Versatility: Get more bang for your buck when you buy something you can dress up or down, and wear again a few more times before baby arrives. This little black dress from the Gap ($59.50) can be dressed up with heels and a great necklace, or dressed down with flats and a colorful scarf.

Flatter your bump: Go for a streamlined look that acknowledges your curves without exaggerating them. There’s no need to squeeze your nine-month belly into a sequined mini-dress just because you can. Instead, opt for something soft, comfortable, and graceful, like this wine colored dress from Motherhood.

Get wild: Yes, you are about to become a mother, but that doesn’t mean you need to sit in the corner next to Granny all evening.  Set your wild side free for just one evening with this leopard print shirtdress that shows off lots of leg ($170 from Due Maternity)!

Mix-n-match: If dresses aren’t your thing, you can get a dressy top and pair it with black satin or velvet pants.

Long and glamorous: If it’s a black-tie affair, a strapless, floor-length dress will take their breath away. This silky jersey dress from Isabella Oliver (it comes in red, too, for the truly daring!) is a winner!

Accessorize: Even if you can’t find the perfect dress, a simple black number can be glamorized by adding statement pieces you love. A pair of sweeping chandelier earrings, a bright scarf, or some awesome heels will do the trick!

Get Real Peach Blush

Makeup artist Amy Nadine: “I’m obsessed with a true peach cheek and disappointed when I buy blushes that turn pinkish when I apply them. The only way I’ve found to achieve a real peach on my clients is to use a formula that looks orange in its packaging. I promise it will become peach when layered on your skin! That’s why Nina Dobrev looked so great at the Independent Filmmaker event.”

Add Light Brown False Lashes

Switch to Coral Lip Stain

Makeup artist Gregory Arlt:  “I’ve been obsessed with corals this season, but not your grandmother’s old-fashioned version. New sheer coral stains are light and whisper soft, like you’ve just had a popsicle. I recently used MAC Lusterglass in Love Nectar at a shoot with AnnaLynne McCord and she loved it so much, she wore it out that night.”

Set Your Makeup With Mist

Makeup artist Tina Turnbow: “In the summer, I love misting my client’s faces with Caudalie Beauty Elixer. It sets the makeup, freshens and tightens pores, plus it’s incredibly cooling. I use this trick with Jessica Szohr on a warm L.A. nights.”

Use Cream Blush Not Bronzer

Makeup artist Fiona Stiles:  “I like a product that can multitask, especially in the summer. Instead of drowning Ali Larter in liquid bronzer, which can either look too orangey or a little greasy, I used cream blush in a warm, nude shade. (My favorite is Lancome Color Design Blush in Model Mocha.) It’s equally flattering on eyes, cheeks, lips and even as a highlighter on the shoulders, legs or clavicles.

Mix Foundation and Daily Moisturizer

Makeup artist Gina Brooke:  “There is nothing more important that fresh healthy looking skin in the summer. For Anne Hathaway‘s look at the Met Gala, I mixed a dab of hydrating, nutrient rich cream like Intraceuticals Rejuvenate Moisture Binding Cream into her foundation. It’s lighter and more natural looking than foundation alone, plus it works to give her a more radiant complexion in the future.”

See more Summer 2010 Beauty Tips at InStyle.com

So, if you’ve got to look good for a big meeting or a long-awaited night on the town, what can you do to wake up tired-looking eyes?  “Just because you feel exhausted doesn’t mean you have to look that way, too,” says Parents.com.  Here are some beauty tips to to help you looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

• Invest in a good eye cream. While eye creams may not actually zap wrinkles, they do temporarily plump up the under-eye area, diminishing the appearance of circles.
• Switch to cream concealer. Dot it on with a tiny, stiff-bristled makeup brush. Don’t blend — that just rubs it off.
• Cover with foundation that matches your skin tone. Blend well, ideally with a makeup sponge.
• Lightly brush translucent loose powder over the entire area.
• Use a light-colored shadow, such as bone or white, on lids and in the inner corners of eye. Lighter hues reflect light, brightening the eye area.
• Don’t skip the eyelash curler. According to makeup artists, that one extra step really opens up the eyes, making your eyes look bigger, brighter, and much more alert.

Feature photo from stricly woman.

Color & Highlights

1. Brunettes: Create dimension by framing your face with warm highlights, but avoid any color that’s more than three shades from your natural hue. A dark brown base will help prevent highlights from looking streaky and dated.

2. Blondes: Maintain that carefree, beachy look by introducing soft, subtle shades—less on the golden side, more on the neutral side. Adding overly harsh or white tones could suggest that locks have been processed. If you prefer chunky highlights, add them further away from your face.

3. Red Heads: A natural red head is rare, so don’t stray too far from your true hue. It’s also important to keep in mind that red hair tends to lighten dramatically in the sunlight. If you’re itching for an update, introduce subtle highlights to the crown of the head, as well as to the ends of your hair; this will help add dimension while maintaining the overall shade.

Cut & Style

1. Curly Hair: An experienced stylist will take into consideration each individual curl, cutting to create movement, varying lengths and strand-by-strand definition. It may be hard to find a great curly-hair stylist, so if you see someone with a cut that you love, don’t be afraid to ask them who their stylist is. When styling your cut, aim for soft, romantic texture.  Skip the gel and apply a smoothing oil or lightweight moose to give each curl a polished finish. If you’re using a diffuser, remember to dry curls with cold air, which helps them set. Minimize hand-contact with locks to prevent frizz; if you need to scrunch curls, use a towel.

2. Straight Hair: The most essential hair secret of all: trim regularly for neat, healthy-looking locks. If you have thin, straight locks, a short and layered cut with bluntly-finished ends will add weight and promote swing. Consider a bob, or if your face is on the rounder side, try a just-under-the-chin length. Additionally, a long side-swept bang will effortlessly frame the face, even when left unstyled. If you’re blessed with thick hair, play up the layers and angles for dimension. To style, don’t just brush and go. Instead, Instead, apply a volumizing product to the roots for lift—then flip, toss and blow dry hair freely.

3. Thick Hair: Adding long layers to thick hair will give it the desired tousled look without promoting frizz. If you’d rather opt for a different style, go for it… but to attain that get up-and-go look, your hair must be cut specifically for the style. The longer thick hair gets, the easier it is to handle, since the weight forces it to behave. Thick, short hair runs the risk of looking poofy. Additionally, when it’s long, you can easily pull it back off your face to create a full, party-ready bun or pony tail.

Condition & Shine

1. Quick Fix: Hot oil is great for achieving an instant light-reflecting shine, but no more than once a week. Keep in mind that fuller hair can better handle constant treatment then fine hair.

2. Long term: Never underestimate the power of a protein-rich diet for strengthening and rebuilding hair. A protein-packed conditioner can work wonders, too.

3. Shampoo: For thick, curly hair, shampooing every two or three days is ideal, as it gives natural oils a chance to condition hair between washes.

Feature photo from the Knot

Visit Woman’s Day for more beauty & style tips!

We live in an age where we expect an easy cure for every beauty ailment. Frizzy hair? Acne? Bags under your eyes? Cellulite? Just get your hands on the right formula and all your problems will be a thing of the past! So when a pregnant woman walks into a drug store, what’s the first thing she searches for? Anti-stretch mark cream. And despite the shocking price tag on some of the more promising products, doctors have bad news. According to this article in the NY Times, you can blame the stretch marks on genetics and race (Caucasian women tend to get stretch marks more often than women of color). Rapid weight gain causes skin to lose its elasticity, and there’s not much you can do to prevent that.

The good news is that it’s possible to lighten stretch marks as well as reduce their size. Keeping your skin moisturized with creams and body oils will also make you feel more comfortable.

So if you’ve been wondering what the magic potion is that keeps certain celebrities (or your neighbor or girlfriend) stretch mark-free, it’s probably just that they’ve got good genes. Or they just got lucky.