Posts Tagged: Beauty

Makeup & Beauty

How To Contour Your Cheeks

Look, I am not a Kim (or even a Kourtney). I like makeup, but I don't want to spend forever and twenty minutes doing it. And while I'm not a total disaster when it comes to doing my makeup, contouring always seemed like something best left to people far more talented than I. Like, presumably, Kim. And Kourtney.

As it turns out? It's really easy. And fast. And non-intimidating. (Promise.)

(Click here to check out more of my Allure Insiders segments.)

Makeup & Beauty

DIY Pumpkin Pedicure

Happy Halloween! Here's a suggestion for what to do with that extra pumpkin you picked up at the patch (or that canned pumpkin puree sitting in your cupboard).

P.S. Skip ahead to the end for some of my favorite bloopers ever, starring Kendrick's acting skills.

Makeup & Beauty

This Old Thing

I write a lot about the stuff I wore in high school. I wore everything from chartreuse prom dresses from the ‘50s, not-quite-right overalls, Salvation Army pajamas, and for-real witch's robes, and it was all very confusing-looking…but the fact that it was confusing-looking makes sense; I was confused. About who I was and what I wanted, and a lot of that came out through what I wore.

I probably wouldn’t throw on a neon ball gown “just because” these days (although you never know), but I always think it’s interesting when I notice that despite just how different everything in my life is now, so many of the things I loved two decades ago are still hanging around.

Whoa.

Makeup & Beauty

Mini-Preview / John Sahag Workshop Flat-Iron Curls

Above, a preview of a post going up later this week featuring three different looks, a brand-new RG sponsor that I'm so excited to introduce you to, and a bit of wardrobe rediscovery on my part. For the post, I also decided to get in a little fancy holiday-hair practice by styling my hair in flat-iron curls, using tips I picked up at John Sahag Workshop last January.

In case you missed the instructional video the first time around, here it is:

Makeup & Beauty

Little Luxuries: Eve Lom Cleanser

I'm big on relaxing nighttime routines: I give myself a good hour between turning off the TV or putting down my book and getting into bed, and use it to putter around the house and straighten up, do stretches, apply moisturizer head-to-toe, brush my hair, and play around with various face potions.

I wasn't always this diligent about my beauty routine - the truth is that I used to forget to remove my makeup more often than not, and rarely achieved more than a cursory swipe with soap before falling into bed (Francesca, who lived with me in LA, can attest to this: she was frequently horror-struck by the sight of my smudgy, be-kohl-ed eyes at 8AM) - but as I get older, I feel more and more like those minutes I spend attending to my skin at night are important ones, both physically and mentally.

What I like about the Eve Lom cleanser is that it's a process, and so it forces you to take a few minutes to yourself to chill out and get into a sleepy state of mind. It certainly generates its fair share of buzz (Vogue named it the #1 cleanser in the world), and with a multi-step application that approaches the level of ritual, it has all the hallmarks of a cult product. You start with a lymphatic drainage massage, then apply the cleanser (which is more like a paste), and then do kinda weird stuff like place muslin cloths over your face and inhale and exhale three times before wiping it off.

But in theory, since the product is cleanser, toner, makeup remover, exfoliator, and moisturizer all in one, you're...saving time? Kind of? I don't know about that, and the ritual is a little ridiculous, sure, but you know what? Ridiculousness in politics is maddening; ridiculousness in skincare products is therapeutic and fun. And it's never a bad idea to take a minute at the end of the day to pay attention to your breathing and care for yourself. So.


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