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I Tried Khloé Kardashian’s Easy Trick for Glowy Skin


The first and only time I have ever been early in my life was when I was born a few weeks ahead of my due date. Ever since then, I’ve been running behind, always showing up in the nick of time or fashionably late. I also refuse to leave the house without makeup on (thank you, acne), which is a terrible combination that leaves me scrambling to get out of the house as quickly as possible. So when I hear a tip that promises to cut my getting-ready time in half, I’m all ears.

The latest suggestion came from an unlikely source: Khloé Kardashian. (I have nothing against the Kardashians; I just tend to look toward vintage starlets and ’90s It girls for beauty inspiration rather than their current-day Calabasas counterparts.) In a new Vogue Beauty Secrets video, Kardashian details how her makeup routine has changed since becoming a mom. “I’ve had to learn how to do makeup really quickly and not do too many wet things,” she says. “If it’s wet and I have to run after [True], it’s going to set really weird and I’m gonna look super blotchy.”

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While Kardashian still gets her makeup done on days when the family is filming, on her day off she relies on a homemade BB cream to get her face on as fast as possible. In the video she starts by applying her skin care, skipping moisturizer and going right to sunscreen. She then reaches for her Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer. At first I thought it was that odd she applied SPF under her moisturizer, but when she then reached for her Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick, it started to click.

Kardashian mixed the two products together on the back of her hand with a Kabuki brush and then quickly stippled it all over her face. The result was a super-glowy lightweight veil of color that she applied in less than a minute. Seeing as I covet luminous skin and conveniently had both products in my stash, I decided to put it to the test.

The cream is very whipped and luxurious, so you don’t need a lot. I prefer a little more coverage, so I found luck with about a 2.5 to 1 ratio of foundation to moisturizer, but if you want to show more skin, just add less foundation. I think the combo would work with any foundation stick and moisturizer you have on hand, but the textures of these two are very luxe and they feel nice and creamy when mixed together. I’ve also found the Tom Ford to be a little heavy for my skin when I’ve used it solo, so this is a great way to make it more wearable for me.



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The Best Exfoliating Pads for Radiant, Glowy Skin


Peel pads changed my life. I’m not exaggerating. They’re so good that anytime someone complains to me about their acne, I basically toss an acid-soaked disc at them. I used to have very stubborn breakouts, relatively mild in severity but still enough that I’d have to excuse myself during dates to dab on more concealer in the bathroom. I dropped a ton of money on charcoal masks and spot treatments and all the salicylic acid in the land, and I now have so many half-empty bottles of benzoyl peroxide cleanser that I could bleach the contents of my closet with it.

Once I swapped in exfoliating pads for my old, not-so-effective acne-fighting products, though, my skin did a 180. I now go outside without makeup. I haven’t touched concealer in months. And, sure, I still get zits from time to time—inevitable, since my oil glands produce more grease than a dollar slice of pizza—but they have a shorter life span and are way less noticeable.

Peel pads are one of the most effective skin care products out there, but you don’t even have to take my anecdotal word for it. Its efficacy is by design. “The pad itself helps to further the exfoliation process,” says Craig Austin, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. “It gently lifts dead skin cells while wiping your skin’s surface clean from debris and makeup.” Using your fingertips just doesn’t have that same exfoliating effect as the pad, and some pads are actually built to maximize that difference with a mesh or nubby texture.

Glycolic acid—my acid of choice—is the most popular ingredient in peel pads since it clears out pores, hydrates, brightens, and smooths out texture. But you don’t have to stop at acid. Exfoliating pads can be infused with reparative antioxidants, soothing aloe vera, and skin-firming peptides, which can guide you through the daunting task of figuring out which works best for you.

Another perk: They’re idiot-proof. “It’s unlikely to ‘screw up’ when using a peel pad or disc,” says David Colbert, M.D., a dermatologist at New York Dermatology Group in NYC. “Make sure the disc is moist and apply light pressure in a circular motion.” Still, a word to the wise: Read the directions. While some peel pads involve just a swipe and nothing more, others need to be rinsed off. Use it after you cleanse and give it a minute or two to work its magic before applying your serum or moisturizer (or both).

This exfoliating power may be the reason behind peel pads’ bad rap in the skin care world. The claim: They’re too harsh and irritating for sensitive skin. But unless you’re piling on eight different acids, peel pads are totally fine for all skin types. When you first start using a exfoliating pad, “make sure that you’re choosing an acid that is lower concentration, such as a 10 percent peel,” says Dr. Austin. Like other powerful ingredients (looking at you, retinoids), your skin may need a few weeks to adjust, so start by using pads every other night, only working your way up to every night once your skin becomes acclimated to it. (Once you notice less tingling, you can ramp up your usage.) If you notice any kind of irritation or pain and need relief stat, just splash water on your face. “This will stop the acid from continuing to penetrate your skin until you work up more of a tolerance,” Austin says.

And no matter your skin type, slow your roll with other types of exfoliation. “The biggest mistake people make when using peel pads is either overexfoliation with a facial cleansing brush, like Clarisonic or other abrasive cleansers,” says Dr. Austin. Also, follow up any type of peel pad with a high SPF. Since the acids remove dead skin cells—exposing new skin and leaving it more sensitive to light—go with at least SPF 50.

My only regret concerning peel pads is that nobody told me about them sooner. Try them for yourself and feel free to @ me. I’m that sure of them.



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The Best Glowy Skin Tips From Meghan Markle’s Makeup Artist


For nine non-stop months, we speculated about what Meghan Markle’s wedding makeup was going to look like, and on Saturday, she did not disappoint when she rolled up in her Rolls sporting her signature glow (and those freckles!). It was rumored that she might do her own makeup, but in the end and in true Meghan style, she opted to have her long-time friend and makeup artist, Daniel Martin help her out. Lucky for us, Glamour, too, has been a long-time friend of the Dior Brand Ambassador and Honest Beauty Creative Color Consultant, so we rounded up the best insider tricks he’s given us about glowy skin over the years. Here’s how to get it right.

Prep Your Skin
Even the fanciest foundation with major moisturizing and illuminating properties in the world won’t look good on dry skin. Before any kind of makeup, you need to “wake up your complexion” with a non-greasy moisturizer, said Martin. (Try Dior Hydra Life Hydration Rescue Intense Sorbet Creme.) Smooth on a pea-sized amount, then massage your face for a few minutes to plump things up and boost circulation. Ditto for your eyes. “Hydrate with an eye balm or eye cream first to build up resistance to the layers it takes to cover up dark circles,” he once told us. (We love Honest Beauty The Depuffed Eye Gel.) Once your skin is properly hydrated, anything you put on top—foundation, concealer, powder—goes on a lot smoother and lasts longer.

Color Correct a Touch
Sure, sheer makeup is the goal, but sometimes a girl needs a little coverage. And to do that in the most natural way possible, you need to neutralize—not just camouflage with concealer—spots and discoloration. “Unbalanced undertones and uneven skin texture are distracting and not appealing to the naked eye—the benefit of color-correcting products is being able to put your skin tone back to a blank-canvas state,” he said. To cancel out pimples and uneven patches of redness, try applying a whisper of green-tinted cream like Dior Fix It 2-in-1 Prime & Color Correct in Green on bits that need evening out. If you want to counteract sallowness or hyperpigmentation, lay down a thin layer of peach color corrector like Dior’s Fix It in Apricot. “Once your canvas is treated and prepped, you can use less of everything else,” said Martin.

Stipple (Don’t Swipe) on Foundation
Smearing foundation over your color-correcting handiwork will only make a mess. Instead, “lightly buff and swirl your makeup brush dipped in foundation over your skin to create a flawless, diffused finish,” suggests Martin. “Think of it like waxing your car—minus the pressure. When you use light, short circular motions to achieve coverage, it ends up looking seamless and not streaky at all.” His three must-haves for no-fail blending: Dior Backstage Blender Sponge, It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Magic Eraser, and the Sigma F64 Soft Blend Concealer Brush that he uses as a foundation brush.

Spackle a Zit with Eyeshadow Primer
What’s worse than a big zit? A big, flaky zit, which is usually what happens when you use a spot treatment and then dump on a ton of concealer over top. Trust us: When it comes to hiding a pimple, more is not more. His pro move for making an angry spot look less noticeable? “First, treat the inflammation with either a cortisone gel or redness-reducing eye drops. It really gets the red out!” he said. Wait a few minutes for the swelling to go down, then dab on some clear eyeshadow primer. It works two-fold, says Martin, by creating a smoother, less permeable surface (so bacteria stays out) and helps everything else stick and stay put.

Highlight Strategically
The quickest way to glow up, says Martin, is to dust a shimmery gold highlighter (or gold eyeshadow if you’re feeling wild; watch him break down his best shadow hacks, below) all up on your cheekbones. But don’t just put it anywhere. For a believable glow, concentrate the color underneath your eyes and along your cheekbones to “brighten the complexion and add a nice radiance to the face without looking too much.” Add a dab of gloss and you’re good to go.

Related Stories:
Meghan Markle’s Wedding Makeup Let Her Natural Beauty (and Her Freckles) Show Through
The Fascinating Backstory Behind the Queen’s Favorite Nail Polish
Searches for Freckle-Friendly Makeup Are Up 117 Percent on Pinterest Now

Watch Daniel Martin share his best gilded eyeshadow advice:



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This Incredibly Glowy Highlighter Is In Every Pro's Bag, And Now At Sephora


PHOTO: Instagram / @rmsbeauty

Just about every makeup artist puts their own personal spin on their work—some people swear by outer eye highlighter, while others would rather eat their arm than give you faded-out “Instagram brows.” But across the board, one of the only things most makeup artists have in common is a whole-hearted devotion to RMS’s Living Luminizer. As soon as you stick your finger in that little damp pot, you get it—as unappealing as “little damp pot” sounds, it’s one of the best, most all-out incredible highlighters in the biz. Before, you could get your hands on it, but it was by no means mainstream. So here comes the best news all day: every pro’s favorite highlighter is now available in your local Sephora.

The phrase “every pro’s favorite [blank]” tends to show up a lot of places, but just trust us, there’s rarely a makeup artist’s kit that doesn’t have the little white pot close at hand. Drawing on only seven ingredients (the brand prides itself on being all-natural and cruelty-free), the highlighter is the go-to for a dewy, lit-from-within, goddess kind of glow. Thank the combination of castor seed oil, coconut oil, beeswax, and the shimmering mica that makes it tick—it’s no Huda Beauty highlighter or Becca prismatic deal, but if you’re a fan of looking a few notches more ethereal, you really can’t get better than RMS.

The Living Luminizer is its cult classic, but Sephora is stocking the full line, which is convenient if it all vice grips onto your heart. Also, can we give a shout-out to the many brands Sephora has been grabbing up lately? First Tom Ford, then Kiehl’s, then ColourPop. Legit, just when you think Sephora can’t get better, oh, does it.

Other top hits by RMS include Un-Cover Up, a dewy concealer foundation hybrid (Emma Watson’s a fan, so, sold), the multitasking Lip2Cheek pigment and the Eye Polish. Honestly though, there’s not really a dud in the bunch. But priced from $25 to $38, a gotta catch ’em all situation isn’t exactly feasible—so fingers crossed something shows up in a Sephora 50 percent off sale soon.

Related Stories:
I Don’t Wear Concealer Anymore Because of This Highlighter Trick
This $4 Apricot Highlighter Looks Incredible on Everyone
I Tried That Viral ‘Vagina Highlighter,’ and Honestly I Don’t Hate It



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