I’ve heard and used BB creams before. In fact, I wrote about my beloved Clinique BB cream a few months ago. I vaguely knew about CC creams, but since I was pretty happy with my BB, I didn’t really think about giving it a try. But now I’m intrigued!
If you’re new to CC creams like I am, they help you get that minimal, effortless look like BB creams, but they offer a little bit more coverage. BB creams are short for “beauty balm” or “blemish balm,” and they nourish the skin while giving lighter coverage than a regular foundation.
CC creams, on the other hand, are known as “color-correcting creams” or “complexion-corrector creams.” They can help even your skin tone and mask dark spots and redness. CC creams are a bit thicker than BB creams, but many also contain beneficial skincare ingredients such as sunscreen.
But don’t worry. This isn’t Invasion of the Body Snatchers—Kim and Khloé didn’t switch places for the night. Instead, Kim’s pointy manicure was actually made up of custom-painted press-on nails, which she was able to take off shortly after her appearance.
With a baby-pink base and angular white tip, these nails matched Kim’s entire Barbiecore vibe flawlessly. Kim wore head-to-toe hot-pink Balenciaga, complete with a mini croc bag and rose-toned jewelry. Her makeup was kept neutral, and her hair was out of her face. For this glam, the nails really stole the show.
Ashley Benson is officially getting into beauty. And she’s doing so via a route plenty of celebrities have taken before: On Tuesday, the actor introduced ASH by Ashley Benson, an eponymous fragrance brand that also marks her first-ever solo business venture. (She had previously co-founded sunglasses label Privé Revaux in 2017 and craft spirits brand Thomas Ashbourne earlier this year.)
ASH by Ashley Benson’s debut range includes two scents, with additional fragrances set to launch in 2023. There’s East 12th, a rose-and-cedar blend inspired by New York City’s East Village, and The Eighth, a mix of bergamot, musk and cashmere wood inspired by Paris’ Eighth Arrondissement.
Photo: Courtesy of ASH by Ashley Benson
According to Benson, scent has played an important role in her life. As she tells Fashionista, it was her grandmother who first got her interested in personal fragrance at a young age. Then, in adulthood, Benson began to experiment with mixing and layering different perfumes on her own. “All my friends and people I worked with would ask me what I was wearing,” she says. “They would say that I’d leave this scent every time I walk into the room, or whenever I left my jacket on set or something. I never told anybody [what I was wearing], though, because I didn’t want anyone to steal my formula.”
This passion for scents, combined with Benson’s love of world travel, serves as the basis for the brand. Benson was visiting Morocco three years ago when the idea to create a fragrance brand first struck her, she tells Fashionista.
“I went Morocco on vacation and I happened to go to a fragrance merchant there in Marrakesh,” she recalls, noting that she bonded with the merchant for hours. “That’s when I first started to smell all kinds of different notes, and I actually created my own scent there for the first time. Literally two months after that, I got a call about doing a fragrance line, and I immediately said yes.”
In a span of 21 months, during which the fragrances went through more than 60 rounds of product testing, Benson reimagined some of the scents she had encountered during that trip to Morocco — and yet the resulting eaus harken to New York and Paris instead.
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“I just want people to feel confident and in their own element while wearing this perfume and knowing that they can afford it,” she says. “I want people to wear these perfumes and remember where they were when they wore them. Fragrance, in general, is a very personal thing to put out there, and I’m happy I got to tell my story within it.”
Benson has dubbed The Eighth her personal favorite because it “takes me back to all the memories I’ve had in Paris,” she says, citing frequent stays at Hotel Costes. The color of the fragrance bottle is actually based on the French hotspot’s black lacquered walls and red velvet couches. “Every time I’m in Paris, it just brings me back to the energy there. It’s sexy, it’s intimate and it’s very much my vibe, so I wanted to reflect that in this scent.”
Photo: Courtesy of ASH by Ashley Benson
East 12th, Benson’s other inaugural perfume, references New York City, which the Los Angeles native has called home for the last six years. “I felt kind of thrown into the city, especially without really knowing the ins and outs of it,” she remembers of the time when she first arrived. “I didn’t really have a lot of friends when I moved here, either, so I spent a lot of time to myself exploring the city and finding who I am as an adult going into my 30s. Obviously, you’re so different in your early 20s, and I think it was really necessary for me to do. I feel very much in my element here and in every facet creatively, I thrive here more than I do in L.A.”
When asked to pair each scent with one of her on-screen characters, Benson assigns The Eighth to Hanna Marin from Freeform’s “Pretty Little Liars,” but adds that she’d probably wear both of them. As for East 12th? “I feel like [it] would definitely be Brit from ‘Spring Breakers,’” says Benson. “I also just finished an upcoming Amazon Prime Video series, and the character reminds me of her. She’s just very elegant and stylish and kind of gives me off more of a European vibe, so I think that character would be The Eighth, too.”
ASH by Ashley Benson fragrances will retail for $79 (for the 50mL bottles) and $25 (for the 8mL bottles). They are available Tuesday on ASHbyAshleyBenson.com, and will launch on Scentbird’s direct-to-consumer fragrance subscription platform on Thursday, Nov. 17.
With that distinction, Hill also wants to highlight the benefits of using a hair loss prevention serum and how strands become thinner in the first place. “What is being experienced with ‘hair growth’ serums is the reawakening of the hair follicle,” says Hill. “It creates a healthier scalp microbiome, which increases the numbers of hair fibers that each follicle produces. To clarify, each hair follicle can produce multiple hair fibers and most people can have two to five hair fibers per hair follicle. (This is genetically predetermined.) As the follicle is compromised, the follicle produces fewer hair fibers, which results in ‘hair loss’ and thinning. The benefit and goal of these serums is to address miniaturization in its infancy stages for the best results.”
Even if hair loss isn’t a concern for you and you simply would love a serum to help promote long, luscious locks in some way, you can still look for hair strengthening serums containing ingredients that help keep breakage at bay. Hill recommends looking for hair products containing ingredients like saw palmetto, caffeine, licorice extract, pfaffia extract, ergothioneine, ginseng root, and burdock root. These will help nourish your hair at the root so strands have the opportunity to grow longer than ever before. Keep scrolling below for a few options recommended by Hill and other user favorites.
It’s that time of the year again! The sale season has kicked off with Nordstrom’s Holiday Sale, offering a selection of majorly discounted beauty items you’ll want to grab before they disappear again. As a Seattle native (the home of Nordstrom), lover of all this beauty, and an avid shopper, I’ve come up with a list of 15+ products I’m planning on grabbing for myself and my loved ones during Nordstrom’s Holiday Sale. If you’re looking for a little inspiration to get shopping (it’s never too early to start on those holiday presents, even if they’re just for you), here’s everything I have my eye on. Cheers to great beauty products for less!
Read on to find out which discounted beauty products have already landed in my basket!
It’s official—Nordstrom’s holiday deals are happening, and while you might be busy combing through the best fashion finds, we encourage you to take a beat and check out the beauty section too. Why? Well, there’s the fact that Nordstrom carries some of the best beauty products on the market, but what’s more relevant to us right now, is that many of them are seriously discounted for a limited time. We’re talking about some of our tried-and-true favorites, including Kiehl’s, Estée Lauder, Drybar, and more.
We know what you’re thinking: The Black Friday and Cyber Monday madness is on the way. But that doesn’t mean we can’t start shopping a little early, right? If anything, it’s proactive. After all, the gifting season is upon us, and whether we’re shopping for friends and family, or (ahem) ourselves, we’re kicking things off now. Keep scrolling to see the 19 best-discounted beauty products we predict will sell out first from Nordstrom’s holiday sale.
Listen, I love intricate party hairstyles just as much as the next person. Perfectly imperfect up-dos? Sure. Red carpet–ready curls? Definitely. Sometimes, though, I’d rather take the path of least resistance. And by sometimes, I mean most winter days. It’s cold and blustery outside, and for me, the ideal hairstyle is one that won’t take too much time or cause too much fuss to fix when the wind whips it out of place. Low effort is the name of the game.
Now, that’s all well and good, but easy-to-achieve hairstyle inspo can be hard to come by—especially when you’re looking to celebs to provide you with it. After all, most of them have insanely talented stylists on speed dial. Still, they’re out there, if you only look hard enough (I know because I found them). Keep scrolling to see the only five winter hairstyles that matter this season, according to celebs like Dua Lipa, Hailey Bieber, Zendaya, and more.
You can buy anything and everything on Amazon nowadays—including quality beauty products. If you haven’t started shopping for beauty on the ultra-fast retailer, join us—it’s nice over here. I have a few tried and true favorites I’ll purchase again and again (thank you, Prime shipping), but I’ve always wondered what experts would buy across every category. If you’ve ever wondered the same, look no further. I’ve asked hair, skin, and makeup experts to share what they would throw in their cart on Amazon. Keep scrolling for their top picks. Some products you can’t even purchase anywhere else.
Further down the line, Wood managed to dig deep and excel in an improvised drama exercise during an English lesson at secondary school. “I did this funny Father Christmas character. Everyone was laughing, and it felt so good,” she recalls. “Everyone was shocked because they were like, ‘This kid does not speak!’ From then on, I had completely broken the seal, and you could not shut me up in lessons. You could not stop me from interrupting the class. It was like a lot of things in my life—me going from one extreme to the other and then finding a balance.”
What would that unconfident Aimee who was too scared to audition for Annie say to her now? “I think she’d be like, ‘What? I thought we were going to be a novelist! What have you done? You’re supposed to be Virginia Woolf! You’re definitely supposed to be behind the scenes.’ … She was the girl who loved getting a dictionary out, going through every word, and putting every word into context in a sentence. But I mean, I think she would find it pretty bloody cool, to be honest,” she says.
As our time wraps up and she heads back to filming Sex Education, I ask about what’s in store for season four. “What I love about Aimee this season is that she hasn’t got any other comfort blankets around at the start. Maeve is in America. She hasn’t got Steve anymore. She’s starting a new school, so she’s very much on her own. Although I feel sorry for her in that way, it also makes her go, ‘Okay, who am I without being the best friend or being the girlfriend?’ What she discovers is actually really interesting and unexpected,” she says. “A lot of this series is about her discovering she is clever, and she’s been made to feel like she isn’t because her brain works in a different way. She’s always been the ongoing joke because she says the wrong word and she’s got her head in the clouds, and this season, she goes, ‘Actually, it does make me feel a bit shit that people don’t think I have things to offer.’ It’s really gorgeous that she’s being vulnerable about that, figuring out she’s got so much to say and so much to offer.”
Aimee Lou Wood is certainly someone who has a lot to offer.
Black Friday is the time to stock up on all things beauty. It’s the ideal opportunity to replenish your skincare and makeup favorites and take the plunge on that coveted fragrance you’ve had your eye on. But if there’s one Black Friday beauty item you should be bookmarking for a serious saving, it’s beauty tools.
In my experience as a beauty editor, I generally get the best Black Friday deals on beauty tools. Be it skincare gadgets or hairstyling tools, there are big discounts and savings to be had on beauty devices across the board.
You knew it was coming—the holiday season is upon us and it’s time to start thinking about what to buy for every kind of beauty lover in your life. Some may want a few buzzy new skincare items to add to their routine while makeup enthusiasts might simply need a few good brush sets. If you’ve come to the conclusion that you have quite a few skincare-obsessed people on your list, look no further for gift inspiration. Below, we’ve rounded up *the* skincare gift sets of the season anyone on your list would love to get their hands on. Keep scrolling—good stuff ahead.
Aside from considering your skin type, there are a few other things you’ll want to keep in mind when shopping for a moisturizer. If you find the right one for you, that will save you a lot of trouble in the long run. So here are more shopping tips derms gave me:
Check the ingredient list: “The ingredients are placed in order of concentration/potency, so your first five ingredients should be any of these mentioned: humectants, occlusives, and emollients,” says Ife Rodney, MD, FAAD, of Eternal Dermatology and Aesthetics. “In terms of products to avoid, you’d want moisturizers to be paraben-free, fragrance-free, sulfate-free, and phthalate-free.”
Expensive doesn’t mean better: Instead of prioritizing a moisturizer with a splurgy price tag, Rodney recommends choosing the product with the best combination of ingredients for you.
“The best time to moisturize your skin is after you get out of the shower or right after you wash your face,” says Imahiyerobo-Ip. “Gently pat your skin and apply moisturizer to slightly damp skin. This will seal in the moisture from your shower.”
It’s recommended to do this twice a day (in the morning and at night), but Van Dyke says it might also be beneficial to moisturize midday, especially if the environment around you is dry. “Try misting the face and then applying moisturizer. In a pinch, just mist on top of the moisturizer, allowing the water to be drawn in,” she says.
Make sure you are applying your product actively, not passively, Kim advises. “Why not simultaneously stimulate collagen production and increase circulation?” she says. “When applying products, I always recommend to mindfully pat or slap in an upward motion, and do so for as long as you want (I actually hit quite hard that my skin turns pink!) when applying the products.”
When it comes to your baths and showers, you want to hit the sweet spot in terms of water temperature and duration, as more than that could dry out your skin. Gmyrek recommends taking short baths or showers of 15 to 20 minutes and using lukewarm, not hot, water. Use non-soap cleansers that are fragrance-free, as soaps can strip essential oils from the skin.
I am no makeup whiz. Trust me. I can’t do winged liner (despite years of trying), I have no idea how to contour like people on TikTok do, and any attempt at lining my lips is guaranteed to end badly. Truthfully, my lack of artistic ability is probably the reason I like to keep my makeup natural-looking and as quick and easy a possible.
There is, however, one makeup technique I consider myself a master at, and that’s my ability to brighten up my constantly tired eyes. My incessant dark circles, puffy eyes, and persistent under-eye bags mean that I’ve become somewhat of an expert in disguising tired eyes. I have absorbed every tip and trick that I have received throughout my eights years as a beauty journalist from makeup artists and learned how to achieve a look that hides every hint of tired eyes. So without further ado, this is everything you need to know about how to use makeup for tired eyes.
“Cream foundations tend to be a little richer, more nourishing, with a little extra coverage,” says RMS Beauty founder and celebrity makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift. It’s this richness that makes cream formulas especially beneficial for dry skin types. The rich, buttery formulas are often packed with powerful hydrators like hyaluronic acid and glycerin. According to Ellis, they’re also great for problematic or redness-prone skin that requires coverage strong enough to cancel out redness. “Their moisturizing textures help to cushion and even out the complexion in a more natural way,” she adds. If your skin is more on the oily side, however, then cream foundations might not be the best option for you, since you probably don’t need the added moisture. Instead, look for powder or liquid formulas with a matte finish.
Although you might think that due to their thicker textures, cream foundations would look and feel heavy on the skin, with the right tools and technique, you can achieve really natural-looking, weightless results. “The beauty of a cream foundation is you can either use your fingers and press into any areas where it needs coverage or you can use a brush,” says Ellis. “For a lightweight coverage, blend and circulate the foundation into the skin, and for a fuller coverage, press and stipple into the skin.” If you’re keen to try this technique, look specifically for a stippling brush. Designed with two layers of bristles—a shorter, more compact one to press the product in and a longer, looser layer to pick up and deposit the product—these brushes are perfect for achieving an airbrushed finish.
Converted? To help you narrow down your options, we’ve tried and tested 2022’s best-selling, highly rated cream foundations, including drugstore and luxury options. There’s also a variety of finishes and coverages, from matte to dewy, sheer to full, and everything in between.
I love getting facials. In my opinion, there’s really no better self-care option out there. Facials not only give me a built-in amount of time to not stare at a screen and try to relax, but they also give tons of skin benefits that make the treatment truly worthwhile. My facials typically fall on the more affordable end of the spectrum (I have bills to pay!), but when I got an invite to try “the best facial in NYC,” which comes with a whopping $1000 price tag, I was immediately intrigued.
This facial is from none other than JTAV Clinical Skincare, a luxury skincare clinic in Manhattan. Founded by Joie Tavernise, an NYC-based skin expert and medical aesthetician, JTAV’s signature facials are completely tailored to each person’s individual needs. Unlike many facials, JTAV facials combine clinical devices with tried-and-true facial techniques, rendering them a unique experience.
That being said, there are a few things you can typically expect from a JTAV facial. Usually, Tavernise will deeply cleanse, exfoliate skin with a Hydrafacial, dermaplane, extract clogged pores, and use LED light. Depending on your needs, Tavernise will also use Laser Genesis therapy for tone and texture, Clear + Brilliant for more extreme tone and pore-size issues, or intense pulsed light for hyperpigmentation.
The experience itself felt like a mix between a relaxing facial and a dermatologist appointment. Tavernise seemed to know more about my skin than I do (and even spotted some places I may have picked at too much). Each step felt methodical and results-driven, and I felt like I could ask questions as she went along to get a better understanding of the process.
My skin is typically pretty clear and leans dry, but lately, I’ve been experiencing a lot more breakouts than usual thanks to stress and hormones. I let Tavernise know this, and she made sure to customize my facial accordingly, targeting problem areas while still ensuring my skin remained hydrated.
Honestly, the best part of the facial is that (aside from the clinical devices) Tavernise used a lot of skincare products that you can buy and use at home—which is great for those of us who can’t spring for a facial the price of our rent. I asked Tavernise to walk me through our entire facial, including all the products she used. Keep reading for the full rundown straight from Tavernise herself, not including the laser treatment and LED light treatment Tavernise used to even tone and texture and help mitigate breakouts.
Those with curls should pay close attention. If nothing else, Gutterman says you should at least do this one thing. “I love using a silk bonnet when my hair is curly, and when it’s straight, I like to do a flat wrap to avoid messing up the style. Also, putting the hair into two braids on each side can save the hair from frizz and give you a cute wave for the next day!”
I also wear a satin cap at night to keep my curls from getting too tangled or frizzy and it’s been a game-changer for me. I wake up with strands that are more hydrated and smooth, plus they stay that way longer throughout the day.
I never really took the rise (and culminating obsession) with skin-tightening devices seriously until a couple of years ago when I got my hands on ZIIP’s ultra-coveted Nano Current Device ($495). You can read the long story here, but the short story is that it pretty much lifted, toned, and contoured my face after the very first use, and when I’m consistent with the ritual, the results just get better and better. So yes, I now staunchly believe in the effectiveness of these types of gadgets, even though I definitely don’t deem them a necessity. One last time for the people in the back: Lines, wrinkles, and sagging are normal and beautiful—they’re your well-lived life on display, after all!
There is one caveat, however. Even though certain skin-tightening devices that use high-tech technology like LED, microcurrent, and radiofrequency might provide visible changes to the skin and be satisfactory investments, there are plenty of models on the market that just aren’t up to snuff and worth your hard-earned cash. So if you’ve been toying with the idea of investing in some type of skin-tightening tool but want to make sure you get the best bang for your buck, you’ll want to keep reading. Below, I’m detailing my favorite skin-tightening device (yep, the ZIIP) along with 10 other worthy options that have received rave reviews and high ratings among your fellow beauty shoppers. Keep scrolling! The 11 best skin-tightening devices for a firmer and tauter complexion are just below.
Well, folks, it’s almost winter. Though it feels like we were only just plotting our summer manicure plans and perfecting our at-home French manicure skills, the time has come to start talking about the shades we’ll be breaking out ahead of the holiday season. It snuck up on us, but trust and believe we stay ready!
Unlike in years past, when deep shades like navy, black, and burgundy crept in to take the throne as soon as the leaves started to change, this winter’s trending nail colors are surprisingly bright. There are hues from all over the rainbow popping off, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Considering all that we’ve endured this year, we deserve extra-chipper manicures. From bright-red hues to minimalist glosses and all the shimmery white polishes you’ll need to get ready for blankets of snow, check out the 10 best winter nail colors to try now.
I’m not going to call anyone out, but I will say there are a handful of people in my inner circle who make holiday shopping stressful—not because they’re difficult people but because they have irritatingly great taste. In years past, I’ve had more gifting-related breakdowns in shopping malls than I care to admit, all in a quest to find the perfect presents for the people who matter most to me.
I pride myself on my gift-giving abilities, so the stressful process is always worth the joy that comes on the other end. But this year, I’ve decided to put my sanity first and change up my shopping approach. What’s my strategy? I’ll be focusing on the one thing all my people have in common: really good style. The only thing missing from their near-perfect ensembles is a fragrance to pull it all together. The good news is Sephora‘s expertly curated selection of scents makes it surprisingly easy to find exactly what you’re looking for in a pinch—even for the most challenging people on your list. Keep scrolling for nine standout fragrances that would make exceptionally good presents for anyone with impeccable taste. (Even the bottles are just as chic as they smell.)
