December 25, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC In June 2019, the global beauty market was valued at $532 billion dollars—and it’s growing faster than ever. That means that this year, there were a lot of new launches worth checking out, from new-to-market brands to innovative products that have the power to change your life—or at the very least, change your skin and hair. Over the course of the last 12 months, Well+Good’s beauty team has tested hundreds (possibly thousands—I lost count somewhere around July) of these new launches. In addition to making our desks very messy, this gave us a chance to determine, for sure, what the best of the best have been. Below, our picks from 2019 that you’ll be using in 2020 and beyond. Hair: Garnier Fructis Hydrating Treat with Aloe Extracts, $6 Aloe is stacked with 75 actives, including antioxidants like vitamin A and vitamin E, and will leave hair clean, strong, and silky. It’s also ultra-moisturizing, which means hair won’t suffer during even the coldest, driest, most blowdryer-friendly times of the year thanks to this product line. Photo: Garnier Pantene Pro-V Intense Rescue Shots, $5 These hair booster serum shots will rehab dry, drab strands in a minute flat, leaving them looking shiny. Slather them through strands before hopping in the shower, then rinse them out and watch dryness become a problem of the past. Photo: Pantene Tresemmé Colour ShinePlex Sulphate Free Mask, $7 If you’re spending big bucks on a dye job, you want it to
Category: City
These 5 beauty products have been drugstore best-sellers for two years in a row—and they’re all under $11
December 24, 2019 at 05:30PM by CWC I’m a sucker for a best-seller list, especially when it involves beauty products. If a product is flying off of the shelves, it usually indicates skin-boosting/hair-rejuvenating/beautifying pigment powers that a lot of people are running to get their hands on, which gives me FOMO and convinces me that I need it in my arsenal, too. So when drugstore beauty hotspot CVS tells us that certain beauty products were not only best-sellers in 2019 but also 2018—AKA the ultimate must-haves for two years in a row—my skin perked right up. Which beauty products are the hot-ticket items with staying star power? According to CVS, their absolute top sellers for the past two years are a mix of cult-fave makeup essentials (including a drugstore mascara, which is always so good), a dermatologist-beloved facial cleanser, acne-busting pimple patches, and a makeup remover that’s garnered tons of five-star reviews. Without further ado, I present to you the five best-selling beauty products at CVS that made the ranks for the past two years. 1. L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara, $11 Considering how drugstore mascara has always been just as good (if not better) than its more expensive competitors, this one’s not such a surprise. The top of the list is this baby by L’Oreal Paris, which gives your lashes a fringe effect but is easy to wash off with soap and water. Photo: L’Oreal Paris 2. Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner, $9 If you’re looking for an eyeliner that doesn’t budge and
London art exhibitions 2020 – MUST SEE!
January The year starts off with a roar – meet, if you dare, the mighty Tyrannosaurs in the National Museum of Scotland’s groundbreaking exhibition. In Bath, discover the early ceramics of Grayson Perry, many of which were retrieved from obscurity after an appeal to the public. Anne Katrin-Purkiss‘s photographic portraits at the Lightbox in Woking celebrate pioneering women, both in and out of the public eye. The Foundling Museum explores 500 years of Portraying Pregnancy in art, and asks why it’s still a controversial subject (below). And Naum Gabo‘s kinetic sculptures are given a major retrospective at Tate St Ives, 100 years after the Russian Constructivist published his electrifying manifesto on the purpose of art. Textile panel with embracing figures, c1600, © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford. Part of Portraying Pregnancy: From Holbein to Social Media at the Foundling Museum February It’s best of British in February as Tate Britain delves into the overlooked period of British Baroque. Some of the works on display will be leaving their stately homes for the first time in centuries. At Dulwich Picture Gallery, the focus is on the origins of British Surrealism in an exhibition bringing together works by more than 30 artists from a fascinating 170-year period. Art Deco by the Sea at the Sainsbury Centre looks at how mass tourism changed British coastal culture between the First and Second World Wars (touring to Laing Art Gallery in July). Meanwhile, the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath turns its attention to Bohemian Paris with an exhibition of iconic colour posters by Toulouse-Lautrec and his contemporaries.
The best of the best drugstore shampoos for every hair type—and not one is more than $10
December 14, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC There’s really no need to spend a fortune on expensive shampoos when you have a drugstore right around the corner. Yep, the place that carries some of your favorite affordable makeup products also has an impressive hair product selection, including stellar shampoo options for every hair type. Whether you have curls for days, fine hair that could use some volume, or oiliness you can’t seem to get rid of, these are some of the best drugstore shampoos. The best drugstore shampoos for every hair type 1. Fine, straight hair Product: John Frieda Luxurious Volume Touchably Full Shampoo for Fine Hair, $6 If you have fine, flat hair that’s lacking volume, this shampoo will help. Instead of weighing your hair down, it boosts it up. 2. Kinky, curly hair Product: Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Shampoo, $8 If you rock natural curls or waves, this shampoo is loaded with quality ingredients—including Jamaican black castor oil—that protects your strands and restores moisture and shine. 3. Thick hair Product: OGX Extra Strength Damage Remedy + Coconut Miracle Oil Shampoo, $6 Especially great for thick to course hair, this coconut oil-based option moisturizes, repairs, and softens your strands. 4. Dry hair Product: Head & Shoulders Itchy Scalp Care Dandruff Shampoo, $7 If you’re always dealing with a dry hair (especially during the cold winter months!), grab this shampoo that moisturizes your scalp and strands to remove oil and flakes and calm itchiness. Extra
A dermatologist picks 5 multitasking beauty products for the most common skin types
December 13, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC Oh, where to begin with multitasking beauty products. You could have an entire bathroom cabinet filled with an option for every skin-care woe. But why have one that fights dryness, one that makes you glow, and one that fights off breakouts when you can save money—and space!—by buying an option that does it all? While multitaskers are great, they can be hard to shop for. When you have a specific skin type, it’s super tricky finding a single product that meets all your needs. They are out there, though—promise! And New York City-based dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, chose the perfect picks for five of the most common skin types he sees at his practice. Get ready to clear some space! The best multitasking beauty products for your skin type 1. If your skin is red and oily Product: Aveeno Ultra Calming Nourishing Night Cream, $19 Why it’s derm-approved: “This oil free moisturizer won’t weigh you down, even if you’re oily. Plus, it contains colloidal oatmeal and feverfew extract, which protects and soothes red, irritated skin.” 2. If your skin is flaky and acneic Product: Neutrogena Bright Boost Illuminating Face Serum, $17 Why it’s derm-approved: “Glucosamine has been shown to hydrate and plump the skin, and turmeric not only brightens but can calm inflammation in acne-prone skin as well.” 3. If your skin is dry and sensitive Product: Eighteen B Firm + Replenish Serum, $105 Why it’s derm-approved: “The serum uses a silk protein
The future of beauty is sustainable—and consumers won’t have it any other way
December 10, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC The personal care industry produces about 120 billion packages every year, a staggering number that has consumers demanding change. According to 2019 Nielsen data, 73 percent of consumers say they want to reduce their impact on the environment, and 38 percent prefer buying beauty products that are sustainable. “Sustainability is really top of mind for people,” says Annie Jackson, co-founder of Credo Beauty. “People are looking for more sustainable manufacturers, sustainable packaging, and they want to understand the materials brands are using.” Beauty brands have gotten hip to the fact that if they’re going to thrive in the next decade, they’re going to need to put sustainability first—and that these changes need to go deeper than the packaging. But cleaning up their act will start with the packaging, and on this front, we’re going to see brands get more creative than ever in 2020. By 2025, Unilever plans to make all of its plastic packaging fully reusable, recyclable, or compostable. Dove, a drugstore staple and one of Unilever’s top brands, has already switched to fully recycled plastic bottles, and plans on being completely plastic-free by the end of 2020, with reusable, refillable, and stainless steel deodorant sticks in the pipeline. Another huge player, Procter & Gamble, is also prioritizing sustainability–Herbal Essences now produces 25 percent of its shampoo and conditioner bottles with ocean plastic, which they’ve collected and recycled from littered coasts. And then there’s Seed Phytonutrients, a personal care brand under the
We’ll all breathe easier with air purifying devices in our homes
December 10, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC Atmospheric pollution is a hot topic right now, but did you know that indoor air quality is often two to five times worse than what’s outside? If not, you’ll be hearing (and thinking) a lot more about this in 2020, as new air-purification technology allows us to assess the quality of the air we breathe and to take the steps necessary to improve it. New peer-reviewed data clearly articulates that air pollution—especially ultrafine particles generated from burning substances like natural gas, wood, and incense—has the potential to harm every organ in the body. Chemicals given off by carpets, paint, and cleaning supplies can also linger in the air and cause health issues, according to the American Lung Association. “The particles of concern are the ones you can’t see,” says Jake Read, advanced design engineer at Dyson. As more new information emerges, experts predict that the global air purifier market will grow at a healthy rate of 9 to 12 percent annually between now and 2023, which would have it valued at over $33 billion in three years time. The race is on to create a product that meets this rising consumer demand. Companies like Dyson and Molekule have recognized that people are willing to pay a premium—upwards of $700, in some cases—for towering air purification units that remove and destroy pollutants from the air, many of which we bring into our own homes in the form of cleaning products or aerosol beauty products
Skin care is the reigning beauty queen—and in 2020 she’ll rule the world
December 10, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC If you’re a human who has gone to the drugstore, logged onto YouTube/Instagram, or gotten caught in a wild conversation about the multiple-weight hyaluronic acid serum your friend Suzy uses, allow us to state the obvious for you: Skin care is having a major moment. And we will see Phase Two of this mega-trend dominate 2020… and beyond. Conservative projections state that in five years’ time, the global skin-care market will be valued at $180 billion. To put that into perspective, that’s a 30-percent climb from 2018. The expansion is so huge that skin care has dethroned makeup as the top seller at L’Oreal Paris, the world’s biggest beauty company, and market-researchers at The NPD Group place 60 percent of all growth within the beauty industry squarely at skin care’s baby-soft feet. Fueling 2020 growth, new indie brand launches soar to numbers we’ve not seen before—look out for huge growth from Necessaire, The Inkey List, and Corpus Naturals. And big, old-guard beauty companies are modeling their businesses differently by creating internal incubators that are nimble enough to launch trending skin-care products more quickly. For example, Unilever, the maker of heritage brands like Dove and Suave, has launched and acquired over 10 new skin-care-focused brands in the past five years, with another two set to reach consumers in 2020. While Proctor & Gamble brought their lighthearted 2018 New Zealand skin-care acquisition, Kiwi, Stateside late this year and have plans to grow its presence over
I’m a dermatologist and this is the one ingredient everyone should use when they turn 30
December 07, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTohjJPsHSY?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281] There are a lot of things I know I’m supposed to do before I hit 30. Invest in a 401K, find a bra that fits, get off of my parents’ phone plan, and the list goes on. One more thing to add to the list, according to board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD? Add a hyaluronic acid serum to my skin-care routine. “Hyaluronic acid is a hydrator,” she says in a recent episode of Dear Derm. “The ingredient is naturally occurring in our skin, but when you hit about 30, you start to lose hyaluronic acid, so replacing it is a big priority for me.” Hyaluronic acid is also great for layering, because it helps your other serums penetrate more deeply into your skin, so much so that Dr. Gohara suggests putting it on before your morning antioxidant serum, like vitamin C, which is like a one-two punch of skin hydrating and brightening goodness. Adding this extra step to your skin-care regimen doesn’t have to cost major money, either.L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum ($22) is made with short and long chain hyaluronic acid, which means the ingredient is able to hydrate the topmost layers of skin while also sinking deeper within skin to help plump it (bonus points for being available at the drugstore!). Dr. Gohara isn’t the only one who is totally in love with the stuff: This particular serum is so popular that a bottle of
Meditation might not be a good fit for everyone—here’s why
December 06, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC Eva*, a 31-year-old living in Paris, has dealt with severe anxiety for as long as she can remember. As an adult, she frequently experiences vivid flashbacks that take her right back to the trauma she experienced as a young girl, during which she can’t breathe, think, or work. Eva heard about meditation and its benefits for physical and mental health, and decided to give it a shot to see if it would help with her anxiety. She downloaded a meditation app and started using it every other day. But instead of overpowering her stress or silencing her trauma, Eva experienced the opposite effect. “When I attempt to make my anxiety go away using meditation, my mind fixates more strongly on the thoughts and issues at hand and [I get] overwhelmed,” says Eva, making meditation feel impossible. “The guilt afterward—that I could not clear my mind or focus for those 20 minutes—makes me feel like I wasted time and was a failure, and, therefore, the anxiety gets worse.” Meditation can be potentially triggering The majority of people can benefit from some kind of meditation practice, as it can help with a wide range of physical and mental issues, says Anne Dutton, LCSW, the director of mindfulness education at the Yale Stress Center. There’s so much evidence indicating that meditation can lift your mood, improve your focus, and help with stress management. Yet stories like Eva’s are not unheard of. Many people anecdotally report feeling