Beauty

The Ordinary Vitamin C Forms: Pure Acid, Derivatives and an Oil

The Ordinary uses forms of vitamin C that range from pure L-ascorbic acid in the 23 percent suspension and powder to gentler derivatives and an oil. I explain which suits which skin, then the sunscreens that go on top every morning.

The Best Face Masks for Acne Are Not All Clay

The best face masks for acne are not all clay, because breakouts need different help on different nights. Here are the clarifying and exfoliating masks for congestion, the soothing masks for red, irritated skin, and the pimple patches for single spots.

Cold Bronzer: Cream Bronzers, Sticks and Liquids for Winter Skin

A cold bronzer is a cream, stick or liquid formula that brings warmth back to skin that looks gray by November. I sort the cream, stick and liquid bronzers I would use this season and how to wear them in the cold months.

Lanolin Lip Balm and Why Very Dry Lips Like It

Lanolin is good for lips that crack as soon as the weather turns, which is why a lanolin lip balm is the old-fashioned fix.

The Kylie Jenner Lip Kit: Matte Shades, Other Kits, and Liner Pairs to Try

Kylie Jenner lip kit shades start with the Matte Lip Kit in bare, one wish, dolce k and candy k. I also go through velvet and glossy kits, loose liners and how I would pick one.

Low Porosity Hair: Why Water Beads Up and What Actually Gets In

Water beading on your hair is a classic sign of low porosity hair, and the fix is lighter products, not more of them. I sorted clarifying shampoos, water-based leave-ins and light oils for it.

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.