Beauty
Beauty
Peptide Serum Is the Low-Drama Step Most Routines Are Missing
A peptide serum is the low drama step most routines are missing, gentle enough to sit next to almost anything and built for slow, steady results. Here are the serums, the moisturizers with peptides for fewer steps, and the lip and eye treatments that suit the thinnest skin.
Makeup Brushes for Face, Cheeks and Eyes, Minus the Drawer Clutter
Most makeup bags hold too many brushes and not enough of the right ones. Here are the face brushes for foundation and powder, the cheek brushes for blush, bronzer and contour, and the small eye and brow brushes that do the precise work, the short list that covers almost everything.
Under Eye Cream for Puffy Mornings, Dark Circles and Fine Lines
A good under eye cream will not erase dark circles overnight, but used night and morning it keeps the area smooth, hydrated and ready for concealer. Here are the eye creams, the cooling gels, serums and patches for puffy mornings, and the brighteners for the days nothing helps.
Milky Essence vs Milky Toner: Which One Your Skin Wants
A milky essence is a cloudy, ceramide-rich hydrator that sits between a watery toner and a moisturizer, like rhode's Glazing Milk. I sort the milky toners, essences and mists worth knowing and how to tell which one your skin wants.
Lotion for Dry Skin, and the Snow-White Cream That Started It
From Nivea's 1911 cream to today's peptide lotions and whipped butters, here is a lotion for dry skin edit sorted by texture, from light and fast to thick and rich.
Skinfix Barrier+ Cream: Rich Barrier Creams and Balms Like It
Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream is a rich, refillable barrier moisturizer with ceramides for skin that feels tight once the heating comes on. I put it next to other rich barrier creams, lighter gel creams for daytime and balms for dry patches.
The Lip Pencil Is the Easiest Lipstick You Will Own
A lip pencil does the job of a liner and a lipstick in one, and it fits in the smallest pocket. These are the crayons, matte pencils and creamy pencils I would use to color the whole lip, not only the edges.
Clinique Lipstick, From Black Honey to Pop
Clinique lipstick is best known for Black Honey, the sheer berry that has been in handbags since the 70s. Here is the full Clinique lip lineup with the sheer berry lipsticks from other brands that share its easy, flattering color.
Body Shimmer for Party Season
Body shimmer is the finishing touch for party season, a soft glow on shoulders, collarbones and legs. Here are the shimmer oils, glow lotions and highlighter sticks I would reach for, from a sheer golden sheen to a touch of pearl.
La Vie Est Belle: Three Perfumers, One Praline Heart, a Golden Rose
La vie est belle has been on dressing tables since 2012, and its iris and praline heart still sets the tone for sweet perfume. Here is every La vie est belle bottle in the edit, the Idôle bottles beside them, and the gourmand scents that share the sugar.
Sabrina Carpenter Perfume Started With Sweet Tooth and a Chocolate-Bar Bottle
Sabrina Carpenter perfume began in September 2022 with Sweet Tooth, a marshmallow-and-chocolate scent that landed as a Fragrance of the Year finalist. Here are her five bottles, the caramel and candy scents from other houses, and body mists for the same sweet lane.
Air, Not Heat: What a Dyson Airwrap Asks of the Rest of Your Routine
A Dyson Airwrap curls and smooths with moving air instead of a hot plate, which changes what you need around it. Here are the stylers themselves, the heat protectants and smoothers I use before them, and the brushes and combs that finish the job.
Wavy Hair: Mousse vs Sea Salt Spray
Wavy hair sits in the middle of the curl chart, which is exactly why it is so easy to over-style. Here are the creams and mousses that define waves, the texture sprays that add grip, and the clips, towels and scrunchies that protect the shape.
Arctic Fox Hair Dye: Six Shades, and What to Wash Them With
Arctic Fox hair dye has been making vivid, vegan color since 2013, and the shade you pick is only half of the result. Here are six colors worth knowing, the shampoos I would use to keep them from fading, and the glosses and masks that bring the brightness back.
Viviscal vs MaryRuth's Hair Growth: Supplements Compared
Viviscal vs MaryRuth's hair growth: marine-protein heritage vs liquid and gummy formulas, and how to think about hair supplements.
Redken Acidic Bonding: A Salon Brand's Answer to Tired, Stretched Hair
Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate was the brand's first bonding regimen, a three-step system built around citric acid. Here is how the range works, the other bond-building shampoos and masks I would set beside it, and the glosses that add shine at the end.
Lush Super Milk and the Case for the Leave-In That Goes on First
Lush Super Milk went from a bottle on a shop shelf to a social media favorite, and it is really just a very good conditioning primer. Here are the hair milks and creams that work the same way, the detangling sprays for knotty mornings, and the hair perfumes that finish it all.
Pantene Shampoo, Explained: From Swiss Vitamin Lab to Every Shower Shelf
Pantene shampoo has been around since 1945, and its name still points back to panthenol. Here are the three Pro-V bottles I would start with, other moisturizing shampoos that share the same aim, and the conditioners that finish the job.
When Did Hair Gel Come Out? The Long History of Hold
Hair gel is one of the oldest styling ideas we have, and the modern versions are far less crunchy than you might remember. Here are the strong-hold gels and wands, the slick-back sticks and edge tools, and the softer creams and mousses for when you want movement.
Clinique and the White Lab Coat: A Shelf That Still Feels Like 1968
Clinique arrived in April 1968 with 117 products and a very serious idea: skin care should be simple, tested and a little bit clinical. Here is the cleanser-toner-moisturizer core, the makeup that grew up around it, and the men's line and the cocoa perfume that round out the shelf.
Telescopic Mascara Has Been Starting Arguments for Over 15 Years
Telescopic mascara from L'Oréal Paris has been on shelves for over 15 years and still starts arguments online. Here is the original and the Lift, the lengthening formulas I compare it to, and the primers and serums that work on the lashes underneath.
Small, Sticky and Sustainable: A Field Guide to Kind Patches
Kind Patches is a young brand built around very small things. Here are its pimple, collagen and glow patches, the other spot patches I keep beside them, and the gentle serums and pads for the days you want to work on a whole area.
Haus Labs by Lady Gaga: From a Met Gala Hint to a Full Face
Haus Labs began as a rumor at the 2019 Met Gala and became one of the more distinctive celebrity makeup lines. Here is the base and powder layer, the lip products the brand leans on, and the blush, mascara and liner that finish the face.
SheaMoisture From Harlem to Your Shower: Curls, Smoothies and Butter
SheaMoisture products carry a family story that runs from a market in Sierra Leone to a shop in Harlem. This edit walks through the SheaMoisture curl, castor oil and body picks I know best, the smoothing serums and leave-ins that sit alongside them, and the richest shea body butters.