Val Monroe

New York

Writer at How Not To F*ck Up Your Face

Former beauty director O, The Oprah Magazine, CEO VJMonroe LLC, Duenna at Substack newsletter HowNotToF*ckUpYourFace

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Articles

Beauty Marketing Is Everywhere - But You Don’t Have to Buy In

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Val Monroe

I’ve spent some time lately thinking about beauty marketing, precipitated by a comment from a reader disappointed that she didn’t find more advice here about how to look younger, including specifics about poutier lips and that kind of thing. So I wondered how I might share that info with a wider audience. The more I thought about that, the more inauthentic I felt — and the further I drifted from my intention to help us feel more generous about our appearance as we age.
67-Year-Old Andie MacDowell Made a Strong Case for Softening With Age

2 weeks ago | allure.com | Val Monroe

Did you all happen to see the photos of Andie MacDowell on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival? Though she garnered some snark regarding the style of her gown—or, nightgown, as it was ungenerously, but not inaccurately, described—she looked magnificent in all her softened, old-lady glory. And by softened, I mean literally (and alliteratively) that her bitty belly bulge, her little love handles, her dimpled deltoids were all on display.
67-Year-Old Andie MacDowell Made a Strong Case for Softening With Age

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Val Monroe

17 hours agoOn Tuesday night in New York, Max Mara brought The Whitney to The Whitney. It was the Museum of American Art’s annual gala, honoring the artist Amy Sherald (who currently has an exhibition on view), as well as Barbara Haskell, the Whitney’s longtime curator. The evening also marked ten years since …
Does Facial Acupuncture Have a Point?

2 weeks ago | valeriemonroe.substack.com | Val Monroe

Welcome readers, old and new! Please tap the ❤️ above for a glimpse of astonishing majesty …and then feel the significance of your worry lines magically disappear!🤟🏻 🤟🏻 🤟🏻I often think of my mom these days; she died at 93 and would’ve turned 100 this year. Increasingly, I see her in myself in surprising ways. When she was my age (74), I remember her telling me she’d suddenly developed a tummy. Me, too, Mom, like clockwork—and what the hell?
A Skin Care Chat with Veteran Beauty Editor Val Monroe

3 weeks ago | valeriemonroe.substack.com | Val Monroe |Sari Botton

How Not to F*ck Up Your Facephilosophical and practical advice for anyone who's ever looked into a mirror philosophical and practical advice for anyone who's ever looked into a mirror
Scare Tactics

3 weeks ago | valeriemonroe.substack.com | Val Monroe

Welcome readers, old and new!Please hit that ❤️ above to learn why agreeing to disagree might be disagreeable for your relationships. But regarding agreeable relationships: Today at 3 pm EDT, I’ll be doing a live interview with Sari Botton, proprietor of The Oldster Magazine. I assume we’ll talk about appearance issues, but I’m sure there will be some surprises; you should be able to comment and ask questions in the chat. I’ll be looking for you! You can find the conversation here.
Sebaceous Hyper-What?

1 month ago | valeriemonroe.substack.com | Val Monroe |Valerie Monroe

Welcome readers, old and new! Please hit the ❤️ above to learn why tinkle may be a little star—especially in the field of agriculture. ✈️ ✈️ ✈️It seems like only weeks, but I’ve actually been in Japan for months. By the time you read this, I’ll be back in the U.S., scraping the winter grime off my apartment windows and wading through the swamp of mail that awaits. An unpleasant prospect. I’m trying to focus on the positive: my friends, the theater, in-person activism.
The Hardest Sell

1 month ago | valeriemonroe.substack.com | Val Monroe

Welcome readers, old and new!Listening to various podcasts, reading various beauty posts, I’m noticing that even in some of the ones I especially like and think are smart, there’s bad beauty advice. Specifically, bad beauty product advice. Why? Likely because the hosts are beholden to advertisers in one way or another and, therefore, can’t afford to tell you the truth about the efficacy of most products on the beauty market.
For Crying Out Loud

1 month ago | valeriemonroe.substack.com | Val Monroe

Welcome readers, old and new! Please hit that ❤️ above to see how “give me a hand” may soon mean something very different. A personal question: Have you been crying enough? I imagine some evolved and compassionate HNTFUYF-ers will answer, Too much! Crying too much! That I would understand. But after a long catch-up with one of my dearest friends, I wondered whether she and I had been crying enough.
Got Milia?

1 month ago | valeriemonroe.substack.com | Val Monroe

Welcome readers, old and new! Please hit the ❤️ above to discover why giraffes have their special spots—information with no practical value (unless you’re a giraffe) but that’s fun to know. ☺️ ☺️ ☺️In times of stress—wait a minute. Isn’t that how I began last week’s post? Sadly, yes. But a reader recently wrote me with a related suggestion I wanted to share with you.