It’s hard to believe that today marks the two year anniversary of my college graduation. In celebration, my four best friends and I are planning a reunion trip this Memorial Day weekend to Puerto Rico! I love New York City, but I’m super pumped to lay on a beach with my girlfriends far, far away from the concrete jungle. Here are some of the essentials that I’m bringing along for my trip:
1. COOLA Cucumber Moisturizing SPF 30 for Face
COOLA is my favorite brand for anything SPF related. I’m indian, so I tan quick (understatement)! So it’s super important for me to carry a powerful SPF product when I’m in the sun and this one is great because it doesn’t feel heavy or leave any white residue on your face.
2. Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk
I tend to rock third day hair while on vacation, so carrying a dry shampoo with me is crucial. Klorane’s is great because it also adds texture to my hair—perfect for beachy waves.
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Food first is SAVEUR’s motto. This week the magazine’s senior web editor, Helen Rosner, is sharing her favorite recipes and culinary picks in honor of our limited edition Birchbox Home: From the Garden collection.
The unavoidable truth of food and drink is that (unless you’re dealing with some seriously high-concept molecular gastronomy) it’s an activity that uses your mouth. As a lipstick-wearer and chapstick addict who also happens to be a professional eater, I refuse to choose between the two—and years of trial and error have left me with a relatively foolproof system to keep the color on my lips instead of on my wineglass. Or banh mi sandwich. Or mingling with the garlic and olive oil as a sauce for my agnolotti.
For me, the secret is L’Oreal Infallible Lipstick, which goes on thick and dry and a little sticky, but after a few minutes, it forms an almost magical budge-proof wall of incredibly pigmented color that takes serious elbow grease to remove. I apply, blot, dust with translucent powder, and apply again. That’ll take me through almost any meal. (And when it comes to wine glasses, I do a strange but weirdly effective trick that a friend’s mother taught me: Just before taking your first sip, give the edge of your glass a tiny flicker of a lick. The saliva creates a barrier that prevents any of your color from adhering to the glass.)
Of course, everyone is is different. My friend Gabriella Gershenson, who works with me at Saveur, rocks a matte lip like no one else and it stays strong through the most epic of meals. Her go-to is MAC: “I just wear a shade that stains,” she told me when I asked her for her secrets. “I like MAC So Chaud, an orange-red matte that literally saturates my lips in color. I also like their creamier Mineralize Rich Lipstick in All Out Gorgeous. It’s moisturizing, unlike the matte, but tints my lips a pretty berry red all night long—and sometimes the next morning, too.”
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From left to right: Givenchy, Donna Karan, Just Cavalli, Giambattista Valli (Photo: Fashionista)
I was in fourth grade when I first read about the phenomenon of putting Vaseline on your eyelids in an issue of Seventeen. It seemed like a very brave and grownup notion at the time, and certainly something that would never fly in front of my classmates (whose beauty experimentation stopped at flavored Lip Smackers). Ever since then, I’ve tossed the idea around whenever I grow bored of my everyday matte shadow. And if the Fall 2013 shows are any indication, now may be the best time to finally experiment with the shiny eye look. The coolest part? In lieu of petroleum jelly, you can use almost any translucent lip gloss (and probably even that half-used tube of balm lying around in your purse).
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Whether you’re looking for celebrity gossip, the best product for frizzy hair, or advice on what to wear to your cousin’s wedding, the gals at Lovelyish have got you covered. This week, a handful of the site’s staffers—Katie Kubiak, Annie Strole, and Allison Wheeler—are bringing their expertise to our blog in a series of five beauty and style how-tos.
What I love most about makeup is its ability to convey your personality. It’s amazing what your eyes can communicate, but why not let your lipstick speak for you from time to time?
Whether you realize it or not, your lip shade sends a message about your personality, so let’s figure out the best lipstick to match it!
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BURGUNDY HUES TAKE CENTERSTAGE AT ZAC POSEN
If designer Zac Posen’s Fall 2013 collection is any indicator of beauty trends to come, burgundy is about to have a major moment. Backstage models were sporting glossy, port-wine manis and deep plum lips. Essie’s lead manicurist Michelle Saunders told us that the lacquer hue was chosen to match several evening dresses in the designer’s collection.
To create the look, Saunders and her crew applied two coats of essie’s Carry On. The crimson shade looked smashing, and its very apt name appropriately described the post-Nemo mood backstage.
MAC’s key makeup artist Kabuki contrasted ethereal white eye shadow with a wow-factor pout to build on the collection’s rich color story, outlining lips with the Pencil NC15 in Vino Lip Liner to keep lipstick smudge- and crease-free. Next, he applied MAC’s Lip Mix in Burgundy with a slim makeup brush.
Elaborating on the color, Kabuki explained, “I had Tilda Swinton in the back of my mind.” The finished look definitely evoked the regal actress’s elegance and boldness.
—Ally
Find more exclusive behind the scenes images from NYFW on Birchbox’s NYFW page.
When it comes to high fashion, model Alana Zimmer is one of the biggest names in the industry. Some of her latest accomplishments: starring in the current Akris and Givenchy Beauty ad campaigns and walking in the Armani Privé and Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture shows last month in Paris. Currently the Canadian beauty is in the Big Apple for New York Fashion Week and doing her second backstage photo diary for us. Check back each day for more of her supercool pics from a model’s perspective!
Prabal Gurung
Prabal Gurung mood board. Female military-inspired! Until recently, women in the army had no other choice than to wear men’s uniforms.
Two of the pieces in the collection.
Army-spiked green and gold nails.
The MAC palette used to create the bushy look. Makeup by Charlotte Tilbury.
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You could say Melanie Allen knows a thing or two about good hair. As the Marketing Manager and Content Editor of My Best Friend’s Hair—which helps readers find awesome stylists, salons and products—Melanie is particularly knowledgeable about all things ‘do. That’s why this week she’s giving us the scoop on salon etiquette, growing out your bangs, and more.
My eyebrows have always been my biggest beauty struggle. My brows are thick, unruly, and downright hard to manage, and I’ve tried it all when it comes to keeping them in check. Here are my favorite tips, tricks, and products to tame even the wildest of brows (and if it works for me, it will work for anyone!).
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![MAC’s Sweet Tooth, The New OCC Lip Tar, and More
MAC launches a dessert-inspired makeup collection called Baking Beauties and it looks yummy. [Refinery29]
Children of the ’90s, it’s time to rejoice: Nickelodeon sitcom Clarissa Explains It All will become its own book due out in fall 2014! [Glamour]
You’ll never believe what these two ingredients can do for your hair. [Allure]
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics creates a product for a fellow employee to help raise funds for her gender affirming surgery. [Refinery29]
This is possibly the coolest fashion month recap we’ve ever seen, but we definitely feel bad for the graphic designer that had to put it together. [Fashionista]
—Charisse
In need of a more natural makeup look? Learn about the beauty essentials from California girl Sophie of Angel Food Style.
(Photo: MAC Cosmetics)](http://24.media.tumblr.com/05b487a1f03f1275c1e6aaeaa7bacf15/tumblr_mka79dRFUK1qbz3xno1_500.jpg)
![(Photo: huffingtonpost.com)
Eyebrow Makeovers, Gisele’s Baby, Rockette Beauty Secrets, and More
Three editors (including the lucky lady pictured above) were given transformative Brow Resurrection treatments by Browhaus salon—and it totally made over their faces. [Huffington Post]
Gisele welcomes her second child with Tom Brady into the world. It’s a baby girl! [The Cut]
Steal beauty secrets from the world-famous Radio City Rockettes, like how to perfect the French twist, create a red lip that won’t budge, and more. [Fashionista]
MAC releases an interactive video for their holiday collection, Glamour Daze, that features 8 different makeup looks. [Beauty High]
Theo Kogan, female rocker and the founder of Armour Beauty, shares her top 5 beauty picks. [Well+Good NYC]
Check out new cookbook The Startup Chef, which features 75 recipes from tech industry notables. Even better? All proceeds are donated to charities that feed the hungry. [Tumblr]
An argument for why Accutane should be viewed as a last resort treatment and which alternatives should be used instead. [Refinery29]
—Hallie
Water is the key to wellness and beauty. Soma has created an amazingly innovative sustainable water filter that will change how you view your H2O—check it out on Kickstarter!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/10eb3427604c8449e384747b7a0f44bd/tumblr_meswr9EWAT1qbz3xno1_500.jpg)
