Sweet Escape

She's a singer, songwriter, clothing designer, style icon, and mother to adorable 1-year-old Kingston. And now Gwen Stefani is adding perfumer to her growing resume. With her debut fragrance, Stefani's iconic style goes beyond music, beyond fashion, and beyond boundaries.

L, a L.A.M.B. Fragrance, has top notes of sweet pea, leafy water hyacinth, white freesia, violet leaves, sensual musk, and orange blossom (an homage to her Orange County, CA roots).

"Every designer basically fantasizes about a fragrance being part of their collection," Gwen dishes. "Basically, it's another thing to put on in the morning."

The perfume is available in liquid and solid versions. And for those of you who like to layer your scents, L comes in a shower gel and body lotion. L is sold at Nordstrom and Sephora, but In Style is giving it away for free. Click here to enter. The sweepstakes ends on September 17.

Baby Got Back

While acne problems are most often associated with the face, back acne is as common as facial acne. Back acne results from tight-fitting clothes, which trap perspiration against your skin. Dealing with this embarrassing condition is often not an easy process, and the sheer number of acne relief preparations can make shopping for the right one a difficult and time-consuming process. This summer, I had banished skimpy tanks and sundresses to the back of my closet - until a recent trip to Sephora gave me a reason to show some skin.

Peter Thomas Roth's Blemish Buffing Beads Body Wash is formulated with acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid, to help clear up and prevent body blemishes without overdrying or irritation. It also contains innovative moisturizing beads that release nourishing vitamins A, C, and E and pro-vitamin B5 when massaged into the skin.

Blemish Buffing Beads Body Wash leaves skin clean and clear...so go on ladies - get buffed.

Does Your Do Make the Cut?

The right haircut can transform your face by complimenting your best features and camouflaging imperfections. It can even reveal assets you never knew you had. Read on to see if your do makes the cut.

Show the world you love your nose: Pin-straight hair will mirror the bridge of your nose. A center part, because it is on the same vertical line as your nose, will focus attention on it. To help smooth hair and tame flyaways, protect hair from the heat of flat irons, use a thermal protectant. On August 21, the first 250 people to sign up on Allure.com will win Fekkai Coiff Defense UV Protectant (retail value: $25).

Take attention away from your nose: The key is to get a softer cut. A feathery bang will do the trick. And a side part takes attention away from the center of your face. For a sleek blowout like SJP's, use a ionic hair dryer, which eliminates frizz, creates sleekness, and improves shine. On August 24, the first ten visitors to sign up on Allure.com will win a T3 Bespoke Labs Featherweight Hair Dryer.

Accentuate your cheekbones: Have your hair cut in layers that form a U-shape from the end of your eyebrows to right below your cheekbones, with side-swept bangs. If your hair is feeling overprocessed, use a treatment that provides intense moisturizate and deep conditioning. C.O. Bigelow's Protein-Enriched Conditioner penetrates easily to soften, detangle, and control frizz.


Bring out your eyes: The tension from a tight ponytail gives your eyes a slight lift, and pulling your hair back from your face puts attention on your eyes. Heavy shine serums can make hair look greasy. So use a lightweight product, such as Fekkai Glossing Cream, to add glossiness without heaviness.


Soften a strong jaw: The bob is really popular right now, and the blunt edges will downplay your jawline. A layered cut that's shorter in the back will make the lower half of your face look sleeker. Use a flat iron to achieve Rihanna's coif, but don't forget to start with some heat relief. John Frieda's Frizz Ease Hair Thermal Protection Serum adds moisture and protects strands.


Add fullness to a narrow face: A side part creates a diagonal line that will move the eye horizontally, creating the illusion of a wider face. To achieve Nicole's chic bob, use a round, metal brush while blow-drying your hair, which will also give you extra lift at the roots. Score a Goody So Smooth Ceramic Round Brush on August 21 when Allure.com gives away 500 of them (retail value: $7.99).

Streamline a round face: A side part with a cut that covers the temples will help contour your face. If your locks are on the limp side, try Bumble & Bumble Thickening Spray - a moderate hold setting spray that builds body and gives lift, control, and helps define curl.



Get a swan-like neck: Pull your hair off your neck into a chignon or partial updo. Volume at the crown creates a long vertical line that extends to your neck. For extra body, use a volumizer like Phyto Phytvolume Actif Spray. On August 20, the first 75 people to sign up on Allure.com will win the volumizer (retail value: $28).


Minimize a large forehead: A long, sideswept bang that starts at the outer corner of your eye and covers the top half of your face will do wonders. For shiny, bouncy hair like Catherine Zeta Jones, try Molton Brown Depth Charge Seednoir Prewash Hair-Therapy. This deep action pre-shampoo treatment oil blend consists of a unique blend of essential oils to revitalize and prevent dehydration and restore shine, suppleness and body to even the most dry and damaged hair. Log on to Allure.com on August 30 for your chance to win a bottle (retail value: $30).


Elongate a short forehead: Tell your stylist to cut a fringe that begins about an inch to an inch and a half above the hairline. Taking the bangs further back gives you the illusion of having a longer forehead. For hair with a high-gloss shine like Naomi, use a silicone product like BioSilk Silk Therapy. Biosilk is a leave-in replenishing and reconstructing treatment that is ideal for all hair types. It repairs split ends, protects from heat and UV rays, and imparts incredible shine.

Miracle Worker

I love makeup. It can work wonders. But it can't work miracles. Behold the power of Photoshop. Let's face it...Ms. Spears has been looking pretty to' up for some time now. And although I'll admit that she had some bad-ass makeup artists and photogs working on her September 2007 Allure cover shoot, even the love child of Kevyn Aucoin and Pat McGrath couldn't perform this kind of transformation.

Hopefully Britney will tack the Allure pictures up on her fridge and use them as motivation to put down the Cheetos, pick up her babies (and not drop them), and climb out of her downward shame spiral.

Taylor Made

This morning, I checked my Gmail account to find one lonely message waiting to be opened. The email, sent exclusively to Beauty Insiders, announced the launch of Rx for Brown Skin, an exciting new skincare line for women of color. My initial reaction was “It’s about time someone created a line of products aimed at addressing ethnic skin.” My next reaction was shock – as I realized that the brand is the brainchild of my former dermatologist, Dr. Susan C. Taylor.

For the past twenty years, Dr. Taylor’s passion has been understanding skin of color. She is a practicing dermatologist, active researcher, national and international lecturer, television and radio news consultant, and Founding Director of the Skin of Color Center. A graduate of both the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Medical School, she is also the leading authority in the area of Skin of Color and Brown Skin.

Dr. Taylor’s line is specially formulated to maintain the health of and treat the concerns unique to darker skin. The irritant-free products target blemishes, dullness, irritation, sensitivity, and hyper-pigmentation to restore deeper tones—from yellow or olive hues to deep chocolate brown shades—to a flawless state.

And the best thing about Rx for Brown Skin? It's available without a prescription. The products, from Bright and Clear Cleanser for Acne Prone Skin to Absolute Radiance Intensive Exfoliating Serum, are sold at (where else?)…Sephora.

When Life Hands You Lemons

My skin is usually dry, but the summer humidity in Philadelphia turns my face into an oil slick. It’s so embarrassing to go about my day thinking I look okay, or maybe even good – just to catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror or pane of glass, and realize that the light reflecting off of my forehead has been blinding people wherever I go. And don’t get me started on the countless potentially flattering photos that have been ruined by my shiny t-zone.

I’ve tried my fair share of oil-free moisturizers, mattifying gels, blotting sheets, toners, and powder to know that any attempts at shine control need to start with your cleanser.

One of my favorites is by Fresh. Cleansing Balm with Lemon Oil is a corrective cleanser that controls combination and oily conditions without stripping the skin. Lemon oil acts as an astringent and antiseptic, sandalwood oils rebalance skin, and emollient olive complex dissolves excess sebum while sending a regulating message to skin's oil glands.

The going rate for shine-free skin is $38 for a 3.4 oz tube. Sounds pretty steep…but in my opinion, it’s a small price to pay for renewed confidence in the way I present myself to the world.

Cleansing Balm with Lemon Oil is available for purchase on the Fresh website, as well as at Sephora, C.O. Bigelow, Blue Mercury, and Douglas Cosmetics.

Sweet 16

Have you heard about Fresh? If you haven't...girl, let me tell you. Fresh is a brand of makeup, skin, hair, bath, body, fragrance, and home products based on the philosophy that “you shouldn’t have to choose between products that look good and products that work well.” Good thinking, right?

I love Fresh. Fresh is, no-pun intended, a breath of fresh air. In an industry of cookie cutter products and packaging, this line has developed a reputation for perfectly marrying function with fun.

Many of the beauty products I buy end up in the back of my bathroom cabinet, gathering dust. They never seem to deliver the results or fulfill the promises written on the packaging. And month after month, year after year, these discarded products are a sad reminder of how much money I’ve spent and how many times I’ve been let down. But with Fresh, that familiar scenario never plays out. I always make certain to squeeze out use every last drop of my Cleansing Balm with Lemon Oil. I always remember to pick up a new tube of the Umbrian Clay Face Treatment before the old one runs out. And long after I’ve used up my Sugar Face Polish, the jar is sitting in my bathroom because the packaging is so dang purty I can’t bear to throw it away.

This Fall, Fresh celebrates its Sweet 16 with events at all of its thirteen stores. Every Thursday, between now and October, Fresh stores will be honoring different milestone products of the past 16 years with champagne toasts, raffles, and more. The deluxe raffle is a goodie bag worth over $750!

I live in Philadelphia and thus, cannot attend any soirees. But if you live in a city that, luckily, has a Fresh store, I implore you to attend in my honor. If you heed any of the advice I impart on this blog, let it be this…clean out your cabinets and start Fresh. You’re welcome (you’ll thank me later).