Looks more like “Dancing with the D-Listers.”

Do “functional drinks” work?

Make your own multi-strand chain necklace. Awesome.

Lindsay wants her career back, people!

Hate your job? Here are 8 reasons to quit.

A few tips for thrifting.

"I'm running for the pizza. I'm running for the pizza!"

Ever wonder why those treacherous treadmill sessions haven’t turned you into the next Gisele?
Are you one of those people who thinks that you can eat a slice of pizza after leaving the gym because the body is supposed to burn more fat on days that you exercise?

Well, step away from the pizza, woman.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, the commonly held belief that you continue to burn calories for hours after exercising (commonly known as “afterburn” — you know, the idea that you get a “free meal” that day because you burned 400 calories on the elliptical) is actually a myth!

Researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver observed a number of different groups of people ranging from athletes to people that were both sedentary and obese to see how their bodies use calories and if the processes were different. Each group spent 24 hours in a room called a calorimeter (a special room that measures calorie burning activity) followed by riding a stationary bike for the same amount of time at the same level of aerobic intensity.

After all that was done, the scientists found that none of the groups (even the athletes, who are believed to have higher metabolisms after years of intense exercise) experienced afterburn, and surprisingly, most of the subjects burned slightly less fat on the days that they exercised.

“The message of our work is really simple,” lead researcher Edward Melanson told the New York Times. “It all comes down to energy balance,” which means that unless you burn more calories through exercise than you eat, you are not going to lose weight. Melanson went on to state that people burn an average of 200 to 300 calories per session, which is less than a bottle of Gatorade and just a little more than a bottle of the misleadingly-named Vitamin Water. Just a little somethin’ to think about.

Melanson also reported that working out at an low intensity (ie. riding the elliptical at an intensity of 3 instead of 10, so you feel the burn less but move your legs more often and quickly) burns more fat calories than working out at a harder intensity. Furthermore, it’s important to keep your heart rate between 105 and 134 beats per minute, which marks the parameters of the fat burning zone.

So the next time that you think you get a “free” lunch, think again!
You may also wanna switch that post-workout beverage to G2….

I love vitaminwater.  It’s yummy, and the fact that it’s loaded with vitamins makes me feel like I’m doing something good for my body whenever I drink it.  However, what I don’t love so much is that the sugar in it that makes it taste so good also makes it a little high in calories.  This is why I usually try to drink it only when I’m working out, but, to be perfectly honest, that isn’t too often.

That’s why I was super excited when I heard about vitaminwater’s newest creation, vitaminwater10, which has only 10 calories per serving -  that’s only 25 calories per 20-ounce bottle! Being able to enjoy my beloved vitaminwater without having to worry too much about the calories? Sounds perfect.

But could it be too good to be true? Would 10 calories also mean that nasty “diet” after-taste that comes from scary artificial sweeteners? I checked out the VitaminWater10 event in NYC to find out:

The new “water” comes in 4 of the original vitaminwater flavors: energy (tropical citrus), multi-v (lemonade), essential (orange), and xxx (triple antioxidants: acai-blueberry-pomegranate).  I tried all of them, and I’m happy to announce that my worries were unnecessary: the stuff tastes GREAT, just like regular vitaminwater!  This comes from the fact that vitaminwater10 is sweetened by a variety of fruit and vegetable derived sweeteners, which are balanced perfectly in order to make it both low-calorie AND taste delicious.

Seriously, this stuff is good. Most people just sampled each flavor, but I literally drank 4 full bottles. Good thing there were bathrooms nearby…

I can’t wait for them to come out with more flavors, but for now I’m officially a loyal convert to vitaminwater10. Maybe even loyal enough to get to the gym a little more to have an excuse to drink it. Maybe…

Bonus: if you live in NYC, you can head down to the “vitaminwater10 dest10ation store” located at 626 Broadway (between Houston & Bleeker) from April 3rd to the 12th to try the stuff for yourself (for free)!  If you don’t live in New York, a lot of stores are already carrying vitaminwater10, so be sure you grab some to try.  I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it too, like I did!

When you think of technological innovation, makeup is not usually the first thing to come to mind. But those clever beauty developers are always coming up with new ways to incorporate new technologies into making us all look fabulous. Here are some of the most amazing technological advances in beauty right now.

Lancome Oscillation Mascara – ($34 sephora.com)

Lancome has always been the leader in mascara innovation, but they really did something truly unique with Oscillation. The brush actually vibrates! 7000 vibrations a minute. So what does that mean for your lashes? I know it might sound like a gimmick but it actually does a killer job of separating each and every lash. So not only does it eliminate clumping, but each lashes get coated with a superfab mascara, giving you extra length, curl and volume.

Borba Skin Balancing Water – Clarifying Pomegranate ($28 borba.com)

Scott Vincent Borba creator of the super affordable (everything’s a dollar!) E.L.F makeup line decided to change the beauty game again by creating Borba Waters. These are calorie-free vitamin packed waters that are specifically formulated to make your skin flawless. This tasty drink is the only thing out there that effectively prevents hormonal acne. You know those deep horrible unpoppable zits you get during your special lady time? If you drink one of these waters every day the week before and during your period it actually keeps cystic acne at bay! It works by giving your skin all of the tools it needs to protect and heal itself. Tarte Cosmetics even makes a Borba infused lip glosses!

Two-Faced Mood Swing Lip Gloss ($18.50 sephora.com)

It’s always tricky to pick just the perfect shade of lip gloss to fit every situation. Well, Two-Faced made it easy for us. This lips gloss actually chooses a shade for you! It starts out clear, but changes to the perfect shade for you based on body heat, your personal pH and your mood. Two-Faced was clever enough to take a silly fad from the seventies turn it into something totally useful and fabulous. The best part is your shade will be totally unique to you so no one could ever steal your look.

Mmmmm.

But this is GG, people. Chace Crawford sexcapades can hardly satisfy our thirst for smut clothed in Prada. Cut to Chuck, chardonnay in hand, on a beach with one…two…three insanely hot girls. Oh, Chuck Bass. You are what every sixteen-year-old boy should aspire to be before graduating high school.

First shocker of the episode: GG informs us that “Lonely Boy” Dan isn’t so lonely after all. It seems he has a new chick — wait, maybe two new girls? Can you spell R-E-B-O-U-N-D?

Of course, before our first commercial break, we need a love triangle, and some legit dramz. Send Chuck to meet Blair, looking sweet and dapper with roses in hand. Insert random new man (James), let Blair make steamy eye contact with Chuck and then shove her tongue down new guy’s throat. This is how it goes down for high schoolers in the Hamptons.

It’s game, set, match for Blair when she enjoys dinner with both James and Chuck, yet she still feels the need to run after Chuck when he storms away from the table with his tail between his legs. WTF Blair? We know you don’t feel the same way for James as you did for Nate. Otherwise you wouldn’t be chasing Chuck. Alas, poor Chuck, who used to be made of steel, turns on the waterworks again, just in time for another gratuitous Chace Crawford shot — hottie Nate running down the street in his underwear after his new lover’s husband comes home early from work.

The GG writers get to show off their wit as Blair vents to Serena. Line of the night: “Damn that mother-Chuck-er!.” No wait, Blair can top herself: “All I could see is that Chuck Bass-tard.” Oh, B. You’re killing me. Just hop in a limo and ride the boy for heaven’s sake. Or is that, like a pair of leggings, too last season?

Just before commercial break number three, everyone gets set up with their dates for this episode’s party, a shameless product placement in the form of the “Vitamin Water White Party.” The party scenes, of course, begin with a montage of beautiful people in white bikinis (drinking Vitamin Water), and an array of awkward looks (and Vitamin Water) as tension brews between Jenny and her bitch of a boss and Nate and his married mistress (who all drink Vitamin Water). Of course, if looks could kill, the death row sentence would be awarded to Chuck for his staredown of Blair and James.

But is Gossip Girl really becoming the Waldorf Show? In order to save the best juice for the last few minutes, it’s time to bring Dan back into the picture.

Until he showed up at S’s granny’s doorstep, I’d somewhat forgotten that Grandma Van der Woodsen used to have it out for Lonely Boy. Did anyone else’s jaw drop when Granny invited Dan to the party as her date? It’s too bad that Blake Lively looks absolutely gorgeous in her party ensemble, and that she and Chace Crawford would make the most beautiful babies, because I was rooting for some Serena/Nate action… until I remembered Dan, who happened to arrive just in time to see Serena fake-make-out with Nate. Dammit, Dan.

Typical Dan calls Serena out for her drama, only to have his two ladies from the opening credits show up and throw colorful martinis on his white suit. Could’ve seen that one coming. Yet, finding out that Dan is both hypocritical and some kind of playboy makes Serena want to rekindle the old flame. As Gossip Girl says, “When words get in the way, there’s only one thing to do…”

“MAKE OUT!” screamed my roommates and me, in unison. This late in the episode, and the only non-GG watcher in the room has to ask, “Are these people supposed to be in high school?” Um, yeah, don’t all high schoolers drink their faces off, have affairs with married women, and hump like gorillas on Versace sheets?

But back to the main event: Blair and Chucky. Obviously, Blair’s game of chess has to explode in her face, as James realizes he’s her pawn. But he can’t just leave after one episode! James makes his “big confession,” the one Chuck needed a PI to uncover. Drum roll, please….

He’s really Marcus Beaton, he’s British, and a lord. And he likes that Blair dissed him and called him boring. I could see a little S and M working it’s way into this relationship.

Well, if Chuck thought he’d uncover some dirt on James/Marcus, he was wrong. And he knows now that he doesn’t have sh*t on a British Lord. So he gives in, but not before he begs Blair not to leave with him. Blair makes the final offer: give her three words and eight letters (“I love you,” for those of you that missed it). And Chuck drops the ball.

What the Chuck?

Chuck and Blair have totally stolen the spotlight for this whole episode, and it seems the writers had a couple of minutes to spare at the end, so they give us Serena and Dan. On a beach. With a bonfire. And freaking fireworks start going off. Barf.

A lot of recapping of last season tonight, a few twists and turns, and a lot of potential drama set-ups for the rest of the season. But with the Chace Crawford hot-bod-shot count already climbing, I can tell that it’s going to be a great season.

It wasn’t until around a year ago that I really started to pay attention to the things I ate. And I took on my new knowledge of what’s nutritious, how to lose weight, and how to really exercise…well…kicking and screaming.

I was always that bitch with the really fast metabolism who didn’t gain weight. I’d come home and go from eating a can of Pringles to an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s–easily. I never was bigger than a size 7, however, I did slowly become more concerned with being healthy. So what if I could eat a bucket of lard for dinner? That didn’t mean it was doing my health any wonders or that I felt GOOD after one of my binges.

Plus, I didn’t think it’d kill me to be a little smaller if losing weight did end up being the outcome of the diet change. Now that I’ve been a size 3 for about nine months, I’ve learned that a lot of girls who ask me how I stay small believe a lot of bullsh%t diet myths.

And as long as girls who want to be healthier and lose weight the RIGHT way keep holding onto these dumb ideas about “what works”, I’m going to have to deal with a lot more insecure girls who can’t shed their extra pounds in my day to day life…so I may as well present to you all the truth.

1. You’ve gotta watch your drinks. You’re aren’t much better off with drinks like Gatorade and Vitamin Water or even lots of teas than you are with sodas–calorie wise. Of course there are differences when it comes down to nutrients, but if you’re trying to lose weight…switch all of your drinks to water so you can save calorie room for those alcohol and caffeine splurges. Once you get used to drinking water with every meal, you won’t even be able to tolerate drinking sodas and juices as thirst quenchers.

2. People say that eating before you go to bed will make you gain weight. Those people are wrong. Taking in more calories on any given day than what you’re burning is what will make you burn fat. The problem with eating late at night is that you usually have already reached your calorie limit for the day.

3. Carbs are not going to make you gain weight. As I stated above, the only thing that makes you gain weight is taking in more calories than you are burning. Carbs happen to usually accompany calories, however. They are actually WONDERFUL energy foods to eat before the gym, a hike, or a long day of work. The problem is that they taste great and people often times don’t think about them in terms of how much energy they will be burning.

The most important thing that I learned, however, was that getting healthy and losing weight is part of a LIFE TYLE change. You can of course indulge in bad things now and then. However, you need to be very disciplined most days if you want this to work.

Know any other diet myths? Do share!