Blog Posts by Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

Photo: Courtesy of mcphee.comElizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

We test a lot of beauty products here at Allure HQ. And sometimes one is so ridiculous, you just have to blog about it. Here are three that had us wondering, Why do these product categories even exist?

See more: The Best Beauty Products Under $9

Exfoliating shave cream: Shaving in and of itself is one of the best ways to exfoliate. (Just ask Caroline Manzo from The Real Housewives of New Jersey.) And shaving cream stays on your skin for about 10 seconds. When you add that up, there's about zero real reasons you would need this.

See more: The 10 Commandments of Mascara

Savory lip balm. Who wants Cheeto breath? Apparently, someone does (but it's not this girl). Lip balms in flavors like potato chips and bacon-gross.

See more: Find the Best Haircut for Your Face Shape

Vagina-specific soap. These always bear the warning "for external use only," so it's unclear what makes them more suited to washing your ladyparts than a gentle body wash.

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Photo: Courtesy of nordstrom.comElizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

Smoky eyes are nothing new, but every now and then I see a version so glamorous that I do a double take. Case in point: Charlize Theron, above, at the premiere of Snow White and The Huntsman in London. And though Theron wears them incredibly well, makeup artist Pati Dubroff gets the credit for creating the sultry look. She shared her tips for how to recreate the look.

See more: The Best Beauty Products Under $9

1. Prep your eyes with a primer (my personal favorite is Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original, which prevents shadow from creasing even on my super-greasy lids).

See more: The 10 Commandments of Mascara

2. With a dome brush, apply a grey cream eyeshadow under your lower lash lines and over your eyelids, extending it beyond your outer corners to create an exaggerated wing shape. (Dubroff used Nars Cream Eyeshadow in Lili Marlene.) Layer a matte flesh-colored shadow over your whole lid and then top them off with a sparkly silver.

Elizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

Just when I started getting excited for summer, the CDC shared some pretty disturbing news: according to a study released last week, "young adults" (men and women ages 18 to 29) don't always practice safe sunning. In 2010, half of them reported getting at least one sunburn over the past year and about a third of white women went to tanning beds. Now, we've talked about the dangers of tanning (and, worse, burning) a billion times. You know not to step foot near a tanning bed. And you've read some pretty scathing reviews of tanorexia in the news (including allure.com) lately.

See more: Find the Best Haircut for Your Face Shape

But even if you're more diligent than the average beach goer, accidents do happen. Knowing how to treat a burn can minimize pain and damage done. Here's what to do if you do slip up:

1. Take two ibuprofen right away.

See more: The Best Beauty Products Under $9

2. Jump in a cold shower or layer bags of frozen peas over the

Sophia Panych, Allure magazine

As beauty editor, I probably pick up a new tip or technique every day of the week. But when it comes to true inspiration, nobody has replaced my mother. She was the first person I saw put on lipstick, use a blow-dryer, spray on fragrance, or paint her nails, and I remember every word of her beauty wisdom. One example: wash your face twice a day. My mom, Marcia, hates the feeling of dirty skin, so she makes sure to cleanse once in the morning and once at night. I ended up picking up the same habit, to the point where no matter how tired I am, I cannot go to bed without washing my face. I want my skin to look as good as hers at 60 (sorry, Mom, but you look damn good for your age!)

See more: The Best Beauty Products Under $9

In honor of Mother's Day, I asked the Allure ladies to divulge the best beauty advice they ever got from their mothers. They really do know best!

Hold the makeup. "Although my mom wasn't a big makeup wearer, she always made a point to

Rory Evans, Allure magazine

If only you slathered sunscreen all over your body with the backs of your hands instead of your palms, they wouldn't look a decade older than your face. "The hands, the ears, and the décolleté-those are the places so many people miss," says Seth Matarasso, a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. Here, some other commonly missed targets.

See more: The Best Beauty Products Under $9

1. Around and between your eyes. "People are afraid sunscreen will sting their eyes," says Darrell Rigel, a clinical professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center, "but if you get a sport formula, it's designed to be gentler in that area." Rigel also points out that righties tend to apply more lightly on the left side of their face, and vice versa. Keep this in mind when you're spreading it on, and aim for evenness.

2. Lips. Even when you do protect your lips with lotion, licking, wiping, and blotting can remove it. Use a waxy lip

Catherine Q. O'Neill, Allure magazine

Yesterday, when supermodel Coco Rocha tweeted that she was already in hair hours before the Met Gala, we knew we were in for something big. But it wasn't her side-swept waves or even her vintage Givenchy pantsuit that had style bloggers drooling-it was her My-Little-Pony pink extensions.

Rocha is certainly not the first celebrity to go pink-or non-celebrity for that matter. But there's something to say when your hairstyle is shocking enough to distract photographers from the Met's notorious fashion set-or at least Anja Rubik's leg.

See more: The Best Beauty Products Under $9

While many of us can't afford Givenchy-anything (let alone a celebrity colorist on speed-dial), mimicking Rocha's look at home is surprisingly easy and affordable. If you're ready to take the plunge, rather than try it out for a few days, follow these tips from Rick Wellman, owner and color director of the Patrick Melville Salon & Spa in New York City:

Start light:

PHOTO: © CHANEL 2012 - Greg WilliamsElizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

Following in Nicole Kidman and Audrey Tautou's footsteps, professional heartthrob Brad Pitt is the newest face of what's arguably the most classic women's fragrance of all time. It's unorthodox, and we can't wait to see how it plays out. Hey, it's about time someone used a hot guy to move women's perfume! The ads are pretty much guaranteed to make Chanel history-here are some other little-known Chanel No. 5 facts you can drop at your next dinner party:

See more: The Best Beauty Products Under $9

1. In 1920, Coco Chanel set out to make a perfume that would let the wearer smell like a woman, not a flower.

2. The nose behind the fragrance, Ernest Beaux, based the scent on a perfume that he originally sold in Russian, called Rallet 1. It was a failure.

See more: The 10 Commandments of Mascara

3. Beaux bottled 10 variations on the original scent. Coco chose the fifth option, naming it No. 5 (her lucky number).

4. Rumor has it that the bottle was

Photo: Courtesy of barneys.comElizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

This past weekend, I went to my first of five weddings happening this year. There was a lot to be impressed by (the bride, the venue, the food), but one less-expected detail stuck out: a girl at my table's hot pink lipstick didn't fade or it's loose it's sheen for a nanosecond. She could have been extra stealthy about sneaking away to touch it up. But it's more likely that the women who look great all night are following these tried-and-true tricks for making their makeup wear longer. (Oh, and in case you're wondering, her long-lasting shade was Revlon Super Lustrous in Fuchsia Fusion-I asked.)

See more: The Best Beauty Products Under $9

Lipstick. There's one thing worse than lipstick that's faded in the center of your lips ... lipstick that's faded in the center of lips that have also become dry and chapped. To prevent lips from cracking, apply a non-greasy lip balm first. (I like By Terry Baume de Rose; it keeps lips moisturized without smudging the