Allure on Shine

The best of Allure's best of beauty

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Allure's annual "Best of Beauty" issue is kind of like the beauty junkie's Super Bowl. And let me tell you, from an insider's perspective, those people do not eff around when it comes to choosing the winners. Some corporations (um, I'm talking to you Sephora) and other magazines have copied the format, but having worked there I can tell you that I doubt the copy cats take the whole process as seriously as the Allure editorial staff does. After the jump, the cheatsheet to the best of the best skincare offerings available on the market today.

A Month of the Best of Beauty!

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Allure's Best of Beauty winners--in our October issue--are royalty in these...

On the new cover of Allure: Carrie Underwood is a whole lot cooler than we thought

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You know what's awesome? When you develop an unexpected girl crush on a celebrity you'd completely written off. This is what just happened to managing editor Annette and me after reading Allure's September cover story about Carrie Underwood. In it, the 25 year-old singer/ American Idol winner comes across as vulnerable, likeable, frugal, slightly confused and young. Which is so much more honest than when 20-something celebs try to pretend they actually know something or get all deep and pretentious about their "craft" and "life path." Sure, Underwood still looks freakishly perfect—super, super airbrushed, glossy, coiffed and skinny (she apparently has to maintain a weight of between 110 and 115lbs, so she records every snack she eats). But it's what she says that made us want to hang with her, protect her from the jerks and maybe sit her down and give her some old-fashioned sisterly advice.
Read on for excerpts from the interview (the issue is on newsstands now).

Allure Magazine's August Free Stuff Blowout! Enter to win 34,328 fashion and beauty items all month long!

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August may be the sweatiest, frizziest month of the year, but it has an upside—34,328 of them, in fact. That's the number of free fashion and beauty items Allure is giving away this month. Every weekday in August, check the calendar, then go to allure.com/freestuff for details. To have a daily reminder sent to your cell phone, text "FREESTUFF" to ALLURE (255873).* PREVIEW THE GIVEAWAYS NOW! See all the loot now, then starting August 1, enter to win every weekday. Happy dog days!

From Allure: Victoria Beckham says she's "low maintenance" and "ordinary." Huh.

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A few years ago I was randomly called by a British morning TV show and asked to appear, via satellite, and talk about Victoria and David Beckham's move to the U.S. "Would they make it in America?" the hosts wanted to know. "Would the American audience embrace them as celebrities? Would anyone even care?"

My answer was an unequivocal "No." My reasoning was that while David was/is super hot, his wife was too sour and unapproachable and bitchy-seeming to be in any way likable. I went on to explain that in this country we enjoy smiling, happy, warm celebrities—people we feel could be our friend. No way, no how were we were going accept the gloomy, snooty Ms. Posh Spice.

But now, honestly, I think I was wrong (sorry British TV!).

Victoria Beckham is on the August cover of Allure (on newsstands everywhere next week), and while I do not for a second believe she is as "low-maintenance" or "ordinary" as she claims in the inside story, the mere fact that she's on the cover proves that in the past couple of years, the Brit pop star has been methodically weaseling her way into America's collective celebrity-lovin' heart...

The scientific method to being "sexy"

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Allure's new sex issue is out, and I love, love, love all the juicy details. My favorite piece is called "The Laws of Attraction," in which they ask different experts to define "What is sexy?" according to the fields they work in, which are, anthropology, scent, science and acting. You'll have to buy the magazine to get the whole story, but here's the gist of what they're saying:

What is sexy?

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One of my favorite stories in Allure's July issue is called "The Laws of Attraction," an eye-opening take on what sexiness really is. As it turns out, being perceived as sexy has little to do with how you actually look—it's about your attitude, how you feel within your skin and how you own it. Like, some women feel their va-va-voomiest in a housecoat and bunny slippers, while some feel totally unsexy even when they're wearing a killer pair of three-inch heels and a curve-hugging new dress.

Skinterview: Allure's Daily Beauty Reporter Jessica Matlin

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Meet Allure's Daily Beauty Reporter, Jessica Matlin. This Jersey girl has been a beauty buff since her tween years frequenting the local mall's Versace makeup counter. A former assistant makeup artist herself, J-Mat (what the Allure editors upstairs lovingly call her) knows that the art of a stunning look starts with a healthy, clean canvas. She proves her skin know-how this month in her Allure piece "Skin Magicians," where she gives the scoop on how models get their (oft-naked) bods flawless for skincare ads. So without further ado, "The Beauty Expert"'s expert gives us a PF-personalized report of the latest and greatest in skincare.