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

Got Milia?

2 days 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.
Your Five-Minute Face

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

Welcome readers, old and new! Please hit the ❤️ above to discover a previously unsuspected reason for hair loss. 🌳 🌳 🌳In times of stress, I’m a believer in distractions. My favorite? Beauty. Not only the kind you often read about here (more of that later), but also the kind you feel when dissolving into the flow of transporting music, or awakening to the glory of a fuchsia sunrise, or… hugging a tree.
Updates: Tattoos, Teeth, and Retinoids

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

Welcome readers, old and new! Please hit the ❤️ above to find very good reasons (like better health and peace of mind) to give away a bit of your time for free.
How 'Sustainable' Fashion Became a Nightmare for Consumers

3 weeks ago | amyodell.substack.com | Amy Odell |Val Monroe

Forever 21 recently announced bankruptcy and the closure of its roughly 350 stores, leading to an outpouring of heartfelt nostalgia on social media. Millennials fondly remembered impulse-buying “But First Coffee” sweatshirts, ignoring the controversies — knockoffs, allegations of sweatshop labor — that defined the brand as much as its $7 going-out tops. Forever 21 brought fast fashion and its shoddy manufacturing practices into the mainstream.
The Ultimate Frizz Fighter?

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

Welcome readers, old and new! Please hit the ❤️ above to gain new insights into why old friends (and young ones) can ameliorate all kinds of workplace issues. 🎻 🎻 🎻Having had the pleasure of caring for M for a bit last week, I’ve been thinking about the quality of our relationship. A kind of mirroring happens between us. It feels almost entirely affectionate—even when the situation might fray into mutual frustration.
The ‘White Lotus’ Smile Discourse Is Actually Pretty Condescending

3 weeks ago | allure.com | Val Monroe

I want to begin by saying that I am not a disinterested party when it comes to the subject at hand. I suffered, as an already weird-looking teenager, with a mouthful of heavy metal, plus some kind of crazy Rube Goldberg rubber-band attachments, all installed after a couple of unpleasant molar removals. My teeth were both crooked and overcrowded; in the 1960s metal braces were considered the solution.
The ‘White Lotus’ Smile Discourse Is Actually Pretty Condescending

3 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Val Monroe

17 hours agoWhy Aimee Lou Wood's 'perfectly imperfect' teeth are having a momentAs a Beauty Editor, my email inbox is always filled with reports about the latest must-try beauty treatments and trends. Microbladed brows, baby …15 hours agoHere’s Where You Know the Cast of 'The White Lotus' Season 3 FromIt's finally back! The White Lotus returned for season 3 on February 16 and this time, we're heading to Thailand.
The ‘White Lotus’ Smile Discourse Is Actually Pretty Condescending

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Val Monroe

I want to begin by saying that I am not a disinterested party when it comes to the subject at hand. I suffered, as an already weird-looking teenager, with a mouthful of heavy metal, plus some kind of crazy Rube Goldberg rubber-band attachments, all installed after a couple of unpleasant molar removals. My teeth were both crooked and overcrowded; in the 1960s metal braces were considered the solution.
At 66, Andie MacDowell Would Love to Play a “Sexual Creature”

1 month ago | allure.com | Val Monroe

With no expectations, I watched The Final Copy of Ilon Specht, a short film about how and why the feisty, ahead-of-her-time advertising executive Ilon Specht created the phrase, “Because I’m worth it” for L’Oréal in 1971. Well, I did have one expectation: I thought the film was going to be a clever piece of marketing. And then I found myself weeping over the story and the tagline. Which was evidence, I guess, that it actually was a very clever piece of marketing. But also something more.
Is Ordinary Skincare Really Any Good?

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

Welcome readers, old and new!Please hit the ❤️ above to learn how the elders (and the poorer) among us are more susceptible to the effects of global warming. It’s not what you might think. Playing the game Cards Against Humanity has become an annual Maine vacation tradition with dear friends and I highly recommend it. Especially helpful in these times, the game has the salutary effect of wiping away any vestige of frustration, disappointment, sadness, and, not unimportantly, propriety.