Allure, the first and only magazine devoted to beauty, is an insider's guide to a woman's total image. Allure investigates and celebrates beauty and fashion with objectivity and candor, and places appearance in a larger cultural context.
to hear her tell it, Val Garland became a makeup artist because it “seemed easier than doing hair.” But Garland didn’t build a career on smoky eyes or red lips (although she could probably execute both blindfolded and with one— hell, both—hands tied behind her back). Because that would’ve been: easy. Instead, she has spent her career dreaming up looks that are truly compelling, occasionally confusing, and always a touch out of our comfort zone. At a Vivienne Westwood show, Garland once covered models’ faces with clear gloss and had them shove their faces into a box of glitter. And when Lady Gaga wanted a bold statement for her Born This Way album cover, Garland thought: Prosthetics? With that, Gaga’s iconic alien cheekbones were born. But if you ask the…
She is Allure’s !irst Miss Minnesota USA semi!inalist. She’s also our !irst Kenyan-born cover star. And yes, the !irst one with braces. Meet Halima Aden, the model who ruled fashion week with her hijab, her con!idence, and her infectious smile. To say we were excited to photograph the 19-year-old for our American beauty issue would be something of an understatement. When Aden arrived at Big Sky Studios in London, it was clear that our excitement was matched by hers. She bounded around the space, danced, and posed for photographer Sølve Sundsbø. Then she snacked on vegetarian curry and cardamom rice and danced some more. With Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Drake blasting from the speakers, there was no denying what we were all feeling on set that day: The face of American…
Makeup artist Val Garland created soft smoky eyes on Aden using bronze cream shadow on her lids and black liner on her lash and water lines. She added a few swipes of mascara, filled in Aden’s brows, brushed apricot blush on her cheeks, and finished with pink lipstick. “We wanted to keep the essence of her youth,” said Garland.…
W here are you from?” It’s a question I’ve been asked many times. “Mostly Connecticut,” I answer, “but I was born in New York.” In 8 out of 10 cases, though, I see a furrowed brow followed by “No, I mean what are you?” For my entire life, I knew myself to be 100 percent Chinese—and fully American, of course. Frankly, the textbook definitions of first- and second-generation still confuse me. My father emigrated from China as a child, and my maternal grandparents came over to raise 10 kids in Teaneck, New Jersey (I’m guessing that makes me first-and-three-quarters-generation?). On any number of official forms, we check boxes for our race and choose subcategories for our ethnicities. But as each year passes, it’s harder to categorize the average American. Yes,…
On the beginning of a wild ride: “I was discovered on a dude ranch in Granby, Colorado, when I was 14. It was pretty close to where our house was. My mom and I were there for my sisters, who rode Western style, and a photographer was doing a photo shoot. He thought we were the models.” On the best find since Two Buck Chuck: “I use coconut oil on my face and on my body as lotion. I keep it pretty simple and don’t like testing a lot of products because I have sensitive skin. I probably should experiment more, but it’s done a good job. I usually get the organic one from Trader Joe’s—it’s like five bucks.” On an eye-opening beauty trick: “I’ve seen makeup artists heating up…
15 NUMBER OF DIFFERENT races American citizens were asked to choose from on the last U.S. Census Bureau questionnaire. 2017 YEAR BALENCIAGA felt the Bern, with designs that featured a cheeky interpretation of the logo Bernie Sanders used for his presidential campaign. $17.76 COST OF ONE lipstick from Makeup America, a cosmetics company that contributes $1 from each product sold toward paying down the $19 trillion (and growing) national debt. 5NUMBER OF DIFFERENT races listed on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services application for naturalization. 131 AGE OF LADY LIBERTY; the monument will receive a $4.5 million “face-lift” this year to repair damage sustained during Hurricane Sandy. 85PERCENTAGE OF respondents to an Allure survey who believe that increased diversity in this country has changed what people consider beautiful. 64 PERCENTAGE WHO believe that women of…
