Blog Posts by Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

Joan Kron, Allure magazine

The gummy bears have finally arrived, and I'm not talking about chewy candies. Gummy bear also happens to the the nom-de-boob of the next-generation silicone breast implant, so called because the gel inside is firmer than in current models.

Picture it like this. If you were to cut open implants now on the market, the clear gel inside would slowly form a puddle on the table. But not so with the gummy bears. "If you removed the shell covering, the silicone inside would retain its shape," says Grant Stevens, a plastic surgeon in Marina del Rey, California, who participated in trials of two brands and claims he gave them the nickname. "I got tired of explaining to patients that they're sort of like Jello-which, when you cut it in squares, holds its shape. One day I just said, 'They're like gummy bears.'" Soft, but not runny.

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Gummy bears appeal to women mainly because they hold their shape in the event of a

Credit unknownAlexandra Owens, Allure magazine

By now, you've probably heard about the latest source of outrage on the Internet: Samantha Brick, the moderately pretty Daily Mail reporter who claims that her extraordinary beauty is a terrible burden. I know, I know, another example of contemporary "look at me!" journalism... But what's more interesting than the article itself is the outpouring of reader response to it.

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Here are a couple of highlights from the The Daily Mail comments section: "To all those saying this poor woman is no oil painting-I think she is. A Picasso," and, "I've seen better heads on a pint of Guinness." Barbara Walters put it a bit more gently when she said what we were all thinking on a recent episode of The View, "At the risk of being really not-so-nice…she's [Brick] got a problem. She's not that beautiful. OK?"

Which begs the question, would the backlash be less vicious if Brick were prettier? In her articles, she comes

Sophia Panych, Allure magazine

A model's best beauty tip? Get good genes. But that doesn't meant that these beauties haven't picked up a thing or two backstage from the world's best makeup artists. During the fall/winter shows, I asked a few familiar faces to divulge the makeup tips they actually use off the runway:

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The look-awake fakeout. "Before I started modeling I never curled my lashes-ever. Now I won't walk out the door without doing it. You don't have to wear any makeup even if you do that," says girl of the gorgeous-lips, Daphne Groeneveld.

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To control contouring. "I've learned to use light contouring powder on my skin and apply it very softly," says Jamie Bochert. "Makeup artists love to contour, but my face is thin as it is-it doesn't need to be any thinner!

To cover undereye circles. "Since I have very dark circles, the best thing I've picked up is how to apply my concealer to

Photo courtesy of Byredo ParfumesHeather Muir, Allure magazine

A day doesn't go by when someone doesn't stroll by my office and say, "Wow it smells good in there. What is that?" Ha. As if there was just one product contributing to the very unique beauty editor's office scent. There are hundreds (hear me, hundreds!) of rose-scented lipsticks, citrusy lotions and coconut-and-vanilla self tanners in my office right now. Not to mention the dozens of new perfumes I spritz every day.

See more: Find the Best Haircut for Your Face Shape

So when I took Byredo Parfum's new candle-Loose Lips (I know, the name made me cringe, too)- home and lit it, I was intrigued. Suddenly my living room smelled like....my office! Turns out the scent was inspired by the perfumer's memory of his mother applying makeup (aw). How'd he capture the scent? The fragrance contains rose water, violet, morello cherry, rice powder, and oris butter notes. And it comes in a large size (shown above) as well as an adorable travel-size version (which I love

Elizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

Katy Perry's blue hair is still going strong, but others are ditching-or at least taking a break from-Crayola hair. Rihanna (whose hair has been fire engine red, then bleach-blond) and Lauren Conrad (peach and rainbow-colored) are now jet black and blond, respectively. In light of this return to normalcy, we asked Amy Huson of the Marie Robinson Salon in New York City how to recover from extreme color.

See more: Find the Best Haircut for Your Face Shape

If you're blond with pastel streaks: That's easy. Most salons use stains like Manic Panic to create the look. "It should wash out at home within a few weeks," says Huson.

If you're blond with vibrant streaks: This one requires a trip to the salon, but it's also a simple fix. "Ask for a really mild bleach shampoo to loosen up the color," says Huson. "That will make it more of a pastel, and then it should fade away on it's own."

See more: The Best Beauty Products Under $9

If you're a brunette: This is

Photo courtesy of odinnewyork.comPatrick Rogers, Allure magazine

Does the redwood forest belong to men or to women?

This isn't one of those unanswerable Zen Buddhist questions. Lately, I've been pondering the nature of unisex fragrance, which is one of the buzzwords of the industry these days, especially among independent perfumers who survive on small batches and a discerning clientele.

See more: The 10 Commandments of Mascara

A colleague at work happened to give me a sniff of 07 Tanoke, the new fragrance from Odin, a Manhattan men's store that sells Burkman Brothers and Thom Browne and launched its own fragrance line two years ago. All of Odin's six scents are marketed as unisex, from the citrusy 02 Owari, their best seller, to 06 Amanu, which smells grassy and slightly Asiatic, thanks to both jasmin flower and root. (There's no 05: "Chanel," explains co-owner Edward Chai.)

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"We want to create scents with no parameters," says Chai-meaning (I think) fragrances

Elizabeth Siegel, Allure magazine

I'll admit it. When I was younger, I had a case of blonde envy. I wanted golden surfer girl hair. And I wanted it bad. If only my little 13 year old self had known that the deep, dark hair flowing out of my head would one day become the hair color of the moment. Emily Blunt recently went super dark-a full three shades darker than her natural hue, says her colorist Tracey Cunningham of Byron and Tracey Salon in Beverly Hills. Hairstylist Paul Hanlon dyed models hair nearly black for Proenza Schouler's fall 2012 runway. And of course, there's Rooney Mara. Want to try out the trend? Here, Cunningham's tips for going extra dark:

See more: The 10 Commandments of Mascara

Be extra sure you want to go dark. Trying on a wig before coloring your hair may sound like a waste of time, but it's worth it. That's because A) not everyone looks good with super dark hair and B) it's a major commitment. "It's not easy to go back," says Cunningham. If you're very fair,

Heather Muir, Allure magazine

The beauty world received some juicy scoop today when WWD broke the news that designer Marc Jacobs will be creating a makeup line. (My initial thought: I can't wait to see the ads-anyone remember Bang's advertising campaign?)

See more: The 10 Commandments of Mascara

Ok, the bad news: you can't go out and snap up the whole collection tomorrow-it's still in the early stages. In fact, Jacobs said that he had his first meeting about the line last week. But if it's anything like his uber-popular fragrances (think Daisy, Lola, and, most likely, Dot, out this July), we smell success. So how does Jacobs feel about makeup? He told WWD, "The idea of choosing a color for your lip, or an eyeliner-it's just such a delight."

See more: The Best Beauty Products Under $9

We couldn't agree more! So for now, we'll daydream about some sure to be crazy-bright shades and fun (maybe kooky?) packaging. And of course we'll keep you posted.


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