Blog Posts by Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

by Alexandra Tunell


Conde Nast Archive Think you had a rough Monday morning? Let me tell you how my week got started: scalding hot tea, a thermos with a faulty lid, and a train conductor with a penchant for slamming on the breaks. You can probably guess what happened next. By the time my commute was over, an unfortunate-looking blister had formed underneath my bottom lip, and the swelling made me look like a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills. I walked into the office embarrassed, with an ice pack on my mouth, and called dermatologist David Bank. Should you ever find yourself with an unfortunate (and very painful) lip burn, here are his tips for easing the ouch:

See more: The Most Flattering Makeup Colors for Brown Eyes

1. Keep your head elevated higher than your heart, so the fluid and blood flow doesn't all rush forward. (This may sound obvious, but believe me, if it weren't for work today, I'd be flat on my bed right now.)

2. Apply a cold compress for ten minutes at a time. Ice in a plastic bag works.

by Sophia Panych


Getty Images The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. But when it comes to admitting that it's time for a haircut, some of us balk. If you're like me, you want to keep your hair growing until it reaches Real Housewife length (minus the extensions), and don't want anything to interrupt the process. The good news is, you can keep haircuts to a minimum. "I am a big fan of growing hair out and totally understand people who get haircuts two times a year," says hairstylist Teddi Cranford of the Sally Hershberger Downtown salon in New York City. "You can keep your hair long, but you have to find the right hairdresser who knows how to dust off your ends and can give you shape without losing any length." So, until you find the hairdresser of your long-haired dreams, here's exactly how to know when it's time for a cut.

See more: The Most Flattering Makeup Colors for Brown Eyes

It has a triangle shape. My hair is thin and mostly straight, so I don't ever have this happen

by Sophia Panych


Sophia Panych, Allure Whoa. Wait, what? Did I just say fall? Yes, I did, and I apologize. I know we're all desperately waiting for the weather to finally feel like spring, and it seems like the last thing you want to think about is next fall. But here's one reason you will want to think about that crisp season: There are a few major beauty products that won't be available until then.

Every season, beauty companies debut new products backstage at fashion shows, giving them to the hair and makeup artists to test them out before they hit stores. And this season offered a ton of cool, exciting products that I personally can't wait to get my hands on. So check out my list below, pin these pictures to your Pinterest, email this link to yourself, and start your fall shopping list a bit early.

Shiseido Perfect Rouge in Harmony RD750 (top right). This was the rosy pink lipstick that makeup artist Dick Page used to create the no-makeup makeup look at Narciso Rodriguez, and while it looks

by Lexi Novak


That's what new research from France may be suggesting. In a study that will appear in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, researchers found a correlation between pubic hair removal and an infection known as Molluscum contagiosum. Never heard of it? Neither had we. Turns out, it's a virus common in children that causes raised bumps on the skin. You can get it from "inanimate objects such as faucets or doorknobs," explains Jeannette Graf, Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center. In adults, it's often transmitted by sexual contact. The French study focused on 30 patients who had sexually contracted M. contagiosum and found that 93 percent had removed their pubic hair (70% from shaving, 10% from waxing)-but no direct link was found between that and the disease. Independent of this study, many experts have suggested that hair removal can increase the chances of viral infection because of "micro-trauma," the tiny cuts and openings in

by Sophia Panych


Fairchild Archive Want fluttery, feathery, eye-enhancing lashes but get frustrated using false-lash strips? Who doesn't? Good news! Backstage this season, I learned two great fuss-free tricks that are a lot more natural-looking, don't require strips, and won't test your patience. And since I absolutely love anything to do with lashes, I had to share.

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Easy: At Alberta Ferretti, the designer wanted the models' eyes to have a "little bit of a flick at the ends," said makeup artist Lloyd Simmonds, but with as little makeup as possible, so the girls still looked "pure, clean, and elegant." So Simmonds devised a way to elongate the outer lashes in the fastest way possible: with one individual fake lash. Using the M.A.C. 30 Lash set, he picked up one lash and cut it in half. Then he glued it to the outer corner of the eye and added a few coats of black mascara to blend it in with the model's natural lashes.

See more: Best Hairstyles for Spring 2013

Easier: Pat

Elizabeth Siegel

You probably haven't given all that much thought to your scalp. But suddenly, it seems like every major hair-care brand wants you to. And for good reason: "The scalp requires regular nourishment to stay healthy," says Francesca Fusco, a dermatologist in New York City. "If you have a healthy scalp, your hair is going to grow in healthier, be less likely to break, and look younger." Always a good thing. Here's how to get the most out of scalp treatments.

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Look for ones that contain both natural oils (like almond, coconut, sunflower seed, and soybean) and niacinimide to help deliver ingredients into the hair follicle, says cosmetic chemist Ni'Kita Wilson. Massage them into your roots and let them sit for 10 or 15 minutes to "help repair and nourish the scalp and hair follicles, so individual hairs can grow in stronger and resist breakage," says Fusco. Scalp treatments come in serums, masks, and (yup) oils, but you don't

Elizabeth Siegel


Zooey DeschanelIf you've ever had really awesome (or really bad) bangs, you already know that subtle differences in length and thickness can determine if your fringe is sexy or just cute, flattering or regrettable, cool or dated (we'd like to forget you, '80s). That's why you have a good hairstylist-and us. Because maybe you live for Michelle Obama's blunt bangs, Kourtney Kardashian's wispy ones, or Kate Middleton's side-swept version. But getting the right fringe for your face shape and haircut (yup, you have to think about that, too) makes your look. Lucky for you, two of the coolest bangs this summer also happen to be really easy to pull off. Here's how to get them:

See more: The 10 Commandments of Mascara

Long, side-swept bangs: These are your safest bet, for sure. They flatter every face shape, you can push them aside when it starts to get hotter out, and they're easy to (eventually) grow out. "A blunt medium-length cut with sideswept bangs looks really cool," says

Alexandra Tunell


Roger CabelloThis may be completely gross, but here goes: Since moving in with my boyfriend last June, I haven't had my own toothbrush. He brought his Sonicare to the arrangement and kindly offered me my own brushhead, but I quickly got sick of switching it out day and night, so...see where I'm going with this? Two people using one toothbrush for nearly a year-how wrong is that?!

But I doubt that I'm alone in sharing tools-dental or otherwise. So I spoke to Ruthie Harper, an internist in Austin, to find out just how unhygienic the practice is.

Is it bad to share my toothbrush?
Yes, but more so with friends than your partner, with whom you share germs. "It can result in an exchange of body fluids and microorganisms, placing both users at an increased risk for infections like herpes, mono, even AIDS," says Harper.

But a hairbrush is fine, right?
"It can transmit lice and the ringworm fungus. Both can be treated, but I