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A Sense For Beauty, Part IV: Hearing

BellaSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:59:31 PDT

OK, so the way that your compact snaps shut, or the sounds that your atomizer makes may not have the same effect on your senses as the way your body lotion feels on your skin, or the way a smoky eye makes you look sexy, but don't kid yourself, hearing does play a part on the the beauty products that you choose to purchase.

For example, Estee Lauder and Lancôme have both created a snug-fitting lipstick cap that makes a clicking noise when it's closed. This gives you the assurance to know that the cap won't fall off and cause any mess inside of your makeup case or purse.

Similarly, music is often played in the background at spas to help create a calm atmosphere in which to relieve stress and anxiety. Conversely, fast music is typically played at salons to create an upbeat, energetic environment. Do you have a favorite type of music that you play when you perform your at-home spa treatments?

Source

Tax Stuff Every Newlywed Should Know

Emily Co — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:12:40 PST

You're still hearing wedding bells, but don't let the honeymoon phase distract you from reality. Money is a huge factor in relationships and if you don't tackle it from the start, it can start to shake the cornerstones of your marriage. Kathy Pickering, the executive director of The Tax Institute at H&R Block, names a few things newlyweds should be aware of come tax time:

Filing Status: A newly married couple has two filing status options, married filing jointly or married filing separately; however, a joint return often results in a lower federal tax. That said there are some cases where married filing separately does make sense. For example, if you have relatively high medical bills and lower income, it may be best to file separately. Medical expenses can be included in itemized deductions, but are only deductible to the extent they exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income. If you have very high medical expenses and a low adjusted gross income, filing separately means you could deduct more of these expenses. However, if you filed jointly, you may not benefit from this deduction. Other things for newlyweds to pay attention to:
Name Change: Whether you took your husband’s last name or hyphenated your name, you must report your name change to the Social Security Administration (SSA). To avoid any delays or problems at tax time, your name and social security number on your tax return should match the records the SSA has.
Adjust Income Tax Withholding: If you and your husband work, your joint income may put you in a higher tax bracket and increase your total tax liability. You should make any necessary withholding adjustments for the next year by filing a new W-4 form with your employer. Use the withholding worksheet to indicate whether your spouse works and how many dependents you have, which determines the number of allowances to claim and the amount of income tax employers will withhold from your paychecks.

Glee-ful Highlights From Episode "The Spanish Teacher"

Shannon Vestal — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:01:05 PST

Glee goes Latin this week when guest star Ricky Martin stops by to shake it and teach Mr. Schue a thing about Spanish (which, despite being a Spanish teacher, he does not know). A couple more people find out about Finn and Rachel's engagement, though Mercedes and Sam are still far more unclear about their relationship. Sue also announces a highly frightening desire to be a mother while clawing at the chance to be a tenured teacher.

There are some fun numbers this week, but they couldn't distract from the fact that this episode is all over the place. A couple of the subplots are just plain ridiculous, but it's not totally without its highlights, so let's go over them after the jump.

15 Ways to Annoy Your Boss

SavvySugar — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:11:08 PST

Whether you're hoping to get ahead at work or just trying to build healthy relationships, it's important to understand how your boss works - what she appreciates, what she respects, and what she can't stand. Create a strong connection with your manager and avoid irritating her by steering clear of these 15 ways to annoy your boss:

Arrive late, coffee in hand. If you waltz into the office 20 minutes late, clutching a Starbucks cup, chances are it's not going to be well-received. If you're running short on time, skip the coffee shop and head to the office coffeemaker instead.
Dress inappropriately. Your boss doesn't want to feel like your parent, so she won't be thrilled if she has to regularly address your workwear. Keep things professional and remember to err on the conservative side.
Regularly bring up your accomplishments. Patting your own back is fine every once in a while, but high-fiving yourself for every little victory is sure to frustrate both your co-workers and your boss. Save the boasting for your year-end review and always note your successes with a purpose - as in, say, while negotiating salary.
Say you'll "try" instead of you "will." When you're asked to finish something, that means you're expected to finish it. Form your responses carefully, as even small tweaks can have a huge effect. Instead of saying, "I'll try to get to that," nod and assure your boss by saying, "No problem, I will get to that as soon as I've finished this."
Ask personal questions. Your boss will offer personal information as she sees fit, so refrain from asking anything too intimate. Small talk is fine, of course, but remember to maintain professional boundaries during conversation.
Tattle on other employees. Most information finds its way through the grapevine, so chances are your boss will find out about any significant scandals from someone else. Nobody likes the office tattler - and telling your boss someone else's secrets would say more about your character than theirs, anyway.
Reply to all her tweets. You may be Facebook friends, but that doesn't mean you need to "like" every status or comment on every one of her pictures. Keep the interactions minimal so that you don't aggravate her with hourly notifications that say you've commented on five more of her Instagram photos.

Keep reading for more ways to annoy your boss.

The Office, "Trivia": Best Lines of The Night

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:30:00 PST

In this week's episode of The Office, Oscar attends a trivia night contest in Philadelphia. Naturally, Andy decides that the whole office should get involved in the fun. Everyone shows up without telling Oscar and realizes instantly that they're at a gay bar. Their worries blow over pretty quickly and the office splits up into three teams: the "good timers," the "back-ups," and the "A-team." My heart broke for Kevin's initial lack of "self-awareness" on which team he was best suited for, but felt such a sense of accomplishment when he and the rest of the "good timers" (renamed The Einsteins) come out on top.

A great addition to this episode comes in the form of Dwight's separate storyline. After hearing that there's a managerial position open in Florida, he takes the initiative to travel down to speak to Robert California in person. He has some great one-liners and some hysterical interactions with Gabe, but unfortunately, it was not the saving grace of the episode. Overall, "Trivia" was all right, but definitely not my favorite of the season. I did love that Kevin had some quality moments - and surprisingly, the guy running trivia in Philly provided some of the funniest moments of the episode! To see the best lines, just keep reading.

Real Talk With TV Broke Girl Beth Behrs

LearnVest — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:59:07 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Since when is being broke funny?

Since CBS released its new sitcom 2 Broke Girls, in which actress Beth Behrs plays a recently humbled heiress, Caroline, who moves to Brooklyn to hide out after her father loses their family fortune in a Ponzi scheme.

Caroline winds up living with her perpetually poor fellow waitress, Max, played by Kat Dennings, and the two hatch a plan to save their wages and start a cupcake business.

Recession-era cupcake businesses have been all the rage lately (see: Bridesmaids), but shows addressing personal finances - or lack thereof - with humor and honesty is something we don’t see very often. Caroline and Max manage to plan for their future while hustling for their present - and survive on a shoestring with admirable grace. We love that these characters live richly, even on a tight salary: After all, that's what LearnVest is all about.

And, of course, any show where the leading ladies discuss interest rates is right up our alley.

Check out our exclusive talk with Behrs on her penny-pinching past, her first pair of Louboutins - and why she still chooses to live with a roommate in real life. It turns out that we can learn something from celebs about money.

LearnVest: As a 26-year-old in Hollywood, how much of Caroline and Max’s financial struggle can you relate to?

Beth Behrs: Literally up until we shot the pilot, I was working as a nanny five days a week and then as a bartender and concierge at The Geffen Playhouse on the weekends. So, I can definitely relate to being broke, right out of college and working tons of odd jobs to just pay the rent.

Real-life waitress stories and more from Behrs.

For the Best Wine Deals, Now's the Time to Buy

Susannah Chen — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:25:02 PST

Sure, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over - but for all you wine lovers out there, you should know that right now's still the time to get the best beverage deals.

According to Ray Isle, executive wine editor for Food & Wine, when it comes to Beaujolais - especially Beaujolais Nouveau! - you should buy it right after Thanksgiving. Beaujolais Nouveau, that unaged red that's the first of the harvest in the northern hemisphere, is most anticipated when it's first released the third Thursday of November, and its bright, fruity flavors make it a popular part of the Thanksgiving meal. But Beaujolais Nouveau, which is meant to be enjoyed immediately, shouldn't be kept into the New Year, so it's quickly marked down to keep it flying off shelves.

You might be surprised to hear that bubbly is discounted this time of year, but according to Isle, sparkling wine has major discounts during the holiday season as well. The important thing to note is timing: "There are big Champagne markdowns until two weeks before Christmas," he reminded me at a New York City Wine & Food Festival seminar.

With so much holiday entertaining on the horizon, it makes sense for many of us (myself included!) to stock up now. Where have you spotted wine discounts recently?

Infertile and Proud: The Growing Women's Movement to Destigmatize Infertility

Yahoo Shine — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:15:41 PST

We're happy to present this article from one of our favorite sites, Yahoo! Shine:

There was a time, not so long ago, when infertility was something whispered under pitying, gossip-ful coffee breath. "That's Rose's daughter, she can't have a baby" or "They keep trying, but something's wrong." These days, many women are sick of the whispers. They're infertile and they're not ashamed.

The childbearing generation of the late 2000s are nothing like those that came before them. Many are opting out of parenting in favor of fertile careers, others are turning to the magical promise of medicine. We've seen it work for celebrities and innumerable reality stars. But we don't usually hear about the one in 20 couples who don't have the same success. Keep reading for the rest of this story.

Film Forum: Does Tower Heist Deliver Laughs?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:00:00 PST

This week's new release Tower Heist features an all-star lineup, including Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda, and many more. Many critics have heralded the movie as the return of Murphy's signature comedy style that helped launch his career, but I want to hear what you thought. Did Murphy and the rest his Tower Heist costars deliver laughs in the comedy caper? If you caught the other comedy that debuted this weekend, A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas, I'm also curious to hear whether you found it worthwhile revisiting with the duo and their raunchy sense of humor. Did the third film in the Harold and Kumar franchise surpass the others? Whatever you saw, weigh in with your thoughts in the comments!

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures and New Line Productions

6 Surprising Health Mistakes Even Smart Women Make

Prevention — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:05:18 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

When was the last time you got 8 hours of sleep or lifted weights at the gym? You're not alone if you can't remember: Even some of the most savvy women didn't get the memo about these health-wrecking habits. Find out if you're among them.
From the Editors of Prevention

You're supposed to watch saturated fat and eat lots of vegetables — that's why you usually pick up a salad for lunch and dinner (even when the kids get burgers). But you're not obsessed with the scale like some women you know. You brush your teeth twice a day, and you last flossed, oh, maybe two weeks ago. You exercise but avoid lifting so you don't bulk up. The tummy pains you got last week? Must have been gas — nothing serious. And hey, you'd like to get 8 hours of sleep, but the days are short, and it's hard to get everything done. Sound familiar? These so-called "good" habits may actually be derailing your health. Here, experts share the surprising things you're doing wrong — and how to recover.

1. You Always Order a Salad
Don't assume that bowl of lettuce is always the healthiest menu pick.

Truth is, a lot of take-out and restaurant salads are basically a burger in a bowl, says Brie Turner-McGrievy, RD, clinical research coordinator for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in Washington, DC. That's because add-ons like fried chicken, croutons, and full-fat dressing pack major calories, fat, sodium, and other unhealthy nutrients. One example: McDonald's Bacon Ranch Salad with Crispy Chicken and Newman's Own Ranch Dressing has 540 calories and 35 grams of fat; a Big Mac has 540 calories and 29 grams.

The fix: Don't scratch take-out salad off your menu; just use a few common sense rules before you order. Avoid high-fat add-ons such as sour cream, extra cheese, croutons, bacon bits, and creamy dressings like Caesar and ranch. Opt for salads that aren't just a fiber-free mound of iceberg lettuce dotted with a few carrot and red cabbage shavings. And plan ahead: Most fast-food chains supply nutritional info online so you can scout out the best options before you leave.

Avoid These Surprisingly Unhealthy Salads

2. You Rock Out While You Work Out
Do your ears ring after a long iPod-powered workout?

Check the volume on your iPod or MP3 player, advises Andrew Cheng, MD, an otolaryngologist at New York Medical College. The normal range of an MP3 player is 60 to 120 decibels; persistent exposures above 85 may cause hearing loss. If you're concerned, ask a friend to stand next to you while you listen: If she can hear your music, it's too loud.

Learn the fix and four more other common mistakes, when you read more.