Blog Posts by Allure Daily Beauty Reporter

Caroline Manzo of The Real Housewives of New Jersey has never been shy about expressing her distaste for scalpels and syringes. But last night she revealed a pretty unorthodox substitute: She shaves her face and neck in lieu of microdermabrasion and Botox.

Related: Allure's Head-to-Toe Guide to Hair Removal

"In the shower, I get face lotion, I put it on my face and my throat, and think about it, you're exfoliating every day," Manzo explained to fellow housewives Jacqueline and Teresa.

Now Teresa didn't know what to do with this information-"Freakin' blew my mind!," she said. And though we definitely did a double-take after the scene, or rather, hit "rewind" on our DVR, we can't say this was the first we'd heard of face shaving for women. In fact, some facialists offer exfoliation treatments called derma-planing that involve running a surgical-grade razor over the skin. "Derma-planing is basically just a mechanical removal of the stratum corneum-that dead cell layer of skin," says

We hope that you had a blast kicking off the season of beaches, parties, and fun. And to keep you from stressing about food, if you're trying to lose weight, here are some the most painless ways to burn calories that we've ever heard.

Drink coffee. Iced or not: studies show that caffeine increases the rate at which you burn calories.

Eat breakfast. Yes, you've heard it before, but actually do it this summer. It's a simple step that starts your body burning fat, because your brain no longer thinks you're starving.

Laugh. Yet another reason to surround yourself with hilarious people: it burns up to 50 calories if you laugh for 10 to 15 minutes per day.

Then get mad. At least, when you're working out-think of something that made you mad that day, and it'll rev up your exercise.

Walk. It sounds simple, but stashing ballet flats in your bag will get you moving faster than stilettos.

For more tips on how to burn more calories, check out our June issue.

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A weekend at the beach may have lifted our spirits, but it did little for our hair. Fortunately, we had a secret weapon waiting in our shower: Klorane Conditioner with Papyrus Milk. Just one application of the smoothing treatment is great for leaving dry hair feeling silky soft. (Klorane suggests applying the cream to towel dried hair and then rinsing it off, but in the interest of time we prefer to slather it on right in the shower). Trust us: This stuff will be your savior all summer long.

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Wedding season is upon us and that means lots of travel, frantically looking through registry lists for the last teacup, land the prospect of being seated next to Aunt Sylvia at the reception. On the upside: It's an excuse to get dressed up and look really good. We asked makeup artist Troy Surratt for a few tips on how to put on your best face for an event that's likely to be photographed more heavily than a Jolie-Pitt trip to the playground:

See the (day) light
"Party makeup usually means smoky eyes or dark lips-people focus their attention on one feature and really play it up," says Surratt. "I don't think that works as well if you're going to be outdoors or standing around in daylight. But I do think it's important to take a little extra time with every feature. Your brows should be perfectly groomed. Your skin should look really dewy and perfect. Your lashes should be curled, and evenly fanned out and defined."

Don't slather it on
"I think a lot of people wear too much makeup

This weekend kicks off the season of alfresco parties! Of course, there is a small drawback if you're looking to lose weight: barbecues, filled with various dips and appetizers, fatty sides, and sugary desserts, can be a quick way to completely blow your diet. Don't worry-these tips will let you have fun this holiday weekend without feeling deprived.

Related: What Makes You Fall Off A Diet?

Dress body-consciously.
"Studies show that women who wear loose-fitting clothes eat more," says Jana Klauer, author of The Park Avenue Nutritionist's Plan.

Say no to one thing.
Before you leave the house, decide which one of these categories you're not going to eat, and stick to it: red meat, cheese, alcohol, or white bread. Avoiding just one of these will save you hundreds of calories.

Devise a plan.
Once you get there, scan the table and assess the damage. "Look for crab, shrimp, chicken, and other lean proteins," says Susan Bowerman, lecturer in the nutrition department at Cal Poly San Luis

This week, Marc Jacobs was outspoken about having recently had a cosmetic procedure. And it was something that even the most open men usually keep secret.

"I've just had a hair transplant. I was starting to thin on top," he told British newspaper The Telegraph. Jacobs may not look it, but he's edging toward 50 (he turned 47 last month), and we must say, we're pretty impressed that a) he looks closer to late 30s and b) he didn't try to conceal his recent procedure.

Related: 10 Beauty Mistakes That Add 10 Years

Jacobs even copped to his usual habit of dying his hair: "I can't dye it for a while, so this is my natural color," he said. After this kind of brave honesty, we wonder if more hair-enhanced men will start fessing up?

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Making headlines this week: A report from non-profit organization Environmental Working Group saying that a number of sunscreens increase our risk of developing skin cancer (see #5 at the link) because they contain vitamin A.

But before you start tossing your SPFs, here's dermatologist and skin cancer specialist Darrell Rigel's take: there is little merit to the claims. "They're arguing that, because vitamin A thins the skin, it makes us more susceptible to skin cancers, but there is no evidence that even suggests that," says Rigel.

Related: The 9 Biggest Sun-Protection Mistakes

To the contrary, vitamin A and its derivatives are used by dermatologists to effectively treat visible signs of sun damage, as well as cancerous and precancerous skin cells. "Tens of millions of Americans use these sunscreens every weekend, and we have not seen any problems," he says. "This is very disappointing. I'm scared that people are going to go outside this weekend, think sunscreens are dangerous, and

The designer-turned-perfumer-turned-movie-director can now add "makeup artist" (well, sort of) to his resumé, as his Private Blend Lip Color Collection, a line of 12 lipsticks, debuts at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue on June 1.

Each tube is $45, which isn't cheap by any lipstick standard, but here's why we love them: These little babies are pigment-rich, so a little goes a long way. There's an array of pretty, flattering reds, nudes, and pinks. They're semimatte, but feel creamy going on and don't dry out your mouth, thanks to murumuru butter and chamomilla flower oil.

And the cases? Oh the cases. They look like tiny, chic, white lacquered boxes with gold trim-they're heavier than your average lipstick, so they feel special and substantial.

Since I am loving all things plum and berry right now as I plan the makeup-trend stories for our fall issues, if I had to choose just one of the TF shades, I'd go for Moroccan Rouge-a deep plum-berry that'll give you the cool stained-lips