Author: Jessica Redman

Growing up, my mother would go on verbose tangents about the disadvantages of having sex as a way to dissuade me from doing it and, in her mind, becoming a contender for Teen Mom. My vagina was the Bermuda Triangle of body parts. I knew bad things happened down there because of mysterious circumstances, but I didn’t know why. This, in turn, contributed to a complete disassociation from my own body. Sex education in the Los Angeles Unified School District school system wasn’t any better than my mother’s anti-sex TED Talks. In sixth grade, our class watched a thirty-minute “documentary”…

When a woman goes through menopause, her body undergoes serious changes that can range from mildly noticeable to extremely disruptive. This phase usually occurs in a woman’s life between the ages of 35 and 45. Once a woman reaches menopause, the hormone changes in her body begin to disrupt her ability to ovulate. The most salient aspect of menopause for most women is that it results in their ability to no longer conceive children. What Is Menopause? Menopause is technically defined as the moment that is exactly twelve months after a woman’s final menstrual cycle. The menopausal cycle is actually…

Understand your skin type and undertone. Do you ever look in the mirror and wonder why your skin looks so dull and lifeless? You may be using the wrong products for your skin type or undertone. Knowing and understanding your skin type and undertone is essential to finding the right skincare routine that will give you glowing, healthy-looking skin. Your skin type is determined by how much or how little oil your pores produce. If you have oily skin, it means you have more active sebaceous glands which produce more sebum than normal. Oily skins are prone to acne breakouts due…

We all began somewhere. How old were you when you first started wearing makeup? I know this is going to make me sound like a little old lady, but it weirds me out when I see young kids these days wearing makeup. I don’t mean that it is strange to see them wearing makeup because I played with makeup from as early as I can remember. What seems odd about the way kids today start out wearing makeup is that they’re all so good at it! Where the rest of us had to learn from our moms or Teen magazine and go through years of awkward, terrible makeup…

The person who taught you how to do your makeup will always hold a special place in your heart. I first started learning how to do makeup when I was in the fifth grade, after being cast as a member of the ensemble in a community theater production of Beauty and the Beast. At 11 years old, I was one of the youngest members of the cast, and I absolutely loved being involved. Although I wasn’t getting paid a dime, and I didn’t have a single line in the entire show, I thought I was a real, real actress, and it was an…

Ever wonder how you can get statement eyebrows even with light hair? We show you how to dye your brows quickly, cheaply, and easily! This weekend I decided to dye my eyebrows. Why? Because there are two things, I know unquestionably about my face. One: It’s cute. Cute like Hello Kitty and floral rompers, with no shortage of freckles and not even a hint of the cheekbone. The kind of cute that will get me carded for a pack of cigarettes well into my twenties. Cute in contrast to sexy. I tend to identify super hard with Selena Gomez, who…

Wondering if your go-to manicure spot is a good one? Here’s how to tell. A good nail salon should… 1. Sanitize all tools The most important thing a nail salon should do is sanitize its tools. Since all sorts of bacteria and even blood can be found on these instruments, you don’t want the same cuticle nipper that the salon just used on someone else to be used on you. Make sure your nail technician removes a new or freshly sanitized and cleaned set of tools (you can tell because they’re usually sealed in a sanitized pouch, similar to at the dentist’s…

The Holiday 2021 collections are dropping. Traditionally, most of them show how we’ve been very good. If you’re someone who openly admits you’ve been a tad naughty, you’re not forgotten. Pur Cosmetics is celebrating the launch of the new The Grinch film with the Illumination Presents Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch makeup collection. (Related: Sheets Masks You Need to Trade Your Regular Clay Mask For) We’ve previously seen Grinch nails, and OTT Grinch makeup looks. Now, we have a collection inspired by our favorite green guy from the high mountain above Whoville. The Pur Cosmetics The Grinch collection obviously features a lot of green, but it’s quite wearable thanks to color-changing colors and…

Black eyeliner is great for every day but if you really want to make your eyes pop, try one of these colored liner ideas. Black liner is a makeup bag staple. You probably own at least three different types. You can try all of the different eyeliner shapes you want, but a black liner will never make your eyes pop the way a colorful liner look can. Even just a small flick can wake up your face and brighten your whole eye area. Plus, the colorful liner is a lot easier to pull off than a bold eyeshadow look. (Related: The Gloss Investigates: Does The Graphic…

Creating a cat eye can be tricky. You have to draw the line on straight, get the flick at the right angle, and then you have to repeat it on the other eye and try to get it the same. Mastering the technique is key, but so is your eyeliner. You always need the right tools for the right job, and that definitely applies to your eye makeup. Even if you have super shaky hands, the right eyeliner can make it easier to create a flawless cat-eye or whatever shape you’re going for. Here are the best eyeliners to create a cat-eye, according to our…

Put down your black eyeliner and try a colored liner. Whether you like a liquid or pencil they are lots of colorful choices. We have a tendency to use the same black eyeliner to recreate the exact same eyeliner shape every day. (When was the last time you tried something else besides your signature cat-eye?) You should switch up your eyeliner shape from time to time, just like you should switch up the color of your liner. Colorful eyeliners are easier to pull off than bright eyeshadows. They add a fun pop of color that doesn’t look dated or Halloween-ish. See Kerry Washington‘s subtle pastel blue liner for proof.…

These colorful smokey eyes hacks will have you trying out every color shadow in the rainbow, and forgetting about basic black. Go bold, or go home. If you’re going to try a smokey eye, put down that boring black shadow, and take a look at these colorful smokey eyes. While the thought of using a bright-colored lipstick may make your hands quiver more than when you apply eyeliner, it is worth switching up that tried-and-true neutral smokey eye from time to time. A bit of color isn’t that scary, I promise. And unlike sooty black, bright colors don’t make it look like you have two black eyes…