How Black Women Can Achieve Blurred Lips—Spring’s Most Lived-In

12 Mar

Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for BET Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… Having soft lips doesn’t just refer to the texture. Instead, this season, blurred lips are the ultimate indicator of how soft yours actually are. “We’re in the midst of a new beauty renaissance, and blurred lips feel undeniably romantic,” MAC national artist Ximena Curtis tells ESSENCE. “They’re effortless, flirty, and deliver the perfect pop of color without doing too much.” First gaining popularity as a K-beauty trend, blurred lips “have been popular for years, and usually are connected to a more natural, youthful look,” says Erika Guinn, vice president of brand marketing and community at NYX Professional Makeup. Seen on celebrities from Zendaya to Lori Harvey, Naomi Campbell to Jodie Turner Smith,...

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8 Mar

Best Spring Beauty Products 2026 – essence.com

by Beauty Tips

Makeup, Featured

Best Spring Beauty Products 2026 – essence.com

Composite by India Espy-Jones Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… “Spring cleaning” has become something of a cultural punchline: Throwing out your expired mascara, wiping out your vanity drawers, and weeding through the products that actually work. The idea of clearing out your baggage and changing your ways because you’ve crossed the threshold of a new season feels like a wives’ tale we’ve collectively agreed to. But, a spring reset isn’t just about what you’re leaving behind. With no shortage of viral products and gadgets on the market, then, it’s easy to experience decision paralysis by the overwhelming options and reviews for products to add to your collection. Not to mention the potential for product overload once you’ve made the investment. But, never...

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3 Mar

Last-Minute Beauty Products To Add To Your Galentine’s Day

by Beauty Tips

Makeup, Featured

Last-Minute Beauty Products To Add To Your Galentine’s Day

Composite by ESSENCE Getting your Trinity Audio player ready… Galentine’s Day, the unofficial holiday created by NBC’s sitcom Parks and Recreation in 2010, sparked thousands of women, including myself, to celebrate our female friendships and platonic love. It’s a day, regardless of relationship status, that women come together to empower each other over brunch and gift-giving. With all the uncertainty and challenging events happening in the world right now, it’s easy to forget that Galentine’s Day is just a few days away. While there’s still time, treat your friends who’ve been with you through the toughest moments with something special. Ahead, we’ve rounded up affordable, best-selling beauty products for your last-minute shopping spree to make your friends feel loved and appreciated. Ashunta Sheriff...

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26 Feb

Fragrantica and the unhinged poetry of perfume reviews

by Beauty Tips

Beauty, Featured

Fragrantica and the unhinged poetry of perfume reviews

“To all those who would refer to [Schiaparelli’s] Shocking as a ‘grandma fragrance’ – your grandma is a whore. Please give me her number, I want her to be my wing woman.” This review, so poetically written by user ‘fanonlamb’, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the weird, wonderful and bonkers assessments of fragrances that are available to us on Fragrantica. The website, described as an online perfume encyclopaedia, lets users post their own reviews of practically every perfume imaginable, from the mainstream celeb-promoted fare that you see in airports, to the avant-garde experimental scents worn by connoisseurs only. And the Fragrantica users don’t hold back – from happily sharing the most intimate details of their...

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