Blog Posts by Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

by Madaline Donnelly

Getty Images Last week, Kim Kardashian went on Jay Leno to promote her new movie, Temptation, and talk all things Baby West. Noticeably absent? Her new bangs, which the star declared via Instagram to be "over." Blunt bangs, like the ones she debuted just weeks ago, can be hard to keep up-and are definitely not for the fickle, since they can take six months or more to grow out fully. If you, like Kim, are feeling buyer's remorse about hopping aboard one of the hottest trends of the season, here's how to hide them:

Product
Kim's soft waves don't look like they've been doused in product, but she most likely got some help keeping her fringe off her face. To keep your bangs at bay, try using a dollop of Nexxus Exxtra Gel, parting hair to the side like Kim or slicking bangs straight back into a sleek ponytail. Finish with hair spray.

See more: Best Hairstyles for Spring 2013

Braids
Spring and summer are the perfect time of year to bust out flirty braids. Weave bangs into a

by Elizabeth Siegel


Fairchild Archive When you spot a gray hair, you cover it up. It's annoying, but easy enough. But what about all of the other signs of aging hair, like dryness, dullness, and breakage? Here are two super easy ways you can make your hair look younger:

See more: The 10 Most Gorgeous Hair-Color Ideas for Brunettes

In the shower: After menopause, your scalp starts to produce less of the oils that "hydrate and strengthen your hair, and add shine," says Francesca Fusco, a dermatologist in New York City. That means you can go longer between shampoos without getting greasy--and you probably should, since shampoo strips hair of even more oil after it removes dirt and grime. Try sudsing up just the hair at your roots, and look for moisturizing shampoos (they're relatively gentle) or formulas that contain essential oils like almond, sunflower, and rosemary that help nourish the hair follicle so new hair can grow in stronger (provided you massage them into the root well) says Fusco. Two good

by Catherine Devine


Getty ImagesI know I'm a little late to the game, but I finally started using a facial cleansing brush a few weeks ago. I'd heard my coworkers and friends rave about them for years, about how glow-y their skin looked and how smooth it felt, so I couldn't wait to use one. I thought my skin would look Jennifer Aniston flawless after using it once. What I got, though, was the total opposite: My face broke out--badly.

Aside from a few zits every now and then (which I could probably attribute to my slight affection for chocolate), I've luckily never had a serious acne problem. But after a few days of using the brush with my everyday cleanser (Philosophy Purity Face Wash), my face was spackled in pimples. I freaked out big time. According to dermatologist Jason Emer, this is totally normal.

"At the beginning, your skin might flare, probably within the first two weeks," he said. "The dead skin cells that are being sloughed off plug up your pores. But as your skin gets used to it,

by Jenna Rosenstein


CN Digital Studio It seems to be my lot in life to fall in love with products that face imminent discontinuation (TaB Energy, anyone?). In 2007, I was introduced to my signature scent: Diesel Fuel for Life. I spritzed it recklessly until the day in 2010 when I was told that it, too, was facing extinction.

Since then, I have never gone more than a month or two without somehow acquiring a new bottle (warning: A trip overseas may be in order!). Here are my tips for pushing the inevitable day when you need to find a new signature scent as far down the road as possible:

See more: The 12 Best Eye Creams

Act fast. The moment you learn that your perfume is exiting brick-and-mortar retailers, hop online to build yourself a back stock. Amazon and other online retailers may still carry the scent for months, even years after it disappears from stores. Cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer suggests storing your stockpile in the refrigerator or another cold, dark place to protect the integrity of the

by Patrick Rogers


courtesy of Scope




















Oscar Wilde once wrote that true progress is to know more, to be more, and to do more. I am so sorry he's not around to see the opportunities afforded by modern science: Scope Mouthwash has announced a new flavor--bacon. Bacon! And not simply bacon: The smoked pork flavor of this supposed oral rinse lasts only as long as you swish it around in your mouth, then morphs into a minty freshness once you spit it out. Sound too good (or gross) to be true? Spoiler alert: The timing is fishy on this one, folks. Take a look at your calendar--April Fool's Day is just around the corner.

More from Allure:
Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains
How to Wear Bangs
The 12 Best Eye Creams
Best Hairstyles for Spring 2013

by Grace Clarke


CN Digital Studio The alternate title for this blog could have been "Kim Kardashian Goes to the Spa; the Twitterverse Freaks Out." Last week alone, the pregnant half of KimYe tweeted pictures of herself mid-vampire facial (so. much. blood.), covered in needles during acupuncture, and getting a spray tan with Kardashian Glow sunless tanner mist. "Sprayed tonight after watching KKTM! My legs are soooo dark!" she captioned the last picture. She received more than 2,000 comments, many of them questioning whether it's safe for a pregnant woman to coat herself in chemicals for the sake of a sunny glow. I asked Ashley Roman, an ob-gyn at NYU's Langone Medical Center who specializes in high-risk and special-needs pregnancies, about the risks of sun-free tanning when you're expecting.

See more: The 12 Best Eye Creams

It seems like everything is forbidden when you're pregnant--are sunless tanning lotions harmful, too? "There haven't been any studies that evaluate the safety of using sunless

If you wear nothing else, at least cover your nails with one of this season's sexy shades.

More from Allure:

Top 21 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

How to Wear Bangs

The 12 Best Eye Creams

The 10 Most Gorgeous Hair-Color Ideas for Brunettes

by Lexi Novak


WWD/Kyle EricksenAfter years of denial and multiple attempts with a flatiron--thankfully there was no Facebook to publically immortalize my "awkward phase"--I finally came to grips with a fact: I have very curly hair. But now that I've embraced my ringlets, I've run into yet another dilemma, which is that wearing the same spirals every day can get boring. Since I don't want to just scald my hair straight, I asked celebrity hairstylist Diane Bailey, whose clients include Beyoncé and Lauren Hill, for some tips on how to reinvent curly hair.

See more: The 12 Best Eye Creams

Voluminous Curls
For a "more is more" look, try allover volume with tight, springy curls. Start by almost completely drying freshly washed hair with a diffuser "to reduce frizz and preserve the natural curl pattern," says Bailey. Apply a curl styling mousse for added hold (such as Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Boosting Mousse). Then, working in half-inch sections, wrap hair around rubber curling rods. "Hold them