Model Miranda Kerr Can Plank For 10 Minutes! Great For Flat Belly!

Miranda Kerr.

Yes, she's an amazing model. But the 31-year-old beauty really blew us away when we read this today:

"I like to exercise every day but I mix it up," Miranda tells Body & Soul magazine. "I may even put some music on and let Flynn dance around while I hold the plank position for 10 minutes to strengthen my core."

10 minutes?!

Incredible. We are older than Miranda, but sigh, we can only hold the plank position for about a minute or so....That's why this model has such an enviable FLAT belly.

So, let's look at the plank position once more.

If you want to tone up that tummy, along with the other flab above and below it, then you need to plank, because this yoga position zeroes in on the entire midsection. Add some regular push-ups in your routine, and together, you will also firm up your arms. So this is key for women, especially when we all hate the dingle-dangle under the arms.

How To Do It:

1. Begin on your hands and knees, with hands directly under shoulders, keep knees under hips. 2. Move feet back until the legs are straight and you’re balancing on your toes, feet together. 3. Keep the shoulders pulled back and down, with arms straight. 4. Don't let belly sag--contract muscles. This is the Plank Pose.

Hold for 30 seconds, 3 times, with a 30-second rest in between. As you get stronger, hold the plank position for 1 minute, 3 times, with the 30-second rest in between.

Give the plank pose a chance. You WILL see results.

There are 2 ways to PLANK. Neither position is easy.

Cellulite: Even Actress Sharon Stone Has Some And Doesn't Care

Cellulite, bikinis + hot summer days.

Somehow, all 3 seem to go together. And yes-- even famous celebrities have cellulite. Most stars don't admit to owning dimpled thighs + butts, but there are a few honest ladies who lay it all out there:

Sharon Stone at age 56 says she has cellulite and reality star Kim Kardashian already revealed she had some cottage cheese problem areas a long time ago.

5 years ago, to be exact. Kim posed in a bikini without photoshopping in 2009and said this:

"I love my body the way it is," Kim told Life & Style magazine. "I'm not perfect. I have cellulite, so what ... I chose to do the shoot because I am so sick of people giving me a hard time for those photos that came out in Complex. I wanted to say, 'This is me, take it or leave it."

And Sharon Stone just told E! News this about the common skin condition that affects most women
of all ages, body types and races:

"I haven't worked out in a couple of months because I just don't feel like it," Sharon admits.

"But now I'm going on vacation and I know what they're going to do--[magazines] are going to put a circle around my a** and do one of those crazy magnified pictures saying, "What happened to her a**? It's a bag of cheese."

There is NO way to get rid of cellulite permanently, but its progress can be halted with exercise, creams, lotions, and dry-brushing the problem areas.

Meantime.....most of us have a little cellulite and so what?!

For some of the BEST cellulite treatments on the market, check out the cellulite pioneer--expert Anushka. Here is her website.

Do You Tight-Line? Bobbi Brown's Secret To Smoky Eyes

Tight-line. Waterline. Upper waterline.

If you play around with eye makeup, then you know what we're talking about.

There are 2 waterlines found on your eyes--upper waterline + lower waterline.

Celebrity makeup artist Bobbi Brown revealed to Glamour magazine this little beauty secret:

My Smoky-Eye Trick:
"If you want to create an amazing effect, apply gel eyeliner on your upper waterline. It's a little freaky but adds a sexy intensity to your look," Bobbi says.

Upper Waterline. This is the area of skin found directly underneath your upper lashes. Adding liner to this area is called "tight-lining."

Lower Waterline. This is called the lower rim or bottom rim of your eyes.

To see exactly what tight-lining is, we found these excellent photos at lashaffairblog.
Okay, not the easiest thing to do, but you get the idea from the photos here.

Bobbi Brown 'Perfectly Defined' Gel Eyeliner in Pitch Black ($24, at Nordstrom's).
Will you try this for the sexiest smoky eye look?

Maybe you already tight-line.

The Convertible Strapless Bra: Tricky To Manuever But A Must-Have

The bra.

Love it or hate it, we just need to wear one most of the time. And since it is summer with lots of bare skin fashion, you need a great bra that instantly hides the straps + offers up solid support. 

So let's put down the hood and talk about the CONVERTIBLE.

That's right ladies, the convertible strapless bra. And if you don't own one, well, you need one. It is a must-have.

Here are a few interesting bra nuggets:

1. Did you know that the most popular bra size here in the U.S. is a 36C?! Hmmm, well, we certainly got robbed.

2. Did you know that a woman should own 3-5 everyday bras, according to fit expert for Vanity Fair, Tiffany Aschenbrenner.

3. Did you know that you also need a high-impact sports bra and a convertible strapless number for special occasions?

4. Did you know that the smart thing to do, is rotate the bras throughout the week? "This will minimize stretch and extend a bra's life from regular wear and tear," Tiffany told InStyle magazine.

5. Did you know that when it comes to caring for bras, we've been told that hand-washing is better than machine-washing?.

Getting back to the convertible strapless bra, we attempted this morning to fashion ours into the criss-cross style to hide our bra straps from a top with cut-in shoulders. We struggled, dork that we are. It took some adjustment, but the convertible is a clever bra, and works!

Check out this Parisa Body Veil Convertible Strapless Bra, $38, free shipping at Nordstrom.

Hubby Apollo's Gone To Prison But Phaedra Parks Keeps Eye Makeup Looking Fab!

Atlanta Housewives star Phaedra Parks probably knew this was coming down, but the glamorous southern belle never lets them see her sweat.

Her bad-boy husband Apollo Nida has just been sentenced to 8-years federal prison time for his role in a much-publicized mail, wire + bank fraud scandal.

He's done the prison thing before, but it hurts because he and Phaedra have a beautiful family with 2 adorable, little boys.

Miss Phaedra, ALWAYS a proud, strong woman, did NOT attend yesterday's sentencing hearing in Georgia's US District Court.
We think Apollo got a soft sentence, considering the charges initially involved up to 30-years behind bars for identity theft + money laundering totaling some $2.3 million.

Meantime, Phaedra Parks has always continued caring for her family and was even out peddling her new book, "Secrets of the Southern Belle" back in April of this year.

Phaedra's makeup is ALWAYS immaculate, prim + proper. And her cat eye makeup is FAB!

LOVE the sultry, black eyeliner + sexy faux lashes!

To get those pretty peepers, try these light, natural-looking false lashes from lashesinabox #10, a  20-piece set for $25.

Makeup artist Mikaela South gives an excellent demo on how to apply the LashesinaBox #10 false lashes. Check it out here.

Dreads Are Dope When You Look Like Ciara: But Hair Needs TLC

We don't care what the critics say, because there are a few of them out there giving thumbs down to new mama Ciara's sexy, super-long dreads.

We think Ciara looks gorgeous with her new extension locks! Is that a heavy look for a hot summer full of humidity?

Oh, yeah. But---when you look like beautiful Ciara, you can rock the dreads. Word has it that Ciara got the dreads for a new Calvin Klein ad campaign coming up.

And then there is this TV dreads pioneeer, Lisa Bonet, STILL choosing her signature dreads, and STILL looking fab in them.

Huxtable hair was where it was it, and still remains so.

Even Lisa Bonet's hot honey Jason Momoa had dreamy dreadlocks for a while.
Yes.....Dreads are dope. BUT----not the easiest hairstyle to care for. Some people think you don't even attempt to wash dreads, but that is a major No-No.

Of course you have to shampoo and add some TLC, or tender loving care to dreads.

We did some studying up on dreads and found this great website where you can learn ALL about dreads and the right hair products to keep dreads tight and just about maintenance-free.

Check it out here.

And for some amazing facts + rumors about dreads, see this website at dreadlocks.com.

Want To Try Going The No-Poo Route For Healthier Hair? Try Suave Coconut

Hair.

If you check our extensive archive here at Beauty Tip Today, you will be bombarded with tons of posts about HAIR.

Yes....We are obsessed, since our own locks are a stubborn head with a mind of its own, so to speak.

There has been SO much information about the no-poo system, and how "washing" your hair with silicone-free conditioners or baking soda + apple cider vinegar will deliver stronger, healthier, shinier, cleaner HAIR.

Well, that's what all the testers claim to have received after trying the no-poo method out for a few months.

We have tried the so-called silicone-free conditioners, and for us, well, we're not sure it is that effective. Yes---no-pooing left our locks SOFT + tangle-free. But super clean and odor-free?!

Hmmm. Not for us.

But.....we are just one tester. Many women + men have become no-poo converts and report LONGER + healthier locks compared to frequent shampooing.

After doing some beauty research, we have found that SUAVE Naturals Conditioner in Tropical Coconut is one of the best + cheapest no-poo conditioners to try,

And it IS a super beauty budget buy at just $2.29 for a BIG 22.5 fl. oz. bottle at your favorite RiteAid store.

So, how do you no-poo?

We stumbled on to a blogger named Rebecca, an expert no-poo-er for 2.5 years now.

You can check out Rebecca's no-poo method here.