beauty basics

If you've never had bangs before, I feel compelled to tell you they're extremely high-maintenance. For all you fringe neophytes out there, allow me to brief you on their very brief life span. Let's say your appointment is on Friday; they somehow…

Throughout spring 2016, peel off lipsticks and stains took the beauty world by storm, and it’s easy to see why. After all, they’re simple, innovative, and packed with the kind of fun-factor that will make anyone nostalgic for pre-school arts and…

From teeth whitening to adding volume to hair, it’s no secret that charcoal is packed with beauty benefits. Personally, my favorite way to use it is to make a peel-off charcoal face mask. That’s why I’ve been binging YouTube tutorials: The holy…

At the age of 12, I was diagnosed with vitiligo and patches of my skin rapidly started turning white. The condition also affects my hair, my eyelashes, and, currently, half of one eyebrow. Vitiligo isn't life-threatening. Yes, it's pretty uncommon…

Halloween is creeping up on us — and fast. But if you're anything like me, the task of finding a costume has slowly creeped down to the bottom of your to-do list. While everyone's busy dreaming up their brilliant ensembles, I'm trying to figure out…

My makeup routine is the longest part of my morning. I have a ritual — I sit at my vanity, half asleep, and massage my favorite moisturizer all over. Then, I apply a thin layer of foundation, then mascara and any other eye makeup while my foundation…

When it comes to eyeshadow, I’ve always been one for keeping things neutral. My everyday eyeshadow consists of a wash of beige that’s slightly darker than my eyelids, and for night, it’s a taupey-brown smoky eye. But I’ve always admired, even…

Here's the scenario: You’re running late with zero time to wash your hair, and yesterday’s DIY blowout is falling pretty flat. You reach for the bottle of dry shampoo that a friend left at your place and spray it all over. The lighting in your…

Finding the formula for a foolproof, always-flawless smoky eye is no easy task. We’ve all stared at an eye shadow chart and our favorite palette, trying to figure out exactly how much powder to apply to our crease and how far up to our eyebrows the…

When it comes to makeup, changing up your look is simple. A bold lipstick or dramatic eyeshadow instantly amps things up, while a dab of highlighter on your cheekbones gives you a cherub-worthy glow. But to achieve a completely different vibe,…

I hate to do this, but I’m going to come right out and say it: we only have one month of summer left. Soon, we’ll have to say goodbye to fruity drinks, summer Fridays, and weekends at the beach. But you don’t have to bid your perfect golden skin…

I still remember the feeling after my first salon blowout. It was my birthday, and my smooth, bouncy hair blew in the wind as I walked down the street. I had just been transformed into a blowout addict. Sadly, the salon blowout was a novelty that I…