Beauty

For the State of Black Beauty, ELLE.com chatted with six Black icons to hear how they define Black beauty and how they see themselves in the space—in their own words. Black beauty, what it means to me is Maya Angelou’s poem, “Phenomenal Woman.” It’s loving your hips, your nose, your hair. It’s embracing all of

The moment you feel seen is powerful. For many Black women, that feeling is few and far between. For the State of Black Beauty, we asked four writers to recall the instance in their life they felt SEEN in media. From Janet Jackson to Eartha Kitt, here are love letters to our Black Beauty icons

She was in the shower when she first felt it. A lump where no woman ever wants to find one. Just below the armpit, near the side of the breast. It was uncomfortable to touch, and big—about the size of a golf ball. After drying off, she immediately texted her doctor: I think I might

Megan Thee Stallion is bringing her Hot Girl Magic to another major beauty brand. After inking a deal with Revlon last year, the rapper joined Mielle Organics as its first global ambassador. In recent weeks, Megan has shared her natural hair growth journey on Instagram, where she’s shared tips and asked for recommendations. Simply put,

When I was a kid, I always had pain in my life. I remember having to sit cross-legged in Girl Scouts and having intense pain around my knees and hips from it. I couldn’t understand why, but I knew I was uncomfortable much more than other people my age. In middle school, I played volleyball

Squalane and Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum biossance.com $62.00 Every zit or irritated patch I’ve ever had has left behind a dark spot once it heals; and while there’s nothing wrong with having marks, my goal has always been to maintain a more even, radiant complexion. Enter: Biossance Squalane and Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum,

In high school, I used to wear my sunglasses during class. Hiding in the back corner of the room, concealed behind my super-dark lensed Ray-Ban Wayfarers, I tried to disappear. I’ve recently taken up the habit again—this time, for a different reason. California-based Futuremood‘s colorful glasses aren’t just for attention. Each style comes outfitted with

Mayday, mayday! Dolly Parton is coming out with a new fragrance, and samples of the perfume became available after an ad during the third quarter of Super Bowl LV yesterday. This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find

With just one hashtag—#PullUporShut Up—Sharon Chuter disrupted the beauty industry. At the height of racial tension that erupted in the summer of 2020, the Uoma Beauty founder launched the hashtag to call out brands for a lack of diversity within the companies and on social media, and ask brands to publicly disclose their number of

If you’ve ever wondered how Jessica Alba gets her dewy glow, the actress and Honest Company founder is down to spill some Hollywood beauty secrets. The answer? Honest Beauty’s new Calm and Healing Melting Balm, a hydrating moisturizer directly inspired by a celeb-favorite face cream. “There’s this face cream, the fanciest I’ve ever used, that’s

Every year, the ELLE International Beauty Awards ceremony takes place and celebrate the best of beauty. This year, for the first time, the ceremony is fully digital. Since 2013, the ELLE International Beauty Awards have celebrated beauty and have united ELLE beauty editors from around the globe. The editors have tested and tried out beauty

The Instagram video that broke me featured a pretty blonde in a pink crop top. She was caressing her stomach and smiling blandly while swaying in front of the camera. “Life’s too short not to love every inch of yourself!” the caption read. I don’t know why, but that video did it. I’d seen those

Last October, Nordstrom made it easier for customers to locate all their favorite Black-owned beauty brands amongst the sea of brands across the site. Debuting the Inclusive Beauty category, which is the luxury site’s “curated assortment of products created for everyone–regardless of skin or hair type, tone, complexion or texture,” Nordstrom initially launched with seven

SPONSORED Ricardo Quintero is the founder of CareSkincare.com a direct to consumer, clean beauty line that is gaining popularity with its safe formulas, clean design and incredible reviews. We interviewed Quintero to learn about his background and why he decided to leave a successful corporate career to start his own brand with his wife Pilar.

Tom Kelley ArchiveGetty Images It’s a particularly COVID-19 era problem: Putting on a cloth face mask (reusable, please!) right before your journey outside only to realize, well, it doesn’t smell that great. Newsflash: You should be washing your masks after each wear. But instead of turning to good old utilitarian laundry detergent for what just

Let’s talk about Priyanka Chopra’s hair for a moment. It’s shiny, luxurious, healthy—and coming to a Target near you. The actress is entering the beauty world with Anomaly Haircare, a sustainable and accessible line of hair products designed for every day use. Launching February 1, the collection features a deep conditioning mask, dry shampoo, and

The last 12 months have been defined by a streak of unending chaos. We’ve witnessed a virus ravish the world and take countless lives, an insurrection at our Capitol, and the closing of countless businesses due to our buckling economy. We’re also just beginning to feel the aftershocks of the COVID-19 earthquake. The burden of

The Glam Glow Super Mud Clearing Treatment Mask has been a beauty lover cult favorite for years. Many recognize it by the black dots that show up on the face as it dries. It claims to instantly and visibly clear pores. The standard size costs $60, which is a pretty steep price for a face

The mere mention of makeup whisperer Danessa Myricks‘ name conjures images of nearly blinding luminous skin, an elaborate runway-ready eye looks, and a gorgeous Instagram feed of Black women. In Myricks world, creativity is finite—and so is her resume. When she’s not turning models’ skin into glass with her Illuminating Veil or sharing her expert

Scent is a powerful thing. The fragrance of apple pie can take you right back to your grandparents’ house on a Sunday, while the aroma of freshly ground coffee can have you bounding out of bed, ready to embrace the day. The science But what is it about scent that affects us on such an

Last year, I established a new pre-bedtime ritual. Immediately after I cocooned my skin in Mutha Face Oil and Lanolips Superbalm, I’d climb into bed, open the internet on my phone, and start to doomscroll. I spent hours falling down the dark hole that is Reddit, Twitter, and Instagram, always unable to climb my way

Hunter Schafer is a 22-year-old model and Hollywood sensation with a starring role on the hit HBO show Euphoria. Her special episode, which she co-wrote with director Sam Levinson, airs today and spotlights her character Jules through her very tumultuous 2020. But first and foremost, Schafer is an artist, and this shines through everything she

Yesterday ushered in a new era of more humane, decent, and glam politics. Lady Gaga served us Hunger Games District One chic; Emma, daughter of very first second gentlemen of the United States, Doug Emhoff, made all of Brooklyn feel seen in crafty Miu Miu; and the White House coat game is now unparalleled between

Besides our skin tone, the first thing a person sees when they look at a Black woman is often our hair. For many of us, no outfit is complete until our Black hair is done. Amidst the Twitter trending topics for the 2021 inauguration for president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris—Harris’ purple Christopher

Travis Scott’s galactic-inspired collaboration with Byredo is being launched back into orbit. The Swedish fragrance brand announced that a limited restock of its Scott collection, titled Space Rage, is dropping on January 19 at noon. This collection includes both a $285 3.4-ounce scent and $95 candle with 60 hours of burn time. Travis Scott x

Selena Gomez’s soft, romantic makeup in her “De Una Vez” video was made using Gomez’s Rare Beauty line, of course, and came together through a collaboration between Gomez and her longtime makeup artist Melissa Murdick. “Selena has an eye for beauty, obviously, so I typically approach her with some of my own ideas—thank goodness for

Beauty writer Marianne Mychaskiw before using the Nu Skin Nutricentials Bioadaptive Skin Care System. If 2020 taught me anything, it was how to be resilient in the face of change. This applied to all aspects of my life—including my skincare routine. Granted, skincare was far from the most pressing issue on 2020’s chaotic agenda, but

As people across the country receive the life-saving COVID-19 vaccine, some have reported adverse reactions to the injection. The vaccine, which was authorized for emergency use in the United States last month, may have side effects for people with cosmetic facial fillers, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). During a meeting of the

Maya Rudolph was just as stressed as we were in 2020 and, to be quite honest, 2021 isn’t looking great either. Like us, the actress is going back to basics. “Cleaning my house, being with my family, and snuggling with my puppy,” are her top calming practices, she told ELLE.com. She is also taking Natural

“I picked up a random red drugstore lipstick with my mom when I was eight or nine, put it on, and thought, “‘Fuck, this is amazing,’” London-based fashion designer Harris Reed recalls of their first beauty epiphany. “Actually, I was young, so I probably didn’t say the F-word, but I remember being so blown away