May 19, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC Take a look around the lingerie section in any department store, and you’ll notice that most of the bras and undies that get labeled as “nude” are all pretty much the same shade of pale beige. The same goes for nude-colored shoes, nude-colored nail polishes, and until recently, nude-colored lipstick. But if you take one look around the actual world, you’ll quickly notice that the majority of the population isn’t a single shade of beige. Which means that traditionally, a whole lot of people have been alienated from buying nude products that work for their skin tones. Taking it at its name, “nude” lipstick should be the color of the lip when there’s nothing else on it…rather than a single, (not)catch-all hue. And that’s why it’s exciting that CTZN Cosmetics, a brand-new UK-based cosmetics line has a whopping 25 different shades of nude lipsticks…which is pretty substantial. “The problem is how ‘nude’ is currently defined in the beauty industry—it’s implied that nude is the color beige, when in fact nude is subjective to your unique skin tone,” says Naseesha Khan, co-founder of CTZN Cosmetics. “CTZN Cosmetics is redefining ‘nude’ by offering 25 shades of lipsticks and lip glosses to represent people of all skin tones and backgrounds.” Photo: CTZN Cosmetics So within the brand, you’ll find “nudes” that encompass everything from warm peach to taupey brown, soft burgundy, pure plum, and plenty of others. Each stick is double-sided with a lipstick and lip gloss that
Category: Beauty
Need A Primer on Facial Acids? Here’s All You Need To Know
May 15, 2019 at 02:36PM The best products for every skin type and concern. Continue Reading… Author Alexandra Engler | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
How to replicate the buzzy “beauty sandwich” facial at home
May 13, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Ever since I received a treatment called “the beauty sandwich,” I’ve been chasing down the right way to sculpt my face at home. The beauty sandwich—which causes celebs from Vanessa Hudgens to Nina Dobrev to flock to skin pro Ivan Pol—is a topical facial treatment that uses heat-derived radiofrequency to plump and sculpt your face or, in other words, feed it from the outside-in. “It’s a multilayered effect that will volumize, lift, help with wrinkle reduction, and rebuild and synthesize collagen,” he says. For my facial, Pol decided to “plump” and “sculpt” (though you can also rejuvenate, resurface, or polish skin, as well). “The plump facial helps with the deeper layers to really lift and firm from within,” he says. “The sculpt facial is going to help tone and strengthen certain muscles—so they pull and sculpt to enhance the jawline and really contour the cheekbone area.” The sculpting part incorporates infrared radiofrequency, which communicates directly with the muscles in your face, which releases all tension. The whole process takes about 45 minutes, and all I felt was heat on my skin via a wand—kind of similar to a hot stone massage. The amazing thing about the treatment is that the results are immediate, and there’s no redness or downtime. “It has a lasting result, even if you get only one, it’ll last for up to six months,” says Pol. It’s because the tissue in your skin responds to the heat, which supposedly makes lines
Ditch your serum (gasp) for these glow-bestowing active moisturizers that work double duty
April 29, 2019 at 09:18AM by CWC Yesterday, I washed my face in my gym’s locker room after a sweat sesh, then used a toner, and then reached into my skin-care bag only to practically scream with horror. The reason for the distress? I forgot to bring my serum. Shaken, I applied my moisturizer to my freshly cleansed and toned face—but proceeded to feel weird about it for the rest of the day. Serums are my favorite beauty product, since they tend to pack a nutritious punch for your complexion, so without it, I felt like my skin would be starved for its typical antioxidants. While my situation was a lost cause, there generally is a way to counteract having to go serum-free with your routine: All you’ve gotta do is buy a moisturizer that has serum-like benefits. “Serums are not a necessary component of your routine, but rather can boost your regular skin-care products,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. (Color me shook.) “The goal of a serum is to deliver high concentrations of a specific active ingredient to the skin. In some cases, though, that active is a moisturizer, but it may also be a retinol, a brightening ingredient, or even an exfoliator—for many people, the right day or night cream may be enough.” So moisturizer-serum hybrids do exist (better known as “active moisturizers”), and do the coveted and all-important job of hydrating your complexion with hyaluronic acid or glycerin, for instance, on
Skin still adjusting to spring? Slather on an ultra-hydrating algae serum
April 29, 2019 at 09:16AM by CWC If I’m lucky enough to be swimming in the ocean, I’m as happy as a clam… until one of my body parts brushes against a piece of algae. The slimy sea stuff really grosses me out because of its super-wet texture, so I try to avoid it at all costs. Ironically enough, though, that wet-slimy sensation is precisely why algae is so coveted in skin-care products. “You’ll notice that algae is always several things: It can grow deep in the water, it can float in water, and it also retains a lot of water,” says Dennis Gross, MD, a star dermatologist and founder of his eponymous skin-care line. “It has this mushy consistency, which means it has a lot of water retention within the algae fibers. So when you use algae in skin-care products, it’s always going to be the driving force for hydration.” So that yucky feeling it may have underwater can work wonders when used topically via a beauty product. You’ll notice more and more beauty brands have been incorporating the marine-derived ingredient, too, for this very reason. As you browse the algae-spiked offerings, you’ll see that there are various types of algae being used for the skin. “Algae is fascinating because it’s one of the few organisms where we’re continually discovering new species,” says Allison McNamara, founder of Mara skin care. “Algae has been around for two billion years and is constantly changing and evolving. There are seven major types
This derm-office facial taught me everything about how to apply my skin care
April 27, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Among the beauty myths that I’ve come to believe, I’ve always surmised that the only way to get your skin to really drink up beauty ingredients extra well is via a microneedling treatment. This works by puncturing your complexion with uber-tiny micro-tears that stimulate your skin’s collagen and also help products to sink in better. And yet—I’ve heard lots of beauty brand founders and dermatologists tell me that you need to be patting and pressing products into your skin for better absorption, too. So I’m on a quest to find out how fingertip pressure—of all things—can help ingredients get into your epidermis. My first stop? To Dennis Gross, MD‘s dermatology practice on New York’s upper east side, where he’s offering a brand new technology via his “Infusion Facial.” It literally uses a new pressured jet stream technology to infuse potent ingredients into the complexion. After my esthetician cleanses my skin, she uses this machine, which has a pen-like stick that blows into my face. She goes over section of my face various times, each one infusing a different active ingredient into my skin. “This is a new amazing technology,” Dr. Gross gushed to me afterwards. “I always say that facials are not an anti-aging treatment, if you really think about it. For something to be anti-aging, it has to do something—like build collagen, help with redness, give internal hydration, or plump the skin.” His take? Regular facials will not do these things. “Conventional
I Tried Facial Reflexology — And It Was As Weird As It Sounds
April 23, 2019 at 11:03AM The best kind of weird. Continue Reading… Author Lindsay Kellner | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
This buzzy K-beauty green tea serum sells 11 bottles per minute worldwide
April 22, 2019 at 11:13AM by CWC What do you get when you combine K-beauty’s buzziest brand with one of the most antioxidant-packed ingredients on the market? A skin-care product that sells a bottle faster than you can say “10-step skin-care routine.” The Innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum With Green Tea Seed ($27) sells 11 bottles a minute around the world, and for good reason. The recently reformulated product pairs Jeju green tea extract with green tea seed oil to balance and moisturize skin at the same time. Green tea is chock full of a potent antioxidant called ECGC, which is known for its powers in helping to reactivate dying skin cells to keep skin looking young, healthy, and supple. Plus, green tea is known to help reduce inflammation, and can protect skin from UV radiation from the inside out. With all of that in mind, it’s no wonder that a serum that combines two different types of the stuff would be so wildly popular. It’s made with a special sort of green tea from South Korea’s Jeju Island, which is rich in 16 hydrating amino acids to give your skin an extra boost. People truly can’t get enough of it. “I absolutely love this serum… it’s so gentle on my skin and the scent is great without being overwhelming. I definitely recommend it,” writes one user on the brand’s website. “My skin feels so refreshed and smooth after using! I love it!!!” gushes another. Having tried the serum for myself, I
The one occasion when you should really be swiping on a facial toner
April 21, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC Out of all the skin-care products you could have in your regimen, some people say that the toner is the most superfluous. It’s even kind of controversial, as plenty of people argue that it’s a totally unnecessary beauty product to buy, while others wouldn’t dare apply serums without toning their skin first. Whatever camp you’re in, though, one thing rings true: You should use a toner if you’re working with hard water. A refresher—hard water is water that’s chock-full of magnesium and calcium that can complicate your complexion game by acting like free radicals. That’s compared to soft water, which has only minor levels of these. Signs you have hard water include having mineral deposit streaks on your dishes after washing them or buildup on your faucets or shower head. While you can definitely invest in a water softener that attaches to your faucets, an even easier solution is to—yep—swipe on a facial toner. “Toners are liquid skin-care products that have a slightly acidic pH to balance the skin’s natural pH level,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist. “The outer skin layer, referred to as the acid mantle, has a pH of about 5.5. Harsh scrubs, true soaps, and even hard water can disrupt the outer skin layer, alter the pH, and cause inflammation.” AKA nothing that you want to happen on your complexion. And so he recommends using a facial toner to combat the issue. “Toners can be helpful if you
Beauty editors swear by these inky mascaras for longer, more fluttery lashes
April 17, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC As an admittedly lazy girl, I hoard each and every multi-tasking beauty product I can get my (manicured) hands on. So I’m all about foundations that double as skin care, using a plethora of lip-to-cheek sticks, and slathering on a trusty moisturizer with SPF. But, if I could ask for the most magical of all beauty products, it would be mascara that makes your lashes grow while you wear it. Welp, I’ve been sleeping on what I thought was a mere fantasy, because lash-boosting formulas exist and they’re totally awesome. These serum-mascara hybrids boost your lashes—and while making them look long and coated—they’re also creating an environment that’s kinder and could help them grow more quickly. The magic comes from ingredients like peptides, stem cell complexes, vitamin E, proteins, biotin, keratin—the list goes on—but the hybrid mascaras tend to have at least one of these lengthening ingredients within them. “Lashes are made from 90 percent proteins and keratin,” says Jenny Patinkin, makeup artist and author of Lazy Perfection. “Mascaras made with ingredients like collagen, peptides, and amino-acid proteins can make lashes appear thicker, glossier, and more lush, just as they do in hair treatments.” All of that conditioning and good-stuff on the lash line hasn’t technically been proven to outright grow your fringe, but by using (sorry) easy-on-the-eyes formulas, you’re much more likely to create an environment that promotes growth. (The opposite is true as well, so if your lashes are dry from an agitating