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Courtesy of @studs and @livebytheswordtattooSave StorySave this storySave StorySave this story

If 2026 is 2016 all over again, the spontaneous girl who’s been dormant in me for a decade couldn’t be more thrilled. I’ll set the scene: It’s a Wednesday evening on the Lower East Side, and my best friend, Rochelle, and I are leaving our favorite dive bar. As I pocket a pen on the way out, a neon-lit piercing studio catches Rochelle’s eye. She saunters in and asks for a lobe piercing. I follow her lead with a tragus piercing, channeling Evan Rachel Wood’s bravery in Thirteen.

Little did we know that Rochelle’s stacked earlobe and my tragus would still resonate a decade later, especially when paired with updated jewelry or a coordinating piercing. “With so many different metals and stones to choose from, it’s hard not to want everything pierced,” says Christine Swaim, a piercer at Oak & Poppy Tattoos and Piercings in Los Angeles. “The evolution of body jewelry has really changed the industry, and each piece gives clients freedom of expression.”

Regardless of your thoughts on the 2016 renaissance, piercing trends have continued to expand and evolve. Between the red carpet and your For You Page, there’s no shortage of inspiration if your 2016 self won’t shut up about getting a new piece. That’s why we turned to professional piercers for their takes on the hottest trends right now. The good news? There’s something for everyone to love, from delicate, barely there effects to dramatic throwbacks.

Double tragus

Double tragus (top)

Courtesy of @ninemoonspiercing

Double tragus (center-left piercing)

Courtesy of @lcpiercing

Riding the momentum from 2025’s stacked lobe trend, Starr Ellis, a piercer and the owner of New York City’s Nine Moons Piercing, says the stacked aesthetic will move to the tragus. “Clients are loving stacked studs in areas that aren’t just the earlobes, and a double tragus piercing is a fun way to do that if your anatomy is suited for it,” she says. “There needs to be enough of the small triangular or rhomboid structure in front of the ear canal (that’s your tragus) to be able to pierce and heal more than one stud.”

Incorporating mini hoops, which can be worn solo or stacked, is also a popular approach to styling your tragus, says Maria Tash, jewelry designer and founder of Maria Tash Fine Jewelry and Luxury Piercing in Los Angeles. “Clients often point out the small hoops many of our staff wear, which is an option they hadn’t previously considered, since most associate tragus piercings solely with studs,” she says.

Because the tragus area is prone to swelling, Tash recommends switching to a mini hoop once the piercing has fully healed, which can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months. “It is important to mention to your piercer that you want your tragus piercing designed to wear a small ring when it’s healed, as this request can shift how the piercer angles the depth of the piercing,” she adds.

Paired nostrils

Paired nostril piercings with chain (top, center)

Courtesy of @charlesfin

Paired nostril piercings (top, center)

Courtesy of @ccccaarly

If a nostril piercing is a way to flatter the shape of your nose and draw attention to your face, consider the paired nostril trend a full spotlight. “Nostril piercings allow for a surprising amount of creativity, from paired and double placements to elegant, stacked configurations,” Tash says. “It seems that today’s modern nose piercing sees the whole plane of cartilage as pierceable, not just the traditional small area halfway back on the side of the nostril.”

According to Swaim, paired nostril piercings—whether two piercings on one side or one piercing on each side of the nose—have become increasingly popular, with many clients opting for the ladder effect. “The ladder involves placing a stud on each side, with a chain laying across the bridge to connect them,” she says. Depending on the thickness of the chain you select, the result can be as delicate or dramatic as you’d like.

And it’s not just the Snapchat-age crowd opting for creative nostril placements. Tash says that stacked or paired nostril piercings have been a hit among all age groups. “We’ve recently seen a notable shift in who’s seeking this piercing, with more clients in their late 30s to late 40s embracing the look,” she explains. “While the typical demographic skews younger, these clients often arrive with a touch of hesitation, only to leave looking as though the piercing had always been a natural part of their features.”

Faux snug and rook

Faux snug (top piercing)

Courtesy of @kyliestabs

Faux rook (top piercing with chain)

Courtesy of Studs

Inspired to get a snug or rook piercing but don’t have the anatomy for the real deal? Look no further than the faux options, which are creatively placed piercings that give the look of a biblically accurate snug or rook. “They are much easier to heal and can be very instant gratification to look like a cute, curved barbell perfectly placed, or once fully healed, can be worn with chains or rings,” Ellis says.

Typically, a snug involves a piercing on the inner ridge of cartilage in your ear, while a rook is a piercing in the second-highest cartilage ridge of your ear (above the daith and tragus). The faux snug pairs a conch with a helix or double-helix piercing, while the faux rook is one piercing in the upper inner cartilage with a dangle or drop-style jewelry to mimic the look of a traditional rook piercing. “They deliver the look of an advanced, complex placement for clients who don’t have the anatomy or want to avoid a true snug or rook,” says Emmy Zobitz, senior merchandising manager at Studs.

Jewelry sizing and placement need to be super-precise to emulate the illusion of a true rook or snug. For a faux snug, in particular, you’ll be healing two separate piercings as opposed to one, so make time to practice proper aftercare and cleaning. Says Zobitz, “If you want to add a bold, balanced, mid-ear adornment, these are great options.”

Snakebite helix

Snakebite helix (top)

Courtesy of @charlesfin

Snakebite helix (top right, along the ridge of ear)

Courtesy of @studs

No, we’re not talking about the snakebite lip piercings that dominated the indie sleaze era. According to Zobitz, the snakebite aesthetic at Studs involves two delicate piercings placed side by side on the ear, and clients have been asking for snakebite helix piercings to add to their earscapes. “It makes a statement right where most of your ear’s real estate is and allows you to get truly creative with jewelry,” she says. “With so much space along the helix, you can tailor the look to your style, whether you keep it minimal on the outer edge or move inward to take up more room on the flat with matching studs or contrasting shapes.”

Similar to the faux snug piercing, a snakebite helix will require healing two cartilage piercings at the same time, so keep in mind the aftercare process, and lifestyle factors that could impact healing (like which side you sleep on or use of over-the-ear headphones).

Classic '90s placements

Perhaps driven by the current ’90s and ’00s pop-culture renaissance—and all the cool, famous girlies on TikTok declaring the return of all things Y2K—belly-button rings and tongue piercings are embarking on their own comeback tour.

Classic navel ring

Courtesy of @velvetelvispiercing

Classic navel ring on Beyoncé

Getty Images

“Navel piercings usually consist of a curved barbell, with or without gems, going through the upper ‘lip’ or ridge of the navel, with the top ball or gem sitting above and the bottom resting inside the navel itself,” says Swaim. “I’ve also been seeing tongue piercings with a straight barbell that goes vertically through the tongue near the center, with one ball resting on the surface and the other sitting underneath.”

Classic tongue piercing

Courtesy of @livebytheswordtattoo

Those of us of a certain Spotify-listening age may already have an existing piercing from the era, but if you’re getting your belly button pierced for the first time, keep in mind the healing process: Because of its location on the body and factors like movement and contact with clothing, your piercing can take anywhere from three to six months to fully heal. A tongue piercing can take from four to six weeks to heal, says Swaim.

Floating navel

Floating navel

Courtesy of @birthrightadornment

Floating navel

Courtesy of @ninemoonspiercing

And while we’re on the topic of belly-button rings, Ellis has seen a definite uptick in floating navel piercings, which primarily showcase the top end of the jewelry to create the appearance of a gem or charm positioned just above your belly button. “It’s a great option for a very unique, nontraditional navel piercing, and can also help cover or distract from previous navel piercing scarring,” she says. “The look of a simple, larger, or more elegant decorative end above the navel is definitely increasing in popularity.”

In lieu of the traditional belly-button piercing, which features a dual-ended and curved barbell, floating pieces of navel jewelry have the decorative piece placed at the top end of the barbell, while the bottom portion is held in place with a small ball or disc that sits inside the navel. It’s a minimalist take on the trend that can align with a more delicate aesthetic. Just make sure to get an anatomy check beforehand to ensure you’re a good candidate for it.

Hidden helix and rook

Hidden helix

Courtesy of @piercingsbymakenna

Hidden rook (top piercing with chain)

Courtesy of @burymein.gold

The hidden helix (just under the upper ridge at the top of the ear) and the rook are strategically placed so that the piercing holes are concealed on the underside of each respective cartilage fold. The finished result is as visually stunning as it is interesting—almost as if you have tiny chandeliers suspended from each area. “The idea was for jewelry or light to emerge from behind and underneath a fold of cartilage,” says Tash, who patented each placement in her studio as the Tash Helix and the Tash Hidden Rook, with specific jewelry designs to match. “I wanted to create a look where clients wonder, How does that work?”

Having enough cartilage to conceal the exact areas where the piercing is placed is key. “We look for anatomy that has a prominent fold of the helix or rook to conceal the mechanism of the piece,” she says. “We can also use our smaller, threaded-charm designs when a client doesn't have a large fold to achieve this effect.” Between the two, Tash notes, the hidden helix is the more popular placement, though we love the idea of stacking both for a decorated finish.

Meet the experts

• Starr Ellis is a piercer and the owner of Nine Moons Piercing in New York City.
• Christine Swaim is a piercer at Oak & Poppy Tattoos and Piercings in Los Angeles.
• Maria Tash is a jewelry designer and the founder of Maria Tash Fine Jewelry and Luxury Piercing in Los Angeles.
• Emmy Zobitz is the senior merchandising manager at Studs.

Collage: Paula Balondo; Source images: Courtesy of brandsSave StorySave this storySave StorySave this story

When choosing the best Korean skin care for dry skin, you’ll discover formulas that not only provide instant moisture but also work to keep your skin gloriously hydrated all day long. Rather than relying solely on heavy occlusives or thick creams, K-beauty skin care often takes a layered, barrier-first approach that prioritizes water-based hydration, reinforces the moisture barrier, and then locks everything in without leaving skin greasy or overloaded.

That approach is especially helpful for dry skin (which lacks oil) and dehydrated skin (which lacks water) alike. In both cases, the barrier isn’t doing a great job of holding onto moisture, so hydration escapes faster than you can replace it. Popular Korean beauty ingredients like Centella asiatica (cica), ceramides, and collagen show up again and again because they help dry skin stay calmer, stronger, and better at holding onto moisture over time. And while you don’t necessarily need a multi-step routine to make this work, we pulled together standout picks across each category that make dry skin feel softer, smoother, and a lot less tight.

Our Top Korean Skin Care for Dry Skin

• Best Serum: Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum, $17
• Best Cleanser: Banila Co. Clean It Zero Original Cleansing Balm, $21
• Best Sunscreen: Laneige Hydro UV Defense EX Sunscreen SPF 50+, $30
• Best Moisturizer: Dr. Althea PDRN Reju 5000 Cream, $29
• Best Toner Pads: Mediheal Daily Collagen Ampoule Toner Pads, $24
• Best Mist: Aestura AtoBarrier365 Cream Mist, $21
• Best Toner: I’m From Rice Toner, $24
• Best Eye Cream: Sulwhasoo The Ultimate S Eye Cream, $270
• Best Essence: Amore Pacific A.O. Reboot & Renew Essence, $130
• Best Mask: Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Gel Face Mask, $25
• Best Exfoliator: Dr. Jart+ Pore.Remedy PHA Exfoliating Serum, $46

Frequently Asked QuestionsAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevron

• What are the most popular K-beauty ingredients for dry skin?
• Do I really need multiple steps if my skin is dry?
• Are toners and essences necessary for dry skin?
• Meet the experts
• How we test and review products
• Our staff and testers

Best Serum: Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum

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Beauty of Joseon

Glow Serum

$17

Amazon

$17

Olive Young

$17

Sephora

Allure associate beauty editor Annie Blay-Tettey applying the Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum

Annie Blay-Tettey

Why it's worth it: Every serum promises immediate glow, but dry skin requires hydration that sticks around. Beauty of Joseon’s Glow Serum leans on that idea by pairing hanbang herbal ingredients with modern actives that help skin hold onto moisture, rather than just looking glassy for a few minutes. There’s gentle exfoliation courtesy of betaine salicylate, a mild beta-hydroxy acid that buffs away little flakes and rough patches dry skin tends to collect. Then the comfort kicks in: Propolis, the resin bees make to seal and protect their hives, brings calming, antibacterial, and barrier-supporting benefits, helping prevent moisture from evaporating from your skin. Niacinamide and turmeric add a clarifying, brightening effect without irritation.

Tester feedback from associate beauty editor Annie Blay-Tettey

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“I'm always on a quest to find products that will boost my skin's glow and this niacinamide-based serum has been a great addition to my arsenal. I love how the jelly texture sinks into my skin without leaving a sticky residue. Plus, it pairs great with my moisturizers and Beauty of Joseon SPF—it never pills.” —Annie Blay-Tettey, associate beauty editor

More to know

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• Key ingredients: propolis extract, niacinamide, betaine salicylate (BHA)
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best Cleanser: Banila Co. Clean It Zero Original Cleansing Balm

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Banila Co.

Clean It Zero Original Cleansing Balm

$21

Amazon

$23

Ulta Beauty

$21

Soko Glam

Allure commerce editor Sarah Han applying the Banila Co. Clean It Zero Original Cleansing Balm

Sarah Han

Why it's worth it: We know you have your pick when it comes to Korean cleansers—and TBH, our favorites seem to change every week—but Banila Co.’s Clean It Zero Original Cleansing Balm is the one we keep coming back to. You’ve probably seen the pink tub make a cameo on TikTok, scooped like sherbet, and melt makeup like magic. For those with dry skin, the comforting formula is powered by nourishing jojoba and olive oils that dissolve dirt and SPF without stripping away the good stuff. Cranberry, pomegranate, and acerola extracts add antioxidant bonus points—and best of all, it rinses off without a filmy aftermath. “I love the soft, milky texture of the balm and how it leaves the skin feeling smoother and more hydrated,” says Claire Chang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, who finds that it does a great job at removing even the most stubborn of eyeliners and mascaras.

Tester feedback from commerce editor Sarah Han

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"You never forget your first cleansing balm. Like many, Banila Co's Clean It Zero was my formal introduction to the superior method of double-cleansing, and the results were real. My skin cleared up so fast once I started using this balm. (This is also around the time I finally started taking sunscreen seriously—hey, post-college isn't that bad—and we should all know by now that oil-based cleansers do the bulk of sunscreen removal, so less clogging and debris = clearer skin. Yay!) Not to mention, I started actually liking cleansing my face more; this sherbet-y balm is extra satisfying to spread and massage in." —Sarah Han, commerce editor

More to know

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• Key ingredients: Centella asiatica, madecassoside, olive oil, jojoba oil
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best Sunscreen: Laneige Hydro UV Defense EX Sunscreen SPF 50+

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Laneige

Hydro UV Defense EX Sunscreen SPF 50+

$30 $24 (20% off)

Amazon

$30

Sephora

Allure contributing commerce editor Christa Joanna Lee applying the Laneige Hydro UV Defense EX Sunscreen SPF 50+

Christa Joanna Lee

Why it's worth it: Korean sunscreens really are in a league of their own—they’re light, elegant, and make you forget you’re wearing SPF at all. There’s no shortage of great K-beauty sunscreens, but Laneige’s Hydro UV Defense Sunscreen manages to stand out from the pack. It has a silky, fluid texture with glycerin and the brand’s hydro-ionized minerals to pull water into the skin, so you get that hydrated, healthy sheen without veering into slip-and-slide territory. And because it doesn’t pill (even over makeup, according to our tester), it makes it much easier to reapply SPF every two hours.

Tester feedback from contributing commerce writer Christa Joanna Lee

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"The Laneige Hydro UV Defense Sunscreen has that perfect in-between texture—not so watery that it slips through your fingers, but not thick or greasy either. It feels amazing on bare skin, and surprisingly, it layers really well over my tinted moisturizer when I reapply throughout the day—just a little bit of glow that shows off healthy skin." —Christa Joanna Lee, contributing commerce writer

More to know

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• Sunscreen type: chemical
• Key ingredients: avobenzone (2.5%), homosalate (7%), octisalate (4.5%), cctocrylene (9%), cica, glycerin, hydro-ionized mineral water
• Fragrance-free: no

Best Moisturizer: Dr. Althea PDRN Reju 5000 Cream

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Dr. Althea

PDRN Reju 5000 Cream

$29

Amazon

Allure social director Kassidy Silva applying the Dr.Althea PDRN Reju 5000 Cream

Kassidy Silva

Why it's worth it: By now, you’ve probably heard of PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide), and while the traditional version is derived from salmon DNA, Dr.Althea’s PDRN Reju 5000 Cream opts for a plant-based, probiotic-derived vegan alternative that works just as well in your skin, all without any animal ingredients. The appeal for dry skin is pretty straightforward—instead of just sitting on top and making you look dewy for a couple of hours, it helps your skin hang onto moisture longer by supporting repair and barrier strength. Three types of hyaluronic acid and Centella asiatica provide instant relief from tightness and flakes. The lightweight, non-greasy texture makes it an ideal daily moisturizer for both day and night.

Tester feedback from social director Kassidy Silva

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“With dry sensitive skin, I'm always on the hunt for a new moisturizer to get me through the winter months. I have a few non-negotiables when I'm making a selection; it must be lightweight, wear well under makeup, and be easy to pack for travel (I have no interest in changing my skin-care routine on the go). Two months into using the Dr.Althea PDRN Reju 5000 Cream, and I have no notes. It has left my skin hydrated and glowy every morning.” —Kassidy Silva, social director

More to know

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• Key ingredients: ceramides, fatty acids, tea tree leaf water, niacinamide
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best Toner Pads: Mediheal Daily Collagen Ampoule Toner Pads

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Mediheal

Daily Collagen Ampoule Toner Pads

$24

Amazon

$24

Ulta Beauty

Allure editor in chief Jessica Cruel applying the Mediheal Daily Collagen Ampoule Toner Pads

Jessica Cruel

Why it's worth it: Is it an ampoule? Is it a toner? Is it a mask? Mediheal’s Daily Collagen Ampoule Toner Pads are all of the above—a.k.a. a built-in shortcut for nights when your skin-care patience taps out after cleansing. Each pad is soaked in a silky, essence-y formula that plumps on contact with humectants like glycerin, hydroxyethyl urea, and betaine. Collagen extract joins soothing allantoin and hydrogenated lecithin to soften fine lines and temper irritation, while a peptide blend adds that extra firming bounce. Ceramides and olive oil round things out with light barrier support. As we learned from our tester, you can leave them draped on your cheeks like mini masks for extra payoff, or swipe them on like a classic toner pad—just peel, press, and glow.

Tester feedback from editor in chief Jessica Cruel

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“On my last trip to Seoul, I was gifted some Korean toner pads by the EIC of Allure Korea. Since then, I have been hooked. Imagine if your favorite cotton pads were dunked in soothing serum and super-sized. That is how these toner pads work. I like to put three on my face (one on each cheek and one on my forehead) while I brush my teeth. These collagen ones from Mediheal are especially helpful in the winter, when I feel my skin is driest on my cheeks. You're probably thinking, 'Why not just do a sheet mask?’ Well, these patches keep me from being incapacitated from moving my face. The size also allows you to mix and match different actives at one time. You could do moisture on the cheeks with blemish-fighting tea tree on your forehead.” —Jessica Cruel, Allure editor in chief

More to know

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• Key ingredients: collagen, ceramides, peptides, olive oil
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best Mist: Aestura AtoBarrier365 Cream Mist

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Aestura

AtoBarrier365 Cream Mist

$21

Amazon

$24

Olive Young

$21

Sephora

Allure commerce producer Sarah Hoffmann applying the Aestura AtoBarrier365 Cream Mist

Sarah Hoffmann

Why it's worth it: There’s a time and a place for your 10-step glass skin ritual, and other moments where you just need to mist and go. But Aestura’s AtoBarrier365 Cream Mist isn’t your average spritz; the 2025 Best of Beauty Award winner delivers an ultrafine cloud of ceramide-rich hydration that helps reinforce your skin’s barrier and relieves midday tightness or dryness on the fly. What sets it apart is its unique emulsified formula—the ceramides stay evenly suspended so there’s no shaking required, and you get the same nourishing mist from the first pump to the last. It feels weightless, layers effortlessly over makeup, and calms parched, irritated skin with a soft, breathable finish.

Tester feedback from commerce producer Sarah Hoffmann

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“This face mist has not left my bag since the day I got it. I can't tell you how many times (and in how many public places) I've whipped it out for a quick dose of cooling hydration. I love Aestura because the entire line is very sensitive skin-friendly and this mist is no exception. No matter how often I use it, it never irritates or over-saturates my prone-to-clogging pores.” —Sarah Hoffmann, commerce producer

More to know

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• Key ingredients: ceramides, squalane, glycerin
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best Toner: I’m From Rice Toner

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I'm From

Rice Toner

$26

Amazon

$28

Ulta Beauty

$28

Soko Glam

Han applying the I’m From Rice Toner

Sarah Han

Why it's worth it: It feels like every time we’ve tried to categorize this toner, it outdid itself: First, we called it our favorite milky toner, then our favorite rice toner, and then we just went for it: It’s our favorite Korean toner, period. “This best seller uses rice extract, rich in natural starches and proteins, to brighten and soften, and gives me that lit-from-within glow,” says Charlotte Cho, co-founder of Soko Glam based in New York City. It also features ferulic acid to help fend off environmental stressors (bonus: ferulic acid also stabilizes other actives along the way). The supporting players are just as solid: adenosine for repair and bounce, niacinamide for brightness and tone, and enough humectants to keep hydration going all day without stickiness or shine. It plays nicely with most skin types and improves texture, clarity, and comfort in just a few swipes.

Tester feedback from Han

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"A hydrating toner or essence is a non-negotiable step of my daytime and nighttime routines. I'm From Rice Toner instantly plumps my skin, giving it a brighter, refreshed look and prepping it for the serums, moisturizers, and sunscreens to follow. Now that we're in the office four days a week, I can't be bothered to wear makeup every day—but at least my skin looks nice and glowy." —Sarah Han, commerce editor

More to know

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• Key ingredients: goami rice extract, adenosine, niacinamide
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best Eye Cream: Sulwhasoo The Ultimate S Eye Cream

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Sulwhasoo

The Ultimate S Eye Cream

$270

Nordstrom

$270

Sephora

Why it's worth it: You might not even be convinced you need eye cream in your life—and yes, this is the priciest product on our list. But Sulwhasoo’s The Ultimate S Eye Cream makes a compelling case for taking eye care seriously. Featuring Ginseng Berry SR, a proprietary extract derived from the rare ginseng berry that’s harvested for just one day after 1,000 days of cultivation. Only one gram (!) of extract comes from every 600,000 grams of fruit, yielding syringaresinol at 200 times the concentration of untreated berries. Syringaresinol is a plant-derived antioxidant that helps defend against oxidative stress while supporting elasticity—essentially a firming, smoothing, and anti-inflammation triple play that shows up nicely on thin, delicate undereyes. The texture seals the deal: “It’s thick and creamy, yet completely melts upon skin contact to nourish and smooth the delicate, dry undereye area,” says Jane Yoo, MD, a dual board-certified dermatologist based in New York City. Peptides, shea butter, and meadowfoam oil add hydration and bounce.

More to know

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• Key ingredients: ginseng berry SR, peptides, shea butter, meadowfoam oil
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best Essence: Amore Pacific A.O. Reboot & Renew Essence

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AmorePacific

A.O. Reboot & Renew Essence

$130

Nordstrom

Why it's worth it: Are essences essential? In K-beauty, the answer is a resounding yes. They sit between toner and serum—lighter than the latter, more concentrated than the former—and their whole job is to prep skin so the rest of your routine works harder with less effort. Amorepacific’s A.O. Reboot & Renew Essence takes that prep step and also makes it protective. Its proprietary antioxidant is almost four times stronger than vitamin C, which helps defend against the everyday stressors (UV, pollution, and other environmental damage) that break down collagen and speed up visible aging. Protease, a gentle enzyme, smooths texture and helps strengthen the moisture barrier so skin stays bouncier, less reactive, and better hydrated. “This serum has a light, watery texture and is designed to absorb deeply,” says Dr. Yoo. The bigger promise: Glow today and slow the look of aging over time.

More to know

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• Key ingredients: A.Oxinol, protease, camellia sinensis leaf extract, panthenol
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best Mask: Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Concentrate Gel Face Mask

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Illiyoon

Ceramide Ato Concentrate Gel Face Mask

$25

Amazon

Why it's worth it: If you’re already a fan of Illiyoon’s beloved Ceramide Ato Lotion, Ceramide Ato Concentrate Gel Face Mask takes those same barrier-strengthening powers and puts them into a bouncy hydrol mask to nourish your face while you sleep. The ceramides in these masks help fill in the teeny “gaps” between skin cells so moisture doesn’t escape and your barrier stays calm, cushy, and unbothered. Meanwhile, a slow-release delivery system keeps sending hyaluronic acid and nutrients into your skin throughout the night, so the payoff is extra plumpness by morning. “This gel mask feels so cooling and soothing and is deeply hydrating without feeling heavy,” says Joyce Park, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Washington.

More to know

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• Key ingredients: soy-ceramide and low-molecular weight collagen, hyaluronic acid–infused blue capsules, madecassoside
• How to use it: leave on for 1-4 hours or overnight
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best Exfoliator: Dr. Jart+ Pore·Remedy PHA Exfoliating Serum

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Dr. Jart+

Pore·Remedy PHA Exfoliating Serum

$46

Amazon

$46

Sephora

Why it's worth it: Strolling through the streets of Seoul, you might start to wonder where everyone’s pores went. Dr. Jart+’s Pore·Remedy PHA Exfoliating Serum gets you a little closer to the answer. “It’s a gentle, water-light formula that uses 7% polyhydroxy acid (PHA) to resurface and smooth skin without irritation,” says Dr. Yoo. Because PHA consists of larger molecules than alpha- or beta-hydroxy acids, they don’t dive as deep—which, according to Dr. Yoo, “makes it more suitable for dry and sensitive skin.” Beyond exfoliation, panthenol, adenosine, and glycoproteins help hydrate and add a little bounce back, while macadamia seed oil keeps the finish cushioned rather than tight. There’s no added fragrance, but a blend of spearmint, peppermint, and eucalyptus oils brings a subtle, fresh scent that gently wakes up skin.

More to know

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• Key ingredients: polyhydroxy acid, macadamia seed oil, panthenol, spearmint, peppermint, eucalyptus
• Fragrance-free: yes

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most popular K-beauty ingredients for dry skin?

K-beauty skin-care routines lean hard on ingredients that don’t just moisturize the surface but help the skin hold on to hydration long-term. Centella asiatica is a big one. Dr. Yoo notes that cica compounds like asiaticoside and madecassoside are “associated with calming inflammation and supporting skin repair,” which is why they show up so often in products for dry and sensitive skin. There’s also evidence that cica “improves barrier function and reduces transepidermal water loss,” helping skin stay hydrated instead of leaking moisture out.

Ceramides are another K-beauty staple for dryness. They’re lipids that naturally make up part of the skin barrier. As Dr. Yoo explains, ceramides “fill in the gaps between skin cells to prevent moisture loss and strengthen the barrier,” which can leave dry skin feeling smoother, more comfortable, and less reactive over time.

Do I really need multiple steps if my skin is dry?

Short answer: not necessarily, but a couple of steps can make dry skin a lot happier. Dr. Yoo explains that dryness is often tied to “a weakened skin barrier,” so fixing it usually takes more than one product. Layering can be helpful because “hydration needs to be delivered into the skin and then sealed in,” which is why a toner or essence plus a moisturizer tends to work better than either alone. Sunscreen also earns a spot, since “UV exposure can further damage the skin barrier and worsen dryness over time.” That said, you don’t need a 10-step routine: “A simple, consistent regimen with well-chosen steps is more effective than using many products incorrectly,” says Dr. Yoo.

Are toners and essences necessary for dry skin?

Toners and essences aren’t mandatory Korean skin-care products, but can be very helpful for people with dry skin. Hydrating toners, in particular, can take the edge off that tight, squeaky feeling that sometimes follows cleansing. For dryness, Dr. Yoo emphasizes that these steps are most useful when they include “hydrating and barrier-supportive ingredients rather than exfoliating acids or astringents,” which can worsen dryness. And there’s no universal rule here. “Everyone tolerates products differently,” she says. Some people with dry skin thrive with a hydrating toner or essence layered in, while others do perfectly well skipping them and focusing on cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen.

Meet the experts

• Charlotte Cho, co-founder of Soko Glam based in New York City
• Joyce Park, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Skin Refinery based in Washington
• Jane Yoo, MD, a dual board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon based in New York City

How we test and review products

Before reviewing any makeup, we ask questions about a number of factors: What ingredients are in it? Does the brand offer a wide shade range inclusive of consumers with all skin tones and undertones? Is it safe for readers who have sensitive skin or wear contact lenses? Is it on the affordable side or more of a splurge? Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful?

For our review of the best korean skin care for dry skin, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, cosmetic chemists, and professional makeup artists to review the products. This ensures our testing base spans different skin tones, genders, and dermatological conditions. We considered each product’s performance across four primary categories: ingredients, wear and longevity, packaging, and inclusivity. For more on what's involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.

Our staff and testers

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.

After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best" for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.

Collage: Paula Balondo; Source images: Courtesy of brandsSave StorySave this storySave StorySave this story

Looking for the best eyebrow pencils for gray hair used to feel like a niche problem. But these days, gray is proudly everywhere—streaked, salt-and-pepper, fully silver, or something in between—and brow pencils have finally caught up. Shades have gotten cooler, undertones more realistic, and formulas flexible enough to handle different textures and levels of pigment loss.

Like the hair on your head, eyebrow color can fade, lose contrast, or change texture with age. And while they don’t take up much real estate, that shift makes a surprisingly big difference. “Brows frame the shape of the face and restore contrast,” says ​Kierra Lanice Wray, a makeup artist based in Lansing, Michigan. “As the hair lightens, you start to lose shape and definition,” and the eyes can look less lifted.

Our Top Eyebrow Pencils for Gray Hair

• Best for Fully Gray Brows: Benefit Cosmetics Goof Proof Brow Pencil in Cool Grey, $28
• Best for Dark Hair Going Gray: Rare Beauty Brow Harmony Precision Eyebrow Pencil in Cool Brown, $19
• Best for Blonde Hair Going Gray: Victoria Beckham Beauty BabyBlade Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe, $35
• Best for Reddish Hair Going Gray: Anastasia Beverly Hills Dual-Ended Fill & Define Powder Perfect Brow Pencil in Caramel, $22
• Best for Wiry Brows: Jones Road The Brow Pencil in Grey, $24
• Best for Thinning Brows: Lamik Revelation Brow Duo in Blonde/Elegance, $49
• Best for Salt-and-Pepper Brows: Merit Brow 1980 Volumizing Eyebrow Gel Pomade in Taupe, $24

The biggest mistake Wray sees when choosing a pencil for gray brows is trying to match your past hair color. “Gray isn’t a lighter shade of brown; it’s its own color and lacks pigment,” she says. Drawing brows on rather than filling them in “causes harsh contrast, instantly aging the face.” To help you find a shade that meets you where you are now, here’s where to begin.

Frequently Asked QuestionsAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevron

• How do you choose your eyebrow pencil shade for gray brows?
• How do you avoid harsh-looking brows?
• Meet the experts
• How we test and review products
• Our staff and testers

Best for Fully Gray Brows: Benefit Cosmetics Goof Proof Brow Pencil in Cool Grey

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Benefit Cosmetics

Goof Proof Brow Pencil in Cool Grey

$28

Nordstrom

$28

Ulta Beauty

Why it's worth it: Benefit Cosmetics has been in the brow game for so long that most of us have owned at least one of their pencils at some point. If your brows are entirely gray, the brand’s Goof Proof Easy Shape & Fill Pencil in Cool Grey is as universally flattering as it gets. When brows turn gray, undertone matters: too warm reads unnatural, while overly ashy can veer chalky and dull. “This cool-toned shade keeps gray brows looking natural and believable,” says Tonya Riner, a makeup artist based in Houston, Texas. The retractable, angled tip makes shaping intuitive and eliminates the need for sharpening, so the stroke width stays consistent and harder to overdo. “Use the angled edge to fill in sparse areas, then switch to the finer point to add hair-like strokes,” she adds. The attached spoolie brush lets you comb through pigment to soften edges and blur any heavy spots for a more natural finish. And the smooth, castor-oil–based formula blends easily, then sets into long-lasting, 12-hour wear without smudging.

More to know

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• Key ingredients: castor oil, beeswax
• Shades: 12
• Features: built-in spoolie, waterproof formula
• Who it’s for: people with full gray brows

Best for Dark Hair Going Gray: Rare Beauty Brow Harmony Precision Eyebrow Pencil in Cool Brown

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Rare Beauty

Brow Harmony Precision Eyebrow Pencil in Cool Brown

$19

Ulta Beauty

$19

Sephora

Why it's worth it: Choosing a pencil shade for brows that are starting to gray can be tricky, as warmer browns often look too red, while ashy tones can fall flat or chalky. Rare Beauty’s Brow Harmony Precision Eyebrow Pencil in Cool Brown hits that balance with a neutral-cool undertone that “won’t pull warm,” says Riner, making the 2024 Best of Beauty Award winner flattering across a wide range of skin tones. The angled tip lets you flick individual hairs for a feathery look or shade in sparse, over-tweezed areas for more density. The formula lands in that just-right middle ground—blendable yet firm enough to hold—so it sets without making brows look stiff, and because it’s smudge-proof and sweat-resistant, your shape stays intact throughout the day.

More to know

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• Key ingredients: soybean oil, ​​synthetic mica, tocopherol
• Shades: 7
• Features: built-in spoolie, waterproof formula
• Who it’s for: people with darker hair going gray

Best for Blonde Hair Going Gray: Victoria Beckham BabyBlade Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe

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Victoria Beckham

BabyBlade Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe

$35

Nordstrom

$34

Bluemercury

Why it's worth it: Blonde brows transitioning to gray can lose both definition and depth, so finding a pencil that stays cool, precise, and natural becomes key. Victoria Beckham’s BabyBlade Eyebrow Pencil handles all three. “This is my favorite for blondes because the taupe is perfectly cool-toned,” says Riner. “The ultra-fine tip makes it nearly impossible to overdo it, so you always end up with a soft, natural, and flattering shape.” The long-wear formula glides on cleanly, but it also treats the brows as it fills: Camellia japonica oil delivers antioxidant-rich hydration, while rosehip seed oil brings essential fatty acids to help keep the skin and brow hairs supple. Each stroke gets you a fuller, better-defined brow that complements blonde-to-gray tones without too much warmth.

More to know

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• Key ingredients: camellia japonica oil, rosehip seed oil
• Shades: 6
• Features: built-in spoolie
• Who it’s for: people with lighter hair tones going gray

Best for Reddish Hair Going Gray: Anastasia Beverly Hills Dual-Ended Fill & Define Powder Perfect Brow Pencil in Caramel

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Anastasia Beverly Hills

Dual-Ended Fill & Define Powder Perfect Brow Pencil in Caramel

$22

Amazon

$26

Dermstore

$26

Ulta Beauty

Why it's worth it: Only 1 to 2% of the world’s population has naturally red hair, which makes red brows a niche all their own, especially once gray starts to enter the picture. The undertone has to stay convincing without going brassy or flat, and it’s easy for a brow pencil to look too heavy. Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Dual-Ended Fill & Define Powder Perfect Brow Pencil in Caramel (light red) or Auburn (soft, deeper red) strikes the right balance for most redheads, says Wray. “While many people do enjoy a mechanical pencil, this traditional wooden pencil has a softer, powder-like formula to look more natural for red hair,” says Wray. “It's very beginner-friendly with a spoolie on the end to brush and blur imperfections.” Mica and plant oils help the color glide and diffuse into a believable finish.

More to know

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• Key ingredients: mica, vegetable oil, cottonseed oil
• Shades: 8
• Features: built-in spoolie
• Who it’s for: redheads going gray

Best for Wiry Brows: Jones Road the Brow Pencil in Grey

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Jones Road

The Brow Pencil in Grey

$24

Jones Road

Why it's worth it: Graying brows often shift in texture, becoming coarser and more wiry with age. Jones Road’s Brow Pencil “uses tiny hair-like fibers to bridge the gap between wiry hairs and smoother, thinning sections, so the brow looks fuller and more consistent once it’s filled in,” says Wray. The formula conditions as it colors: Shea butter delivers fatty acids and antioxidants to soften coarse hairs, while castor seed oil and plant waxes (like candelilla and carnauba) give wiry strands more flexibility and help them lay flatter. And in true Jones Road fashion, the jumbo format of the pencil makes it easier for makeup novices to create light, feathery strokes—“you can fill them in faster and more easily,” says Wray—which makes everyday shaping feel intuitive.

More to know

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• Key ingredients: castor oil, shea butter
• Shades: 6
• Who it’s for: people with wiry or textured brows who still want fullness

Best for Thinning Brows: Lamik Revelation Brow Duo in Blonde/Elegance

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Lamik Beauty

Revelation Brow Duo in Blonde/Elegance

$49

Nordstrom

$49

Ulta Beauty

Why it's worth it: Rather than a pencil, Lamik’s Revelation Brow Duo pairs a silky brow powder with a sculpting cream to define, fill, and shape without the harsh, stamped-on look. “This is an excellent option for creating the illusion of full brows if they’re thinning,” says Wray, who points to this specific soft ash-blonde shade for its ability to prevent gray brows from reading too sharp or blocky. The powder’s satin finish and weightless texture are thanks to jojoba oil, which also conditions brow hairs. The sculpting cream adds structure and hold: “You can essentially stretch and create a laminate effect to the brows to give more shape,” says Wray. It’s infused with castor seed oil (which also encourages healthier hair growth), and it all tucks neatly into a mirrored compact for quick shaping on the go. Use it solo or pair it with your favorite brow pencil for extra dimension and precision to sparse brows.

More to know

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• Key ingredients: jojoba oil, castor seed oil
• Shades: 15
• Features: includes brow powder and brow sculpting creme
• Who it’s for: people with sparse or thinning brows

Best for Salt-and-Pepper Brows: Merit Brow 1980 Volumizing Eyebrow Gel Pomade

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Merit Beauty

Brow 1980 Volumizing Eyebrow Gel Pomade

$24

Sephora

$24

Merit

Why it's worth it: Salt-and-pepper brows can look dimensional and striking, but they’re notoriously tricky to balance—pigment sits differently on gray hairs than on darker ones, and overly matte products can make everything look flat. Merit’s Brow 1980 Volumizing Pomade gets around that by adding soft color, lift, and a hint of sheen. “If you have a mix of gray and pigmented hairs, a tinted brow gel used strategically can make all the difference,” says Riner. She loves Brow 1980 in this context because “the formula reflects light while keeping brows softly in place,” and notes that the cool-toned Taupe (if you’re naturally blonde) and Dark Brown (if you’re brunette) shades tend to be the most natural-looking on graying hair. Mineral pigments and kaolin clay add believable volume without stiffness, thanks to panthenol that conditions each hair. Plus, the tapered brush applicator evenly catches all your brow hairs, letting you coat from multiple angles for a fuller, more uniform finish.

More to know

AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevron

• Key ingredients: panthenol, kaolin clay
• Shades: 4
• Who it’s for: people with brow hairs in a mix of tones

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you choose your eyebrow pencil shade for gray brows?

Choosing a brow pencil for gray brows comes down to finding the right balance of tone and depth. “If your brows are salt and pepper, when looking for a brow product, go with the lighter or most neutral option to soften the brows and overall appearance of the face,” says Wray. She recommends “going slightly lighter and more neutral as the brows lose pigment.” Go too far in either direction and the effect shifts: “Too light and the brows begin to disappear, and too dark makes them look overly dramatic.” A neutral, softly cool tone usually lands in that flattering middle ground.

How do you avoid harsh-looking brows?

To avoid eyebrow makeup that looks too heavy or over-defined, Wray says the trick is to mimic what your natural brow hair already does. “I always recommend using light pressure and creating short, hair-like strokes,” she says. Instead of drawing new brows on top, you’re “filling in negative space within the brow.” The order matters too: “Your brows should go from light to dark and thick to thin,” so concentrate on defining the tail and arch first, then work toward the center of the face to get natural definition.

Meet the experts

• Tonya Riner, a makeup artist based in Houston, Texas
• ​Kierra Lanice Wray, a makeup artist based in Lansing, Michigan

How we test and review products

Before reviewing any makeup, we ask questions about a number of factors: What ingredients are in it? Does the brand offer a wide shade range inclusive of consumers with all skin tones and undertones? Is it safe for readers who have sensitive skin or wear contact lenses? Is it on the affordable side or more of a splurge? Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful?

For our review of the best eyebrow pencils, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, cosmetic chemists, and professional makeup artists to review the products. This ensures our testing base spans different skin tones, genders, and dermatological conditions. We considered each product’s performance across four primary categories: ingredients, wear and longevity, packaging, and inclusivity. For more on what's involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.

Our staff and testers

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.

After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best" for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.

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If seeing seemingly perfect celebrities on your Instagram and TikTok feeds make you contemplate cosmetic procedures, you're definitely not alone. In fact, the algorithm has an impact on celebrities, too—but not in the way you may think. Imagine if you were doomscrolling and you saw someone using the greenscreen feature to pick apart your very own face. That's what happened to Troye Sivan, and he admits in a new Substack post that it really got under his skin.

In a post titled “feeling a bit uggo (ugly),” Sivan shares that he, like so many people, has long struggled with body image; he vacillates between body positivity and wanting to do something about the signs of aging he's been noticing after turning 30. He looked into under-eye fat transfer, he says, and, “I’ve also heard I’m in the ideal window to start ‘baby botox.’ How does that look on men? I really don’t want that frozen look, but I do notice my ‘elevens’ are starting to show even when I’m not frowning.”

And perhaps pushing the needle a little closer to… well… needles: a content creator and aesthetic practitioner in London who goes by Dr. Zayn. “What good is money and modern medicine if not to fix all of these flaws that this random sicko fucko plastic surgeon told me I have in an Instagram reel?” Sivan writes, linking out to a now-removed post in which the content creator (who is not a board-certified plastic surgeon by the UK's standards) says that Sivan has "problem areas" on his face, like “shadows, valleys, and folds,” that make him appear older than he is. Um… ouch?

To make matters worse, Sivan writes, “My all-knowing, eternally and deeply evil algorithm saw the opportunity in this moment of vulnerability, and pulled every lever and dialled every knob to 1000. I saw video after video of deep plane facelift recoveries, and ads for unapproved GLP-1 meds that now come in pill form … I hit the ‘not interested’ button a few times and hoped for the best.”

Not that there's anything wrong with wanting cosmetic procedures, but that desire should come without undue influence, and definitely without someone publicly scrutinizing your face because they see celebrities as fair targets. (For the record, Sivan clarified in a post-mortem correction that Dr. Zayn removed his post and apologized. “No hard feelings from my side whatsoever,” Sivan says.)

So, when faced with a decision, will Sivan proceed with a procedure or continue aging as-is? “I’m embarrassed to say, but I can’t make any promises,” he writes. “I’m patient with myself, and understand and respect both approaches. It’s us vs species-endingly-insatiable corporate greed, with access to addictive brainwashing technology.”

May we all be as patient and tuned into the influences as he is.

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I can't say I'm enjoying all the posts about 2016 nostalgia. It wasn't my favorite year by any stretch of the imagination, though I do appreciate reminiscing about some of the beauty trends. But if I'm really gonna get wistful about the way things were—especially when it comes to hair and makeup—I'd prefer 2012. I strongly associate that year with the ubiquitous messy top knot and strong red lip, and Rihanna is proving that this combo deserves a comeback.

Back in November 2011, right before the top knot trend exploded, Allure said, “Everyone's doing it these days.” Truer words, am I right? “It's a style that, a few years ago, many of us reserved exclusively for the days we spent in sweatpants, our only accessory a TV remote. That's probably what makes it so cool. It feels haphazard and easy, even when paired with an elegant gown.”

And in the case of Rihanna in 2026, it looks undeniably awesome with a very mob-wife ensemble: head-to-toe tiger print in the form of a nearly ankle-length fur coat, matching heels, and a cascading fur stole. (Whether or not they're real, I cannot be sure.) She layered a gold choker under a slightly longer diamond necklace, and hid any eye look she might have been wearing under dark sunglasses.

Photo: GettyPhoto: Getty

Thankfully, she didn't hide that lip color, a bold, classic kind of red that I had in heavy rotation back in the day. (Though I wouldn't be surprised if she's wearing Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color, a product that didn't even exist in 2012.) And of course, she topped it all off (literally) with the ultimate messy bun. Tendrils hang loosely in the front, it's pulled to different levels of tautness around her head, and the ends splay out, creating a too-cool-to-care look.

Photo: Getty Images

It really is about time we bring back this vibe, and I'm happy to be the one to take the cue from Rihanna first.

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When we saw that Demi Lovato attended the premiere of Paris Hilton's new documentary, Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir, we knew she must have been wearing an incredible manicure. She always does! But it wasn't until a couple of days later that her go-to nail artist, Natalie Minerva, shared a close-up of her nails, and nothing could have prepared us for just how cool it actually is.

Lovato wore a strapless, fitted-yet-drapey Maticevski dress to Tuesday's Los Angeles event, and the gorgeous gray hue definitely served as inspiration for Minerva's manicure.

Photo: Getty Images

“I saw what Demi was wearing for the premiere, and so gray was definitely the top contender. I’ve been really into gray and cooler toned nails lately because it’s so easy on the eyes,” Minerva tells Allure. She filed the nails into a squoval shape and started with a coat of OPI Suzi Talks With Her Hands. “Then, we added a new soft, fine pigment magnet gel I just got in Japan.”

In a reel Minerva posted to Instagram, she adds, “D said it reminded her of dolphin skin. I'm like, wait, actually, you're right."

And while that description may sound ever so slightly icky, we cannot argue—and we cannot complain. That's a bottle nose complexion in manicure form if we've ever seen one, and it's stunning.

Photo: Instagram/Natalie MinervaPhoto: Instagram/Natalie Minerva

It's a perfect mix of subtle color without being the same old neutral, and a magical finish without being full-blown, intricate nail art: a recipe for a huge trend if we've ever seen one.

Photo: Getty Images

Now you just have to get comfortable asking your nail tech for a “dolphin skin” mani.

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While everyone's compiling this month's snaps for a January photo dump, Bella Hadid is a little behind and only just posted her Christmas carousel to Instagram. We get it! She's a busy lady between modeling and working on her fragrance brand, Orebella, she just didn't get around to picking her favorite pictures. Thankfully, she finally shared a peek into her holidays, including a hairstyle we definitely didn't expect.

“Christmas at home….. aka Texas, LA, Pennsylvania Christmas Bella compilation mixtape,” she wrote. Topping off a 20-slide carousel is an adorable selfie of the supermodel, in which she's looking cozy, lying back on pillows in a (faux?) fur jacket. And really upping the cuteness factor is how she's wearing her dark blonde hair.

The longest layers of Hadid's hair have been braided in two low pigtails, with the shortest layers left loose for a bit of shagginess. It's giving girlhood, isn't it? And with each braid tied off with a red and white string, she's just a couple curved wires short of serving Pippi Longstocking realness.

This isn't the first time Bella has dabbled in the double-braid look. In 2022, she wore the style at least twice, and clearly, she thought it was due for a comeback.

Instagram content

Hadid shared several other looks from her holiday shenanigans, including wearing her hair down and tucked behind her ears and under a baseball cap, as well as a metallic manicure.

But we think those braided pigtails really have legs for a 2026 trend. Sure, the whimsical style has typically been relegated to kids, but Hadid is proof that it can be pulled off well into adulthood.

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In the early aughts, the beauty aisle doubled as a dessert menu. Bath & Body Works was churning out frosting-inspired mists, Lancôme’s Marshmallow Juicy Tube lip glosses lined the purses of teens and adults alike, and Jessica Simpson launched an entire line of edible body products that promised to taste as good as they smelled. (I can personally attest that they didn’t.)

While the era’s self-care routines were sugar-filled, its diet fads were decidedly sugar-free. Pro-anorexia forums thrived on LiveJournal, ads for workout programs and weight-loss pills dominated TV, and tabloids treated celebrity weight speculation like breaking news.

Fast forward 20 years, and we’ve somehow landed back in a strikingly similar cultural moment. After a fleeting moment in the 2010s, when the body-positivity movement gave us a glimmer of hope that beauty standards were finally broadening, the cultural celebration of thinness has returned with a vengeance. The resurgence started as a whisper with the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy and has since risen to a shout, reigniting the ultra-skinny ideal in a way we haven’t seen since the early aughts. Hashtags like #Y2KSkinny and #2000sSkinny climbed TikTok’s algorithm before the app started blocking searches for #SkinnyTok due to its glamorization of disordered eating (which, if you ask the experts, won’t help curb content that glorifies thinness or disordered eating).

All the while, I can’t help but notice that beauty, once again, is going all in on dessert. Scents of comfort—like vanilla, caramel, and tonka bean—have come back in full force just as diet culture has retightened its grip, a phenomenon I like to call “treat beauty.”

The rise of “treat beauty”

Food-scented beauty products have always existed, but they haven’t always occupied this much cultural and commercial real estate. Throughout much of the 2010s, fragrance trends skewed more seductive than edible: Spicy florals, musks, ambers, and earthy notes dominated perfume launches, with sweetness often playing a supporting role rather than the main event. Vanilla and other gourmand notes never wavered entirely, but in 2025, they moved decisively to center stage.

Right now, launches of dessert-themed fragrances are up 24% year over year, according to Mintel. In turn, gourmand notes like pistachio, milk, and honey have spilled over from perfume counters into body care, candles, and even makeup. “The trend now touches nearly every price point from personal fragrances to candles that evoke favorite foods and the memories attached to them,” says Linda G. Levy, president of the Fragrance Foundation.

In the back half of 2025 alone, Rhode Beauty celebrated Hailey Bieber’s birthday with limited-edition lip tints that smell—and taste—like tiramisu, vanilla soft serve, and crème brûlée (that’s on top of the numerous other glazed-donut-themed products she sells). Bath & Body Works’s Milk Bar collaboration turned the bakery’s best-selling confections into soaps and lotions, and Beekman 1802’s partnerships with Hershey’s and Libby’s promised "foodified" skin care inspired by chocolate bars and pumpkin pie.

"As we suppress our physical appetites, we subconsciously seek out new and different ways to satiate our senses."

The juxtaposition of all these little treat-themed products and our resurgent diet culture is jarring but not coincidental, if you ask nutritionist Jim LaValle, codirector of the Fellowship in Longevity Medicine at the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. “Traditional diet culture emphasized restraint and guilt. Now we’ve entered a ‘controlled indulgence’ era where the messaging is: You deserve a treat, just not one that affects your waistline,” he says. “Beauty brands have tapped into that psychology brilliantly, offering calorie-free luxury through serums, masks, and candles.”

According to LaValle, there’s an explanation for this: As we suppress our physical appetites, we subconsciously seek out new and different ways to satiate our senses—and lately, the beauty market has provided plenty to feast on.

The scent of substitution

Scientists call this phenomenon hedonic substitution. “If food no longer triggers that same emotional satisfaction—say, when someone’s appetite drops or they’re trying to avoid certain foods—the brain naturally seeks an alternate ‘feel-good’ stimulus,” LaValle says. “That might be through scent, texture, touch, or even achievement-based rewards. It’s the nervous system doing what it’s wired to do: maintain balance in reward signaling.”

If LaValle’s theory can explain why our brains reach for new sources of satisfaction, sensory science shows how. Research has shown that when people see beautiful images of food (otherwise known as “gastroporn”), it activates the brain’s reward pathways—especially the dopamine-driven anticipation circuits—even if it doesn’t replicate the full biochemical response of actually eating.

Smell does the same thing. “When people are hungry and see or smell something they love, there is a huge increase in brain activity—greater than what’s triggered by sex or pornography,” says Charles Spence, PhD, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford, whose work focuses on consumer psychology, sensory marketing, and multisensory perception. “The biggest activations come not from eating but from anticipating food. Between 75 and 95% of what we taste actually comes from smell.”

That anticipatory thrill is what scented beauty products hijack so effectively. So much so that trend forecasters have started researching behavioral trends linked to hedonic substitution. Consumer trends firm InsightTrends, for example, has begun tracking what it calls “scent snacking” and even “disordered sniffing,” marketing terms meant to capture the practice of using fragrance, candles, body care, and other food-scented products as bite-sized hits of reward for the brain. Melissa Hago, a trend forecaster at WGSN, adds that “when food, time, or energy feel scarce, people look for micro-pleasures they can control. Right now, scent is one of the most accessible ways to do that.”

LaValle says that “these actions mimic the comfort of eating by engaging the same sensory and emotional circuits—scent, warmth, texture, anticipation, and routine,” but medical experts stress that catchy labels like these shouldn’t be mistaken for clinical reality. “Enjoying food-related scents on its own isn’t concerning,” says Lauren Hartman, MD, a board-certified pediatric and adolescent physician who specializes in eating disorders and body image. “What matters is the context—restriction, distress, rigidity, or guilt. Without that context, it’s simply a preference or a comforting ritual.”

“Instead of eating the cake, we buy the cream that smells like one. It’s the illusion of indulgence without the loss of control.”

Giving it a label like “disordered sniffing” is probably taking it a step too far, in fact. Hedonic substitution isn’t on the same psychological plane as impulse behaviors like emotional eating or stress shopping. “There are significant differences between these behaviors, and we don’t yet have research showing whether the comparisons hold up clinically,” Dr. Hartman says. “It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison.”

Being drawn to gourmand-scented beauty products is not an indication that a person is restricting food or engaging in diet culture; plenty of people just like the way cookies and cake smell, and who could blame them?. But to me, the phenomenon of hedonic substitution only makes it clearer why food-themed beauty products would spike in popularity in tandem with the resurgence of weight-loss medications and dieting.

When self-care becomes self-control

Although brands aren’t explicitly advertising their food-themed products as dieting tools, the way they’re marketed feels strikingly familiar for those of us who remember 2000s diet culture, when similarly scented beauty products were advertised as being decadent, yummy, and indulgent. Victoria’s Secret’s recent holiday collection included a body cream that “feels like velvety-smooth, light, and fluffy cookie frosting.” The whipped cream-style applicator of Vacation’s beloved Classic Whip SPF 30 promises “perfect peaks” of sunscreen. Snif makes a perfume called Room for Dessert, which the brand says “feels like pure harmony and smells like crème brûlée spiked with strawberry, vanilla, and cedar.”

Regardless of the intent, this language can have an impact. “Because smell is invisible, we rely on cues—words, packaging, imagery—to decide what we’re perceiving,” says Rachel Herz, PhD, a neuroscientist who researches the psychological science of smell, and the author of Why You Eat What You Eat. “If a label says something is calming, indulgent, or delicious, we’re primed to experience it that way. It’s not fake; it’s mind over matter.”

This plays into why psychotherapist Alegra Torel, LCSW, believes the rise of food-themed beauty products is connected to the way women in particular have been conditioned to manage desire by diet culture. “Brands are going straight for the core of our emotional memory,” she says. “Food is sensory and tied to recall—birthday cakes, family holidays, that feeling of warmth and love. They’re not just selling comfort; they’re selling a return to safety.” But that safety often comes with a catch. “We’re taught to see sweetness as bad, forbidden, something to earn,” Torel adds. “So instead of eating the cake, we buy the cream that smells like one. It’s the illusion of indulgence without the loss of control.”

By that logic, today’s best-selling scents aren’t just standing in for eating. They’re offering emotional regulation in a bottle, regulation that for some people would otherwise come from food. That link between scent and emotion is hardwired. Smell has direct access to the brain’s emotional center—the amygdala and hippocampus—which is why it can instantly change your mood or evoke comfort. “No other sense connects as immediately to emotion and memory,” Herz says.

Where beauty goes from here

Even as brands highlight comfort and sensory pleasure on the surface, the timing of the gourmand boom is hard to separate from the broader cultural context. It’s more than mere 2000s nostalgia: the rise of “treat beauty” mirrors this moment when pleasure—especially sweet, “indulgent” pleasure—is increasingly redirected and reframed as shameful. Though the behavior of hedonic substitution itself isn’t inherently harmful, my concern lies in the messaging. If scent continues to be framed as a guilt-free indulgence, it risks reinforcing the idea that actual indulgence is something to be managed.

But this moment also presents an opportunity. As brands experiment with scent as a tool for mood and mental health—collaborating with neuroscientists, creating “functional fragrances,” and reframing pleasure as wellness rather than a temptation to be resisted—the industry has a chance to rewrite its relationship with desire. If it continues down that path, there’s hope that the next era of fragrance won’t be about curbing our relationship with pleasure, but learning to reconnect with it.

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Harry Styles is back in the news due to a highly anticipated tour announcement and the release of a new single, “Aperture.” But it was only May of last year when he was making unexpected headlines for showing up in an unexpected place: St. Peter's Square, shortly after the new Pope was elected. And he wouldn't have been there had it not been for a serendipitous haircut.

In a new BBC Radio 1 interview, Styles confirmed for host Greg James that he was, in fact, walking through the faithful spectators celebrating the papal conclave's election of Pope Leo XIV. Styles was wearing sunglasses and a hat that read “Techno Is My Boyfriend,” and that hat was hiding a fresh 'do.

"I was getting a haircut in Rome," Styles says, not giving further explanation for why he was in Rome. (Maybe this barber gives really good haircuts.) “And I just heard all these people start shouting, ‘Habemus papam! Habemus papam!’ People just running down the street. So the guy cutting my hair stopped cutting my hair, and he was like, ‘Habemus papam! There’s a new pope!’"

It's not that Styles didn't believe his stylist, but when he finished the haircut, he figured he might as well see firsthand what all the fuss was about. "I was like, ‘I’m, like, five minutes' walk from there.’ So I walked over. It was wild."

Of course, even with all of the hubbub, someone managed to spot and snap a photo of the singer hiding his new haircut, which we assume he covered with a hat in an attempt to be more incognito and not because there was anything wrong with the cut.

Check out the entire interview below.

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Humans have an inherent proclivity toward forbidden fruit. Late party nights ahead of early days, that gratuitous last pour of wine, toxic situationships you know will never go anywhere. It’s hard to resist finding relief in guilty pleasures, even ones we know to be actively detrimental. That especially goes for cigarettes, which have made a bona fide comeback in popular culture—and their appearance in the beauty space is rising from an occasional cameo to a prominent force.

Recent product launches are rife with smoking symbolism, both blatant and subtle, intentional and seemingly not. Late last year, m.ph launched slender lipsticks called Lip Ciggies, which the brand marketed as “hard to quit.” Glossier’s latest holiday collection included a limited-edition Zippo lighter (the sole intended use for which, the brand tells Allure, is lighting its candles; Glossier also states that it does not condone smoking). L’Objet quickly sold out of its recent Smoking Lips incense and fragrance set, and the same goes for designer Rick Owens’ collaborative oral care collection with Selahatin, which was inspired in part by his smoking habit. Cigarette-inspired lipstick cases are currently going viral on TikTok Shop; they feature an image of Lana Del Rey above a faux health advisory label that reads: “Smoking kills, but we were born to die anyway,” a reference to her 2012 song. (Allure contacted representatives for m.ph and L’Objet for comment on their respective products and did not receive a response by the time of publication.)

It’s not just the products; the aesthetic of smoking itself is also on the rise. Smoking-related searches have spiked on Pinterest. On TikTok, you might have seen videos people getting their hands on the sleek packs of Vogue cigarettes (not affiliated with the fashion magazine, by the way) on European trips, or niche fragrance and makeup moments that wink knowingly at the taboo. Valentino Beauty’s Studio 54-themed fashion week party included cigarette girls–though the cigarettes on their trays were candy, alongside fragrance samples (New York City’s 2002 indoor smoking ban still stands). At the spring 2026 shows, at least three designers featured models smoking as they strutted down the runway. It’s a direct pushback to the overly sanitized “clean girl” ideal. If you think that instinct feels reactionary, then you’d be right. And it was bound to happen eventually.

“It’s a direct pushback to the overly sanitized “clean girl” ideal. And it was bound to happen eventually.”

In beauty, everything moves by pendulum swing. One moment, we recoil at the idea of altering our appearance a certain way—remember when we all plucked our eyebrows razor-thin?—or indulging in a dubiously safe wellness fad, only for those same behaviors to become so pervasive they feel second nature or even aspirational. Whether by whim or at the behest of a viral social media moment, the trend du jour is often one that existed in the past and was simply rewritten overnight. It’s within this constant churn of ideals and contradictions that cigarettes are now being recontextualized.

Think of any 1920s flapper, smoldering ’60s vixen, or Cosmo-clutching ‘90s Manhattanite: she’ll likely have a cigarette hanging from her lips or balanced between her fingers. It’s an oddly eternal image that has circulated endlessly across decades of cultural ephemera. It’s elegance. It’s sleaze. It’s gross. It’s natural. It’s highbrow or lowbrow, depending on the poison you pick (or, rather, the narrative rationalization you ascribe to it). It’s also, of course, absolutely terrible for your body in every conceivable way.

We’re no longer in an era of ignorant bliss or naive nonchalance around the dangers of cigarettes (which were once widely advertised as being good for our health). Despite a collective understanding of the consequences—smoking kills, after all—it’s not as though anyone ever truly stopped. Even as traditional cigarettes fell out of favor throughout the past two decades—only 1.4 percent of teenagers today report cigarette use, according to the FDA—nicotine use itself has persisted, shapeshifting into vapes, patches, and ZYN pouches, each with youth-forward aesthetics of their own, if not the same cultural romance. If anything, cigarettes take it a step further; offering a tactile respite that counters the plastic rigidity of vapes.

“It’s elegance. It’s sleaze. It’s gross. It’s natural. It’s also, of course, absolutely terrible for your body in every conceivable way.”

Still, the consequences are real. “Smoking is never in style—we aren’t talking skinny jeans or bell bottoms,” says board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD. “We’re talking carcinogens, which are never cute.” And, far short of cancer, yellowed teeth and nails, she says, are just the beginning of the aesthetic consequences; smoking severely impacts skin health and appearance, accelerating collagen and elastin breakdown, deepening wrinkles around the mouth and eyes, dulling skin tone, thinning hair, and restricting blood flow that delivers oxygen and nutrients to skin cells. Briefly set aside during a smoke break, these indisputable truths stand in stark contrast to our collective obsession with the perfectly smooth and “snatched” look, sustained by the proliferation of wrinkle-reducing injectable procedures and facelifts.

Even as we continue to indulge a harmful habit that makes us, for lack of a better term, uglier, people won’t kick the habit—or at least stop aestheticizing it. Which, I won’t lie, I understand. There’s something about a cigarette in the right kind of ambience that functions as a sort of aesthetic appendage. A rouge-smudged butt or sparking up with both hands is visually evocative, like peering over a mysterious pair of shades or flipping open a compact. Some Gen Xers today look back fondly at the days when they would light up a cigarette when they needed an escape or a distraction to kill dead time—today they light up their iPhones and start doomscrolling.

But beyond aesthetics, the newfound pervasiveness of cigarettes only makes more sense when you take a step back and look at the bigger cultural picture. In an era where GLP-1 drugs are increasingly framed as a get-skinny-quick scheme—one many find irresistible despite mounting concerns about long-term effects—the return of cigarettes feels less accidental. The hyperfixation around wellness has splintered into a whole spectrum of archetypes—from Pilates princesses to “that girl” (whoever she is) and everything in between—and cigarettes sit on its the ever-growing fringes. They function as a kind of cultural foil of indulgent destruction, a release of the burden of constantly striving for perfection, or at least keeping up that appearance.

"That people would lean into something unabashedly detrimental feels perversely inevitable."

On that note, it’s hard to ignore the growing nihilism that our current political climate—and environmental climate, for that matter—is igniting. In 2025, roughly one in four adults under 30 report experiencing depression, a rate that has more than doubled since 2017, according to Gallup. We’re conditioning ourselves to live with the ubiquitous sense of doom, and in the face of global disorder and disarray, a cigarette posits itself as harmless in comparison.

In a cultural milieu burnt out on manufactured physical perfection, smoking becomes the resistant counterpart to relentless optimization—something gritty to cut through the gloss, something real that grounds in space and time. That people would lean into the allure of something unabashedly detrimental feels perversely inevitable. Whether that’s a decisive algorithmic shift or a lasting, culturally-informed habit is yet to be seen, or rather, consumed.