Guides written by the community on body, beauty, anatomy and lingerie know-how.
103 articles
A 5-minute method to find your true bra size at home. Industry data says 80% of women wear the wrong size - most because the band is too big, not because the cup is wrong.
Forget vague descriptions - four measurements give you your exact body shape. Plus our free interactive calculator that does the math for you.
Cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer, SPF - the order matters more than the brand. Here's the science-backed routine and which steps you can skip.
Twelve costumes for a lingerie Halloween night, where the lingerie is the costume: a vampire in a lace bodysuit, a ghost bride in a white corset, a devil in a red set, a cat, a witch, a spider and more, each with the accessories that make the character.
Ten Halloween costumes built on a lingerie or loungewear piece, from a vampire in a velvet robe to a fortune teller in a silk kimono, with full coverage for office parties, trick-or-treating and cold nights outdoors.
Ten Halloween makeup looks, from a five-minute cat or spider web eye to a full skeleton or Day of the Dead inspired face, each with what you need, the steps in order, how long it takes and how to remove it, plus CDC and NHS advice on contact lenses and skin.
Most breast cancer happens in women with no risk factor beyond being female and older. Here is what the NHS, CDC and WHO list as raising risk, what the research does not support (deodorant, abortion, bras), and what to do about a family history.
Adenomyosis is when the womb lining grows into the muscle of the womb wall, often causing painful, heavy periods. It is different from endometriosis, though many women have both, and treatments can help.
Chlamydia is a common STI that usually causes no symptoms. It is found with a urine test or a swab and cured with antibiotics. The NHS suggests testing once a year or with a new partner.
Most breast lumps are harmless, according to the NHS and the CDC, but you cannot tell which kind by feel, so every one should be checked by a GP. Here is what they can be and what happens at the appointment.
Most breast pain follows the menstrual cycle and, on its own, is not usually a sign of cancer. Here is what the NHS and ACOG say helps, what the evidence says about evening primrose oil, and when to see a GP.
Probably not in the way the story goes. Larger studies of women living together found no syncing, and researchers suggest ordinary variation in cycle length makes periods drift together and apart by chance.
Yes. ACOG says pregnancy can happen even the first time you have sex, because what matters is whether sperm meets an egg, not how many times you have had sex before.
Breasts change at every stage of life, mostly because of hormones: puberty, the monthly cycle, pregnancy, breastfeeding and menopause. Here is what the NHS and ACOG describe at each stage, and which changes to get checked.
Bleeding between periods is usually not serious, but the NHS says to always get it checked. Common causes are hormonal contraception, polyps or fibroids, and infections like chlamydia.
BV is a common imbalance of vaginal bacteria. It often causes thin grey discharge with a fishy smell, but half of women notice nothing. It is treated with antibiotics and often returns.
Bleeding after sex is usually not serious, but the NHS says always get it checked. Common causes are cervical ectropion, polyps, vaginal dryness and infections such as chlamydia.
We found no study showing that push-ups or chest exercises make breasts bigger. Breast tissue sits in front of the chest muscle, not inside it, breasts develop at puberty, and one twin study found cup size is largely inherited.
Not in any simple way. The NHS says nearly all women produce enough milk, and that supply follows how often the baby feeds. Research points to glandular tissue and milk removal, not outward cup size, and one study saw breasts shrink back while still making a substantial amount of milk.
There is no good evidence that fenugreek, soy or breast enhancement pills make breasts bigger. A review of these products found no published clinical trials and raised safety concerns, and the NHS warns herbal medicines can interact with common medicines, including the pill.
Yes. The NHS says you can get pregnant from 3 weeks after birth, even while breastfeeding and before periods return. Breastfeeding only works as contraception under strict conditions, for up to 6 months.
The research we found does not support a link between bras and breast cancer. A large case-control study found no aspect of bra wearing, underwire included, was linked to breast cancer, and neither the NHS nor the CDC lists bras as a risk factor.
It is less likely, but none of the health sources we read call any part of the cycle safe. Sperm can survive for days and some women ovulate early, so pregnancy soon after a period is possible.
A mouth whose corners sit below the lip line at rest, the shape people mistake for sadness. Why a neutral face gets read as a mood, how corners change with age, what Chinese face reading (the overturned-boat mouth), Lavater and Wells claimed, and the one kind of drooping corner that is a medical emergency.
A mouth whose corners reach towards the line down from the pupils or beyond. What decides mouth width (your teeth, mostly), how to measure yours in a mirror, and what Chinese face reading (the tiger and dragon mouths), Wells, modern face readers and Russian pages claim about a wide mouth, which is not the same thing.
A narrow mouth, often with full, rounded lips: the cherry mouth of Chinese face reading and the rosebud mouth of English. What the shape is, why width follows the teeth, and why the small mouth has the most contradictory folklore of any shape, brilliant in one line of the same classical text and poor in the next.
A mouth whose corners sit level with the lip line, closing in a straight, even line. What the shape is, how to tell it from an upturned or downturned mouth, why a straight resting mouth sometimes reads as serious, and what Chinese face reading (the four-character and square mouths), Lavater and Wells claimed about it.
A mouth whose corners sit slightly above the line where the lips meet, even at rest. What the shape is, how to check yours, why people read it as a smile, what Chinese face reading, Lavater and Wells each claimed about it (they disagree), and what the research on first impressions actually shows.
Apples, pears, peaches, bee stings, saucers: the eleven names an old chart gives breasts, and what each one actually describes. How to work out yours in a mirror in five minutes, why your two sides may be different types, how shape changes over a life, what the folklore claims about personality and why nobody should believe it, and which bras go along with which shape.
Peach breasts are small to medium, round and soft, set a little apart, with nipples sitting centrally. How to recognise the shape, why almost every bra works and the one detail that does not, what changes over time, and what the folklore claims about peach women, minus anything unkind.