We're happy to present this story from our friends at Allure:

I recently met with Roxanne Valinoti, an educator for CND, a professional nail product line, who showed me a cool trick for sponge-painted nails. This is definitely worth trying the next time the urge for DIY nail art strikes. (Or does that only happen to me?)

You'll need a natural sea sponge from a craft store and five different polishes: a clear base, a warm gold base, a midnight blue, a purple, and an iridescent topcoat. Sounds complicated, I know, but Valinoti did the whole thing in 15 minutes. Here's how to proceed:

We're happy to present this story from our friends at Allure:

When supermodel Coco Rocha tweeted that she was already in hair hours before the Met Gala, we knew we were in for something big. But it wasn't her side-swept waves or even her vintage Givenchy pantsuit that had style bloggers drooling — it was her My-Little-Pony pink extensions. Rocha is certainly not the first celebrity to go pink — or noncelebrity for that matter. But there's something to say when your hairstyle is shocking enough to distract photographers from the Met's notorious fashion set — or at least Anja Rubik's leg.

While many of us can't afford Givenchy-anything (let alone a celebrity colorist on speed-dial), mimicking Rocha's look at home is surprisingly easy and affordable. If you're ready to take the plunge, rather than try it out for a few days, follow these tips from Rick Wellman, owner and color director of the Patrick Melville Salon & Spa in New York City, when you read more.

We're happy to present this story from our friends at Allure:

Nonmelanoma skin cancers may be slowly decreasing, but melanoma is on the rise — and it's the most common cancer for my age group (25- to 29-year-olds). Since this is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, I asked dermatologist Jeannette Graf, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, to demystify this important annual appointment. "Patients fear the unknown, or they cancel their appointment because they've been on vacation and they feel guilty about their tan. But before they know it, six months have gone by." Graf says there's nothing to fear. The appointment will be quick and painless — at least this time. Learn what really happens at a screening when you read more.

We're happy to present this story from our friends at Allure:

Sexy hair traditionally means lots of volume, big waves, and a flirty side part. But this Spring, there's a new cool-girl alternative: a tough middle part with easy, loose waves. The combo looks naturally seductive — and not just because beauties like Doutzen Kroes (above), Brooklyn Decker, and DJ Harley Viera-Newton have been wearing the style. The look has an unpretentious, uncalculated feel that makes it so appealing. (It's also more grown-up than last season's omnipresent beachy waves.)

To re-create them: Start by combing a volumizer, such as Shu Uemura Art of Hair Fiber Lift Protective Volumizer, through damp hair. (Just because you're not going for full-on glam volume doesn't mean your hair should be totally flat). Define a center part, and then tousle your hair as you blow-dry, aiming the nozzle downward to prevent frizz. Now it's time to add in the waves: Wrap small sections of hair around a large-barrel curling iron, beginning just above the ends and working up to the chin. Finally, run your fingers through the waves to break them up. If they still look a little too defined, you can take a paddle brush to them. Just go over each section once, and then break them up with your fingers again when you're done. Voilà!

Related Links:
5 Minutes to Sexier Hair
How to Make Your Hair Instantly Hot
The chicest ponytail around

We're happy to present this story from our friends at Allure:

Track and field star Jessica Ennis, currently in training for the London 2012 Olympics, recently admitted that she always competes in a full face of makeup. And Ennis's explanation of her race ritual to The Daily Mail certainly makes sense: "I definitely think if I feel I look good, it makes me feel more confident," she told the London paper.

Her story also made me wonder exactly what effect makeup could have on your complexion if you are really sweating up a storm. "Wearing makeup while working out can hinder some of the natural ways your skin adjusts to exertion, like sweating and dilating pores," says New York City dermatologist Erin Gilbert. "This can be a disaster as it often leads to clogged pores and breakouts." If you are like Ennis and feel the need to not go bare-faced, get her tips on how to protect your skin while you sweat:

We're happy to present this story from our friends at Allure:

Hey, Olivia Wilde, you look pretty great as a blonde! The actress, who dyed her hair for her upcoming flick, Rush, is inspiring some of us around the office to lighten up. You in? Before any of us reach for bleach, though, I thought I'd check in with Sharon Dorram of Sharon Dorram Color at Sally Hershberger in New York City, who made it clear that going from brunette to beachy blond requires more than just making an appointment.

Here's what you need to know:

We're happy to present this story from our friends at Allure:

Katy Perry's blue hair is still going strong, but others are ditching — or at least taking a break from — Crayola hair. Rihanna (whose hair has been fire engine red, then bleach-blond) and Lauren Conrad (peach and rainbow-colored) are now jet black and blond, respectively. In light of this return to normalcy, we asked Amy Huson of the Marie Robinson Salon in New York City how to recover from extreme color. Get her tips when you read more.

We're happy to present this story from our friends at Allure:

If you're over long hair but too young for a bob, there's a happy medium. Literally. It's called the lob (short for "long bob"), and actresses in their 20s and early 30s are jumping on board: Emily Blunt, Emma Roberts, Nicole Richie, and January Jones have all gone for shoulder-grazing cuts. The good news: styling them is easy, since lobs look awesome straight and sleek (like Blunt's) or wavy and beachy (like Roberts's). And they're that rare cut that really does look good on everyone. "If you have a round face, it's not going to make you look too round, because the length is below the jaw," says hairstylist Chris McMillan. "And if you have a long face, the textured layers are going to add a really nice width." So take pictures of your favorite lob to your hairstylist. And these tips from hairstylist Chris McMillan couldn't hurt:

We're happy to present this story from our friends at Allure:

Colored mascara has always had pretty tacky associations. But the electric blue lashes at Stella McCartney's Fall show in Paris were actually pretty gorgeous. "[Stella] said, 'I love when girls wear colored mascara'," explained makeup artist Pat McGrath backstage. The striking purple-cobalt shade they came up with was fun and youthful and made the models' eyes look bigger and brighter than ever. Still, it's colored mascara — a look that takes some serious guts to pull off off the runway. To help you get it right, here are a few tips from the pros:

We're happy to present this story from our friends at Allure:

Super Tuesday has come and gone with no apparent progress in the GOP presidential sweepstakes and barely a hint of drama — at least in comparison to the political excitement of a place like, say, Egypt.

If you haven't heard, that nation was rocked by a plastic surgery scandal earlier this week when a male member of parliament was busted by his own doctors for having a nose job and then lying about it. Anwar Al-Bulkimy, of the extreme Islamist Al-Nour party (seen above), checked in for the elective surgery, but claimed to the world outside that he had been beaten by masked gunmen. Supporters streamed to his bedside, until his surgeon called in to a popular TV show and offered the truth behind the politician's bandaged face. It turns out extreme Islamists look harshly on vanity procedures, and Al-Bulkimy was soon out of a job.

The moral of this story: don't lie to voters about something that's written all over your face. Critics have hounded Russia's Vladimir Putin for using Botox, and Italy's scandal-ridden ex-prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, whose hair plugs were visible from France, was cornered into admitting a "slight retouch" of his eyelids after disappearing for weeks in 2004 and returning with a boyish mien. Back in the 1990s, Argentine president Carlos Menem tried in vain to pass off work on his cheeks as swelling caused by a wasp bite.

Could it ever happen here? The pressure to look good is no doubt equally strong, and the faces of politicians such as John Kerry, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Nancy Pelosi have all come under scrutiny. But among the frontrunners of the current election cycle, there just doesn't seem to be the need. The only intervention incumbent Barack Obama could use is from a hair colorist to mask the gray, and likely Republican rival Mitt Romney is, at least by outward appearances, genetically perfect — with hair so thick it makes regular headlines.

More from Allure:
• Flashback: "Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful"
• Women Get More Tattoos Than Men
• Wild Eye Makeup for Beauty Wall Flowers