Blog Posts by Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

Elizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

Everyone knows what not to do to pimples: Don't pop them. Don't pick at them. Don't go crazy scrubbing them. But it turns out, we don't have any idea what we should actually use. Allergan (the company that makes Botox and some topical acne treatments) did a recent survey, finding that 53 percent of women ages 25 to 45 have used three or more different acne treatment products in the past year. Is this due to impatience or ineffectiveness? "It can take weeks for treatments to kick in. Studies evaluating acne medications usually last around three months," says Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in the dermatology department at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. But all the patience in the world won't help if you're using the wrong product. Here's your handy-dandy pimple primer:

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

Red, bumpy pimples. "They respond really well to benzoyl peroxide," says Zeichner, which also

Danielle Pergament, Allure magazine

"On one hand, it's incredibly glamorous to travel the world with a famous movie star. On the other hand…" When I interviewed Scott Barnes (a.k.a. Jennifer Lopez's makeup artist) a few months ago, we talked about life in the entourage-how he first met Jennifer, how he created her famous glowy skin, and how he became one of the very few people in her inner circle and stayed there for almost a decade. But we also talked about the dark side of life in the celebrity fast lane.

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

Barnes traveled the world with Lopez: "Jennifer's schedule was also my schedule," he said. "My daily life was, 'Get on a plane, you have to do a movie premiere.' On the one hand, it's incredibly glamorous to travel the world with a famous movie star, on the other hand your life is not your own." And then one day it all ended. Barnes was accused of leaking information about his famous client and friend to the media and he found himself

Fairchild ArchiveElizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

Girls have a way of taking a bad breakup out on their hair. The chances are good that you've had at least one friend suddenly go blonde or chop off all of her long hair after a relationship ended. The chances are also pretty good that that "friend" could be you.

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

That's not to say there's anything wrong with the breakup makeover. They're cathartic, and sometimes, making a simple change like getting highlights can also be empowering. And take Reese Witherspoon. She famously busted out those bangs after her 2006 separation from then-hubby Ryan Phillippe-and they arguably become more famous than the divorce itself.

See more: The 10 Commandments of Mascara

But have you ever known a guy to change his look after a break up? I can't think of one dude I know who has gone blonde after being dumped. Leave it to John Mayer to be our first public example! Right after he and Katy Perry reportedly ended their

Elizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

There are people out there who say they look forward to fall: they can't wait to wear sweaters, they like the crisp, cool air. Well every time I hear that, I think they must be lying. I cling onto summer like it will never end, right up to that final, melancholy outside dinner. And I've been stockpiling fragrance and makeup that will help me through the still-warm weeks after Labor Day has come and gone. Here are my beauty products picks to make summer feel endless:

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

Demeter Suntan Lotion. This perfume smells just like the most pleasing SPF you've ever used-and it won't leave your skin feeling greasy.

Oribe Aprés Beach Spray. This texturizing mist is a hairstylists' favorite for good reason. I spritz it on dry hair for a mussed beachy texture, or after I use a medium-barrel curling iron to give waves a loose, surfer-girl vibe.

See more: The 10 Commandments of Mascara

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha

Catherine Q. O'Neill, Allure magazine

We all know that without NASA, there would be no La Mer. But not all beauty products were created in a lab. Here, five cult favorites-and their very interesting backstories.

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

Scott Barnes Body Bling
While shooting a scene for MTV's Fashionably Loud in Mexico, makeup artist Scott Barnes needed to make a bunch of pale models tan fast. He ran back to his hotel room, dumped all of his brown pigments and shimmer into a blender, and turned it on. Two weeks later, he met Jennifer Lopez, who became known for her J.Lo glow (though she didn't get it entirely on her own).

Bonne Bell Lip Smackers
Avid skier Jesse Bell was sick of keeping his lips moisturized with nasty, medicinal balms (seriously, have you ever tasted that stuff? It's awful). So he created a line of flavored balms that were much more pleasant to swipe on lips before each run. Lip Smackers soon became the sponsor of the U.S. women's

AllureCatherine Q. O'Neill, Allure magazine

If Call Me Maybe is the song of the summer, then sock buns are the hairstyle. These days, every girl (in New York City at least) is wrapping her ponytail into an oversize, perfectly symmetrical bun. The secret? A mesh styling donut or, literally, a sock. And while we love the way they make our buns look on the outside, they just aren't doing anything for us on the inside. How do we put this nicely? They are fug. The brown mesh donuts look like "a pile of dog poo," according to one Allure editor. And using a sock isn't any more inspiring. But why should we care if nobody can see it, you might ask? Well, if we took that approach to life, Victoria's Secret would go out of business.

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

Thankfully, one smart little entrepreneur heard our cry for a cute bun plumper. And the Lovely Little Hair Bun was born.

See more: The 6 Most Flattering Haircuts for Round Faces

These adorable styling donuts are wrapped in

Alexandra Owens, Allure magazine

Tom Ford has never shied away from speaking his mind-remember when he confessed that he spends most of his alone time in the buff? But the designer is getting a big, collective eye-roll across the internet for his latest comment: that Gisele Bündchen, who is all of 32, should get ready to be old and ugly. "This sounds negative, but when you're considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, it's very, very hard when that starts to slip away. It's hard to feel good about yourself when people react to you differently," he says in the fall issue of VMAN, where he interviews her husband, Tom Brady. "I know through some of my best friends who are really famous actresses-I'm not going to mention their names-who were at one point considered to be among the most beautiful women in the world at different periods of time, and how hard it is for them emotionally. So I hope Gisele is prepared for that, because it's so difficult."

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Courtesy of a Danjia Skin Care, British Beauty Blogger, Asian BlushElizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

Still trying to wrap your head around BB creams? (Pssst, we'll help you out. They're souped-up moisturizers that cover like a sheer foundation and treat various skin care concerns such as acne or wrinkles.) Well now, there's a whole new category of multi-tasking formulas: CC creams. Short for "Color and Care" or "Color and Correct", CC creams are essentially BB creams on steroids.

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

They're designed to offer more coverage than BB creams (but still go on sheer), moisturize better, and they contain hardcore anti-aging ingredients. Look out for the first CC cream to hit the Unites States this October: Olay Total Effects CC Tone Correcting Moisturizer. The tinted formula contains 2-percent N-acetyl glucosamine and 4-percent niacinimide. The duo is "highly effective at reducing the appearance of pigmentation at six and eight weeks," says Mary Johnson, a scientist for Procter & Gamble, makers of Olay.

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