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    Blog Posts by Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

    • Evening at the ESPYs: Posh's Chic and Sleek Updo

      By Allure Daily Beauty Reporter | Fashion – Mon, Jul 21, 2008 6:26 PM EDT

      At Wednesday's ESPYs, Victoria Beckham completely reminded me of a chilly Hitchcock heroine.

      Her willowy figure, lemon meringue shift dress, oversize shades, and upswept hairstyle recalled ice queens like Kim Novak and Grace Kelly, and though The Artist Formerly Known as Posh has let down her guard a bit in recent interviews (including Allure's August cover story, in which she proclaimed herself "ordinary looking"), this look totally works for her.

      While I wouldn't suggest mimicking Posh's "Don't Touch Me" stance (Although she can pull it off, on most people, it looks obnoxious, not fabulous.), I definitely love her teased updo.

      Teasing can be a tricky (unless you grew up in the '50s or '60s, when everyone was teasing their hair to high heaven), but here's a great tip I learned from Josh Calderone at New York City's Wella Academy:

      Hold the ends of the section you want to tease high above your head, and then slowly use a rattail comb to drag the hair down toward the

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    • Banish dark under-eye circles with Benefit Erase Paste

      By Allure Daily Beauty Reporter | Fashion – Fri, Jul 18, 2008 5:29 PM EDT

      When I'm sleep-deprived, the only thing that conceals my sunken, violet under eye baggage is a pair of paparazzi-proof, black-on-black, wraparound sunglasses.

      Unfortunately, I can't keep them on indoors, for fear of being called "Hollywood."

      But I won't take them off until I put on Benefit Erase Paste. Creamy as icing and supremely concentrated, this easy-to-blend paste conceals discoloration on larger sections of skin better than some of the thinner, drier formulas out there that are best for small cover-up jobs.

      But what I love most about Erase Paste is that it brightens my undereye area without any attention-drawing shimmer. Instead, it has a pinkish undertone that nixes dark circles, and keeps me from looking like an extra from "Thriller."

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    • How to get Amanda Seyfried's gorgeous waves

      By Allure Daily Beauty Reporter | Fashion – Fri, Jul 18, 2008 5:15 PM EDT

      Sometimes the smartest actresses are the ones who play dumb. Exhibit A: Amanda Seyfried. This gorgeous actress (she's August's Allure's Face) first popped up on our radar in Mean Girls as a ditz who learned how to predict the weather...with her breasts. Since then, she's caught our eye on Big Love and in her starring role in Mamma Mia!

      At the New York City premiere last night, it's clear that this is her moment. She turned out looking absolutely gorgeous. Not edgy, not fashion-y, just gorgeous.

      Her makeup was pretty, yet basic: Soft liner, a little shimmer, and mascara; peach blush; and rosy gloss. But most awe-inspiring? That hair. Long, flowing, and curled at the ends, with one section twisted and pinned back. Very Sleeping Beauty meets Dancing Queen.

      Think this look is only for red carpet starlets with hairstylists so fab they go by one name? Think again. All you need are a little know-how and the right products.

      Start by spritzing clean, damp hair with a light

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    • Mischa Barton's Sunny Style

      By Allure Daily Beauty Reporter | Fashion – Tue, Jul 15, 2008 5:25 PM EDT

      Marissa Cooper is back in the house.

      For one night, Miss Mischa Barton scrubbed off her usual sooty eyeliner and pinned her pretty, Anita Pallenberg-esque bangs to the side. At the Alicia Keys Keep a Child Alive Ball, she turned out in perfectly polished makeup (check out the ultra-precise eyeliner), sun-streaked, side-parted hair, and a big, genuine smile.

      She looked amazing, and you could tell she felt it, too. I know The O.C. is over, but I think this Cali-girl look (that she's shied away from over the past year or so) really suits her in the end, don't you?

      My all-time favorite beach wave maker is Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. It gives my straight hair some texture like Mischa's, without making it stiff or sticky.

      --photo via www.mischa-b.com

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    • Take me away to Napa: Olivina Bath and Body Products

      By Allure Daily Beauty Reporter | Fashion – Fri, Jul 11, 2008 9:58 PM EDT

      I nearly broke a heel running to meet Susan Costner-Kenward, the founder of Olivina body products, yet when I finally arrived at the hotel lounge, I was instantly calmed. Susan brought the air of her California home in Napa Valley, with her to the big city. She was relaxed, unpretentious, and interesting all at once-just like her body products.

      A former food critic, an award-winning chef, and married to a winemaker, Susan's artisinal intuition is the most defining asset of the collection. Each product is flooded with top-notch, hand-pressed olive and grapeseed oils (both rich in antioxidants), making for a deliciously-textured range of body butters, hand creams, soaps, lotions, washes, and bubble baths.

      The packaging is understated and sophisticated, and the scents-Classic Olive, Lavender, and Fig-are fresh, not flowery. (The Fig is actually kind of masculine, but in a très sexy way.)

      As I massaged the Classic Olive Hand Créme onto my cuticles, I listened (and drooled) as

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    • Style stalking with Beautiful Stranger.TV

      By Allure Daily Beauty Reporter | Fashion – Wed, Jul 9, 2008 4:47 PM EDT

      New York City is full of style moments, and while it's totally inspiring, it can also be overwhelming. It's not easy or exactly socially acceptable to stop every cool-looking girl you see at the corner bodega and ask her for the name of the polish she's rocking on her toes.

      So nosy types should delight in beautifulstranger.tv, a site that stops pretty peeps in their tracks and makes them spill their style secrets on video.

      I just checked out Britta the barista's interview, and kind of loved her jet black hair color which she revealed was Aveda and totally sounded like someone who knows her way around the color bar.

      I felt we were kindred spirits when she shared that her fragrance was Anna Sui, and that she's a M.A.C. and Lancome makeup junkie. (Me, too!)

      Feeling some sort of cosmetic connection, I kind of wish Britta and I could go shopping together, but thanks to beautifulstranger.tv, I realize that we don't really have to. Is that anti-social of me?

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    • Five Light-and-Airy Ways To Wear Scent This Summer

      By Allure Daily Beauty Reporter | Fashion – Tue, Jul 8, 2008 9:32 PM EDT

      Yikes! The first and last time I wore one of my heavy fragrances in the summer I accidentally subjected five innocent bystanders to Todd Oldham's oriental. In the hot weather, a strong, dramatic fragrance becomes dramatically oppressive.

      Lesson learned: Look for lighter ways to wear scent in soup-like humidity. Here are some of my favorites:

      Donna Karan Limited Edition Cashmere Mist Fragrance Body Powder Compact. This is as portable as a solid perfume, but the coaster-sized compact and fat brush make it easy to cover a wider surface area on your body. Dust the powder over your arms, décolleté, shoulders, and even your legs. Yum!

      Diptyque Cologne Trio. Hooray! To celebrate their 40th anniversary, the chi-chi French brand rolled out a miniature trio of their subtle colognes: L'Eau de L'Eau, L'Eau des Hesperides and L'Eau de Neroli. Toss one, two, even all three in your bag when you need a lightweight fragrance fix. My favorite is L' Eau de Neroli. It even smells sunny.

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    • Oral-B's Pulsonic: Unlike any other electronic toothbrush

      By Allure Daily Beauty Reporter | Fashion – Mon, Jul 7, 2008 4:45 PM EDT

      I've always hated electronic toothbrushes. They're bulky, ugly, clunky, and the sound they make reminds me of a trip to my dentist's office. It's so unpleasant at any time of day, but especially right before I go to bed and certainly immediately after waking up.

      That's why I feel badly even calling the Oral-B Pulsonic an electric toothbrush. It's in a different class, folks. I used it for a good month before recommending it to you, because I couldn't believe that I'd actually dropped manual for this buzzing apparatus. (I thought I'd get over the novelty.) But the thing is, it's the most unoffensive sonic toothbrush yet. I can't imagine ever going back.

      It's only slightly thicker than a regular toothbrush, and it's lightweight. (The last electronic toothbrush I tried was so clumsy, it reminded me of a curling iron.)

      Best of all, it's so quiet. Now, I don't have to worry about waking up my boyfriend every time I brush my teeth, thankyouverymuch.

      All that, and it takes up

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    • New York Sun-kissed Skin: Bond No. 9's Fire Island

      By Allure Daily Beauty Reporter | Fashion – Thu, Jul 3, 2008 6:16 PM EDT

      I've never gone in on a summer share at the beach, but I've had enough friends talk about theirs to know that it's probably not for me. You see, I like sleeping, casual clothing, and settling down with a book on the beach-none of which seem to be a part of the itinerary there. From what my pals tell me, it's round-the-clock high drama during the weekend, and I just don't have the energy to deal when I'm trying to relax. Hey, to each his own, right?

      Much to my surprise, however, I'm really into Bond No. 9's Fire Island scent. The fragrance uses notes of cardamom, neroli, white musk (LOVE), and patchouli to replicate the scent of European bronzing oils mixed with body heat. Sizzle, sizzle. scent. The

      Though passersby can detect the scent even if they're not on top of you, Fire Island is supposed to replicate the smell of your skin up close. For me, it totally does.

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    • How To Beat Cellulite. Kind of.

      By Allure Daily Beauty Reporter | Fashion – Wed, Jul 2, 2008 4:56 PM EDT

      Who wears short shorts? Not me, sweeties! Genetically pre-disposed to cellulite and athletically-challenged, I'm hardly a candidate for those thigh-baring shorts you see in Abercrombie ads.

      Or at least, that's what I thought.

      I've been unimpressed by the cellulite solutions I've tried in the past, but when I recently broached the subject with Dr. Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, a New York City dermatologist, she made me realize my expectations were a bit too high. Most cellulite treatments are only temporary fixes that reduce the appearance of cellulite (read: no cure, nothing radical).

      Here, her suggestions that sounded most promising, even though they're not at all permanent:

      Alma Accent Your Body . Dr. AA is a fan of this dual-layer thermotherapy (in short, a laser treatment). The cheerfully named Accent Your Body uses radiofrequency technology to firm the collagen between your skin and cellulite (which is unevenly distributed fat cells between your skin and muscle

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