Need beauty advice on the go? Allure has a list of the best beauty apps to answer your questions in a hurry.
OK — most of us are practically surgically attached to our smartphones. And yes, Words With Friends is great. But what about maximizing the beauty capabilities of your tech best friend? We rounded up some of our favorite applications for beauty junkies like us, ones that let you try on hair styles, nail polishes, and shadows, and grab a great deal for your next spa visit. Check 'em out.
Find out if your powder foundation really has enough sunscreen to protect you and more with Allure's tips for staying sun-safe this season.
It takes just five sunburns over the course of a lifetime to double your risk of melanoma. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, throwing such a serious stat at you, but May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and — before you close this browser window to go grab a coffee — I know what you're thinking: by now, everyone knows that skin cancer isn't a joke, right? I mean, even the friend who had an unlimited monthly pass to the tanning salon in high school switched to spray tans! As much as we know about skin cancer, though, only about 20 percent of us wear sunscreen daily. (Which is crazy, considering in a poll we did on Allure's Facebook page, 68 percent of our fans said they either have had skin cancer or know someone who has.) But here's the thing: it's never too late to start taking care of your skin. Here, a few sun-protection tricks to keep in mind as the temperatures start to rise:
If you've ever applied too much hair oil, then take comfort in knowing you're not the only one. Allure reveals its top tips to fixing the oil slick.
It all started innocently enough. Last Friday, I decided to try a new product in my hair. I put a drop (OK, maybe more than a drop) of the oil in my hand and distributed it throughout my just-washed strands, excited at the prospect of the soft, shiny, and frizz-free hair that would soon be mine. It wasn't until halfway through my blow-dry that I realized just how much oil I had used. I desperately tried to towel it out, then sprayed on two different dry shampoos and brushed and brushed until I came to terms with the fact that I'd need to get back in the shower. But is there a better way? I asked hairstylist Nathaniel Hawkins to give me a quick lesson in hair oils — and how to deal with this kind of mistake, should I make it again. Here's what I learned.
Split ends: You can't grow long hair with them, but it's nearly impossible to prevent them. Allure discovers the top three reasons why your ends are breaking.
Even an Allure beauty editor with gorgeous, glossy, healthy-looking hair — and a bathroom full of damage-repair masks and heat-protecting serums has split ends. The lesson? Split ends happen to everyone. I asked hairstylist Ruben Colon of Sally Hershberger Salon how we can best minimize the damage. "Split ends happen primarily for three reasons," he says. Find out why, when you keep reading.
Having great skin is a 24-7 job, but Allure has four superfoods that will remedy your complexion from the inside out.
"Superfoods": The term is everywhere now, but can downing them actually make you look better? In a word: yes. "Let's say you eat three meals a day. You have three chances to hydrate your skin, boost your circulation, and promote cell turnover," says Frank Lipman, a former chief medical resident at Lincoln Hospital and founder of Eleven-Eleven Wellness Center in New York City. "Or you can eat foods that actually promote aging in skin." Here are Lipman's top four nutritional powerhouses — and one food to avoid
Planning a vacation this Spring? Allure has tips that will ensure your skin stays pristine from wheels up to touch down.
I just got back from a 10-day romp through Vienna, Salzburg, and Paris, and, of course, I packed carry-on-friendly versions of my favorite makeup (Benefit They're Real Mascara Mini ($10), Almay Makeup Eraser Sticks ($6)). But more importantly, I didn't forget to prepare my skin, remembering that the Alps are a lot closer to the sun than my skin is used to. Ellen Marmur, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, told Allure that in the mountains, "The most important thing you can do is protect yourself while you're outside. The sun is intense at that altitude and causes hyperpigmentation in a short amount of time."
So I brought along plenty of hydrating facial moisturizer (my trusty Cetaphil ($11)), Josie Maran Argan Infinity Cream Oil ($28) to help soothe any chapped skin or nails, and even though I never normally wear foundation, I tried Clinique BB Cream With SPF 30 ($37) and antioxidants to protect myself from extra-close rays. By the time I was in Paris, my skin looked healthier than ever — so either schnitzel and strudel have an undiscovered dermatological benefit, or my technique worked.
Still stumped on your face-cleansing brush? Allure got down to the nitty gritty of these do-it-all skin care tools.
I know I'm a little late to the game, but I finally started using a facial cleansing brush a few weeks ago. I'd heard my co-workers and friends rave about them for years, about how glowy their skin looked and how smooth it felt, so I couldn't wait to use one. I thought my skin would look Jennifer Aniston flawless after using it once. What I got, though, was the total opposite: My face broke out — badly.
Aside from a few zits every now and then (which I could probably attribute to my slight affection for chocolate), I've luckily never had a serious acne problem. But after a few days of using the brush with my everyday cleanser (Philosophy Purity Face Wash), my face was spackled in pimples. I freaked out big time. According to dermatologist Jason Emer, this is totally normal. Get Emer's tips and tricks when you keep reading.
Get out of your hairstyling rut with Allure's expert ideas tailored to curly, coily, and kinky hair types.
After years of denial and multiple attempts with a flat iron — thankfully there was no Facebook to publicly immortalize my "awkward phase" — I finally came to grips with a fact: I have very curly hair. But now that I've embraced my ringlets, I've run into yet another dilemma, which is that wearing the same spirals every day can get boring. Since I don't want to just scald my hair straight, I asked celebrity hairstylist Diane Bailey, whose clients include Beyoncé and Lauryn Hill, for some tips on how to reinvent curly hair.
The trick to an ace blowout is the right blow-dryer, and Allure has expert tips on how to pick your perfect drying mate.
Plenty of people I know like nothing more than a good blowout, but to me there's a lot to dislike about the process: the loud, sustained noise; the occasional hair-caught-in-the-vent fiasco; the added static; and, of course, the ridiculously long time it always seems to take. But there are times when leaving my apartment with damp hair just isn't a viable option. (True story: I once went outside on a Winter day with wet hair and inadvertently re-created Cameron Diaz's infamous There's Something About Mary hairstyle when a breeze froze my bangs straight up in the air.)
So I figured I may as well learn how to blow-dry my hair correctly — and how to get it over with as quickly as possible. For help, I turned to hairstylists Kerrie Urban, an Allure product finder expert who has worked with Lady Gaga and Mariah Carey, and Hansen Liu, a stylist at Sally Hershberger Downtown.
Get Urban's expert tips when you keep reading.
If you're a DIY maven, you'll adore Allure's four easy beauty recipes starring a beauty classic: baking soda. It's one ingredient that really can do it all.
Sometimes an oldie really is a goodie — vinyl records, The Golden Girls, shower caps (without which I cannot live). My current new/old love interest? Baking soda. I recently attended a seminar on a million ways to use it (sponsored, of course, by Arm & Hammer ($3)) and I can actually say I was impressed by how versatile a product it really is. Here are some road-tested new ways to use the contents of that orange box that actually work (and one I don't think I'll try again):
Are you a fan of air-drying your hair? Allure has two simple tricks to making the results look even better. Plus, they're super quick, so you can get back to more important things like sleep.
I'm a big fan of air-drying my hair. I've even been known to let my hair air-dry in February. (OK, if you must know, I did it this morning.) So I've made a study of ways to make hair look better when it's air-dried. If you also air-dry in the winter, then I bet you could use these two tips.
Models and celebrities both make sure to have a glowing grin, whether it's on the runways or the red carpet. Allure has teeth-whitening tips that you can do at home.
Oh, the unspeakable acts I'd commit for a whiter smile. (I may or may not be guilty of plastering on two-hour Crest Whitestrips and sitting, mute, through a meeting.) And if the number of people trolling the dental-hygiene aisle at Walgreens last weekend was any indication, I am not alone. Call it the Award Season Effect, but unlike Jessica Chastain's cheekbones or Angelina's leg(s), a whiter smile is actually attainable. I spoke to New York dentist Lee Gause, who cares for the gorgeous grins of Ford Models and regular folk alike, about getting a whiter, healthier smile.
Even celebrities get a blemish now and then, so Allure chatted with a dermatologist to the stars on how red-carpet beauties get their skin in tip-top shape.
Waking up to a monster pimple is problematic for anyone. But for the celebrities attending this weekend's Academy Awards, grinning and bearing it isn't an option. That's when they call L.A.–based dermatologist Dr. Harold Lancer. Lancer, who tends to the likes of Ryan Seacrest and Victoria Beckham, keeps his office open for frantic calls in the hours leading up to the awards show. "It would be extremely uncommon not to see people on Saturday or Sunday," he says. "Stuff always happens — they have an irritation, or they have a costume change and something is now showing on the back that has to be dealt with." We spoke with the dermatologist to find out how he prepares A-list skin for its biggest night of the year. Get Dr. Lancer's tips when you keep reading.
Are your dry, split ends in need of some TLC? Allure shows us a three-pronged attack to kick dead ends for good.
"The ends tend to be the most damaged part of anyone's hair," says hairstylist Kristin Ess, who works with celebrities including Lauren Conrad. "And if you have long hair, your scalp's natural oils don't get all the way down to the ends, so they're usually a little duller than the rest." Good thing she's honed a technique for making them look healthier. And nope, it doesn't involve going on a search-and-destroy mission for split ends. Here's her advice:
Every season there are new fads in the spa world (think: oxygen facials and bull testicle hair masks), and 2013 is no exception. See which treatments are hot right now thanks to this fascinating research done by Allure.
Those sour-milk baths Cleopatra took a few thousand years ago might be the first official spa treatment in the history books. Since then, we've gotten a little more savvy — sweat-inducing hammams, hallucination-inducing detox clinics, collagen-stimulation chambers, not to mention the endless varieties of massage. So what's new in the spa world this year?
It's OK to admit you've been slacking on your sunscreen routine this season. Whip yourself back in shape with Allure's sun-safe tips.
Just because you retire your Havaianas and bikini when the temperature drops doesn't mean you should shelve the sunscreen too. The sun emits harmful UV rays all year, whether it's 90 degrees outside or 19. Now I'm going to step down from my soapbox and make a confession: Even though I'm neurotic about sun protection in the summer, I do to get a bit lax (OK, completely negligent) in winter. So I spoke with Debra Jaliman, a New York City dermatologist and author of Skin Rules, about why SPF is still important during colder months.
BB cream is the multitasker of the makeup world. And we're pretty sure you'll fall in love with it all over again with Allure's three new ways to wear it.
By now, I bet you know all about BB creams. (If not, here's a refresher course: They're supercharged tinted moisturizers, usually with anti-aging ingredients and SPF, and they've become a beauty bag staple for women on the go.) But instead of just slathering it all over your face, try some of our favorite new ways to wear a BB cream. Learn the tricks when you read on.
Is your blowout falling flat after the gym? Allure has the steps to maintain your smoothed-out style even through a sweaty workout routine.
We're officially halfway through January, and I'm thrilled to report that I am kicking some New Year's resolution tush. I haven't missed a day at the gym yet (just did an acceptance-speech-style "thank you, thank you so much" gesture, don't worry), but here's the rub: my hair, usually blown out and shiny, is taking a hit. Fortunately, I cracked the code for preserving my face-framing waves. Here's to not sacrificing one good beauty habit for another. Learn how to make your blowout last when you read more.
Is your hair looking dull and lackluster? Allure has the scoop on how to avoid some of the most common hair blunders.
You already know that flat-ironing your hair every day isn't so great. And OK, maybe you do it anyway; I'm not judging. But other hair-dulling, frizz-causing mistakes are less obvious — and cutting them out of your routine can go a long way toward preventing new damage. Find out what to do to protect your hair when you keep reading.
The hustle of the holidays is over, and it's time to ring in the new year with a little pampering. Allure recommends three at-home spa treatments that will revive you after some serious hosting, drinking, eating, and partying.
Between the holiday shopping, the boozing it up at cocktail parties, and the endless entertaining of out-of-town guests, you're probably due a little alone time. These do-at-home beauty treatments are just what you need to relax and recharge. Find out how when you read more.
