauty & Style
Get This Actual, Real-World Look: For Blue Eyes Only
Today’s eye makeup demo is courtesy of Susannah (the Painting Chef!) and her big, lovely blue eyes. First, I should point out that I’m capable of much more interesting eye makeup. But that it can also make me look like a crazy person. So this…
Beauty & Style
Get This Actual Real-World Look: Super Simple Daytime Eyes
I think we’ll take a break from the reader demos next week and tackle some reader questions, but for today? A super-easy, natural-looking daytime routine from Luisa (of The Wednesday Chef fame, omg!!). This one’s especially great for concealing and distracting from those pesky undereye…
Beauty & Style
Get This Actual Real-World Look: Asian Eyes
Woot! Another demo! This one is courtesy of Khanh, who writes: Okay, so I need to preface this demo with something: I’m Asian. However, unlike most Asians, I wasn’t blessed (cursed?) with the single eyelid. Nope, I got the coveted white-girl double eyelid. Soooo I’m…