Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowJennifer Gach, Assistant Fashion Editor, in Lanvin patent leather sandals


Photo: Kelly Stuart
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All week long, as part of our ongoing Shame Issue, ELLE.com will be digging into the uncomfortable, unacceptable, and universally human emotions that keep us down. Hopefully, by addressing these issues, we can make strides in banishing those feelings of guilt, fear, and not-enoughness. Here's to just letting. It. Go.
I am ashamed of at least 70% of the articles I wrote between 2009 and 2011. It could be more, except I haven't yet mustered the courage to go back and read all the "content" I generated during those years to see just how bad it was. I just know it wasn't good. And worse, often stupid. This is a tough thing to admit. Like anyone who grows up wanting to be a writer, I consider writing, good writing, to be one of the more important things a person can do with their time. Moreover, I am proud of the fact that I have been able to make a living doing it. But as I get further away from that period, I would like to sweep most of what I wrote into one folder and hit delete. I find so much of it to be shameful and embarrassing and in opposition to what I believe good writing is. Perhaps some explanation is due. I officially became a full-time writer in 2008 when I was hired by Mediabistro's FishbowlNY blog to cover the media scene in New York. I had done some freelance writing before this, but always as a side project to my full-time job in an office.
Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowGetting the job was an affirmation that my desire to be a writer was not simply the pipe dream of another starry-eyed New Yorker who talked a big game, but the real deal.
That I got the job at all had a lot to do with timing. The internet was only just arriving as a serious news force to be reckoned with and hadn't yet decimated the media world. This meant I was able to fast-track past a lot of the lower rungs of a writing career, and also that at many of the election events I was covering, I was working alongside well-established and well-known men and women who'd been at their craft for decades.
More from The Shame Issue16 articles My Private Shame: I Am Thankful for My Abortion Why Women Face "Worse" Online Shaming Than Men My Private Shame: I Lie to Myself About Food Channing, Chris, Ryan, and More on Their... It was exhilarating. A dream scenario. Then the bottom came out. The double whammy of the 2008 recession and the full-blown onset of the digital age gutted journalism. Media jobs disappeared; the same men and women I'd been looking up to, just weeks before, were now out of work. That I was able to stay employed had a lot to do with my ability to be nimble and do what was required of me. What was increasingly required of me in those days were articles that would generate traffic. Hyperbolic headlines, barely-considered thoughts, outrage. And lots of it. Lots and lots and lots. In short order, writing simply became a means to an end. Grammar and spelling, never my strong points, were afterthoughts. The point was speed and splash. Every job, even dream jobs, has its downside, but at the end of the day there was nothing I could hold up and say, I'm really proud of this. Days became months became years. The apotheosis of this period was a post I did titled 'Watch Sarah Palin Shoot A Caribou.' The morning it posted my boss stopped me in the elevator to congratulate me on how "smart" it was.

At the time I wrote it, the fact I was being paid, and paid well, to write was enough to assuage the undercurrent of anxiety I always felt about what I was writing. Whenever I felt especially bad about what I was putting into the world, I would just remind myself I was lucky to have the job, lucky to be a full-time writer. That what I was doing was good for my so-called career (and in fact, there may be some truth to that). That on paper I was very impressive. Eventually however, the unease took over and was a contributing factor to the rather spectacular burnout I later experienced.

The thing I had once most valued had become my biggest source of shame. That I could say I was a writer, but never produce what I considered to be good writing, left me feeling like a fraud. And even more confusing, the worse my output the more I was rewarded for it. So even though I felt bad, I felt even worse for feeling bad because it was making everyone else feel so good.

I don't think I'm alone in this. I've since talked to plenty of people who were writing full time during this period and feel very much the same way. Still, there is part of me that wishes I had done it differently, had possessed the confidence to step away instead of allowing myself to get caught up in the frenzy. This inclination may seem silly now; these days the internet is basically like one big first draft—this is true for nearly everyone now, not just writers tasked with capturing "outrageous" missteps by public figures as great speed. And the result of that for many people, whether through ill-considered photos, comments, or swiftly-sent Tweets, is shame. But it's also just how we live now.

Of course, even though I say I'm ashamed of 75% of what I wrote, it might actually be less. Shame has a way of looming larger in the peripheral, lolling about unexamined. The less we examine it, the bigger it gets, and the more powerless we feel. There is nothing worse than feeling powerless. In her new book, Rising Strong (read Miranda Purves's powerful essay on it here), Brené Brown, who has made a career writing about female shame, says that one of the ways we can confront the feeling is by turning it into a story.

This may sound like a simplistic solution, especially for shame that is rooted in things far more serious than crappy writing. However, the core truth remains that sharing the burden lightens it, and in the sharing what we are really doing is telling a story. And, most importantly, by telling that story we are taking control of our own narrative, whatever that narrative may be. There are few things more powerful than being the author of your own story.

Maybe if I really sit down and consider it, I'm really only bothered by, like, 30%, and the rest of it was just me learning out loud. For instance, instead of all those rungs on the writing ladder I gleefully managed to skip—getting coffees, writing subheds, event listings, venue blurb—maybe I was writing an entirely different sort of crap. I was learning how to do it fast, under pressure, and gaining the confidence to know that even if I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say when I start, I will figure it out in the doing. These are all skills that have served me extremely well in my subsequent careers. As for Sarah Palin and her sorry caribou, like most stupid things we do in life, if we're lucky and can muster the nerve, as Nora Ephron says, it can eventually make for great copy. Literally.

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I have a special place in my heart for designer Geren Lockhart and her seven-years-young line, Geren Ford. Our mutual affection for high n' sexy showpiece necklines aside, Lockhart, unlike many designers in her peer group, isn't afraid to evolve the Geren Ford aesthetic slowly, folding new trends like cropped leather trousers and draped bubble mini skirts into her collections when and where she feels they make sense, not simply because they're au courant. Her pieces are artful, transition extremely well from weekday to weekend, and often offer unexpected details that make its wearer feel like she's wearing a one-of-a-kind.
More From ELLEAnd if that weren't enough to entice you to click over to the line's newly launched e-commerce site, let me share a little known secret with you: Geren Ford designs are sketched and stitched with good luck. It's true. Just ask GF fan Lauren Conrad, whose first novel went straight to the top of the NYT Bestseller's List. Or Nicole Ritchie, whose House of Harlow accessories line defied all odds to become a critical and retail success, even finding its way onto Madonna's new album cover.
Or, just ask me, because when I found out I'd gotten the position at ELLE last December, I was wearing Geren's signature halter-cut, ruffle-neck top (new iterations of which are shown at left).
All that, plus a consistent, affordable price point (most non-leather items run $100-$300), and you have no reason not to give in and buy yourself a pretty new good luck charm for Fall.
Photos: courtesy of gerenford.com

Photo: Getty Images
Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowJoe Manganiello may be off the market (yes ladies, he has a girlfriend), but that doesn't stop women from ogling, drooling over, and Twitter-propositioning the True Blood star. We saw it first-hand.
More From ELLEManganiello was in NYC today to cheer on athlete Diana Nyad who is swimming for 48 hours straight to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. We managed to steal a few minutes with the small screen hunk, much to the dismay of the throngs of tweeting fangirls.
The women of social media aren't shy about wanting the actor's, ahem, Big Dick Richie (his character from Magic Mike, of course). As Mickey Rapkin pointed out in his interview with Joe Manganiello in ELLE's October issue, when Octavia Spencer, Community's Yvette Nicole Brown, and Retta, from Parks and Recreation got into a Twitter-feud over the actor, he weighed in himself, tweeting, "Can't we all get along here! #FourWay." Or this sample tweet after ELLE's latest interview with the 36-year-old hunk: "kgeorge520 @ELLEmagazine @joemanganiello knows what women want? I want an at-home personal training day. No shirt needed, Joe. #ManCrushMonday."
So Manganiello is well aware of the R-rated social media outpouring he inspires.
"I love interacting with the fans, but I never cease to be amazed by some of the things that get [posted] on my Twitter feed," he told us.
There's also the fan site F*** Yeah! Joe Manganiello that keeps tabs on the actor's whereabouts. It keeps such close tabs, that Manganiello's own parents log on to see what their son is up to. "It's kind of nice because family members of mine can go on that website and find out what I'm doing," he mused. "My dad goes on that website all the time. I'm amazed that they find pictures that I didn't even know existed. It's kind of like a video diary."
But if you're trying to Tweet your way into Manganiello's heart, it won't work. "I'm a sucker for good home cooking," he revealed, noting steak as his alpha-male preference.
Time to dust off those grill pans.

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Taking in the sunny garden of the private Carlsberg Brewery, only opened one other time to the public; this has to be the single most enjoyable venue for a fashion show of all time! I have to pinch myself.
—Kate Lanphear
Click here to see Bibi Ghost's spring 2010 show
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Photo: Courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week

Juan AldabaldetrecuAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowAvon's global research center in Suffern, New York, a small town about 45 minutes north of New York City, feels like something Walt Disney might have built had he been into skin care instead of talking mice. Not only does this $100 million facility boast state of- the-art labs, but it also features an "inventables" bar stocked with swatches of odd, apparently cutting-edge industrial materials (honeycomb cardboard; something called "ceramic foam") intended to keep employees' minds nimble during coffee breaks, and science-themed rooms that got their names through a staff contest The entrance to the "Dermal Junction," for instance, is wallpapered with a blown-up photo of cross-sectioned skin. "Blue Sky," more appealingly, is a domed, all-blue chamber; a literal interpretation of the words think tank. It was in this room, on a recent visit, that Avon's latest breakthrough— a way to make skin heal itself in order to reverse aging—was revealed.
More From ELLE Turns out, the latest developments in skin care share a basic theory that actually isn't all that new: the notion that skin aging isn't just one more example of the body's gradual, inevitable decline, but rather the
result of a series of mini injuries—as if skin cells were constantly inflicted with microscopic tears or cuts—which never heal properly and, over time, add up. What is new? The rather promising science and the novel ingredients—emergency proteins, electric charges—companies are injecting into your daily dollop of skin cream in order to teach your face to resolve these insults as they occur. Eliminating damage before it can build up? You do the math.
In Avon's case, its team of scientists has spent the past five years zeroing in on activin, one of several proteins that are alerted when our skin is cut or wounded, instructing cells to produce fresh collagen.
Like so many things, our activin emergency system slows with age. Just think about how fast your skinned knees healed when you were a kid—how long does it take now?
Activin itself is too bulky a molecule to breach skin's security system; instead, Avon Anew Reversalist contains the extracts of two plants that have been used medicinally in Southeast Asia for generations:
the mellifluously named Amorphophallus and Sesbania. This cocktail, the company claims, can charm skin into producing its own activin supply. (No word on whether Reversalist helps with skinned knees. I, for one, will be keeping an extra jar on hand just in case.)
As for those aforementioned electric charges? Cosmetics formulators are tapping into a rather kooky-sounding—but increasingly promising—corner of scientific research: bioelectricity, a version of the energy that fuels our households and reboots our gadgetry, which is also the driving force behind our skin, heart, and nerve cells. When your brain tells your big toe to point or your ears to wiggle, it does so with electricity: Tiny pulses leap from one nerve tendril to the next, and, voilà, you point and wiggle. If you've visited an ER (or tuned in to House, M.D.), you've witnessed bioelectricity in action: The peaks and valleys on an electrocardiogram are, in fact, a chart of the perfectly coordinated electric charges we know as heartbeats.
Almost every living cell, in fact, has an essential electric charge. Cells' outer membranes are permeated with tiny, high-traffic tunnels, which conduct charged ions—primarily sodium, potassium, and calcium—
in and out. "Cells are like tiny batteries," says Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, PhD, a professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University. "There's more sodium outside the membrane and more potassium inside of it. This generates polarity, or voltage, which is essential to the normal function of the cell."
Bioelectricity, as it happens, is also a key factor in wound healing. As early as the 1830s, it was observed that injured tissue generates an electric current—though no one was exactly sure why. Scientists now know that these currents fuel repair by moving cells to where they're needed. "The charges send signals that instruct the cells to move toward them," says Alexa Kimball, MD, an associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and consultant for Neutrogena. Kimball says cells are surprisingly mobile; in some studies, the cellular movement that occurs during healing has appeared almost as if a magnet had pulled the cells into position.
According to Vunjak-Novakovic, externally applied electricity can have profound effects on skin cells' function, too, either stimulating or suppressing proliferation. Indeed, in her lab at Columbia, electricity is being used to help individual stem cells mature into potentially lifesaving heart, bone, and blood vessel tissues.
But what about the idea that a jolt might be good for your face? That will come as no surprise to celeb-beloved facialists such as Tracie Martyn, Susan Ciminelli, and Joanna Vargas, who have used microcurrent treatments in their regimens for years. At her wildly popular L.A. clinic, Kate Somerville gently squeezes and prods cheeks and jowls using two sets of metallic prongs, crafting perfectly—if temporarily— sculpted cheekbones, lifted brows, tightened turkey necks. (It sounds about as fun as waterboarding, but produces, at most, a painless tingle.)
Somerville believes the microcurrent revs up collagen production, enhances circulation, and acts as a "gym for the skin," causing minute, toning muscle contractions. Without ample studies to back them up, Kimball says the first two claims are tough to evaluate. "And the concept that muscle contractions are helpful is likely not correct," she says. "After all, Botox works by preventing muscular contractions." Still, Somerville devotees (certain ELLE editors among them) anxiously await the at-home version she has in the pipeline; the DermaLucent Handheld, a palm-size microcurrent gizmo, is currently up for FDA approval.
As for creams with a little extra zip, La Mer first tapped piezoelectricity—in which mechanical energy is converted to an electric charge—back in 1997. Last year, the company introduced The Body Refiner, a diamond-dust-flecked scrub that contains piezoelectrically charged bits of tourmaline. According to La Mer, rubbing the product into skin converts the gemstone's charge into electric energy, which acts as a mini generator, not only stimulating microcirculation, but also potentially changing skin's bioelectric current. (Again, Kimball says she has seen scant clinical data on piezoelectric ingredients— not that La Mer addicts are likely to be deterred.) Also charging ahead: L'Oréal's new Ideal Skin Genesis Complexion Equalizer is sprinkled with micronized pink tourmaline from Brazil, while By Terry's superluxe moisturizing balm, Or de Rose Baume Précieux, owes its glow to 24-karat pink gold flecks that the company claims "generate electromagnetic microstimulations."
But Neutrogena is the first brand to go deep on bioelectricity; in particular, they're tapping into biomimetics—the science of using technology to copy biological systems. The new Neutrogena Clinical collection contains zinc particles that are coated in copper. Though you can't feel them, the company claims these microbatteries— each roughly the size of a skin cell—create a current that revs up cells' abilities to communicate with one another, just as they would in normal wound healing (telling one another, for example: Make collagen!). Duracell-inspired skin care certainly sounds like science fiction, but Vunjak-Novakovic seems remarkably optimistic that it might actually work: "The idea is to wake up the native mechanism that the body already knows but, over decades, has forgotten."
Of course, exactly how it works isn't completely understood. "The charge sits on top of skin. It's superficial, but the cells can still detect it, like wireless technology," Kimball says. And though Kimball confesses that she was skeptical at first, she says the proof is in the pudding. According to the brand's studies, testers' skin formed up to 20 percent more collagen after sticking to the regimen for eight weeks. Aging skin? Heal thyself.

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GettyYou know those friends who will just grab your phone out of your hand if you mention a crazy email you got the other day, rather than just letting you read it out loud? They obviously don't understand that seeing someone's Gmail inbox is like looking into their bedroom. You don't just barge in uninvited, and if you do, you withhold judgment, whether it's spotless or there's a few socks on the floor. Or 13,000 socks. Or 13,000 unread emails. Or—as I had about six months ago—70,000 unread emails.
Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowFor a few years (like once I hit 20k until I topped out at 70k) my inbox resembled Grey Gardens, a once-stately institution overgrown with weeds and cat poop and dying dreams. I didn't do it on purpose, I just didn't delete the unread emails because there always seemed like something more urgent to do.
The bulk of it was spam. Not necessarily the "penis enlargement" or "Nigerian prince" variety (although I got those, too), but endless amounts of work spam ("Working on an article about Jennifer Aniston's hands?!?! Talk to our plastic surgeon who had nothing to do with that!" or "Hi Anna! Check out Swiss Cheese Incorporated's new single, 'Light Fixtures'" See above re. dying dreams). And the rest were email blasts from clothing or beauty stores like J.Crew, Net-a-Porter, Gilt, Rue La La, Sephora — basically anywhere I'd purchased at least one thing, at least one time. (Ann Taylor's were my favorite.)
More From ELLEOnce they start building up, defeatism takes over. How can one woman compete against thousands of unsolicited emails? As they accumulated, I briefly considered hiring an undergraduate to come over just to hit "Select unread" and "Delete" from sunup to sundown. But I didn't want them seeing my inbox, so I didn't go through with it. You can't blame me, considering it's such a mark of shame that there are tutorials online on how to delete the "Unread Email" number on your iPhone. But eventually, to be honest, it was… kind of fun? I had created an Internet-age monster, and it was alive, and (mostly) a secret. I even bought more space for my wild email greenhouse to continue thriving, because I was too overwhelmed to do anything else about it.
Earlier this month, a meme called "There are two kinds of people in this world" went viral. It posits that there are "the 0 unread emails people," and "the 13,000 unread emails people." Like many other memes about how there are "two kinds of people in this world," it's popular because it suggests that the world can all be boiled down to Divergent but with more boring categories (in this case, an unread-emails caste system) and lets one half of us look down on the other half. This implies, obviously, that the 13k people are disorganized, forgetful, and easily overwhelmed. It encourages the "0 unread" set to equate their efficient email management with some Olympian feat like swimming the English Channel or climbing Mount Everest.
Or maybe they just have the time-management ability, the reasonable workload, or even the available emotional bandwidth to face the unread-email grind—alas, not all of us can keep a sparkling inbox all the time. "I'll have a few days of back to back meetings, or a few days of work travel… and my inbox is the stuff of nightmares in no time," says Leah, 29. "I'm not one of those people who files to archive or puts everything in folders. I never will be." That said, she's made inbox management work for her: "I get a few spare hours one day on the weekend to plow through it and mass delete."
With inboxes becoming ever-increasingly linked to our social, professional, and private lives, it's easy to become overwhelmed—whether your inbox is pristine or a mess. "I delete emails really methodically/obsessively, but that's like a coping mechanism for me," says Carrie, a 26-year-old writer. "I do it when I'm procrastinating reading/dealing with legitimate emails from friends or bosses or editors. I have a lot of anxiety over email. I let a ton of important stuff go unread for hours or days at a time because I'm not ready to confront it. I get paralyzed."
Of course, there's also the fear of the Email that Got Away: What if you carelessly delete something important, or cool, or an email that would have changed your life, or whatever? Edith Zimmerman, former editor of the Hairpin, recalls: "I think I ended up opening pretty much all of my emails, even for just a second, in case there was something cool in there. Reading a random promotional newsletter gave me the idea for [viral Hairpin post] Women Laughing Alone With Salad, so you never know."
Ultimately, the turning point in my inbox arrived with my boyfriend. He was mercilessly organized with everything, including email. I thought I might be off the hook when I saw what a maverick he was with tabs — he had 50 open at any given time, and left them open. One time I closed them all (ironically, I hate browser clutter) and he was more incensed than I'd ever seen him. But he winced every time I checked my email in front of him.
He asked me if I needed any of the unread emails; I said no.
He said, "OK. Do you want me to get rid of them?"
I mentally said goodbye to my 70,000 unread PR emails. I thanked them for their constant, stable presence in my life, even when everything else was in a state of flux. And then I nodded.
He sat down in front of my laptop and did something (he just followed this weird YouTube tutorial) and they were gone. Sans any of my own effort—like, say, I'd been airlifted to the top of Mount Everest—I had 0 unread emails. I actually felt physically lighter, as if I'd finally set down a pair of 15 lb. kettlebells. Now that my inbox was cleaned out, I felt obligated to keep it that way, and ever since, I have. With unread emails. Not read ones, because I'm not a psycho.
I won't lie: It's surprisingly gratifying to step back and watch your email become a post-modern art project, if you can deal with the inconvenience, not lose any of your business correspondences, and gracefully handle the inevitable judgment. But it's nice to wake up to a clean inbox. Incidentally, I have yet to unsubscribe from any of the listservs and will probably never unsubscribe from Ann Taylor's.

Model: Philippe Salomon; makeup: Steven KrauseAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWe usually praise makeup artist Pat McGrath for her virtuosic creations. This time, we're thanking her for keeping it simple. With CoverGirl's new Smoky ShadowBlast sticks, she offers coordinated eye shades—one for the lid, the other for the crease and lash line. The result? Perfect smoky eyes, no master class required.
Starting next month (exact date to follow) you can score Smoky ShadowBlast sticks before the masses at covergirl.com/blastpresale

ImaxtreeAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowErdem's fall 2009 collection was filled with pretty-as-a-picture dresses in rich shades of blue, red, and purple, some adorned with lace, many splashed with watercolor-like petals. But designer Erdem Moralioglu's prints were anything but ethereal. Instead, he chose to create blooms ready for a night on the town rather than a walk in the park. In contrast to spring's almost surreal quality, fall is grounded in structured pieces you can easily imagine on Sienna Miller or Jessica Alba. According to Moralioglu, he designs clothes that have "color, optimism, and oddities." He combined all three qualities to create party-ready dresses fit for a modern-day queen.
SEE MORE PARTY-READY DRESSES HERE

From Friday, January 9 through Friday, January 16, ELLE.com is doing a deep dive into the world of female sexuality—from the perils of being a 24-year-old virgin in New York City to a beginner's guide to exhibitionism to the steamiest scenes in film history. Is it getting hot in here? Or is it just us?
I am 54 years old, but I usually date men in their twenties. That's how I became aware, about seven or eight years ago, that today's freedom of access to hardcore porn online combined with society's reluctance to talk openly and honestly about sex has resulted in porn becoming sex education by default. Six years ago, I launched MakeLoveNotPorn.com, where we're pro sex, pro porn, and pro knowing the difference. I also gave a somewhat notorious TED talk on the topic:
Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowThe four-minute spot went viral and thousands of people responded, making it clear that we had tapped into a huge global issue in need of a bigger solution. Two years ago, co-founders Oonie Chase, Corey Innis, MadamCurator Sarah Beall, and I launched MakeLoveNotPorn.tv, a user-generated, crowdsourced, video-sharing platform that celebrates #realworldsex complete with a revenue-sharing business model for contributors, or, as we call them, MakeLoveNotPornstars. Our mission is simple: to make it easier for everyone to talk about sex—both publicly and privately.
More from THE SEX ISSUE20 articles The 25-Year-Old Cam Girl Changing Porn The 10 Most Empowering Sex Scenes for Women Inside the New 'Lubed Up' Brooklyn Burlesque Rave... I Reenacted 'The Thomas Crown Affair' Sex Scene That said, MakeLoveNotPorn was an accident: I didn't consciously set out to do what my team and I are now doing. But it's literally the startup the world was begging for. I'm also equipped to make it work: I've spent 30 years working in the business of communication, and I know that everything great in business (and life) is a product of great communication. And sex is no different! Here, my top three rules to getting what you want while getting down:
1. Talk during sex.
Let's face it: We all get vulnerable when we get naked. Sexual egos are fragile, which is why we can find it bizarrely difficult to talk about sex with the people we're actually having it with. We worry that if we say anything at all about what's going on, or comment on the action in any way whatsoever, that we might put our partner off, hurt their feelings, derail the encounter—even derail the whole relationship.
At the same time, we want to please our partner, and we want to be "good in bed." This is where porn tropes too often come into play. Because in the absence of communication, we often latch on to cues about how to give someone a good time from anywhere we can. Not the greatest idea, really.
Every sexual partner you will ever have is different; what your last partner loved may not be what turns the next partner on; and part of the fun of sex is mutual exploration. Obviously, at a baseline level, talking during sex is about consent: making sure everyone is comfortable and happy with everything that's going on. But talking during sex is also reassuring: it's how you know that everyone is enjoying themselves. Plus, talking during sex is fun! This is when you share intimacies, find things out about each other, or simply have a laugh. And why not? Let's face it: Sex is often (enjoyably) awkward, ridiculous, and screamingly funny.
2. Invent your own language:
We all have sex. We all enjoy it. But as I've said, we don't tend to talk about it.
As a result, we don't have a socially acceptable, socially shareable vocabulary for sex in the real world—one that everyone is comfortable using both in general, public discussion, and as a way of articulating how much you enjoy what goes on in your intimate personal relationships and what you'd like to do. The language of porn has rushed in to fill that gap. This isn't ideal— especially because, unsurprisingly, the language of porn is predominantly generated by men.
The person who coined the term 'finger blasting' didn't have a vagina. Because, well, if you have a vagina, that term automatically makes you wince and want to cross your legs. And while words like 'bitch', 'whore,' and 'slut' can be turn-ons during mutually agreed-upon dirty talk sessions, to be addressed as such the very first time you get naked with someone can have quite the opposite effect. At MakeLoveNotPorn we're building a new vocabulary for #realworldsex: We tag our videos with terms like 'juicy,' 'yummy,' 'succulent,' and 'saucy;' our search term for 'oral' is 'downtown.'
We're doing this because we'd love our members to take this language and use it beyond our platform. You can use this language to talk publicly about sex without feeling embarrassed about what's coming out of your mouth. And it's always evolving: We ask the MLNP community to tell us what language they use to celebrate and communicate around #realworldsex in their own individual way.
I recommend taking this approach and applying it to your own sex life. What are your own descriptors for what you love doing? How do you like to express yourself verbally in bed? There are no rules. Talking dirty doesn't have to be dirty in the conventional sense. Invent your own language and have fun with it.
3. Say what you really think:
The key to great sex communication is honesty. I particularly mean honesty in a positive sense (but, obviously, you should be honest about anything you're not enjoying or don't like). We can focus so much on our own insecurities in bed that we don't verbally express enough appreciation of our partner.
For example, one of my personal bugbears is that we don't tell men often enough how beautiful they are. And by that I mean literally using the term 'beautiful.' Men's bodies are just as beautiful as women's, and porn does men a disservice by making them think that sex is entirely dick-centric. Great sex is about appreciating, enjoying, and being aroused by every single part of your partner's body, and having that reciprocated. I make a point of telling the men I have sex with how beautiful I find them, what great bodies they have, and how much I love looking at, touching, and appreciating them. It's clear from their reactions that they don't hear those things very often, if at all.
So if you're thinking, "Ohmygod, you're absolutely gorgeous, and I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be here naked with you," say it. If you're thinking, "The way your hair curls at the nape of your neck is really cute," say it. If you're thinking, "Nobody's ever done that to me before, and I love it," say it. If you're thinking, "Right now I couldn't be happier," say that, too.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below You know those lemon slices you've been flavoring your water with (see Day 1)? Well, turns out they come in pretty handy for Day 10 too! If you don't have the time or money to purchase a peel with fruit enzymes, you can amp up your daily face scrub with a twist of lemon. Simply mix a drop or two in your palm with a squirt of product and apply on your face as usual. I tried it this morning, and it did the trick!
—Emily Hebert



Photo: Clinique Exfoliating Scrub: Courtesy of Macy's; Background: Retna
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Free Kérastase Treatment & New Products!

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below In case you haven't heard, Kérastase Paris is providing a free—repeat, free—signature treatment and blowout to anyone who wants one! (And, really, who wouldn't want one?) Valued at over $100, the service is being offered for free tomorrow, and tomorrow only. Click here to view participating salons and don't worry; even though the event is tomorrow, some retailers accept walk-ins.
P.S. Kérastase is also rolling out a new Oléo-Relax Slim line at the end of June! For those of you that are obsessed with the Oléo-Relax products but crave more control and shine, this collection is for you. Containing three natural oils—apricot, camelina, and pracaxi—for extra slimming and anti-frizz protection, Oléo-Relax Slim was designed to put unruly locks in their place.
—Emily Hebert



Photo: Courtesy of Kérastase Paris

Get Happy and Celebrate Pharrell Williams Birthday By Taking a Look at His Iconic Toppers

See All Photos Music genius Pharrell Williams turns 42! The Virginia native, who started out as one-half of the production duo The Neptunes, has come a long way since his N*E*R*D days. A man of many hats, Williams has transitioned effortlessly from songwriter and fashion designer, to judge on NBC s The Voice and children s book author. His never-ending CV includes a record-breaking #1 hit (Happy), 7 Grammy awards, a colorful array of handmade  Vivienne Westwood felt toppers, and, to no one s surprise, the CFDA Style Icon award he will receive on June 1st. One question still stands, is there anything Pharrell can t do? Probably not!
PHOTOS: Pharrell Williams s Rainbow of Vivienne Westwood Hats

英文综合祝福语录

友情
From majestic mountains and valleys of green to crystal clear waters so blue, this wish is coming to you.
越过青翠的峻岭和山谷，直到晶莹湛蓝的水边，飞来了我对你的祝愿。
It's joy to know you, wishing the nicest things always for you, not only today, but all the year through because you are really a joy to know.
认识你是一种快慰，愿你永远拥有最美好的东西，不仅今天拥有，而且天天拥有，因为认识你真是一种慰藉。
A friend is a loving companion at all times.
朋友是永久的知心伴侣。
When I think of you the miles between us disappear.
当我想起你，相隔千里，如在咫尺。
You're wonderful friend, and I treasure you more with every year.
你是一位难得的挚友，我对你的珍重与岁俱增。
表示爱情
Precious things are very few—That must be why there's just one for you.
可贵的东西世间稀少—这正是为什么属于你的只有我一个。
I love you more than I can say.
我真不知该如何表达我对你的爱。
Thinking of you still makes my heart beat fastest!
想到你依然叫我心跳骤然加快！
You are in my thoughts every minute of the day, in my dream every hour of the night.
白天，每分每秒我都在想念你，夜晚，每时每刻我都在梦见你。
Think of me sometimes while Alps and ocean divide us, but they ever will, unless you wish it. (Byron)
长相思，天涯海角；情不断，山水难隔。
You're everything to me.
你是我的一切。
慰问
With warmth and understanding at this time of sorrow…and friendship that is yours for all the tomorrows.
在这悲伤的时刻，请接受我的慰问和心意……还有永远属于你的永恒的友谊。
We would do anything to ease your sorrow if we only could.
如果有可能，我们愿做任何事以稍释你的悲痛。
I hope you can find a little comfort in the knowledge that your grief is shared by so many friends who are thinking of you.
你知道吗？很多思念你的朋友在分担你的悲伤，希望你能感到安慰些。
At this time of sorrow, deep sympathy goes to you and yours.
在这悲戚的时刻，谨向你和你的亲人致以深切的慰问。
婴儿诞生Baby
Congratulations and best wishes on your NEW BABY!
衷心祝贺新生儿诞生，并致以最良好的祝愿！
How wonderful it is to hear about your baby!
Congratulations to you and the lucky little one.
欣闻得娇儿，令人无比快慰，
祝贺你俩和你们幸运的小宝贝！
On the birth of your child,May the precious new life you've brought into the world bring you a world of new joys.
在你俩喜得贵子之日，愿新生的小宝贝给你们带来数不尽的新欢乐！
Congratulations! May your son bring you happiness.
恭喜你们，并祝愿你们的儿子给你们带来幸福。
Two dears, sweet Twins! What fun! How nice! You've been blessed——not once——but twice.
一对逗人喜欢的双胞胎！多么开怀！多么可爱！你们不是一次得到上帝祝福，而是两次获得青睐！
感谢篇 Acknowledgement

Your kindness means so much.
你的关心铭记在心。
Your thoughtfulness has given me great joy.
你的体贴关怀给了我巨大的欣慰。
I cannot sufficiently express my thanks for your thoughtful kindness.
对于你给予我的无微不至的关怀，不胜感谢。
Thanks a million.
万分感谢！
It is at a time like this that one really appreciates the kindness of a friend.
只有在这样的时刻，一个人才会真正领略到朋友的深情厚意。
Your sympathy has brought us great comfort.
你的慰问给我带来了莫大的安慰。
Thank you for the gift.
We appreciate your kindness and we shall always cherish this lovely gift from you.
谢谢你馈赠礼品，
我们感激你的盛情，永远珍爱你给我们的漂亮的馈礼。
I cannot tell you how delighted I was with the beautiful birthday present you gave me.
我无法告诉你我收到你馈送的漂亮的生日礼物，我是多么的高兴。
You couldn't have given me anything that I would enjoy more.
你送给我的礼物真是让我太高兴了。
Thank you for your gracious hospitality.
感谢你们的亲切款待。
I can't remember when I had a more pleasant time.
这是我度过的最愉快的时光。
成功篇 Success
Congratulations, Graduate,
on all that you've accomplished…
Good luck in all that you'll achieve.
祝贺你，毕业生，
祝贺你取得的一切成绩…
愿你日后一切顺利。
Congratulations on your graduation!
Wishing you a future filled with success
and joy of seeing your dreams come true.
It's such a pleasure to have a special
reason to congratulate you.
祝你学成毕业！
愿你前程似锦，
事事如愿以偿。
今日贺君有因，
倍感欣慰欢畅！
Congratulations on your being graduated from high school.
It's a wonderful feeling to have reached this milestone,
and I envy you the opportunities that lie ahead.
恭喜你高中毕业！能达到这一段人生里程一定很兴奋吧，祝你前途无量！
祝贺考试过关
Congratulations on your success in the national college entrance examination. I beg you to take this little gift as a souvenir.
恭贺高考旗开得胜，奉上礼物以作纪念。
祝贺获得学位
Congratulations! Earning your Master's degree is an achievement of note, and I hope you are feeling proud and happy——as you deserve.
获得硕士学位是一项引人瞩目的成就，我希望你为此感到骄傲和欢欣，因为你当之无愧。祝贺你！
You have now satisfied a lifelong ambition and can write Ph. D. after your name! My heartiest congratulations and best wishes for every future success.
你已经满意地实现了一项终身的抱负，可以在你的名字后面写上Ph.D了，向你表示衷心的祝贺，并预祝你将来事事成功。
祝贺获奖
Your honor brings to all of us.
你的荣誉给我们带来了荣耀。
祝贺成功
Congratulations on your success!
恭贺成功！
I wish you every success in the future, You are worthy success.
我祝你来日事业成功，出类拔萃，成功当之无愧。
It's wonderful to know that you have completed the dream of a lifetime.
非常高兴得知你实现了一生的理想。
祝贺晋升
Congratulations on your promotion.
祝贺晋升!

祝贺乔迁
I hope your new dewelling will bring you and your family loads of fortune and good health.
谨祝你的新居将为你全家带来鸿运。
婚庆篇　Marriage
订婚
A wish to two happy people for a future of dreams comes true, Congratulations!
祝两个幸福的人儿，来日美梦都成现实。祝贺你们！
Only once in a lifetime that a special dream comes true.
And suddenly your entire world seems beautiful and new.
Best wishes always!
一生中只有一次美梦实现的奇迹，你俩的整个世界顿时变得绚丽新奇。
祝永远幸福！
You two are a perfect match. Here's wishing you both a lifetime of happiness.
你们是天生的一对，祝你们永远幸福。
We never knew two people better suited to each other.
我们从未见过如此般配的一对。
You're the luckiest guy in the world.
你是世界上最幸运的人儿。
新婚
God bless you and yours, and surround you ever with his blessing.
愿上帝祝福你和你的爱人，永远赐福于你们。
May you two always be in love! May happiness increase with age.
愿你俩永浴爱河，祝你俩幸福与年俱增。
Wishing you a world of happiness and love as all your dreams come true.
但愿天从人愿，幸福与爱情无边！
He must be extra special,
because he is marrying a lovely girl.
新娘如此可爱，
新郎必定英俊不凡。
May the joy you share on your wedding day
Be the kind you'll share all along life's way.
愿你俩婚礼之日分享的喜悦，
将伴随你俩共度人生的岁月。
婚庆
I wish you many more anniversaries each happier than the last.
愿你们有更多周年纪念日，一年比一年更幸福。
On your SILVER WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Yesterday… memories,
Today… happiness.
Always… love.
恭贺你俩银婚之禧！
昨天是回忆，
今天是幸福，
永远是爱情。
Happy anniversary!
May the years ahead fulfill all your hope.
祝结婚周年快乐，愿今后年年如愿以偿。
I look forward to greeting you on your golden wedding anniversary.
May you have many gold years.
在您们金婚纪念日之际，向您们表示祝贺，祝你们有更多的金色岁月。
It was love that brought you two together, love that joined your hearts as one. And may you find with each new year your love has just begun.
是爱情把你们结合在一起，
是爱情使你们心连心，
愿你们发现，年年岁岁你们都像初萌爱心。
健康篇　Health
Wishing you a quick return to good health.
愿你尽快恢复健康！
Hurry up and get better.
祝您早日康复。
Hoping you're feeling better every day and will soon be well to stay.
愿你一天比一天更好，早日痊愈，健康常保。
A great big wish that you'll soon be back in tip-top condition.
深深地祝愿你早日痊愈，健康无与伦比！
Get better soon, and stay well for keeps.
早日康复，永葆健康。
一般祝愿　Wishes
All the best!
祝你万事如意！
Every success in your business.
祝你在事业上一切成功。
May you succeed!
祝你成功！
I wish you success in the examination!
祝你考试成功！
May you succeed!
祝你成功！
Enjoy yourself.
祝你玩得痛快。

Mark Ruffalo Posts a Selfie of His Winning Face After Missing the 2015 SAG Awards

There was a noticeable absence on the SAGs red carpet last night from double nominee Mark Ruffalo, but he found the perfect way to compensate for his lack of winner s speech after finding out he d been crowned for his role in The Normal Heart: he Tweeted it instead and shared a pillow-side selfie of his winning face.
Currently in the UK due to filming commitments for Now You See Me: The Second Half, the actor had Tweeted a fan before the awards explaining: I am in London working and they couldn t clear me to get there and back here in time. With my luck it will be the one I win. And he was right.
PHOTOS: Every Stunning Look from the SAGs 2015 Red Carpet
Due to the UK-LA time difference, Ruffalo managed to sleep through Leonardo DiCaprio and Lupita Nyong o naming him as the winner of the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie.
RELATED: Eddie Redmayne is Devilishly Handsome at the SAG Awards 2015
But after his wife and children told him the news, Ruffalo didn t waste any time in celebrating, taking to Instagram to share a snap of himself in his PJs, smiling and offering a peace sign to his followers. He captioned the snap: Upon waking and hearing from my wife and kids that I won a @SAGAwards for #TheNormalHeart Love wins tonight!
He then took to Twitter to thank his co-stars, wife, family, director and PR Team with a string of touching tweets.
RELATED: Our Favourite Moments From The SAG Awards 2015
The 47-year-old stars in HBO movie The Normal Heart with Julia Roberts and Matt Bomer. He plays Ned Weeks, a writer who worked to raise awareness for AIDS in the  80s. Among his tweets was one thanking   all the people who lived through the AIDS crisis and lost the ones you loved. This award is yours. @SAGawards You are heros.
Big congrats to Ruffalo. Fingers crossed he ll win big at the Oscars so he has the chance to make another great speech IRL!
PHOTOS: Socially Conscious Stars To Follow on Social Media

Editor Tested: How We Recovered from Gel Manicures

It’s no secret the damaging effects gel manicures can have on nails. The good news is the beauty market is filled with strengthening formulas that promise healthier-looking digits with each application. Suffering from weak, brittle nails and desperate for help, InStyle.com’s beauty assistant Jennifer Velez tried three different treatments over the course of one month. Read all about her road to recovery below.

My name is Jennifer Velez and I suffered a two-year addiction to gel manicures. I used to hit the nail salon every two weeks to get my no-chip fix, hardly ever taking any breaks in between. While I wasn’t crazy about the removal process or those questionable UV lights (I always applied sunscreen beforehand), I quickly became obsessed with how long the shiny finish would last and I started to believe I’d never be able to go back to regular polish—until I no longer had an option.
For a while, I was in denial of the damage I was causing my once-healthy nails by not allowing them to breathe, but the lack of oxygen eventually took its toll and I had to finally admit I had a problem. Let’s just say the results weren’t pretty. Paper thin doesn’t even begin to describe the condition they were in. My nail beds were completely bendable and suddenly waiting for the gel to cure under those hot lights became so painful, I had no choice but to kick the habit. While my nails don’t look quite as bad as when I first stopped getting it done, they’re still in recovery mode more than a year later.
These days my concerns include everything from dryness and breakage to unsightly ridges that I obtained a few months ago while getting my cuticles trimmed (long story), so I was definitely the perfect candidate to take some of these new and improved nail strengtheners for a test drive.
RELATED: Editor-Tested: These Gel Manicure Shields Are Like Armor For Your Nails
Deborah Lippmann All About That Base CC Base Coat
I was immediately intrigued when I found out Deborah Lippmann had launched All About That Base ($20; sephora.com), a CC base coat for nails. Similar to the CC creams that are designed for your skin, the multitasking product is packed with everything you need to cure your nail woes in one quick step. I applied a thin coat and followed up with some polish like the directions advised, but I like that it could also be worn alone for a nude, matte finish. So far, my nails haven’t been breaking and my ridges are no longer noticeable. But one of my favorite things? It helps my manicure last a few days longer than usual. Based on that factor alone, I’ll continue to use.
RELATED: 4 Incredible Nail Art Designs Inspired by the Red Carpet
Perfect Formula Repair Coat
After hearing my story, assistant beauty editor Marianne Mychaskiw handed Perfect Formula’s latest treatment
($28; perfectformulas.com) over to me, and I’m so happy she did. It boasts strengthening ingredients like jojoba oil, biotin, keratin, and vitamin E, and it’s actually designed to repair nails after the harsh soaking off process required by UV gels and acrylics. All you have to do is apply to clean nails, let dry and follow with a second coat if you desire. Like Deborah Lippman’s base coat, you can apply any color right over it as you let the formula work its magic. My nails truly felt stronger after just one use and they don’t revert to their old ways after I remove it. That’s a miracle-worker, if you ask me. I d certainly recommend to anyone who s struggling with similar issues.
Nails Inc. NailKale Illuminator
I love Nails Inc.’s Nailkale range so I was excited to try the line’s Bright Street Illuminator (14; sephora.com). It features iridescent pearls to instantly brighten up dull tips and because it’s infused with kale extract, it’s said to nourish the nail bed and prevent breakage. While it definitely gave my lackluster nails a boost of shine and kept them from peeling, it didn’t do much to hide those pesky imperfections (like those little white dots I m still waiting to disappear). Though as my nails continue to look healthier overtime, I’ll definitely keep this on hand when I’m in the mood for an all-natural appearance.
PHOTOS: The 10 Prettiest Winter Nail Polishes

The Golden Globes Nominations Are Out! See the Best Beauty Moments of Years Past

See All Photos It s that time of the year again! The 2015 Golden Globes nominees were announced this morning, and after reading through the entire list, we re already playing psychic trying to predict the stunning ensembles our favorite leading ladies will wear to walk the red carpet. Of course, a glamorous couture number can only be complemented by an equally-glamorous beauty look, and the hair and makeup moments of years past offer no shortage of inspiration.
RELATED: Who Are the 2015 SAG Award Nominees? Find Out Here!
Take Marilyn Monroe s 60s-era bob and cat eye in 1962, only a year before passing away, the icon traded her signature coiff for a mod-inspired ’do, which held loads of volume at the crown, and a outward flip at the ends. With her go-to red lip and lush lashes in check, Monroe added an extra nod to the swingin 60s with dramatic liner, complete with a feline wing. Kick off the unofficial start of awards season by checking out even more of the best Golden Globes hair and makeup moments ever in our gallery!
PHOTOS: The Most Memorable Golden Globes Beauty Moments Ever

See Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth and More in the New Marvel Avengers: Age of Ultron Movie Poster

If you re not excited for the newest Marvel movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron, prepare to be. Marvel just released the poster for the movie today, and it is chock full of our favorite superheroes—plus one surprise.
In the poster, we see Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, and Samuel L. Jackson, all of whom play superheroes in the movie, as well as James Spader, who plays the villain Ultron. But the hidden surprise is Vision, an android you can see floating just above Hulk s (played by Ruffalo s) head in the upper left corner. Vision was created by Ultron, although in the movie he ultimately ends up turning good. Watch the official trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron below, and don t forget to catch the film when it hits theaters on May 1.

RELATED: Watch Kate Mara and Miles Teller In the First Trailer for Fantastic Four

What the Heck Is Scent Décor ? Nate Berkus Sniffs Out the New Home Trend

There are myriad ways to zhoosh up your living space—flooring, lacquering, wallpapering—but, for most people, the costs often outweigh the benefits. Enter scent décor. We recently caught up with interior designer Nate Berkus, who was promoting the new Unstopables line of air, home, and fabric care products, and asked him exactly what that tantalizing term means.

As it turns out, it s pretty much exactly what it sounds like: The scent that wafts through a room. It’s that one final layer on the interior, Berkus tells InStyle. Here are three of his tips to consider when executing a scent makeover of your own:

RELATED: How to Create a Mezze Menu

1. Think about the scents that make you happy, then bring them home. If the smell of lavender reminds you of a garden, or the fresh woodsy scent of rosemary calls to mind your favorite perfume, then you definitely need that fragrance in your life. A sweet-smelling candle is an easy way to attain it. “We spend so much time making decisions about design in our homes, but very few people stop to realize that the first thing people notice is how it smells,” says Berkus. And even more importantly, it s what greets you when you walk through the door each day.

2. Spring for fresh flowers, and embrace the cheapies. “I’m a big proponent of taking a juice glass and putting six roses from the corner deli next to your sink, says Berkus. If that s what you see when you’re brushing your teeth in the morning, it makes your day a lot nicer.

2. Don’t be afraid to mix scents to suit your preferences. Berkus combines  Lush, a vanilla scent from the line, and Shimmer, which has a fruity aroma. (Vanilla and citrus tend to work well together, as does spice and floral). Our homes really should tell our stories and reflect what we like, he says. It’s a huge sensory element that brings you one step closer to creating a space that you want.

Shop the entire Unstopables collection now at unstopables.com.

RELATED: See the Super Luxe Hotel Room that Nate Berkus Decorated

Exclusive Details via Possessionista: Lucy Hale’s Pastel Moto Jacket From Last Night s Pretty Little Liars

Dana Weiss of Possessionista.com is InStyle.com’s correspondent on all things Pretty Little Liars  fashion for Season 4. Scroll down to read this week’s exclusive update on what the ladies of Rosewood wore.
For last night s winter premiere of Pretty Little Liars, costume designer Mandi Line needed to make Aria (Lucy Hale) stand out, and she knew which piece would do just that. I had this jacket for a few months, Line said of the pastel Unif motorcycle jacket. It was too big for Lucy, and I knew it was going to be uncomfortable, so I knew it had to be a short scene.
Fit wasn t the only challenge the stylist faced. She and Hale experimented with many different accessories before settling on a simple graphic tee and jeans.   We could have [paired it] with a flashy shirt, or a tulle skirt, but we knew we wanted this jacket to tell the story,” Line added. “When it comes to a statement piece, you have to know when to say when.”

Plus, get more Pretty Little Liars outfit info!

Pretty Little Liars Fashion
MORE:
• Shop Emily s Printed Tee
• Lucy Hale s Transformation
• See Why Lucy Hale is Wild for Juicy Couture
—Dana Weiss of Possessionista.com

En Pointe: Could Dannijo s #Boxerina Be the Next Fitness Craze?

The Dannijo sisters, Danielle and Jodie Snyder, got a ton of press for their Fall #Boxerina-themed jewelry preview last Fashion week but what started as inspiration has transcended into something very real. We wanted the release of the Fall collection and the whole activation around it to be experiential so it’s not just amazing jewelry and how to wear it, it’s here’s how you can participate in our world, says Danielle, co-collaborator of Dannijo.
The sisters started by bringing their influencer friends like Sophia Bush and Hilary Rhoda (pictured above and below with Danielle and Jodie Snyder) to name a few to a 45-minute high intensity workout class that they are calling #Boxerina. It s a combination of pilates, ballet, yoga and boxing led by their fitness mentor Carlos at the Tribeca Sports Center in New York City. All of these women are people that we look up to as strong and powerful. And they aren’t just obsessed with fashion, says Danielle.
She adds: The longer we have the company, the more important it is for us to breathe new life into the brand and the brand’s DNA, so coming up with these experiences and taking bits and pieces of what we personally love to do and injecting it into the collection to make it part of our brand’s experience is definitely the direction that we’re headed.
To check out Dannijo s dreamy #Boxerina Fall/Winter 2014 collection, head over to dannijo.com.
Plus, follow Dana on Twitter (@InStyleDana) for expert fashion advice and tweet at her anytime using #AskDana for a instant style advice!

Pitch Perfect 2 s Brittany Snow Turns 29 Today!

Happy birthday, Brittany Snow! The Pitch Perfect star turns 29 today. She got her start in Guiding Light (for which she won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress) and American Dreams before transitioning to films. Snow played a wallflower in the high school comedy John Tucker Must Die then showed her musical side in Hairspray. She starred in Pitch Perfect alongside Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson and is in the sequel, out May 5. We can t wait!
RELATED: 7 Reasons Why Pitch Perfect 2 Is Going to be Aca-Awesome

There s Still Time! Submit Your Application Today for the 2014 Independent Handbag Designer Awards!

Dreaming about your big break as a handbag designer? We ve got just the ticket. InStyle has once again teamed up with Handbag Designer 101 for the 8th Annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards! Sign up by April 27th to enter for a chance to win one of seven awards in handbag excellence, including Most Socially Responsible bag, sponsored by FEED and Best Distinctly Denim bag, sponsored by Guess. A very special Fan Favorite category will be voted on by the readers of InStyle.com, and the Best Overall Style & Design winner will have the opportunity have their design carried by Bloomingdale’s. Need one more reason to enter? The winners, announced during a ceremony in New York City on June 18, will be featured in InStyle s mega September issue. Submit your design today at thehandbagawards.com.