Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2021 i Allure

In the middle of a busy year that included more culture shaking world events than I’d seen in my lifetime, I also had a baby and moved to a new town. Getting settled during a pandemic has been a challenge. The grind of working and home-schooling and baby-raising and cleaning and cooking (all the cooking!) has felt relentless at times. Ultimately, I’m so grateful that home has been a refuge for us. We’re safe. We’re healthy. I miss seeing my friends and family in real life, but I see the light on the other side. Most of us have spent more hours at home in the past year than any other, which is why we decided to focus this issue on the concept of beauty at home. Beauty starts here:…

FOR THE BEDROOM CANOPY HUMIDIFIER Your skin loses the most water at night, says dermatologist Mona Gohara. Sleeping with a humidifier is an effortless way to help skin stay dewy, and this cute design is compact enough to slide onto most nightstands. It can also scent your space: Place the ceramic disc on top and add a drop or two of an essential oil of your choosing. It’s best to use this feature during the day, though, says Gohara: “Short contact with essential oils is advisable.” Toss the parts (cap, tray, tank) in the dishwasher to clean them. FOR THE KITCHEN ETHIQUE MULTIPURPOSE KITCHEN SPRAY CONCENTRATE We’re familiar with bar soap—but a household cleaner in bar form? That’s a new one. Replacing your usual counter spray with this eco-friendly concentrate…

Virgin—i.e., never dyed—hair is almost always the shiniest hair. “Permanently colored hair undergoes a chemical change that forces the cuticle layer open to deposit the new color, causing the hair to become more porous and leaving the surface not as smooth,” says Erica Douglas, a cosmetic chemist and founder of sisterscientist.com. Fortunately for our fellow dye-hards, there is a new crop of at-home products that work like smoothing, shine-boosting glosses—but without the mixing, combing, 30-minute wait times, and hefty price tags ($15 and up for one application). L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss, Tresemmé Gloss collection, and Garnier Nutrisse Color Reviver go on just like conditioner with about the same consistency, so they’re easy to spread: In the shower, rake the product through clean, damp hair, rinse after 3 to 15…

Lately I’ve been tempted to splurge on a skin tool I can use at home. Am I really going to see results? And how will they differ from results I might get at a doctor’s office? Help! In an effort to give consumers even more dominion over their skin—and maybe in an effort to snag but a sliver of the skin-care device market’s estimated $13 billion in value—many beauty companies are wading into the chrome waters of the skin-tech industry. As of 2020, that industry was predicted to grow at more than twice the rate of the skin-care industry at large, meaning that if you have not yet considered buying yourself a microneedling device or LED mask, the opportunity will probably present itself soon. Before you seize it, there are…

Before there were how to videos, there were face charts. To celebrate our 30th anniversary, we’re inviting makeup artists to pay homage to the art form. “I love doing face charts. It’s very meditative. And it’s helpful to get ideas out of my head and onto paper. I haven’t traveled since last March, but I stay inspired by what I see while on walks outside, and by music and movies. It’s also an amazing time to visit a museum. It’s very quiet and empty. You have to make an appointment beforehand, so they can be assured everyone is safe. [For this look] I was inspired by the Museum of Modern Art—specifically, the way graphics were used in the Bauhaus era. But I wanted to make it a little more abstract,…

One never imagines witnessing the killing of a loved one on national television. The world knows my brother as George Floyd. Strangers carried his picture as a beacon for change and shouted his last words in protest. Others tried to demonize him. I know deep down who my brother really was. To me, he was just Floyd. He had a heart of gold, and like a true big brother, he was a protector, a friend, and someone who would be there till the end for our entire family. On Floyd’s last trip to my home in North Carolina, I left him with a specific list of assignments and chores that I wanted my kids to do by the time I got off work. When I got home, I saw that…

TALIA GUTIERREZ EDITORIAL ASSISTANT, ALLURE Beauty Mantra: “There’s no such thing as an eye look too bold, just do it.” Self-Care Mantra: “Hang the eucalyptus and light your candle, self-care is so important and comes in many forms.” Confession: “Double cleansing both morning and night, drastically helped with my skin’s texture and breakouts.” OUR HIGHEST-VALUE BOX TO DATE! OVER $279 VALUE* FOR ONLY $23 ALLURE.COM/BOX The March box features six items for all members: 111SKIN Vitamin C Brightening Booster (full-size), Eyeko Double Act Shadow Stick in Dusk/Dawn with sharpener (full-size), B.Glen Clay Wash Mild Facial Cleanser, and three more items based on member history, which may include: Pixi LipGlow in Ruby or Laritzy Lip Gloss in Vibe (both full-size); Mudmasky Serum-Infused Eye Mask, Nuria Triple Action Eye Cream, or Rodial Glamolash…

Gabrielle Union with daughter Kaavia Because she swims every day and the pool is chlorinated, we have to rinse [Kaavia’s] hair and put leave-in and oil on it every day. She usually has fun, but sometimes she makes a break for it. A lot of times, she’s entertaining, so we’re all kind of in there [the bathroom]. [Growing up] I remember there being fear and anxiety about being burned [by relaxer] or my braids being too tight. But luckily, moving into the natural hair world absolves a lot of that fear [for Kaavia]. It’s more relaxing. We’re trying not to make it such a thing for her to have to look a very specific way, for her to be “appropriate” or “acceptable.” We put some curl cream in and let…

The fanciest French fragrance players have officially breached the boundaries of our vanities. (Like the rest of us, they were probably just a little desperate for a change of scenery.) Diptyque’s wax vase may not have a wick but it will fill a room with fragrance—just add water and fresh blooms. Trudon’s handmade glass Abd El Kader Room Spray is a piece of art (that happens to mist an uplifting herbal scent), and the perfumed Buly 1803 Scented Decorative Pencils are slender, ceramic reimaginings of potpourri (you won’t succeed in writing with them and “do not bite or chew”). Set any or all of these charming curiosities on a rainbow stack of Nez Éditions x Laboratoire Monique Rémy The Naturals Notebooks (each one geeks out, in the best way, about…

Most makeup sponges spend a short time in your makeup bag…and a very long time in a landfill (upwards of 50 years!). While BioBlender by EcoTools should be tossed after a month or so (a friendly hygiene reminder, dear readers), it is unlike any other sponge we’ve seen. It’s made of a biodegradable foam that will decompose in a trash can (just like a banana peel) or compost bin (in 180 days). So there’s zero guilt when you are blending your foundation to perfection day after day.…

I grew up in the makeup chair, right? My mom recently found, in the garage, a picture of me in the hair and makeup trailer on my very first job. I’m eight years old, or something like that, and it was very glamorous. And then that transitioned into preteen and teen years when I had an extreme fascination with [makeup]. I’d ask tons of questions: “Why do you do it like that? How do you clean your brushes?” It was just this painterly, mystical, transformative tool. [The movie] 13 Going on 30, where I had my one line, was probably the first big transformation. It was [set in] the ‘80s—[so] period costumes, way more time in hair and makeup. And there was the added romance of being on a [film]…

A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY, A LITTLE BIT LONDON TOWNHOME. THE MOST EXACTING DESIGN EXPERTS WE KNOW—THE EDITORS AT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST—IDENTIFIED THE WORLD’S BEST BATHROOM TRENDS IN THEIR 2021 GREAT DESIGN AWARDS. INSPIRED BY SOME FAVORITE ROOMS, THEY GATHERED FIXTURES AND FINISHES FOR GETTING THE SAME VIBES AT HOME. AND ALL THE BEST DIFFUSERS AND PERFUMES TO DISPLAY IN YOUR NEW SPACE? THOSE WERE SELECTED BY YOURS TRULY.…

Out of sight, out of mind, they say. But over the past year, as we’ve been spending more and more (and more) time at home, everything seems to be in clear view. The decades-old batteries rolling around in the junk drawer, that stash of forgotten Christmas decorations in a secret storage closet, the never-worn clothes under the guest room bed. And even if you don’t feel moved to sort it, the pandemic may have made doing so a matter of necessity. “The lines have really been blurred between work and home,” says Carolyn Rodriguez, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. “How you get home and office into one space that had previously just been home is a Tetris puzzle, and decluttering is the avenue to…

Martha Stewart does not want this profile to mention her age. Not because she doesn’t want it to be known (after all, there’s this thing called Google), but because, she says, a man’s age is rarely discussed when they’re the subject of a story. “Why, after every woman’s name, is her age?” she asks. “It’s very sexist and very inappropriate.” I’m virtually face-to-face with Stewart on Zoom, and I agree vehemently. “I don’t know how old you are. I don’t know how old I am,” she continues. “Age means nothing to me.” “So if I see my age anywhere in this article, I will be very upset.” There’s half a beat before we move on to the next question, during which I’ve already begun the mental gymnastics of figuring out…

I have oily eyelids (a recipe for makeup smudges), so I normally use eye cream only at night. But I found that the Akar Restore Eye Serum was light enough to also use during the day. Even though it’s an oil—made with hydrating argan and jojoba—there is nothing greasy about it. I warmed one dropperful (enough for both eyes) between my fingers, so I could apply a thin layer, and gently pressed it below my eyes and along my brow bones. The amber scent was potent but dissipated as the product absorbed. After a minute there was no odor, just soft, moisturized skin—with no sign of creased shadow or streaked mascara later in the day. The April Allure Beauty Box includes the Akar Restore Eye Serum, along with five other…

To be alone in nature is a magnificent experience. Just the trees are enough to move me to tears—so old, so tall, like Abraham Lincoln. Please don’t get me started on the mountains or I will be forced to write the most gorgeous poem you have ever read. The idea that being outside makes humans feel good is boringly old, boringly uncontroversial, and boringly endorsed at length by Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. But the concept has recently had some clever rebranding. I’m Outside distills the serenity of shinrin yoku (literally and quite descriptively translated from Japanese as “forest bathing”) into a fourounce face and body mist, featuring a bouquet of woodsy essential oils, like spruce and pine. I mist myself midday: Bracing notes of mint prickle up…

She doesn’t have a bathroom. Nor does she have a closet. What makeup artist and beauty mogul Charlotte Tilbury has is something in-between: “I have a wardrobe of makeup looks and a wardrobe of fashion looks,” she says. The two live together in harmony in what she calls her “beauty boudoir.” You won’t be surprised to learn then that the cornerstones of Tilbury’s line, founded in 2012, are 10 “looks”—carefully curated product kits with names like The Golden Goddess and The Rock Chick—meant to make changing the vibe of your makeup as easy as throwing on a leather jacket over a floral midi dress. (It also won’t surprise you that Tilbury rose to fame doing makeup at runway shows for Temperley London and Tom Ford.) These days, you’ll find her…

STRONG FOUNDATIONS The exquisite one-stop shop Waterworks has just debuted an array of vanities in styles ranging from Regency to minimalist. (Pictured, from top, are the Belden, Bridle, and Pullman single vanities in midnight and clear oak.) Each can be customized with options from the brand’s newly streamlined fixtures suites and is available for quick-ship delivery to make the soonest possible statement. From $7,107; waterworks.com…

TAKE STOCK OF EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT Empty your drawers or vanity completely every four months so you can assess your stash. “You want to assign a value to [everything] and decide what’s worth taking up space,” says Teplin. It’s also a good time to note expiration dates: Once opened, most products are good for about a year before bacteria starts to gather. If you’re aware of what you have and how long you can keep it, “you’re more likely to use it by the time it’s expired,” she says. PREVENT SPILLS (OR AT LEAST, MINIMIZE THE DAMAGE) You could have sworn you capped that toothpaste or concealer but, ruh-roh… your stuff is now a goopy mess. Minimize the fallout from leaks by using shallow bins or drawer inserts (The Home Edit…

When I ask Bobbi Brown for a tour of the chains and charms around her neck…it takes a minute. There are two delicate Jennifer Meyer pendants (one says “mama,” the other “fuck”), four gold circles (three are marked with a “D” for her sons Duke, Dakota, and Dylan, and one “S” for her husband, Steven), and finally, a disc stamped with 10.20 (the month and year that her 25-year noncompete with Estée Lauder expired). In the fall of 1995, a company called Amazon had recently sold its first book, Starbucks was blending up some early frappuccinos, and a makeup artist named Bobbi Brown made a deal with the Estée Lauder Companies. Brown had founded her namesake brand, Bobbi Brown Essentials, about five years before. If you know beauty lore, you…

Before the fingernail became a canvas, it was a form of weekend entertainment—and maybe bribery. If she was good, Essie Weingarten’s mother took her to their local Queens salon every Saturday, where the two would partake in the afterthought of the beauty industry—the nail polish selection. All grown-up, Weingarten had a dream: create an innovative line of nail colors centered on solid chemistry—a wet-looking polish that “would go on like silk, and would wear like iron.” In 1981, with her first 12 “Essie” shades, she flew to the place she figured was America’s ultimate convergence of disposable income and grooming: Las Vegas. There, she asked salons to shellac the fingertips of card dealers, cocktail waitresses, sex workers, and tourists, who flew back home with Bordeaux, Baby’s Breath, and an exciting,…