Blog Posts by Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

Photo: Courtesy of Ecosse FilmsElizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

In high school, my friends and I used to debate about what celebrity would play us in the movie version of our lives. I've been told (on a good day) that I look like Liv Tyler and (on a not-so-good day) Alanis Morissette. It's not just fun to speculate, but an interesting exercise in understanding how other people see you-really, I look like Liv? Why, thank you!

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The celebrity doppelganger game goes to a whole new level when one celebrity plays another. Recently, there have been a bunch of actresses cast in roles where they're playing real-life women we know and love. In these situations, you want an actress who not only bears a physical resemblance to the woman she plays, but seems to be like her in other ways too. I love the casting of Naomi Watts as Princess Diana (an uncanny resemblance, above). I'm rooting for Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor.

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There

Roger CabelloRenee Trilivas, Allure magazine

It turns out chocolate doesn't just provide comfort on a rough day-a new study reports that chocolate helps protect against UV rays. Better yet, this isn't a matter of slathering chocolate fondue all over your body.

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The Journal of Nutrition reports that the superfood contains antioxidants epicatechin and catechin that shield skin from the sun- only when you eat it. Women who consumed 326 milligrams of high-flavanol cocoa per day for 12 weeks had decreased sensitivity to UV light versus the participants who ingested just 27 milligrams per day. Another bonus for chocolate lovers? The study also showed that the women who ate more chocolate had smoother, more hydrated skin. (A note of caution: the study doesn't claim that chocolate will provide adequate UV protection all on it's own, so for now we'll be slathering on our broad-spectrum SPF while we stuff our face with the sweet stuff.)

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Catherine Q. O'Neill, Allure magazine

So I've been dating this guy pretty seriously for about five months, and there's something I haven't told him. I'm seeing other people.

Three other people, actually: Jason, Matt, and Greg.

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Before any given date night, I'll spend about an hour and a half with these guys, sipping champagne and spilling my guts, while they run their fingers through my hair-blow-drying it, actually (at Bumble & Bumble, Sally Hershberger, and Blow, respectively). The truth is, I haven't gone on one date this year without a blowout. And the guy I'm seeing doesn't know it (or he didn't until now, if he's reading this).

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But aside from fooling him into thinking I wake up in the morning with shiny, glossy waves-I don't see anything wrong with my dalliances. The experience relaxes me (there is a 10-minute scalp massage involved) and gets me excited for the

Kate Sullivan, Allure magazine

Grabbing a cup of coffee with an ex or an after-work drink is a sign that the two of you can still enjoy each others' company. But don't order a scone or jalapeño poppers-because adding food to the mix may complicate things: A new study from Cornell University shows that eating with an ex triggers greater sexual jealousy from one's current partner.

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Researchers worked with couples in which one partner was contacted by an ex for either a meal or drink-related meet-up and found that regardless of gender, "meals elicit more jealousy than face-to-face interactions that do not involve eating-such as having coffee," said the study's co-author Kevin M. Kniffin. It's actually kind of funny that there's this reaction when you think about how unattractive eating itself is: Masticating food? Really? That's riskier than seductively blowing on a too-hot cup of tea?

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Kate Sullivan, Allure magazine

The hushed and hurried voice listing a drug's many side effects at the end of a commercial always makes my ears perk up. "May cause sleep-fighting...." Wait, did she just say sleep-fighting? Is that a thing? But I am also mostly assured that while these side effects exist, they're probably not that common. (Two people sleep-fight while on this medication, and now the company has to mention it. I mean, maybe they would have sleep-fought anyway. I don't know their lives). But perhaps I'm taking the warnings a little too lightly-and maybe bald dudes are, too. A recent study at George Washington University has found that the sexual side effects of the hair-loss drug Propecia can last for months, even years, after a man stops taking the drug. Um, yikes.

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The study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, was given the Cliff Notes treatment by ABC News. Here are the deets: Fifty-four men under age 40 who had

Alexandra Owens, Allure magazine

I saw a gossip item online about Vera Wang's divorce-and it speculated that the black wedding dresses in her most recent bridal collection (that's one of them, above) were some kind of doom-and-gloom foreshadowing. Fact is, Vera Wang has always broken bridal traditions-and ignoring the old saying "Married in black, you'll wish you were back" makes total sense for a woman who brought a new level of chicness to an often-tacky industry. A modern bride can wear gray, pink, or anything in-between and still look stunning and, of course, stay happy. I mean, I think we can safely assume that Dita Von Teese's divorce from Marilyn Manson had nothing to do with her incredible purple Vivienne Westwood gown.

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But wearing white on your wedding day is far from the only outdated style law, and it's a good thing that a lot of them lately are getting turned on their heads. Remember when making your lipstick and

Catherine Q. O'Neill, Allure magazine

It's summer, which means high heels and higher hemlines. And, if you lack coordination like me, more opportunities to show off the constellation of bruises on your legs. Blame it on the increase in outdoor activities-or, I don't know, daytime drinking-but we girls tend to fall down a lot more in the summer. And when it's time to slip into your favorite blue and purple sundress, the last thing you want is for the welt on your knee to match. I talked to makeup artist Quinn Murphy, who works with some of the leggiest in the business (Victoria's Secret models, hello!), for his tips on quickly concealing splotches, bumps, and scrapes. As for healing your bruised ego, you're on your own.

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Bruises
Depending on the severity of the bruise, you might need to break out the concealer. If the bruise is dark black or brown, go for one that is two to three shades lighter than your skintone.

Anne-Marie Guarnieri, Allure magazine

News Flash: Looking like a princess is really, really expensive. ABC News did some digging into the cost of Kate Middleton's beauty upkeep, and what they discovered is a royal twist on Dolly Parton's oft-repeated chestnut, "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap." True, but honey, it takes a lot more to look this glossy.

Just take a look at these numbers:

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• Blowouts (thrice weekly): $11,700 a year
• Haircuts, color, treatments: $18,000
• Makeup (assuming she replaces products three times a year: $1,200.
• Facials (once a month): $3,120
• Manicures (bi-monthly): $3,500
• Spray tans (as needed): $2,800

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That's an estimated total of $40,320 a year. And this on the heels of a Daily Mail report estimating that the Duchess of Cambridge has spent upward of $50,000 on clothing so far this year, paid for,