Beauty

07-24-14
By Zulay Regalado, 25, reporting from Miami on a pretty, inexpensive way to try cool new cosmetics

I’m a creature of habit when it comes to my choices in beauty products. I mean, I’ve been using the same Rimmel London liquid eyeliner since sophomore year of high school. If that’s not loyalty, I don’t know what is. At the top of my list of reservations about betraying my beauty brands of choice is the fear of spending money on a product I might not even like. So how to sample the cool cosmetic offerings out there without risking an unpretty amount of cash?

For $21 a month, Boxycharm offers this in full. By full, I mean it’s a monthly subscription service that sends you full-size beauty products (none of these too-tiny-to-tell dollops) from various new and well-known brands. Cue the charm factor in the name: If you’re smitten by a product in their care package, there’s enough to last for a good while. So I need not worry about running out of this summery shade of Mirabella lipstick before fall. And if you decide you’re ready to make a larger commitment, you can always individually purchase any of the products you’ve sampled on their website. Pretty smart, right? Because there is just no such thing as too much of one awesome lip color.

This month’s subscription includes a fun, bright-pink Appeal Cosmetics lipstick (pictured) and a Lauren B Beauty nail polish in a pretty, true red (also pictured), along with four other samples that unboxed would total a retail value of $128! For $21, this is a definite steal.

Check out their blog and Instagram account (@boxycharm) for beauty tips and sneak peeks at upcoming featured products. I’ve had to make some room for my now steadily growing repertoire of beauty standbys, but I’m willing to bet my once lone liquid liner enjoys the company. Charmed, I’m sure.

By Maria Camila Henao, 19, reporting from Chicago, on the product that beats the heat, saves face

I live in Chicago, where the days can skyrocket right into the high-90s plus humidity, and it’s almost a given that without intervention by the end of the day (sometimes even the start), all my makeup has sweated off my face. Gross, I know, but I’m being honest.

But I’ve managed to stop the slide! I discovered one product I know I wouldn’t have made it through this summer without: Urban Decay’s Chill Makeup Setting Spray ($29). They claim it “features cooling time-release Temperature Control Technology that actually chills the surface of your makeup—to keep it looking gorgeously just-applied for up to 12 hours.” Now, I don’t know if I actually felt the TCT action or the cooling time-release going off during the day, but I do know that by nighttime, my makeup still looked a lot like it did when I’d applied it in the morning.

Plus, this is one beauty product that actively feels good when you put it on your face: The spray is really refreshing and lightweight, not at all thick or gunky. Urban Decay has a whole line of makeup setting sprays, including the All Nighter and De-Slick.

Looking for a similar effect but a smaller price tag? The NYX Dewy Finish and Matte Finish Makeup Setting Sprays are $8 at Ulta—so you can save some money while you save face.

By Zulay Regalado, 24, reporting from Miami on the first at-home hair coloring kit to rock her locks

I’ve always admired anyone who has braved the world of at-home hair coloring and lived to tell the tale. Unfortunately, I lack in the “visionary” aspect of this art. I usually fork over the $100+ to treat my hair with professional hands (and I swear I can hear my wallet sob from inside my purse).

My current hair obsession is the ombré, a two-toned coloring technique worn by celebs like Jessica Alba and Drew Barrymore. Shivering wallet in mind, I began to research DIY techniques to replicate this popular style and add some variety to my long, sometimes wavy, mostly chestnut hair.

Thankfully, the gods of DIY dying spared me the embarrassing aftermath that would surely come of this little project, and I discovered the Feria Wild Ombré Hair Coloring kit by L’Oreal Paris. In typical “do first, cry later” fashion, I gave it a try. The kit comes with an applicator brush, and distributing the transformative potion was surprisingly as simple as brushing my hair. I chose the Medium to Dark Brown color, and after several seconds of waiting for my head to catch fire and finding nothing but perfectly two-toned locks, I was ecstatic. The best part? I paid less than $20 for the entire process. My wallet sobbed that day, but this time it was tears of money-saving joy.

Check out the step-by-step ombré application tutorial below, and visit your local drugstore for your L’Oreal Ombré kit

By Camila Henao, 19, reporting from Chicago on the secret to perfect polish—for weeks

My nail polish collection is more extensive than I’d like to admit. Sometimes I think I must have the full spectrum from OPI, Essie, butter London and Sally Hansen, and I’ve picked up plenty of random and valued polishes at the dollar store. I love painting my nails and trying new things.

Trust me on this next part: I am a smart and serious student and person with the right priorities. I know the place of chipped polish on the hierarchy of tragedies in this world.

Still, it frustrates me that it seems no matter what base, polish or topcoat I use, by the fourth day or so my manicure is looking pretty shabby. I’d heard that the answer to this is gel polishes, rumored to stick around for three weeks, but I’d never tried them in a salon—or had any idea you could use them at home.

So the Gelish Basix Kit was a revelation, enough that I now want to buy all of the cute shades of polish in their line and leave behind the collection that took me so long to build. (I did my feet in Tiger Blossom, a deep, delicious candy red, and see my hands in Up the Blue. Both are near-pristine pretty ten days in, impressively past the usual tipping/chipping point.)

Going Gelish is a bit pricey: the Basix Kit is $50; the LED Curing Light that sets the gel is $70; and the polishes are $15. But it’s so worth it for the staying power, especially if you’re someone who pays for salon mani-pedis (do the math) or just a fanatic like me, who always needs the next new nail thing.

Plus, the whole gel process is easy, a successful at-home science experiment. The kit includes a nail surface cleanse that you prep with; a pH bond, which helps the foundation stick; and a topcoat to seal everything off.

It also comes with a remover that won’t damage your nails, but you’re not going to need that for a good long time, up to 21 days later. As long as you can get past admitting that you’re willing to invest in the beauty of your nails—we’d never point fingers—Gelish belongs in your collection.

By Charlotte Steinway, 23, reporting from New York City on Tom Ford's lush new lip look

The other day, my coworker—selfless editor that she is—offered, "Hey, anyone want any of these new lipsticks I've been sent?" The box was emblazoned with the magical words "Tom Ford." It nearly gleamed.

Obviously I jumped at the opportunity, choosing the least classic color I could possibly get my hands on: purple, or in Tom Ford-speak, Violet Fatale. Imagine it exactly how you'd picture it to be—luscious, bold, and decadent.

"I wanted really gorgeous, rich, saturated color, and it was inspired by a kind of '70s-meets-'20s, hedonistic mood," Ford told the New York Times For those of you who haven't been following the designer's venture into the cosmetics world as closely as I have, Tom Ford launched his eponymous beauty brand last year with small holiday gift set. As of early this month, it has expanded into a full-fledged cosmetics line.

Ecstatic to wear my new $48 lipstick (hey, it is Tom Ford after all, and even he evoked hedonism), I brought the gilded case home and started to experiment.

Coming off of a summer where orange—nope, not coral, but orange—was my lipstick color of choice, I'm starting to think that Violet Fatale may be the story of my fall: It's vampy, punchy, and yet subtle enough not to be confused with a look from an avant-garde fashion shoot. Oh, and the lipstick smells exactly like vanilla soy lattés. Of course it does.

By Lisa Chau, 21, reporting from Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the eyelash curler she goes to bat for

I have been obsessed with my eyelashes ever since the day I-seventh grade, age 12-stole my sister's eyelash curler. You see, my little Asian eyes were blessed with scraggly, thin lashes that point straight down. Occasionally right into my eyeballs. But the moment I used that magical device for the first time, I realized what I was missing out on. My eyes were finally open to the world.

Since then, I've tried all different types of eyelash curlers: heated ones, mini ones, gold ones, silver ones, plastic ones, you name it. Yet they only managed to make my lashes look like tangled dead spider legs or checkmarks from the side. I could never create that "natural" curled look. Then it got worse: One morning I pressed too hard on my $5 metal curler and chopped my left set of fringe off. For the next month or so, I walked the halls of my high school looking like a mangled doll whose younger sibling had ripped off 50 percent of her eyelashes.

After this incident, I finally decided to splurge more than the cost of a fast-food value meal on a curler. And I found the greatest one ever: Shu Uemura's Eyelash Curler ($19). It fits the curve of my eye perfectly and has just the right amount of spring. I even learned a little trick to make my eyelashes curl faster. I heat my Shu up with a hairdryer for a few seconds first, and voila!

Topped with my favorite waterproof mascara, my lashes stay curled all day. My Shu sits in my makeup bag, loved and used regularly; I even have spares in my car and my purse. Sometimes my older sister will call and simply tell me, "I need a new Shu" and I know exactly what she means. - Lisa Chau

By Jessica Goodman, 19, reporting from Los Angeles, on what a change in hair color can do

I have a brand-new obsession – hair dye. I love how it helps you transform into a more comfortable person, gives you the ability to change your appearance at the tip of your fingers, and lets you make your own statement whether people notice or not.

How often in life do you get granted such powers for under $10? Clairol Nice n' Easy is the classic; it's at most drugstores and works wonders.

When I have my friend dye my hair, I like to keep it somewhat neutral. I am a brunette, so I started off in the spring with Burgundy, a color that would illuminate reddish when the sun hit.

Which brings me to another reason I dye my hair: the sun here in Los Angeles. If I spend five or so hours outside, my hair gets a blondish tint. It makes my skin look completely tan, but I just want to keep my hair color to about the same, especially so my roots don't look bad.

So my most recent choice was Natural Darkest Brown, which lasts about two months. I will never in my life dye my hair hot pink or neon green, because one, it would never show, and two, I would never consider bleaching my hair blonde first. But I recommend hair dye for people who are serious about improving their self-esteem and creating an easy new look that's natural—only a little bit better. — Jessica Goodman

By Alison Smith, 18, reporting from Brooklyn, New York, on a summer beauty product that's as good as ice cream.

I can still remember being six, perched on the edge of my parents' bed as my father attempted to detangle my wet knotty locks with nothing but a flimsy plastic comb.

Sadly, my hair woes have since worsened (thank you, frying hair dryer). But I've fortunately come to rely more on detangling products than on my father's forceful tugs. Early this summer I found out about G&G Hair Products' Creamsicle Mist Leave-In Conditioner & Detangler and have sworn by it since. The bright orange liquid works best when sprayed vigorously on damp hair then applied throughout the day as needed. My knotted dead ends slowly moistened with each use. And, despite being intended for kids and tweens, the spray's packaging is so sleek it won't embarrass any teen or adult customer who pulls it out of a beach bag.

Although the creamsicle scent threw me at first, it turned out to be quite subtle and absolutely perfect for lounging by ice cream stands on hot afternoons. Plus, with several certified organic nutrients and a company policy against animal testing, I'm sure you'll feel as responsible as you do tangle-free when you use this product! — Alison Smith

Get the full set of RED Hearts posts-in Fashion, Beauty, Entertainment, and News.

By Jaclyn Humphrey, 19, reporting from Syracuse, New York, on videos that make it easy, even for the makeup impaired

For those who are kind of makeup challenged like myself, this is for you!

I actually have many horror stories about my attempts to apply makeup. One time I was trying to imitate a look I saw on some show on TV, and when I came out of the bathroom, my friends starting laughing, made me remove all of it, and then re-applied my makeup for me. It was that bad.

So I normally just stick to concealer and mascara, though I do apply more makeup if I'm going out on the town with my best friends or going to a party, etc. And Valentine's Day is coming up, so why not try turning some heads, whether you have a date/boyfriend or not?

Which brings me to the great challenge of the smoky eye. It's an excellent look, and I've thought so since I first started seeing it in magazines a couple of years ago. But I'd written it off as beyond my makeup-application abilities...until I found this fantastic how-to video from Sephora on YouTube.

Eyes wide open, I followed the video to get the smoky eye look and was really pleased with the results. I got compliments from impressed friends, and I'd recommend you try it and do the same. I also found videos on how to apply false eyelashes, which I'm tempted to try but don't think I'm ready for just yet...

By Saskia Boggs, 18, reporting from Kalamazoo, Michigan, on a zit fix that actually works

I am 18 years old, and I get a lot of zits.

For the past, oh, five years (at least), I've been searching for the perfect acne medication. I've gone through the washes, the face masks, the treatment pads. I've tried Neutrogena, Clearasil, and Rite-Aid off-brands. I've gone for the tea-tree oil and the chamomile tea.

They all worked... to a degree. With the introduction of each product, my face would clear up slightly for a little while, then stop getting worse. It would stop improving, too, however. After years of this cycle, I resigned myself to a life without clear skin.

And then I was introduced to Mary Kay's Acne Treatment Gel ($7). I was skeptical at first but I tried it anyway (couldn't hurt, right?). This was a few weeks ago, and not only did my skin clear up more rapidly than I'd ever experienced before, but it also stayed clear. To be exact, I've had a total of two new zits pop up since. Considering I usually get at least five or six a week--we're talking 15 minimum by now--this is amazing progress. To anyone who still hasn't found the perfect acne treatment, I recommend this to you. — Saskia Boggs