Of all the beauty trends TikTok is obsessed with, K-beauty might be the least surprising. The #Kbeauty tag, where users pass tips and product recommendations back and forth, has a whopping 985 million accumulated views and counting. On that note, I’ve seen tons of tutorials going around for “gradient lips,” a K-beauty-inspired lipstick look with…

The history of the human tooth is, well, long in the tooth. The history of the human tooth-decay epidemic is much shorter, and about as old as the Industrial Revolution and commodified sugar. (Incidentally, the period of human history widely considered by environmental scientists to have kicked off the climate crisis also appears to have…

Thanks to the tanning mousse’s whipped texture, application should be a breeze for self-tanning newbies and veterans alike. “The mousse-y texture actually helps you have more control,” Graham explains. “That means that you can really manipulate where you want it and how dark you want it.” Spray tanner Anna Stankiewicz of Louise O’Connor Salon in…

As a beauty editor, my phone is always buzzing with friends and family asking for skin-care recommendations. There are a lot of brands out there, so you can imagine how hard of a task it is to pick favorites. I never want to recommend something too pricey, but I also want it to make sure…

“Scared Straight,” by Mary A. Fischer, October 2007As women flocked to salons to try a new hair-straightening treatment from Brazil, Allure took a critical look at the chemicals being used — and sent them to an independent lab for testing. The results: They contained dangerous levels of formaldehyde. “A Place of Refuge,” by Edwidge Danticat,…

No one started this as a marketing campaign. They did it because they wanted to help those who truly needed it. The giving model to HIV and AIDS organizations was unprecedented: We leveraged lipstick to help charitable efforts on a massive scale. Lipstick is great for fundraising — you use your mouth to spread a…

Founder Priyanka Ganjoo (left) and five Kulfi Kajal Eyeliners in shades Nazar No More, Tiger Queen, Purply Pataka, Cheeky Chiku, and Tiger Queen lined up (right) Courtesy of brand Of course, a brand’s story isn’t complete without the actual products. Meet Kulfi’s first product launch of many: five Underlined Kajal Eyeliners carefully curated to enrich…

Eggleston Bracey: “She was oppressed, honey. She was down.” Cruel: “My hair has been oppressed many a time. What are your memories around hair from growing up?” Carroll Foy: “I remember my grandmother sitting me in the kitchen chair. I had to be all of, like, five or six when I had my first perm….

How you feel about their influence might be how you feel about class and race in America. Brunel University London held its own intellectual Kimposium to assess the famous family’s impact on pop culture across the world. Lauren Michele Jackson, author of White Negroes, describes Kim as representative of American race discourse. If Kim is…

There was a time, not so long ago, when it seemed every celebrity was getting a limited-edition collection with a beauty brand. But now, it seems more celebrities than not are forgoing the collaboration route and going full speed ahead, launching their own beauty brands. Movie stars, TV stars, musicians, influencers — every imaginable variety…