Do not be alarmed, but as an introvert, there are times when I well and truly want to be alone. As you can imagine, the hustle and bustle of New York City can be incredibly depleting, so even though I have access to some of the most beautiful spas and hotels right here in the Big Apple (and even some of the more popular islands like Turks and Caicos or St. Barths), I wanted the closest thing that I would get to a private island. Enter: St. Kitts & Nevis, the latter island, to be exact.

​Seated in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, a trip to Nevis is just four and a half hours from New York City. You’ll physically land on St. Kitts before being whisked away via speedboat or water taxi to the other half of the island nation, which is only seven miles long and five miles wide. It takes just 45 minutes to get from one side of the island to the other. (It was my perfect secret hideaway where I could well and truly leave all the noise behind.)

​Clear blue water and pillowy-soft sand will always be my idea of a good time—not to mention access to plenty of beauty and wellness treatments for peak relaxation—so if you’re contemplating where to go for your next vacation, keep reading to see why Nevis is the place to be if you're a beauty obsessive.

The Best Massages

The Four Seasons Resort Nevis

A massage will always be my preferred beauty and wellness treatment no matter where I am in the world. The best ones that I got on the island came from the property that I stayed at: The Four Seasons Resort Nevis. I first got the Signature Rainforest Massage, and my masseuse, Marvella, is now one of the loves of my life. From the moment we met, it’s like she lulled me into a trance. Upon entering the private massage villa, she first washed and massaged my feet in a coconut milk bath. Then, she massaged me within an inch of my life. I can feel the phantom pressure from her heavenly hands as I type this.

​Signature Rainforest Massage: 50 or 80 mins

Cost: $200-$250

Oualie Beach Resort

Prefer a more boutique vibe? Oualie Beach Resort not only customizes your massage to your exact needs, but also begins with a comprehensive health assessment to create a massage that physically releases tension, increases the flexibility of muscles, joints, and fascia, and decreases inflammation and pain. It’s holistic wellness at its finest.

​Personalized Massage: 60 minutes

Cost: $113

The Best Facials

Phenomenal Wellness

Phenomenal Wellness will leave your pores feeling vacuum-cleaned and your skin looking like glass with its Deep Cleansing Facial. Extractions, exfoliation, LED light therapy—it’s all included in the 60-minute treatment.

​Deep Cleansing Facial: 60 mins

Cost: $76

The Best Body Treatments

The Four Seasons Resort Nevis

The Resurfacing Body Treatment is probably the best bang for your buck at the Four Seasons Resort Nevis. It begins with whole-body dry brushing, followed by a resurfacing serum to promote smooth, hydrated skin. Then, a body massage is performed with thermal gua sha stones, and my masseuse, Esmeralda, even gave me a head massage that made me feel like I was floating. The body brush used in the treatment is then given to you for personal, at-home care.

Resurfacing Body Treatment: 60 mins

Cost: Upon Request

Back 2 My Roots Spatique

The Root Herbal Body Scrub is a three-step, full-body treatment that features dry brushing and an organic body scrub. Use the “Minty Fresh” formula to address aches, pains, and muscle tightness, or use the Lavender I-Land Dreamz for a more gentle, relaxing vibe. Pair it with any of the spa’s other treatments, which include a detoxifying mud wrap, a foot de-tox, and even a cellulite body wrap.

​Root Herbal Body Scrub: 60 mins

Cost: $85

The Best Beauty and Wellness Activities

Saddle Hill Hike

One of the reasons I took this trip was to celebrate my 29th birthday. Thus, I decided to start the big morning with an early hike up Saddle Hill, a smaller mountain next to Nevis Peak, a volcano that sits in the middle of the island. It was the perfect way to start my 29th year around the sun, but climbing at an incline for hours made me a little sore, so on the way back to the hotel, we made a pit stop at the Nevis hot springs, which can act as a sort of add-on activity to relax any tense muscles. The waters are naturally mineral-rich, so Nevisians often go there to soak in the springs for pain management.

Saddle Hill Hike: 2.5 Hours

Cost: $80

Native Radiance

That same day, we were dropped off at a craft market where Nevisians can make, sell, and buy products that capture the island's culture and spirit. Native Radiance is a woman-owned brand, and there, I got to create my own body scrub from scratch. Our instructor guided us through the process, helping us measure, weigh, and scoop our ingredients under her watchful eye. My result? A brown sugar scrub scented with sandalwood and rose that I would ingest if I could. It’s a product that I adore but use sparingly because I never want to run out. That being said, anyone who books this activity is sent home with the exact recipe used to create their specific scrub, so if you’d like to remake it at home, you’ll know all the ingredients you’ll need.

​Native Radiance Scrub-Making Class: 60 mins

Cost: $40

Best Spa

The Four Seasons Resort Nevis

On my last day of the trip, I snuck in one last treatment before I had to leave, so I opted for the Resurfacing Body Treatment at the Four Seasons Resort spa. Esmeralda, my provider, dry-brushed my entire body before doing some lymphatic drainage. She then massaged my head, which promptly made me melt into the table, and wrapped up the treatment by massaging me with a body serum. To keep the relaxing vibes going, I finished up my spa day by bouncing between the hot and cold plunge pools and relaxing in the serene waiting area, where healthy snacks and beverages were available, with my husband by my side.

​As someone born and raised on the island of Jamaica, there aren’t many places in the Caribbean that can compete with my love of my home country. Still, I was in legitimate tears when I had to leave Nevis. Everything from the experiences to the people (like our driver, Hollywood) made this trip completely perfect from start to finish, and the Four Seasons property was the perfect mix of luxurious but down-to-earth. The people are really what make this island so gorgeous and homey, and it’s a vibe that the Four Seasons property has perfected. I will absolutely be going back to Nevis, particularly for its Mango Festival, which is typically in the summer (this year’s was from July 1-4). Whether you’re also a beauty obsessive, wellness lover, or are simply looking for a reset away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, Nevis should be at the top of your “must visit” list.

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For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

The biggest perfume trends of 2026 are comprised of fragrance notes I never in a million years would have thought to try. I’ve had rice water scents cluttering up my desk, tomato-flavored mists on my vanity, and too many pistachio, banana, and olive extracts in my inbox to process. But the most unexpected—and shockingly my personal favorite—has been matcha perfumes. Now don’t get me wrong: I like a Blank Street Daydream Matcha Latte as much as the next person, but I can’t say that I always dreamt of smelling like my afternoon pick-me-up. And yet, once I started smelling an assortment of matcha notes, I realized the note was surprisingly complex. It’s green, but not too grassy. There’s a bitterness that reads as vegetal, and, in many, an underlying creaminess that softens the scent into something intimate and skin-like.

Formulating it isn’t the easiest—there’s no real matcha plant to extract from. “Perfumers have to layer ingredients that together evoke the full sensory impression of matcha: green tea notes that capture that fresh, slightly bitter top, alongside softer, creamier elements that mimic a perfectly prepared bowl,” says Carol Han, the founder of Nette. The result is an accord that’s often reminiscent of peace and stillness. “We’re all looking for ways to slow down, and there’s something so inherently meditative about match, and it’s almost become this symbol of mindful living,” says Han. “Fragrance, at its best, does the same thing. It pulls you into a moment. People are drawn to matcha in perfumery for the same reason they’re drawn to it in life: it feels really grounding.”

Intrigued by summer's latest, and most enticing, perfume trend? Keep scrolling for the five best matcha fragrances to try before fall hits.

The Best Matcha Fragrances

• Best Gourmand Matcha Perfume: Nette La Vanillé
• Best Green Matcha Perfume: Dossier Green Lush
• Best Matcha Skin Scent: Le Labo Matcha 26
• Best Matcha Body Mist: Matcha Milk
• Best Floral Matcha Perfume: La Monde Gourmand Thé Matcha

Best Gourmand Matcha Perfume

Best Green Matcha Perfume

Best Matcha Skin Scent

Best Matcha Body Mist

Best Floral Matcha Perfume

What Does Matcha Perfume Smell Like?

“In fragrances, matcha is calming and clean, with both earthy and creamy notes,” says COO and Head of Creative Dossier, Ines Guien. Think of it more like how your matcha latte smells than the powder itself. “Matcha in fragrance appears as an accord of notes that balances the earthiness of green tea with more powdery or creamy lactonic notes for that scent we associate with matcha.” Matcha cannot be extracted, so creating the aura takes the careful work of an expert perfumer. It’ll differ brand to brand, but expect to see a combination of violet, coumarin (a tonka bean-like ingredient), milky or frothy lactones, and bergamot or cardamom.

What Notes Pair Well With Matcha Perfumes?

Matcha is a team player—you’ll typically see it alongside woody, citrus, or floral notes to help balance out its earthy energy. That being said, it’s a note that sits closer to the skin, so don’t expect the matcha sillage to project far; it’s much more intimate. But as is the case with everything in fragrance, the goal is to have fun. Layer as you see fit and create an olfactory personality that's uniquely you.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Experts

If this week’s best nail looks had a dress code, it would be "accessorize heavily." Gold and silver are showing up on the same set, chrome is practically doubling as jewelry, and baby sequins and reflective details are scattered across nails as if they came straight out of your jewelry box. I’m especially into the mixed-metal moment happening right now; somehow, silver and gold look even better when no one’s making them pick a side.

That said, shine isn’t the only thing worth saving to your nail folder this week. There’s a punchy aqua that's the unofficial color of the end of summer, brown-and-white fawn spots that give last week’s animal-print obsession a second life, and a few more abstract designs that have nothing to do with precious metals at all. Hailey Bieber even makes a case for straightforward cobalt blue.

So, while the jewelry aesthetic may be doing a lot of the heavy lifting here, the entire vibe this week is to experiment and have fun: manicures have been zhuzhed up with something a little extra. A flash of chrome, an unexpected print, a tiny embellishment—they're anything but boring.

Gilded Green

This is not a traditional French tip. The olive green shimmer is concentrated at the squared ends, then gets softer as it moves toward the sheer base. In direct light, there’s enough gold running through the green polish that the tips look metallic, which feels very on-theme for this week.

Last Splash

I’m calling it: this exact shade of turquoise is the unofficial color of late August. The long, squared nails are painted in one completely opaque shade, with a matching pedicure for good measure. Paired with all that gold jewelry, the bright mermaid shade looks a million times better.

Baby Disco

Iridescent pink paillettes are lined up in neat rows over a mauve pink base. The effect is part disco ball, part sequin dress, and exactly the kind of tiny detail I want to stare at all day long.

Mixed Media

No two nails are doing quite the same thing here. A chocolate brown star sits alongside varying shades of animal stripes, taupe tips, and creamy graphic details, all over a barely-there milky base. Keeping everything within the same neutral palette is what allows this much nail art to coexist without looking chaotic.

Heavy Metal

If there were ever a manicure to support my mixed metal agenda, it’s this one. Raised silver and gold chrome snake across long almond nails in fluid, almost molten shapes. Leaving plenty of the sheer base exposed makes the metal pop.

Moonlighting

What initially reads as a soft, milky sage manicure has a strip of iridescent foil tucked along the base of each nail, flashing shades of yellow, green, and silver depending on the angle.

Fawn Over It

Last week’s animal print fixation is apparently sticking around, just in a much sweeter form. These almond nails move from caramel and chestnut to nearly espresso brown, with irregular white markings dotted across every shade. They’re unmistakably fawn-inspired.

Moonstone Mocha

Vanessa Hudgens’ manicure by iconic nail artist Zola Ganzorigt is dubbed "Moonstone Mocha." The magnetic polish has a smokey taupe-brown perimeter with an icy blue-white glow running through the center, so the color changes pretty dramatically depending on where the light hits. I can’t decide whether it looks more like a gemstone or very expensive satin.

Blue Period

Leave it to Hailey Bieber to follow a very elaborate manicure lineup with one extremely good solid color. Her almond nails are coated in glossy cobalt blue, no chrome or nail art required. It’s bright enough to still read summer, but deep enough that I wouldn’t retire it once September arrives. (I'm calling it: It's going to be one of this fall's hottest nail shades.)

Charm School

This one gets sweeter the closer you look. Tiny silver and gold sequins are arranged into little floral clusters across a sheer nude base, with the placement changing from nail to nail. Mixing the metals makes the whole set look a little more like jewelry than traditional floral nail art.

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For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Summer Fridays is expanding its product offerings, and I have to say: the brand is about to have another hit on its hands. Launching today, August 7, the brand’s body collection takes its beloved lip balm scents and turns them into lush body butters and mists that anyone can wear.

​“Body care offered a natural opportunity to expand our thoughtful approach to skincare into a more complete, head-to-toe experience,” Summer Fridays co-founder Marianna Hewitt tells me. “We saw an opportunity to bring thoughtful ingredients, effective hydration and an elevated sensorial element to a category that is such an important part of people’s daily routines.”

​I got the opportunity to test the new body care line ahead of the launch, and in short? I genuinely love them. As for the product lineup, there are three body butters and three matching fragrance mists to choose from. The scents include vanilla, pink guava, and pistachio milk, perfect crowd-pleaser scents that will delight both a fragrance novice and expert nose equally, while also appeasing the body care snob that wants a luxurious sensorial experience.

​I’ve found myself already playing favorites with the vanilla scent, but I do understand that not everyone is a die-hard vanilla lover like I am. So, I’ve done my due diligence and reviewed the full line so you can choose your own favorite formula and scent, perfect for fitting right into your existing scenting routine. The new collection is available to shop today, August 7, on Sephora.com and Summerfridays.com. If you can’t make it into stores immediately, keep reading to see my full review of the line ahead.

What Do the Summer Fridays Body Care Formulas Feel Like?

Starting with the body butters, I have to say that name is very apt. When I see squeeze tube packaging like the one this formula is housed in, I immediately expect a lighter, more lotion-like consistency, regardless of marketing claims. Imagine my surprise when I put this formula onto my hand, and it was rich, thick, and creamy—an actual body butter that provides deep, noticeable hydration for hours. (Seriously, my hands felt so supple even after washing them. The difference is stark.)

​The perfume mists, on the other hand, are light on the skin but packed with incredibly realistic scents (the vanilla scent actually smells like a vanilla bean pod!). They’re so strong that it’s to the point where I’ve worn one by itself and, if I didn’t know any better, could have been convinced that it was an actual eau de parfum. I’ve come to realize that I also have fairly sensitive skin, so when I sprayed it directly onto my chest and had no reactions or even slight redness, it immediately became a winner in my book. Speaking of scents, the notes for each duo are as follows:

• Vanilla: Vanilla Cake, Tonka Bean, Fluffy Musk
• Pink Guava: Guava Nectar, Pink Strawberry, Pear Blossom
• Pistachio Milk: Pistachio Milk, Creamy Woods, Raspberry Sugar

What Ingredients Are In the Summer Fridays Body Care Formulas?

The deliciously emollient body butter formula was created with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and a trio of butters (shea, murumuru, and Illipe, to be exact). Don’t forget other moisturizers like jojoba oil and hydrators like glycerin, which round out the formulation and help it glide onto the skin with ease. These body butters are like a comforting hug for your skin wrapped up in some of the most decadent scents.

​The ingredients for the mists vary by scent, but you can expect each composition to include classic fragrance chemicals like vanillin, rose ketones (a compound that creates a rose scent), and limonene (a citrus scent). Essentially, all the building blocks that make a fragrance actually have a scent instead of just being, well, water.

Is the Summer Fridays Body Care Line Worth It?

I am completely obsessed with this line and fully believe that it is worth adding to your body care and fragrance routines. The body butters truly provide long-lasting moisture, and the hours-long wear time appears to extend to the fragrance that they're scented with, too. When you top each moisturizer with its matching body mist, the scent it leaves behind will be potent enough to make you want to skip any other perfumes—it’s that strong. Still, if you want an entire room to smell you well after you’re gone, use it as a part of your fragrance layering routine, and I promise the compliments will be endless.

​This is yet another A-plus launch from Summer Fridays. If you’re newer to the brand, while you're picking up the new body collection, tack on a few of my other favorites from the brand below.

Shop My Favorite Products From Summer Fridays

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For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Expert

I’m a girl with tummy problems, IBS, bloating, and a clear proclivity for oversharing on the Internet. To that end, I’ve tried just about everything in search of a happy gut. I went through a gluten-free phase. I tried digestive enzymes. I did the low FODMAP diet. I even took Linzess, a prescription to manage IBC, for a hot minute. Allll that in mind, I feel compelled to tell the entire Marie Claire readership that the solution to more regular digestion and less bloating ended up being a $10 yogurt.

I started religiously eating a spoonful of Coconut Cult—a highly concentrated probiotic—about eight months ago, and my gut has never felt more balanced or sounded less gurgly. “Coconut Cult is a fantastic option for people looking to incorporate fermented foods into their routine. It's made with live probiotic cultures and fermented coconut, so it can contribute beneficial bacteria to the gut,” says registered dietitian nutritionist at The Lanby (and my personal guiding light) Rachel Brief. “It's also highly concentrated, containing billions of CFUs and multiple probiotic strains, so a little goes a long way.”

Now it’s important to note that my Coconut Cult experience wouldn’t yield the same results on a high-fat, low-nutrient diet. I’ve spent the past year committing to a thoughtful routine. My mornings religiously start with 10 minutes on my vibration plate (very much worth the hype), a hot cup of water with half a lemon, and Coconut Cult on an empty stomach. I eat lots of fiber-rich foods, and as much protein as I can realistically manage. “No single food is magic for gut health. Your overall diet, especially one consistently rich in fiber from fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, plays a much bigger role in shaping a healthy gut microbiome over time,” says Brief. Still, I’ve very much bought into the Cult and won’t shut up about how it’s changed my life. (If you know me, I’ve probably force-fed you a spoonful at this point.)

For all the skeptics and girls with gut health issues, I’m doing a deep dive into the buzzy probiotic yogurt. Trust me, read this and order it. You will be more regular, less bloated, and feel more balanced than ever.

What Is Coconut Cult?

Coconut Cult isn’t actually a cult—it’s just a probiotic yogurt with a cult following. “Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when consumed in adequate amounts, can provide a health benefit,” says Brief. They’re naturally found in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut, but they’re also available as supplements. Coconut Cult in particular is very highly concentrated, “containing billions of CFUs (colony-forming units) and multiple probiotic strains, so a little goes a long way,” says Brief.

Is Coconut Cult Good for Gut Health?

Coconut Cult is great for gut health, but it’s not a replacement for a healthy diet, nor does everyone need one. “For many healthy individuals, eating a diverse, fiber-rich diet that includes fermented foods may be enough to support a healthy gut microbiome,” says Brief. That being said, if you’re anything like me and my gut? Well, a little extra help was much needed. After just a few weeks of consistent use, I noticed less bloating, better digestion, and much easier bowel movements once I incorporated this into my diet. “Everyone's gut microbiome is unique, so responses can vary significantly from person to person,” says Brief, who adds that additives like Coconut Cult should coexist with hydration, fiber, and other healthy diet habits.

Can You Double Dip With Coconut Cult?

I didn’t realize how intense Coconut Cult users were until I got on board. There are lots of “rules” on how best to use the product. The most important guideline: do not double dip. “Once your spoon has been in your mouth, introducing it back into the jar can introduce outside bacteria that may affect the living cultures over time,” says Brittany Kovacs, a spokesperson for the brand.

Do I Need to Use a Plastic Spoon With Coconut Cult?

My sister literally yelled at me when I put a metal spoon in her jar of Coconut Cult—a lot of online discourse encourages users to stick to plastic utensils to preserve the living bacteria. I’m happy to report that a metal spoon is 100 percent fine. “The metal spoon thing is a myth,” Kovacs tells me. “Our probiotic strains are not negatively affected by metal, so use whatever spoon makes you happy.”

How Much Coconut Cult Should I Eat a Day?

I personally find that starting my day with one spoonful (more like a tablespoon) is the perfect amount. “Unlike traditional yogurt, Coconut Cult is highly concentrated with probiotic cultures, so you don't need a large serving to potentially experience benefits,” says Brief. There’s not really a “right” amount to take—everybody is different. “More isn't always better, and starting with a smaller amount can help minimize temporary bloating or gas while your digestive system adjusts,” adds Brief.

How Long Until I Notice a Difference With Coconut Cult?

I started to notice a substantial difference around the three-week mark, but it really depends on each person and the state of their gut. “Some people tell us they notice a difference after their very first serving, while others need a little more time,” says Kovacs. “If your gut has been out of balance for a while, consistency is the most important part.” That being said, give it at least 30 days before giving up—it takes time for the live probiotics to become part of your routine.

What’s the Best Flavor of Coconut Cult?

This is a tough one. I’ve tried my fair share of the flavors. If I had to rank them? The protein-packed Banana Bread is incredible (sweet and flavorful with no aftertaste), the Strawberry is a close second (it’s fresh and palatable), and the Chocolate Mousse comes in third (it’s a bit sour for my liking, but the rest of my family loves it). I have yet to try the limited-edition Princess Cake flavor, but my hopes are high. Honestly, grab an assortment at the grocery store (sold at Whole Foods and Target!), because if you’re anything like me, being a member of the Coconut Cult is a long-term commitment.

Shop Coconut Cult

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For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Experts

I wear and test enough mascara to have very little patience for a mediocre formula. A smokey eye is my default whenever I do my makeup, which means my lashes have to work a little harder than most. I want obvious length, clean separation, and enough definition that they don’t disappear behind a wash of my Patrick Ta brown shadow. Volume is welcome, but not if it turns my lashes into five chunky little spikes.

Naturally, the new NARS Notorious Mascara—that comes in both a black and brown—caught my attention. The formula promises lift, length, volume, definition, humidity resistance, and several hours of wear, which is a fairly ambitious résumé for one tube. The formula itself isn’t reinventing mascara—film-forming polymers, waxes, and conditioning oils are all familiar players—but I’m less interested in a flashy ingredient list than I am in whether the product actually performs.

My test was simple: Could it give me the long, fanned-out lashes I like without flaking and hold up all day? I put it to the test, as did Beauty Director Hannah Baxter. While I’m focused on length and separation, she’s especially picky about the brush and wants a "defined, weightless-looking lash." Here's how it went.

What Is the NARS Notorious Mascara Formula Like?

Notorious isn’t a tubing mascara, but it does borrow some of the same appeal. A water-first base carries flexible film-forming polymers that coat the lashes and help lock them in place, similar to the way a tubing mascara wraps around each hair. The difference is that Notorious pairs that flexible coating with a blend of waxes meant to build actual body and volume—something I find I often don't get enough of from traditional tubing formulas.

Those polymers also explain how the mascara can resist humidity without being waterproof. The coating is designed to remain intact in muggy air, but it isn’t meant to repel water completely. Once you wet your lashes with warm water and cleanser, the film softens and washes away. (I found that water even does most of the job.) Argan oil and jojoba round out the formula to help keep all that hold from feeling dry or crunchy.

What Is the NARS Notorious Mascara Brush Like?

A mascara's brush matters just as much as the formula, and I like that NARS didn’t go unnecessarily huge with it. The slim, slightly wavy shape has bristles in different lengths, so it can comb through the lashes to provide separation while still laying down enough product to build them up. It also lets me get right at the roots without covering my eyelid in mascara, which is especially helpful when I’ve already spent time perfecting my smokey eye.

Hannah was equally particular about this part. “Shorter bristles that can reach all the way down to the base of my lash line are a must,” she says so she can get soft definition without any heaviness. She especially liked how the varying bristle lengths helped coat every lash. The pointed tip also makes it easy to reach the tiny hairs at the inner corners or place more product exactly where you want it.

How Does the NARS Notorious Mascara Apply?

Notorious is a very wet mascara, which gives me plenty of time to comb through my lashes before it sets. The brush fans them out beautifully and creates the kind of clean, separated style I always want, though I do have to give it an extra beat to dry.

It layers without much clumping, but even after a few coats, the effect is more long and lifted than super voluminous. I’d still happily take a little more volume, but the separation is excellent. Hannah had similar luck with the hold: Two coats kept her lashes curled through some of New York’s most humid summer days. She noticed only the faintest shadow beneath her eyes by the end of the workday, but "that was likely more due to rubbing my eyes or something equally mindless," she notes.

Is the NARS Notorious Mascara Worth It?

The biggest surprise for me came at the sink. For a mascara designed to hold up in humidity, it came off far more easily than I expected. I didn’t have to keep rubbing at my eyes to remove every last trace, which is a huge selling point for me. The skin around the eye area is delicate enough, and I’m always trying to be gentler with my lashes.

I still wish the formula gave me a little more volume, but I love how long and fanned out the look is. The easy removal is what really pushed it into regular-rotation territory for me. Hannah was even more immediately sold: "Overall, this is quickly becoming my new go-to mascara for summer and into fall for minimalist, flirty eyelashes."

Shop More NARS Products I Love

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Nothing gets us more excited than talking about a not-so-little tweakment or a nip-tuck procedure. In the spirit of transparency, Marie Claire’s aesthetics column, Life in Plastic, delivers a first-hand peek into what goes on behind the doctor’s door.

Liz is a 40-year-old woman living in Brooklyn. She had one session of Renuva, a non-surgical fat filler that stimulates your own fat growth to restore volume with Dr. Haideh Hirmand, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City. This is her experience, shared with Marie Claire, edited and condensed for clarity.

As an unashamed 40-year-old, I will report that for the last ten years, I’ve had a roundish face, soft features, and, at my heaviest, a little bit of a double chin. I didn’t even try Botox until I was already pretty far into losing weight via Wegovy, so loose skin wasn’t really something I was thinking about. Then the phrase “Ozempic face” started showing up everywhere. I’m also terrible at noticing tiny changes, especially in my own face. So whenever I heard people talk about Ozempic face, I thought, "that’s obviously not happening to me. That happens to people who have lost a truly insane amount of weight."

As it turns out, I’ve lost about 60 pounds since early summer 2024, and I guess 60 pounds is, objectively, a lot.

In the mix of my weight loss journey, I started a new job where a lot of my training happened over Zoom and was recorded so I could go back and rewatch it. This is how I ended up studying my own face on video much more closely than anyone should. That was when I first noticed it. When I smiled, talked, or basically moved my face at all, I could see wrinkles and a kind of looseness in my skin that I didn’t remember being there before. Likely it had been happening gradually and I just hadn’t clocked it (again, bad at noticing details over here). Once I saw it, I couldn’t really unsee it. That is how I ended up going down the aesthetic treatment rabbit hole.

I had tried filler once after losing the weight, and honestly, I really liked it. It made my face feel a little more like my face again. It's funny how having a plastic surgeon point out a millimeter difference in your chin before and after will do that. The downside was that filler fades, so after a few months you’re right back in the chair getting more. And even with someone really skilled, there’s always the small possibility that it could look a little different each time.

Renuva felt more appealing because it offered a longer-term option. Also, Renuva prompts your body to grow new fat, whereas traditional filler is a synthetic gel that adds immediate physical volume. The treatment itself took about as long as filler, and, for me, was about equally uncomfortable.

So after weighing everything (ha), I decided it was worth it, especially with a provider I trusted. I was fortunate enough to see Dr. Haideh Hirmand. She took the time to look at photos of my face at different points in my life and really think through where to place it and how much to use, which made the whole thing feel a lot less intimidating.

Pre-Renuva Treatment Prep

The pre-treatment exam was honestly what sold me on the whole thing. Dr. Hirmand asked a ton of questions about my weight-loss journey: how long I’d been on Wegovy, what side effects I’d had, how quickly I was losing weight, where I tended to lose it first, how much I’d lost overall, and, maybe most importantly, whether I thought I might gain it back. That part matters because Renuva is permanent. Its goal is to regenerate fat where it is placed, meaning if I gained weight later, my face could end up looking fuller because of the treatment. I’ve personally decided to stay on a GLP-1 long-term, with my primary care doctor overseeing it, so I felt comfortable with that.

Once we got through all of that, Dr. Hirmand asked me to send a clear photo of my face from every year I could find. I ended up going back about a decade. She looked closely at how my face had changed over time, and then we basically chose which era of my face we were trying to get back to.

The Renuva Treatment Day

Treatment day was pretty uneventful. I was a little nervous about the idea of “permanent” filler, because permanent is obviously a scary word when you’re talking about your face. But once Dr. Hirmand and staff walked me through the plan again, I remembered why I felt comfortable doing it in the first place. I asked whether any patients had ever regretted getting Renuva. Dr. Hirmand said that, as far as she knew, none had. She had, however, treated plenty of patients over the years who wanted their filler dissolved. We were going to take it slowly, look at everything as we went, and decide together how much Renuva to use and exactly where it should go.

Staff had me wash my face before swiping with a disinfectant of sorts. Then they numbed the injection areas, but I have a pretty high pain tolerance and had already done filler before, so none of it felt especially unusual. The whole treatment probably took around 40 minutes. It felt very similar to getting filler, although I was somehow more aware of the Renuva literally filling in the areas that had lost volume. There were also a few moments when I could hear a faint crunchy sound as it moved through the cannula, which can apparently happen with filler too. Not exactly pleasant, but also not nearly as dramatic as it sounds.

My Renuva Aftercare and Final Results

Aftercare was easy. I just had to look after the tiny scabs where the cannula went in, which was no different from caring for a small scratch.

The results were immediate enough that she and I could look everything over right away and make sure we were happy with it. I was warned that I might have some swelling in the treated areas, but I honestly didn’t notice any. What I saw that day is pretty much exactly what I’m still seeing months later. Since [the initial treatment day], my face has tolerated the Renuva well, and even at my three-month check-in, the results looked pretty much the same. I had the option to do a touch-up, but Dr. Hirmand and I both agreed it wasn’t necessary.

The results have been really subtle, which is exactly what I wanted. I’m terrible at noticing small details, but in photos and videos, I feel like my face looks more like me again, even though my body is a very different shape than it used to be.

I honestly wouldn’t change anything about the treatment or the experience. Now that I’ve reached my maintenance weight, it’s been a real confidence boost to feel like my face doesn’t look sunken as a trade-off for everything else my body has gone through. Dr. Hirmand and her staff were also a huge part of why the treatment went so well for me. It can be easy to feel a little self-conscious about losing weight with the help of a GLP-1, but she never made any of it feel like a big deal: not how much I’d lost, why I’d lost it, how long I’d been taking it, or the fact that I plan to stay on it. Dr. Hirmand made it clear that the goal was simply for me to recognize myself again. And that’s exactly what we did.

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For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

The words fragrance and sale are like a bat signal to me, and when money can be saved on my favorite cosmetics, I’m going to answer the call every time. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale ends in just a few days—you still have until Sunday August 9th to shop—but some of my all-time favorite perfumes are still majorly discounted. I’m talking skin scents that I obsess over, TikTok-viral fragrances that are more than worth the hype, and even a few niche options that anyone—experienced nose or a newbie to the space—would be happy to indulge in.

​Of course, fragrance isn’t just limited to the perfumes on your body. In fact, I’m on the hunt for my apartment’s new signature fall scent, and wouldn’t you know? There are candles, Puras, and diffusers that are all a part of this year’s discounted selections.

​All that said, I never recommend just buying something and hoping for the best, especially if you can’t go into a store to experience it before you pull the trigger. But that’s where I come in. Not only have I scoured the sale section for the best fragrance deals worth paying attention to, but I’ve also tested each of these scents personally, so when I say they’re good, know that everything from the complexity of the notes to the sillage is next level.

Ahead, find my curated list of the best fragrance deals at the 2026 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale worth adding to your scent collection or gifting for the upcoming holiday season.

The Best Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Fragrance Deals

• The Best Citrus Fragrance: Soleil Neige Eau de Parfum Gift Set
• The Best Discovery Set: Le Labo Discovery Eau de Parfum Fragrance Set
• The Best Luxury Gift Set: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Discovery Fragrance Trio Set
• The Best Rose Scent: Parfums de Marly Signature Fragrance Duo Set
• The Best Niche Gift Set: Diptyque Eau Rose Eau de Parfum & Hair Mist Set
• The Best Deodorant: Donna Karen Cashmere Mist Deodorant Trio Set
• The Best Home Fragrance Set: Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Diffuser & Candle Set
• The Best Electric Diffuser: Pura x Glasshouse 4-Pack Home Diffuser Fragrance Refill

Best Citrus Fragrance

Best Discovery Set

Best Luxury Gift Set

Best Rose Scent

Best Niche Gift Set

Best Deodorant

Best Home Fragrance Set

Best Electric Diffuser

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

I don’t know if it’s been the change in seasons or if I feel like I’ve been looking more tired than usual, but I have been flying through the under-eye patches in my skincare collection. Every day (and sometimes even twice a day), I peruse my options, pick a patch that addresses my skin concerns for the day, and pop it on while I work, do chores, or relax in my room. Whether I want to brighten, depuff, or lift, there’s an under-eye mask option for practically anything.

​Of course, like any other cosmetic product, not all eye patches are created equal, and I’ve actually thrown away entire product lines because they simply weren't up to par with what I was looking for or expecting. But what exactly should you be on the hunt for in your under-eye patches of choice? “Look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, caffeine, and niacinamide,” Hadley King, MD, previously told Marie Claire. “Emollients like jojoba and argan oils and ceramides [also] help to support the skin barrier, and occlusives help to lock in moisture.”

​Of course, I’ve been testing away for the past few weeks so I’ve built up quite a fabulous (if I do say so myself) roster of recommendations for anyone on the prowl for the best under-eye patches that money can buy. From luxury favorites that I highly recommend splurging on to drugstore beauty staples and even a few K-beauty formulas that I love, keep reading to get your skincare routine in tip-top shape ahead of the fall season.

The Best Under-Eye Patches

• Best Overall Under-Eye Patches: 111 Skin Celestial Black Diamond Eye Mask
• Best Luxury Under-Eye Patches: Augustinus Bader The Eye Patches
• Best Drugstore Under-Eye Patches: Grace and Stella Energizing Under Eye Mask
• Best K-Beauty Under-Eye Patches: Beauty of Joseon Revive Under Eye Patch
• Best Brightening Under-Eye Patches: Yse The Overachiever Brightening Eye Mask
• Best Reusable Under-Eye Patches: Dieux Forever Eye Mask
• Best De-Puffing Under-Eye Patches: Rhode Peptide Eye Prep
• Best Under-Eye Patches for Dark Circles: Wander Baggage Claim Gold Eye Mask

Best Overall Under-Eye Patches

Best Luxury Under-Eye Patches

Best Drugstore Under-Eye Patches

Best K-Beauty Under-Eye Patches

Best Brightening Under-Eye Patches

Best Reusable Under-Eye Patches

Best De-Puffing Under-Eye Patches

Best Under-Eye Patches for Dark Circles

When Is the Best Time to Use Under-Eye Patches?

While the type of under-eye patch you use is entirely up to you and your skin goals, using them at the right stage in your routine is essential. “Under-eye patches work best on clean skin, before moisturizer,” Mona Gohara, MD, tells me. “Think of them as a quick hydration boost that helps ingredients like hyaluronic acid and caffeine sink in.”

​Pro tip: Dr. Gohara recommends using eye patches after traveling or eating certain foods, as well. “I love them after a long flight or after a salty dinner,” she says. “They're a quick reset button when your eyes need to look as refreshed as you feel.”

Is There a Correct Way to Apply Under-Eye Patches?

The answer to this question is a little nuanced, but long story short? Yes, there is a correct way to use under-eye patches. “Place the patch where your biggest concern is,” Dr. Gohara says. “If puffiness is the issue, position the wider end toward the inner corner of the eye where swelling tends to collect. If you're targeting crow's feet, flip the wider end toward the outer corner to give those fine lines a little more love.” Either way, she says to make sure the patch sits just below the lash line and not too close to the eye itself. Keeping your vision intact is the most important part of this entire process.

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Meet the Experts

The 2010s were something of an enlightenment era for skincare, at least as I remember it. After living in a Dark Age filled with skin-stripping cleansers and abrasive physical exfoliants, the Internet and social media introduced many MVP ingredients we know and love today, like hyaluronic acid (plumping!), niacinamide (oil controlling!), and an alphabet’s worth of acids. Among them: Lactic acid, an absolute game-changer for pretty much anyone looking for smoother, softer, more even skin. But what makes it so different than other popular skincare acids on the market, like mandelic or glycolic?

“Lactic acid is a type of exfoliating acid, specifically an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that gently exfoliates the skin by dissolving the bonds between dead skin cells, helping to reveal a smoother, brighter complexion,” explains Marisa Garshick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology. And get this: Even if you’re the type of person whose skin starts burning if you so much as hear the word “acid,” you can probably still add it to your routine. “Unlike some other exfoliating acids, lactic acid is also a humectant, meaning it attracts water to the skin, making it an excellent option for those with dry or sensitive skin,” she adds.

Ready to put your most radiant face forward? Scroll on to discover some of the best lactic acid skincare products on the market, straight from Dr. Garshick (the expert) and yours truly (someone with decades of firsthand experience trying to get rid of dark spots). Then read on for tips for incorporating it into your routine.

The Best Lactic Acid Skincare Products

• Best Lactic Acid for Brightening: Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Serum
• Best Lactic Acid for Beginners: The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + Hyaluronic Acid 2% Gentle Exfoliating Serum
• Best Lactic Acid Toner Pads: First Aid Beauty Brighten + Glow Facial Radiance Pads
• Best Lactic Acid for the Skin Barrier: Elemis Dynamic Gentle Resurfacing Pads
• Best Lactic Acid for Glass Skin: Anua Rice Enzyme Brightening Cleansing Powder

Best for Brightening

Best for Beginners

Best Toner Pads

Best for the Skin Barrier

Best for Glass Skin

Best for Fine Lines

Best for Congested Pores

Best Lightweight Formula

Best for Body

Best for Keratosis Pilaris

What Does Lactic Acid Do for My Skin?

In addition to exfoliation, the list of benefits is lengthy. “With consistent use, [lactic acid] can help improve skin texture, soften the appearance of fine lines, even skin tone, and reduce the look of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation while also supporting a healthy skin barrier,” says Dr. Garshick.

How Do I Use Lactic Acid in My Skincare Routine?

Don't forget, lactic acid is still a chemical exfoliant, so some precautions are necessary. “As with any exfoliant, using too much lactic acid or using it too often can lead to irritation, redness, and dryness, particularly in those with sensitive skin or when combined with other potent actives like retinoids or exfoliating acids,” says Dr. Garshick. As such, she suggests easing it into your routine: “I recommend using it just one to three nights per week, unless otherwise directed. Lactic acid can also increase sun sensitivity, so it is important to wear broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day.”

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

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Did I think that being the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire would involve me telling the Internet that I have maybe the grossest, roughest heels in existence? I can’t say that I did, and yet, I feel compelled to tell anyone with willing ears that I’ve finally come out on top in my battle with calluses and cracked feet. The biggest shock is that the key to the smoothest feet of my life is a product that's under $10. Using a pumice stone, a type of cooled volcanic rock, a few times a week has gotten rid of all the dead skin, rough texture, and flakiness that used to hang around on my heels.

I personally scooped one up from Amazon, but there are so many options on the market—some with more bells and whistles than others. The key is really just to find one that isn’t too intense. “Look for a fine-medium, even texture that feels comfortable in your hand so you can control the pressure,” says board-certified dermatologist Jenny Liu, MD. “Toss it if it breaks down and don’t use it on damaged skin.” Otherwise, a little scrub during your shower will make a huge difference. Consistency is really key when you’re striving for smooth feet, so commit to the bit for at least three weeks, and I promise you, gross feet will be a thing of the past. Not sure where to start? I’ve rounded up my favorite pumice stones for smooth summer feet, ahead.

The Best Pumice Stones

• The Best Pumice Stone for Elbows: Earth Therapeutics Soft Stone Exfoliating Foot Sponge
• The Best Dual-Ended Pumice Stone: ONYX Professional Play Footsie Double-Sided Pumice Stone
• The Best Pumice Stone Brush: Pursonic 4-in-1 Foot Scrubber
• The Best Pumice Stone for Calluses: Dermasuri Deep Exfoliating Foot Scrub Set
• The Best Pumice Stone for Sensitive Skin: JINsoon Foot Pumice Stone
• The Best Heel-Softening Pumice Stone: Sensica SensiSmooth Pedicure Kit
• The Best Electric Pumice Stone: Dr. Scholl’s Pedi Perfect Electric Callus Remover

The Best Pumice Stone for Elbows

The Best Dual-Ended Pumice Stone

The Best Pumice Stone Brush

The Best Pumice Stone for Calluses

The Best Pumice Stone for Sensitive Skin

The Best Heal Softening Pumice Stone

The Best Electric Callus Remover

Why Are My Heels More Cracked in the Summer?

If your heels are looking (and feeling) a little extra rough this summer, you’re not alone. “The fact that we tend to spend more time barefoot or in open-backed shoes like sandals and flip-flops is the cause. Without support around the heel, the heel pad can spread outward slightly with each step, placing more pressure on the skin around the rim of the heel,” says Dr. Liu. “There’s more dryness too from repeated friction, and that can cause that skin to become thicker and more callused.”

How Often Should I Use a Pumice Stone?

Don’t overdo it—using a pumice stone two to three times weekly is plenty. “Too much can damage skin that’s been pre-soaked,” says Dr. Lui. As a rule of thumb, use a pumice stone toward the end of your shower or bath, so your skin feels softer and is primed for exfoliation.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Expert

I have never been a “swipe on mascara and run out the door” person. I’m a soft glam girl until I die, which means I’ll happily spend an unreasonable amount of time smoking out my lash line, loading up on blush, and adding just enough definition everywhere else. The tiny details are usually what make the biggest difference in my makeup—and Patrick Ta gets it.

I’ve been reviewing his launches for years, and his eyeshadow palettes remain some of the most-used products in my collection. So when the Major Sculpt Shape & Shade Anywhere Artistry Sticks landed on my desk, I knew exactly where they would fit into my routine. These aren’t traditional contour sticks designed solely for carving out the cheekbones. They’re slim and double-ended, created for the smaller, more precise areas that a chunky cream stick can easily overwhelm, whether I’m adding depth around my eyes, subtly reshaping my lips, or defining the sides of my nose.

“As a makeup artist, I’m always looking for products that make defining and enhancing the smaller details of your makeup routine easier and more seamless,” Ta tells me. That attention to detail is exactly what made the sticks feel so tailored to the way I already do my makeup. They can certainly be scribbled on and blended out quickly, but they also give fellow perfectionists like me the control to fuss over every last shadow and highlight. So, without further ado, here's my honest review of the new Major Sculpt Shape & Shade Anywhere Artistry Sticks.

What Is the Major Sculpt Shape & Shade Anywhere Artistry Stick Formula Like?

A product meant for the eyes, lips, nose, and cheekbones has to strike a very specific balance: creamy enough to move, but not so emollient that it migrates by lunchtime. The Artistry Sticks glide across the skin and remain blendable for a few moments, giving me time to soften the edges with the built-in brush or my fingertips. Once the formula sets, it locks in pretty well all day.

“I wanted to create a formula that has the lasting power of an eyeshadow stick and the blendability of a contour stick, all in one creamy formula that everyone can use,” says Ta. Rolling silica—a powder that helps makeup apply smoothly and create a blurred effect—gives the sticks their soft matte finish. The deeper shades create natural-looking shadows, while the lighter options brighten without obvious shimmer. Everything is buildable, so I can add definition or brightness little by little.

How Do I Apply the Major Sculpt Shape & Shade Anywhere Artistry Stick?

This is where the narrow shape really earns its place. I used the deeper shades to define my eyes, the sides of my nose, and the area around my lips, then swept them beneath my cheekbones and along my jawline. The lighter colors worked well on the inner corners, brow bone, and bridge of my nose.

Ta particularly loves them as an easy eye product. “One of my favorite ways to use it is on the eyes to create a wash of color,” he says. The slim tip made it easy to place the pigment exactly where I wanted it, whether I was tracing my lash line or adding depth through the crease.

The small built-in brush is especially useful for detail work. I loved it around my lips and nose, where a larger brush could spread the color too far. For my cheekbones and jawline, though, I preferred switching to a fluffier blending brush that could soften the product over a wider area more quickly.

How Many Shades of the Major Sculpt Shape & Shade Anywhere Artistry Stick Are There?

The collection includes 10 shades divided between deeper sculpting colors and lighter brightening options. I tested Structure and Silhouette from the sculpting range, along with Highlight and Spotlight from the brightening side. All four have a shimmer-free, soft-matte finish, so the lighter shades create subtle contrast rather than looking like traditional highlighter.

Ta designed the range so that you can choose how much definition or brightness you want. Structure and Silhouette delivered noticeable pigment without becoming muddy as I built them up, while Highlight and Spotlight added a natural-lookng brightness. Together, the four shades gave me plenty of control over how soft or sculpted I wanted the final look to be.

Is the Major Sculpt Shape & Shade Anywhere Artistry Stick Worth It?

These sticks feel made for the days when I want to spend a little more time on my makeup. The result isn’t automatically dramatic, but I’m most likely to reach for them when I want a bit more glam. For dinner, an event, or any night when I’m leaning fully into soft glam, they make it easy to add definition around my eyes, nose, and lips without reaching for several different products.

That said, they can absolutely work for a natural look. The pigment builds gradually, so a light hand or lighter shade creates a much softer effect than the word “sculpting” might suggest. I could see someone using one shade as a quick wash across the eyelids or adding the tiniest bit of definition around the lips every day. For me, though, they’re the products I’ll reach for when I want to turn my usual makeup up a notch—and they’re very good at doing exactly that.

More Patrick Ta Products I Love

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For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Expert

My skin has been temperamental this year, to say the least. First, the coldest winter to strike NYC in decades caused my epidermis to revolt, with patches of eczema, random breakouts, and general irritation that rendered my usual skincare fixes ineffective. Appointments with my dermatologist and favorite facialists were helpful—but for months I still couldn’t find a product regimen that banished the recurring inflammation and returned my skin to its usual calm, glowy state. At least, until I went to Seoul and explored the wonderful world of Korean pharmacy skincare. In Seoul, I picked up a few repairing products featuring ingredients I simply hadn’t thought of trying.

With several glorious weeks of summer left to go, I’m happy to report that my skin is finally calming down. Those tiny, pesky breakouts are minimal, my prescription eczema cream is back in storage, and redness and irritation are a thing of the past. Here’s everything I’m using to help repair my stressed skin barrier and restore my complexion during the summer.

Always Azelaic

As board-certified dermatologist Tiffany Libby, MD, previously explained to Marie Claire, azelaic acid “addresses the underlying inflammation pathways that drive both acne and hyperpigmentation, rather than simply treating the surface appearance." If you haven’t tried the buzzy ingredient yet, I highly recommend you start ASAP.

Perfectly PDRN

Arguably the most talked-about K-beauty ingredient of the last few years, PDRN (a.k.a. salmon DNA) gets to work calming your skin barrier the way that few other active ingredients can. In my experience, this has been a game changer for achieving smoother skin, especially when I have breakouts that are still healing.

Say More, Ceramides

If you want nourished skin without the weight of a heavy moisturizer, ceramides will be your new best friend. They help to boost your skin’s repairing capabilities, soothe existing irritation, and lock in hydration for an extra glowy complexion.

Let It Breathe

Because my skin is on the drier side, I was always wary of swapping my heavier moisturizer for a lightweight option in the summer. Apparently, my skin had other ideas. Since making the switch to lightweight moisturizer, my breakouts have almost entirely faded away.

Make It Mineral

In the United States, we only have two types of sunscreen filters (although another one, BEMT, is on the way!), and between chemical or mineral SPF, the latter is the one you want to reach for when your skin is feeling irritated. Luckily, these formulations have come so far in the last year, with more elegant, comfortable options to choose from.

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In case you haven’t noticed, K-Beauty has been having a moment for the past few years, a true revival from its peak popularity in the States in the mid-2010s. From PDRN serums to cutting-edge makeup—not to mention the surge of medical tourism, a.k.a. visiting the country specifically for beauty procedures— the industry has something to say, and it’s been full-on pedal to the metal over the last two years. Simultaneously, but at a slightly slower pace, has been the emergence of Korean fragrance brands in the Western market, and if you didn’t already know, this is definitely a space to watch.

​“Many Korean fragrances tend to be light, clean, linear and immediately understandable, usually centered around soft musks, transparent woods, aldehydic laundry notes, simple florals and linear citrus compositions,” Jun Lim, the founder of the brand Borntostandout, tells me. “This is more of a response to social etiquette. Korean consumers generally do not want their fragrance to invade someone else’s space. Perfume is expected to sit close to the body as if you’re speaking quietly in a crowded room.”

​Still, as with anything, you can’t paint the entire Korean fragrance industry with broad strokes, but through my research, I’ve generally found Lim’s words to be true. That being said, I’ve found some rather incredible fragrances that run the full gamut of the olfactive spectrum, and even a few, dare I say, beast mode perfumes that are my new obsession. Of course, I’ve gone ahead and curated a list of my six favorite Korean fragrance brands to make it easy to discover, explore, and shop. Plus, additional tips on what notes to look for and how to further your journey into Korean fragrance brands from Lim, as well as the co-founder of Elorea, Su Min Park.

The Best Korean Fragrance Brands

• Best Overall Korean Fragrance: Borntostandout Dirty Heaven Eau de Parfum
• Best Fresh Korean Fragrance: Elorea Hazy Blue Extrait Eau de Parfum
• Best Indie Korean Fragrance: Nonfiction Iris Concrete Eau de Parfum
• Best Solid Korean Fragrance: Longtake Sandalwood Eau de Parfum
• Best Designer Korean Fragrance: Tamburins

What Role Does Fragrance Play in Korean Culture?

There’s a reason why Korean fragrances are just starting to get global recognition, and it has to do with the way fragrance has been viewed in the country in the past. “Korea did not historically develop the same everyday perfume culture as France or parts of the Middle East,” Lim says. “For many people of my mother’s generation, wearing a noticeable perfume could be associated with nightlife, seduction, or even vulgarity. My mother used to tell me that perfume was something worn by people working at nightclubs.”

​While this attitude has mostly gone away with time, Lim says that there are still traces of it present today. “There is still an instinct to smell clean rather than perfumed, and to avoid appearing too sensual, too loud or too self-conscious,” he adds. “Fragrance is often treated as personal grooming rather than personal expression.”

​Still, that doesn’t mean that fragrance has never been a part of Korean culture. “Fragrance in Korea was woven into everyday rituals and was closely associated with creating a sense of balance, well-being, and harmony,” co-founder of Elorea, Su Min, tells me. “It was experienced through incense, herbal medicine, scented woods, tea, and perfumed sachets, rather than perfume alone.”

​Min says these practices still influence the way many Korean brands approach fragrance today. But that’s the beauty of Korean fragrance culture as it stands today. “Rather than treating perfume as purely decorative, there is often a greater emphasis on atmosphere, memory, and emotion,” she says. “It is about how a scent shapes an experience and makes you feel.”

What Notes Are Popular in Korean Fragrance Brands?

While there isn’t necessarily a set of notes that define Korean fragrances, there are some that are heavily linked to Korean culture that you may start noticing quite a bit.

​“Today's perfumers have access to many of the same raw materials, so I don't think Korean perfumery is defined by a single set of ingredients,” Min tells me. “At Elorea, we work with notes like perilla leaf, Korean pear, rice wine (makgeolli), and even aged soy sauce, ingredients that have long been part of everyday Korean life but are rarely found in fine fragrance.”

​What's most interesting, Min says, isn't the ingredients themselves, but rather the perspective behind how they're used. “We choose each ingredient intentionally, not simply because it's Korean, she says, but because it helps tell a story, evoke a memory, or express an emotion rooted in Korean culture.”

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Experts

When I started taking Ozempic in 2020, it felt niche. The zeitgeist hadn't caught on yet—it was simply a medication prescribed by my board-certified endocrinologist. Fast-forward to 2026, and I know more people taking or at least talking about Ozempic—or another member of the GLP-1 family—than people who aren't. In just a few short years, these injectable peptide medications have completely reshaped the weight loss conversation. The overwhelming positives—highly effective treatment options for obesity, PCOS, and metabolic dysfunction—sit uncomfortably close to the negatives, including medication misuse, unrealistic body standards, and today's renewed obsession with thinness. But perhaps the most concerning development is the booming underground peptide market that's rapidly gaining momentum.

The reason for the rev-up? Retatrutide, the next-generation GLP-1 that's generating enormous buzz despite not yet being FDA-approved. "Semaglutide opened the door, Tirzepatide raised the bar, and Retatrutide might be the next overachiever in the GLP world," says board-certified physician associate and Goldhaus founder Jill Villa.

Everyone from medspa owners to teenagers are talking about "ratatouille"—the tongue-in-cheek code name used online for the investigational drug currently in Phase 3 clinical trials under parent company Eli Lilly. It's been called a "life changer" and the "key to staying lean." That excitement isn't entirely unfounded: in clinical trials, retatrutide has produced some of the most dramatic weight-loss results researchers have seen from an obesity medication. "The weight-loss data is impressive—in a Phase 3 obesity trial, the highest dose showed about 28 percent average weight loss over 80 weeks," says board-certified obesity medicine specialist Rocio Salas-Whalen, MD. "But it is still investigational, not FDA-approved yet. If everything continues smoothly, approval is likely more of a 2027 timeline."

But the internet rarely waits for FDA approval.

Retatrutide is arriving at the exact moment peptides, which are a class of short-chain amino acids that stimulate the body's natural processes, have become the latest wellness obsession. Consumers are experimenting with everything from longevity and muscle-recovery compounds to cognitive-enhancing and fat-loss peptides, while social media has turned the word peptide into shorthand for the next miracle molecule. It's easy to assume Retatrutide falls into that same category—but legally, it doesn't.

Unlike Semaglutide and Tirzepatide, which could legally be compounded during FDA-recognized shortages, Retatrutide has never received FDA approval. That means there is currently no legal pathway for pharmacies to compound it under federal law, and the only legitimate way to access it is through a clinical trial. In other words, every vial of "reta" being marketed online exists outside the legal framework.

Of course, legality hasn't done much to curb demand. If anything, it's fueled it.

Google Trends has labeled "reta" a breakout search term, with interest surging by more than 5,000 percent. Meanwhile, a thriving underground market—complete with websites, encrypted group chats, back-channel sellers, and whispered reports of mysterious vials changing hands everywhere from medspas to neighborhood bodegas—has emerged to meet it. "In LA, it's go Reta or go home," says double board-certified plastic surgeon and obesity medicine specialist Terry Dubrow, MD. "I think way more than 150,000 people, in California alone, are taking it."

That's exactly what worries physicians.

"There are no controls. There's no inspections," Dr. Dubrow says, pointing to an independent laboratory analysis of products sold as retatrutide. "Two samples out of the 10 didn't have any reta in them. Three of the 10 had double doses of reta, which is not good. And then the others had 70 or 60 percent of the amount of medication it was supposed to have."

For doctors, the concern isn't simply that people are trying an experimental medication—it's that no one can say with certainty what's actually inside the syringe.

So, is retatrutide the future of weight loss? It might be. But until the studies are completed and the FDA gives the now-experimental drug the green light, it’s use remains incredibly dangerous. It shouldn’t need repeating, but, please, don't inject an unapproved substance into your body simply because the internet says to.

What Is Retatrutide?

Zoom out to the broader GLP landscape, and you’ll quickly see why Retratrutide is generating tremendous hype. Ozempic and Wegovy, members of the Semaglutide family, target GLP-1 receptors, which help with feelings of satiety and lower blood sugar. Zepbound and Mounjaro, which are part of the Tirzepatide family, target GLP-1 receptors and GIP receptors, meaning they do what semaglutide does with the added benefit of increasing insulin secretion.

Then comes Retatrutide, which targets not one, not two, but three hormone receptors. The third is glucagon, which, according to trials, both enhances energy expenditure and suppresses appetite. While it’s not yet available ot the public, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, who is also responsible for producing Wegovy and Zepbound, is currently conducting Phase 3 clinical trials on Retatrutide for “obesity, type 2 diabetes, knee osteoarthritis pain, sleep apnea, chronic low back pain, cardiovascular and renal outcomes and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease,” according to Eli Lilly’s website.

Similar to the other two drugs, it’s delivered as a once-weekly injection.

Is Retatrutide Better Than Semiglutide and Tirzepatide?

It’s important not to look at these drugs as good, better, and best. Retatrutide might be more powerful than the other two peptides, but more isn’t always better. “The right medication is the one a patient can tolerate, use safely, and maintain long-term,” says Dr. Salas-Whalen. There’s promise that this may be better suited for patients with severe obesity, or those who have plateaued on the other meds, but “until it’s approved and we have labeling, dosing, safety data, and real-world experience, I can’t say that there’s an ideal patient for Reta.”

What Are the Side Effects of Retatrutide?

Side effects are pretty standard across the GLP family. While clinical and safety trials aren’t yet complete, nausea, constipation, reflex, slower digestion, and fatigue are expected, especially during dose increases. “The two things I’d flag as more specific to Retatrutide, based on trial data, are dysesthesia, a tingling or altered skin sensation at higher doses, and a modest increase in heart rate,” says Villa. “Because Retatrutide may be more potent, don’t assume it’s gentler. The Ferrari version of anything can be exciting, but it still needs to be driven carefully.”

While full approval and guidance has not yet been solidified by the FDA, Dr. Dubrow notes that in practice (many of his Beverly Hills patients are taking illegal compounded versions, however he himself does not recommend or prescribe taking the unregulated medication), patients are responding and sustaining at a much lower dose due the medications power, and therefore are experiencing less side effects than they would with a high dose. “A lot more people are responding to Reta than even Trizeptide,” he says.

Does Retatrutide Cause Muscle Loss?

“Any time someone loses weight quickly, muscle loss has to be part of the conversation. No medication gets a free pass there,” says Villa. It’s precisely why this class of medications can’t be looked at as a shortcut to weight loss—they need to coexist with a high protein diet and strength training.

Where Can You Get Retatrutide?

The honest answer: nowhere safely—yet. Unless you’re part of the ongoing clinical trial, taking Retatrutide is illegal. “The FDA has stated this directly and has issued warning letters to businesses selling compounded retatrutide. So if you see a clinic or website advertising it, that product is operating outside the legal framework. No one can truly vouch for its purity, dosing, or sterility,” says Villa. “Patients often assume retatrutide works like compounded Semaglutide or Tirzepatide did, but it does not. Those medications had FDA-approved versions and, for a period, could be compounded due to shortages. Retatrutide does not have an FDA-approved version yet, which means there is currently no legal pathway for a compounding pharmacy to make it.” As a result, any vial is unregulated, unsupervised, and off-label, carrying incredible risks regarding purity, dosing, and sterility.

Should the clinical trials go according to plan, Retatrutide should receive FDA approval in 2027, with an on-shelf date likely in 2029.

Can Retatrutide Cause Apathy and Disinterest?

Spend any time in the Retatrutide corners of TikTok, and you’ll quickly notice an overwhelming trend: many users, particularly young ones, report feelings of apathy and disinterest in the medication. Lest it needs reminding, don’t trust everything you see online. “Because Retatrutide is still an investigational medication undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials, it is critical to evaluate social media trends with scientific caution. Comprehensive safety data regarding potential neuropsychiatric effects or dopamine pathway interactions remain under active study, so anecdotal reports regarding apathy or emotional changes are not clinically established,” says board-certified plastic surgeon Jennifer Levine.

What Does the Future of Weight Loss Look Like With Retatrutide?

"I believe Retatrutide will push the conversation beyond 'weight loss' and into true metabolic health," says Villa. "These medications are becoming less about fitting into an old pair of jeans and more about insulin resistance, prevention, longevity, and changing the trajectory of someone’s health."

That shift is the most exciting part of all. While GLP-1s first gained attention for their ability to help people lose weight, it’s their wide breadth of implications that have physicians perking up. Researchers are increasingly exploring their potential to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, improve metabolic health, address inflammatory conditions, and even play a role in menopause care. If retatrutide ultimately earns FDA approval, experts believe its greatest impact might not even be tied to weight loss at all.

But if the past few years have taught us anything, it's that our appetite for the next miracle drug often moves much faster than the science itself. Retatrutide may represent the future of obesity treatment, but the black-market version being passed around online does not.

The promise of this medication lies in the research—not in mystery vials purchased through social media, websites, or back channels. So until the data is complete and regulators determine it's both safe and effective, consider this your reminder that no TikTok trend, Reddit thread, or “wellness” influencer is a substitute for evidence—or for a conversation with your own physician.

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For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

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While I vividly remember my transition into high-end makeup (spring 2014, ahead of prom), there are simply some products that I didn’t think I would ever give up from the drugstore, particularly mascara. Imagine my surprise when I was reorganizing my makeup bag over the weekend and came across three luxury mascaras I had unknowingly been rotating as I pack, unpack, and repack for the seemingly endless trips I’ve been taking this summer.

​More than anything, I’ve noticed that quite a few of my high-end mascaras not only simultaneously lengthen and add volume, but they also hold a curl, which is key for my perpetually straight lashes. “Luxury mascaras are worth the money for two major reasons to me,” makeup artist Theo Turner tells me. “One, the packaging and design make it more appealing to reach for as someone who usually only wears mascara. Two, I also believe that luxury brands typically have unique brushes and lash care infused into their formulas. which, with daily wear, will prove to hold its weight in gold when you have long, healthy lashes even with regular makeup use.”

​Thanks to my job, I’ve had the pleasure of testing quite a few luxury mascaras, and I have some clear favorites that I have been recommending to friends and family nonstop. Plus, New York City in the summer is prime inspiration for adding more color into my personal style, and I’ve been doing so by playing with matching mascara and eyeliner combinations for an easy editorial spin on my everyday makeup. All of this to say? I know ball.

So if you’re on the hunt for your own luxury mascara or are just looking for some new holy grail makeup, I’ve not only listed the best formulas I’ve personally tried, but I’ve also enlisted the help of other Marie Claire editors to help. Whether you have lashes that are curly and untamable or barely any at all, there’s a luxury mascara option on this list for you.

The Best Luxury Mascaras

• Best Luxury Mascara Overall: YSL Lash Latex Lengthening & Sculpting Mascara
• Best Colored Luxury Mascara: Clinique High Impact High-Fi Full Volume Mascara
• Best Classic Luxury Mascara: Lancôme Monsieur Big Volumizing Mascara
• Best Designer Luxury Mascara: Prada Pradascope Lash Lifting & Lengthening Mascara
• Best Luxury Mascara for Length: Gucci L'Obscur Lengthening Mascara
• Best Transfer-Resistant Luxury Mascara: Dior Diorshow Mascara
• Best Underrated Luxury Mascara: Chantecaille Longest Lash Faux Cils Mascara
• Best Clean Beauty Luxury Mascara: Kjaer Weiss Lengthening Mascara
• Best Luxury Mascara for Curl: Victoria Beckham Beauty Future Lash Mascara
• Best Luxury Tubing Mascara: Sarah Creal Back Of The Cab Mascara

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

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While there is so much to be excited about in the summer, there are a few things to be stressed about, too. Warm weather equals fun, but it also equals sweat. Sweat can clog pores, ultimately leading to body acne. From chestne to backne to the horribly named situation that is buttne, no form of body acne is fun to deal with. But the best body acne products might make tackling them a little easier.

According to board-certified dermatologist Mona Foad, MD, your body care routine can make a "significant difference" in your relationship to body acne. "Body acne develops for many of the same reasons as facial acne: excess oil, clogged pores, bacteria, sweat, and friction," Dr. Foad explains. "The skin on the back, chest, and shoulders is often exposed to workout clothing, prolonged sweat, and friction, all of which can contribute to clogged pores and breakouts."

As is the case with facial acne (yet again), improvement will never happen overnight, and it's always important to see a derm for a personalized treatment plan. But compiling a strong body acne product routine—and having the wherewithal to shut down bacteria before it starts doing its thing—is a great idea. Ahead, discover 10 of the best body acne products on the market, from hypochlorous acid sprays to specialty serums and some easy-going exfoliators.

A Clean Slate

Every good skincare routine starts with a proper cleanse—body skin included. "A consistent routine with the right cleansers and treatments helps keep pores clear, reduces inflammation, and supports a healthier skin barrier over time," explains Dr. Foad.

Michelle Ventresca, an esthetician and founder of Live by Skin, also has some recommendations for kicking off your routine. "Choosing non-comedogenic body care products is one of the best ways to help prevent breakouts," she says. "I recommend using a gentle exfoliating body wash and a silicone body scrubber instead of a traditional loofah, since silicone is easier to clean and disinfect, making it less likely to harbor bacteria over time."

Gentle Acids

While scrub-a-dub-dubbing might seem like the way to go, Dr. Foad says it's important not to over-exfoliate your skin. "Using multiple exfoliating products or harsh scrubs can actually strip the skin and cause more irritation," she explains. "A gentle, consistent routine is almost always more effective than an aggressive one."

Hypochlorous Heroes

Dr. Foad says that one of the most overlooked factors in the world of body acne is what happens after we exercise. "I encourage patients to shower as soon as possible after sweating and change out of damp workout clothing promptly, since sweat, oil, and friction can all contribute to breakouts," she explains.

If you can’t shower right away, the expert recommends an over-the-counter salicylic acid wipe such as Stridex Body Wipes. I'm also partial to an antibacterial hypochlorous acid spray, which is so easy to stick in your bag and spritz on any sweaty areas that might be breeding acne-causing bacteria.

Targeted Treatments

Everyone's body acne situation is unique, which can make tackling the problem more complicated. "It's important to understand each client's skin story before making any recommendations. This includes learning when their body acne started, what they've tried in the past, what they're currently doing, and where they'd like their skin to be," says Ventresca.

"Those conversations often reveal patterns or triggers that may be contributing to their breakouts," she notes. "From there, it’s important to assess whether the acne is primarily inflamed or non-inflamed and build a customized treatment plan based on their skin's needs." One of the best ways to customize a routine is with a targeted treatment, applied exactly where you need it.

The Final Step

One thing to note about body acne treatments: while doing their job, they may also make the skin super dry or sensitive. Dr. Foad encourages using a fragrance-free moisturizer to support the skin barrier, "because healthy skin tolerates treatment much better." And now that you've moisturized, don't miss one of the most important skincare steps: "a lightweight, non-comedogenic sunscreen to decrease post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne."

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As Instagram confirms, this week’s best nail looks are in their animal era. Pony spots land on a glossy caramel base, while croc texture gets a hot pink remix. An entire school of silver fish even swims across nude almond nails. The more abstract manicures feel a little untamed, too, with blurred tortoiseshell and patterns that could have been pulled straight from a tide pool.

That said, the lineup isn’t one long safari. Pastel stripes lighten things up, and a buttery French tip offers a very necessary palate cleanser. The connection is really in the details: every manicure has something that makes you stop scrolling for a closer look. On some sets, it’s the texture. On others, it’s a funky little motif or a color combination that has no business working as well as it does. Consider the best nails of the week as a walk on the wild side, with a few very pretty detours along the way.

Pony Up

This set is for the fashion girls. This pony print manicure pulls the caramel-and-brown pattern from the hottest Chanel bag from Matthieu Blazy’s Métiers d'Art collection and shrinks it down to ten glossy fingertips. It's runway-worthy translated to an everyday manicure.

Stripe Tease

The appeal here is all in the placement. Pastel bands curve across different sections of each bare nail, creating a graphic manicure that feels playful without tipping into full rainbow territory—it's a chic take on stripes.

Party Animal

Subtle, until you look closer. Zebra and tiger stripe borders, tiny gems, and bright pops of color turn the sheer pink base into something far more artistic than your standard neutral manicure.

Croc Star

This glossy croc texture created with blooming nail gel gives this mismatched palette a surprisingly cohesive finish. Hot pink brings the drama, while brown and pearly white keep the set from going too overboard.

Confetti Cuticles

Instead of covering the entire nail, blurred deposits of color gather around the tips and leave the center mostly bare. A scattering of tiny gems adds just enough sparkle to make the design a little funkier.

Resort Mix

Tortoiseshell, pool blue, and a blooming floral create a set that feels like a very chic vacation mood board translated onto ten nails.

Gone Fishing

Who knew a row of glittering sardines could look this elegant? The silver fish sit neatly over translucent rounded nails, giving fisherman-core a surprisingly delicate beauty moment.

Glass Act

Translucent jewel tones framed in sculpted gold make each nail look like a tiny stained-glass window. Set against a milky base, the colors catch the light with an opalescent effect.

Tide Pool

Brown marbling spreads across the nails in glossy, irregular patches, with bits of turquoise and coral tones breaking through. It lands somewhere between tortoiseshell, seashell, and a very colorful tide pool.

Butter Tips

After all that texture and animal print, a buttery yellow French manicure feels almost restrained. The soft pink base keeps it classic, but the creamy butter tips are perfect for the end of summer.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Summer has come in swinging. I guess you could call it the ebb and flow of the entrepreneurial hustle, but if you told me at the top of 2026 that I’d be on six back-to-back flights come June into July, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Don’t get me wrong. I’m more than grateful to have consistent work flowing in; and if I’m going to be tired, this is the type of tired I want to be. I just don’t want to look so exhausted.

I’ll be honest, though, I’m not genetically predisposed to have dark under-eyes or experience puffiness. But once exhaustion hits, I fall victim to all the above. The fine lines around my eyes can even appear more pronounced when I’m overdue for some extra deep sleep. So thank God for Sulwhasoo’s latest launch, the First Care Activating Eye Serum, which targets every one of my concerns.

I first learned about the product last October when I visited Korea with the brand to get a preview of their upcoming formulas. Samples weren’t ready at the time, so I didn’t have a chance to test over the holidays. But it finally launched this past spring—right on time for the start of a very busy season.

I use it night and day, totally on its own, to keep myself looking refreshed. But since it’s the sister product to the OG First Care Activating Serum, it plays really nicely with any traditional eye cream if you ever decide to layer up—just be sure to apply it first.

Now let’s get into the nitty gritty on what makes this K-beauty formula special, and whether or not it’s worth the $90 price tag.

What’s In the Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Eye Serum Formula?

As with all Sulwhasoo products, the hero ingredient here is ginseng; known to help with skin elasticity, hydration, and circulation, along with having anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. The eye serum pairs these benefits with a three-peptide blend to help the skin appear more firm, a ginseng caffeine complex to reduce the look of puffiness, as well as vitamin C derivatives and hyaluronic acid to brighten and hydrate.

But don’t just take my word for it. In the brand’s clinical studies, after four weeks, 100% of participants saw an improvement in dark circles, 93% noticed less deep wrinkles, while 87% saw puffiness disappear.

Not to mention it was crafted for all skin types. So you can use it whether you have normal, dry, combination, or oily skin. Even for me as an eczema hottie, I have yet to experience any sort of irritation around my eye area, which is rare. It also absorbs quickly, leaves zero residue, and a little goes a long way.

How Do You Apply the Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Eye Serum?

Remember back in the day when you’d put two spoons in the freezer, then apply them under your eyes to help combat puffiness and dark circles? Now Sulwhasoo gives you that feeling with the eye serum applicator.

As mentioned, a little goes a long way, so only squeeze out half of what you think you actually need (for reference, the brand recommends using a rice grain-sized amount under each eye). Afterwards, place the flat side of the applicator on the under-eye, and gently swipe outwards—towards the temples—until fully absorbed. If there’s anything left over, just pat it in gently with your ring finger.

The formula is just slightly thicker than water, so it gets the job done without leaving any sort of sticky film behind or just sitting on top of the skin.

Is the Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Eye Serum Worth It?

After using the First Care Activating Eye Serum consistently for about three weeks, I started to notice results. Like, to the point where I could be outside all day and night, sans nap, and still wake up looking refreshed—even if I didn’t feel like it. Any darkness under my eyes has disappeared—along with the puffiness and pronounced fine lines.

I’ve taken this product with me as I traveled to Jamaica, where I drove all over the island, then to New Orleans for a busy ESSENCE Fest, back to Jamaica, and of course it’s coming home to Brooklyn with me.

I think what I love most about this product is the fact that it can be used alone or with an eye cream on top for the days when I need a little extra oomph. But honestly, anything that makes me look alive when I feel like I just woke up from the dead will always be a winner.

More Sulwhasoo Products I Love

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

It’s like July grew wings and flew away because somehow, we have arrived at the end of the month. While this does, sadly (or thankfully, for some of us), mean that summer is coming to an end, it also means we have quite a few new beauty launches to talk about.

​July saw the release of one of my favorite brow products ever, which is a bold claim, considering I’ve been obsessed with makeup for well over 15 years now. Still, I fully stand by it because this product is simply one of the easiest-to-use and well-executed beauty products I have ever used. On the fragrance side of things, one of my favorite influencers, Funmi Monet, launched her highly anticipated brand, Influxious, to rave reviews and an almost instant sell-out of inventory. Thankfully, my favorite from the line is still in stock on the brand’s website, so more on that to come. Westman Atelier makes one of the best luxury highlighters on the market, and a recent addition to the line reminded me once more why I’m so obsessed with the formula.

​Apparently, I can go on and on about all of the best new launches of July, but I’ve gone ahead and curated a list of only my favorites that neither the Marie Claire beauty team nor I can stop talking about. Whether you’re on the hunt for some new makeup favorites or believe that smelling good is a lifestyle (hard agree), keep reading for the products worth adding to your shopping cart and late-summer beauty routines. ​

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Hair wavers have never been the sexiest tool in my hair collection. They’re bulky, a little intimidating, and give me flashbacks of the crimpers I used in middle school that made my hair look like Hillary Duff à la Lizzie McGuire. But as we're nearing the final months of summer, when every beauty trend has started to look like it washed ashore, it has reignited the appeal for me.

Ocean-core has officially made its way into every corner of my routine. My nails are covered in seashells and pearly finishes. Watercolor makeup has replaced harsh contour with hazy washes of color. And now, instead of the bouncy, perfected curls I usually reach for, I want my hair to fall in long, rippling bends that look slightly undone. Mermaid hair, essentially—but without requiring an actual dip in the sea.

Hair waver tools make that texture easy to replicate. Rather than wrapping each piece around a curling iron and hoping the curls fall in the same direction, a waver presses a consistent S-shape into the hair. The effect can look glossy and sculpted at first, then softer and more believable once it’s loosened with your fingers and sprayed with a touch of a texturizer.

“When I’m creating waves, I look for tools that prioritize both performance and hair health,” says celebrity hairstylist Kee Taylor. Ahead, Taylor explains how to find the best hair waver for your desired look, use it correctly, and keep heat damage from ruining the mermaid fantasy.

The Best Hair Wavers

• Best Overall Hair Waver: Ghd Wave Triple Barrel Hair Waver
• Best Hair Waver for Beginners: Wavytalk Power Wave Hair Crimping Iron
• Best Interchangeable Hair Waver: Drybar The Mixologist Interchangeable Styling Iron
• Best Hair Waver for Big Waves: Hot Tools 24k Gold 3 Barrel Hair Waver
• Best Adjustable Hair Waver: L'ange Versawaver Adjustable Waver
• Best Hair Waver for Safe Styling: TYMO Beauty Compact Wave Curling Iron
• Best Hair Waver for Volume: Voloom Hair Volumizing Iron
• Best Hair Waver Alternative: Dyson Airwrap Id Multi-Styler and Dryer

Best Overall Hair Waver

Best Hair Waver for Beginners

Best Interchangeable Hair Waver

Best Hair Waver for Big Waves

Best Adjustable Hair Waver

Best Hair Waver for Safe Styling

Best Hair Waver for Volume

Best Hair Waver Alternative

What Size Hair Waver Should I Use?

The right barrel size depends on your hair length and the type of wave you want. Smaller barrels create tighter, more defined bends that tend to last longer, making them helpful for hair that quickly loses its shape. Larger barrels produce the softer, elongated S-waves associated with mermaid hair. Taylor describes the finish as more “effortless and relaxed,” especially once the waves are brushed through. Hair length matters, too. Smaller barrels work well on short hair and lobs, while longer lengths give wider tools enough room to create flowing ripples.

How Do I Use a Hair Waver?

Start with clean, completely dry hair and apply heat protectant throughout. Taylor recommends the HASK Heat Protect Keratin + Jojoba Oil Thermal Mist to help smooth the cuticle and reduce moisture loss.

Divide the hair into small, even sections, then clamp the waver near the roots without touching the scalp. Continue down the length, slightly overlapping each clamp with the bend above it to keep the pattern consistent. Taylor recommends using the lowest temperature your hair can tolerate, particularly if it is color-treated or prone to dryness. One controlled pass is healthier than repeatedly clamping the same section.

For curly and coily hair, careful prep is especially important. Work in small sections and avoid using extra heat to chase a perfect wave. Once the style cools, loosen it with your fingers or brush it through for a softer finish. Taylor also suggests restoring moisture before your next wash day to help your natural curl pattern bounce back.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

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When I was tasked with finding the best treatments to combat age spots, I’ll admit: I didn’t know if I was the woman for the job. While I’m sure I have age spots (I am old enough to remember watching Spice World on VHS, after all), they haven’t been a top concern in my skincare routine. But, as it turns out, I've actually been using ingredients that minimize hyperpigmentation all along. Indeed, many of us have probably been inadvertently using age spot treatments, and if you haven’t been, you should consider it.

“Most people can benefit from using [age spot] treatments because they target some of the same skin concerns that many demographics may also have,” such as uneven tone and dull texture, explains board-certified dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD. Age spots are pigmented lesions that develop over time due to sun exposure. Ranging in tone from light brown to dark, they’re a form of hyperpigmentation, similar to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) and melasma.

There is one big difference between age spots and, say, PIH, however: While one can be reasonably confident that, if you can just keep your vitamin C and sunscreen on your face—and your fingers off of it—your PIH will fade in a few months, age spots can prove a much tougher adversary, taking longer to fade and requiring more aggressive treatment. As such, when it comes to topical approaches, it’s important to manage your expectations. They’re “not like the stronger, procedural, and medical grade options,” says Dr. Nazarian. However, “when used diligently, improvement can be noted with OTC options with continued use.”

Still, there are plenty of OTC options available that can help you fade age spots. Scroll on to discover 10 of the best age spot treatments, with guidance from the professionals on how to use them effectively.

Retinoids

Real ones know that in the realm of skincare, there’s very little retinol can’t do. (Honestly, it could probably do a lot outside of skincare, too; maybe I’ll ask it to do my taxes.) The two below are top-tier cell-turners.

Glycolic Acid

With its grade A (as in alpha hydroxy) exfoliating skills, glycolic acid is superior at “evening out skin tone, stimulating collagen production to help with fine lines, and improving glow in skin that is dull,” as board-certified dermatologist Sumayah Jamal, MD, previously told Marie Claire.

Kojic Acid

A bit of an if-you-know-you-know ingredient among skincare aficionados, kojic acid provides brightening and exfoliating with a gentler touch—but it still puts up an extremely impressive fight against dark spots like hyperpigmentation, melasma, and, of course, age spots.

Tranexamic Acid

Deemed “every beauty editor’s holy grail brightening ingredient” by this very publication, tranexamic acid is fabulous at stopping unwanted pigmentation from forming in the first place.

Salicylic Acid & Vitamin C

While “salicylic acid is great for improving skin discoloration from age spots,” Dr. Nazarian says, it’s important to use it in conjunction with preventative ingredients, too; “otherwise you'll never catch up,” she says. Enter vitamin C.

What Ingredients Are Best for My Age Spots?

Ingredients-wise, “look for retinoids, glycolic acid, kojic acid, tranexamic acid, and even hydroquinone,” says Dr. Nazarian. And don’t be afraid to mix and match (deliberately and under the advice of your derm, of course). “Products that combine different pathways for addressing age spots are great for multitasking,” she notes.

What’s the Best Way to Address Age Spots?

As you can probably imagine, given the sun of it all, it’s crucial to seek the guidance of a medical professional. “Speaking to a board-certified dermatologist is very important here, because not everything that looks like an ‘age spot’ is always an age spot,” says Dr. Nazarian. “Your dermatologist can help identify harmless benign spots and help screen for spots that may be something more concerning.”

If you are, in fact, dealing with an age spot(s), your derm “can also access a whole slew of ingredients you can use that may be available by prescription only, or discuss options for removing and improving age spots quickly, such as lasers and chemical peels,” she notes. (She cites Intense Pulsed Light and Fraxel as two of her favorite ways to fade age spots.)

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For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Expert

Having fine hair poses a unique set of challenges—all of which are amplified times 100 in the summer. Add a bit of sweat and a heavy dose of humidity, and my bouncy, fresh blowout goes lifeless, limp, and greasy the second it senses the moisture in the air. I’ve tried double shampooing and scalp detoxes; they help a little. But I’ve found that the most impactful additions to my summer fine hair routine are my styling products. It’s all about adding the right amount of grit and texture and sticking to lightweight (but still nourishing!) formulas—without weighing my hair down.

It’s a tricky balance to strike, but given that I review beauty products for a living, I’ve had the chance to put dozens of different combinations to the test. I feel incredibly confident that I’ve finally curated the ultimate routine for fine hair. My hair isn’t completely immune to the effects of humidity (I’ll keep dreaming), but I am able to maintain a decent lift at my roots and hold a curl during a beach day, which is impressive in and of itself. To shop my go-tos for my fine hair routine in the summer, keep scrolling.

The Best Products for Fine Hair In the Summer

• The Best Shampoo for Fine Hair: Lolavie Peptide Plumping Volume Shampoo
• The Best Conditioner for Fine Hair: Crown Affair The Volumizing Conditioner
• The Best Thickening Spray for Fine Hair: Oribe Maximista Hair Thickening Spray
• The Best Root Lifter for Fine Hair: Rôz Root Lift Volumizing Hair Styling Spray
• The Best Dry Texturizer for Fine Hair: Maria Nila Texture Spray
• The Best Hair Oil for Fine Hair: Ouai Hair Oil

The Best Shampoo for Fine Hair

The Best Conditioner for Fine Hair

The Best Thickening Spray for Fine Hair

The Best Root Lifter for Fine Hair

The Best Dry Texturizer for Fine Hair

The Best Hair Oil for Fine Hair

What Kinds of Products Should I Use If I Have Fine Hair?

It's impossible to give a generalized prescription, so really pay attention to what products—and how much of them—work best for your particular hair texture. There are a few general rules of thumb, though. "Use a lightweight volumizing shampoo and a lightweight conditioner on mid-shaft to the ends," says hairstylist Scott Martinez, who works at Jenna Perry Salon in New York City. "When styling, a two-to-three-step process is ideal. Prep with a heat protectant, use a root lifting spray or volumizing mousse for added volume, and finish with your favorite texture spray."

He also adds that your haircut should be taken into consideration, too. Oftentimes, layers and angles can add volume and dimension, whereas a haircut that lacks them feels heavier.

Why Does Fine Hair Look Flat in Humidity?

Instead of poofing out, it's common for fine hair to go slick against the scalp and look greasy. "Humidity naturally causes the hair shaft to swell, plus combined with our natural oils and sweat, hair looks greasy a lot sooner," says Martinez. His hot tip? "Try applying your favorite dry shampoo before your hair looks oily." I personally always spray it on a fresh blowout.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Expert

I'm all about a DIY beauty moment. I've recently gotten very into my Sunday night manicure routine, buffing, filing, and painting my nails with a sheer pink polish while I enjoy a glass of wine. A mask duo (clay to declog the pores, then a hydrating sheet mask for added glow) is a regular weekend occurrence, and I tend to my brows on a near daily basis lest the hair reach from the middle of my forehead to my eyelid. But never did I think I'd have to clarify that trying to give yourself liposuction at home is an extremely bad idea.

According to many a "DIYaesthetics" Redditor, there is currently of flurry of interest in inexpensive DIY liposuction solutions. Message boards are filled with curious pseudo plastic surgeons seeking a less expensive alternative to the in-office procedure, which, depending on the provider, the area being treated, and whether or not you're going under general anesthesia, can run between $5,000 and $25,000. It is not by any means a cheap treatment, and there is a reason for that—a skilled, board-certified plastic surgeon is performing a medical procedure with real risks and potential complications. For context, these can range from bruising, changes in skin sensation, infection, deep vein thrombosis, irregular contours, rippling or worsening of cellulite, swelling, and thermal burn, among others, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Lipo is not, in any way, shape, or form akin to a giving yourself a set of breakup bangs on a whim.

Still, the interest in saving a few bucks on a cosmetic treatment is high. DIY microneedling kits have gone mainstream, and obtaining your own filler for at-home lip injections is frighteningly common. There are risks for both, but it feels as if we are crossing a line into truly unhinged territory with the rise of DIY lipo. I mean honestly, how far is too far when your bathroom starts doubling as a doctor’s office?

To be fair, this trend doesn't appear to involve cutting into pockets of unwanted fat in your kitchen and sucking it out using God knows what (a vacuum??). The most popular product being discussed online is called Dr. Lipo V, and is more reminiscent of the fat-dissolving injection Kybella, which is FDA-approved to eliminate moderate-to-severe submental fat (a.k.a. double chin) in adults. The latter has a standardized formula of 10 mg/mL deoxycholic acid per dose; the former is often marketed in sketchier pockets of the Internet as a "cocktail." Kybella's risks? Swelling, bruising, pain, numbness, and, if improperly injected, nerve injury, necrosis, and infection—so, significant. As for Dr. Lipo V's risks? Well, it hasn't been studied in a controlled environment so who knows?

"Purchasing a mystery product from an unregulated source, injecting it into your own body with no training or understanding of biochemistry or anatomy, and expecting a safe, predictable outcome is reckless," says Adam Kolker, MD FACS, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York. "People might think the worst outcome is that it doesn't work. It isn't. That’s your best case scenario." He notes that the risks of using one of these substances (Dr. Lipo V is just one of many circulating online) could range from infection, permanent disfigurement, stroke, or even death.

It's clear to anyone who has paid even the slightest bit of attention to beauty and fashion trends that we have entered something of a "skinny epidemic." With the rise of weight loss drugs like GLP-1s (which, to be fair, are FDA-approved and safe to administer from the comfort of your own home), thin is in, and it's seemingly easier than ever to lose a few extra pounds. But looking for black market injections as a shortcut to lose fat, even if it's being touted as "DIY liposuction," is taking things a step too far.

"Social media has made plastic surgery seem accessible, has made it seem easy, and, most importantly, has made it seem unproblematic," explains Melissa Doft, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York. "But...people die from plastic surgery. These procedures should never be thought of cavalierly. We all want to look better, but we have to think about the risks and make sure that we are making good choices."

Dr. Kolker—and every single medical professional I spoke to about this alarming rise in DIY liposuction—agrees, noting that trying to save some cash on a cosmetic procedure is a poor excuse to risk your health. "Social media is a great place to learn how to install a Ring doorbell or make Greek yogurt bagels," he says. "They can't teach anatomy, sterile technique, patient selection, complication management, or judgment... that’s what medical school is for."

So please, if you're in the market for help losing weight, either via a GLP-1 or liposuction, do me a favor and make an appointment with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Your body shouldn't be treated like a game of Operation, especially when the cost of failure could be your life.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Experts

A deep reverence for Japanese tradition has been at the heart of beloved beauty brand Tatcha since its inception in 2009. Each product is formulated with botanicals used for centuries in Japanese skincare rituals, like twice-fermented rice and green tea, and blended with proven clinical ingredients at the brand's Tatcha Institute in Tokyo. It's everything I look for in my skincare: respect for powerful ingredients and a commitment to the science of skin, allowing for the best possible results inside and out.

That's why it couldn't be more fitting for Tatcha to bring us an excellent new promotion in the form of a fukubiki-inspired event. Fukubiki literally means "good fortune drawing" and is an ancient Japanese lottery game in which everybody wins. The tradition is thought to have originated in 702, when Emperor Shomu drew pieces of paper for people to win precious prizes. Fukubiki is still played in Japan today, in particular as part of natsu matsuri, i.e. the summer festivals held all around the country.

Several types of fukubiki are popular during community celebrations. Senbonbiki allows you to win an item by pulling the string to which it's attached; sankaku kuji consists of a box filled with pieces of paper that reveal what you've won; garagara is a lottery machine with a ball inside it, and the color of the ball reveals what you've won. Once you've received a fukubiki ticket (typically after making a purchase in a participating store), you bring it to a draw station to find out what you've won and claim your prize.

Tatcha has adapted the lottery concept to their own summer sale, allowing shoppers to win plenty of free gifts with their purchase. It's easy: When you spend $100, you will get to choose two free minis. When you spend $200, you will get to choose four free minis. While traditionally fukubiki prizes are randomly drawn, Tatcha's event allows you to choose your own gifts with purchase, so that you get to build your own ritual and try out new formulas. During the event, Tatcha will also be offering limited-time bundles to make your decision easier, as well as the opportunity to create your own set and unlock 15 percent off full-size items. And that's not all: While most gift options will be minis, some lucky shoppers will receive a free full-size item instead.

Even better? Marie Claire readers get instant early access to the promotion (which runs through Aug 9), using code FORTUNE26 on the Tatcha website at checkout.

Shop Our Favorites to Unlock Your Free Gifts

Whether you're new to Tatcha or their most loyal customer, make sure to keep an eye on our Tatcha promo code page so that you always have the best price possible at checkout. Marie Claire has partnered with beauty brands for years to provide verified discount codes you can trust.

Over the years, there was nothing (I mean nothing!) that could come between me and my yearly lip filler appointment. But when I decided to break up with injectables at 30, I needed another way to achieve the fuller, more defined pout I’d grown accustomed to. Enter: lip contouring. With the right products and a few makeup artist-approved techniques, I found I could recreate the look—sans any needles.

While lip filler will likely always be in high demand, the best lip contours come pretty close to creating the illusion of large, luscious lips. In fact, these liners, creams, crayons and sticks can completely “change the shape of the lip to appear fuller or more symmetrical,” according to celebrity makeup artist and former L’Oréal Paris Makeup Director, Tobi Henney.

I know what you’re thinking: Isn’t this just lip liner? The short answer: no. Traditional lip liner is typically chosen to match your natural lip color or lipstick, while lip contouring relies on cool-toned brown shades that mimic natural shadows to make lips look bigger. That’s why Henney recommends choosing a cool brown for fair skin or a neutral brown for medium-to-deep skin tones, then concentrating the product on the cupid’s bow and the center of the bottom lip.

After testing my fair share of lip contours, I've rounded up the 10 I use daily to line, define…and fake filler.

Pucker Up

When I first started experimenting with lip contouring, pencils were the easiest place to start. The two ahead offer the most control, making it simple to sketch soft, shadow-like lines that mimic naturally fuller lips.

Kiss and Tell

If I’m after a softer, more diffused lip contour, I always reach for these two cream formulas. Their blendable textures melt into the lips for subtle, shadow-like definition that’s incredibly forgiving (and nearly impossible to overdo).

Skip the Syringe

Think of the two lip crayons below as the happy medium between lipstick and liner. Their chunky shape makes them easy to swipe on in seconds, while their creamy formulas deliver more pigment and coverage than a traditional pencil, making them perfect for lip contouring.

Perfect the Pout

If I’m going for the most defined pout possible, these duos ahead are my secret weapon. Each pairs complementary shades that work together to sculpt, contour, and subtly enhance lips, making it easier than ever to achieve a fuller-looking pout.

Fake Filler (On a Budget)

If I’m after fuller-looking lips without spending like I’m at a med spa, these are the two holy grail products I reach for. Both create soft, believable contours that look far more expensive than they are—and neither costs more than $15.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Expert

I grew up in the '90s and early '00s, which obviously means I spent plenty of time shopping at the Gap at my local mall (shoutout to Chesterfield, MO). Roaming the aisles filled with pastel cardigans and bell-bottom jeans was a true treat for the senses, including my nose since the store was heavily scented in the way that all mall brands were at the time—I basically needed an oxygen tank to step foot inside Abercrombie & Fitch. But Gap (then stylized as The Gap) did it right, with scents that perfectly captured the minimalist, clean aesthetic of the '90s. Sadly, the brand phased out the collection in the early 200s, and Gap Beauty became yet another Y2K relic. Until now.

Gap fragrances have returned, with a five-piece collection of scents that both honor the prior aesthetic and move the brand into the future—much like the fashion arm of the brand under the guidance of Creative Director and EVP Zac Posen. Four of the original five scents have returned, albeit slightly reimagined for 2026: Dream, Grass, Heaven, and Om. An entirely new blend, Harmony, has replaced the So Pink perfume from the original lineup.

“Gap has always created products that become part of how people express who they are, and fragrance is a natural extension of that,” Mark Breitbard, CEO and President of Gap, said in a press release to media. “We’ve modernized Gap’s signature fragrances for the person who grew up with Gap and for those discovering it for the first time. It’s a deeply personal category and a powerful way for us to connect generations as we continue to evolve the brand.”

As a millennial gal who has newly fallen back in love with the brand—I'm waiting for a pair of the Hailey Bieber x Gap jeans to arrive in my mailbox any day now—I had to find out if the new Gap fragrances could transport me back to my tween and teen days, without feeling too dated or stuck in a nostalgia loop. The (extremely picky) Marie Claire beauty team weighs in on the new Gap scents, ahead.

What Are the Gap Beauty Scents?

Like the original collection, Gap Beauty is made up of five eau de parfums: Harmony, Om, Heaven, Grass, and Dream. And like the OG lineup, each fragrance is extremely wearable, but the modern renditions are designed with extra attention to their layering capabilities. The new Gap Beauty scents are for anyone looking to build her or his fragrance wardrobe while also adapting to the day's mood and occasion. As DebRedmond, Head of Beauty at Gap Inc, explained via press release, “We were rigorous about the technical journey, maintaining the core DNA of the original scents while modernizing the formulations for how people actually wear fragrance today."

Here are our honest thoughts on each of the five Gap scents.

Gap Harmony

This is the new kid on the block. Bright, playful, with punchy notes of apricot nectar, lush gardenia, and warm amber. "It's extremely wearable...so lovely," says Marie Claire Beauty Writer Ariel Baker. "As a notorious floral hater, if you're in my neck of the woods, you will still really like this. It's not too on the nose in terms of being a floral. It just smells like you just came out of the shower, used a really gorgeous floral-scented body wash but it's not as potent anymore because you've toweled off, and then you follow up with a really milky lotion. Then you top it off with a perfume oil. Done! Love it!"

Gap Om

Om is arguably the most sophisticated scent in the bunch, with rich notes of sandalwood, ginger, and cedar. Deep, earthy, but still approachable, this is for the elder millennials and true fragrance fans that are curious about the new Gap Beauty universe. "It's so yummy," says Marie Claire Senior Beauty Editor Samantha Holender. "It's very skin-scenty, a little woody, but a warm wood, with something that makes it very comforting. I'd wear this on a summer night into fall, it's very cozy, with a warm cashmere-like vibe."

Gap Heaven

If you're a fan of a fresh and sensual scent, Gap Heaven eau de parfum might be right up your alley. Soft Madagascar vanilla, heady patchouli, crisp pear, and buttery amber create a soft fragrance that is perfect for layering any time of the year. "This is giving, not clean per se, it's not giving cotton-y, but it's definitely pear, really fresh, with a hint of something punchy," says Baker. "I'm not a signature scent gal but this could make a really nice signature scent. I could wear this in the office or wear it out. If you want to be known as someone that smells really good all the time, but can't really pinpoint how or why, this is really good. It wears close to the body; it's a universally appealing scent."

Gap Grass

I was the most eager to try the Gap Grass scent, as it was the perfume that first caught my attention as a young kid at the mall. It's a very green, earthy fragrance, but not in a freshly-cut soccer field sort of way; think more long beach-side grass in Nantucket. Crisp notes of green mandarin, matcha, and Virginia cedar keep it grounded and woody yet still bright and energetic. I really can't wait to smell how it transforms during a slightly sweaty, 90 degree day. This is my pick for the best summer scent of the collection.

Gap Dream

This is for the true OG Gap heads (Gappers?) who still crave that '90s, minimalist aesthetic from their perfume. The latest eau de parfum is the closest to the original formula, per the brand, keeping to its warm, woody DNA with fresh notes of Italian bergamot, silky jasmine, and cedarwood. "It's Gap in a bottle," says Holender. "When you walk into a Gap store, this is what it smells like. It's definitely floral—I normally hate floral, however, it's not too powdery. It has a very smooth, creamy undercurrent through it. Remember the Gap x Doên collab? If that had a signature scent, it's this one."

How Much Do the Gap Fragrances Cost?

Now that the fragrances are finally available to shop both online and in store, you'll be able to snag a five-piece .05 oz Discovery Kit for $20, a 10ml size for $20, and 50ml bottle for $52. I love a fragrance sampler, and honestly, there's not a single perfume in the bunch that I wouldn't wear, so I'll be adding the minis into my rotation ASAP.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

I will forever and always stand by the fact that a good hair day can, and will, completely transform my mood. Even though that normally requires a little patience with some hot tools, laying a strong foundation with a routine of A+ hair products is debatably more important. That's where RŌZ (pronounced "rose") hair products come in. They "do the work for you while being incredibly easy to use," says founder Mara Roszak, and they help my hair feel "healthy, soft, and look chic," with minimal effort. Think perfectly undone, healthy hair using nature-inspired ingredients that really work.

The product line has expanded exponentially since the initial launch in 2021, developing a cult-following for It girls coast to coast, and even a celebrity or two (Roszak is responsible for Emma Stone's stunning pixie, bixie, bob, and lob over the past few years). Since launching in Sephora in 2025, RŌZ now has a product that covers just about every step in my fine hair routine, from shampoo and conditioner to hair oils and serums. Across the board, they add shine, minimize frizz (a huge win in the summer), and keep my hair feeling strong and healthy. In other words, I'm a massive fan, and the new RŌZ Milk Styling Texture Defining Hair Mousse is just latest formula to join my lineup (hint: it's really, really good).

Keep reading to discover the 10 best RŌZ hair products worth investing in—at least if you want that effortlessly tousled, California girl hair.

The Volume-Boosting Blowout

I have spent years trying to perfect my at-home blowout. As much as I love doing my own hair, it can get tedious, so I try to keep my routine as simple as possible. These two products, especially when used together, give me such a voluminous, silky look.

Scalp Detoxers

Obviously, the RŌZ shampoo and conditioner are incredible, but my all-time favorite wash day products are the ones that really clean my scalp and provide a 10/10 detox. I play some music, run a bath, and let these treatments get to work.

Best Leave-In Treatments

Whether you're looking for a treatment, a styling product, or just a little extra hydration, RŌZ does it all. These two products in particular are my go-to leave-ins when my ends need some TLC.

The TLC Treatment

The Finishing Touch

Bundles, Baby

Shopping for a brand like RŌZ for the first time can be so difficult because all of their products are genuinely so incredible—how do you pick where to start? Good thing they curated some amazing bundles to narrow down your search.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet The Expert

There’s nothing better than being the best-smelling person in the room. While I’m a big fan of niche, hard-to-find scents that really flex my fragrance knowledge, sometimes I just want something comforting and universally beloved. Enter: my obsession with powdery perfumes—except these ones smell incredibly chic, not like your grandma.

​I’ve come to find that certain accords are serious crowd pleasers, and powdery scents tend to fit the bill almost unanimously. They can lean sweet, gourmand, clean-smelling, or even woody, but wherever they land on the olfactive chart, I typically find there to be a healthy amount of musk in almost every powdery perfume that I own, which I’ve found to be a fantastic hack to build out my powdery perfume wardrobe. “[Musks] provide a sensual, earthy aroma and often serve as a base note that can anchor lighter, more fleeting scents,” DMS-Firmenich Perfumer, Alexandra Monet, previously told Marie Claire. Paired with additional notes like orris, vanilla, and even classic aldehydes, you never know when that perfect “I need it now” concoction will finally find you.

​If you’re anything like me, the musk-to-powder perfume pipeline is very real, but of course, not everyone has the time to curate a perfect fragrance wardrobe. That’s where I come in. For the past few weeks, I’ve been spritzing, sniffing, and layering some of my favorite powdery perfumes to find only the best concoctions worth recommending.

Ahead, I’ve curated a list of only the most impressive options on the market, for your easy perusal (and shopping, of course). From luxury houses to niche options you might not have even known about, keep reading to find the 10 best powdery perfumes worth adding to your fragrance collection, straight from a beauty expert and fragrance connoisseur.

Best Powdery Perfumes

• Best Overall Powdery Perfume: Gucci The Alchemist's Garden Muschio Di Luce Eau De Parfum
• Best Floral Powdery Perfume: Frédéric Malle Iris Poudre Eau de Parfum
• Best Citrus Powdery Perfume: Van Cleef & Arpels Collection Extraordinaire Musc De Soie Eau De Parfum
• Best Luxury Powdery Perfume: Chanel 1957 Les Exclusifs De Chanel Eau De Parfum
• Best Skin Scent Powdery Perfume: Ex Nihilo Iris Porcelana Eau de Parfum
• Best Niche Powdery Perfume: Chambre 52 Orencie Eau de Parfum
• Best Everyday Powdery Perfume: Juliette Has a Gun Musc Invisible Eau de Parfum
• Best Viral Powdery Perfume: Borntostandout Angel's Powder Eau de Parfum
• Best Cozy Powdery Perfume: Essential Parfums The Musk Eau de Parfume

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Expert

Eyeliner and I have always had a tricky relationship. Not only am I a chronic dry eye sufferer, which means the wrong product will turn the white of my eyes bloodshot and feel like sandpaper got stuck in the whites of my eyes, but I am also half blind, so applying eyeliner to my left eye takes some major skill and patience. I’ve learned some tricks of the trade over the years: have Lumify on hand to counteract the redness, make sure I’m working with a creamy formula that doesn’t require a perfect wing, and perhaps most importantly, be hyper-vigilant about the products I choose to use so close to my eyes.

I’ve found a few wins throughout the years—Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Satin Kajal Eyeliner and Sarah Creal’s Hypoallergenic Long-Wear Eyeliner. But a new formula hasn’t won me over in a minute; well, until Ilia’s Thru Line Waterproof Eyeliner landed on my desk. The range, which includes 10 different shades, launches today, July 28, and is a huge win for sensitive-eye girlies like myself. It really doesn’t budge or irritate and has one of the creamiest waterproof formulas I’ve ever tried. To read my full, honest review, keep scrolling.

What’s Different About the Ilia Thru Line Waterproof Eyeliner Formula?

I’ve tried hundreds of eyeliners over the years, and have found that there’s a very fine line between a creamy formula and a too-creamy formula. The former allows for quick blending but dries down fairly quickly, while the latter is very play-friendly but feels a bit more like a shadow than liner. This particular product falls into the former category—it dries completely in about 30 seconds and then doesn't budge. It contains omega fatty acids, which add a moisturizing factor that prevents irritation on the lid; avocado oil-coated pigments, which provide a creamy glide; and color-lock film formers, which provide waterproof wear.

As for the shades? There are 10 to choose from: five matte, five shimmer. My personal favorites are flourish, a sparkly copper brown, portrait, an antique gold shimmer, and dash, a matte indigo blue.

How Do I Apply the Ilia Thru Line Waterproof Eyeliner Formula?

For the record: I can’t do a wing to save my life. My vibe is much more blended and messy around the lash line. I always do my eyeliner before mascara, just in case I mess anything up. Make sure the tip is fresh, especially if you’ll be applying it to the waterline. Then grab a small brush to diffuse the liner and achieve a smoky effect. I use very small, quick strokes from my inner corner to the outer corner and work my way across my upper and lower lash line. From there, I’ll quickly diffuse, add more pigment where needed, and move over to the second eye.

Is the Ilia Thru Line Waterproof Eyeliner Worth It?

For reference, whenever I apply eyeliner this close to my eyes, I’m a bloodshot mess. I won’t sit here and say my eyes were pearly white, but they were about 10 times less irritated than usual. The formula didn’t make my eyes water or send little pigment flakes into the whites of my eyes. I could very clearly tell that an ophthalmologist familiar with the pain point of having sensitive eyes was heavily involved in the formulation.

The pigment payoff does require a bit of pressure, particularly with the shimmery shades. That being said, once it’s on the skin, it’s not budging. It did not drip, drag, or fade throughout an eight-hour day. And most importantly, I never look like a sleep-deprived, allergy-ridden disaster after wearing it for eight hours, which is a huge win in my book.

More Ilia Products I Love

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After a week of scrolling through hundreds of Nordstrom beauty deals, I’ve officially determined that the best savings are in the body care section. And you know what? As they should be. I’m relishing in walking around New York City in my favorite long shorts and summer dresses, with weekends spent at the beach to soak up all that delicious sunshine while we still can. That means my skin from head to toe is seeing more environmental exposure (and, sadly, sun damage), so nourishing and repairing products are a must. From hand creams that leave me looking like I just came from a luxury manicure to foot masks that pamper my tired heels after a day of traipsing around the city, the best body care deals at the 2026 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale will leave you looking and feeling like a summer siren—glowy, hydrated, and utterly relaxed.

Keep scrolling for the 10 body products I’m scooping up during this year’s sale.

From Hand to Toe

Your feet and hands take a beating during the summer months, so it’s the ideal time to indulge in a few targeted treatments to soften and smooth the skin.

Cream de la Cream

I always, always, always apply lotion after a shower, no matter the season, and—not to brag—everyone always comments on how soft my skin feels. Just saying…

Sunshine Staples

Summer means more sun exposure, obviously, so restocking my body SPF is non-negotiable. Remember—UV damage is the number one cause of premature skin aging!

Smell You Later

Listen, I’m a sweaty gal, and that’s okay—it means I regulate my body temperature like a pro. But I also don’t mess around with my deodorant, which is why I’m buying a few refills during the sale so I’m always well-stocked.

Wash the Day Away

Is there anything better than a refreshing shower after a day out in the sun and heat? I’m making sure my bathroom is stocked up with my go-to body washes to help my shower feel like a luxury spa experience.

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As my mom has gotten older, she's discovered that finding a quality eyeliner that works well for mature skin is surprisingly difficult. Growing up, I don’t think I ever saw her without a perfectly defined flick, which is why I knew the problem wasn’t her technique—it was that the formulas she loved no longer sat the same way on her mature skin. After plenty of trial and error over the years, she finally found liners that glide on smoothly and stay put without dragging, skipping, or settling into fine lines and wrinkles.

If you’ve noticed your eyeliner isn’t applying the way it used to, you’re not alone. As we age, celebrity makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes explains, “The skin around our eyes becomes softer and thinner, and therefore it starts to wrinkle, making makeup harder to apply and leaving eyeliner looking a bit crinkly.” That’s why choosing the right formula—and tweaking your application technique—can make all of the difference. To help eyeliner lay down more easily, Hughes recommends “using an eyeshadow stick to create a creamy base for eyeliner” and “working backward using the shape of the applicator versus drawing it on to limit tugging and pulling.”

Here is my mom's short list of 10 mature-skin-approved eyeliners she swears by for crease-free lines at any age.

You Go, Gel

The gel eyeliners below offer the best of both worlds: They glide on as smoothly as a liquid but provide the control of a pencil. Their creamy texture minimizes tugging on delicate lids, making them an excellent choice for mature skin.

Liquid Confidence

Liquid eyeliners offer unmatched precision and long-lasting wear, making them perfect for anyone who loves a crisp, polished look. Just opt for a smooth, easy-glide formula—like the ones below—that won’t skip or pull on mature skin.

Pencil, Please

The pencils ahead are a go-to for older skin thanks to their ease of use and soft, blendable finish. They create definition without the stark look of a liquid liner and are ideal for everything from subtle enhancement to a smokey eye.

On Point

If you prefer a clean finish, these two precision liners are your best bet. Their ultra-fine tips make it easy to define the lash line with accuracy, allowing you to build definition in small strokes rather than pulling across delicate skin.

Ballin’ On a Budget

PSA: A higher price tag doesn't always mean better performance. These budget-friendly eyeliners prove you can get smooth, flattering definition for a fraction of the cost—and they sit just as well on mature skin.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For over 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Expert

Building an effective skincare routine used to mean applying sunscreen in the morning and maybe a retinol at night. Now? It can feel like you need to be a biotech major just to shop for an anti-aging serum. Ingredient lists sound more at home in medical journals than Sephora aisles as brands continually embrace science-heavy ingredients—think PDRN, copper peptides, and exosomes—and it’s on us to figure out which innovations are genuinely legitimate versus simply well marketed. Growth factors are the latest craze in this category, popping up in luxury-leaning serums and medical-grade moisturizers (often accompanied by eye-watering price tags). The promise? Brighter, smoother, more resilient skin. But do they actually deliver?

To see if growth factors are truly pulling their weight, I consulted dermatologists and a plastic surgeon to uncover everything there is to know about the buzzy ingredient. Ahead, you’ll discover what growth factors are exactly, their key benefits, and if they’re worth the investment.

What Are Growth Factors?

Growth factors aren’t just a hyped up skincare ingredient in fancy serums. According to Daniel Gould, MD, PhD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, they’re naturally occurring signaling proteins that are called into action when your skin’s in need of repair. “They tell cells what to do, like divide, move, build collagen, or heal,” he says.

The mechanism is similar when they’re applied topically. Brendan Camp, MD, a double board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York City and Long Island, likens them to text messages between your skin cells. “These ‘text messages’ target separate aspects of your skin,” such as repairing the skin barrier or producing collagen, “yet they work together to produce balanced, beautiful, and healthy results,” he says.

What Are the Different Types of Growth Factors?

The key types of growth factors, meaning the ones you’ll most frequently see in skincare formulations, include epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF). “EGF primarily works on epidermal cells in the outer layers of the skin, helping support skin renewal, barrier repair, and overall skin texture,” says Kseniya Kobets, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and director of cosmetic dermatology at Montefiore Einstein Advanced Care. “FGF works deeper in the dermis on fibroblasts—the cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin—so it is more closely associated with firmness, elasticity, and structural support.”

While some formulations rely on one or the other, some include both—not to mention a host of other regenerative powerhouses. “Some contain a mixture of growth factors, cytokines, peptides, conditioned media, or exosome-derived signaling molecules designed to mimic the complex communication network involved in wound healing and skin rejuvenation,” Dr. Kobets explains. It’s also common for growth factor products to pack hydrating and barrier-supporting ingredients you’re more familiar with, including hyaluronic acid, glycerin, niacinamide, and ceramides. At the end of the day, Dr. Kobets says it’s best to evaluate the overall formulation versus whether a given product contains EGF, FGF, or both.

How Are Growth Factors Sourced?

According to Dr. Gould, there are three primary sources of growth factors. First up are human-derived growth factors, which come from cultured fibroblasts, fetal foreskin fibroblasts, or platelets. These are the most-studied types, not to mention closest match to what our own skin produces naturally. Next are recombinant growth factors, which are lab-made using bacteria or yeast. “They are purified, defined, and consistent from batch to batch, and they can be very effective,” says Dr. Gould. There are also plant-derived growth factors, but Dr. Gould says the science behind them is weak. “Plants do not have the same signaling biology that humans do, plant growth factors lack receptor homology to human skin cells, and the evidence that they provide meaningful benefit is thin,” he says.

Your best bet is to read the fine print and opt for human-derived or lab-made growth factors. Just be warned, however, that they tend to be pretty pricey—oftentimes climbing up to three figures. “With some growth factor products, a higher price tag is warranted due to complex production and premium costs associated with sourcing them,” says Dr. Camp. “Growth factors are incredibly delicate and require biotechnological processes to ensure they remain stable and effective.” That said, a high price tag won’t guarantee a quality product. Dr. Camp advises considering brand legitimacy and prioritizing formulas with proven clinical results.

What Are the Skincare Benefits of Growth Factors?

Growth factors are primarily used to support collagen production, improve skin texture, soften fine lines, and enhance the overall quality, function, and repair of your skin, says Dr. Kobets. “They can also help support barrier recovery and may improve the appearance of photodamage [e.g., wrinkles and sun spots] over time,” she adds.

Growth factors are especially beneficial when used alongside in-office treatments such as microneedling and fractional laser resurfacing. Such treatments create controlled micro-injuries in the skin, which triggers a wound-healing response. Not only do growth factors help prep the skin to become more resilient before the procedure but also support recovery afterwards. “Growth factors are naturally involved in that healing cascade, so applying them during the recovery phase may help support tissue repair and optimize results,” says Dr. Kobets.

According to Dr. Camp, they can even enhance recovery after certain surgeries. “Because growth factors specifically target areas of the skin that need repair, they work efficiently to accelerate healing and improve complexion,” he says.

Who Should Use Growth Factors?

Dr. Gould explains that ideal candidates to use growth factors include adults over 30 who have thin or compromised skin and could use ongoing collagen support. Since they’re gentle, growth factors are also a solid choice for those seeking anti-aging benefits but can’t tolerate stronger actives like retinoids or exfoliating acids, adds Dr. Kobets. However, since they support the skin barrier, using them alongside these heavy hitters can make your skin more readily accept them.

How Do You Use Growth Factors?

Convinced that it’s time to add growth factors to your lineup? Some good news: Unlike some other actives, they’re refreshingly low maintenance and work with just about every other skincare product.

For best results, Dr. Gould suggests using a growth factor serum twice daily. In the morning, apply it after cleansing and a vitamin C serum and before your moisturizer and SPF. In the evening, apply it in between a retinoid or exfoliating acid (never both) and your moisturizer. And if you’re using a growth factor moisturizer, you don’t need another EGF serum in your lineup.

Once you start using them, it’s possible to notice increased hydration immediately after use—namely if the formula contains humectants and barrier-boosting ingredients. However, Dr. Kobets says that you’ll need some patience to experience more significant results. “Early improvements in radiance and skin smoothness may become noticeable within four to six weeks, while meaningful changes in texture, fine lines, and overall skin quality typically take closer to two to three months of consistent use,” she says.

The Bottom Line on Growth Factors

While growth factors aren’t new, they’re becoming more common in science-driven formulas to support resilient, youthful-looking skin over time. They’re trendy enough to power luxury launches, yet backed by enough science that dermatologists continue to praise them. Just don’t expect Botox in a bottle.

All said, Dr. Kobets says growth factors should be viewed as additional skin communicators rather than miracle ingredients. “Unlike fillers or neuromodulators, growth factor products are not quick fixes,” she says. “They’re a long-term skin health investment.” And the best results won’t come from patting on an EGF serum and calling it a day. Instead, pair it alongside tried-and-true standards—including your morning sunscreen and antioxidants plus nightly retinoids—and maybe the occasional in-office rejuvenation procedure. In time, the team effort should pave the way toward your most coveted complexion goals.

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For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Experts

Princess Kate is one of the most popular members of the British Royal Family and her style has always made a large impact on the world. The so-called "Kate effect" continually causes clothing and accessories worn by the princess to quickly sell out. Her hair and makeup is arguably just as influential, and according to one professional, Princess Kate utilizes a "core rotation" of tricks to "avoid any stress" in her daily life.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the editorial director of Rush Hair, Tina Farey, explained, "Recently, the Princess of Wales has had four hairstyles at the core of her styling regime." The hair expert continued, "Each look has established itself as a classic which she can wear again and again depending on the occasion."

According to Farey, Princess Kate's go-to hairstyles in 2026 are the "practical ponytail," the "half-up half-down," "mermaid waves," and the "classic updo."

Farey pointed to one of Princess Kate's solo appearances at Wimbledon in 2026, during which the royal spent time with celebrated tennis player Tim Henman.

"When styling the ponytail, I'd recommend spritzing a light-hold hairspray to tame any flyaways and ensure your hair stays in place all day!" the expert noted.

Meanwhile, Princess Kate embraced a "mermaid waves" hairstyle while attending the Royal Charity Polo Cup.

A trip to Royal Ascot alongside Prince William necessitated a sleek classic updo.

"Kate often wears her hair in a low bun, which suits her polished and pristine style, giving her light brunette locks ultimate radiance," Farey told the publication.

Another trip to Wimbledon in 2026 called for a half-up half-down hairstyle, which also employed some subtle beachy waves.

Per Farey, "With an oval face shape, her sharp jawline and gorgeous high cheekbones are two of her most defining features—the combination of hairstyles she wears is timeless."

Creating a roster of go-to hairstyles is likely integral to Princess Kate's daily life, according to Farey.

"For Princess Kate, establishing a core rotation of hairstyles that she likes will avoid any stress in the preparation for the multiple public engagements she attends each week," the expert shared. Royal fans, take note.

Shop Princess Kate Essentials

Minimal manicures aren’t going anywhere, but this week, the best nail looks seem determined to make them a little more interesting. The base colors are still sheer, soft, and incredibly wearable. It’s what happens on top that gives each look a little more oomph.

A classic French manicure gets a sliver of gold along the tips, while a milky pink set fades into a brighter aura at the center. Even the week’s more playful designs exercise some restraint. Tiny multicolored gems are scattered across otherwise bare nails, and pastel teal tips add just enough color without taking over the entire manicure. The same pared-back mood extends to pedicures, where clean, barely-there polish feels particularly right for the final stretch of sandal season.

The best part is that none of these designs require committing to full-blown nail art. They still feel clean and understated, with just enough detail to make a sheer manicure feel new again. Minimal doesn’t have to mean boring, after all.

Aura Hour

Aura nails have officially entered their soft-focus era. Minimalist nail artist Mateja Novakovic had the concentrated pink center bring a little heat to the sheer base, while the glossy finish kept everything looking hazy rather than neon. It’s an easy way to wear bright pink without fully committing to it.

Match Point

Matching fingers and toes can sometimes skew overly coordinated, but this milky neutral—with a little something extra thanks to the French tip toes—makes a strong case for it. The barely-there shade looks especially fresh against a fun summer sandal and saves you from debating two polish colors at the salon.

Gilded Edge

All it took was a hairline of gold to completely change the mood of this barely-there French manicure, created by Chanel nail artist Betina Goldstein, who dubs the look "Naked and Famous." The metallic tip catches the light like a tiny piece of jewelry.

Bare Minimum

There’s something very chic about skipping polish altogether. Clean shaping and a healthy sheen make this bare pedicure look intentional rather than unfinished—especially when sandal season is nearing the end.

Pop of Glitz

Call it maximalism on a technicality. Tiny gems, blue stars, and colorful charms are scattered across an otherwise naked base—which, nail artist Prince says is OPI's Bare My Soul—so the manicure still has plenty of breathing room. It’s playful, but not nearly as busy as the embellishments might suggest.

Teal Haze

The teal here isn’t painted into a crisp tip; it diffuses softly over the ends of the nails. Against the opalescent slightly shimmery base, the washed-out effect feels dreamy and a little aquatic.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Beauty fanatics: it’s time. The 2026 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is well underway, and incredible deals are happening on all my favorite beauty products. If you didn’t get a chance to shop the early bird deals, rest assured that there is still time to build your cart, and there are also still plenty of luxurious formulas for you to try for the first time or to stock up on if you already have your tried-and-true favorites. The best makeup deals in particular have left we scrolling for hours to find you the 11 products that are truly worth the money (and savings!).

​I always use this sale to stock up on some new beauty products, especially (yes, I’m about to say it) as we look ahead to the fall and winter months. Not only are the selections top tier, but for this special sale event, quite a few brands come out with sets that feature multiple products in one kit or jumbo sizes of popular hero products that everyone already knows and loves.

​Of course, I’ve scoured the entire sale section for only the best deals worth opening your purse for, and I’ve found some gems that I, as a beauty expert, would recommend 10 times over. For a curated guide on all the best makeup deals during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, keep reading for the products that even the biggest beauty skeptic would fawn over.

Best Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Makeup Deals

• The Best Eyeliner Set: Clinique Quickliner for Eyes Eyeliner Duo
• The Best Eyeshadow Sticks: Bobbi Brown Golden Glow Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow Stick Set
• The Best Lip Balm: Nécessaire The Lip Duo Skin Care Gift Set
• The Best Travel Lip Duo: Make Up For Ever Starlit Lip Set
• The Best Lip Tint: Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Color Balm Duo
• The Best Makeup Duo: Yves Saint Laurent Make Me Blush & Loveshine Lip Oil Stick 2-Piece Makeup Gift Set
• The Best Makeup Set: MAC Cosmetics Night Nude Look in a Box Collection
• The Best Cheek Set: Westman Atelier Petite Baby Cheeks Blush & Lit Up Highlight Stick Duo
• The Best Loose Powder: Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder & Brush Set
• The Best Setting Spray: MAC Cosmetics First + Final Layer Fix+ Setting Spray Duo
• The Best Luxury Makeup Gift Set: Tom Ford Runway Lip Duo Gift Set

Best Eyeliner Set

Best Eyeshadow Sticks

Best Lip Balm

Best Travel Lip Duo

Best Lip Tint

Best Makeup Duo

Best Makeup Set

Best Cheek Set

Best Loose Powder

Best Fixing Spray

Best Luxury Makeup Gift Set

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

One thing I’ve learned over the past few months: moving in New York City is not for the weak. Finding an apartment is like the Hunger Games. And once that very stressful step is done, it’s time to pack everything up. Call it an occupational hazard, but I have hundreds of glass-bottled perfumes, fragile skincare jars, and eyeshadow palettes that need extreme TLC. For all of a split second, I considered packing ‘em alone, but I ended up having Piece of Cake Moving & Storage do it for me—nuts to bolts—and it was the single best decision I made. “When packing fragile fragrances or glass cosmetic bottles, the biggest priority is preventing movement inside the box to avoid them from hitting each other and cracking; wrap each bottle individually with packing paper and pay extra attention to caps and lids to prevent leaks,” says Najah Ayoub, Piece of Cake’s Chief Marketing Officer.

Once my mattress, too many clothes, and all my beauty products arrived safely at point B, well, that’s when the fun actually started. I moved into this space determined to make my home (and bed) feel—and smell—like a luxury hotel room. I was hyper-focused on finding the creme de la creme of candles, diffusers, detergents, and soaps. I needed a bed that felt plush, crisp, and most importantly, very cool. And I obviously had to maximize my bathroom storage. That was the fun part.

Finding furniture that works in a small space—and provides storage— was not an easy feat. I’m in a studio apartment, so every inch matters. Add that to the fact that I was adamant about achieving a modern Parisian vibe without any crown molding in my rental, and I had my work cut out for me. But after going through, well, every home website that ever existed, I firmly believe I’ve found the best kitchen, bathroom, and apartment products of all time. My guide to stocking a new home, ahead.

Signature Scent

I’m a big believer that an olfactory personality doesn’t stop with my physical person. My home is a reflection of my personal style, and I want it to smell as such. I switch out my diffusers pretty frequently, but the end goal is the same: to feel like I’m entering an oasis the second I open my apartment door.

The Ideal Hotel Bed

I always have the best, best, best night’s sleep when I’m in a fancy hotel room. The comforters are fluffy, there’s an exorbitant amount of pillows, and the sheets feel cool, crisp, and temperature-regulated. After much trial and error, I’m convinced this assortment of products is a recipe for a perfect night’s sleep. (And that’s coming from a terrible sleeper.)

Chic Cleaning Supplies

I’m definitely a bit neurotic about keeping a clean home. It’s a shoes-off household, and I’m very strict about no outside clothes on the bed (and couch). That being said, I refuse to have my space smelling like bleach, so I’ve stocked my home with the most elevated detergents (if you know me, you know this is my biggest obsession) and cleaning supplies.

Kitchen Staples

My kitchenware predated my college graduation, so it was time for a Big Girl refresh. But I also wanted to make sure the apartment's feminine, modern vibe carried into my kitchen, so I was pretty picky about the color of my pots, the shape of my plates, and the design of my utensils. Oh, I even went so far as to have my gray countertops covered in Taj Mahal peel-and-stick wallpaper from Amazon.

Bathroom Basics

For the past five years, I’ve been doing my makeup at a vanity with a massive Glamcor mirror. But it kind of ruined the vibe of my new apartment, so I’ve transitioned into getting ready in my bathroom. Storage has been very important, as have towels and robes that make the whole process feel calm and cozy.

Cozy Details

It was much more difficult than I anticipated to execute a modern Parisian aesthetic in such a small space. But I was adamant about making my apartment feel like a snapshot of a luxe Paris hotel, so it became imperative that every single item in my home be intentional and serve a very specific purpose—especially the little details. “It’s really about effortless sophistication. It needs to feel warm and timeless, elegant yet unfussy,” says Kathy Kuo, the founder of Kathy Kuo Home. “The key to getting it right is restraint: Every piece should feel intentional and slightly storied, as if it's been in the apartment for years.”

Small Space Furniture

My tape measure is my new best friend. But! Every single item fit perfectly into my home. “The secret to making a small space feel bigger is to make the most of its footprint. I don’t mean filling it to the brim with lots of furnishings and objects, but choosing pieces with the right proportions and utilizing vertical real estate,” says Kuo. “The idea is to use design elements in a way that naturally moves attention to the boundaries of the space and makes it feel more expansive.” I played with textures, multiple mirrors, and height to make the space feel much larger than it actually is.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Nothing gets us more excited than talking about a not-so-little tweakment or a nip-tuck procedure. In the spirit of transparency, Marie Claire’s aesthetics column, Life in Plastic, delivers a first-hand peek into what goes on behind the doctor’s door.

Lindsay Schiffman is a 29-year-old woman living in NYC. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2025 and underwent breast reconstruction in July 2026. This is her story, as told to Marie Claire, edited for length and clarity.

I got engaged in July 2025. We met out East, and he proposed in Amagansett, on the beach, three summers later. I had never been happier.

Just after Labor Day, I felt a lump in my armpit. To reason with myself, I repeated: the lump is so far from my boob. I’m 28. I’m strong and healthy. I’m planning a wedding. I’ve booked a band, a venue, and a photographer. My engagement party is in a few weeks. Maybe I was just coming down with something?

But I knew that the BRCA gene runs in my family. My grandfather was BRCA positive, as is my mom. I was telling my fiancé’s sister, who is an OBGYN in Chicago, about the lump I felt. From the keywords I was using (small, hard, unmoving, painless), she immediately urged me to get an MRI. Everything moved very quickly from there—scans, biopsies, doctors' offices all over the city. Three days before our engagement party, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

We still celebrated. I also asked how quickly I could schedule my double mastectomy.

My doctors told me, This is not a boob job. This is a life-saving surgery. That mindset switch was essential. I was no longer focused on aesthetics, but on surviving. I had spent so many years caring about appearances, but a diagnosis like this rearranges your priorities very, very quickly, and there’s some degree of detachment that happens subconsciously as a temporary coping mechanism more than anything.

Some women considering prophylactic double mastectomies discuss the procedure as a cosmetic one. In reality, it’s everything but—and I actually think it’s dangerous to speak about mastectomies in that way. Choosing a mastectomy is a sign of strength, courage, and self-preservation. It’s also a profound privilege, and one I don’t take for granted, to have access to a surgery capable of saving your life. That being said… did I want to go a little bigger? Of course. I’ll happily take my new 295 cc's as my present at the end of this very long, difficult road.

The Double Mastectomy

Finding the right team of doctors, ones I could wholeheartedly trust, was essential. During a DMX, the breast surgeon first performs the life-saving technique of removing all the breast tissue, and then the plastic surgeon focuses on the cosmetics of it all. Funny enough, I was referred to my plastic surgeon, Steven Sultan, MD, who I quickly learned was the son of Dr. Mark Sultan, who did my mom’s prophylactic double mastectomy 10 years ago. It runs in the family.

During my double mastectomy surgery, Dr. Sultan did the cosmetic stitching and placed my tissue expanders, which I had for eight months of treatment. “After a mastectomy, one of the main things we worry about is the blood flow to the skin—in a lot of cases, if we were to put in a full-size implant right away, it would threaten the skin by stretching it. A tissue expander is a temporary implant that’s only partially inflated, and that allows us to let the skin rest and recover,” explains Dr. Sultan.

Recovery from this surgery was intense—I felt like I was hit by a truck. I spent two nights in the hospital; I couldn’t lift my arms and had to take two weeks off of work. On top of recovery, I quickly began the process of two back-to-back rounds of egg freezing to preserve embryos before I began treatment.

Treatment

Because my tumor was so small, I was a candidate to undergo my DMX before treatment. Knowing that the tumor had been physically removed from my body brought a wave of relief. But that was just step one. In December, I began 16 round of treatment. I started with four, bi-weekly chemotherapy session. Once that was complete, I had 12, less-intense weekly infusions. Cold capping—which is a cooling treatment that’s worn on the scalp before, during and after treatments in an effort to minimize hair loss—made my treatment days eight hours long.

Because I had the tissue expanders in place from my DMX, we gradually filled them several times throughout treatment until I reached a size that felt right for me. “In the office, we actually put a needle into a port in the expander, right through the skin. We inject fluid over the course of a couple weeks, and it reinflates the implants, stretching the skin into a pretty shape,” adds Dr. Sultan.

Aesthetically, they looked like boobs. I have bikini photos in them. But physically, they feel much harder, although you wouldn’t realize that unless you hugged me. They were a little uncomfortable, but never painful.

Mindset throughout treatment was everything. Staying positive, doing Pilates, keeping movement in my body. I didn’t want to miss a day of work. My schedule was so important, and maintaining a sense of normalcy was what kept me going.

My bridesmaids group chat turned into a support group. They are the ones who truly carried me through. We called it The Climb, because for the first few months I couldn’t even say the word “cancer.” There was so much joy and love—we made a playlist for the last day of treatment, and when I walked out of the hospital, all of my friends were standing there, blasting it. I felt every emotion that one could feel. It was the most joyous, exciting, and empowering day. But finishing treatment is also incredibly scary. For months, I was in this cocoon of doctors and nurses watching over me. I went from having blood work every week to suddenly having nothing. I had heard that when the physical work ends, the emotional work begins.

Having my reconstruction to look forward to felt like a light at the end of the tunnel. In many ways, I knew it would really mark the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next, which is more about survivorship than active treatment.

The Reconstruction

Although your plastic surgeon is only one piece of the puzzle, Dr. Sultan has supported me since my double mastectomy. Weekly check-ins, occasional expander inflation—he even dropped in to say hi on one of my treatment days. Leading up to my reconstruction, we had a pre-op appointment where we reviewed what was to come and how it all goes down. My understanding was that in the grand scheme of things, reconstruction was a much more palatable surgery than my initial mastectomy.

One of the strangest parts of reconstruction is being presented with all of these implants and actually holding them in your hands. They don’t speak in terms of A-cups or B-cups - it’s all 225cc, 295cc, or whatever Kylie says. Even crazier, when you’re under, the surgeon may try several different sizes before determining what looks best. You do not really know what size you will wake up with, so you really have to trust your doctor. My final direction right before I went under was “tasteful oomph.” That was the vision.

At the beginning of this journey, I couldn’t even have blood drawn without lying down and recovering afterward with apple juice. So I never imagined there would come a day when I would say I was excited for surgery. But by then, I was ready. When I woke up, my mom said I couldn’t stop smiling. No drains this time around, nipple preservation, lollipop scars. Dr. Sultan was able to reopen the same incisions from my mastectomy. I carry other physical reminders of cancer—like the scar by my armpit from my axillary dissection where they removed some of my lymph nodes—but the scars on my breasts are nearly invisible.

The Recovery

Compared to my first surgery, recovery felt like a breeze. I woke up, and I was like, let’s go. I had surgery on a Monday, and by Tuesday I was shopping on the Upper East Side with my mom. I don’t want to say it was easy, because getting implants is still a major surgery. But after everything my body has endured, this recovery felt less like another mountain to climb. It was such a relief.

I am just so happy. For the first time in a long time, I feel like my body is mine again. I know I will never be the girl I was before this experience, but I’m beginning to live like a normal 29-year-old again. I’m traveling. I’m re-planning my wedding. I’m thinking about the future again. I could have cried every day in bed for the past eight months, or I could have gotten up and said, This sucks, but let’s move forward—one day at a time. I just caught my breath, looked up, and realized I’m living again.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Expert

As a beauty editor, I stalk skincare deals for a living, and this year's Nordstrom Anniversary Sale might take the cake. An overall theme? The selection is packed with products guaranteed to deliver a glass-skin complexion—but the term is more than one of skincare’s favorite buzzwords. "Glass skin" comes from the Korean beauty philosophy, where the goal is skin that looks so hydrated and smooth that it is at its healthiest, glowing state—no strategically placed highlighter required. The effect results from consistency and formulas that prioritize moisture and barrier health over quick fixes. And because that's the secret to incredible skin, that got me thinking: Which products in this year's sale fit into that approach?

As I scrolled through the sale, I realized that while most of the brands aren’t Korean, many of the products embrace that same skincare philosophy. (Plenty of American brands have now borrowed a page out of K-beauty's playbook.) I found deeply hydrating serums, barrier-supporting moisturizers, gentle exfoliants that help create a smoother-looking surface, and sunscreen to protect all of that hard work.

And, of course, there’s one of my all-time favorite K-beauty brands in the mix. Whether you’re committed to glass skin or simply want your complexion to look fresher and more luminous, these are the eight deals I’d actually shop at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.

Best Nordstrom Anniversary Deals for Glass Skin

• Best Essence for Glass Skin: Shiseido Eudermine Hydrate & Brighten Set
• Best Firming Serum for Glass Skin: Sulwhasoo Jumbo First Care Activating Serum
• Best Exfoliant for Glass Skin: Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare The Peel Vault Gift Set
• Best Moisturizer for Glass Skin: Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream Jumbo
• Best for Mature Glass Skin: Dr. Diamond's Metacine Instafacial Plasma Bioactive Growth Factor Serum
• Best SPF for Glass Skin: Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Jumbo Duo
• Best Cleansing Balm for Glass Skin: Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm
• Best Body Care for Glass Skin: L'Occitane Showered in Almond Gift Set

Best Essence for Glass Skin

Best Firming Serum for Glass Skin

Best Exfoliant for Glass Skin

Best Moisturizer for Glass Skin

Best for Mature Glass Skin

Best Sunscreen for Glass Skin

Best Cleansing Balm for Glass Skin

Best Body Care for Glass Skin

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Every summer, as temperatures and hemlines rise, our legs face public exposure and, often, our private scrutiny. One focus of that thorough examination, particularly as women age, are leg veins. To be clear, this is not a new fixation. Women have never not had visible leg veins (in the Ebers Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian medical text dating to 1550 BC, they’re referred to as “serpentine windings”) and we’ve never not subjected ourselves to various, sometimes grisly, treatments to try to get rid of them. From surgical removal to phlebectomy (where a doctor makes an incision and then uses a hooked tool to pull out a vein, formerly without anesthesia) to iron or iodine injections, to “stripping” procedures using steel wires, vein treatments have historically come with a lot of pain and little gain.

Thanks in large part to our modern (read, increasingly sedentary) lifestyles, leg veins remain a major issue, but how we address them has, thankfully, evolved dramatically. Here’s everything you need to know about treating visible leg veins, straight from the professionals.

What Are Leg Veins?

The veins in your legs have one-way valves, working against gravity, that keep the blood flowing back toward the heart, says Christine Chung, MD, a clinical associate professor and director of the NYU Langone Vein Center in Long Island, NY. Over time, those valves can weaken or become damaged, causing blood to pool in the lower legs.

“As we age, just like we get wrinkles, the walls of our veins and the valves inside them naturally become less elastic and less efficient,” says Hugh Pabarue, MD, a physician and vein specialist at Metro Vein Centers in the Midwest. “Think of it like a door hinge that has been used thousands of times; after a while it may not close as tightly as it once did.” Those faulty hinges often manifest as two kinds of leg veins, spider and varicose, which vary in size, appearance and severity. Spider veins are small, wispy red, blue or purple veins that appear close to the skin’s surface and can look like a faint spider web (hence the name). “Often they are simply a cosmetic issue, but sometimes they can be associated with bleeding, itching or discomfort,” says Dr. Chung. Varicose veins are larger, twisted bulging veins deeper below the skin’s surface which, says Dr. Chung, are associated with leg aching, heaviness, swelling, itching, and tiredness. Their appearance, adds Dr. Pabarue, can indicate an underlying circulation problem.

Why Do We Develop Visible Leg Veins?

While men are not immune to developing leg veins, women experience them in far greater numbers. Dr. Pabarue points to a number of reasons why, including hormonal changes that can affect vein walls and valve function, while hormonal fluctuation during menstruation, pregnancy and menopause can contribute to vein enlargement. Pregnancy can be a particularly prone time, with blood volume increasing and a growing uterus placing extra pressure on leg veins, but they can, says Dr. Chung, improve postpartum. Genetics also play a big role in determining your vein risk factor.

“If your mother or father had them, you’re likely to get them too,” says Macrene Alexiades, MD, a dermatologist in New York City who treats veins. The other factors that can lead to the development of veins or venous insufficiency (when veins have trouble sending blood to the heart) are often related to our diet and lifestyle, two things that have changed significantly since the days of “serpentine windings.” Prolonged sitting or standing and a very sedentary lifestyle with little exercise can set veins on a crash course. “The muscles in the legs are less active to pump the blood from the veins back to the heart,” Dr. Chung explains. Increased weight can put extra pressure on your venous system, she adds, while tobacco can damage vein walls. A high sodium diet can also lead to fluid retention and swelling.

How Can I Minimize Leg Veins?

Luckily, there are many different ways to get rid of pesky leg veins. Whether veins pose a health or cosmetic concern, there are a number of ways, with varying degrees of pain and commitment (both financial and timewise) to address them.

The Lifestyle Shifts

To prevent veins from getting worse and new ones from forming, staying active is key. If work requires you to stand or sit for much of the day, try to find a balance. If you sit for work, elevate the legs and stand and walk every hour, says Dr. Pabarue. If you stand for work, shift positions frequently, and take walking breaks whenever you can squeeze them in. “Simple leg exercises at your desk, such as calf raises, can also keep the blood moving,” says Dr. Chung. If you’re a leg crosser, balance that too. “Make sure you’re not putting excessive pressure on one of the lateral vessels on a regular basis by crossing in the same direction all the time,” says Dr. Alexiades.

Maintaining a healthy weight, staying hydrated and eating a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fiber all help with vein health as well. So can wearing compression socks regularly, a therapy that has been used by physicians for centuries. “Compression socks (if they are graduated and medical grade) apply the strongest pressure at the ankle, with pressure gradually decreasing up the leg,” says Anna Zahn, founder of cult body sculpting destination Ricari Studios, which makes branded compression socks. “This targeted compression optimizes blood circulation by directing flow through narrower channels toward the heart which reduces pooling in the lower limbs.” Doctors agree that wearing a pair during prolonged periods of sitting or standing, and on flights, can help manage and improve veins but they won’t cure them, notes Dr. Chung.

The In-Office Treatment

Surface lasers (which usually require several sessions and feel like a warm rubber-band snap) can do the trick for tiny spider veins, says Dr. Pabarue. Larger spider veins and smaller varicose veins (called reticular veins) often respond to sclerotherapy, whereby a chemical solution is injected causing the vein walls to stick together and eventually be absorbed by the body, says Dr. Parabue, adding that it feels like a series of small pinches. Post-treatment, patients can return to normal activities immediately.

To treat larger varicose veins, Dr. Chung suggests radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or endovenous laser therapy (EVLT) which both use ultrasound-guided heat (from radiofrequency or laser energy, respectively) and are performed under local anesthesia, addressing one vein per procedure. Patients often describe the pain more as pressure, says Dr. Chung, and they are able to return to regular activities in a few days. The most invasive option, a stab phlebectomy, has been refined to be infinitely more tolerated in the centuries since it was first introduced. The procedure still uses a small hook to remove the vein, but, says Chung, the incisions are tiny, require no stitches, and it’s performed with local anesthesia and sometimes sedation for maximum comfort. Any swelling or bruising usually resolves in a few days.

The Topical Route

If the thought of vein treatments makes you squeamish, consider a camouflage approach instead. “One of the most underrated benefits of spray tanning is for veins,” says Erika Vasco, founder of The Tan Edit, adding that it works best on mild spider veins and flat surface veins. “A spray tan lays a unified veil of color over the skin that smooths and evens out the complexion.” Pain factor? Zero.

Are There Risks to Ignoring Leg Veins?

For those with mild to moderate leg veins there are no dangerous risks to ignoring them, says Chung. If patients have serious venous disease, such as venous ulcers, that’s another story, she adds, and ignoring them can lead to infections and other serious consequences. No matter what your level of leg vein symptoms, they tend to grow worse with age, says Pabarue. But if you’re diligent with compression sock use, weight management, exercise and leg elevation, you can manage vein symptoms and prevent them from getting worse—a routine that makes a visible difference.

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

Meet the Experts

I was first introduced to Nette, a niche fragrance brand based in NYC, when I was in the midst of sniffing hundreds of perfumes for Marie Claire’s inaugural Fragrance Awards in 2024. Once you’ve smelled roughly 250 scents in a given day, everything starts to smell of sameness—the gourmands are all weirdly reminiscent of one another and the skin scents, which were blowing up at the time, were more or less all interchangeable. It wasn’t until I came across Pear Jam, Nette’s jammy and wildly joy-filled fruity floral blend with Japanese pear and raspberry pulp, that I felt like I had actually stumbled across something genuinely new in the market. It made me feel giddy—and that was the point.

The crux of Nette is emotional chemistry. Founder Carol Han, who is a second-generation candle maker and one of my favorite humans I’ve met in the beauty industry, approaches each scent like a piece of poetry. “I think of scent as a language. Every Nette fragrance begins as a poem I write that captures an emotion—joy, calm, nostalgia, desire. That poem becomes the blueprint for the scent: it defines the emotional intention,” she explains. “Then we bring science in. Each fragrance is scientifically proven to boost certain emotions.”

The proof is in the perfume. Lemon Puff consistently provides a wave of calm. Mochi Banane gives me that touch-grass grounding. Rose Parade is a manifestation of feelings of comfort. But don’t just take it from me—discover the five best Nette fragrances in the brand's portfolio and enjoy tapping into some of that NYC It-girl energy.

The Best Nette Fragrances

• The Best Citrus Nette Perfume: Lemon Puff
• The Best Fruity Nette Perfume: Pear Jam
• The Best Banana Nette Perfume: Mochi Banane
• The Best Floral Nette Perfume: Rose Parade
• The Best Vanilla Nette Perfume: The Vanille

The Best Citrus Nette Perfume

The Best Fruity Nette Perfume

The Best Banana Nette Perfume

The Best Floral Nette Perfume

The Best Vanilla Nette Perfume

Why Trust Marie Claire

For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.

It’s the thick of summer, and if you, like me, refuse to smell anything other than completely magnificent, then I have something to tell you: Frédéric Malle has extended its Acne Studios collaboration to include two brand new formulas.

​While I don’t typically subscribe to any fragrance rules, I do find myself gravitating toward fresher, cleaner, and even citrus scent profiles in the summer months. That’s exactly why the creation of the body wash and milk formulas in the popular Acne Studios scent caught my attention immediately. The fragrance that resulted from the collaboration between the two houses is a perfect scent for the sweltering summer heat that is blanketing New York City right now. Aldehydes, rose, peach, vanilla, and more combine to create a slightly fruity but extremely soapy scent that makes me feel like I just stepped out of the shower for the entire life cycle of the perfume.

​With the new body care formulas readily available to layer with, I expect this already beast-mode scent to become nuclear when I stack all three products back to back. With that being said, if you’ve never tried the perfume and don’t want to commit quite yet, the body care formulas are a fantastic way to get in on one of my favorite summer scents. Keep reading to see my full review of both the body wash and milk, plus a few of my other favorite products from the esteemed house of Frédéric Malle.

What Do the Acne Studios by Frédéric Malle Body Care Formulas Feel Like?

As the name suggests, the Body Milk is a much lighter formula than a traditional lotion. While that means it sinks into the skin much faster, don’t let that lead you to believe the scent is affected at all. In fact, the fragrance is so strong that you can dab a bit on your pulse points like you would a traditional eau de parfum, and the scent trail you’d leave behind would still be unbeatable.

​For the body wash, the same rules apply. There is an overdose of the peachy, aldehydic fragrance that is the signature of this collection. When using in the shower, note that a little goes a very long way, as you can see in the video's viscous, thick texture. It doesn’t have the most bubbly lather; however, the formula does make my skin feel clean without completely stripping it of moisture, all without compromising the mouthwatering scent.

What Ingredients Are in the Acne Studios by Frédéric Malle Body Care Formulas?

There are a few standout ingredients across both launches that lead me to believe that these formulas are wonderful for a wide range of skin types. The body wash has hexylene glycol, which is acne-safe and acts as a penetration booster, helping the soap's cleaning agents penetrate a bit better. There are also oat amino acids, which help to condition the skin, and castor oil, which acts as an emollient to keep the barrier moisturized.

​As for the body milk, a myriad of oils like sweet almond and safflower seed keep the formula nourishing, while butylene glycol helps with retaining moisture to keep the skin looking soft and supple. Both formulas are applied like any other body care product: the body wash is used in the shower and can be applied with a washcloth, African net sponge, or loofah, and the body milk can be used either in place of or paired with a thicker lotion.

Is the Frédéric Malle Acne Studios Body Care Collection Worth It?

In short, these new formulas are exactly what this line needed, and this launch was timed perfectly. Acne Studios for Frédéric Malle is the perfect summer scent, especially for anyone who wants to smell sweet, clean, and a little fruity without having to put on three different perfumes. Each olfactive journey is so distinct, but when they all mingle at the end of the day, the result leaves you smelling fresh and inviting.

​This line isn’t the only thing that Frédéric Malle has become known for, so keep reading to see a few of my other favorite products from the brand. Expect compliments and thank me later.

More Frédéric Malle Products I Love