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When your mother told you to go get your beauty sleep, she wasn’t joking. We all know that sleep is important for our health. That much is true, especially if you know how you look and feel after pulling an all nighter. But did you realize how much sleep actually affects and improves the way you look? Yep, all those expensive creams and makeup have nothing on the pure healing powers of sleep. Just look at what the experts have to say below.

The Beauty Benefits of Sleep

Healthy Weight

Credit: People.com

It’s so hard to stick to a diet and exercise regime if we’re trying to lose weight. Fashionistas are busy women (can I hear an amen?), and it can be difficult to schedule time at the gym with our ever growing to do lists. However, according to Dr. Rapaport, director of the NYU Sleep Disorders Program, lack of sleep can actually mean an increased appetite. So, ladies, put those cucumber slices on your eyes and go to bed early. It could make the difference in your appetite the next day.

There’s nothing I love better than a fresh summer mani-pedi. While I’m in love with the nail art trend, and totally encourage everyone to give it a try (start with these great nail “stickers” /Polish Strips from Sally Hansen), there may be a few of you who insist on sticking with good ol’ basic nails. Thankfully, this season we have a bevy of hot new colors (hello, color-of-the-moment tangerine) from classic nail polish brands like Essie, OPI, Sally Hansen and Butter. Check out 20 of my favorite nail polish colors for summer 2012 after the jump.

20 Great Nail Polish Colors for Summer 2012

Butter London MacBeth

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Butter London MacBeth, $14.00

The Deal: Topshop’s sale corner

The Lowdown: Can someone remind us why Topshop hasn’t expanded to every city in the US? We wish this awesome British retailer would invade more malls. (FYI: Currently, it’s only in New York, Chicago, and Vegas.) In the meantime, we’re lucky that Topshop has a robust online shop and an even better sale corner. Check out some of our favorite picks below.

Shop: Topshop

Our Picks:

Bright Floral Shift Dress

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Bright Floral Shift Dress, $30.00

Credit: VuvuSoul on Blogspot

This post is from our new sister site Mighty Beauty.

I don’t know about you, but I was quite smitten with all the bright-colored lips that went down the spring 2012 runways. We spotted corals, reds and even blue-colored lips on the runways of Christian Dior, Jason Wu, and Richard Chai. As a lipstick lover, my eyes bounced with glee. I was trying to figure out how can I make these colors work for me. You see, finding bright-colored lipstick that flatters the myriad complexions of black women is quite a task. What’s a tad bit more challenging is finding one that really shows up when you have dark lips.

Unlike women who smoke, I was actually born with dark lips. I grew up slightly envying the brown girls who had natural pink lips. Even when I bought my first red lipstick as a teenager, the makeup artist told me that the color will look a little different because I have dark lips. That was years ago and times have changed, technology has changed, and the beauty industry is cranking out products to help those of us with dark lips get in on the lip trends too. Fortunately for you, we have the scoop on how to rock bright lipsticks if you have dark lips.

Bright Lipstick Tips for Dark Lips

1. Exfoliate your lips

Bliss Fabulips Sugar Lip Scrub, $18 from Sephora

In this day and age you can scrub and buff just about every body part. Lip scrubs are a fantastic way to soften your lips and help brighten them. They also help color to last longer. You can also use a toothbrush with a little sugar and water for a homemade scrub.

Credit: Golden Means on WordPress

Stepping out in a sexy style is a good thing. Strutting your stuff in layers of tightness, sheerness and shortness—all in one outfit—tends to say, “your pole or mine?”

Not a good thing.

Just like a buffet, whose excess invites stares or even drools, an over-the-top outfit can elicit the same intrigue–unfortunately with the same unsettling, buffet-like reactions.

We think the best way to dress sexy without looking like a hoochie is to adopt a “less is more” approach. Forgo the temptation to flaunt every stretch of skin and bit of booty all in one shot. Hone in on one wonderful aspect: your toned calves, spectacular cleavage or that beauty mark just under your collarbone.

Let’s toss the all-or-nothing hoochie notion aside. Ladies, it’s sexy time.

How to Dress Sexy Without Going Over the Top

Don’t be a boob!

Girls’ night out need not literally be a girls’ night (busting) out. Choose tops and bras designed to show cleavage, but not of plumber’s crack proportions. Silky drape-neck dresses or keyhole blouses show your top off in a subtle yet head-turning manner. Strategically-placed necklaces also work, drawing the eye to your top half. Try a colorful pendant that dips oh-so-cleavage-close without getting buried in your, um, treasures.

The Deal: Dresses under $50 from Piperlime

The Lowdown: Whether it’s for a frenemy’s bachelorette party or your coworker’s baby shower, during summer time, there’s always another reason to look fabulous. (Yeah, ESPECIALLY for your frenemy’s bachelorette.) Piperlime, with its free shipping and returns, is a great place to look for the “next great dress” for your next great event. Luckily, we’re giving you a head’s start. Here are some of our favorites from Piperlime for under $50.

Shop: Piperlime

Our Picks:

Canna V Neck Snow Leopard Cocktail Party Dress

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Canna V Neck Snow Leopard Cocktail Party Dress, now $49.99 (was $89.00)

With budgets tighter than ever, it’s a tough time for brides who want their dream wedding but don’t have a dream bank account to back it up. As every good budget fashionista knows, however, an antidote for tough times is wrapped up in three little letters:  DIY.  These days, according to celebrity hairstylist and makeup artist Gocha Hawkins, DIY bridal beauty is both totally doable and totally fabulous.

“The most important advice I can give to any DIY bride is to test your looks beforehand, thoroughly. Entrust one of your bridesmaids with the duty of spending a day helping you test out makeup and hair looks with a digital camera and under fluorescent lighting. This way, there are no surprises when you take your photos, and you can feel confident that you’ve achieved the exact look you want,” says Gocha.

Preparing for your big day and need some beauty direction? Here are three hot bridal beauty trends to try:

Bold Bride

We always talk about a pop of color, and this year the trend extends to those about to wed. “The runways for spring and summer 2012 collections were sprinkled with bright neon shades not only in terms of the clothing, but also in makeup,” Gocha said. “This has definitely prevailed as a trend for the more fashion forward bride this season. “

Choose one feature to focus on; whether you’re going with a bright eye or lip, having both will be distracting and take away from your overall look.

A volumized ponytail is stunning and works with warm weather instead of against it. To create this look, leave out the hair at the crown of the head when pulling hair back. Curl hair with a large-barreled curling iron for a bouncy, wavy texture or pin up for a more traditional updo. Tease hair at the crown for volume, spraying hairspray at the same time to set the look. To smooth, apply wax pomade and secure with a hair pin.

Vintage Glam

Being a bride does not necessarily mean abandoning the va-va-voom – for the bride who wants to play up her sex appeal (and why not?)  on her wedding day, a slightly heavier makeup look with a glamorous yet simple hairstyle is the way to go.

“Creating a dramatic eye with a red lip gives off that eternal essence of old-Hollywood charm and epitomizes class for a sophisticated affair. A great role model for this look is January Jones, who keeps it in her repertoire for big ticket red carpet events. If your wedding’s theme leans toward romantic vintage, this look is definitely for you,” says Gocha.

Spend time testing different shades of the perfect red. Depending on skin tone, a red with a tint of orange or undertones of pink will look best on most brides. Keep other makeup simple, but still stunning by lining the upper rim of your eye in a black kohl liner. Use an eyelash curler for added volume (or if you’re even more adventurous, fake lashes) and make sure to apply ample mascara. Sweep a natural looking blush on cheeks for the full effect.

Retro waves are flattering on every face shape and most hair lengths, except for very short. Following your shower, use leave-in conditioner to keep hair moisturized. Dry hair and part to the side. Curl in 1-inch sections and then roll forward. Set with an anti-frizz serum that will moisturize your hair throughout the night.

Natural Beauty

This summer, minimalism is in, and for brides there’s nothing better than giving your natural beauty a chance to shine through. That being said, minimalism doesn’t mean no make-up, and it doesn’t mean a boring ‘do either. As Gocha explains, “With a natural makeup look, I like to do something fun with hair, like take a classic style and evolve it to be more modern.”

For makeup, choose a blush that is as close as possible to your natural flush color. Define your features by shading eyelids with a soft, natural hue that is a shade darker than your skin tone. Lightly line eyes with a black liner if desired, or just stick with a few coats of mascara to make them pop. For lips, stick to a shade or two darker than your lip hue in a moisturizing, lightweight tint.

For a soft, natural hairstyle, curl small sections with a 2-inch curling iron to create waves. Spray with a shine-enhancing product and brush to eliminate the threat of separation. Sweep hair to your preferred side and roll hair into a loose bun. Pull out some face framing strands to create an unstructured, wispy look. Finish by spraying with holding spray and carefully place your headband.

Thanks to our friend Gocha Hawkins for the information: www.GochaSalon.com.

Images courtesy of Sydney4Women.au, TrueHollywoodMakeup.com, and NadineBells.com.

Credit: Grazia Daily

“Like” this. Kate Middleton’s wedding dress has officially been digitally dethroned. Actual royalty? Bah. So 2011. In our society of friending/tweeting/pinning/instagramming/etc, “social” status is currency. Literally. You know, with Facebook’s crazy, larger-than-Google IPO. This leads us to conclude that the British monarchs got nothing on Facebook’s new first lady, Ms. Priscilla Chan. Scratch that. Dr. Priscilla Chan.

As everyone and their mothers are well aware of, our favorite resident geek/Harvard dropout/billionaire who’s not yet 30, tied the knot to his long time sweetie from college this past weekend. The two lovebirds tied the knot in a surprise ceremony, and unsurprisingly, the news went viral. And yep, it’s Facebook official (cuz you know it’s not real until it’s Facebook official), and “liked” over 1.3 million times from “friends” of Zuck.

Priscilla’s dress, in the process, has become a digital sensation. The floral cut out wedding gown with a unique neckline is the brainchild of one Claire Pettibone, a LA- based designer who will, no doubt, become a household name. The “Sky Between the Branches” dress retails for a mere $4,700. Yes, mere $4,700. Sure, for us mortals with finite incomes in 9-5 jobs, $4,700 is a lot. But if you’re marrying Mark friggin’ Zuckerberg, a man not yet 30 and worth an estimated 17.5 billion bucks, $4,700 is petty change. Less than petty change. And in our books, this makes Priscilla, inadvertently or not, a budget fashionista.

Now, we’re going out on a limb here and presuming that most of our readers don’t have that sort of money. Fear not. There are ways to relish Priscilla’s stylish taste on a budget. We’ve gathered our favorite 10 dresses inspired by Mark Zuckerberg’s wife. Congrats to the newlyweds, and Priscilla, welcome to the unwitting fashion icon club!

2012 Attractive High Neckline Wedding Gown with Mermiad Shape and Trumpet Train

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2012 Attractive High Neckline Wedding Gown with Mermiad Shape and Trumpet Train, $175 from Zara Bridal

The Deal: 5 Pink Shoes from Zappos

The Lowdown: It was Elle Woods‘ signature color in Legally Blonde, and for a good reason. Pink may be the perennial black in that it never really goes out of style. It’s feminine, chic, and frankly, just so darn pretty. Here are five of our favorite pink shoes from Zappos as an homage to one of our most beloved colors.

Shop: Zappos

Our Picks:

Converse - Chuck Taylor All Star Core Ox,

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Converse - Chuck Taylor All Star Core Ox, $45.00

Credit: …love Maegan

Thanks to labels like J. Brand, you can now score denim in every color under the sun. From neons to saturated serberts to minty pastels, no matter what your flavor, there’s a juicy shade available to help capture your personality and welcome in warmer months with equally bright denim. We’re not the only ones who seem to have fallen head over heels for the trend; check out some of our favorite bloggers in the fresh picks below.

Bloggers Roundup: Colored Denims

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