Blog Posts by Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

I feel the same way about bikini waxing as I do about adding RAM to my MacBook. Both are jobs best left to professionals.

So I was surprised to learn that Cindy Barshop, the founder of Completely Bare spas (and therefore the most unlikely supporter for amateur hair removal), has actually come up with a live action user's guide to at-home waxing.

The Completely Bare Waxing Webinar, which goes live July 17 from 7 to 7:45 P.M. EDT on completelybare.com will address topics like Waxing 101 (how to prep), Not All Wax Is Created Equal, At Home Waxing (by body part), and Bikini Waxing, for Basic, Brazilian, and "Completely Bare." (If you miss the event, it will be archived online afterward.)

Can we assume this is NSFW?

Maybe I should pop Cindy a note requesting she add one more segment to her Webinar's curriculum: How to drum up the courage to slap hot wax onto your skin and rip out your hair by the root.

I was positively "aww"-ing when I opened Lancôme's newest bronzing palette.

More squeal-inducing than some of the shots on cuteoverload.com, the new, limited-edition Star Bronzer Sun Cherub Compact is the glistening, powdered relief of a cherub cozying up to the sun. This multi-colored rendering has rays of terracotta, shimmering gold, and dark bronze which, when blended, look as beautiful and luminous on the skin as they do in the pan.

And speaking of the pan, it's gigantic (think CD-sized), which makes it perfect for body bronzing. Simply sweep a chubby Kabuki brush over the bronzer and whisk it over your neck, shoulders, and chest.

If it takes you a while to actually use this thing (instead of just gazing at it and showing it to anyone who'll pay attention), you're not alone. Maybe I'll have to order another one. (You know, just for show.)

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While many of you know that sun protection is completely critical, clearly, some of y'all think that means everything but the lips.

According to a new study, only a piddly 47 percent of beachgoers uses UV lip protection, compared with the 78 percent who used UV skin protection. (I'm completely baffled by that 22 percent who aren't protecting at all, but we'll address this crowd another day.)

The bare-lipped beachgoers had all kinds of lame excuses: Lack of concern, forgetting to bring or apply lip protection, bad taste, altered food and drink flavors, and comfort issues. I don't think my eyes can physically roll back far enough for that mamby-pamby nonsense. "Comfort issues?!?"

The fact is, lip cancer is real. And so are prematurely pruny, dried-up lips. Yes, I'm making a blatant ploy to appeal to your vanity. Lip protection is that imperative, I'll try just about anything. Starting with sunblock. This is non-negotiable, especially if you're wearing high-shine lip gloss. New

So, OK, I don't mean to be a traitor to my generation and all, but I don't get this whole chipped nail polish trend.

Girls are showing up with raggedy, eighth-day-after manicures and streaky, slapdash polish jobs and I'm supposed to think they're cool? The New York Times proposes lots of plausible reasons that women are coveting this unkempt look-it screams "I'm too busy/fabulous/tending to my Blackberry/playing guitar in a garage band to worry about the bourgeois perfect mani"-but to me, chipped-nail-polish-as-fashion-statement just seems arrogant, lazy, and uncreative.

Bottom line: It never looks good. I'm not going to even try and defend my position for this, because you and I both know the truth. If you're going for some renegade, anarchist style, kudos to you! I love that sort of thing. But I just don't think this is the route. All it takes to maintain chipped nail polish is indifference, and that's hardly the way to create A Look, and let's be honest-that is what you're

When I was about eight, my favorite Barbie came with its own bottle of real perfume (which smelled a lot like Versace Crystal Bright, but I digress...). I drained that bottle dry by the end of the school week, but apparently, I was a lightweight: According to a new study, tweenagers are guzzling up $500 million a year in beauty products.

While I'm sure these scarily savvy kids could introduce me to a few cool new items, I have a soft spot for these elementary school favorites, still available but now for a slightly higher price:

Bonne Bell Lipsmackers. When I took my first whiff of a root beer-flavored Lipsmacker, my mind was officially blown. Apparently, Bonne Bell and the crew still make the kids go 'nanas, because I see new (and frankly, still exciting) flavors each time I'm in my drugstore.

Love's Baby Soft. My older cousin wore Love's Baby Soft, and since she was in middle school and had guy friends, she was basically a demigod. Fickle thing that she was, she gave me

The high-def revolution is a modern miracle for Natural Geographic docs, but guess what-if you're ever on camera, high-def is nothing but a cruel and unusual joke.

With high-def TV, which is six times as sharp as traditional TV, tiny pores look like craters, a slight blemish doubles for cystic acne, and that slight blueness underneath the eyes looks like evidence of a bar brawl.

Add foundation into the mix, and the scenario only gets uglier, my friends.

I assume makeup artists are finding this new technology "challenging" to say the least, which is why Make Up For Ever developed High Definition Microfinish Powder. This translucent loose powder dulls shine and absorbs oil under the hot lights of a television or movie set, but yet the particles remain so light, they're completely undetectable to the folks at home watching it on HD.

While I'm not an actress, I've taken a shine to the techy powder. I dusted it over my foundation the other day, and under the notoriously

Now that it's getting a little warmer and designers aren't showing as many tent dresses as they were last year (traitors!!!), it's time to rethink that Paula Deen special you were planning on whipping up this weekend.

Wait, scratch that: I won't speak for you. Maybe you've retired your bulky sweaters and are feeling fine and dandy about your spring figure. If you are, bless your little heart (and butt).

I, on the other hand, continue my grand tradition of the pre-bikini panic diet. Here, my top tips to keep me in my skinny jeans (or at least out of my baggy ones):

1. Carry a Thin Pack. Stephen Gullo, the patron saint of food/mind control, told me to carry a Thin Pack on busy days so I don't reach for the Doritos. My personal Thin Pack Ziploc bag holds low-fat, low-cal, and high-fiber treats like 25-calorie hot cocoa, these crazy G.G. Scandinavian bran crackers that kill my cravings, and Laughing Cow Light cheese wedges. While I admit it this kit doesn't taste like a

WHOA. I was expecting Givenchy's new Tan to Go to work, just not this well, and certainly not this quickly.

Here's how I thought it would go: Following the instructions, I'd shake this can of temporary spray tan, aim it at my face from eight inches away, and calmly and lightly mist my face for several seconds until my desired color was achieved.

And here's how it actually went down: I shook the spray can, aimed it at my face from eight inches away, and BOOM!!! One blast-lasting about a third of a second-and my complexion was instantly tan, as if I'd just come back from a week-long holiday in Ibiza. Seriously, it was scary how quickly and effectively it worked. I even ran it down my arms and witnessed the same effect. (I felt like I was Judy Jetson-you know, how she can transform her appearance in one hot second?)

But the "gee whiz!" factor doesn't end there: Once it's on, you can't even feel it. The formula is composed of silicones, light oils, and coated pigments, but