Kara McGrath

2 weeks ago | theallurebeautychat.substack.com | Kara McGrath

There are lots of signs that we’re culturally cycling back to where we were 10 years ago. Gen Z loves the same makeup looks I was reblogging on Tumblr. Everyone’s wearing Adidas (though this time it’s Sambas instead of Stan Smiths). Lana Del Rey, Selena Gomez, Mumford & Sons, and Miley Cyrus all have new albums. We’re talking ad nauseum about the Kardashian/Jenner family.

3 weeks ago | allure.com | Kara McGrath

In 2011, I was an intern at Seventeen, getting my first taste of the beauty publishing world by writing blog posts in a windowless closet for $0 an hour and attending after-work events that left me with gift bags filled with thousands of dollars worth of products. Starting that fall, many of those events happened at Drybar, which debuted its first New York City location in September of that year.

3 weeks ago | theallurebeautychat.substack.com | Kara McGrath

What was your biggest beauty news of the week? Was it Kris Jenner’s facelift? Chrissy Teigen’s hairline lowering procedure? Hailey Bieber selling Rhode to E.L.F. Beauty for $1 billion*? All three of these were inescapable for me, but let’s start with Rhode since it is freshest in my mind. Obviously, this is a smart move on both brands’ parts. Rhode, thanks to Bieber, has an inherent cool factor that many companies have tried and failed to replicate.

4 weeks ago | theallurebeautychat.substack.com | Kara McGrath

Hello! I have no intro essay for you today, because my brain is tapped out after a draining combination of Met Gala coverage and efforts to get ahead of my regular work before I attempt to take a week-long vacation starting next Friday. Hopefully the special behind-the-scenes at the Met edition we published on Wednesday and the special Mother’s Day edition that will hit your inbox tomorrow will quench your Allure Substack thirst. OK, I do have one more Met Gala story for you.

4 weeks ago | theallurebeautychat.substack.com | Kara McGrath

One week into Daylight Savings Time, and I am feeling reborn. My nails are butter yellow. I’m being irresponsible (going outside in a light jacket even though it’s barely above freezing where I live) and carefree (only doomscrolling for one-ish hour a day). I’m trading my rich gourmand scents in for fresh, tea-inspired fragrances. The increased sunlight is helping me find more moments of joy amidst the chaos, of which there was plenty this week—including in the beauty world.