Beauty
Beauty
Morphe Started With Brushes at a Trade Show, and I Still Shop It for Eyes
Morphe began in Los Angeles in 2008 as two siblings selling makeup brushes at trade shows. Here are the eye and brow pieces the brand makes, a shelf of other palettes to compare, and the setting sprays that keep it all in place.
Before You Buy a Derma Roller: A Short History, a Gentle Plan and the Calm After
A derma roller looks simple, but the idea behind it goes back decades, and the home versions ask for a careful hand. Here are the rollers and needle-free options I would look at first, the serums that follow, and the masks that make the evening feel calm again.
DIBS Beauty Desert Island Duo and What Goes Around It
The DIBS Beauty Desert Island Duo comes from a brand whose name means Desert Island Beauty Status, makeup that does more than one job. I pack the duo first, then the bronzing sticks, cream blushes and glossy balm around it.
A Theragun Mini Lives in My Bag Now, and Here Is What Goes Around It
The Theragun Mini began as a small answer to a big idea that came out of a motorcycle accident, and it has become the percussion massager people actually carry. Here are the Therabody devices, the smaller scalp and face tools for tender areas, and the body oils I use once the muscles have quieted down.
Lash Princess and the Rest: An essence Mascara Shelf Worth Building Around
Every group chat has one opinion about essence mascara, usually about Lash Princess. Here are the four essence formulas I keep coming back to, the volumizing mascaras from other brands that do a different job, and the removers that get all of it off at night.
La Roche Posay Double Repair Moisturizer, Day and Night
Yes, you can use La Roche-Posay Double Repair Moisturizer at night, since the brand says to apply it morning and evening after cleansing. It is built on ceramide-3, niacinamide, glycerin and La Roche-Posay's prebiotic thermal water.
Salicylic Acid Shampoo, From 1838 Willow Bark to Your Scalp
Salicylic acid shampoo uses the same exfoliating acid as acne skincare to loosen flakes and buildup on the scalp. Here are eight salicylic acid shampoos, from medicated to clarifying, plus eight scalp scrubs, serums and pre-wash treatments.
Peachy Blush: Cream, Powder and Liquid Peach Formulas
Peachy blush is the softest way to add warmth, and it comes in a cream, a powder or a liquid. I pick my favorite peach blush in each formula and share how to wear it.
Best Cream and Powder Blush Duos: Trios and Face Palettes
Cream and powder blush duos put both formulas in one compact, like the Sephora Collection Blush Blush Blush palette. I also pick trios and face palettes, from pink to plum, for every cheek.
Scalp Serums for Hair Density: The Best Hair Growth Serums
Scalp serums for hair density are cosmetic treatments that promise thicker, fuller-looking hair and less shedding, not a drug that regrows it. I start with the 1988 minoxidil story, then sort sixteen serums for thinning hair and fuller-looking hair.
KIKO Milano 3D Hydra Lipgloss: Shades and Lip Oils I Would Pick
KIKO Milano 3D Hydra Lipgloss is a moisturizing gloss enriched with passion fruit oil, here in shades like 45 Enchanting Rosewood. I also pick the 3D Hydra Lip Oils and a few glosses from other brands to compare.
Maybelline Transparent Mascara: A Clear Great Lash Guide
A clear mascara shapes lashes and brows without any color, and a serum underneath does the slow work. Here are sixteen, from classic clear tubes and glossy lash gels to serums and primers.
Eye Liner, From Lead-Laced Egyptian Kohl to the Felt Tip
The right eye liner depends on the line you want, from a smudgy kohl to a sharp wing. Here are sixteen, from creamy pencils and kajals to felt tips, liquids and a gel pot.
Lash Tint at Home, and Why the Real Thing Stays at the Salon
Eyelash tint at home is not the real thing: in the US, a lash tint that darkens lashes for weeks is a salon service. I go through brown and soft-black mascaras that read like a tint, plus a curler.
Powder Puff Picks, and the Coty Box Covered in Them
A powder puff presses powder into skin instead of dusting it on top, which is why it lasts longer and looks smoother. Here are sixteen, from velour puffs and sponges to the loose powders worth pressing in.
Hot Girl Summer Makeup, From a Megan Thee Stallion Line to a Heat-Proof Kit
Hot girl summer started as a Megan Thee Stallion line and became a mood about confidence and fun. Here are sixteen picks for it, from stick bronzer and lip oils to SPF body oils and a summer scent.
Hair Toner at Home, and the Color Wheel Trick Behind Purple Shampoo
A hair toner cancels brass with the opposite color, purple for yellow and blue for orange. Here are sixteen, from toning drops and glosses to purple and blue shampoos for wash day.
Root Touch Up for Covering Grays: Powders, Sprays and Kits
A root touch up either hides regrowth until your next shampoo or colors it for weeks, which decides how you go about covering grays. I picked sixteen, from gray-covering powders and waterproof sprays to at-home root color kits.
The Best Skincare Products, Built on a 1967 Vogue Routine
The best skincare products fit into a simple routine: cleanse, treat, moisturize and protect. Here are sixteen, from gentle cleansers and a niacinamide serum to moisturizers for every skin type and a daily SPF.
Mario Badescu: A Two-Room Manhattan Facial Studio and the Pink Bottle It Left Us
Mario Badescu facial sprays come with aloe and rosewater, cucumber and green tea, or chamomile and lavender. I walk through the sprays, the Drying Lotion and the 1967 Manhattan studio that started the brand.
First Step Cleanser: Cleansing Oil First, Foam Second
A good first step cleanser is a cleansing oil, which melts sunscreen and makeup in about a minute before a gentle foam finishes the job. I sort the oils I would start with, the foaming washes for step two and the cotton, cloths and wipes.
St. Tropez Self Tanner: The 1995 Car Boot Start and the Mousse
St. Tropez self tanner has been around since the mid 1990s, and the mousse is still the reason most of us know the name. Here are the St. Tropez mousses, mists and serums, the face drops from other brands, and the mitts and exfoliators that make a tan last.
Frenshe: Ashley Tisdale's Brand and Cashmere Vanilla
Being Frenshe came out of Ashley Tisdale's wellness platform and reached shelves in July 2022. This edit walks through the Frenshe body washes, lotions and oil in vanilla and lavender, the hair and body mists, and vanilla body care from other brands.
Kylie Skin Tint, From a Sold-Out Lip Kit to a 24-Shade Blurring Elixir
The Kylie skin tint is the newest chapter for a brand that began with a single lip kit in 2015, and it comes in 24 shades. This edit covers the tint with its concealer, setting spray and blushes, the lip products the brand is really known for, and other skin tints to compare.