Beauty
Beauty
Glossy Lips Without the Stickiness
Glossy lips no longer have to mean hair stuck to your mouth, because the new glosses, oils and balms are cushiony, hydrating and comfortable. These are the glosses I would wear out, the lip oils for every day, and the glossy balms and treatments for night.
numbuzin, Explained by Number: No.3, No.5, No.9 and Beyond
numbuzin is the Korean skincare brand that turns skin concerns into numbers, and I have sorted the line so the numbers make sense. Here are the No.3 and No.5 toners and serums, the rest of the lineup from No.1 to No.9, and Korean favorites from other brands.
Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue, Still the Smell of a Sicilian Summer
Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue launched in 2001 and never really left the shelf, which says something about how well lemon, apple and cedar age. Here are the Light Blue bottles, the other Dolce&Gabbana scents that live beside them, and a few easy summer fragrances from elsewhere.
DKNY Be Delicious and the Apple and Pear Perfumes Like It
DKNY Be Delicious turned a green apple into the most recognizable perfume bottle of the 2000s, and the family keeps growing. Here are the Be Delicious bottles I would tell apart, plus apple, pear and citrus perfumes for anyone who loves that crisp, juicy idea.
Paris Hilton Perfume, Bottle by Bottle: From Can Can to the Rush Family
Paris Hilton perfume started in 2004 and has grown into a shelf of more than thirty bottles, so it helps to have a map. Here are the classics, the Rush family, and four sweet, fruity perfumes from other houses that sit well beside them.
YSL Eau de Parfum, from Libre to Black Opium
A guide to the YSL eau de parfum lineup, from the many Libre versions and Mon Paris to Black Opium and the Le Vestiaire des Parfums collection. Find the one that smells like you.
Reading the Bleu de Chanel Parfum Bottle, and What Else Belongs Next to It
Bleu de Chanel Parfum is the richest version of a men's fragrance that has been on bathroom shelves since 2010. Here is how the Chanel bottles differ, three more from the house for him, and woody citrus colognes from other houses that sit in the same family.
Korean Makeup Picks, and the Cushion Compact a Parking Stamp Inspired
Korean makeup starts with sheer, dewy skin and soft washes of color. Here are sixteen picks, from SPF cushions and a BB cream to lip tints, a wing liner stamp and a heart-shaped blush.
Hair Styling Powder, and the Time Britain Taxed It
Hair styling powder is the quiet fix for flat roots, and people have been powdering their hair for centuries. These are the volumizing powders and dry shampoo powders that do it without a wig.
The Best Shampoo Is the One That Does Less
Shampoo has been sold as a treatment for years when it is fundamentally a cleanser. The best shampoo removes oil and product without stripping the scalp, then gets out of the way. These are the ones that respect that job description.
A Flat Iron Has a Longer Past Than Your Morning Routine
The modern flat iron traces back to a 1909 patent, and the good ones still come down to plate quality and a little restraint. Here are the straighteners I would look at, the heat protectants that go on first, and the smoothing serums that finish the job.
Keratin Shampoo for Smooth, Frizz-Free Hair
Keratin shampoo is a daily care step, nothing like a salon smoothing service. These are the shampoos, masks and smoothing serums I would reach for when frizz and damage are the problem, and how to use them together.
Huda Beauty Blush Filter and Other Soft-Glow Blushes
A huda beauty blush is the brand's answer to a soft-focus, airbrushed cheek, and Blush Filter is the one that started it. Here are the liquid shades, the blushlighter palettes and the glowy liquids I would put beside them.
Nail Care Basics: Files, Oils and Hand Creams I Keep Within Reach
Good nail care is a small, boring routine that pays off, and it starts with the right file, a gentle cuticle tool and an oil you actually use. These are the tools, treatments and hand creams I would set out on the bathroom shelf, ending on the cream that finishes it all.
CHI Heat Protectant, and the Pizza Oven Idea Behind the Iron
CHI heat protectant comes from Farouk Systems, the Houston company that says it made the first ceramic hairstyling iron. Here are eight CHI sprays and stylers for heat days and eight other heat protectants I would compare them with.
Oud Perfume Has Lost Its Intimidation Factor
Oud perfume used to arrive with a warning label, smoky and animalic and very much an acquired taste. Western perfumers have spent two decades sanding it down with rose, vanilla and even fruit, and the result is a note that now reads rich rather than challenging. This edit moves from the bottles that made oud a Western luxury code to the ones that make it easy to wear.
Avène Cicalfate, Spring Water From Southern France and a Very Calm Shelf
Avène cicalfate is the restorative cream made for sensitive skin, and it comes from a thermal spring in southern France. Here are the Avène Cicalfate+ and Tolerance Control picks, the hydrating serums and cleanser from the same brand, and barrier creams from other labels.
Vanilla Bourbon Perfume for Cold Nights and Low Lighting
Vanilla bourbon perfume is two ideas at once: bourbon vanilla, the rich beans from Madagascar and Réunion, and the boozy warmth of whiskey, rum and cognac notes. These are the boozy vanillas I would wear on a cold night, the ones with tobacco and wood, and the softer vanillas for daytime.
Hourglass Blush and the Soft Glow Blushes Beside It
Every hourglass blush starts from founder Carisa Janes's idea that light should do part of the work. Here are the Ambient Lighting Blushes and Unreal liquids, plus the glowy powders and natural liquids I would wear next to them.
The Brown Smoky Eye, Done Softly
A brown smoky eye is the softer, easier version of the classic, and it suits almost everyone. Here are the brown palettes, liners and mascaras I would use to smudge one together in five minutes.
Nails with a Touch of Luxury
French nails from your favorite luxury French (mostly) brands.
Color Wow, the Bottles Behind the Hype
Color Wow beyond one spray, from Dream Coat and Money Masque to Root Coverup and Xtra Large Bombshell
Carolina Herrera's New Nude Couture Face Lineup and Eyeconica Palette, Explained
Carolina Herrera is adding two decisions to a beauty routine at once, a full complexion lineup and a new eyeshadow palette. The two do not have to be bought together, and treating them as one purchase is where launches like this usually go wrong. This edit separates the face pieces from the eye pieces so you can pick an entry point instead of the whole lineup.
A Facial Cleanser Should Leave Your Face Alone
The best facial cleanser is the one your skin barely notices. Here are sixteen gentle gels, creams and oils, sorted by what your skin actually needs at the sink.