DEMYSTIFYING MASCARA

Mascara can do wonders, but these days the beauty market is glut with wands in all shapes and sizes promising magical results—so how do you choose? If you’re as befuddled by the sheer volume of choice as Goldilocks in the cereal aisle, Fashionista.com breaks down the basics from brush shape to formula. Learn the difference between curved and straight bristles and get schooled on application tricks from lash experts, like letting mascara dry completely before applying another coat. But the bottom line? Always coat the bottom lash—it makes the eyes look bigger. 

Finding the Perfect Mascara

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SPRING CUTS

Thinking about shedding some layers for spring, but not quite ready for the pixie plunge? BellaSugar.com provides a roundup of the chicest celebrity lobs, a.k.a. long bobs, this season: This “in-between” hairstyle mixes the best of both worlds with cuts that land just below the chin to just above the collarbone. “Celebrities like Nicole Richie, Karlie Kloss, and January Jones have all been spotted wearing the versatile, stylish look,” the beauty site explains. Get some inspiration for what’s quickly becoming the must-have haircut of 2013. 

Celebrities With a Lob Haircut

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PONY UP

Spend the weekend perfecting the Monday Makeover from Vogue.com featuring a tutorial on a side-parted ponytail from hairstylist Duffy. “With spring heralding the arrival of sunny days ahead, the pulled-together ease of a ponytail suddenly feels right,”explains the fashion site, especially with a glossy new texture updating this classic look. It certainly saves precious time when you’re dashing out the door late for brunch or soaking up the sun shopping in Soho. By the time Monday rolls around, you’ll be a pro at looking polished and ready to go.

The Side-Parted Ponytail 

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SKIN REFRESHER

Everyone wants healthy skin for spring. To help you achieve a healthy glow, Glamour.com offers up a refresher course in caring for your skin. Building on the basics (“Always wear sunscreen, and if all else fails, fake it with a good bronzer or some pretty blush”), there are some easy ways to tweak your regimen, from wearing night cream in the morning to exercising daily. You also might want to ask for cucumbers on your lunchtime salad because they contain vitamin C and caffeic acid, which are antioxidants that help prevent wrinkles and sun damage.

Easy ways to get Glowing Skin for Spring

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BEAUTY BOOT CAMP

Beauty meets boot camp in a new generation of products, reports Fashionista.com. In lieu of champagne-and-macaron launches this spring, beauty companies are putting a different spin on product introductions—some debuting, quite literally, in a spin class. The merging of product and workout is part of a bigger trend focused on distilling real results from creams formulated to tone and reduce cellulite. Instead of loaded promises, these products are designed to complement exercise programs—some have even partnered with fitness experts on workout videos.

Treatments or the Treadmill?

MONDAY TO-DOS

Sparkle with glitter gradient nails.

Decompress from a mental Monday with Aussie comedy “Mental.”

Play it again with the music and lyrics of Zoe Sarnak at Joe’s Pub.

Believe in Luck with the Tribeca Ball.

Get past “Awkward” text messages and emoticons with San Cisco. 

TRAVEL SIZE ME

Thinking about taking an impromptu long weekend somewhere sunny? Travel size your makeup bag with some easy tips from Refinery29.com and leave the heavy baggage behind. Pare down to the essentials (passport, sunglasses, and DKNY bikini) and retire your 1950s-style beauty case for good (or at least the weekend). Make the most of your vacation time cruising past the luggage carousel and heading straight to the beach with R29’s checklist of top-notch, TSA-approved items for traveling light, like an ingenious, double-duty sunscreen powder. Bon voyage!

Travel Makeup

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BE MYTHIC

The latest addition to the hair oil market might just make your locks the thing of legends: If Helen of Troy had a favorite hair product this would be it: Mythic Oil. The ultra-smoothing, shine-enhancing formula conditions with avocado and grape seed oils and repairs split ends—putting you closer to launching a thousand ships. Allure likes it because, “Just two to three pumps tame frizz easily and make hair shiny without weighing it down. The vitamin-packed formula has a lightweight texture, is very easy to control, and doesn’t leave hands supergreasy.”

L’Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil

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BLACK-TIE MANI

Have you got some serious DIY manicure skills? Think they’re award-worthy even? Today’s the last day to enter InStyle’s search for three under-the-radar nail artists inspired by Zooey Deschanel and her awesome black-tie manicure at the 2012 Golden Globes. Enter to win a beauty basket filled with CoverGirl swag by giving the buttoned-up pattern your own stylish spin: Think bright colors, rhinestones, or even a mini boutonniere. To enter, follow @InStyle, then tweet a picture of your manicured work of art with the hashtag #InStyleNailArt. Go creativity!

InStyle’s Manicure Contest

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BEAUTY SCIENCE

We might not ever find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie pop, but at least some of life’s mysteries are solvable, like how long lipstick lasts. Reports Refinery29.com, “Luckily, the age-old mystery was laid to rest, thanks to some dedicated scientists/beauty nerds at Birchbox. After a lot of research, it was concluded that the average length of the female lip is approximately 55mm.” Using this measure, the team made lines with four types of lipstick on white paper to determine how long the average tube would hold up. The answer? 293 swipes. 

How Many Swipes are in a Tube of Lipstick?