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Beauty, Body, Fashion, Hair, Makeup, Skin

#BeautyBookmarks: The News You Need to Know

There’s so much happening in the industry that I can’t possibly cover them all! But to keep you informed on what’s shaking, I’m serving up the biggest beauty and fashion headlines of the day right here!

Photos via Bustle and Glamour, respectively.

The Fenty Effect shows no signs of slowing down as new and established brands are bolstering their shade ranges. In fact, Revlon has partnered with Allure’s founding editor Linda Wells to launch Flesh, a new beauty brand with inclusivity at its core and foundation sticks that comes in 40 shades (Fenty’s magic number, which has now become industry standard for complexion products). The line is expected to hit Ulta stores exclusively on June 24th, so mark your calendars now, kittens! [Teen Vogue]

Another brand following in Fenty’s footsteps: Tarte Cosmetics. After its latest foundation and concealer launches were criticized for having a limited shade ranges, the brand went back to the drawing board to expand the Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Foundation from 25 to 40 shades and the Creaseless Concealer from 14 to 30 shades that just hit shelves. And it’s not stopping there, as the brand plans to do the same for other formulas in the line, stating, “We are excited to share that our shape tape matte & hydrating foundations, shape tape concealer & Rainforest of the Sea water foundations will get shade extensions this year.” [Bustle]

If you’re already on the hunt for Father’s Day gifts (it’s June 17th, but it will be here before you know it), Lush has got you covered. Forget the ties and grilling gear, the brand is serving up a batch of bathtime and grooming goodies, including a solid beard oil and a handlebar mustache soap you might want to snap up for yourself. [Allure]

Sure, we might use Spotify to listen to some of our favorite podcasts (The Read, Unladylike, and Fat Mascara quickly come to mind), but Tidal is taking streaming to a different level. The platform announced on Wednesday that it will add beauty content with an entertainment alongside some of its music-related shows. The first to hit small screens is Get the Look (hmm, that sounds familiar) in which various beauty vloggers will channel stars like Nicki Minaj and Rihanna in some of their hottest music videos., so if you don’t have an account, don’t forget to create another email account to score a free trial and check them out. [The Cut]

We’ve all been eagerly anticipating any new news on the upcoming Aaliyah x MAC collaboration, and we’ve finally got a better look at what’s expected to hit beauty counters this summer. The roster will include an orange-toned lipstick, a deep plum lip gloss, a bronzer embossed with the late singer’s signature as well as the nude lipstick and dark eyeshadow palette we’ve previously had a peek at —all housed in glossy, burgundy packaging. And we won’t have to wait much longer as the collection will become available online on June 20th before hitting stores the next day. Set your alarms because this one is sure to sell out ASAP! [Bustle]

But that’s not the only collaboration coming soon — far from it! L’Oreal is rocking the runway by linking up with Valentino to produce prestige beauty buys and fragrances for the brand that has already birthed a number of successful scents (I remember when Valentina and its second iteration first launched!). But if you’re looking for something with more sheen, Pinrose has partnered with Sephora to unleash a slew shimmery, holographic glosses, highlighters, and even a rainbow-hued brush set to ensure you can be seen from space all season long. [PopSugar, Elite Daily]

Since Memorial Day, everyone’s been looking to splash into summer. And it looks like mega model Hunter McGrady is making sure each beach body (because every body is a beach body) is ready with a line of sexy swimwear that budget babes will love in partnership with Playful Promises. With cute keyhole cutouts, little bits of lace, and a splash of sequins on a variety of sultry silhouettes, you can expect temperatures to rise (and pulses to race) as soon as you step onto the sand. [Glamour]

May 31, 2018 by
Beauty, Body, Hair, Makeup, Skin

Sephora Is Sprucing Up Shelves With a New “Clean” Beauty Category

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Sephora is proving that you don’t have to wait until Earth Day to clean up your act or your beauty routine.

On June 1st the retailer is launching a new category called “Clean at Sephora” as an easy way for shoppers to snap up beauty buys that don’t contain harmful ingredients like parabens, formaldehyde, mineral oils, and phthalates. According to Women’s Wear Daily, Sephora partnered with over 50 brands, including fan favorites like Drunk Elephant, Boscia, Supergoop, and more, with over 2,000 qualifying products that will receive a “Clean at Sephora” seal on the packaging and the products’ pages on the site as well as its own landing page. Plus, green beauty brands like Indie Lee and Go-To Skin Care will find their way to more Sephora shelves and employees will be educated on the new initiative so they can steer you in the right direction.

Photo courtesy of Sephora via Allure.

“Sephora continues to demystify beauty choices for clients, helping them find the right products for them, based on their lifestyle needs,” the brand explained in a statement to Allure. “Many of them are looking to shop brands and products that are ‘free of’ and Sephora is responding to help them do that, easily and conveniently in-store, online, and on mobile. Together with Sephora’s brands, industry experts, external council — including feedback from clients — Sephora has curated a partnership with its brands across cosmetics, skin care, hair care, and fragrance that stand behind the ‘Clean at Sephora’ category.”

So what kind of products ingredients wouldn’t receive the “Clean at Sephora” seal of approval? According to Allure, aside from the ones mentioned above, products containing ingredients like the sulfates SLS and SLES, retinylpalmitate, oxybenzone, coal tar, hydroquinone, triclosan, and triclocarban won’t be included. And the ingredient list grows when it comes to fragrances.  The gloss also notes that beauty brands that qualify should have “less than one percent of synthetic fragrances and no undisclosed fragrances.”

While the news comes on the heels of other retailers like Neiman Marcus and Bluemercury taking similar steps to clean things up as well as Kourtney Kardashian‘s recent trip to Capitol Hill to call for updated cosmetics regulations, WWD says Sephora has walked this path previously in 2008 and has continually made efforts, especially with its . But the clean up won’t stop at just the shelves either, as the retailer is looking to install LED lights in all North American stores and even developed a zero-emissions delivery truck at its headquarters.

As Sephora’s Chief Merchandising Officer Artemis Patrick put it, all these changes came from listening to customers. The store’s studies found that 60% of shoppers peruse a product’s ingredient list before they buy, and 54% only stock natural or clean items on their vanities. (So remember that your dollar is your vote for what you want more of!) “We have identified some common chemicals that are in certain products that our clients have asked about. It’s not about whether it’s good or it’s bad, it’s about being transparent, ” he told WWD. “While this is not necessarily a new thing, what we have seen is that the efficacy of the products that are out there are at an all-time high, so you can actually get products without these ingredients if you so choose and still get the efficacy of the product that you want and love.”

May 11, 2018 by
Beauty, Hair, Makeup

GTL: The Boldest Beauty Looks of the 2018 Met Gala

GTL – Get the Look, not Gym, Tan, Laundry, duh!

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When this year’s  Met Gala theme, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” was announced, I instantly had visions of crystal tears in homage to the weeping statues of saints, Della Robbia blues of the Virgin Mary, some swaths of silver to symbolize the Crusades, but definitely lots and lots of gold. And I was not disappointed, as many not only took the theme head-on with the amazing array of gorgeous gowns and headpieces but also extended it into their beauty to create looks that are true works of art that I couldn’t get enough of. With proms, dances, and even weddings coming up on shortly on everyone’s social calendars, I scored the details on how to recreate the looks straight from the hairstylists and makeup artists should you want to channel Catholic chic at your next big event.

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May 8, 2018 by
Beauty, Body, Fashion, Hair, Lifestyle, Makeup

May the Fourth Be With You: Chic Star Wars Swag to Add to Your Collection

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“May the 4th be with of you!”

When it comes to Star Wars, there is no such thing as too much merch, especially since the franchise was acquired by Disney. And it’s gone far beyond action figures, t-shirts, and Lego sets. Since The Force Awakens was released, there has been an explosion of Star Wars-themed, well, everything. And with Solo hitting theaters this month, the mania doesn’t look like it’ll be calming down anytime soon.

With the plethora of products on display from fashion and beauty to even housewares and home decor, there’s plenty of ways to show your love for the ever-growing film franchise on this special day. But everything need not have the bold logo emblazoned across it in order to pay homage. In fact, some of the most recent iterations are subtler than some of the products we’ve collected in the past. So I decided to search the shelves for some chic ways to honor the story that took place in a galaxy far, far away because for die-hard fans, Star Wars day isn’t just today or tomorrow (you know, Revenge of the Fifth), it’s a 365-days a year kind of thing.

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May 4, 2018 by
Beauty, Hair, Makeup, Skin

Walmart Is Branching Out Into Beauty Boxes Too — And For Less Than $10!

Photo via Walmart.com

Chances are that when you sign up for a subscription box — whether it’s for hot sauce, snacks, or beauty buys — you’re not going to get anything bigger than what is allowed through airport security. Aside from weighing down the box itself, scoring something full-sized can send the price of the subscription skyrocketing. But that’s not the case for Walmart which just announced the debut of its own line of beauty boxes!

Priced at $9.98 each, the Walmart Beauty Favorites Boxes offer some of its most popular must-haves for your eyes, lips, skin, curls, and more valued between $20-$40 with a mix of mini and full-sized products. Housed in electrically vibrant boxes, each handles a different beauty need whether it’s a dramatic eye look, a plush pout, gorgeously glowy skin, defined and frizz-free curls, or a way to clean up your beauty routine. But you’re not going to want to wait to pick one up while you shop since, according to Bustle, there’s a limited number of boxes available both online and at 3,000 store locations.

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April 26, 2018 by
Beauty, Body, Hair, Makeup, Skin

Skip The Subscription & Treat Yourself to a Target Beauty Box for $7

Photo via Target.com.

 

There’s nothing like the giddy anticipation of opening up a box filled with a mysterious array of tiny treasures, but doing so might be a bit much for many who either can’t afford to keep up with a subscription beyond a few months or haven’t finished the samples they initially received yet. But Target is delivering the best of both worlds: a slew of beauty buys to sample for less than the price of a full-sized product — minus any commitment.

The retailer has just released a range of six themed beauty boxes that are $7 each and come housed in pretty, Insta-ready printed packaging that makes any last-minute gifting super simple. Each is designed to tackle a specific beauty need whether you just need something to help you get out the door in the morning, repair the damage your hair has incurred, or even simply wind down for the day. So you don’t have to worry about getting stuck with samples you won’t use (though you can always gather them into a gift basket for someone in your circle who could use it).

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April 4, 2018 by
Beauty, Body, Hair, Makeup, Skin

10 Egg-cellent Beauty Buys To Add To Your Easter Basket

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To be honest, I almost forgot that Easter was upon us since I’m so used to it falling around the middle of April, not on April Fool’s Day. (I can only imagine what kind of crazy pranks will pop up on social media this weekend!) But the holiday brings back a wave of memories of my mom getting me dolled up in pastel frills for a few photos before heading off for Easter service and then a slew of Easter egg hunts, with the youngest of us popping open all of our collected plastic eggs to scoop the trinkets and treats housed inside.

Many might think that Easter baskets are just kids’ stuff, but why should the little ones have all the fun? I figure it’s a fun opportunity to treat yourself, especially during Mercury retrograde. In keeping with the spirit of the celebration, I’ve found a slew of beauty buys that are sure to soothe and tighten skin, pump up the volume of your locks, and make your beauty look absolutely egg-cellent (you knew that was coming!), using the power or inspiration from eggs themselves. After all, egg whites are a classic DIY mask ingredient thanks to the albumin’s ability to help tighten pores for a smoother-looking visage. And according to Refinery29, the yolk comes packed with proteins, vitamins, and fatty acids to help nourish skin and hair and hang onto hydration. So whether you’re want to start small on the egg trend or splurge on something extra special for your skin, there’s a little something for everyone. 

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March 30, 2018 by
Beauty, Hair

New York’s Newest Hair Color Hot Spot: The Loft by Clairol

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Whether you shift your hair shade according to the season or simply step out of your color comfort zone now and then, there’s no denying the power hair color has to change our appearance. But, hey, even hair color brands need to shake things up, and Clairol is giving everyone in New York City a chance to check out Nice n’ Easy‘s new look.

The Loft by Clairol, located at 579 Broadway, will be open from March 23 (aka today) through April 1 where Soho shoppers can not only learn more about the brand’s revamped formulas but also discover their shade they should rock this season with help from Clairol’s MyShade app. Though no product will be available for purchase, guests will leave with a one-of-a-kind box featuring their photo and the selected from the app so they can #ColorFearlessly at home. If you have any hair color questions, Clairol Color Director James Corbett and Clairol Color Ambassador Shirley Gordon will be making appearances at events during the pop-up. Plus, a group of influencers called the Fearless Femmes will also step into the Loft during its 10-day stay in the city.

Another amazing activity taking place at the pop-up? According to Women’s Wear Daily, visitors will also have the option to play perfumer by crafting their own aromas using the new formula’s scents. It’s all meant to make the at-home hair coloring process feel more like a spa day rather than a smelly chore. “While other beauty treatments have come to be appreciated as healthy indulgences, hair color has been seen as maintenance grooming for far too long,” Anna Vorrias, vice president Clairol Global and U.S. marketing, said at a panel discussion about confidence and female empowerment during the press preview for the event on Thursday. After all, if #SkincareSunday can make sheet mask selfies a social media sensation, then why couldn’t at-home colorist start contributing to a #ShadeShiftSaturday hashtag to show off their before and after hair hues?

March 23, 2018 by
Beauty, Body, Hair, Makeup, Skin

Serena Williams Is Launching Her Own Beauty Line

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She’s conquered the tennis court and slayed the style game, but it looks like Serena Williams is ready to serve up something new: her very own beauty line!

TMZ recently reported that the all-star athlete filed legal documents to trademark the name “Aneres” (which, while it sounds like the name of  Game of Thrones characters, is actually Serena spelled backward) for a cosmetics line back in January. She had previously applied for a trademark on the reversed version of her name for a clothing line back in 2003 that fell through and reapplied for it again in 2016, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. While she hasn’t announced anything regarding the line, the filing details that she’ll be using her moniker to bring the beauty line, which will include everything from skincare to cosmetics to fragrance to bath and body care to even hair care and styling products, to life.

Given the fact that Williams loves to look glam on and off of the court ( I still can’t get over this gilded pony she rocked at the 2017 Glamour Women Of The Year Awards), I could easily see a makeup collection and maybe even a dry shampoo, which was also listed in the filing, designed to stand up to serious sweat in the near future. In fact, big beauty brands like Tarte and Clinique have already released their own gaggle of gym bag goodies in recent years to much fanfare. But I feel like Williams could easily smash the cosmetics competition by taking a 360-degree approach to her athleisure array of beauty buys, delivering easy and effective solutions whether you’re a barre babe, a busy mom, or both!

So while we’re all keeping our fingers crossed for more details on the upcoming launch, I’d start saving my pennies now so you can snag every items on your wishlist once it’s finally served up!

March 12, 2018 by
Beauty, Hair, Makeup

GTL: The Boldest Beauty Looks from the 90th Academy Awards

GTL – Get the Look, not Gym, Tan, Laundry, duh!
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The Oscars are pretty much the pinnacle of red carpet beauty. Not only is it Hollywood’s biggest night of the year, but it’s also the busiest night for any glam squad on the West Coast. Stars pulled out all the stops for award’s season’s big finale by embracing bright colors and shimmering details whether it was a gown or a tux. And while most tended to stick to more natural, yet utterly elegant, hair and makeup, there were plenty of bold beauty looks that everyone will want to copy.

Aside from the sparkling style on the red carpet, The Time’s Up and #MeToo movements were still going strong, as stars and Harvey Weinstein accusers Ashley Judd, Annabella Sciorra, and Salma Hayek took to the stage to introduce a montage of the year’s nominees rallying  for continued inclusion in the industry. Something that Frances McDormand took to heart and shined a spotlight on during her best actress Oscar acceptance speech, asking all of the female nominees (regardless of category) to stand up, calling upon industry execs to not only meet with them but to finance their future projects, and concluding with two words: inclusion rider. Plus, there was also a slew of stars who shifted their focus from sexual harassment to gun control, sporting orange ribbons in support of the Parkland shooting victims in the fight to change federal gun laws (although states and individual retailers are making more strides.

And with the night’s mix of glamor, grit, and girl power, I wanted to share the details on the some of the most eye-catching beauty looks stars rocked on the red carpet, just in case you want to give them a try for any of your upcoming spring socials.

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March 5, 2018 by