Blog Posts by Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

Photo: Courtesy of diapers.comHeather Muir, Allure magazine

Like many readers, I was disturbed after reading the story about how sisters Violet and Zoe Michener were taken to the hospital for bad sunburns they got because their school requires a doctor's note to bring any over-the-counter products, including sunscreen, to school (without one, they aren't even allowed to carry it in their backpacks). The reasoning behind the policy is this: "Because so many additives in lotions and sunscreens cause allergic reaction in children, you have to really monitor that," according to Tacoma School District Spokesman Dan Voelpel.

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

Now I'd understand why you might require a note for a pain killer or anti-histamine, but sunscreen? Are lotion and sunscreen allergies a real danger to many children? I rang up Joshua Zeichner, director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research in the Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, for his take. "People do develop

Anne-Marie Guarnieri, Allure magazine

Solid perfume can be a bit of a heartbreaker. There was my first love: It came in an utterly gorgeous, crazy expensive bejeweled case, but had so little scent that it reminded me of floral-tinged Crisco. Then there was the super-intense, back-to-nature one that I adored, until it melted one hot summer afternoon, leaving a greasy puddle in one of my favorite bags. Oh solid perfume, why must you be so inconsistent?

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

With so much to offer-they should be perfect for travel, relatively mess-free, and hard to over-apply-I thought you might appreciate recommendations for solid perfumes that are suited for summer. Here are three that won't turn funky, lose their scent-or ruin an expensive bag:

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Tocca Profumo Solido in Stella: This citrusy-woodsy fragrance is light but substantial, much like clothing designs. The chic round pot reminds me of a fancy

Elizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

Okay, I have no evidence that they're smug...yet. Wait for my study, America!

Anyway, this week while I was looking for something to distract me from getting my to-do list done, I came across a great how-to article on LifeHacker on staying productive after work. So I spent the time when I should have been focusing on a project for a friend's birthday/packing for a vacation/clearing out superfluous belongings that I don't want to move with later this summer reading that post!

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

I was totally inspired until I got to the end, when they suggested getting up early and doing this shizz in the morning instead. They linked to research that morning people crush it productivity-wise. Yeah, yeah, I've heard it before. In fact, I've heard it while watching the news in my bathrobe up until the absolute last minute that I have to get dressed and go to work. I don't wake up especially early, but I'm a morning person in the

Elizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

By now, you know to wear sunscreen every day. But did you know that your dog may need SPF, too? Weird but, as anyone who's been unfortunate enough to deal with a sunburned dog knows, true. "There is a low incidence of squamous cell carcinoma in dogs-especially ones with short, thin, or white hair-because they don't have the same protective pigments as darker-haired dogs," says veterinarian Jim Dasbach of Greenwich Village Animal Hospital in New York City. "Hairless breeds like the Chinese crested and Mexican hairless are also more susceptible."

See more: The 6 Most Flattering Haircuts for Round Faces

The easiest way to protect your pet with sunscreen is with a fragrance-free spray formula. (I mean, unless you want to experience what chasing a greased pig at the rodeo might be like.) Mist it over the body, and use a dry washcloth or your hands to rub it onto the exposed skin of the ears.

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

It's likely

CN Digital StudioShannon Ray, Allure magazine

Shannon Ray was the winner of the 2012 Allure Beauty Blogger Awards and is now contributing to the Daily Beauty Reporter.

I have to confess something, you guys. I'm not much of a spa girl. Now before you throw your hot massage stones at me, hear me out. I hate getting massages, because the massage therapist is always saying, "Relax! You're all tensed up." And I'm all, "Hello. A stranger is massaging my naked body. How the eff am I supposed to relax?" And although I have never had something as luxurious as a mud bath, I do have several important concerns regarding them. Such as-Where does all of that mud, ahem, go?

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

Instead, I prefer to do some DIY spa treatments at home, where I'm the only one that can judge my cellulite. (Another fear of mine with massages. I have a lot of issues, what can I say?) I have compiled some of my favorites that you can try, whether it's laziness, neuroses, or budget that

Photo: Courtesy of walmart.comHeather Muir, Allure magazine

When my boyfriend and I recently opened his pool for the summer, he requested a sunscreen refill (ah, the perks of dating a beauty editor). I was more than happy to load him up, especially with a product of this much importance. But when I asked for his favorite, his pulled out a bottle of SPF 4-wait, it gets worse-oil. I went bananas.

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This obviously wasn't going to protect our skin all summer. (Thankfully, he also regularly wears a higher lever of sun protection in a sport-sunscreen form. Whew.) But his suncare habits made more sense after I read the study just released by the Skin Cancer Foundation and the makers of Banana Boat that reveals a gender divide in skin cancer awareness and prevention. Some alarming stats: 49 percent of men surveyed admitted that they haven't applied sunscreen in the past year. Say what? Equally as disturbing: 70 percent of men don't even know what skin cancer warning signs to

Anne-Marie Guarnieri, Allure magazine

Anyone who's ever been single (by chance or by choice) has probably tried every traditional method of meeting someone-as well as some non-traditional approaches-at least once. So when a new dating craze pops up, a weary sigh seems to be the best response. And pheromone parties, the latest trend, might elicit a side-eye, too. But not so fast: Maybe you can smell your way to love?

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According to the Wall Street Journal, the way a pheromone party works is this: Wear a T-shirt to bed to capture your unique aroma, put it in a Ziploc, and bring it to the party. There, hopeful romantics smell the shirt and seek out the owner of the one whose scent they find most alluring. And boom! Love connection, right?

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Well, possibly: A 1995 study by the University of Bern showed that women were more attracted to men whose natural odors were different from their own-

Danielle Pergament, Allure magazine

An Interview With Linda Wells

Wells, the editor in chief of Allure, travels regularly to Europe for the fashion shows.

If you forget your shampoo in Paris, it can be fun to browse the local pharmacy, but if you're on a Caribbean island an hour from the nearest store, you don't want to get stuck using your son's Axe shampoo. (I speak from experience.) I've since mastered this simple system.

See more: Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

Make a list. My travel kit is always packed, so I'm never starting from scratch-it just needs to be replenished. I keep a master list of everything I need, then stick a note in my kit whenever I deplete something, so I remember to replace it.

See more: The 10 Commandments of Mascara

Go small. Travel sizes of your favorite products can be hard to come by. I buy mini bottles and jars at a beauty store, fill them with shampoo or moisturizer, and label them with a Sharpie. I squeeze each bottle until the formula is right