Brow Looks To Kick The Night Off Right

My favorite part of July 4th weekend is the fireworks. Having the day off is cool and all, and I'll never pass up a good backyard barbecue. But, at the end of the day, I love watching my neighbors set off their illegal sparklers from the front porch, or hitting up a rooftop so I can see the Macy's light show from afar.

The only problem: It's nearly impossible to outshine the grand pyrotechnics of a fireworks show — until now. Use this weekend as an excuse to get extra glittery with your eye glam — whether you're doing the whole lid, just a swipe of liner, or accentuating your brows. I mean, there are plenty of glitter liptutorials to be seen... but you'll be digging into a plateful of ribs (just me?), so there's no point in wasting that manpower. Find out how to get your shine on, ahead.

Approved Tutorials To Break Down Contouring Once And For All

Another day, another way to contour — amirite? Over the past few years, dozens of unique, and sometimes bizarre, methods have made the rounds online. There's clown contouring, lip contouring, heck, even boob contouringexists. Oh, and don't forget about the anti-contouring trend, strobing. In case you're not familiar, it calls upon highlighter to bring certain features forward, rather than sculpting products, which fake shadows to send features back, creating the chiseled effect.

Needless to say, some of these techniques are more feasible than others. The idea of sculpting your face like Kim K. can be overwhelming, so we're here to help with the basics. Contouring is an art in and of itself, but these tutorials help simplify it using a few simple techniques.

This Combo Is The Secret To My Best Skin Ever

The word "miracle" gets thrown around a lot in the beauty space. And let's be real — most of the time, these heaven-sent products don't live up to their rep. So yes, I'm skeptical when it comes to hyperbole, but the more I heard about Sunday Riley's Luna Sleeping Night Oil — first, it won Most Innovative Skin-Care Launch in our Beauty Innovator Awards; then, our deputy beauty editor wrote it up as one of her cult-favorite products — the more I had know what made this little blue bottle so, well, miraculous.

The folks over at Sunday Riley must have read my mind, because as a holiday present, they sent me a small bottle of Luna along with the brand's Good Genes treatment. Luna is a nighttime oil with retinol. Its mix of cold-pressed oils work as a cushion to deliver the retinol — which can sometimes be harsh on the skin. (BTW: My coworker, who swears by it, happens to be a retinol fanatic). Good Genes is a lactic acid treatment that can be used in the morning or at night. It also contains arnica, licorice, and lemongrass to help exfoliate and add vibrancy to the skin.

I immediately started using the two in tandem. After I exfoliated my face in the morning (I don't use a typical cleanser in the a.m.), I'd smooth on Good Genes, let it do its thing for a few minutes, and then smooth on my moisturizing oil. At night, I'd remove my makeup, cleanse my face, pop on a mask, rinse, and then smooth on Luna in lieu of a typical night cream. I started off by using Luna every other day, so my skin could adjust, but after a week, I was using it nightly.

I saw results almost immediately — especially in the morning. I'd wake up to baby-soft skin, thanks to the mix of retinol and oils in Luna. Then, after smoothing on Good Genes, my skin tone would go from slightly splotchy (thanks to the exfoliating) to totally toned. I even cut back on the amount of concealer I use on a daily basis because of how well these two things work. It's my new go-to routine.

The one caveat? Sunday Riley's products aren't exactly the cheapest on the market. But they are made with prescription-strength ingredients, so you're getting the most bang for your buck. They have a cult following for a reason: They actually work. And if good skin care is something you're willing to invest in, you won't be disappointed. Just go to any site that sells them and you'll see dozens of happy customers exclaiming that these are worth the price. Now, I'm one of them.

Lush's Audrey Hepburn-Inspired Bath Bomb Is Getting A HUGE Makeover

If you're a diehard Audrey Hepburn fan, you're probably well aware that the 1957 film Funny Face is by far her most underrated — and Lush agrees. In fact, more than 10 years ago, the bath and body brand launched one of its original bath bombs, Pink, inspired by the famous “Think Pink” opening scene of the movie. (You probably recognize it as the orb that we speculated was Harry Styles' album cover.) But because it didn't scream Funny Face, the bath bomb is getting a major makeover, starting today — and we've got an exclusive sneak peek.

Haven't seen the scene? You've gotta get on that ASAP, but nonetheless, here's the gist: Maggie Prescott (Kay Thompson), the editor for Quality magazine is bummed out by the dark, dismal colors haunting the publication's latest issue, and suddenly gets a flash of inspiration by pink fabric. The impending song is decorated with colored tissues and textures dancing on the screen all dyed a healthy dose of pink. Several scenes later Jo Stockton, played by Hepburn, strikes Prescott and photographer Dick Avery (Fred Astaire) as the girl with the funny face — just the kind of face they need to revamp the magazine. Et voila — decades later you have a bath bomb that explodes hot pink fizz all over your tub. But it's about to get even better.

First of all, there's a lot of Audrey Hepburn on the beauty market — Besamé Cosmetics created a coral lipstick formulated to look exactly like the actress' signature color; Givenchy uses Hepburn as a muse for its fragrances — so Lush knew it had to up its game. So what can we expect? The brand told us that it's ready to jack up the Pink bath bomb with even more Hepburn references, we were so ready.

Starting today online and on July 28 in stores, the new Pink bath bomb will resemble the exact fabric in that Funny Face scene that all Hepburn fanatics know and love. Formulated with cornstarch and silver lustre, when the bath bomb hits the water, it'll diffuse into a “silken, fabric-like feel in the water” — just like the film's song. And forget the flowers adorning the top of the OG Pink — now, the fizzy will feel more ~mature~ and distinctly inspired by the '50s film. (You can see the side by side, above, for comparison.)

Lucy Hale Told Us Her Best Makeup Trick

Lipstick is the accent pillow of the beauty world — nothing can pull a look together quite like it. It's also inexplicably versatile, which is perhaps why so many people reach for a coordinating color of eye shadow, nail polish, or clothing item. No one, however, does a monochromatic look like Lucy Hale... especially because you've probably never even noticed.

When we sat down with the actress last week to chat all things beauty (full interview coming soon), but we couldn't stop staring at her matching red shoes and lipstick — shades of bright, fiery crimson that took her ordinary yellow dress from fun to fash-un. (For the record, they were strappy shoes matched to Mark. By Avon's liquid lippie in Spark.) Turns out, it's something she's been doing before the name Aria Montgomery meant anything to anyone. "It's one of my favorite tricks,” Hale tells us.

Now that we know her secret, it's damn near impossible to ignore. Ahead, the proof that might just convince you to jump on the shoe-lipstick bandwagon. If you do, it helps if you're not wearing five-inch heels.