Beauty

The Best Exfoliator for Your Skin, and the Scrub That Went to Court

The best exfoliator is the gentlest one that gets the job done, matched to your skin: BHA for oily, AHA for dry or dull, PHA for sensitive. I go through sixteen, from BHA toners and peel pads to rice powders and enzyme polishes, plus the scrub that won in court.

I'm From Rice Toner and the Brand That Answers Where Its Plants Grow

I'm From rice toner is a milky, two-layer toner built around Korean rice, and the brand behind it names the place each plant comes from. Here is the rice line, the mugwort and honey products, and a few other milky toners to compare.

Color Wow Hair Products: The Gray-Root Powder That Led to Dream Coat

Color Wow hair products, from Dream Coat sprays and volumizers to every Root Cover Up shade, plus the shampoos and stylers around them. I started with the founder's own story and picked the bottles I would put on a shelf first.

Makeup by Mario: The Shoebox Kit That Became a Brand

Makeup by Mario's shoebox-kit origins show in SurrealSkin complexion, lip pencils, Master Mattes and SoftSculpt contour. I packed it like a small fall kit, brushes included.

Five Minutes to Flawless: The Luxury Skincare Essentials Edit

A streamlined five-minute luxury skincare routine: morning cleanser, serum, moisturizer and SPF, plus a three-step evening routine, from La Mer, Augustinus Bader, Dr. Barbara Sturm, Tatcha, Dior and more.

Where to Put Liquid Blush, Plus Sticks and Powders for a Lift

Where to put liquid blush: dot it high on the cheekbone and blend, so the color sits high and lifted. I also cover sticks to tap along the cheekbone and powders with a brush.

Hair Perfume Is Fine Fragrance Rebuilt to Survive Your Hair

Hair perfume exists because fragrance sits in hair far longer than it does on skin, so a light mist there can outlast the same spray on a wrist by hours. For years the only option was dabbing on actual perfume and hoping it survived a blowout, and now brands build formulas specifically for the strand instead

Buxom Lip Plumper and the Plumping Glosses That Actually Tingle

A Buxom lip plumper is the tingly gloss that made plumping a daily habit instead of a party trick. Here it sits with the plumping glosses, oils, balms and liners I would try next, from a gentle warmth to a real kick.

Someone Else's Closet: A Personal Edit of Shoes, Bags and Trousers

The personal edit has replaced the trend report as the way people find clothes, because a real wardrobe has logic that a trend list never does. What makes one work is inconsistency: the odd combinations nobody would put in a lookbook. This edit is built to be read as a closet rather than as a category page.

MAC Frost Lipstick and the Shimmer Lip Shades Around It

The MAC Frost Lipstick is the pearly, frosted lip that 1990s makeup bags were built around. Here are the Frost shades I would start with, MAC lip color with a softer shine, and metallic lip products from other brands.

Makeup and SPF: What Actually Works

For makeup and SPF, what changes the result is formulation and how you apply it, not price. I look at setting powder, concealer and a lash lifting mascara from Ogee, Chantecaille and Prada.

Verb Ghost Oil and the Barbershop Idea Behind a Weightless Shine

Verb ghost oil is the weightless, moringa-based oil and the best-selling oil from a barbershop-born brand. Here is the Ghost line built around it, a set of light oils from other brands for fine hair, and the rest of Verb for curls, texture and refresh days.

The Best Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin

Newsflash the best have a short ingredient list

Summer 2026 Nail Trends: Glassy, Low Effort Finishes and Sheer Color

Summer nail trends this year lean toward glassy, low effort finishes rather than heavy embellishment and sheer washes of color

Berry Lip Liner: MAC Plum and How to Wear a Berry Lip

A berry lip liner like MAC Plum, a reddened plum pencil, makes almost any berry lip look finished. I pair it with berry liners, lipsticks and glosses I would actually wear.

Ulike Swift 5 vs Air 10: IPL Devices and Aftercare Gels

Ulike Swift 5 vs Air 10 is a common question, and both sit in the Ulike IPL range I cover here with the Air 4. I also cover other at-home hair-removal tools, cooling gels for after, and a simple schedule.

Aromatherapy in the Shower: Eight Shower Steamers to Try

Aromatherapy in the shower comes from shower steamers, fizzy tablets of baking soda, citric acid and essential oils that release scented steam. I rounded up eight to start with.

Soothing Scalp Serums: Sixteen for the Skin Under Your Hair

Soothing scalp serums treat the skin under your hair the way a face serum treats your cheeks, with hydrators, botanicals and gentle exfoliants. I picked sixteen, from daily serums to overnight formulas.

Crown Affair Pillowcase and Other Silk Picks for Sleep

The Crown Affair pillowcase is a silk one, set here beside Slip's silk versions that brands say protect hair and skin from friction. I paired them with overnight hair treatments and face and lip masks for the pillow.

Korean Skincare, One Step at a Time

A Korean skincare routine can be as simple as cleanse, tone, essence, then serum, cream and sunscreen. I laid out picks from Sulwhasoo, Beauty of Joseon, LANEIGE and innisfree one step at a time.

Textured Hair Care, From Madam C.J. Walker to the CROWN Act

Textured hair care comes down to a curl styler and a leave-in that suit your pattern, from loose waves to tight coils. I go through eight curl stylers and eight leave-ins, then a short routine that fits your pattern.

What Do Peonies Smell Like: Peony Perfume Is a Beautiful Fiction

What do peonies smell like in a bottle: a perfumer's recreation, since the flower yields no usable essential oil. I sort the fruity, skin-close and heavier peony perfumes so you can find the version you like.

J'adore Dior, the Amphora Bottle and the Gold Bath

The Dior J'adore amphora bottle dates to the 1999 launch of J'adore, the floral that still defines the house. I go through the J'adore perfumes, hair mist and body care, and the gold bath idea behind the bottle.

Benefit Brow Bar at Home: Pencils, Gels, Tweezers and Brushes

Benefit brow brushes sit alongside pencils, gels, wax, tweezers and razors in this at-home Benefit Brow Bar routine. I sort the Benefit pencils, gels and tools by the job each one does for a clean brow.