Beauty How To

Blast Blemishes With This Two-Ingredient Spot Treatment Recipe

If you're plagued with a persistant pimple and need to clear it up fast, never fear.

If you're plagued with a persistant pimple and need to clear it up fast, never fear. Here's an easy, two-ingredient spot treatment that comes together in no time. All you need is a small bowl of crushed mint leaves and oats.

Procedure:

  • Take a handful of fresh mint leaves and pulverize them with a pestle in a bowl.
  • Next, add moistened oats to the mixture and mix until it forms a paste.
  • Apply evenly to your face, or just to your affected areas, and wait 20 minutes.

Relax and take deep breaths during your waiting time; allow time for the oats and the oils to absorb. Apply twice a day as needed, storing the remaining mixture in a sealed container in the fridge.

Source: Shutterstock, Flickr users S Diddy and ZeHawk
Skin Care

Re-Create Gwyneth Paltrow's Age-Defying Facial at Home

Gwyneth Paltrow has a lot to offer: she's talented, she has a great sense of humor, she can sing, she dresses well, and she might have the most flawless skin we've ever seen.

Gwyneth Paltrow has a lot to offer: she's talented, she has a great sense of humor, she can sing, she dresses well, and she might have the most flawless skin we've ever seen. She attributes her glowing complexion to celebrity esthetician Sonya Dakar, who regularly prepares Gwyneth for big events with an apple stem cell facial.

We ventured to Beverly Hills to meet with Sonya, learn the key components of the facial, and even get tips on how to create a version for ourselves at home. Best of all, the ingredients you need can be found at your local supermarket. Now there's no excuse not to give this a try.

To try some of Gwyneth's favorite products, you can shop them on Sonya's site.

On Kirbie Johnson: Club Monaco "Lauren" blouse.

Hair

10 Travel-Size Essentials Under $10

It's more than typical for separation anxiety to kick in whenever you're faced with packing for a trip and leaving your favorite products behind.

It's more than typical for separation anxiety to kick in whenever you're faced with packing for a trip and leaving your favorite products behind. Travel restrictions make it so our full-size products need to stay at home while we're getting blissed out on vacation. But keep your chin up. We've rounded up 10 of favorite drugstore products in their travel-size counterparts . . . and they're all $10 or less.

Looking for more products under $10? Check out our ultimate drugstore beauty guide.

Source: Shutterstock
Skin Care

What We're Sweet On: An Exfoliant For Your Fingers

Chances are you're neglecting one of your most important body parts when it comes to beauty: your hands.

Chances are you're neglecting one of your most important body parts when it comes to beauty: your hands. Not anymore. The next time you plan an at-home manicure, start with Julep's Glycolic Hand Scrub ($23). This product includes both physical and chemical exfoliants to clear rough patches. The apricot seeds and glycolic acid work together to reveal smooth skin and brighter hands. You can even use it all over on rough elbows and knees, yet it's gentle enough for your face. And whatever your age, well, your hands won't be the ones to tell it.

Makeup

The History of Mascara: From Ancient Egypt to Today

Mascara is such an integral part of our beauty routines that we just accept it as a salient thing.

Mascara is such an integral part of our beauty routines that we just accept it as a salient thing. But over its more than 6,000 year-long history, mascara has gone through some pretty big changes. For some fun (and surprising!) facts about something you probably use every day, just keep reading.

Hair

Yes, You Can Sunproof Your Hair — Here's How

Hair can take a beating during the warmer-weather months, whether it be from the sun, the chlorine in your pool, or your blow dryer when you try to wrangle your frizz.

Hair can take a beating during the warmer-weather months, whether it be from the sun, the chlorine in your pool, or your blow dryer when you try to wrangle your frizz. Luckily, there are steps you can take to keep your strands in tip-top shape. Kim Vo shares his tips and secrets for keeping your hair healthy this season.

  • Mist facial SPF onto your hair: To give hair "just a kiss of that sunshield," Vo says you should spray a facial SPF "and walk into it like a fine perfume." Be sure to try a product that's lighter and formulated for your face, though; this way, you won't be saddled with greasy hair. We like Philosophy's Here Comes the Sun Age Defense facial sunscreen ($30).
  • Invest in UVA/UVB sprays: For another option, try hair spray with built-in protection. Just look for UVA/UVB filters on the label, and spritz on for instant defense.
  • Seal the hair cuticle: Cuticles are the hard, rounded scales that create the outer layer of your hair, and they often take the brunt of the elements. Damaged cuticles stick up and make the hair look bristly, not to mention give your color a shorter shelf life. That's why Vo stresses the importance of keeping them flat with the proper cuticle-sealing products and tools.
  • Accessorize your armor: Just because you're nurturing your hair doesn't mean you can't get a little stylish. Vo suggests tying a scarf around your head for a fashionable twist on sun protection. Or, embrace the wet hair look by using a leave-in product, slicking back your strands to keep them in good condition.

— Additional reporting by Jaime Richards

Celebrity Beauty

Wedding Day Nail Inspiration From the Red Carpet

With celebrities dressing up for various red carpet affairs, it's easy to be inspired by their polished styles — right down to their manicure choices — for your own wedding day.

With celebrities dressing up for various red carpet affairs, it's easy to be inspired by their polished styles — right down to their manicure choices — for your own wedding day. We've rounded up some of our favorite nail color options and nail art details worthy of wearing to a wedding. Bridesmaids and guests will love these looks too.

Celebrity Beauty

How to Re-Create the Prettiest Looks From Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival is bringing out a bevy of stars, who are showcasing some of their best hair and makeup looks on the red carpet.

The Cannes Film Festival is bringing out a bevy of stars, who are showcasing some of their best hair and makeup looks on the red carpet. Among the stunning close-ups of the celebrities in attendance, we're bringing you their beauty how-tos with the actual products used. Just click through to see how you can emulate your favorite stars now.

summer beauty

Read This Before Picking Up Your Sunscreen For Memorial Day Weekend

True or false? An SPF of 100 protects you twice as long as SPF 50.

True or false? An SPF of 100 protects you twice as long as SPF 50. The answer is a resounding false, with the difference between the two being so little it can be considered negligible.

This is the issue that watchdog organizations such as the Environmental Working Group are hoping to make public on the coattails of the US Food and Drug Administration's recent update of federal requirements for sunscreen. The push, which was put into place last year, bans terms such as "waterproof" from sunscreen bottles, as well as enforces that formulas block both UVA and UVB rays. Consumer groups are now arguing that high SPF numbers are just as misleading and dangerous as terms like waterproof.

"The high SPF numbers are just a gimmick," Marianne Berwick, professor of epidemiology at the University of New Mexico, told the Associated Press. "Most people don't really need more than an SPF 30, and they should reapply it every couple of hours." High SPF numbers, on the other hand, lead consumers to believe that they can spend more time in the sun without reapplying. Find out the truth about SPF numbers when you keep reading.