All Editorials

Chanel Water-Fresh Tint Shades: Les Beiges and Sheer Tints

Chanel Water-Fresh Tint Shades: Les Beiges and Sheer Tints

Chanel Water-Fresh Tint shades are sheer on purpose: a Les Beiges gel tint with pigment micro-droplets for a bare-skin effect. I cover applying it with the brush, layering it, and other sheer skin tints to compare.

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e.l.f. Soft Glam vs Halo Glow: Foundation Guide And Camo

e.l.f. Soft Glam vs Halo Glow: Foundation Guide And Camo

Between e.l.f. Soft Glam and Halo Glow, Soft Glam Satin Foundation is the one with coverage: e.l.f. lists it as medium buildable coverage with a satin finish in 36 shades, while Halo Glow Liquid Filter is light buildable coverage with a luminous finish in 15 shades. Camo CC Cream sits above both, with full coverage, a semi-matte finish and SPF 30.

e.l.f. Concealer: Camo Shades, Formulas and Which to Pick

e.l.f. Concealer: Camo Shades, Formulas and Which to Pick

The e.l.f. Camo Concealer comes in two formulas, one for dry under-eyes and one for oily skin, across 25 or more shades. Here is how to choose between them, what e.l.f. makes to go with them, and the full coverage and longwear concealers from other brands. Pick your undertone first.

The Best Hair Conditioner Now Does More Than Add Slip

The Best Hair Conditioner Now Does More Than Add Slip

The best hair conditioner now does more than add slip, because bond-building chemistry and acid-based formulas have changed the rinse-out step. I compare moisture, bond repair, fine-hair and volume formulas from Redken, Pureology, Malin + Goetz and Verb.

Hydroquinone Serum Alternatives: 16 Dark Spot Removers

Hydroquinone Serum Alternatives: 16 Dark Spot Removers

A hydroquinone serum can no longer be legally marketed over the counter in the US after September 23, 2020, following the CARES Act. I go through sixteen dark spot serums, toners, patches, peels and SPF that use vitamin C, tranexamic acid and arbutin instead.

Azelaic Acid 10% and the Gentle Routine Around It

Azelaic Acid 10% and the Gentle Routine Around It

Azelaic acid 10% is the gentle active for the look of redness, bumps and dark marks, and it usually plays nicely with sensitive skin. These are the serums, creams and toners I would try, the soft cleansers that won't fight them, and the moisturizers that keep your barrier calm.

What to Pair With Azelaic Acid: The Ordinary 10% and Its Companions

What to Pair With Azelaic Acid: The Ordinary 10% and Its Companions

What to pair with azelaic acid: a plain moisturizer and a daily sunscreen, added one companion at a time to The Ordinary 10% suspension. I start with the suspension alone for two weeks, then go through the companions, other brands and calming serums.

CeraVe Moisturizer for Oily Skin: The Oil Control Gel-Cream

CeraVe Moisturizer for Oily Skin: The Oil Control Gel-Cream

The CeraVe moisturizer for oily skin I would start with is the Oil Control Gel-Cream, which is oil-free and lists niacinamide second after water. I walk through the rest of the CeraVe shelf and a few lightweight gel creams from other brands.

La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum: What to Layer With It

La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum: What to Layer With It

Yes, you can use La Roche-Posay Mela B3 every day: the brand says 3-4 drops of the Melasyl and 10% niacinamide serum, morning and evening. Here is how I would build the routine around it, which other dark spot serums sit well beside it, and the daily sunscreens that keep spots from coming back.

How to Use La Roche-Posay Effaclar: One Step at a Time

How to Use La Roche-Posay Effaclar: One Step at a Time

How to use La Roche-Posay Effaclar: start with the foaming gel cleanser and a sunscreen, then add one treatment only when skin asks. I go through what each Effaclar step does and what to pair it with, from cleansers to mineral sunscreens.

Tree Hut Body Scrub: Scents and Where to Buy

Tree Hut Body Scrub: Scents and Where to Buy

The Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub is a body scrub, not a body wash: Tree Hut's directions say to buff it on damp or dry skin, then rinse well. Here is how I would pick a scent, build an everything shower around it, and what to try when you want something stronger, plus the rest of the Tree Hut shelf.

AYR The Label: Who It Is and What to Buy

AYR The Label: Who It Is and What to Buy

AYR traces a New York women's label from a Bonobos-born denim idea to year-round jeans, cashmere, shirts, coats and easy separates. I’m looking at the design logic behind clothes meant to work across a calendar, and how I would build the outfits around them.

Is Essence a German Brand? Owner and Origin Explained

Is Essence a German Brand? Owner and Origin Explained

Yes, essence is a German brand: it belongs to cosnova, a company based in Sulzbach, Germany, founded in 2001. This edit covers the lineup I would start with, drugstore matches from other brands, and the brushes to go with it.

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The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA: How to Layer

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA: How to Layer

The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA is a moisturizer that copies what skin already makes for itself. Here is the family around it, the gel creams and hyaluronic serums that sit beside it, and how to choose a texture, starting with the daily cream.

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Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum: How to Use

Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum: How to Use

The Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum came out of a beauty shop, not a lab with a famous name, and that explains a lot about it. Here is the story of the brand, the serum and eight other formulas for uneven tone that ask for patience.

Thayers Milky Toner vs Witch Hazel Toner: Which to Use

Thayers Milky Toner vs Witch Hazel Toner: Which to Use

Thayers Milky Toner does not list witch hazel: it is a creamy, alcohol-free toner built on snow mushroom, hyaluronic acid and elderflower water. This edit sets it beside the original witch hazel and aloe toner, then covers the Milky line, other Thayers toners and milky toners from other brands.

Pureology Shampoo: Which One for Your Hair Type

Pureology Shampoo: Which One for Your Hair Type

A guide to Pureology shampoo by hair type, from the rich Hydrate formula for thick, dry lengths to the lighter Sheer and Pure Volume washes for fine hair. The matching conditioners are here too, so you can build the pair instead of guessing.

Gifts for Mom Who Has Everything: Anna Jarvis and the 500 Carnations

Gifts for Mom Who Has Everything: Anna Jarvis and the 500 Carnations

For gifts for mom who has everything, I would choose presents that answer something she loves already, from an evening ritual to a new family photo. I brought together small scent sets, useful body-care pieces, keepsakes, kitchen objects, and soft layers for home.

OGX Shampoo: Why It Was Called Organix

OGX Shampoo: Why It Was Called Organix

OGX shampoo comes in a bottle for almost every hair type, from coconut milk for dry hair to rosemary mint for oily roots. Here are eight shampoos, plus the conditioners, mask, oils and serum that go with them.

Holiday Beauty Gift Sets: The Paper Picture Behind the Countdown

Holiday Beauty Gift Sets: The Paper Picture Behind the Countdown

This edit of holiday beauty gift sets moves from skincare and fragrance to makeup, hair, and body care, with a different kind of ritual in each box. I would choose by what the recipient already uses, then leave room for one small surprise.

Juvia's Place Blush: Best Deep Shades

Juvia's Place Blush: Best Deep Shades

Juvia's place blush comes from a founder who wanted makeup that finally looked right on deep skin. Here are the powder, cream and liquid shades I would start with, plus the berry and terracotta blushes that sit well beside them.

Lancôme Absolue Rose Cream: Soft Cream vs Longevity

Lancôme Absolue Rose Cream: Soft Cream vs Longevity

Lancôme Absolue Soft Cream is now sold as Absolue Longevity Soft Cream, a refillable rose cream with a new active on the label. Here is what changed, how the rest of the Absolue and Lancôme shelf fits around it, and which rose oils and waters to pair with it.

Lash Clusters: Self-Stick vs Bonded Kits

Lash Clusters: Self-Stick vs Bonded Kits

Lash clusters are small fans of a few fibers you place one at a time, which is a completely different commitment than a strip lash or a salon visit. Some brands sell them pre-glued for a single day, others sell a bonding system built to last closer to a week. I broke down the differences here, from Velour Lashes to Lashify.

Everyday Makeup Look: Skin Tint, Concealer, Blush and Mascara

Everyday Makeup Look: Skin Tint, Concealer, Blush and Mascara

An everyday makeup look built on skin tints, concealers, cream blush, mascara and tinted lip balms that look like skin, only fresher. Picture four ordinary days, from the bathroom mirror to the front door, and the products that get each one done in minutes.

SEEN Shampoo: The Dermatologist Formula for Hairline Breakouts

SEEN Shampoo: The Dermatologist Formula for Hairline Breakouts

SEEN shampoo was created by a Harvard-trained dermatologist who traced her own breakouts to her hair care. Here are eight SEEN formulas, plus eight gentle, fragrance-free and sensitive-skin shampoos to compare.

Rael Pads: Organic Cotton Review and Which to Pick

Rael Pads: Organic Cotton Review and Which to Pick

Rael pads are made with an organic cotton cover, and the details behind that phrase are worth knowing before you switch. Here is the brand's story, the rest of the line, and the pads, washes and comfort pieces I would put beside it.

Burberry Her and Goddess: Differences and Alternatives

Burberry Her and Goddess: Differences and Alternatives

Burberry perfume has meant two very different things depending on the decade, from the citrus and almond of Brit to the berry rush of Her. This edit covers every version of Her and Goddess, the earlier scents that came before them, and the berry and cherry perfumes from other houses that scratch a similar itch. There is a size, a strength and a flanker here for nearly any mood.

Éterne Jeans: Chloé, Dallas and Chevy Fits Compared

Éterne Jeans: Chloé, Dallas and Chevy Fits Compared

Éterne jeans from the Los Angeles label founded by stylist Chloé Bartoli, plus straight, bootcut, flare and boyfriend jeans from other denim brands. Here is how I would pick a pair.