Beauty Talk

If you don’t think the order you apply your foundation or concealer in really matters, think again — because we’re setting the record straight: You should apply foundation first, and here’s why. The level of coverage you get depends on the formula of your foundation. If you use a sheer product, you may need more concealer. If you use a heavy foundation, you may not need any at all.

There are two types of people in this world: Those who swear by shampoo, and those who avoid it. Most of us with curly hair tend to fall in the latter category — especially when it comes to the drugstore variety. It's not that we have anything against these brands (and there are certainly more options available than ever before), but we can't just use any old shampoo on our coils, since there's always a risk that it will leave our hair feeling drier than a Triscuit.

Exhausted from 2019? The struggle is actually real: More Americans are having trouble falling and staying asleep than five years ago, according to a recent study in Sleep Health. Unsurprisingly, the researchers point to phone use before bed and midnight text alerts waking you up as two of the biggest culprits for worsened sleep. Darkness prompts the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps us fall asleep.

It happens to the best of us. You wanted loose, beachy waves, but you've ended up with tight, over-curled ringlets. The good news is that you don't have to start your style over. The bad news? You're going to have to spend a few extra minutes making amends. Luckily, the damage control is super simple. You can take a blow-dryer like T3's Cura Luxe Hair Dryer ($285; dermstore.com) and a paddle brush like Conair's Velvet Touch Large Paddle Brush ($5; target.

Whether it's your birthday party, sister's wedding, or a first date, pimples intuitively know to pop up whenever you have a special event on your iCal. The bad news is there's not way to instantly get rid of a zit. However, the good news is that with the right technique, a breakout can be covered up with makeup so that it's (almost) invisible. The secret is distraction. We suggest an eye look because it'll draw the focus up and away from any pimples.

Colds and the flu are often lumped in together, and for good reason. Not only do they both make you feel like crap, but there’s also the fact that the two respiratory illnesses like to rear their heads around the same time each year (yes, those chilly winter months). All of this means that when you’re feeling under the weather, it can be tough to tell what’s what.

It’s with a heavy heart that I must report: The $500 Dyson humidifier is a godsend. I realize that a near-prohibitively expensive device being actually worth its price is the last thing anyone wants to hear. But even if out of morbid curiosity, hear me out. The effects of dry winter air can be devastating. For those living in colder climates, each day spent exposing your skin to harsh, sub-optimal humidity can contribute to cumulative damage on the skin surface.

If you saw the recent International Journal of Cancer study linking hair dye to breast cancer and thought, crap, you’re not alone. About 40 percent of American women dye their hair regularly, according to Statista. Some background: The study looked at 46,709 women whose sisters had breast cancer, and over eight years, 2,794 of them got breast cancer themselves.

Raise your hand if the possibility of a round brush getting stuck in your hair has kept you up at night. While the hair tool might be intimidating to use, it can be a total blowout game-changer. When used correctly, the brush can add so much more volume and movement to your hair. Used wrong, you can end up with a tangled mess. First things first: there's actually two different kinds of round brushes.

Whenever you see a celebrity with super thick, full hair there's a good chance it's not entirely their own. This shouldn't be surprising since extensions, wigs, and the right cut and color are all well-known strategies to make hair look so much fuller than it actually is.