Girls Cheap Luxury Makeup Product

During the holidays, when ravenous shopping ops and beauty swag abound at every turn, it’s easy to justify that prestigious face-cream splurge (if Kylie Jenner deserves it...) or a limited-edition find (hello, Tom Ford’s Lips & Boys). In fact, most of us in the 18 to 34 set will spend nearly a quarter of our holiday gift-giving budget on ourselves, according to a newreport by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Potential for financial ruin (or coming up embarrassingly short on spending for others) is tremendous. 

Lucky for you, we have a plan for how to luxe up your beauty rituals without spiraling into buyer's remorse. The strategy? Making a few meaningful purchases that give your entire routine a more decadent look and feel — without breaking the bank. Let us upgrade ya, eight different ways, ahead.

Retool Your Makeup Brush 
We love the complexion-clarifying results of a face mask, but our at-home practice is far from a spa-like experience. Simulate relaxation and cut the mess by sweeping on masks with a dense brush, instead. Not only is it more hygienic than using your hands, it also distributes the product more evenly, says celebrity facialist Robin McDonald, who treats Charlize Theron.


May Lindstrom The Facial Treatment Brush, $30, available at May Lindstrom.

Go High-Fiber
Poly-blend sweaters can’t hold a candle to cashmere. And when it comes to smoothing on skin-care products, cheapo cotton disks have nothing on the hyper-soft, all-cotton alternative. We’re partial to these Japanese silk-and-cotton pillows, which make sweeping on toners and essences a luxury, not a chore. The pads are as soft as rose petals, but have a slightly textured surface meant to exfoliate dead skin cells, so products can penetrate better. For the girl craving a little bathroom bling, try Chanel’s version, stamped with interlocking Cs. Swoon.
Cle de Peau Facial Cotton, $20, available at Cle de Peau.

1. Upgrade Your Basic PinsThe fastest way to make your hairstyle feel more glamorous? Swap out your boring black bobby pins and hair clips for gilded ones. AsAshley Olsen’s golden half-updo at the Met Ball proved, it’s a cheap (but chic) way to stand out in the most stylish of crowds.
   
   
   
   & Other Stories Large Metal Hairclip, $17, available at & Other Stories.
2. Upgrade Your Body Mist To A Full-on Fragrance
   As refreshing as a spritz of body mist can be, the scent from a watered-down spray doesn't last as long as perfume. To nail down your signature fragrance — and ensure it stays around all day — switch to a more concentrated formula, like Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue perfume. Before you dab on the subtle blend of amber, citron, and musk, be sure to apply an unscented lotion, as fragrance holds better on moisturized skin
3. Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, $74, available atSephora

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3. 1. De-Gunk In Style
      Does CVS antibacterial hand gel work just as well as this beautifully bottled version? Sure. But killing nasty subway germs becomes a calming ritual when you use this botanically spiked formula, which includes lavender, witch hazel, cinnamon, lemongrass, and thyme. One spray will have you fighting bacteria while breathing in aromatherapy.
      
      Neal’s Yard Remedies Organics Organic Defense Hand Spray, $10.50, available at Neal’s Yard Organics.
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   3. One-Up Your Body WashIt might be tough to part with your used-it-since-middle school body wash, but the newest crop of in-shower cleansers offer a more elegant experience that also saves time.Cleansing oils made for the body not only feel more silky on the skin, they also deliver lasting hydration that replaces the need for copious amounts of body lotion. This particular one leaves a subtle shimmer and sexy, floral scent you’ll love using before a night out.
      
      Nuxe Prodigieux Shower Oil Gel, $15, available at Nuxe.
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   5. 1. Cleanse Your Tap 
         Installing a new showerhead may not rank as sexy, but netting shinier hair and healthier skin for the 1,200 showers that follow? We’re on board with that.
         
         "[It] filters out harsh minerals such as phosphorous and chlorine, which dry and irritate the skin and hair,” notes dermatologistDr. Jeannette Graf, MD, and author of Stop Aging, Start Living. This particular version uses copper, zinc, and calcium to jettison chlorine found in many municipal pipes, while tourmaline helps balance H2O's pH. The result: more moisture retention for skin — and less frizzy hair.
         
         T3 Source In-Line Shower Filter, $70, available at Nordstrom.
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      3. 1. Swap Your Cloth 
            For gentler exfoliating, bypass scratchy terry cloth towels and reach for a muslin version instead. Or, go super high end and splurge on silk. This 7-inch square is comprised of amino acids and protein-rich fibers and can be used wet or dry to gently loosen dead skin cells.
            
            Tatcha Kinu Pure Silk Cleansing Cloth, $18, available at Tatcha.
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      4. Go For Grown-Up Balm We’re just as tempted to drop $50 on haute nail polish as the next girl. But infrequent uses couchside don’t seem to justify the splurge. Instead, we’re going luxe on a beauty product that gets major play no matter where we are — the humble lip balm. Why bust out a tween-y plastic tube of dime-store balm when we can use a weighty tube that looks and feels more like lipstick?
         
         We like Estée Lauder Blooming Lip Balm for its use of mega-hydrating hyaluronic acid and not-too-crazy price point. But those who can afford more of a splurge will feel like a million bucks busting out the modern Guerlain KissKiss Roselip tube, designed by artist Hervé Van Der Straeten.
         
         Guerlain KissKiss Roselip, $37, available at Sephora.
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         2. Post Credit: Refinery29

Health benefit of pear

The old saying goes, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but a different fruit may provide the same, if not more, benefits: the pear. Research has shown eating just one can fills us with high levels of vitamin C and fiber at just under 100 calories. Eating a pear or drinking its juice may also help stave off a hangover and reduce risk of stroke. Now, a study from Louisiana State University has found people who eat pears are less likely to be obese.

The study, published in Nutrition and Food Science, revealed people who ate pears had a lower body weight and were 35 percent less likely to be obese than their pear-abstaining counterparts. The researchers also investigated the effects eating fresh pears had on nutrient intake, diet quality, cardiovascular risk factors.

Using nine years of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which involved 24,808 participants aged 19 and up, the researchers found on top of lower body weight and less obesity risk, pear consumers were generally older, consumed less alcohol, and smoked fewer cigarettes than those who didn’t eat pears. Pear eaters also had a higher quality diet, characterized by higher levels of fiber and overall vitamins, and less fat and added sugar. This was despite both pear eaters and non-eaters consuming the same amount of calories.

To determine what specifically the pear eaters were doing to maintain a healthy diet, the researchers looked at the Healthy Eating Index, “a measure of diet quality that assesses conformance to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” according to the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. They found pear eaters consumed more whole fruits and grains, and plant and seafood-based proteins, while limiting their sodium and empty calorie intake.

"The association between pears and lower body weight is very exciting," lead author Dr. Carol O'Neil, of the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, said in a press release. "We believe fiber intake may have driven the lower body weights that were seen in this study because there was no difference in energy intake or level of physical activity found between the fresh pear consumers and non-consumers."

Fiber is important to our daily diets for a number of reasons — it helps with digestion and keeps us feeling fuller longer. This in turn helps to stave off food cravings, which helps withweight loss. Studies have also shown fiber may help reduce risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Aside from pears, fiber can be found in raspberries, lentils, artichokes, and various whole grains. Mixing up the types of fibrous foods you eat will be best for your health.

Despite the benefits, the researchers found only 2 percent of Americans ate a single, medium-sized pear — this alone accounts for half of the recommended daily fruit intake, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In concluding their study, the researchers wrote “consumption of fresh pears should be encouraged as part of an overall healthy diet, since pears are nutrient-dense and can help individuals meet the fruit recommendation.”

Source: O’Neil, C, et al. Fresh Pear Consumption is Associated with Better Nutrient Intake, Diet Quality, and Weight Parameters in Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2010. Nutrition and Food Science. 2015.

High Fashion Line created from discarded cloths by Scottish Designer

Two fashion designers will create new high-end clothing collections from garments that have been given to charity, after winning a competition organised by Zero Waste Scotland and the Salvation Army.

The project - part of the Love Your Clothes campaign - will see the winning designers embark on a 12-week residency to create two new “fashion-forward” collections from 150 kilos of unwanted garments. 

The winners – Aimee Kent and the Black Cherry Studio design team – are tasked with reminding people of the value of old clothing.

Lynn Wilson, textiles manager at Zero Waste Scotland, said: “I believe that with a little TLC, most unwanted clothing can be transformed into something valuable. We really want people to see there is worth in their clothes.

“To really bring this message home, we teamed up with the Salvation Army to launch a unique competition among Scotland’s most talented fashion and textiles designers to see what they could create from the cast offs.

“It will be interesting to see if anyone recognises their old clothes when we have the big reveal.”

Once complete, an expert fashion panel will appraise the collections and deliver their professional valuations on how much the newly-created pieces are worth.  

Fast fashion 

In the UK, garments have an estimated life span of just two years and three months. Data from Zero Waste Scotland reveals that the average Scottish household owns around £4,000 worth of clothes, but wears only 70% of that each year - most commonly because it no longer fits.

It is estimated that £140m -350,000 tonnes - of used clothes end up in landfill each year.

The Salvation Army Trading Company, one of the largest clothing recyclers in the UK, is attempting to ease the issue, receiving around 30,000 tonnes of donated textiles in the UK each year.

Catherine Hamou from the Salvation Army said: “There is so much value in textiles that people often don’t see, so we’re really excited to play a part in this project. The creativity of these talented designers should prove to be very inspiring and we’re looking forward to the results over the coming months.

The project is part of a growing trend of sustainability in the fashion industry. In November, the 82 members of WRAP’s Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) announced they had cut water impacts by 12.5% per tonne of clothing since 2013 and carbon impacts by 3.5% per tonne.

In the wake of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s recent criticism of the industry in his awareness-raising War on Waste BBC show, edie took an extensive look at the environmental efforts of the sector.

Brad Allen