75 out of 75 people found this review helpful.
Alluring
Date of Review: Dec 25, 2006
The Bottom Line: This is a great little fashion magazine that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Allure is one of my favorite fashion magazines, simply because I get it for free! My mother subscribes to it and passes it down to me each month. And right now they are running a buy one subscription get one free special! As it stands, you can get a whole year of Allure for just a buck an issue. That clearly beats the cover price of $3.
Probably the thing I love most about Allure is that it has the right mix of haute couture and ready to wear. I find Vogue magazine to sometimes be so overloaded with runway pictures that are impossible to translate to clothes "real" people would wear. Allure is features more accessible clothing for the masses, but still provides some of the high end designer options, as well.
What You'll Find Inside
Advertising. A lot. But I subscribe to magazines that claim to have no "advertising" but they are expensive as heck, thin and are chock full of so many postcards with that advertising that they make me furious. I'd rather flip a page that have crap falling out with every page I turn.
Beauty Reporter: This section gives information on the new trends in the beauty product world. The issue I have in front of me, which incidentally happens to be January 2006, speaks of the coming of the white eyeshadow. Unless I missed something, that one never took off. Thank God.
Editor's Favorites section in Beauty Reporter is one of my favorite sections. Here you get a sampling of some of the newest products out on the market that have been tested by insiders and deemed worthy. This is huge since there is a plethora of new beauty products out there, and so many of them are simply not worth the money.
In the Best Sellers section, one type of product is profiled and you are given several of the top sellers, in this issue they show you hand creams. What I like most here is that they give you drugstore finds like Neutragena brands and the more expensive creams, such as N.V. Perricone, M.D.
Also included in this section is "The Scoop" on what product which tells you what the product is, what it does, what's in it, how it works, what experts say, what the magazine thinks and the price. Also included is free products you can get!
Beauty 101 is a "how-to" beauty class. This month's lesson is at-home hair coloring. While I'd never attempt it, they give you the three steps to help you dye your hair like a pro. It even comes with a little pull out section to take with you.
Fashion: This section is my favorite and the reason I look at the magazine. You get a heads up on the trends that are coming, even though trends in New York tend to be slightly different that the ones you see in North Carolina! Still, it eventually trickles down here and if you are into that sort of thing, you will like being informed.
Fashion Stakeout takes one celebrity and gives you a look at her style over the years. This issue features Kirsten Dunst. I must admit to never realizing that she was such a fashion forward person, but the proof is before my eyes.
In the Fashion Cravings section, they take a certain theme (this month's is Garden Party featuring strong floral patterns) and give you clothing and accessories that feature this theme. More importantly perhaps, they give you a lust (expensive) and a must (budget?) version of each product! Fashion Extras focuses on accessories, this months being patent leather bags.
Insiders' Guide This section is full of advice by experts and professionals. This month's guide gives you tips my Diane von Furstenberg on how to dress well in the winter weather. Also included is advice on how to make conversation at dinner parties and eating well without really having to think about it.
Also included is a Total Makeover section that is surprisingly healthy, at least this month. Perhaps because this is the January issue it focuses on young women needing to lose weight, and giving lifestyle changing and not just diet tips. The women profiled could be anyone you see on the street, which is refreshing. We get their body backgrounds, eating habits, biggest hurdles to success, their motivations and their goals. It is all very doable and these women could be any one of us, not just fashion models looking to lose 5 pounds. Experts also weigh-in on the weight obsession in Hollywood and the fact that a dangerous drug may be at the center of it.
Health I'll admit that this may not be a medical journal, but I have learned a thing or two from the health section of this magazine. In Body News, caffeine and skin cancer are the focus.
Mood News is all about the inside. How you feel about yourself is a big part of how you look, of course, so the magazine coves this too.
Also included in this issue is the Allure's A-List. It features the best of everything beauty! The best salons, day spas, and beauty shops in eleven cities. It even gives you tips on how to tip!
Features
This section is filled with informative articles that I would consider the meat of the magazine. In The Transformers we learn about how Mina Suvari was transformed for a photo shoot, from appearing first thing in the morning, looking like us mere mortals, to the glam queen we all know and love.
Also included is the best makeovers of the year which shows you a handful of celebrities who've improved their looks over the years. Yes, shallow, but I'm always intrigued.
There are also several full length articles on celebrities with a fashion spin on them. Kelly Osborne, in this issue, raps about showing off your tattoos and brunettes actual having more fun after all. Gwen Paltrow is also profiled.
Into your horoscope? Every issue has yours, though they are full of crap.
By far my favorite part of the magazine is always the last page, which I flip to first. It's called the Private Eye page and it asks celebrities probing questions. This month's question is "Did you ever wish that you looked different?" We learn that Paris Hilton and Kim Cattrall want bigger boobs, Jesse Metcalfe wants to be taller and poor Eva Longoria wants longer eyelashes. End sarcasm.
This magazine is what it is: a fashion magazine. You won't find the solution to world hunger in here and you won't find theological points of view. It is a light read full of tips, beauty products, fashion icons and other guilty pleasures. I love it.
