Breakouts are awful on any random day, but when you have a big event? The worst. Whether you woke up with a cluster or just one giant shiner, there are easy ways to reduce redness and inflammation overnight! Here, a 24-hour plan to good skin.

Step One: Wash Your Face
Any type of blemish, whether a pimple or blackhead, is caused by a buildup of bacteria, oil and dirt. But "dirt" can be a combo of makeup, dead skin, oil from your hands, and yes, regular ol' grime. Gentle washing (not too rough! scrubbing further irritates already inflamed skin) with a personalized for-your-skin-type cleanser removes the dirt and much of the oil.

Step Two: Freeze the Puffiness
Zits are red and puffy because they're swollen. You can reduce the swelling like you would for anything else: with ice! Put an ice cube in a paper towel, twist the end, then hold the cube directly on an inflamed blemish. A few minutes should do the trick.

Step Three: Medicate and Moisturize
Dry your face and apply an oil-free, anti-acne moisturizer with a high concentrate of salicylic acid. It helps the skin shed quickly, which keeps pores from clogging and prevents more pimples. Put a bit of acne spot treatment cream containing 10 percent benzoyl peroxide on individual zits to inhibit the main acne-causing bacteria. Tie your hair up to keep pore-clogging oils, dirt and product away from your face.

Step Four: Have a Snack
We interrupt this highly scientific process to address a favorite subject: food! What have you been munching on lately? Some breakouts are a direct result of eating something that made your hormones go wacky or increased oil production on your pretty face. The solution? Cleanse from the inside out. This means drinking water all day (nix the sodas and coffee), noshing on healthful foods (fresh veggies, whole grains, no sugar or greasy foods) and getting a good night’s snooze to slow down hormone-affecting stress.

Step Five: Wake up, Sunshine!
When you get up in the morning, repeat the first three steps before putting on makeup to cover any spots. (Tip: Be sure to use cool -- not hot -- water when cleansing, to reduce redness.) Using a new cosmetics sponge, apply foundation that matches your skin tone, in a light patting motion. Dab a little concealer on individual zits, then touch up with a second pat of foundation. Lightly apply a little blush, mascara and lip gloss. Know what? You look fabulous!

There is a recent rise in girl-on-girl physical violence, but most girl bullies use smack talk to intimidate their victims -- and they even take their smear campaigns online for widespread humiliation.

Here, we point out a bully’s weak spots so you can see straight through that plastic Queen of Mean mask she’s hiding behind.

Secret No. 1: “I don’t like myself nearly as much as I pretend to.”
A bully seems to be rocking so much confidence, but the truth is that she doesn’t feel so great about herself. “Bullies empower themselves by picking on others because they actually may have low self-esteem,” says Kelsey Ann Jackson, 17, founder of Mean Girls Aren’t Cool, a female bullying education and prevention program.

Secret No. 2: “Often, I pick on the girls I envy the most.”
Kelsey was bullied from 9 to 14 years old. “They called me names and started rumors. I never got to eat at the same lunch table or go to sleepover parties. They excluded me, and I think they were jealous. I’m a singer, so maybe they were jealous that I got to sing and go to places where they couldn’t go.”

Secret No. 3: “There’s probably something icky in my life you don’t know about.”
Many girls who bully might have issues at home that cause them to lash out. Says Kelsey: “The main girl who bullied me -- I call her the ‘queen bee’ -- was a popular girl with money and good grades and nice clothes. But maybe she just didn’t really feel special, because she came from a family with a lot of girls, and she was the middle child. I don’t think she should resort to treating other girls the way she did.”

Secret No. 4: “I feel better about my behavior when others girls go along with it.”
“The ‘queen bee’ always got other girls to do her dirty work for her,” says Kelsey. “There were about five of them, and they followed her lead because they wanted to be in the popular clique.” But just as mean girls band together, so can the nice girls. “If you see a friend being bullied, stick up for her,” advises Kelsey. “Put the bully in the spotlight, and make someone aware of what’s going on. Tell a parent or teacher and get help.”

Back-to-school serves up the chance to showcase your ever-expanding signature style -- it’s always fun to look the part that spells Y-O-U! And the beginning of the school year is the perfect time for stepping into a new fashion groove. But instead of going for a head-to-toe “check me out!” makeover, it’s the little changes that count (do not be that girl who left school with ribbons in her hair and comes back all Goth!).

Clothes Encounter
When you’re back-to-school clothes shopping, be sure to stock up on plenty of basic pieces but have fun with statement accessories that scream, “I am me!” The same simple skinny jeans-and-tee outfit can be spun any which way: Make it punk with a painted-up hoodie, studded belt and safety-pin jewelry. Or go country-western by tucking your pants into cowboy boots, tossing on a suede vest and wearing pigtails.

The look we love: Use embroidered iron-on patches -- whether you prefer peace signs or band logos (or both!) -- to make a denim skirt or jacket uniquely yours.

It’s a Shoe In!
Getting the perfect pair of back-to-school shoes is quite possibly your most important shopping mission. They need to be comfy…but stylish (unlike the comfortable footwear worn by many cafeteria ladies, LOL!). Aside from the sneakers you need for phys ed, you’ll want at least one pair of shoes that totally reflects your style. To give any outfit an extra punch, strut your stuff in something loud, like floral-canvas fleece-lined boots or bright-blue woven-leather clogs.

The look we love: Converse sneakers can be custom-made to fit any personality with their design-your-own feature online.

To ’Do or Not To ’Do?
Back-to-school hairstyles need to be essentially hassle-free. If you’re ready for a haircut, this is the one area where you could dare to be radical. Try a short pixie cut, which is super-easy to maintain. Not that brave? Pick up some pretty new hair accessories and play around with them in front of the mirror -- hot this season are headbands and side parts.

The look we love: The popularity of ABC Family’s Bunheads has brought back the hair bun! Tuck in tiny rhinestone bobby pins to glam it up.

Kiss and Makeup
When it comes to makeup, we’re definitely of the less-is-more mentality. If this is the year your parents are letting you experiment with cosmetics, use them to accentuate your natural beauty. A little lip gloss and maybe a swipe of mascara should do. If you go for blushes and eye shadows, choose neutral shades -- save the shimmery and sparkly products for special occasions, such as the school dance!

The look we love: Nail tattoos come in all kinds of fun designs, so polish up your fingers and toes, then slap on a few! Seal with a swipe of clear topcoat.

Photo: Corbis Images

Every girl has her strong point, whether it’s athletics, art or whatever. We’re not talking about how your wall is adorned with gymnastic trophies or you always get to sing solo in chorus. Instead, we want you to tap into that little something you’ve yet to discover -- like this girl we know who just graduated high school and figured out she’s an amazing artist because someone gave her a paint set as a grad gift.

So, for this quiz, we want you to take it not once, but twice! The first time, go with your initial gut answer. The scoring should line up with your obvious area of strength. But second time around, go for a different pick on each question. That should reveal your hidden talent!

Summer serves up tons of possible poolside opportunities for chat time with your crush, and we want you to enjoy talking with him. But hear this: Among other things, he does not want to know how fat you feel when you’re cramping …OK? Here are the five convo topics that totally turn guys off:

Some girls are like human Twitters, talking -- without even taking a breath -- about any little thing that crosses their mind. They don’t talk to guys; they talk at guys. This includes reading texts from friends out loud, commenting on the texts, pausing to mention that you need to pick up some ointment for your rash, complaining that you’re still hungry even though you had cereal and leftover pizza and then and then and then. … Chihuahuas at a gerbil farm don’t yap that much.

Simple Solution: Listen more. Listen a lot more. A guy who feels like he’s being heard will enjoy spending time with you.

2.  Anything About Your Period
Ever notice that just the word “period” makes most guys cringe? Sure, it’s immature, but boys aren’t ready to talk about cramps, flow, zits, bloating or bad moods. Your period is an outrageous and awkward mystery for a guy, and it’s not your job to educate him on the nuances of the menstrual cycle.

Simple Solution: If you don’t feel so great and need to pass on the whole bikini-bonanza-bike-riding day in the sun, tell the truth and say you don’t feel well. If he asks for details, tell him your stomach hurts. Seriously, spare the bloody deets.

3.  Gossip About All Your Friends
Gossips always think there’s a reason why they’re sharing information: “She did this to me” or “He did that to her” or “I need your opinion on this problem.” But the problem is usually that no one will stop talking about it. When you share something about someone else, you’re gossiping. When you’re talking about other people in any negative way, you’re gossiping. And gossiping is unattractive.

Simple Solution: Stay positive! Talk about things you like, things you want to do, things that sound fun.

4.  How Embarrassing Everything Is All the Time
It’s possible the whole embarrassed-at-life thing is part of a girl’s puberty journey. There are days you’re zapped with an intense desire to constantly check to see if you have food in your teeth or if your fly is open. But nervous, self-conscious girls rarely get the guy. Unless he’s ridiculously hot for you like Biebs is for Selena (because, yeah, that happens so often), you’ll lose his attention.

Simple Solution: Confidence can be learned, so fake it until you make it. Trip, burp or lose your cool in front of him? Smile and take a bow. We bet he’ll think it’s funny and cute -- not dorky.

5.  What You Don’t Like About Today
“It’s beautiful, but it’s so darn hot.” “It feels like everyone’s on vacation, so it’s not as much fun as usual.” “Lunch was good but really expensive, right?” “That girl has a good body, but her swimsuit fits weird.” “Your new haircut is cute, but you should grow out the bangs.” Girl, do you see the trend here? The negativity comes through -- not the positive setup statement -- every time. Guys want to be around someone who likes her friends, likes what she’s doing and isn’t impossible to please.

Simple Solution: If you verbalize the positive thought and leave off the negative thought, pretty soon you’ll actually stop thinking the icky stuff altogether!

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/Gewitterkind