Once upon a time, Allure ran advice columns by our favorite beauty pros. In celebration of our 30th anniversary, we’re bringing back the tradition — but this time the expert is: us (we’ve learned a lot over the years). Send your burning (or itching, or otherwise inflamed) questions to beautyexpert@allure.com, and we might answer them in…

In this country, everything white folks (myself included) do is dripping with privilege — even walking into a store and buying a new lipstick or eye shadow. We don’t often feel targeted by retail workers, we can see people who look like us in the surrounding advertisements, and we’re altogether sure that we can come…

Hair is never just hair. It’s a direct reflection of you; it gives people a glimpse of who you are before you even open your mouth to speak. That’s why coming back from a haircut that’s too short or just not what you expected is so damn hard. Take it from Lana Condor. Back in…

With so much extra time spent at home over the last year, many people found an opportunity to engage in self-care practices much more frequently. Maya Rudolph is not one of those people. “If I’m lucky, there is self-care,” Rudolph tells Allure, echoing the many other people that self-care has evaded over the ongoing course…

The foundation is also spiked with soothing and hydrating ingredients usually found in serums: glycerin, aloe vera juice, and sodium hyaluronate, which is a form of hyaluronic acid found naturally in your skin and helps plump lines, according to cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos.  For application, I turn to my trusted highlighter brush technique. I start…

Though the idea of having a tattoo needle digging into the fragile skin of your ear may sound scary and painful, ear tattoos can be beautiful and delicate. (Bonus: They’re easily hidden, in case tattoos are a no-go in your home or workplace.) The possibilities aren’t completely limitless, but despite its tiny size, the ear does offer…

As far as beauty goes, 2021 is already shaping up to be a great year for sustainability and ingredient awareness — and Essie is leading the pack. As of the end of 2020, the brand is only producing nail polish formulas that are vegan and eight-free.  A brand representative tells Allure that the eight ingredients…

At the end of November 2020, Demi Lovato surprised fans with a drastic haircut: Her long, black hair was replaced by a chic, blonde bowl cut. While she’s no stranger to short hair, this was a great way to close out the year, but that was only step one of her hair transformation journey, it…

The new launch was also formulated without any ingredients from Beautycounter’s 1,800-entry long “never list,” which includes synthetic fragrance. Instead, the deo relies on essential oils, such as geranium and pink peppercorn, as well as aromatic natural materials, like raspberry ketone and vanillin, to give underarms a pleasant scent.  Instead of hiding fragrance under a “natural…

“Everything and anything goes,” they say. “It’s just like my approach to fashion. One thing isn’t meant to be for a top. This fabric can be for boots, it can be for a hat. This eyeshadow is not for your eyes. This eyeshadow is for your collarbones; this eyeshadow is put up into your hairline…