Spend Or Skip? Rodan + Fields Lash Boost

Spend Or Skip? Rodan + Fields Lash Boost

Genevieve Monsma
Skin, Makeup

If every anti-aging product on the market really did what it claimed, we'd all look 18. And while there are many effective products that help make the most of our looks as we age (and I, for one, like the way I look better at 45 than I did at 18), there are also many that are nothing but snake oil. Thus, I've created this series, Spend or Skip?, in which I will apply my twenty years as a beauty guinea pig to objectively road-test and review buzz-generating, anti-aging products that everyone's talking about. The mission: to help you decide whether to buy—or bypass—the latest fountain of youth.

Acne Tips I Wish I'd Known As A Teen

Acne Tips I Wish I'd Known As A Teen

Genevieve Monsma
Skin

A classmate from grade school recently DM'd me, asking if I’d write a MediumBlonde post on how to create an effective anti-acne skincare routine for teens. And while MB is not a parenting blog, I figure most of us probably do (or will soon) have a teen or two in our lives (son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandchild, even a friend) who could use help combating acne without wrecking his or her skin.

(Almost) Instant Antidote to Drab Skin

(Almost) Instant Antidote to Drab Skin

Genevieve Monsma
Skin

We know that sleep, eating well, regular exercise and consistently following a good, anti-aging skincare regimen keep skin looking healthy and radiant during winter's sun-deficient days. But who’s disciplined all the time? (If you are, congrats. You can stop reading now.) For the rest of us, when life gets in the way and we slack off, it helps to have a backup plan.

Why I Don't Scrimp On Hand Soap

Why I Don't Scrimp On Hand Soap

Genevieve Monsma
Skin

In my mid-twenties, when I was a poorly-paid assistant editor at Redbook in New York, I earned extra cash by working for a friend’s catering business, prepping tea sandwiches and serving glasses of champagne for swanky bridal and baby showers on the Upper East Side. And while the gorgeous apartments where those parties took place were undoubtedly stuffed with priceless art and antiques, what I remember most about them is the hand soap.

Bring-Less, Look-Better Travel Tips

Bring-Less, Look-Better Travel Tips

Genevieve Monsma
Hair, Makeup, Skin

When I’m traveling, I aim to carry my luggage on board the plane. I was not always like this (just ask my beauty editor friend Didi who, for years, counted on me to pack the entire contents of my bathroom vanity when we went on press trips, enabling her to bring like a toothbrush and then borrow the rest). But, after losing my luggage too many times, and nearly missing flights because I was waiting in miles-long lines to check my bag, I finally learned how to minimize my beauty gear. My secret? Primp in advance; here's my strategy:

The Anti-Aging Power Of Pink

The Anti-Aging Power Of Pink

Genevieve Monsma
Makeup, Skin

It’s not your imagination: Your cheeks and lips are paler than they were twenty years ago. Like hair, skin loses color with age, and the increasing sallowness can make us look drab and tired, even when we’ve had eight hours of sleep. Fair? No, but fixable.

What Works: Lisa Price

What Works: Lisa Price

Genevieve Monsma
Hair, Skin, Makeup, Health

As part of a regular series, I’ll be asking inspiring, in-the-know women (all 40+, of course) to share their best tips and favorite products. The point? As always, to find out what works. This week's beauty insider: Lisa Price, founder of Carol's Daughter

Wakeup Your Makeup

Wakeup Your Makeup

Genevieve Monsma
Skin

I’m finally emerging from the crazy rush-crush of the holidays, my little brother’s New Year’s Eve wedding, and a pile of freelance projects that proved to be more time (and brain) consuming than I’d anticipated. Caffeine is to be largely credited for helping me hold it together. But so is my new Urban Decay Quick Fix.

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