Cosmopolitan Dec-14

GETTING PERSONAL "Best gift idea ever: your signature (or doodles) in gold!" —Angela ledgerwood, assistant editor Necklace, Brevity, $295 for necklace shown (ranges from $195 to $1,795), brevityjewelry.com SUGAR-PLUM PRETTY "The two upsides of winter, pink cheeks and The Nutcracker, come together for Clinique's new collaboration with the American Ballet Theatre." —LAUREN BALSAMO, BEAUTY ASSISTANT Clinique The Nutcracker Act I Compact, $36, clinique.com SATIN TOUCH "A PRETTY ROBE MAKES FUTZING AROUND THE HOUSE FEEL A LITTLE MORE SPECIAL."—diandra barnwell, Assistant brand coordinator Lingerie set, Cosmopolitan for JCPenney, $60, jcpenney.com FITNESS TRACKING "Crushing hard on the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch—especially the body intel you get through the Health app." —LIZ PLOSSER, SENIOR EDITOR iPhone 6, from $199, watch, from $349, apple.com CUTE TOOLS "CHI-Air's adorbs flat- and curling-iron set turns…

1. HAVE A MEME X-MAS Grumpy Cat (voiced by Aubrey Plaza) spreads holiday jeers in her Worst Christmas Ever (November 29, 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime). 2 STEP UP YOUR PAJAMA GAME …With Shopbop's exclusive collection of designer pj sets just for the holidays. Pajama set, A.L.C., $425, shopbop.com 3. WORKSHOP YOUR SEX LIFE Grab a pen and your partner. The exercises in I Love What You Do to Me will take your bedroom seshes to the next level. 4. SEE ANOTHER SIDE OF B. COOPS Bradley Cooper as we know him disappears into the deformed and tragically misunderstood Elephant Man, opening on Broadway December 7. 5. GET TESTED …On World AIDS Day, December 1—there's no better gift to yourself. LOAD UP ON HOLIDAY FILMS OSCAR SHOO-INS MUSICALS BROMANCES GIRLS'…

@Maggistivers Came home to my new Cosmo mag! The whole day just got a little bit better! @RebeccaRNewton Even superheroes (my guy friends) can't resist. #MyCosmo @LibertyBella Math and Cosmo, my two loves combined. #MyCosmo @GabrilaGarcia You get rewarded as the year starts coming to an end.… #MyCosmo SHOW US YOUR COSMO! How does Cosmo fit into your life? Instagram or tweet your photo to @Cosmopolitan #MyCosmo. If we feature you in the mag, we'll give you $50! NEVER FORGET Your ex was a mouth breather. French presses are for people with time. Bonus: Swedish meatballs. Tweets we love @KimDillinger @Cosmopolitan Cosmo Career "You Deserve a Raise!" is such a great read. Pick up your November copy now, ladies. @JamieLehrmann How to survive a road trip: reading…

MÉLANIE BERLIET In "I Lent My Vagina to Science" (p. 194), writer Berliet offers up her own body for experimentation in an effort to understand the elusive origins of arousal. UNEXPECTED FACT I LEARNED WHILE WRITING THIS PIECE "That behaviors and people you consider absolutely repulsive are actually capable of turning you on. A guy you loathe and find utterly unattractive can very well touch you in a specific way that kick-starts your libido." TWITTER: @MelanieBerliet PAT McGRATH McGrath, CoverGirl Global creative design director, reveals how to pull off fall's biggest beauty trend—a colorful smoky eye—in the feature "Smoke Show" (p. 162). MY FAVORITE WINTER BEAUTY ADVICE "Bright colors can be worn year-round. A bright blue hue in winter looks modern and fresh because it's unexpected. Apply it with a…

Amy Cuddy and me at SXSW talking tech over cocktails. A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I was at Harvard to address an auditorium full of women business students. I was early, so they asked if I'd like to listen to the speaker before me. Sure, I said, thinking, Oh, good. I'll find a quiet corner and get some work done while the speaker rattles on about whatever. Instead, I sat spellbound for the next 30 minutes. The speaker turned out to be Amy Cuddy, the social psychologist and Harvard Business School professor, who explained how in work meetings, women physically shrink their bodies. Men widen their legs and absorb more space. Women do pretzel legs and tuck into ourselves. Ugh, a little depressing. But her message was positive. She referenced…

Rita Ora My nickname: One book every girl needs to read is: Catch her in the movie, February 13! The song lyric that represents my life is: The most magical place on earth to me is: The last person I texted was: and it said… My doodles look like this: The best advice I ever got on love was from: who told me: I am afraid of: The movie I would most want to star in a remake of is: To my Cosmo readers: Vest, The Blonds. Bra, Leka. Skirt, Jonathan Simkhai. Bracelet, Shaun Leane. (On left hand) Ring, M.C.L. Design by Matthew Campbell Laurenza. (On right hand) Gold bar ring, Shaun Leane. Gold and onyx ring, Melinda Maria…