I remember reading this for the first time in Seventeen Magazine and being despondent because I found drinking water to be the world's most boring thing. I preferred orange juice, Coke and hot chocolate. So is it true that you need eight glasses of water a day to keep skin moist and dewy? Find out if this is fact or an old wives' tale.

I was born with stick-straight hair so it doesn't take much more than a blow dryer and a brush to tame my mane. But my friend Laura was born with amazing curly hair and to get her hair straight involves such tedious drying, brushing and flat-iron that she's developed amazing biceps that she claimed she got from simply straightening her hair.

See photos of long, straight hair

So how to get your hair straight and sleek? Here are some tips:

1. Wash hair first. You'll get better results if you don't start with already dried hair.
2. Towel-dry hair so it's barely damp. This cuts down on drying time.
3. If you have wavy hair, spritz a straightening product on hair (I like Bumble and Bumble's straightening spray) or a smoothing cream. Glamour magazine recommends Pantene Pro-V, which you can find at any drugstore.
4. Dry hair with a paddle brush pointing the nozzle downward. You want to avoid adding body to hair, so don't "fluff" as you dry. You're aiming for stick straight hair. You want it to hang like a curtain.
5. Follow with a flat iron. Start at the hair closest to the nape of the neck, ironing in small sections.
6. Finish by running a shine serum through hair. Skip this step if you have oily hair.

Photo of Rachel Bilson by Jemal Countess/Getty

No matter the good economic news, there's one thing I'll be taking from this year's recession and that's my Pond's cold cream for cleanser and my bottle of organic coconut oil for slathering everywhere after a bath or shower. While both of these items are super inexpensive I will still splurge on other items (just TRY to pry YSL's Touche Eclat from my greedy fingertips).

Find out just what you should save on and what products you shouldn't feel guilting splurging for:

• Shampoos and blowdryers
• Eyeliners and eyeshadow
• Cleansers and moisturizers
• Foundation and concealer

I just bought new eyeshadow and eye primer last week at Sephora. I've never in my life gotten compliments on eyeshadow from men but last week I did. Who says guys don't notice a new haircut? Some of them notice shadow.

So what's my secret? Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion paired with Christian Dior's amazing 5-colour eyeshadow palettes, the pigments of which are rich, rich, rich, unlike Chanel's eyeshadow which I bought a few months ago and was way too "barely there."

The primer keep the shadow in place for hours and even overnight if I forget to remove my makeup, which I did over the weekend once.

More on eyeshadows:

• How to apply eyeshadow
• Best eyeshadows on the market

Photo: Urban Decay Primer