Category: TRAINING

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Megan Thee Stallion must have known I needed a boost this morning, because her neon green updo is even more energizing than an iced Americano—and so bright I can see it shining all the way from Miami to Minnesota!

The rapper, who just debuted her second Hot Girl Summer swimwear line at Miami Swim Week, celebrated the successful show with some friends in a wig so electric, it almost goes beyond the definition of neon. She wore her hair parted to one side and pulled up in a twist with a portion left loose to brush over one eye and slightly curled at the end. The twist is lovely, of course, but the vivid neon color takes center stage—especially since it's been awhile since we've seen Megan rocking a super-colorful hair color. You could call this shade slime green, highlighter green, lime green, day-glow green, or fluorescent green and you'd be right no matter which adjective you chose. In addition to its complete neon-ness, it also has a cool Y2K-futuristic vibe, or maybe an anime edge given Megan's well-known love of anime.

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Like I said above, it's been a bit since we got a neon Stallion moment—she's been all about black, ginger red, and blonde recently—but bright shades have always been part of her hair color repertoire. Now that summer is here, we're craving vibrancy: sultry days, delicious cocktails or mocktails at happy hour, sweeping sunsets, and maybe a hair color to match, like hot pink or sunshine orange, both of which we've seen on Thee Stallion? If you're not quite ready to change up your hair color, you could always add a streak of swimming-pool turquoise eyeliner like Florence Pugh just did, and don't forget the body glitter for even more summertime sparkle! Summer 2026 is gonna be a hot one.

More celeb beauty news to know:

• Rosie O'Donnell Opens Up About Getting a Facelift
• Jennifer Lopez Goes Goth With Her Barely-There Brows
• Teyana Taylor Just Invented the Formalwear Mullet

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Did you know there are only about 12,000 practicing dermatologists in the US? So, statistically speaking, with over 300,000 people voting in the Allure Readers’ Choice Awards, a few of you might be dermatologists. But it’s definitely safe to say that most of you aren’t.

Now, that’s not to say you don’t have well-informed opinions on how to take care of mature skin—you’re an Allure reader, after all, and if you have mature skin, there’s undeniably some wisdom under that epidermis. But sometimes you just want confirmation from the pros that what you’re using is actually a smart choice.

So we chatted with a few dermatologists about which of this year’s Readers’ Choice Award-winning skin-care products get their most enthusiastic thumbs up for cleansing, treating, and protecting mature skin. Does your favorite get the expert OK? Find out below.

Click through to see if your favorite skin, hair, makeup, and body products were voted most-loved in the 2026 Readers' Choice Awards. Then, read their reviews.

See All the Expert Recommendations

• La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-In Milk Sunscreen SPF 60
• Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Dream Body Cream
• CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser
• Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash
• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
• Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream
• Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub
• La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
• Supergoop Play Mineral Lotion SPF 30
• The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides)
• Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-In Milk Sunscreen SPF 60Save to wishlistSave to wishlist

Sunscreen

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-In Milk Sunscreen SPF 60

$38

Amazon

$39

Ulta Beauty

$38

Walmart

Daily sunscreen use is essential to help prevent further collagen breakdown and discoloration, says Jenna Queller, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Boca Raton, Florida. “I personally use this sunscreen and often recommend it to patients because it offers high broad-spectrum protection in a formula that feels comfortable and hydrating on the skin,” she says of La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-In Milk Sunscreen SPF 60. And Dr. Queller is especially impressed with how this face- and body-friendly chemical-filter formula feels. “One of the biggest challenges with sunscreen is consistency, and elegant formulas like this make daily use much easier.”

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Dream Body CreamSave to wishlistSave to wishlist

Clean Body Lotion

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Dream Body Cream

$26

Amazon

$26

Sephora

Anetta Reszko, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, tells her patients to apply Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Dream Body Cream straight out of the shower, especially on dryness-prone elbows, knees, and shins. “Mature skin tends to lose lipid barrier function over time. This cream combines polyhydroxy acid (PHA) exfoliation with deep hydration, a rare combination that gently resurfaces without stripping,” she says, adding that that’s why she keeps coming back to it herself. “The niacinamide also helps with the uneven tone that becomes more common with age.”

CeraVe Hydrating Facial CleanserSave to wishlistSave to wishlist

Facial Cleanser

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

$16 $12 (25% off)

Amazon

$16

Ulta Beauty

$14

Walmart

“CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser remains one of the best accessible cleansers for mature skin because it cleanses without disrupting the barrier,” says Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD, a Danville, California-based board-certified dermatologist, who says mature skin generally tolerates creamy, hydrating cleansers much better than foaming or aggressive exfoliating washes.

Dara Spearman, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Fort Wayne, Indiana, couldn’t agree more and, in fact, uses this cleanser herself. “It is a great product for mature skin because it is very gentle and helps maintain the skin’s moisture barrier instead of stripping it, as skin naturally becomes drier and more sensitive with age,” she says. Dr. Queller often recommends it to patients, too: “A gentle cleanser with ceramides and hyaluronic acid helps maintain hydration while supporting the skin barrier,” she says.

Dove Deep Moisture Body WashSave to wishlistSave to wishlist

Body Wash

Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash

$11

Amazon

$8

Walmart

If you’ve ever thought that Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash is highly underrated, just know that dermatologists agree. “Many body washes strip lipids and worsen dryness, especially in older patients,” Dr. Badreshia-Bansal says of the six-time Readers’ Choice Award winner. “This formula helps maintain hydration and leaves the skin more comfortable after showering, which is important because mature skin loses moisture more rapidly.”

Laneige Lip Sleeping MaskSave to wishlistSave to wishlist

Lip Balm

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

$24

Amazon

$24

Sephora

“As lips age, they become drier and thinner, so rich, hydrating lip products, like this lip mask, are great for mature lips,” says Sejal Shah, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City who uses the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask personally, as does Dr. Queller, who recommends applying a generous layer before bed. Dr. Reszko is also a fan of this balm, which comes in over a dozen fun flavors (Berry, Strawberry Shortcake, and Peach Iced Tea, to name a few). “This mask uses hyaluronic acid and antioxidants (vitamin C and pomegranate juice) overnight when skin is in repair mode, and consistent use over several weeks makes a genuinely noticeable difference,” she says.

Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped CreamSave to wishlistSave to wishlist

Clean Facial Moisturizer

Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream

$66

Amazon

$66

Ulta Beauty

$66

Sephora

Sure, Drunk Elephant became the most coveted skin care among tweens, but lest we forget, many of its products are formulated to deliver some serious benefits for more mature skin. A little goes a long way with Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream, according to Dr. Spearman, who recommends applying a small amount after any serums you may use. “It's a great product for mature skin because it delivers deep, barrier-supporting hydration, which helps address common age-related concerns like dryness, loss of elasticity, and a weakened skin barrier,” she says, giving a shout-out to its three types of ceramides.

Tree Hut Shea Sugar ScrubSave to wishlistSave to wishlist

Body Scrub

Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub

$12 $9 (25% off)

Amazon

$10

Ulta Beauty

$9

Walmart

“Body skin is so often left out of the [mature skin] conversation, but it thins and dries just like facial skin does,” says Dr. Reszko, who recommends using the incredibly moisturizing Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub once or twice a week. “The shea butter here is genuinely emollient, and the physical exfoliation helps with the rough, crepe-like texture many people start noticing on their arms and legs with age.”

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face MoisturizerSave to wishlistSave to wishlist

Moisturizer

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer

$25

Amazon

$26

Ulta Beauty

$25

Dermstore

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer seems to be as popular among dermatologists as it is among Allure readers. Dr. Badreshia-Bansal says she recommends it frequently because it combines ceramides, niacinamide, and glycerin in a way that strengthens the skin barrier without feeling heavy. “I especially like it layered over retinoids at night to minimize irritation,” she says, while Dr. Shah says she personally uses it because the lightweight texture absorbs quickly, resulting in softness without greasy residue. Dr. Queller also uses and recommends it because mature skin is often drier and more sensitive, she says, and its ingredients address those concerns without feeling heavy.

Supergoop Play Mineral Lotion SPF 30Save to wishlistSave to wishlist

Clean Sunscreen

Supergoop Play Mineral Lotion SPF 30

$28

Amazon

$28

Nordstrom

$28

Ulta Beauty

“Sun exposure is the single biggest driver of visible aging, and by midlife, most of us are dealing with decades of accumulated UV damage,” says Dr. Reszko. “I love this mineral lotion because it provides broad-spectrum protection without the concerns sometimes associated with chemical filters, and its texture layers well under makeup.” She recommends applying a quarter-sized amount of Supergoop Play Mineral Lotion SPF 30 to your face and neck—never forget the neck!—every morning as the last step in your routine, and then reapply it every two hours if you're outside for extended periods.

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides)Save to wishlistSave to wishlist

Serum

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides)

$10

Amazon

$10

Nordstrom

$10

Ulta Beauty

Dr. Queller appreciates how accessible and straightforward The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (with Ceramides) is, not to mention how well it layers with other skin-care products. “Hyaluronic acid is a great addition to a mature skin-care routine because it helps attract and retain moisture, giving skin a plumper, more hydrated appearance,” she says.

Dr. Reszko echoes that recommendation: “Our natural hyaluronic acid levels decline noticeably with age, so replenishing it topically makes a real visible difference in plumpness and hydration,” she says. But that’s not all. “The vitamin B5 supports barrier repair, which matters a lot for skin that has thinned or become more reactive over time." Both dermatologists say that the key is applying it to slightly damp skin before your moisturizer to give the hyaluronic acid something to bind to, followed by a richer cream on top to lock everything in.

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid ExfoliantSave to wishlistSave to wishlist

Exfoliant

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

$37 $26 (30% off)

Amazon

$37

Sephora

$37

Dermstore

The BHA in Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant—salicylic acid—benefits more than just acne-prone younger skin. “Salicylic acid at this concentration penetrates the pore lining and accelerates cell turnover, which slows significantly as we age,” says Dr. Reszko. “It addresses dullness, enlarged pores, and texture without the irritation that more aggressive exfoliants can cause.” She suggests starting two to three times per week in the evening, after cleansing and before moisturizer, and always following with sunscreen in the morning.

See all of the makeup, hair, skin, and body products readers voted as their 2026 favorites beauty products here.

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Marilyn Monroe is probably one of the most misquoted celebrities. A quick search turns up numerous graphics with one of her famous images overlaid with something like, “Well-behaved women seldom make history”—which she absolutely did not say—in a tacky font.

One thing Monroe did, in fact, say: “Am I a commodity? I don't look at myself that way, but I'm sure one corporation in particular has.” She said it in 1962, shortly before her death, to Life editor Richard Meryman during a conversation now encapsulated in the new book Marilyn: The Lost Photographs, The Last Interview. She didn’t say outright what corporation she was referring to, but it was likely one of the film studios; she worked most with 20th Century Fox.

Monroe was obviously aware of how she could be exploited, but there was no way she could imagine the kind of Marilyn Monroe merchandise that would come to proliferate decades later. June 1, 2026, would have been her 100th birthday, and it has arrived along with an inevitable surge of products—many of them beauty products—supposedly infused with her mystique.

A few months ago, I bemoaned the influx of PR pitches using Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy to push their clients’ products—headbands and lipsticks and moisturizers that brands and their publicists said evoked Bessette-Kennedy’s signature style. Of course, these are products that she never had a chance to use, let alone approve the use of her image to promote—an unlikely scenario based on the privacy she fiercely guarded up until her death. A few people in Allure’s Instagram comments didn’t see what all the fuss was about, citing Marilyn Monroe as an example of someone who also died tragically in her 30s and is, to all appearances, freely marketed to us. There is, however, a difference.

When Marilyn Monroe died of a barbiturate overdose on August 4, 1962, her estate was left to her acting coach, Lee Strasberg, who left it to his wife, Anna. In 2011, Anna sold the intellectual property and commercial rights to the Authentic Brands Group. In other words, while the use of Bessette-Kennedy in marketing pitches is legally questionable, there’s a team overseeing and actively licensing the usage of Monroe’s image.

But does that constitute a moral difference?

Currently, there are two dozen brands participating in Marilyn Monroe partnerships specifically surrounding her 100th birthday via Authentic Brands Group, four of which are beauty brands. Color Street is offering nail polish strips with Marilyn Monroe motifs; Ipsy has designed Monroe-inspired bags for its June subscription box; Shark launched a Marilyn Monroe edition of its CryoGlow LED Face Mask; and Lisa Eldridge is offering a makeup collection inspired by photos of Monroe taken by Sam Shaw.

In many ways, cosmetic products celebrating Marilyn Monroe make a lot of sense. There’s no doubt that Monroe was and continues to be one of the most influential beauties in our culture. In a 2012 Allure story, writer Rebecca Mead explored exactly why Monroe's image endures: "She wasn't Hollywood's first voluptuous, fair-haired beauty. She wasn't even Hollywood's first voluptuous, fair-haired beauty who died at a tragically young age: That would be Jean Harlow… But Monroe is the one whose beauty is so instantly recognizable that it can be indicated merely by a handful of components: blonde bouffant hair; sleepy, half-shut eyes; slightly parted lips on the verge of a welcoming smile." And then of course there are the intangibles—her dynamism, but also her vulnerability and almost childlike quality.

Her erstwhile willingness to be a celebrity is not a posthumous permission slip to assume she’d sign off on Monroe merch.

“Throughout time, throughout history, she's probably the most replicated look—the iconic red lips or her beauty mark or her shade of blonde is probably the most replicated,” Dana Carpenter, executive vice president, entertainment, at Authentic Brands Group told me in a recent interview. I asked Carpenter if that means any beauty brand that has the money—she wouldn’t reveal the cost of licensing—can slap Monroe’s image on a freckle pen.

Thankfully, no. “The consumer is very smart. They can see through things that look like a money grab,” Carpenter assures me, adding that the partnership has to feel “thoughtful and organic” with “true Marilyn DNA” in the storyline the brand is bringing forth. It’s unclear how that’s determined or how a Marilyn Monroe LED face mask is part of the DNA of a woman who passed away in the early ‘60s.

Look, I love the CryoGlow, as do many other members of the Allure team. But the idea of a Marilyn Monroe edition of the device is completely absurd to me. Would the “Ruby Glow” colorway—apparently the only thing that makes it Marilyn—really be the tipping point for someone who was on the fence about splurging on it? The Lisa Eldridge collection, on the other hand, does feel “thoughtful and organic,” as Carpenter said, with shades directly influenced by specific images of Monroe: The carnation pink Amagansett shade of Rouge Experience Lipstick looks like a color she would have worn, and Elevated Glow Balm Concentrate in the shade Butterfly Lighting is named after a classic Hollywood lighting technique.

“Discover the inspirations and references behind the collaboration,” the Lisa Eldridge website suggests. But can you really “collaborate” with someone who has been dead for 64 years? No matter who holds the rights to Monroe’s estate, and no matter how intense their parasocial relationship with her may be, there’s truly no way to know if she would have wanted any of this.

Bessette-Kennedy never wanted to be famous, which has made her commodification especially odious. While Marilyn Monroe told Life editor Meryman that her goal wasn’t necessarily to become famous, she did welcome it. And once it was clear that she was a star, she felt a responsibility to the people who admired her—to look and act a certain way in public. But this self-imposed sense of responsibility was likely never something she considered beyond her life. She didn’t even presume that she was guaranteed to remain famous had she lived longer. And even if she had, her erstwhile willingness to be a celebrity is not a posthumous permission slip to assume she’d sign off on Monroe merch.

“Fame is a passing thing,” she told Meryman, unaware that her own celebrity would outlive her well into a new century and oblivious to how her face, her body, even her handwriting would be seized on by corporate design teams looking to sell handheld vacuums, engraved crystal caviar servers, and Supima cotton pique polos. “Fame is also a burden,” she continued in that interview.

Marilyn Monroe is not alive to carry that burden, and at this point, there’s a strong chance she wouldn’t have lived to see these birthday collections even if she hadn’t died so tragically young. Monroe’s beauty, talent, charm, and troubled life story would likely still fuel a persistent demand for merchandise. And while making money off her memory may not be the most pure-of-heart business endeavor, the fans who buy this merch open their wallets in admiration. But with many of these products, you have to ask, admiration for whom? Or what?

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Jennifer Lopez has gone through many style evolutions through her long career, from her “Jenny from the block” persona of the early 2000s to her glamorous Hollywood aesthetic of today. But one element of her look has always remained the same—her glowing makeup that has you instantly wanting to gulp down a glass of water, grab a bronzer compact, and book a beach vacation. Her makeup is all golden skin, fluttery lashes, glossy lips, and immaculately groomed brows, so when the multi-hyphenate stepped onto the red carpet with those feathery brows almost completely faded—we did a double-take.

J.Lo debuted the look at the premiere of her new romantic comedy Office Romance, in which she plays a high-powered CEO who breaks her own rules with her office fling (co-star Brett Goldstein). She wore a structural, embellished gown with sleek, middle-part hair and her new lightened brows, courtesy of makeup artist Ernesto Casillas.

The actress's brows have changed slightly over the past 30 years. For her role as Selena Quintanilla in the 1997 film about the late singer, her arches were darkened and defined. Like many Gen Xers and millennials, they became slimmer in the early aughts. But it's been years since she's experimented with her brows, and perhaps the first time we've ever seen her go for a more goth-inspired look on the red carpet. (Perhaps she was inspired by her role in last year's Kiss of the Spider Woman, where one of her looks is a dark, edgy seductress complete with vampy makeup and claw-like nails.)

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Although we think J.Lo absolutely nails the lighter eyebrow trend, we don't expect her to keep it for long. Especially since it appears that they're not bleached, unlike celebrities such as Jenna Ortega, Miley Cyrus, and Michelle Yeoh, who have all gone that route. Instead, the lightening may come thanks to a combination of glue, concealer, and a light dusting of powder over top—a classic method used in stage makeup and by drag artists to make their natural brows disappear. It's a great way to dabble with the bleached brows trend without having to open up a bottle of peroxide.

Whether J.Lo's lighter brows are here stay or just making a fleeting appearance, we always love to see an unexpected red-carpet makeup moment from one of our favorite, ultra-glamorous celebs.

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Rosie O'Donnell got a facelift—and she has some thoughts to share.

The comedian and actor revealed this week that she had a lower deep-plane facelift in January, sharing her complicated feelings on Substack in her now-signature poetic style. In the post, titled “decisions,” O'Donnell wrote that she had always sworn she'd never go under the knife. After losing 50 pounds, she changed her mind.

“I used to feel very strongly about facelifts,” O'Donnell wrote. “Not casually—morally. I had assigned myself as head of all women who would never ever.” She went on to say that getting a facelift felt like a “betrayal” of feminism and aging, even of “our team of women worldwide.” But after her weight loss, O'Donnell said her face changed to a point that “I'd look in the mirror and think – this isn't aging, this is melting with intention.” She tried to accept it, and couldn't: “There's a point where acceptance starts to feel like lying.”

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O'Donnell's 13-year-old child, Clay, found out that she was contemplating a facelift and had their their own thoughts, saying O'Donnell “earned” her wrinkles and that young women look up to her. What kind of message would she be sending about aging and acceptance if she got plastic surgery? And then this: “‘I wouldn’t be able to respect you if you did it.’” (“That's a big statement from someone who still needs you to open jars.”) According to O'Donnell, Clay sounded “exactly like me. Like my younger, more certain, more morally rigid self had somehow moved into my house and was now judging my face.”

O'Donnell sat for a few months with the idea of getting a facelift, then realized that not doing would also send her child a message. “If I’m teaching Clay anything, it can’t be that my body belongs to an idea either,” she wrote. “Even a good idea. Even feminism. Because that’s still not freedom—that’s just a different authority telling you what you’re allowed to do with your own face.” Her words echo those of Allure contributor Joan Kron, who said of her three facelifts: “The feminist line is, 'We've earned these wrinkles. We don't want to erase them.' Well, I’m a feminist, but I don’t believe in telling people what to do with their bodies.”

About five months ago, O'Donnell had the surgery, choosing a doctor who had worked on some of her friends, “who all still looked like themselves, just like they had recently been told good news.” Her goal: “to still be me, just…less haunted. And I do look like me…a slightly more well-rested, emotionally stable version of me.” So what was the response to the results, after all that self-reflection and “a full existential feminist crisis”? O'Donnell says no one has even noticed she had work done, “not one person. Not a friend, not a stranger, not even people who owe me compliments / My teenager has not said a word.”

But O'Donnell is pleased with that. “I didn’t disappear, I didn’t become someone else. I just stopped arguing with the mirror. And maybe that’s enough. Or at the very least…it’s what a lower, deep plane face lift [sic] looks like when it minds its own business.” A day after the Substack post went live, she shared before and after photos on her Instagram.

O'Donnell joins the ranks of celebrities who have been open about their work recently. Denise Richards told Allure all about her recent facelift and even shared the actual, clinical before-and-after pics. A day after O'Donnell's post went live, Glamour published an interview with TV personality Keltie Knight in which she shared details about her own facelift. Then there's Ricki Lake, and Kathy Griffin, and of course Kris Jenner.

O'Donnell ended her post by saying that while she knows she doesn't owe anyone an explanation for her decision to have plastic surgery, she doesn't like secrets. “Part of my desire to show myself…is to come clean,” she wrote. “But who do I owe that truth to? Is it mine to keep?” She writes of feeling “almost shameful” of her “privileged place” in the world, noting that the surgery cost “more money than I have ever paid for a car.” But at 64, O'Donnell says that despite her still-conflicted feelings, she and her “new lower face and neck” are “just happy to be alive…able to feel and choose and use my voice whenever I feel called to…as we carry on in act 3.”

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Allure Reader Exclusive: Your first box is only $20 (with code ALLUREVIP), but it's worth over $210!

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With longer days on the horizon (thank you, summer solstice!), I’m feeling energized and ready to take on all that this season has to offer. For me, that means sweaty days in the sun with plenty of SPF, picnics in the park sardine-style, and sweltering subway platforms. And you know what? I’ll gladly take it all—even the citywide sidewalk stink!—if it means I won’t have to wear a jacket for the next few months. I’m also welcoming a much-needed routine refresh, which includes some of the products you’ll find in the June Allure Beauty Box. For my freshly dyed (and dry) blonde strands, I’ll need the hydrating hair mask, the clay-based face mask to clear out clogged winter pores, the floral-forward hair and body mist for freshening up on the go, and more. Warmer weather, right this way!

New Member Gift: DIBS Beauty Go To Glossy Balm

Why you’ll love it: It’s a balm! It’s a gloss! It’s…both? This double-duty product gives lips the best of both worlds—it nourishes and adds shine—in one quick swipe. You'll receive one of four great glimmering shades: Italian Soda (sheer pink), Kiss Me Quick (peach), Rock Candy (baby pink), or MIMS (warm mauve).

How you’ll use it: Slide the silky formula onto lips using the cushion-y doe-foot applicator for a reflective—not sparkly—finish. Wear it solo or atop your favorite liner.

Retail Price: $24

Member Choice: First Aid Beauty After-Shower Nourishing Body Oil, Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer, Brightening Micro Powder Exfoliant, or KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub 10% AHA in Fresh Strawberry

Why you’ll love it: Sometimes it’s the simple things that make the most impact. That’s certainly the case with FAB’s skin- and body-care products, which are fit (and formulated) for sensitive types. You chose one of these four full-size heroes to receive in this month’s box: a silky body elixir; a glow-inducing, powder-to-foam exfoliator; a body scrub that smells more farmstand than pharmacy; or a coddling face cream. You can’t go wrong, no matter which option you selected.

How you’ll use it: Depending on your product pick, you’ll either slough off dead skin cells, wash them away, or hydrate your skin back to health. The choice is, quite literally, yours.

Retail Price: $28-$36

Luna Nectar Futurize Botanical Retinol Alternative Boosting Serum

Why you’ll love it: Not every face can tolerate the power of retinol, but most can appreciate its more sensitive, skin-friendly alternatives, like bakuchiol. The plant-based ingredient is packed into this serum to help target fine lines and smooth texture, just like the vitamin A derivative.

How you’ll use it: At night, after cleansing, pat three drops onto skin (forehead to neck), followed by moisturizer. Don’t forget to wear sunscreen the next morning!

Retail Price: $49

Aceology Here We Glow Berry Mask

Why you’ll love it: This berry yogurt look-alike may not be edible, but it certainly offers impressive antioxidant perks, just like the juicy fruits. Made with kaolin to deep-clean and five different berries to fight free-radical damage (wrinkles, dark spots), this face mask gives tired skin a boost, leaving it with a soft radiance.

How you’ll use it: Slather onto freshly cleansed skin, making sure to apply it evenly from the forehead to chin. Then grab a spot on the couch, catch up on your favorite feel-good show, and welcome your new glow (after 20 to 30 minutes).

Retail Price: $69

L'Atelier Coeur de Pétales Travel Hair & Body Mist

Why you’ll love it: If you’ve ever been to Paris, you’ve likely strolled through the lush Jardin du Luxembourg. If you haven’t, a spritz or two of this flowery fragrance (with notes of rose, violet, and jasmine) will instantly transport you to the iconic garden's sprawling flowers and fruit trees.

How you’ll use it: Wherever you’re heading, toss this tiny bottle into your bag to spritz on the go.

Retail Price: $29

Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam or Clear Jelly Mask

Why you’ll love it: You’ll receive either Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam or Clear Jelly Mask—two standouts designed to upgrade your hair routine. Sculpting Foam delivers airy texture, volume, and body, while Clear Jelly Mask deeply hydrates and boosts shine with a lightweight formula that leaves hair soft and glossy.

How you’ll use it: If you receive Sculpting Foam, shake well, dispense upside down, and apply evenly to damp hair before styling for added volume and definition. If you receive Clear Jelly Mask, apply to clean, damp hair after shampooing, leave on for 5–15 minutes depending on your hair’s needs, rinse thoroughly, then follow with conditioner if needed.

Retail Price: $10-$15

Davids Hydroxi Whitening + Enamel Health Peppermint toothpaste

Why you’ll love it: Who says oral care can't also be chic care? Davids' mint green tube is filled with SLS-free peppermint paste that makes the twice-daily chore of brushing your teeth look and feel a little more elevated.

How you’ll use it: After flossing, twist off the top and squeeze a pea-size dollop onto your toothbrush—then brush your teeth. Follow with a swish and a swirl of your favorite mouthwash.

Retail Price: $5.95

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Long before we were all talking about Barbie blush, before Olandria and some Real Housewives went viral for their draped flushes, Ngozi Esther Edeme (a.k.a. Painted By Esther) was posting her work online, laying the foundation for her reputation as bold blush’s most fearless champion.

Seven years ago, she tweeted a short clip of her applying makeup on a Black woman, alongside the caption: "Posting this because I want brown / Darkskin gurlz to see how blush hugs & balances our skin tone / our features. Cream blush to map out, powder blush to set. Blush was made for us." She had been doing this for years before anyone started paying attention, practicing on herself first, then on models she met at university. She’d share the results online and watch them go viral because, as she puts it, "people had never seen Black women look like that."

That 2019 post resurfaced recently as the public debated whether she has the right to be upset that her approach to layering cream and powder blush for a seamless, blurred finish appears to have been the inspiration for another brand's new launch. Blush draping is not a new technique, and Edeme is the first to acknowledge the artists who came before her. But bringing the look back, recentering the conversation on dark skin, and turning rosy cheeks into a cultural conversation? That’s all Painted By Esther.

When, in late May 2026, Patrick Ta launched his Transition Blush collection—a cream blush, powder palette, and dual-ended brush built around a three-step technique for blending color from the undereye into the cheek—beauty fans of the internet were quick to call out the similarities between his marketing materials and Edeme's work. Everything from the language Ta used to describe the system, the formula, and the placement tracked closely with what Esther had been demonstrating publicly in her workshops and online. A side-by-side comparison went viral, showing Ta using some of her exact wording. Ta eventually updated the caption on his launch announcement video, calling Edeme "amazing and so talented" and acknowledging the role she played in popularizing the look, while also claiming he had been doing his own version since 2021. (Ta has also been known for his love of blush; his Major Headlines Double Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo, which launched in 2020, is a bestseller for the brand. Allure reached out to Ta’s team for further comment, but has not heard back.)

For Edeme, none of this is surprising. "They're trying to rewrite history," she says. But her digital trail proves years of posts that document exactly how long she has been developing and sharing her method.

Edeme is careful to credit the lineage her work draws from: Kevyn Aucoin's Making Faces, and the work of Sam Fine and Danessa Myricks, two artists she studied obsessively. "If it wasn't for the artists that came before me, I would not be here, period," she insists. It is worth stressing that she has never claimed to have invented the foundational makeup technique that is transition shading. This type of blush application has long been part of makeup artistry, championed by greats like Way Bandy (in the 1970s and ‘80s) and Aucoin (in the 1980s and ‘90s). What makes her approach distinct isn’t the undereye blending itself but the boldness and unapologetic commitment to high-pigment color, applied generously. While editorial makeup of the 2010s framed blush as something to be used sparingly and softly, Edeme goes all the way in.

She normalized that bold approach, specifically on dark-skinned Black women at a time when the dominant beauty conversation was moving in precisely the opposite direction. And her aesthetic has become widely referenced, replicated, and reinterpreted across the beauty industry. "I just have a natural gift for looking at someone and knowing exactly where they should take it," Edeme explains.

Where another artist might arrive with a fixed technique, Edeme comes ready to customize her approach for whoever is sitting in front of her and is intentional about translating their energy and personality onto their face. Her work with Chloe Bailey, a regular collaborator who gives her full creative freedom, is a perfect example. Knowing how whimsical the multihyphenate is, Edeme wants exactly that energy reflected back. The results are some of the most playful, otherworldly makeup looks Bailey has worn.

Edeme has had a fascination with cheekbones long before she was Painted By Esther. She grew up collecting Bratz dolls and describes studying their faces with the seriousness of someone already learning a craft. "They're heart-shaped, they have beautiful cheekbones," she says, "and everything just sits nicely. It always made sense to me that everything would sit here." She trained as a portrait artist and learned to read a face the way a painter does, as something you build from scratch, customize, and celebrate in its specific geometry.

"Our skin is the most beautiful skin. I've always just wanted to elevate it and amplify it."

When she turned that eye toward Black women, Edeme saw a canvas the industry had persistently undervalued. "Our skin is the most beautiful skin," she says. "I've always just wanted to elevate it and amplify it." In response, she would seek out dark-skinned Black women and build looks around them: high-pigment blush in hot pinks, corals, and berries, colors the beauty industry had long insisted didn't work on dark skin. "I've always wanted to just give us the platform that we are absolutely gorgeous," she says. "That is my baseline."

By the time Edeme was in college, saving money to order Melanie Mills Glow products from LA, the foundations of her approach were already in place: skin first always, then color placed where it would do the most to accentuate features. "Everything just naturally sits here anyway," she says. "I practiced on myself first." She developed the three-step process for blush: cream to map, powder to set, a final layer of translucent setting powder to build intensity. Her client roster speaks for itself: Raye, SZA, Viola Davis, Kelly Rowland, and Adut Akech, to name a few.

Edeme's influence has reached farther than she could have imagined. She describes watching a video recently of a young Black woman applying bold blush and crediting Esther with giving her the confidence to do so, after years of being told the look made her appear clownish. "She fully credited that to me," Edeme says. "I just started crying." The woman in the video had decided she liked it and kept doing it, regardless of what anyone said. For Edeme, that’s the whole point.

Just like Edeme, who moved from Nigeria to the UK when she was younger, I moved from Ghana to a city in the UK, where my brother and I were the only Black kids in school. I was made to feel ugly, and I didn’t fit in. When I started teaching myself to apply makeup at 17, blush felt like a risk; something that would draw attention to a face I had already been told wasn't good enough. I wore it tentatively at first, then with more conviction. Now, I'm proud to be known for my blush blindness.

Mine is the story of so many Black women, which perhaps explains why, when the controversy broke, so many of us rose up to defend her. Edeme's influence on beauty culture has given us so much to protect.

There is a strange final stage to influence when something you popularize becomes so well-known that it's bigger than you. Edeme is careful to stress that influencers play an important role in introducing looks to new audiences, but she hopes that the industry becomes as quick to celebrate the artists who create as it is to celebrate those who spread. At the end of the day, recognition isn't just a nicety. It's how we make sure the people shaping beauty's visual language are credited (and, ideally, compensated) for their work.

This week, many people have posted in support of Edeme, often without mentioning the ongoing discourse at all: Creators have been sharing videos of themselves “trying Painted by Esther’s iconic blush technique,” and MAC Cosmetics published a shoot featuring Olandria wearing the brand’s blush alongside makeup tips from Edeme. Overall, Edeme does feel like the industry, including mainstream media outlets, has done a decent job in giving her her flowers. She adds, however, with characteristic directness: "I think they could do better."

In the meantime, she’s getting on with it. "My mission before I leave this earth is to spread my gifts," she says. She describes her goals for what’s next with the same unhurried confidence that seems to animate everything she does: workshops that feel like a party, complete with cocktails and a community of women learning together and lifting each other up. In time, she’d love the role of creative director at a brand. For now though, Edeme’s off to Jamaica this week to shoot a music video. She is booked, busy, and at a level where she can skate a little and really enjoy her work.

Beyond blush and any controversy, it has always been about women being seen, celebrated, and taking up space in an industry that has historically asked them to make themselves smaller—something Edeme never did. "I've always been willing to help," she says. The receipts go all the way back, and the work speaks for itself.