10 Tricks Every Girl Should Know

All of us have occasionally fallen victim to the scourge known as the unflattering photo—and in our current social media-obsessed world, not knowing how to pose for pictures simply isn't an option. Even if we're completely satisfied with the way we look in the mirror, a truly bad picture can harness a power so strong that we often find ourselves miserable for days. Figuring out all of our best poses and angles can be a lifesaver.

That said—in the interest of never taking a shitty photo again—here's a quick tutorial on how to pose for pictures, with 10 tricks every girl should know.

1. Use your tongue 

This is one of best tricks out there—and the weirdest. It might feel strange, but by pressing your tongue on the roof of your mouth while smiling is an effective way to help avoid the dreaded double chin, as it elongates your neck and your jawline. We've tried it, and it works! It also works for Heidi Klum and Renee Zellweger, who are fans of this trick.

2. Angle your face

Unless you're being snapped by a professional portrait photographer, it's key to avoid direct head-on shots. Why? Because there'll be an absence of shadows, which could make your face look wider, larger, or slightly discolored. Instead, stand slightly sideways and tilt your chin a little bit upward or a tad downward. From there, be sure to look at something just above your natural line of sight.

3. Twist your body and position your arms

Ah, the old red carpet trick: Position your body 45 degrees and put the arm closest to the camera on your hip. Then plant one foot slightly in front of the other, point your toe to the camera and place your weight on your back leg.

Ever wonder why every celebrity poses with her camera-facing arm on her hip? It's because that particular move ensures that her upper arm isn't smooshed against her body making it look flattened (read: larger). If you find the hand-on-hip pose to be a bit forced, try holding your arms out from your sides ever so slightly.

4. Cross your ankles

If you're being shot head-on (maybe for a street style snap?) cross your legs, starting at the calf. This stance will make your hips look narrower and your legs look longer, plus it looks a bit more casual. It's worth noting that the pose also works when you're sitting. Although it's always preferable to stand in pictures, if you happen to be on a chair or a couch when someone comes at you with a camera, sit up straight and cross your legs at the ankles. It'll be more flattering than not doing anything with those stems.

5. Don't follow the group

The key to a stellar group shot? Not all doing the same pose. Not only is that hokey (hello, standing in height order on prom night) but everyone is shaped differently, so the viewer's eye will naturally gravitate to who looks best in the pose, not the picture. Instead, be sure to stand comfortably without mimicking the people directly next to you.

6. Learn to smile for the camera

Smiling is a tricky thing when it comes to photos. Too big, and you look silly, but none at all can make you look broody or angry. The solution? The 'natural' smile you so often do when the camera's not on you.

Smiling too wide on purpose will cause your face to tense up, your eyes to squint, and your cheeks to puff out, which aren't the benchmarks of an attractive photo. Instead, take a beat to relax your face and open your mouth  slightly, so that your lower lip matches the curve of your upper teeth. This is universally flattering, and allows you to decide how much teeth you want to show. Not a fan of smiling with teeth? Learn to smize (smile with your eyes, for the non-Tyra followers).

One thing to note: When you smile naturally, the area around your eyes tends to crease a bit, which reads as much more sincere than stiffly smiling just with your mouth.

Gwynnie Bee Partners with Nicole Miller Artelier on a Holiday Perfect Collection

Just in time for the holiday season, Gwynnie Bee and Nicole Miller Artelier have teamed up to bring us a beautifully executed 5-piece capsule collection for curvy women.

Gwynnie Bee, a popular clothes rental site for curvy women, has curated some incredible past collections with designers such as Jay Godfrey and Tracy Reese, so we can expect nothing short of stellar on the latest collaboration with Miller. And the timing couldn't be better, as calenders are beginning to fill with numerous holiday functions like the office holiday party. These dresses are the perfect items to dazzle in yet still have classic shapes for work.

1. V-Neck Hadley Dress

You can never go wrong with a LBD. This streamlined version looks amazing on all shapes and can transform with statement jewelry and strappy sandals.

2. V-Neck Asymmetrical Dress

A bit of sparkle is holiday perfect! This is a subtle version of a glitter dress, if you're not big on beading.

How to achieve the perfect nude lipstick look

A variety of shades, from chestnut to peachy, can work as nudes. Here's how to pick the tones that work with your complexion, plus practical tips to help you blend and define

Finding the right shade of nude lipstick can be tricky, especially if you have a deeper complexion. It might be a case of ignoring the pinks in favour of the browns. So spend a little bit of time understanding the different tones and how they work with your complexion and you should soon be able to master the nude lips look.

Here are a few different nudes that I find work well for my skin tone (colours shown in the order they are listed below):

E.l.f. Cosmetics Blushing Brown (via Superdrug, £4.50) – a warm brown tone with a satin finish, perfect for a really natural look.

Kat Von D Lolita ll (via Debenhams, £17) – a deeper, warm-toned pink with a super matte finish.

Huda Beauty Trendsetter (via Selfridges, £18) – a peachy tone with a matte finish that works amazingly with a deep brown lip liner.

Buxom Cosmetics Instigator (via Debenhams, £15) – mauve tone liquid lipstick with a creamy matte finish.

Nip+Fab Marshmallow (via Superdrug, £7.95) – a pure liquid lipstick with a pale pink tone, great for an ombré look when mixed with a brown lip liner.

MAC Cosmetics Chestnut lip liner (via MAC Cosmetics) – pure brown lip liner with a cool tone that is perfect as a match for every nude lipstick.

Once you find out which tones work for you, play about with the products and experiment to see how you can get the most out of each colour. Here is how I do it:

Step one
Priming your lips before applying anything else is essential if you want a longer-lasting colour. My favourite is Inglot Cosmetics lip primer (via Inglot, £9), as it moisturises my lips so they still feel soft and creamy even with a matte lipstick.

Step two
A step often skipped is applying lip liner. However, a deep-brown lip liner works wonders when paired with any nude shade of lipstick for deeper skin tones, as it creates natural shadows that allow the lip colour to blend into your skin without any harsh differences. Even for fair or light complexions, a lip liner that is a shade darker will allow the lip colour to blend more effortlessly. I love the MAC cosmetics lip liner in the Chestnut shade (via Mac Cosmetics, £13), as it is a cool-toned deep brown, giving perfect definition.

Step three
Complete your look by applying your favourite shade of nude lipstick in the centre of your lips and blending it out into your lip liner. This will give the illusion of a natural shadow and highlight on your lips that blends to your skin complexion a lot better. My favourite shade of nude for everyday is the Buxom Cosmetics wildly whipped liquid lipstick in the colour Instigator (via Debenhams, £15). This is a mauve-toned pink that looks near-nude on deeper skin complexions while also adding a subtle hint of colour.

It's always good to try different colours and don't feel as if you should stick to one shade; everyone will have various shades – from chestnut to peachy – that can work as nudes. Just explore and see which tones suit your complexion best.

The best summery nails

For someone whose nails are almost never unpainted, I'm decidedly unadventurous. With the best of intentions, I'll lustily examine all the beautiful, bright, multi-finish colours on the manicurist's sample fob, or in my bedroom drawer, and invariably plump for some variation on red.

But summer is a time to take stock and embrace lightness and, being ever suggestible and fearful of missing out, I've been seduced by the multichrome nail polishes (that shift between shades under light) on Pinterest. Opaque multichromes are fiddly and heavy-looking, but the sheerer versions suit my current mood down to the ground, since they're the closest I can comfortably get to following the new no-polish craze extolled by the fashion crowd. (It's about showing how healthy one's nails and cuticles are, without the suspicious camouflage, apparently. The wellness bores can prise the lacquer bottle from my cold, dead, imperfect hands.)

With a sheer multichrome, you get a peep of what lies naturally beneath without sacrificing all colour and prettiness – and unlike traditional pastels (which I avoid at all costs), they don't look at all bridal. Zoya's Monet (£9.95) is an almost clear, cruelty-free polish with mirrored pink and blue particles that remain largely invisible until they catch the light, when nails become a clear lilac. I love it alone, but the glitter is sparse, so you may prefer it as a topcoat, or worn over gel polish such as CND Shellac to relieve boredom and conceal wear and tear between monthly changeovers (always ensure you use non-acetone remover, so gels beneath stay intact).

When glitter feels too childlike and unsophisticated, I opt for OPI's Significant Other (£7.95), which gives a smooth, shimmery, silver-lavender finish that's like catnip for beauty fans – I receive compliments at every wearing (which, with hands like mine, is remarkable). As a bonus, the semi-transparency of iridescent polish makes the inevitable chips harder for the naked eye to spot, so you can more safely use cheap lacquer.

My best buy, however, are Primark's Prism Holographic Nail Polishes, which, despite their name, are not holographic, but multichrome, though at £1.50 a bottle (in store only), I shouldn't nitpick. One, 2 Cute For You (beautiful polish, nauseating name), is a pearly-white with a surprisingly skin-flattering purple reflection that looks fabulous alone for a subtle, summery gleam.

For healthy and beautiful nails, get rid of these 6 bad nail habits right now!

Perhaps, you have been determined to peeling off your nail polish or stop biting your nails. However, in-spite of tall that determination, you invariable end up doing it. Apart from nail biting and peeling off polish, there are several other bad things you maybe doing to your nails unintentionally. If your aim is to have healthy and beautiful nails, yo must immediately put a stop to these 5 bad habits.  Once you stop these, your nail will always and forever be in a good, healthy shape. So here is what you need to stop right now!

1. You should never cut your cuticles

Even if you there is a small piece of hang nail on the side, you should never cut it off. Stead you could use a cuticle remover. Apply the remover and just press it back to the skin. You should push the cuticle with a cuticle pusher. After this you can slowly remove the hang nail.

2. Never peel of nail polish with your fingers

This is possible one of the worst things you could do to your nails. Never peel off your nail polish with your fingers, however tempted you are. Always use a nail polish remover. Take a small portion of remover on a cotton and press the cotton on your nails for few seconds before you wipe it off.

3.  Never forget to apply the base coat first

If you want to have a smooth and long lasting nail polish, always apply the base coat. This will help your nail polish to stay longer and also it prevents your nail from staining that some nail polish give.

4. File your nails in one direction

Filing your nails back and forth is what most people do. However, what you do not know is that it will ruin your nails and will lead to breakage.

5. And never bite your nails

This is one addictive habit that most people find difficulty in getting rid of. However, you should stop doing this.  It will weaken your nails, give infections causes all the bacteria to go into your mouth and several more. If you have grown nails, just cu tit with a nail cutter.

6. Avoid going off to sleep after putting nail polish

Even if your nail polish seems semi dry, you should never go off to sleep after applying nail polish. Because after you wake up, chances are you will find the prints of your bed sheet and your nails will look horrible.

Three women making their mark on the beauty market

Marcia Kilgore: 'Instead of luxury labels, what people want to portray is their own brand'

Marcia Kilgore was watching telly when she had the idea. "I thought, what about Netflix but for beauty – so everyone could get a bigger piece of the beauty pie?" The woman behind Bliss Spas, FitFlops and Soap & Glory, Kilgore has long been renowned for "disrupting" the industry, but this project threatened to go even further, toppling it on its side, skidding into a hedge.

I'd heard a rumour that Kilgore's new venture was such a threat to established beauty brands that she'd received death threats. She chuckles. "There's room for us and for them. After all, Netflix exists, but people still go to the cinema, right?"

This is how Beauty Pie works: you pay £10 a month for membership, and then you can purchase its carefully curated collection of make-up and skincare at factory prices. So, that's £20 lipsticks for £2.24, excellent foundation (in Armani-esque bottles) for £4.75, and the new "Super-Eye Energy Peptide Infusion Cream" for £5.65. The pricing is totally transparent, and the products are comparable to those in the fanciest beauty halls.

As Beauty Pie nears its first anniversary, now with tens of thousands of members, Kilgore says the key to its success lies in the "personal brand". Rather than define themselves through designer labels, she says: "What people really want to portray is their own brand."

Only a fraction of the cost of a luxury product is the product itself. The rest is what Kilgore calls LMAO, or "Landfill Marketing and Overheads." Kilgore spends days at cosmetics factories: one will produce a perfect lipstick, at another she knows a product mixer who specialises in foundation. "You become quite elitist in terms of the quality. If something doesn't have good colour payoff or the pencil is a bit too dry, I reject them."

Of the luxury brands, she says, her voice dropping a little, 95% buy the same products she does, tweaking the colours slightly, whacking it in their own packaging and adding a few zeroes to the price – often 30 times the price it costs to make. "We had this skin brush from Korea, a rechargeable one in soft-touch rubber, for £18," Kilgore says. "In shops it would be more than £80. I've seen things like it in the airport for £300." Is there a company she finds particularly disingenuous? She puts her hand over the tape recorder and mouths the name of a brand whose moisturisers sell for £200, and whose formulations can be found for a 10th of that through Beauty Pie.

Ozohu Adoh: 'The luxury market was not meeting the needs of women of colour'

This year Ozohu Adoh, a Nigerian-born ex-accountant, launched Epara, the first luxury beauty brand specifically targeting women of colour. The line has already been bought by Harrods, which knows its audience: in 2015, says Adoh, every £1 in £3 spent in the store was by a Nigerian.

It began by accident. "I had excessive dry skin on my face. I tried all the luxury skincare brands and they just didn't work." She researched ingredients, making her own concoctions using mainly oils. "It took several iterations before I got something that worked," says Adoh. When her skin cleared up "friends started to ask me for this thing in a nondescript jar." That was three years ago. She has since developed a line including cleansers, a mask, serums and eye cream. Many of her ingredients, such as marula and moringa oils, and mango butter, are found on African soil. "I want to take them mainstream," she says.

Some have asked why women of colour need their own skincare line. "The market was not addressing our needs," says Adoh. "Due to higher levels of melanin, typical problems present differently in darker skin tones. Uneven skin tone caused by hormonal issues or acne scarring can take much longer to heal."

Tricia Cusden: 'Society hasn't yet come to terms with the fact that we're living longer'

"The beauty industry assumes we are all engaged in an anti-ageing battle," says an emphatic Tricia Cusden, the 70-year-old founder of mature make-up brand Look Fabulous Forever. "I am determined to change this."

Cusden, a former management consultant from south London, has a "pro-ageing" attitude to beauty. She launched Look Fabulous Forever in 2013, "after wasting £50 on products meant for skin a lot younger than mine" and becoming "increasingly exercised" by the "insulting" rhetoric around older women and their beauty routine. Cusden's mission was two-fold: create products and imagery that were "honest, featuring women over the age of 55"; and to use "positive language, to represent ageing as something to embrace, not to fight against"...

The battle to end the world's obsession with lighter skin

"It starts when children are young: the moment a child is born, relatives start comparing siblings' skin colour. It starts in your own family – but people don't want to talk about it openly."

Kavitha Emmanuel is the founder of Women of Worth, an Indian NGO that is standing up to bias toward lighter skin. The Dark Is Beautiful campaign, launched in 2009, is not "anti-white", she says, but about inclusivity – beauty beyond colour. It carries celebrity endorsement, most notably from the Bollywood actor Nandita Das, and provides a forum for people to share their personal stories of skin colour bias.

The campaign runs media literacy workshops and advocacy programmes in schools to counteract colour bias. Emmanuel says this even occurs in school textbooks, where a picture of a fair-skinned girl might be labelled "beautiful" and a darker one "ugly".

"Some children are really shocked that this affects them so intensely," Emmanuel says. "Some are in tears [during the workshops]."

A perfect life from perfect skin – but only for those of the right shade – is the message and mindset that's being passed down. This has spawned a multibillion-dollar industry in cosmetic creams and invasive procedures such as skin bleaching, chemical peels, laser treatments, steroid cocktails, "whitening" pills and intravenous injections – all with varying effectiveness and health risks. It's more than a bias, it's a dangerous cultural obsession.

Multinational cosmetics brands have found a lucrative market: global spending on skin lightening is projected to triple to $31.2bn (£24bn) by 2024, according to a report released in June 2017 by the research firm Global Industry Analysts. The driving force, it says, is "the still rampant darker skin stigma, and rigid cultural perception that correlates lighter skin tone with beauty and personal success".

"This is not bias. This is racism," says Sunil Bhatia, a professor of human development at Connecticut College. Bhatia recently wrote in US News & World Report about deep-rooted internalised racism and social hierarchies based on skin colour.

In India, these were codified in the caste system, the ancient Hindu classification in which birth determined occupation and social stratum. At the top, Brahmins were priests and intellectuals; at the bottom, outcastes were confined to the least-desired jobs such as latrine cleaners. Bhatia says caste may have been about more than just occupation: the darker you looked, the lower your place in the social hierarchy.

Fair skin bias was perpetuated and strongly reinforced by colonialism, not just in India but in dozens of countries ruled by a European power. It's the idea that the ruler is fair-skinned, says Emmanuel: "All around the world, it was a fact that the rich could stay indoors versus the poor who worked outside and were dark-skinned."

Now globalisation is spreading the bias. "There is an interesting whiteness travelling from the US to shopping malls in other countries, featuring white models," Bhatia says. "You can trace a line from colonialism, post-colonialism and globalisation."

Western beauty ideals, including fair skin, dominate worldwide. And with these ideals come products to service them. In Nigeria, 77% of the country's women use skin-lightening agents; in Togo, 59%. But the largest and fastest-growing markets are in the Asia-Pacific region. In India, a typical supermarket will have a wall of personal care products featuring "whitening" moisturiser or "lightening" body creams from wellknown brands.

How to do the perfect winged eyeliner

We all have good eyeliner days and bad eyeliner days; times where made-up eyes do not even look like friends, let alone sisters. But for me, it's worth experimenting to find a swoosh that suits your eye shape, – and one that you can replicate symmetrically – because there's nothing like winged liner to complete a look. Practice makes perfect. Here's how I do mine – using the best liner I've found, the Marc Jacobs Magic Marc'er liquid eyeliner pen in Blacquer. I find pen eyeliners a little easier to contol than brushes, so if you are new to winged eyeliner, this magic Marc'er might just become your new best friend.

Step 1

I begin with simple eyeshadow as a base to complement the eyeliner. I love improvising with makeup, so I often use a blusher palette as eyeshadow. Sleek Blush By 3 palette in Flame works wonders for this; it has just as much pigment as a standard eyeshadow palette. After that, I sketch out the liner by drawing a short line from the outer corner of the eye, as though following the curve of the lower lash line.

Step 2

Draw a line all the way across the upper eyelid, from the tear duct to the outer edge of the lower line. It helps if you pull the eye from the corner a little, to flatten the skin, so the liner goes on smoothly.

Step 3

Fill in the gaps between the outer point of the liner and the lash line, ensuring that you don't leave any empty spaces.

Step 4

Add the final finishing touches to your look. I love a good highlight on my tear duct and brow bone, so I've used the Sleek highlight palette in Cleopatra's Kiss. Feel free to customise your eyeliner any way you like; don't be afraid to take the line thicker, or to make it thinner, to suit your eye shape. I've finished the look with a pair of my current favourite lashes by Huda Beauty in the Noelle style ; I love their Samantha style, too, which gives a pretty, wispy effect.

How to make your skin glow

There are many sad things about coming back from holidays. For one, it's the beginning of the end for that glowy skin you only get after about a week away from your desk and in the fresh air. But with a little prep and a bit of shimmer, you can fake that dewy look all year. Here is how I do it.

Step one

Prepping your skin is the most essential part of this process. I use exfoliators and pore-cleansing masks as part of my regular routine, which helps other products sink into my skin easily. My favourite is NSPA's glow mud mask. I also use a combination smoothing lightweight emulsion moisturiser, which adds loads of dewiness but has a lightweight texture that feels comfortable on the skin.

Step two

Apply a liquid illuminator all over your face as a base. I like the Buxom Cosmetics liquid highlighter in Divine Goddess for a really subtle "wet skin" glow.

Step three

I use a Real Techniques sponge to blend my foundation properly without leaving too much excess on my face. My favourite for a natural dewy look is the Bare Minerals bare skin foundation in the colour Walnut.

Step four

I use concealer under my eyes, down my nose, and on the centre of my chin, which brightens the places the sunlight naturally hits my face. Decide where to put your concealer depending on your face shape. I use Too Faced born this way concealer in Medium tan, which stays dewy even when it has been set with powder. I use pressed transluscent powder, rather than loose, such as Inglot Cosmetics HD pressed powder in shade 404.

Step five

For extra glow I add a light contour to my cheeks using the Buxom Cosmetics hot escapes bronzer in the shade Maldives. To bring back warmth to my skin, I add a touch of blusher, then complete by dusting a shimmery golden highlight on the highest point of my cheekbone, and the tip of my nose. Focus this shimmery highlight on the areas you want to enhance and bring forward. I love to use the Nip+Fab travel palette in Medium/Dark 2 which has the contour, blush and highlight in one.

Step six

Finally, add a little bit of a shimmery lip gloss to compliment your dewy skin. I am using the Buxom cosmetics lip polish in Sugar on top of my Nip+Fab lip liner in Espresso.

How many microbeads is a clean face worth?

Put down that facial scrub and exfoliating body wash.

You may not realize it, but if you use these types of products, you may be releasing as many as 94,500 tiny plastic beads into the environment with every wash.

Experts at the U.K.'s Plymouth University recently decided to figure out just how many microbeads get washed down the drains everyday — and the numbers they found were staggering.

Richard Thompson, a professor of marine biology at Plymouth, found that a single wash may contain as many as 94,500 microbeads. An entire tube could hold upwards of 2.8 million of them, and once used, they are all destined to make their way into the world's rivers and oceans.

Personal care products that use tiny exfoliators usually contain microbeads, the industry term for the miniscule plastic balls that provide a scrubbing action in everything from toothpastes to body washes. The beads are designed to wash down the drain and take dirt and oils with them. But the problem is that once in the drain, they make their way into waterways and may poison marine animals that mistake them for food.

The beads ranged in size from 0.01mm up to 1mm. "Their size means they can pass through sewage treatment screens and be discharged into rivers and oceans," Thompson told The Sunday Times.

They may also be combined into a sewage sludge, which is sometimes spread onto farmland.

You won't believe these insane Easter bonnets that people actually wear

When you think of an Easter bonnet, what comes to mind? Perhaps a woven white or tan hat with a soft dome shape on top, a not-too-stiff brim and maybe ribbons or small flowers in pastel colors for decoration.

It's probably safe to say you don't imagine a heavy, four-foot-tall headdress packed with brightly colored wrapped Easter presents, Peeps or plastic butterflies.

But if you've ever been to Fifth Avenue in New York City on Easter, that's exactly what you'd see. In an annual tradition that dates back to the 1870s, "celebrants don festive finery and show off their very best bonnets" for the Easter Bonnet Parade on NYC's most fashionable thoroughfare.

The headgear that makes an appearance on this day can be elegant, wild, Easter-related or not at all connected to the holiday. Yet the level of outlandishness rivals even that of other "huge hat holidays," such as the Royal Ascot or Kentucky Derby.

Check out some of the eye-popping creations from previous Easter bonnet parades that make this stuffed-rabbit-in-a-basket-with-ducks monstrosity (above) seem tame in comparison.

Believe it or not, we're starting off on the more subdued end of the spectrum. This woman looks lovely in a soft yellow paper-and-butterfly-topped hat with a dramatic dip in the back.

Lest you assume Easter hats are just for women and girls, think again. Gentlemen of all ages and their furry companions get in on the fun with costumes to match what's on their heads.

Seriously her hat is as big as she is. How is she not falling over?

Peeps are to Easter what candy canes are to Christmas. The difference is that Peeps are disgusting, so why not glue them to a hat? They're practically inedible anyway.

No Easter-themed decoration is off-limits. So if you want to raid your local Target for baskets, eggs and tacky cardboard bunny decorations and assemble them on top of your head, go for it.

This bearded, tattooed man proudly sports plastic neon flying pigs in a San Francisco park for an Easter hat competition.

This parade reveler seems to have obstructed viewing thanks to the pile of presents on her noggin. Meanwhile the child next to her stays warm in a fuzzy (and reasonably sized) blue floral Easter hat.

The bright sunshine seems to be growing the giant flowers on the top of this hat while we watch.

Upside-down Easter baskets are a common choice for the base of these bonnets. However, this one looks more suited to be a table centerpiece than a headpiece.

A forsythia-and-cornucopia-inspired yellow Easter bonnet channeled the spring sunshine even when the temperature wasn't bringing the warmth.

You've heard the term carrot top, right? This foursome who donned giant carrots give the phrase a whole new meaning. Maybe some of the giant bunnies in the other hats can have a snack.

Not sure what's in the hat, but it's colorful and just adorable framing her smiling face. Happy Easter!

How to choose clothes that will last

In generations past, members of a household would have made a family's clothing. Even in wealthier homes, lace-making and embroidery were common hobbies; even if clothes weren't sewn at home, seamstresses and tailors were close by. It wasn't so long ago that this was still the case. I was raised by my grandmother, who made about half my clothes until I was a young teenager.
Besides creating clothing that fit the wearer perfectly, home sewers also knew fabrics well and could tell by eye and feel if a given cloth would last or fray after a few wears. They also could tell if something was sewn well using proper techniques, or if it was thrown together cheaply.

Because my grandmother taught me to sew and what to look for in a well-made garment, I can tell whether something is good quality or not. But very few of my friends can do the same. The sad part is that poor quality plagues all levels of the fashion marketplace. It's not just cheap, fast fashion that tends to fall apart after a few wears. But even pricier brands, which used to boast quality materials and workmanship, have a wider variability in quality than you'd expect.

That fast fashion, by the way, refers to clothes that quickly go from the catwalk to the retail stores to capitalize on fashion trends. It is often sewn by people — sometimes children — who are paid poorly, abused and overworked. But consumers want those low prices, and they don't think about what paying bottom dollar means for the people who make the clothes or what it means for the planet's landfills, which are already full of discarded clothing.

Here's what to look for so you can invest your money in good-quality pieces for yourself of loved ones — and know they will last.

Are you washing your hair the right way?

How much do you really think about washing your hair? Likely, you jump in the shower, throw on some shampoo, maybe some conditioner, rinse and call it a day.

If that's your routine, you may be doing your hair and scalp a major disservice.

Depending on if you're talking to your stylist or your dermatologist, reading a beauty article or watching an infomercial, you may think you're washing your hair too often or not enough. There's confusion about what kind of products to use and how much to apply. And what about drying it? Is air drying the only safe way to go without damaging your hair?

"There's a lot of confusion and misunderstanding and bad advice," says Chicago area, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Shani Francis. "Every unique person has their own individual needs about how to care for their hair."

How often should you wash?

You may have been brought up to wash your hair every day, but daily shampooing may not be necessary. It all depends on your hair and scalp type, says the American Academy of Dermatology.

If your hair or your scalp is oily, you may need to wash more often, maybe even every day.

Chemically treated hair from coloring or other processes may be dry, so it's probably better to wash less often.

Your scalp makes less oil as you get older, so you may need to shampoo less often.

Curly hair is often drier, so it usually doesn't need to be washed every day.

One way to tell if you're washing enough is to check for flakes in your hair. They could be a telltale sign that you're not shampooing as often as you should. In any case, Francis says don't go more than a week between washings.

"Even for the kinkiest, curliest textures, the scalp still needs to be cleaned weekly," she says.

How to wash your hair

Don't just jump in the shower and start washing. This process may take a little longer, but you should end up with healthier hair.

Start with a little prep work. Many stylists suggest first brushing through your hair to get out all the tangles. If you brush or comb hair later when it's wet, you're more likely to have breakage. Francis says kinkier and curly hair is better managed when wet, but only with finger detangling not a comb or brush.

Then apply a small amount of coconut oil just to the hair, avoiding the scalp completely. Leave it on for 15 minutes or more, if you have the time. (Ideally, you could leave it on overnight, but remember to wrap your hair in a towel to protect your pillowcases.)

Wet your hair. Apply a small amount of shampoo, about the size of a quarter, mostly to your scalp. Any more than that and you can start damaging your hair. "Shampoo removes all of the dirt and oil from your hair, and then it starts stripping away essential oils and lipids that prevent dryness and breakage," hairstylist Nathaniel Hawkins tells Allure. Shampoos that are specifically for curly, color-treated or dry hair typically are the most gentle.

Don't scrub your scalp and hair vigorously. A rough shampoo can hurt the cuticle, and cause tangles, frizz and flyaways. Instead, gently massage the shampoo into your scalp with the pads of your fingers and smoothly run the shampoo through your hair.

Rinse thoroughly, and then maybe condition, depending on your hair. Curly, dry or chemically treated hair almost always needs conditioning. In fact, you may want to try a dab of leave-in conditioner to help lock-in moisture. Use conditioner just on the hair and not on the scalp. Fine hair, however, doesn't always do well with conditioner, Francis says. One trick she suggests is spritzing on some vinegar or adding a little to your shampoo. Vinegar is acidic and helps close the cuticle and lock in the moisture. (The only downside is you might smell a little like a salad.)

If you're not leaving in the conditioner, rinse and rinse again. If you color your hair, turn the temperature down. Cooler water will keep your color from fading faster, according to Allure.

The bride wore rolls and rolls of toilet paper

Here comes the bride, all dressed in ... double-ply?

Not all wedding gowns are traditional, but few are made out of toilet paper. In a recent contest, people with some serious creative flair were asked to whip up bridal attire using basic bathroom TP.

The rules are simple: Contestants obviously must use toilet paper. They can use any type of tape, glue, and/or needle and thread. The dress must be able to be worn and taken on and off. The model can't be sewn, taped or glued into the dress.

And the results are ridiculously amazing.

Instead of swathing their models like mummies, these toilet paper artists have crafted delicate masterpieces ranging from form-fitting numbers with intricate cutouts to retro designs with capes or tassels.

There were more than 1,500 entries in this year's Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest. The 13-year-old competition is presented by Cheap Chic Weddings and Quilted Northern (of course).

Take a look at the awe-inspiring gowns, including the 2017 winner:

It took Kari Culetto,Las Vegas actress and mother of two, three months to craft her winning entry, which she calls "Quilted Enchantment." The gown's 1,500 hand-cut butterflies and a six-foot cathedral train earned the raves of judges and the $10,000 first prize.

"It kind of feels like I'm dreaming right now," Curletto told Reuters after her win. "Halfway through I was going to quit. I was crying and thinking, 'Well, I just can't do it. It's too much,' and a butterfly flew into my yard and landed on my hand."

For three years in a row, Virginia florist Ronaldo Cruz has won the fan favorite entry. His off-the-shoulder lacy gown features intricate snowflake shapes and is modeled by his niece, Danika.

"I don't draw or sketch anything," Cruz tells The Virginian-Pilot. "I just do what comes to mind."

Carol Touchstone's vintage creation includes 135 tassels, more than 6,500 strips of twisted toilet paper, and 6,000 beads. She used nearly three dozen rolls of two-ply toilet paper and two rolls of "vintage peach" Quilted Northern that she found online for the accompanying headpiece.

Touchstone owns a vintage clothing store and has worked in fashion and interior design.

"It's a great conversation starter," Touchstone told the Miami Herald. "I tell people I make wedding dresses out of toilet paper, and they say, ‘Oh, OK,' and then I show them the photographs and next thing I know, there are four or five people gathered around."

Freelance designer Van Tran of Brooklyn was the winner of the 2016 design competition. For this year's contest, she made a form-fitting pantsuit with lace trim.

"I've made a whole clothing collection out of used paper cloths, so this competition is a natural fit for me," she told the New York Post.

New Jersey artist Susan Masarek used white duct tape, glue and needle and thread to make her gown. It's sleek with a cape and pillbox hat, calling to mind Jackie Kennedy, circa 1963.

It's the fifth year Mansarek has competed, each time as a top 10 finalist.

"I don't think anybody is trying to say you should make your wedding dress out of toilet paper, but it's a nice way of saying I think we can bring that cost down in some ways," Masarek told NJ.com. "One message (that) is very important is not to go into debt for a big wedding and paying for it for years and years when you should have a wonderful, beautiful wedding and not going into debt to do it."

What does the length of your fingers say about you?

Take a look at your fingers. Would you believe me if I told you that the length of your fingers in relation to one another can predict your personality? I know that it sounds like one of those hokey tests you see on Facebook, but I have to admit that it was spot-on for me. Here's how it works:

Look at your three middle fingers of your left hand. Is your index finger longer than your ring finger? Is your ring finger long than your index finger? Or are the two the same height? Find the scenario that best matches your handand see if what follows is an accurate description of your personality.

Longer ring finger: The Sweet Talker

If your ring finger is longer than your index finger, researchers shows that you're likely a charming type, and you can probably talk yourself out of any situation. Others often find this personality type irresistible and will go to great lengths to help you. You're more likely to take risks, and you're good at problem-solving. People in this category make great engineers, soldiers and crossword-puzzle solvers.

Three fingers set togetherLonger index finger: The (Over) Confident One

If your index finger is longer than your ring finger, chances are you are full of confidence — possibly even to the point of being over-confident and arrogant. You are not necessarily introverted, but you do enjoy time to yourself, especially when you're trying to complete a project. You are a goal-oriented go-getter who can make things happen, but you may be shy when it comes to taking the first step in a relationship. You are also probably happy with what you have, but you're always wishing for more.

Index and ring finger are the same length: The Peacemaker

If your index finger and ring fingers are roughly the same length, you are likely to avoid conflict at all costs and seek to keep the peace in your relationships. You are well-organized, faithful and compassionate. But deep down under all of that caring and peace-loving, you also have a fiery core that can lash out unexpectedly when you're pushed too far. You will try your hardest to avoid a fight, but heaven help the person who pushes you into one!

How well did these descriptions match your personality? I was surprised at the accuracy in my case (but I'm not going to spill which one it was!).

Getting Ready for Spring

Although the recent weather has made us feel like winter is over, it is definitely not. While you still have time to get your closet together for the spring, take a look at the specific pieces that the ladies at Wardrobe Therapy recommend for you to have on stand-by for the warmer weather. There are three different categories that will be the most evident in spring 2016 designs: Classic, Boho, and En Vogue. Read about each below to figure out how to incorporate these trends into your own wardrobe this spring.

CLASSIC Style Tips
For those who want to keep it classic and fresh, Wardrobe Therapy recommends that you have a classic white shirt ready to bring out. A buttoned up white shirt is as classic as it comes. Pair this top with a kick-flare pant and an over-sized topper coat for the perfect outfit. If you want to spice it up, replace the over-sized topper coat with a bomber jacket and throw on some excess jewelry and you'll be touching all of the current style trends!

BOHO Style Tips
For the Boho chick, chiffon, lace, and soft florals are essential this spring season. It's all about detail and making the right pairings with patterns, fabric, and color. Keep it feminine and soft and even add in a denim jacket to enhance the Boho vibe. Add some shoulder grazing earrings to your outfit with a chunky heel sandal.

EN VOGUE Style Tips
Make sure that you have your bold stripes, oversized florals and exaggerated ruffles ready. The Wardrobe Therapy ladies are confident that if you sport some kick-flare fringed denim at ankle length and pair it with a chic top you'll be good to go. The pajama-dressing trend should also make it's way into your closet, meaning you should go grab yourself some silk and lace and slip dresses for whenever you need to throw a quick and trendy outfit together. Make a huge statement by adding a sock with your shoe and throwing on a choker.

How to wear this season's catwalk trends in real life

The bedding bag

Receptacles were huge on the catwalks this season, and served with a dose of irony. At Balenciaga, the new It bag is a £2,300 version of the sort of square-edged plastic cover that comes with a new duvet or electric blanket. If you are committed to getting the look for less, buy some bedding and reuse the case (bonus: you get a new mattress topper). Or just enjoy the knowledge that your look is on point even when you're weighed down with children's PE kits or an Ikea flatpack.

Haute desking

Your work shirt appears to have been caught in the shredder. Disaster, right? Wrong. This season, that's a look. It's called deconstructed shirting and it's part of a wider preoccupation with rejigged workwear. On the catwalk, this means a pinstriped blazer worn backwards and refashioned into a dress. In real life, it's a shirt with a peephole at the shoulder, or a trench with an extra-thick, flattering belt. Basically, these are office clothes, but not the way that Steve in facilities management wears them.

The shy sandal

Big news for feet: toe cleavage is over. From neat kitten heels to sandals with a scoop cut halfway up your instep, toes are fully covered this season. Shoes that show off half a centimetre of squished-together toe feel about as zeitgeisty as drinking a cosmopolitan while discussing whether you are a Carrie or a Miranda. You can dip yours into the trend anywhere on the high street; a low, V-cut court shoe is a good place to start.

Bi-toning

Fashion loves bold colour this season, but how to style it? Monotoning (one hue from top to toe) is now so establishment, it comes with a royal warrant (the Queen is the queen of monotoning). Tri-colouring is a bit too much effort. The middle way is bi-toning, wearing two colours that pop against each other – orange and navy, say, or pink and purple. This allows you to demonstrate your confidence as a fashion colourist while wearing existing items from your wardrobe. Win.

Woke pink

FacebookTwitterPinterestNot so much a colour as a political statement, the prevalence of pink in the collections has already sparked a thousand think pieces. A precis: pink is the embodiment of millennials' progressive values; it is post-gender, post-irony; its starring role at the Women's March (countless pink pussy hats) has helped rehabilitate the shade from its once maligned status as the shade of a Bic For Her. Also: it looks nice.

1980s cocktail

FacebookTwitterPinterestAs any historian will tell you, the best thing about the 80s was the earrings. This season, Jem And The Holograms-style ear accoutrements are back, as are giant ruffles, shiny fabrics, miniskirts and exaggerated shoulders. Clearly, fashion is feeling nostalgic for the days when nightlife meant something more than watching Netflix while refreshing Twitter in your bathrobe. If the catwalk version feels a bit "ta-da", pick one element (a glitzy earring or a mega-ruffle) and dress for the evening you want, not the evening you have.