The Place to Apply Blush That’ll Have You Looking Sexy in Nanoseconds
If you want to look like you spent the weekend basking in the long-awaited sun—and not like you’ve been nestled beneath your covers in sweats for the past four months—here’s a simple makeup trick that will give you an instant boost of color: Add a bit of blush to your temples.

While this might sound strange in theory, Pat McGrath—the makeup guru who engineered the blushing-at-the-temples look for the Versace spring show (come see it here!)—rightly notes that blush sitting on the apples of your cheeks alone has a tendency to look oddly “done.”

Instead of just plopping down color on the apples of your cheeks, Pat suggests following the line of your cheekbones when applying blush, then adding a little extra at the temples for a sexy flush that’s ideal for any date night. Another transformative trick from Pat: Use your fingertips to apply the color instead of a brush. This way, you have more control over where your blush is going. Your smooth fingers will also help you blend, giving your color a more natural look. —Rose Walano

There are lots of mesmerizing things about Marisa Miller, but today I want to talk about what’s going on around her chest region. Come check it out.

Now, I would give you a cleavage close-up, but I’m trying to keep the creep factor down around here, so this pic will just have to do.

So what’s the story? She’s got body shimmer in a capital T going across the front of her chest and down between her girls. And there might also be a bit of bronzer on the inner side of each boob to create a shadow—that part is less clear. But, really, it’s the sheen here on her skin that’s making everything look a little more voluminous. Kind of like the effect I got with that cleavage kit I tried a while back.

Anyway, it’s a simple little move and one you may have been using for years. But it’s nice to know even supermodels use those old go-to tricks, no? —Beth Shapouri

Compliments of Glamour.com

Check out Hilary Swank’s hairstyle at the London Film Festival. What I like is that these aren’t flawless hairbot waves that you can achieve only with the help of a stylist (or styling-savvy friend); this is what my hair actually looks like when I follow the instructions you always see in magazines and wrap sections of hair around a 1.5” or 2” curling iron. See how some pieces on her left bend outward and inward a little wonkily? It gives Hilary’s style a quirky home-done look (though I’m sure in reality she didn’t style her own hair!).

If you want more proof that this look is chic, check out Sarah Jessica Parker in NYC with a similar look (loving her layered, all-gray outfit, too). No more of that frizz we talked about the other day!

The trick to keeping these waves looking sexy but laid-back? Start curling around eyebrow-level, or about a third of the way down the hair, leaving your roots smooth. This gives a kind of slept-on effect and prevents you from going too poufy or fake-wavy. Oh, and I prefer not using the clamp on the curling iron; I just grab sections and wrap them around and hold for a few seconds, being extra careful not to burn my fingertips. —Petra Guglielmetti

You know, there’s a reason messy side braids never seem to go out of style: They’re super sexy and incredibly easy to pull off. Check out this one on actress Elsa Pataky. We’ve got two shots of the style here.

The key is that although the braid itself is messy, her locks are well maintained—she doesn’t have any frizz going on, and her hair is pretty shiny. And the top of her hair, while soft and touchable, isn’t all over the place—she keeps the chaos contained within the braid. It’s pretty much the ideal recipe for a great messy side braid.

If you’re going to go for the controlled mess thing yourself, here’s a little secret: Think of your braid as a regular braid while you’re creating it. Then after you secure it with a hair elastic, go back and “rough up” areas with your fingers. If try to make the braid look messy from the get-go, you’ll end up with all your layers poking out of the plait. —Beth Shapouri

Compliments of Glamour.com

Notice that she’s got a line of bronze-y brown that follows the line arch of the creases of her eyelids? It’s above that golden copper shade. See it? It’s been blended toward her brow bone a bit. That line is what we mean by “shading.” It creates the illusion of a deeper indentation there, making your eyes look bigger, wider and overall more gorgeous.

Of course, you don’t always have to go for shading. But it’s an easy little trick and it looks pretty lovely, even when your eyes are closed, as you can see here. So I figured I’d toss it up here in case there was any confusion. And even if there’s not, well, it’s always nice to look at pretty eye makeup.

Compliments of Glamour.com

Your man gave you a shelf in his medicine cabinet. Next step: Deciding which goods to put in there.

1) Leave at Home

• Beauty tools like eyelash curlers — he’ll see your face as a construction site.
• Hair spray. To him, it smells like toxic waste and leaves film on the mirror, floor, wall, etc.
• Tweezers, Nair, and wax strips. He doesn’t need to know about all of your hair issues.
• Your whitening trays or grandma-esque toothpaste for “sensitive teeth.” Ick.

2) Keep at His Place.

• A few girlie basics, like tinted lip balm and blush, to spark his imagination
• A couple of fun, bright-colored hair ties. He’ll think Ponytails? Sexy!
• A sleek, high-tech feminine razor that will make him picture your silky legs
• A toothbrush. It’s symbolic that your relationship is moving along.

Compliments of Cosmopolitan.com

In the era of blogs and social networking, you might not think men have many secrets anymore. Well, ha. We have a whole mess of undercover behavior you should know about. You’ll respect us if we’re honest, right?

We Masturbate — a Lot
Yes, men think about sex, well, constantly, and that drives us to lengths that might surprise you. Maybe it’s in the a.m., while you’re showering. Or before you get home from work. Or even while you’re asleep and we’re still up, watching TV in the next room (thanks, Cinemax!). This isn’t due to a flaw in our sex life; it’s just part of our routine. “It’s a relaxation technique,” says Aaron*, 26. “My girlfriend has a glass of wine after work, and I masturbate my stress away.”

We Enjoy Chick Flicks
Not that you’ll find Beaches on our Netflix queue, but “the comedies are genuinely enjoyable,” says Andrew, 27. “I’m almost not ashamed to own The Break-Up…okay and Love Actually.” Truth be told, many beloved guy flicks, like Wedding Crashers and Old School, are big on the let’s-stay-in-love-baby plot points. Now excuse us while we do a shot of whiskey to reassert our masculinity.

We Google You
Actually, we Google you, Twitter you, Facebook you, and if we had a friend in the FBI, we’d FBI you too. We’re hoping to discover anything you like or don’t like so we can say the right thing on dates. We know it’s insecurity talking — it’s not like we gain some psychological advantage by knowing that you played violin in high school. On the bright side, sometimes our snooping pays off. “When I found out that my crush blogged about indie music, I knew it was the perfect in,” explains James, 30. “I bought tickets to a Shins show and asked her out. We had a blast.”

We Have Fat Days
We don’t expect to be Matthew McConaughey clones, but we’re still not as confident about our looks as we seem. We’ll put on a tee shirt and suddenly notice the start of a beer belly. Or we’ll pull on those favorite jeans only to find a pair of newborn love handles creeping over the top. “There’s no warning,” says Dave, 28. “I’ll see myself in the mirror and think When did I start looking like that?” Just noticing it is embarrassing — admitting it out loud would make us feel like, well, a girl. It’s nearly enough to cause a man to consider giving up his daily bacon-and-cheese breakfast sandwich. Nearly.

*Names have been changed.

“Oops — Now She Knows”

“My girl walked in on me tweezing my eyebrows. She still gives me grief about it, but if I didn’t do it, I’d look like Bert from Sesame Street.” —Jeff Long

“One morning, I woke up to find my girlfriend standing over me and cracking up. I was cuddling this huge stuffed bunny she has.” —Brian Astrup

“After a hookup, I grabbed my briefs to go to the bathroom. Then her roommate saw me and laughed — I’d put on the girl’s cotton boy shorts by accident.” —DJ Wharton-Lake

“I was watching Emergency Vets on Animal Planet and bawling my eyes out when my girlfriend came home. She’s never let me forget it.” —Andy Galdi

“I met a girl while I was out one night, but when she realized that I’d shaved my whole body — for swimming! — she was turned off and sent me home.” —Kevin Leonard

Compliments of Cosmopolitan.com

Weekends are well-earned, and the last thing most of us want to do is pound the pavement or hit the gym. But what if exercise was actually fun? Check out these six unexpected activities that’ll have you working up a sweat — and grab your significant other, since just about anything is enjoyable when it involves friendly competition.

Get Your Game On

Air hockey and Ping-Pong are two activities that are fun and don’t require a lot of physical aptitude but really work up a sweat. Head to an arcade or a bar with either of these games and challenge each other to a match.

Be the Cat’s Meow

Head to an animal shelter and spend an hour or two playing with the cats and dogs. Their furry faces and rambunctious personalities will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, plus it’s a real bonding experience.

Feel the Rhythm

Take a dance lesson — salsa, swing, or even ballroom. You’ll enjoy learning a new skill while breaking a sweat on the dance floor. Take your newly acquired moves to the nearest club afterward if you’re both up for it.

Get Physical

Try jujitsu. This Brazilian martial art gets your heart rate up by having you roll around on a mat in pairs. Or, plain wrestling will work, too. Set a timer and see how many times you can pin each other in 15 minutes.

Rock Out

Take a wall-climbing class together. You’ll get a great view of each other’s tushies for an hour while toning your arms and legs.

Take It to the Store

Food shopping isn’t the most exciting chore in our routines, so amp up the fun factor by challenging your guy to a supermarket-sweep race. Divide the shopping list in half and see who can collect their share of the groceries first. The loser has to cook dinner.

Compliments of RealBeauty.com