9 Best Dandruff Brushes To Keep You Flake-Free

If you suffer from a flakey scalp, you are not alone. Dandruff is super common among women and men, and annoyingly enough, can be difficult to treat. But if you're armed with the right tools, you can get rid of your shedding scalp. These 9 dandruff brushes are here to help you combat those pesky flakes while in the shower. In fact, you may have already seen these brushes in store and not realized it yet. These little contraptions seem to be all the rage when it comes to helping combat dry, flaky skin and dandruff, and as an added bonus, they're also affordable.

While dandruff shampoo is typically the first route people take to get rid of the dryness on their scalp, it's definitely not the only option. In fact, there are even home remedies for dandruff that contain all-natural, mostly household ingredients. If you're not interested in going the DIY route though, there's also tons of other, simple ways to help your scalp recover from a bout with dandruff. Whether it's doing a hot oil treatment or reevaluating your diet, there's a way to stop dandruff that's right for everyone.

One effective way, though, seems to be using dandruff brushes or shampoo brushes. These in-shower tools help break up flakes and wash them right out of your hair.

1. Traditional Brush
Dandruff brushes are typically silicon, and this is the perfect example of a classic brush.
2. Vinyl Brush
This vinyl brush seems like it's plenty sturdy for a scalp massage.
3. Exfoliating Brush
Exfoliate your scalp with this brush.
4. Electric Dandruff Brush
This electric powered brush will definitely be able to massage the dryness away.
5. Anti-Static Brush
Not only is this a great dandruff brush, but it also helps prevent static.
6. Handled Brush
If you want something with a better grip, this dandruff brush with a handle may be for you.
7. Dry Brush
If you're seeking a dry option, this will be a good bet.
8. Soft Bristle
With softer bristles, this brush will get the job done but be a bit more gentle.
9. Colorful Options
While these brushes are similar to others, their colorful hues are too good to pass up.

If you're looking for an affordable, easy way to combat those pesky flakes, definitely try one of these dandruff brushes. At the very least they'll help treat your scalp to a relaxing massage.

Try these skincare tips if you use makeup daily

There are some girls who like to do the makeup very much or their jobs are such, where they have to make almost daily makeup. Every day, due to applying chemical makeup products on the skin, the risk of skin damage is greatly increased.

Think about food: You may find it strange to hear, but your diet also affects your skin. If you always eat oily and heavy food, then your skin starts looking dull. So always include seasonal fruits, vegetables, etc. in your diet. Also, drink plenty of water. This causes the toxins of the body to come out and your skin starts glowing naturally.

Choosing the right product: If you want makeup to not have much adverse effect on your skin, then it is very important that you choose the product according to your skin. Always carry branded goods only. Never compromise with your skin by getting into a cheap affair. Also, before buying any product, focus on its ingredient.

Remove makeup: If you want makeup to not cause any damage to the skin, then it is very important that you must remove makeup before going to bed every night. Actually, the skin is naturally repaired at night and if the makeup is not removed, it will soon lead to aging of your skin. By the way, while removing makeup, you also have to keep in mind that you do it very comfortably. In particular, the area around the eyes is quite thin and sensitive and if you remove the makeup by pulling the skin, it increases the chances of getting fine lines.

Keep extra attention: To keep the skin always youthful, it is important to take extra care of it. Like, you must apply some homemade packs or hydrating sheets on your skin. This helps to keep the skin always youthful.

Anti-oxidant serum: Hydration is essential for skin rejuvenation. To give extra care to your skin, add an anti-oxidant serum to your beauty routine. In addition to hydrating the skin, the serum also protects against pollution, dirt and sun damage. It also prevents the onset of wrinkles, black spots and pigmentation apart from other signs of aging and makes the skin youthful and glowing.

Meet the no-plane pioneers

It has taken Roger Tyers four days to reach Moscow by train from Kiev. His destination is Beijing: a trip that will take 14 days, with a couple of overnight stops along the way. Tyers, an environmental sociologist at the University of Southampton, is on his way to China to research attitudes to the environment, the climate emergency and personal responsibility. “Given that, I thought it would be somewhat hypocritical of me to fly,” he says over Skype from his hostel room.

It has been months in the planning – he had to convince his bosses to give him a month off to travel to and from China. Has it been a pain? “It definitely has. It’s a matter of getting your train schedule in line with your visa requirements. I didn’t realise I needed a visa to travel through Mongolia, even though I’m not stopping there. There have been moments when I’ve been close to giving up and either cancelling the whole trip or just booking a flight.” But he is glad he has stuck with it, he says. “I have to prove it is possible.”

The no-fly movement is a small but growing community of people who are drastically reducing the number of flights they take, or giving up air travel altogether. Many campaigners say they feel flying is about to receive the same attention as shunning plastic or eating less meat because of its 2% contribution to global carbon emissions, predicted to grow to as much as 16% by 2050. In Sweden, where the movement has taken off, a new term has emerged: flygskam, meaning “flight shame”. Siân Berry, the co-leader of the Green party, has called on people to take no more than one flight a year and suggested a tax should be imposed on further journeys. Berry hasn’t flown since 2005.

The climate activist Greta Thunberg hasn’t flown since 2015; she did her European tour last month by train. In January, she attended the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland, travelling 32 hours each way by rail, while a record number of private jets – about 1,500 – brought the rich and powerful attendees.

It is becoming harder to defend alleged hypocrisy, however well-meaning. The actor Emma Thompson was criticised for flying from Los Angeles to support the Extinction Rebellion protest in London, not only by the usual naysayers eager to point out double standards, but also by environmental campaigners. “She could just as easily have paid for a billboard poster in Piccadilly and got her message across there,” said Kevin Anderson, a climate scientist who hasn’t flown since 2004, on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. The issue has been significant among environmental scientists for years; the Flying Less campaign, aimed at academia, has been running since 2015.

Paul Chatterton, a professor of urban futures at the University of Leeds, also hasn’t flown since 2004. “I think every academic has to justify why they are flying to that particular ‘must-go’ conference. If we have something really important to say, say it in a different way.” He travels to European conferences by train. “One of the privileges of being a middle-income professional – and this is a direct plea to other middle-income professionals – is that you can negotiate with your boss and you have a bit more money to get the train. I’m not talking about people who can’t afford to do that, because I know trains are more expensive.”

As for Chatterton’s no-fly family holidays, the best ones have been taking the ferry from Hull to Rotterdam and cycling around the Netherlands. “You travel light, you make it an adventure with your kids,” he says. “Who wants to sit in a departure lounge? You get the excitement of travelling through places, figuring out what the next journey is. I think we have to get back into the idea that travelling is special; it’s a privilege.”

Most flying is carried out by a small proportion of the population. Aled Jones, the director of the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University, says we have become used to the low-cost weekend flight abroad in a short space of time. “When I was growing up, and certainly for the generation before, flying on holiday was not something you expected to do,” he says. “By radically cutting down, we’re not going back to the dark ages; we’re going back to when people holidayed in the UK. It will be less of a sacrifice for a lot of people than we expect.” He admits that addressing “love miles” – flying to see family who live abroad – is “a very different challenge”.

Maja Rosén, who lives in Sweden and gave up flying in 2008, had always kept quiet when friends talked about flying abroad on holidays – until last year. “I thought: ‘How is it possible I’m more scared of destroying the mood than climate collapse?’ I decided that my new year resolution last year would be to start asking some inconvenient questions. I realised that most people weren’t aware of the impact from flying and how huge it is.”

She and a friend started a campaign, Flight-free 2019 (now Flight-free 2020), to encourage people to pledge not to fly. By the end of 2018, 15,000 Swedes had signed; by the end of this year, she thinks it will be 100,000. It has changed the conversation around flying in the country: passenger numbers dropped at Swedish airports in 2018, while a record number of people in the country took the train.

“People don’t realise that what they do as an individual is so important because it affects those around them,” says Rosén. “If you keep flying, all your friends will as well. You contribute to the norm. But if you decide to give up flying or take a flight-free year, that makes others reflect. Change can happen fast as soon as enough people start acting. Before, people saw flying as an experience or something you do, it wasn’t in the category of consumption, but I think now people are starting to realise that by taking a flight they are a heavy consumer of fossil fuel.”

There is now a British arm of the campaign, run by the writer Anna Hughes, who last took a flight eight years ago. More than 1,000 people have pledged to have a flight-free year. Hughes likens it to the Veganuary campaign, by which people give up animal products for January to raise awareness of veganism and change behaviour. She has travelled to Ireland, Denmark and other European countries – and seen a lot of the UK. “There is nowhere I can think of that I want to go that I can’t get to by bike, train or boat. If I was going to go further, I would just take a long time to do it.”

The author Nicola Davies is taking long-haul flights for a couple of upcoming commitments, but after that she will radically rethink her flight consumption, she says. There will almost certainly be no more European flights; she has already travelled to the Balearic Islands in Spain by car. “We did the journey down to Barcelona in two days, then the ferry crossing is eight hours,” she says, adding that it requires a bit more planning than travelling by plane. “It’s much more exciting, much closer to the real skin of the planet than the feeling you get from going to an airport, popping into a metal tube and then popping out at some other point on the planet with no real grasp of the distance, habitat, people and cultures you’ve passed over on the way.

Nigel Slater's vegetable stock and soup recipes

I have been in need of a good vegetable stock for some time. Not one of the delicate, vegetal liquids the colour of hay but something altogether deeper, richer and more ballsy. In other words, more like a brown meat stock. Such a broth would be immensely useful in my kitchen as a base for the heartier non-meat recipes that form the backbone of my daily eating, but also as something restoring to drink as you might a cup of miso. My gran would have had Bovril. The colour must be dark and glossy, the flavour deeply, mysteriously herbal with a hint of mushroom and there should be a roasted backnote, the sort you find in a long-simmered meat stock.

And so the kitchen slowly filled with the smell of onions, celery and carrots, which we roasted with miso then removed from the oven and simmered for a good hour with thyme, bay and shitake. We slipped in a sheet of kombu for an extra layer of depth.

The broth was strained and separated from its spent aromatics, its deep, almost mahogany liquor dripping slowly into a glass bowl. I used the witches’ brew immediately with spring vegetables, letting the stock add substance to a soup of young broad beans and carrots that we ate with thick slices of chewy sourdough toast. We dunked the toast deep into the stock, letting it slowly swell with the bosky, fungal, roasted flavours from the bowl.

A roasted vegetable stock

Makes about 2 litres

onions 2, medium
carrots 250g
celery 2 stalks
garlic 1 small whole head
light miso paste 3 tbsp
water 80ml, plus 3 litres
dried shitake mushrooms 50g
rosemary 5 sprigs
thyme 10 sprigs
bay leaves 3
black peppercorns 12
dried kombu 10g

Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Peel and roughly chop the onions, then place in a roasting tin together with the skins. Similarly chop the carrots and celery stalks then mix with the onions and the head of garlic, separated into cloves.

Mix together the miso paste and 80ml of water then stir into the vegetables, coating them lightly. Bake for about an hour, tossing the vegetables once or twice during cooking, until everything is brown, fragrant and toasty.

Transfer the roasted vegetables and aromatics to a deep saucepan, add the shitake, rosemary, thyme, bay, peppercorns and the sheets of kombu, then pour a little water from the 3 litres into the roasting tin, scrape at the sticky, caramelised bits stuck to the tin, then pour into the saucepan. Add the remaining water. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and leave to simmer, partially covered with a lid, for 50 minutes to an hour.

When you have a deep brown, richly coloured broth, tip through a sieve into a heatproof bowl or large jug and leave to cool. Refrigerate and use as necessary.
Spring vegetable soup

It seems only right, having a stock of such deep, herbal joy, to let it steal the limelight. I use it here as the base for a spring soup made with young broad beans and carrots barely thicker than an index finger.

Keeping the soup uncluttered by cream or other unnecessary bits and bobs, we are free to add other vegetables as the mood takes us: small heart- shaped leaves of young spinach, lightly cooked courgettes (add them with the tomatoes) or perhaps some spears of steamed asparagus.

Serves 4

broad beans 200g (podded weight)
spring carrots 180g
garlic 3 cloves
olive oil 3 tbsp
cherry tomatoes 200g
vegetable stock a litre
parsley leaves a handful

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, salt it lightly, then drop in the broad beans and let them cook, at a rolling boil, for 6 or 7 minutes. Have ready a bowl of water with ice cubes in it. As the beans become ready, drain and drop them into the iced water. Using your thumb and forefinger, pop the bright green beans from their pale, paper skins, leaving only the very smallest unskinned.

Trim and lightly scrub the carrots, then slice each in half lengthways. Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Warm the olive oil in a deep sided casserole over a moderate heat, add the carrots and garlic and let them cook for 2 or 3 minutes, occasionally moving them round the pan.

Cut each tomato in quarters then add them to the pan, stirring them as they soften and lose their shape. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil, then lower the heat, letting the vegetables cook for a further 3 or 4 minutes.

Drain the broad beans and add to the soup, letting them cook for a further 3 or 4 minutes. Check the seasoning then add the parsley leaves and ladle the soup into bowls.

Can Instagram Save the Flower Industry?

In a field of tulips, a group of three young women stop and ask me to take their photograph. They're wearing matching white dresses, and they have thick, drawn-on eyebrows, which may have been described in the late months of 2014 as being "on fleek." Around us, families wander in and out of the furrowed land between plantings, stopping to pick long-stemmed tulips and place them in their baskets. We're at Wicked Tulips Flower Farm, but this is no ordinary farm visit. I had to buy a ticket to get in. People seem more interested in taking pictures of the crop than they are in buying them. And that's fine by Wicked Tulips, which doesn't primarily sell flowers, even though they have some 600,000 of them growing on five acres. They're selling an experience—an Instagram-ready location, fresher than the Museum of Ice Cream, greener than the Color Factory. It's a place to see and mostly be seen, and it's perfectly calibrated to capture the millennial imagination.

It's the kind of engagement the floral industry is banking on for its survival. They want Americans of a certain age to start treating flowers like the Europeans do: as a year-round luxury, the backdrop of our lives, as essential as a good bottle of wine at dinner or slice of cake on your birthday. The floral industrial complex, which includes multinational commercial growers, large-scale importers, and retail purveyors down to neighborhood florists and bodegas, is currently seeking ways to reach younger generations. They're worried that people like me, a 31-year-old member of the much-maligned superbrood that came of age around the turn of the 21st century—now the largest potential customer pool in American history—aren't buying enough flowers. They're anxious that their industry, which is a relatively new one in the grand scheme of things, is in danger because of it. And so they're trying to convince us to buy flowers, not only because flowers are nice and make us happy, but because they provide texture and experience and other buzz-marketing things.

Flowers can also help you "build your own personal narrative," according to Brigid Stevens, who holds the title VP of brand at millennial-focused online flower retailer The Bouqs, which has an Instagram following in the hundreds of thousands. "Our customers, millennials and beyond, are gift-givers. They're homemakers, decorators and lifestyle enthusiasts," she says. "What's so appealing about this industry is that it's tactile. It's about creating and making something. That's how we position our brand."

As one of those millennials and, I suppose, a possible lifestyle enthusiast, I should be in their target market. But I have to admit: I haven't been buying flowers lately. Not since I began reporting this story and saw first-hand how flowers make their way into our country, then sit in cardboard boxes in massive refrigerated warehouses while shivering workers in Carhartt overalls check each upright set of stems. And how those tightly closed roses, waxy tulips and spikey chrysanthemums can be rendered scentless and soulless by the long, cold journey from field to vase, the product of a massive global juggernaut.

But I like flowers. I like them a lot. They make me happy. They make you happy, too, even if you may not realize it. A Rutgers University study found that when participants were presented with a gift other than flowers, they smiled and were happy. Sometimes they would smile a "Duchenne smile," or a true smile that involves the mouth, cheeks and eyes. But sometimes they would fake it, offering up a half-smile, a false affirmation. When the same participants were presented with flowers, 100 percent of them offered a Duchenne smile. "In an emotions lab, you never get a 100 percent response unless you're dropping a snake on people," said the researcher. "I was shocked."

These days, flowers are available at every Walgreens, CVS, Whole Foods and Costco. They're everywhere, and they're not particularly expensive—you can get a bouquet for less than $10. So why aren't more of us buying them?

Millennials have not yet been accused of "killing" the floral industry, but there is fear among cut flower buyers and sellers that a dystopian future with fewer bouquets (and too many succulents) could be on the horizon. U.S. employment in the floral sector dropped by more than 50 percent between 2001 and 2014, according to data compiled by the University of Florida, and the job outlook for floral designers over the next few years is bleak. In 2015, the not-for-profit Produce Marketing Association published a report identifying millennial disinterest as a key factor affecting the cut flower business. Millennials, according to the PMA, are less likely than baby boomers to appreciate flowers as gifts, less likely to know where to buy flowers, and less likely to purchase bouquets. They are, however, more likely to enjoy single flowers than their older counterparts and more likely to purchase flowers to impress guests. But price is cited as a barrier for many millennial customers, and as the PMA notes, because "floral expenditures on cut flowers are highly correlated with disposable income … in the U.S., growth in expenditure on horticulture products has come to a standstill."

In 2016, the American Floral Endowment issued a 72-page action plan titled "Marketing Tactics to Increase Millennial Floral Purchases," offering suggestions to help florists attract younger customers, including things like running quirky advertisements on social media and offering free gifts with purchases. The AFE argues for an increased focus on the benefits of flowers, and also recommends taking advantage of "trendy cultural trends," like food and personal health, on social media platforms. The goal is to get young people to stop thinking of flowers as an extravagance and start considering them a part of an everyday Gwyneth-style pampering regimen.

Flowers could dovetail nicely with the still-blossoming Goop-erific wellness industry, if they can just figure out how to tap into that market. For the past five years, succulents and houseplants (particularly the house-tour ubiquitous fiddle leaf fig and the always creeping, never flowering pothos) have reigned supreme in this arena, but they're pretty sure cut flowers could edge their way in, if the right influencers got on board.

According to the AFE, though millennials clearly want to share their peonie selfies with the world, they also happen to be "the least knowledgeable about making flower arrangements and the symbolic meanings of flowers." Apparently, we don't know how to trim rose stems or arrange chrysanthemums in a vase, and we were never taught the Victorian language of flowers, in which each blossom is assigned its own highly specific meaning (hydrangeas for heartlessness, snowdrops for hope, poppies for sleepiness and insincerity). While most floral companies are content to let this complicated code die, Teleflora, one of the largest and oldest flower delivery services in America, recently launched a blog that offers short articles on the meanings of various blooms, including information on "birth month" flowers, as well as some pop psychology on the significance of color. Orange roses signal passion. White roses mean "we're young and in love."

In a hotel conference room in Miami, a wall of red roses has begun to sweat. The roses have been tightly packed into a standing frame, and from a distance, the hundreds of crimson blooms appear to blur together, taking on the texture of velvet. Up close, you can see how the heat is beginning to affect them, breaking down the structure of the petals and turning the edges brown. A sweet fragrance wafts from the wall, but only if you get very close.

All around are similar walls, some made of white chrysanthemums, others decorated with blowsy baby pink peonies and powder blue hydrangeas, but roses (red roses, so-called "Freedom roses," as they were branded in the post-9/11 years) are the defining feature of the room. And that makes sense, because despite bridal trends and wildflower hype, rose varietals are the most important genus in the global floral importing business. They're the MVP of the flower world, the traditional Valentine's Day gift, and the standard unit of desire on The Bachelor. Roses fuel the flower trade, and the bulk of the roses sold in the US enter the country just a few miles away at the Miami International Airport.

Fashion Meets Gaming With Nick Covella of DMarket

Just over a week ago, Tommy Hilfiger launched Tommy Jeans XPLORE, a collection of denim and accessories embedded with what they call smart chip technology. Inspired by the gaming industry and the challenge/reward-based loyalty that gaming breeds in users, Hilfiger's smart chips allow wearers to earn points for wearing the clothes and for playing a Bluetooth-enabled game, points which can be exchanged for rewards like gift cards and exclusive merchandise, even tickets to the brand's runway shows.

While this is one of the first gaming technology inspired fashion endeavours on the market, the potential of transferring gaming concepts towards building consumer loyalty in fashion is, indeed, interesting.

I reached out to Nick Covella, a veteran of the tech industry who is currently SVP of Engineering at DMarket,  the first blockchain-based marketplace for trading in-game items. Covella thinks the opportunities to meld fashion and gaming go far beyond technology.

"It's inevitable that fashion and gaming industries will increasingly collaborate in the coming years because it brings so much value to both industries, enlarging both communities," says Covella. "Fashion could potentially make gaming popular among those who never played while designer in-game items will add pop culture to the gaming industry. Fashion would also receive exposure to a huge audience of 2.3 billion people playing games every day."

Hilfiger's foray into gaming tech wasn't the first made by a fashion brand. A few years back, Louis Vuitton dipped their toes in gaming (albeit not in such a direct way) by casting a virtual character from the game Final Fantasy in their ad campaign. There is even a Swedish fashion brand, DRKN, which is solely inspired by gaming.

"There are more things in common between fashion and gaming than one can imagine. Especially, when we are talking about in-game items," says Covella. In-game items are products gamers purchase within the game and live solely, and only, within the video game. "Both fashion and in-game assets are, often times, about displays of wealth. People buy Hermès bags for $60K, meanwhile, truly dedicated players are purchasing unique in-game skins from [the game] Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for the same price. This desire to display wealth exists both in real life and in virtual reality."

It's the motivational techniques used to get gamers hooked, though, that Covella believes present the most immediate opportunity for marketing in fashion by understanding and applying these techniques to programs such as customer loyalty.

The sufferer's guide to red, itchy, flaky skin

From one sufferer to another, consider this everything you need to know about the irritating skin condition, from what causes a flare-up to how it can be managed

I've suffered with eczema for as long as I can remember. It's a year-round thing: in the summer, heightened pollen levels aggravate it, while during winter the harsh cold causes the sore and dry skin it to split, weep and itch. It does my head in – and I'm not alone.

According to Allergy UK, as many as 15 million people are living with the infuriating skin condition in the UK alone, but a lot of us still aren't really sure what causes it or how we can keep its itchy, red symptoms at bay.

To some extent, it's down to individuality – your eczema will probably differ completely from mine. But to explain it thoroughly, we asked consultant dermatologist Dr Walayat Hussain of Bupa Health Clinics about all things eczema.

What is eczema?

First thing's first, let's break down exactly what eczema is. 'Also referred to as “dermatitis”, eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that can make your skin red, dry and itchy,' says Dr Hussain. 'There are a number of different types, and the type you have determines which treatment options are best for you.'

If you're experiencing uncomfortable dry, rashy skin, there's a good chance that it's eczema – your GP will be able to confirm a diagnosis. It can appear pretty much anywhere on the body; it's possible to get eczema on hands, feet, legs, arms, torso and eczema on the face. And although eczema in babies is very common, many people will experience symptoms throughout adulthood.

Are there different types and causes of eczema?

Despite usually being referred to as simply 'eczema' alone, there are many different types and each has its own specific set of causes and treatment options. Read on for a break down of each type.

Dishydrotic eczema
Also known as pompholyx, dishydrotic eczema appears as tiny, fluid-filled blisters usually on your hands and feet. They look like raised pinpricks covering the top of hands or feet or in patches between the fingers and toes, and are incredibly itchy, becoming even more sore if they burst as your skin tries to heal.

While the exact causes are unknown, it's thought dishydrotic eczema is triggered by stress or upon contact with allergens.

Atopic eczema
Also known as atopic dermatitis, this is the most common type of eczema, often found in people who also have asthma, hayfever and allergies. 'This can be genetic and you may notice your skin gets irritated on the face, in front of the elbows and behind the knees,' says Dr Hussain. 'It usually flares up if you have allergies and come into contact with soaps, detergents or other types of chemicals.

'Although there is no cure for atopic eczema, your GP or dermatologist may prescribe you with a specific type of moisturiser known as an emollient. These work by restoring water and oils to your skin to soothe and hydrate it, as well as helping to repair the damaged skin.'

Contact eczema
This type appears when your skin becomes sensitised to something in the environment. 'Unlike a peanut allergy, which occurs immediately upon exposure, contact dermatitis develops over a period of time as your body becomes sensitised to something you may have been using or wearing for years, such as nickel in jewellery,' says Dr Hussain.

'Contact dermatitis often affects your hands, so avoid this, consider what products you're using that maybe irritating your skin and try shielding your hands from them. Your GP may refer you to a specialist Dermatologist who performs patch testing, which can help identify what you're allergic to.'

Discoid eczema
This type appears as very itchy, flat red patches of inflamed skin, usually on the arms and or legs, and is most commonly found in middle aged or elderly people. 'We don't know what exactly causes discoid eczema, but in keeping with other types, your skin loses moisture and therefore struggles to provide an effective barrier against substances,' says Dr Hussain. 'This means usually harmless substances, like soap, can irritate your skin.

'Although there's no simple cure for this type of eczema, your dermatologist or pharmacist can recommend some medications to help ease the symptoms, along with daily moisturising.' Read our guide to the best moisturiser for dry skin and choose a gentle formula for eczema-prone skin.

Seborrhoic eczema

In seborrhoic eczema, inflammation usually occurs in areas of your skin that are hairier or more oily, i.e. where there are more sebaceous glands, such as your eyebrows, chest or scalp.

'It's believed that seborrhoeic dermatitis is caused by having too much yeast in your system or your immune system's over-reaction to yeast,' adds Dr Hussain. 'Your Dermatologist can recommend some creams and shampoos to help reduce the level of yeast you have which should help ease the symptoms.

Varicose eczema
Varicose eczema mainly affects people who have varicose veins, causing the skin around them to become itchy and inflamed, and can be managed by working on improving your circulation.

'This can be done by keeping active and wearing compression socks every day, apply moisturiser to help with the dryness and talk to your pharmacist about which ointments would be best for you,' advises Dr Hussain. 'If this doesn't work, your GP may refer you to a dermatologist or vascular specialist to explore other treatment options.

Treatment of eczema

There are many different options to manage eczema, and no 'one-size-fits-all treatment plans. Your GP may prescribe topical steroid creams, such as hydrocortisone, eumovate and betnovate, to help with the itching. These work by stopping the skin cells from producing chemicals which cause inflammation in response to the allergens.

While there's an element of trial and error in terms of which over-the-counter products keep symptoms at bay, Dermol 500 Lotion is a very gentle, daily moisturiser and also works as a soap substitute, used by eczema sufferers all over – because it really works.

Taste Beauty announces the launch of new structure to further accelerate growth

Today, Taste Beauty, a leading manufacturer and marketer of innovative and high quality beauty products, announces a new diversified business structure as it moves into its next phase of growth.

Founded in late 2015 by a trio of seasoned beauty executives, Taste Beauty is best known for fun flavored lip balms, rapid speed to market, and its recent buzzy launches at Sephora including Felicia the Flamingo, Glamspin and Frenchie the Bulldog. Last week, mega-influencer Jeffree Star posted a YouTube video about Taste's Nickelodeon 90's Eye Shadow Palette to his 6.1 million followers – leading to a retail sell-out in just days. Unique 3D printed components, pop culture, and fun, innovative packaging have enabled Taste Beauty to form strong connections with its loyal consumers. 

To capitalize on this momentum and their "secret sauce" to make products go viral, Taste Beauty is charting its course for the coming years by investing in a new platform to expand partnerships and innovation across all segments of its business. 

The new structure will segment the Taste Beauty business into three silos:

* Taste Beauty: A leading beauty brand for Gen Z – inspired by pop culture, incredible flavors and products you can't resist sharing on social media.

* Taste & Friends: Licensing partnerships with world's most iconic, evergreen brands & characters to create unique, safe & high quality beauty & personal care products for all retail channels. Current partners include Disney, Nickelodeon, Universal, General Mills, Pepsi & many more.

* Taste Labs: Brand & product development incubator. Taste Labs builds brands, launches new innovative products and orchestrates exclusive collaborations with retailers, media companies and lifestyle brands to bring big ideas to life.

The Taste Beauty team is confident this new platform will allow the company to maximize its current and future opportunities, while offering an even greater level of service to its partners.

"We believe this structure will allow us to be an even more nimble, flexible & creative resource for the marketplace," said Alex Fogelson, Taste Beauty's Managing Partner. He added, "This new model comes heels of closely listening to our customers and partners, and their needs in the rapidly evolving retail and media landscape."

The in 2018 and beyond, the company is positioned for sustained growth across all of its retail channels, and with more partnerships announce in the coming months, Taste Beauty is on pace to have another record breaking year.

A World-Famous Makeup Artist Taught Me This Life-Changing Makeup Rule

For being as all-things-beauty-obsessed as I am (open my bathroom cabinet at your own risk), I still wonder whether my minimalist approach to makeup disqualifies me from any real product expertise as an editor. A strong distaste for waking up early might be a factor in my daily 10-minutes-or-less face—on average, excluding skin care—but truth be told, a product rut might be to blame as well. Am I exceptionally loyal to a select few brands, or just lazy to a fault?

In order to overcome the budding lack of confidence in my beauty routine, I decide to consult one of fashion’s most beloved and respected makeup artists: Tom Pecheux. The YSL global beauty director—and one of the loveliest people in the industry—agreed to sit down with me and the (haphazard) contents of my makeup bag just before the holidays. I brought along only the products I use on an everyday basis—meaning my electric blue eyeliner and favorite magenta shadow stayed at home—so that he could decipher whether or not I had a regimen that fit my makeup goals, what I needed to invest in, and essentially help transform me into the glowiest version of myself.

I brought the below 10 products for Tom to review:

1. KEVYN AUCOIN The Sensual Skin Enhancer Concealer No. 3
2. Glossier Cloud Paint in Beam and Puff
3. Becca Shimmering Skin Pressed Highlighter in Champagne Pop
4. Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown
5. Glossier Boy Brow in Brown
6. RMS Buriti Bronzer
7. RMS Living Luminizer
8. Make Up For Ever HD Powder
9. Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balm
10. Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara

As you can see, no foundation, no eyeliner, and if I’m running late to work, rarely any shadow. Lots of cream formulas, highlight, and extra attention to my brows. Again, not discounting the four other drawers of products that I play around with on weekends or mornings when I’m craving a little bit of oomph makeup-wise.

A Guide to the Best Jeans for Petite Women

As someone who is 4'11" shopping for jeans is a constant struggle. Finding clothes that fit can be a challenge, especially if the brands you like don't make specialty petite sizing. When it comes to jeans, the biggest problem is usually length, but it doesn't end there. Some petite woman also struggle with waist sizing due to the proportions of the jeans being created for a different body type.

If having every single pair of jeans you own hemmed to a proper length sounds a little to exhausting to imagine—we're here for you. No more considering shopping in the kids section, no more chopping off the ends of your jeans and hoping that the frayed look never goes out of style.

We are here to help you find full-length jeans that will actually fit, flare jeans that are proportional perfect for you, and jeans that have all the fun details that those tall girls get to wear. Below, we picked out the best petite jeans from our favorite denim fit experts from J Brand, Joe's Jeans, NYDJ, Hudson Jeans, and more. Scroll to shop them now.

1. J.Crew

The boyfriend trend is always a tough one to master when you have short legs, but J.Crew has given us the slim boyfriend denim in petite sizing so we can jump on the relaxed street style sensation.

2. 7 For All Mankind

7 For All Mankind has a few of what they call 'tailorless' styles which have an extra short inseam to avoid a trip to the tailor.

3. J Brand

J Brand offers a collection of styles in petite sizing (cue the choir) the high-rise super skinny will help to elongate your legs.

4. NYDJ

NYDJ is the one stop shop for petite denim, with an extensive petite selection you will find all your favorite styles and silhouettes.

5. Gap

We are jumping on the trendy denim train with a petite tracksuit-inspired jean.

6. Joe's Jeans

A dark wash boot cut is always flattering especially when it has been created in a petite silhouette.

7. Hudson Jeans

It is a struggle to find a good bootcut with proper proportion when you have such a short inseam, but thankfully Hudson has created a the perfect pair we are dying over.

8. Mother

Mother happens to be one of my favorite denim brands and although they don't have petite sizing all their denim styles come in size 23, which I find to be a great size for petites (especially when it comes to their cropped flares!).

We Found the Best Holiday Dresses for Your Body Shape

Ugh, we know. You procrastinated long enough and now you're without a dress for whatever parties you still have to attend, including New Year's Eve. Well, consider this the one and only time that waiting until the last minute will be in your favor—we found the best holiday dresses, and we did it by body type too.

Got a long and lean silhouette? Embrace your supermodel height with a sinuous midi- or floor-length dress that easily skims over your frame. And if you're petite, go for minis that range from girly ruffled tiers to cute one shoulders. Bordeauxs and reds are champions of the season, which is perfect because the shades look great on all skin and body types. Scroll through to find your perfect dress that you'll wear for the rest of the season and maybe even for the rest of your life, because these are that good.

1. BODY TYPE: CURVY + HOURGLASS

Look for: Flattering fit-and-flare silhouettes in structured fabrics. For added sex appeal, try curve-clinging cuts that highlight your hourglass figure.

2. BODY TYPE: Round

Look for: Swingy trapeze numbers, simple shifts, or empire-waist cuts to create dimension around a round tummy.

3. BODY TYPE: ATHLETIC

Look for: Body-hugging designs that not only show off your hard-earned muscles but also create curves in all of the right places.

4. BODY TYPE: LONG & LEAN

Look for: Ankle-grazing and calf-length, diaphanous dresses in the form of slips and body-framing sheaths.

5. BODY TYPE: PETITE

Look for: Easy minis that won't overwhelm your frame. Find drama with girly ruffles or bold color.

6. Inverted Triangle

Look for: Details—like sweet ruffles, sexy cut-outs, or one-shoulder silhouettes to balance a top-heavy silhouette.

Can You Guess Dolly Parton's Biggest Fashion Regret?

Dolly Parton is known for her sequin-flavored fashion taste, but the country singer never takes her style too seriously. After all, the witty star once famously said: "You'd be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap!"

Even with her laid-back attitude, though, Parton's not immune to fashion regrets. Recently, the icon sat down with People and spilled all about her most memorable wardrobe malfunctions.

"My last fashion disaster — that happens all the time, because I'm always wearing clothes too tight," Parton revealed. "I buy them small, and then I have them taken in, usually." But when forced to to choose a single biggest disaster, Parton honed in on a dress she wore to the 1978 Country Music Association Awards.

"My whole dress popped right up through the middle, just about the time I was going up for an award," she shared. "I had to borrow a coat, or somebody's shawl, to hold over me. Remember that, back years ago?"

Dolly has spoken about the 1978 incident before, telling People last year: “I remember thinking this is such a beautiful dress, but the fabric is so delicate! I thought, 'Man, as tight as I wear my clothes…' — and I was a little hefty then anyway! – I thought 'I hope this all holds together! When they called my name, I felt something creeping up my stomach and I thought, 'Oh My God — my dress is coming apart!' And I thought 'What am I gonna do?'" Luckily, Kenny Rogers' ex-wife Marianne Rogers came to the rescue, lending Dolly her fur stole.

The country icon 'fessed up to the incident when she took the mic that evening, telling the crowd: "I had this dress made in case I won and about five minutes ago, I was hoping I wouldn't win because I busted the front out of it!” she said at the time, adding to raucous laughter from the crowd, “But my daddy says that's what I got for putting 50 pounds of mud in a five pound bag!'”

For the record, we can't recall any incidents in which Dolly was less than total perfection. And at the moment, her appearance at the 2017 Emmy Awards with 9 to 5 castmates Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin is pretty much our favorite thing. But Dolly, listen: if you ever need to borrow a coat again, call us.

Getting the scoop on fall fashion can be fun and unique experience

Every year I try to get to an event or two during Philly Fashion Week (PFW), just to be a part of the excitement and see what Philly's designers are presenting to the fashion world. Let's face it, PFW is not just plain old fun, but rather, it's more of an experience! Philly's Fashion Week isn't stuffy and serious, only for the swanky rich, famous and connected, like New York's Fashion Week or L.A.'s, or Paris' or London's shows appear to be. Truthfully, I have never attended all of those international shows, so I am only guessing what they are like, based on the movies and news clips that I've seen. But I have been to PFW more than once, and everyone who wants to go or has the interest is invited to join in the fun and glamorous pizazz of this weeklong, full-of-life party for Philly-area 'phashionistas.'

Although there were many fashion shows and events during the week-long PFW (Sept. 18-23), including a show at Macy's in Center City and an afternoon children's fashion show, I could only attend one event this year. I chose the Friday night Runway I show located at Dilworth Park, right smack in front of City Hall. This year's venue was a breathtaking scene with the fountains and lights at night. The event looked just like something one would see at New York Fashion Week, with tents, lights, a long runway for models wearing the city's hottest fashions, a PFW backdrop for photo taking, photographers milling around with expensive cameras with long lenses and attendees glammed up in outfits that you'd only see, well, at a Fashion Week. There was even a trunk show following the runway extravaganza.

Some of the outfits off-stage, worn by those in attendance, were just as all-out, over-the-top and eye-catching as the outfits worn by models in the show. In fact, half of my amusement that night was checking out the outfits that people chose to wear to the show — the high boots, flowing overcoats, high heels higher and more exotic than I had ever seen before in person, unique hats, and all kinds of other ensembles that screamed, "Look at me, look at me,” so that is what I did throughout the night. I looked at them — one extreme outfit after the next. The operative word of the night was "glam,” and I really enjoyed seeing guys and ladies dressed to the nines for the evening of fun and fashion.

The designers that showcased their work during the Runway I show were; Love Cili, J. Pratt, Victoria Wright Designs, Ke' Collection, Mariah Lynn Designs, Shahedah Textiles, Tertu Designs, Burning Guitars, Shrutis Designs, Steel Pony, Clarence Clottey London, and Laura Gomez, Dominique Albertini and Amira Myers from the Moore College of Art.

Most of the outfits on the catwalk were way over the top. In other words, I can't picture too many average people who would wear them out in public, although I don't want to generalize. There were definitely many that would look stylish, flattering and smart on the under-35 population. I attended the fashion show with my two daughters, so every other outfit or so, I would have to lean in to ask what these younger-than-me ladies thought of a piece on stage. I did this to confirm that it wasn't just my age preventing me from fully understanding the beauty of certain pieces.

In all honesty, some of these designers presented hats that had to be 2 feet tall, women's shirts that were completely see-through, dresses that looked like sewn-together shredded rags, men's jumpsuits that were brightly colored and patterned (Thinking as hard as I could, I could not come up with a single guy that I know who would wear one), and a men's outfit that consisted of two blankets sewn together. I felt stupid as I watched the room erupt into a standing ovation and applause, because I just didn't get how the blanket outfit worn on top of a pulled-around-the-face hoodie was a fashion statement. This is the night that I learned a valuable lesson.

I always wondered why designers had so many outfits in a show that seemed unpractical, ridiculous, outrageous and — do I dare say — often quite hideous. It was at this show that I learned from the experts sitting near me, that fashion designers purposely make these outlandish fashion statements on the runways because they get people to pay attention and talk about them and their collections. They take the risk because they want to entertain, be remembered, stand out from the others and create publicity and noise by their outrageousness, their out-of-the-box, off-the-charts creativity. Designers rarely get noticed by parading hum-drum ensembles on the runway. I had never realized that designers created some of these fashions just to get noticed and get people talking about them, not really for the clothes' street value wearability.

Runway designs are a form of wearable artwork, I was told. The emphasis is supposed to be on beauty and innovation, not functionality. Now I know.

5 reasons plus-size style is in the spotlight

Nearly 70 percent of women in the U.S. wear a size 14 or above. So why, then, do these shoppers only make up about 16 percent of total apparel sales, according to market research firm NPD Group?

It comes down to options — particularly, a lack of them in stores that cater to this group. Meanwhile, 78 percent said they'd be willing to spend more on clothing if more designers offered something in these sizes, reports a recent study by plus-size startup Dia & Co, which surveyed 1,500 women who wear a size 14 or up.

At last, the fashion industry may be wising up to this disparity, as well as the money that could be made for brands that address it with more choices for more sizes. At New York Fashion Week this season, plus-size clothing had its strongest showing on the runway in recent memory — or maybe ever. In several cases, fashion for all was celebrated with straight and plus sizes each having their turn in the spotlight.

Here are five ways plus-size style stole the show and the designers who helped make it happen.

1. "A banner season for body diversity": For the first time in New York Fashion Week history, plus-size models walked in 12 shows, with a total of 90 being cast, according to the FashionSpot's biannual Diversity Report. That's up from 26 models last season and 16 last fall. At the February 2016 shows, just four were featured.

2. Sharing the runway: Several noted designers had a mix of straight and plus-size models walk in their shows. Christian Siriano included 10 curvy models in his cast — the most in a show that wasn't entirely full-figured fashions. Chromat, Michael Kors, Prabal Gurung, Tracy Reese, Tome, Eckhaus Latta and Anna Sui were some others who followed suit.

3. Exclusive shows: Two shows at New York Fashion Week were devoted to plus-size style. Canadian brand Addition Elle, whose moto is "style isn't limited by size," unveiled a see now/buy now collection of relaxed bombers, shirt dresses accented with corset belts, striking lace eveningwear and sparkly sheath dresses. Supermodel Ashley Graham also debuted her latest lingerie pieces for the brand. Torrid, which serves sizes 10 to 30, showed off selections for spring, including a mix of edgy looks (black bodycon dresses, dark denim, netted layering pieces, etc.) and playful florals.

4. Speaking up: Lauren Chan, an editor at Glamour magazine and former model represented by Ford, modeled a red halter-style swimsuit with white piping for the swim and sport brand Chromat. But when she was bombarded with body-shaming comments, mostly from men, she said on social media, she didn't shy from the limelight. "My whole body of work as an editor is focused on redefining the social norms about size and on making women feel valued no matter what they look like. Period," she wrote as part of her response on Instagram. Glamour also sounded off with more supportive comments.

5. Conference call: While runway shows unfolded across Manhattan, theCURVYcon conference brought together some of the industry's leading brands, stylists, bloggers, media personalities and more for a body-positive experience, complete with shopping, fitness sessions and panels. Homegrown ModCloth was on site to share its wide selection of styles in a range of sizes.

How cycling shorts became the height of fashion

What are they? Black cycling shorts.

Ah, yes. I think I've seen these. Are they the things I get stuck behind whenever I drive uphill on a sunny Saturday? That's right. Cycling shorts are tight, stretchy leg coverings that stop above the knee and often contain the bottom, thighs and genitals of an obsessive pedaller.

Oh, believe me, I can see exactly what they contain. I have to stare at them for hours while I wait to overtake. My sympathies.
Ride in style: our pick of women's cycling fashion – in pictures
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But it is practical to wear them for a long bike ride, I suppose. Absolutely. They are aerodynamic and allow your legs to move freely while you exercise. And they keep you relatively warm and dry.

I achieve the same effect by placing myself inside some kind of building, such as a house or pub. Each to their own. But, of course, cycling shorts are at the cutting edge of fashion.

No, they're not. Oh yes they are. Black cycling shorts were part of Dior's and Dolce & Gabbana's latest catwalk shows. Both Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid have recently been seen wearing them.

While pedalling up Ditchling Beacon? No. While prancing about being famous.

Did they have those padded bottoms? The shorts?

Yes. I don't believe so. These are designer shorts, remember, from labels such as Vatanika. Think of them more as cut-off leggings.

OK. And they don't absolutely have to be black. Naomi Campbell wore white ones at Off-White's catwalk show in Paris.

Can they have brightly coloured sponsors' logos all over them? They cannot.

So what will become fashionable next? Metal clips on the soles of high heels? Weird, creepy goggles? A water bottle strapped to your clutch bag? Puncture repair kits? I doubt it. This trend is more about the skintight silhouette than any great devotion to cycling. It's not as if fashion models and competitive cyclists have much in common, after all.

Apart, of course, from a reputed fondness for leg-shaving? Yes. Apart from that.

Do say: "Bringing together the luxuriant shine of kangaroo leather and the punk aesthetic of detachable metal studs, football boots are the perfect choice to finish any weekend outfit with éclat."

Don't say: "Accessorise with shin pads."

Top 10 Best Wedding Outfits for Dogs

Are you obsessed with your dog? Many dog owners are, to the point that dressing them up in things like doggie sneakers is a must. I know how it is — my wife and I have three dogs and we're obsessed with them. We don't go so far as to dress them up regularly, but if we were to get married today, you can bet we'd invite them to the ceremony.

If you're planning a wedding that your dog gets to attend, make the most of it by dressing them up, too. There are a variety of roles your dog can play as either a member of the wedding party or as a fashionable guest. It's a special day, you've paid for the photographer, and your friends and family will all be assembled, so it's a perfect opportunity to put your dog in an adorable costume for all to see.

We've discussed dog costumes in the past, and we know how much everyone gets a kick out of seeing a dog pose as a human. For this list, we've suggested outfits for each role a dog might play in your big day. If you've got multiple dogs, you can find a separate role for each of them, even if it's just distinguished guest.

The best part about all of these outfits is that unlike your wedding dress, any of these can be worn more than once. Holiday celebrations, parties, or other landmark events are all good times to toss a tux on your dog and parade them around.

As your wedding day approaches, don't forget about these top ten best dog wedding outfits so your pup can participate, too.

1. Dog Wedding Dress: Rubie's Classics Collection Pet Wedding Dress Costume

While you can't marry your dog (please, please do not attempt to marry your dog), we all know at least one person who might say something along the lines of, "Marrying me means being married to my dog, too." You know, the people who love their dog so much that any potential partner must learn to love them nearly as much. If you feel that way, you can toss a wedding gown on your dog to match the one you or your intended will be wearing. This lacy ruffle dress complete with veil comes in six different sizes to fit just about any dog. As an alternative, the "Yappliy Ever After" dress from East Side Collection is also very nice.

2. Dog Tuxedo: Alfie Pet by Petoga Couture Oscar Formal Tuxedo

As with the bride, your dog can be dressed up like the groom, too, though this will work for a best man, groomsman, or just a very fashionable guest. This is a fully lined formal tux, available in eight different sizes. The set includes two ties — one red and one black — so you can match the style of your wedding. The subtle pinstriping adds a fashionable, if non-traditional, flair. Other options include the East Side Collection tux which goes with the wedding dress mentioned above, or the simpler I See Spot Tuxedo Shirt.

3. Dog Ring Bearer: I See Spot's Ring Bearer Pet Bandana

The most popular function for a dog at a wedding (or the proposal that comes before it) is probably ring bearer. Having your dog run down the aisle with the rings is a pretty easy thing to accomplish, so this is a good job for them. Make it official with this bandana that declares their special function for the day. Simply tie the rings to the included ribbon and send your dog up to the altar.

4. Dog Flower Girl: Kirei Sui Ivory Rosettes Tutu Party Dress

With a little bit of outside help, your dog can also perform the role of flower girl (girl part not necessary). This dress is covered in little rosettes to perfectly style your pup as the bringer of flowers.

5. Dog Bridesmaid: Genuiskids Dog Rose Princess Lace Dress

Even for most humans, being in the wedding party means being a bridesmaid or a groomsman. Dress up your dog in one of these fantastically over-the-top bridesmaid dresses. You choose between pink or purple among six different sizes that are mostly aimed at smaller breeds.

6. Dog Groomsman: Zunea Small Dog Clothes Shirt Overalls Outfit

I'm going to a wedding this year (no dogs invited, for some reason) as a groomsman. The selected attire is a pair of slacks, a white shirt, tie, and suspenders. Put together, it looks an awful lot like this outfit. If you want your dog to be a groomsman at your wedding, this makes a pretty dapper option and comes in five sizes, again aimed at smaller breeds. It's a handsome, classic look.

7. Dog Best Man or Maid of Honor: Hello Hazel Company Best Dog or Dog of Honor Bandana

As the cliche goes, a dog is a man's best friend. And a best friend is likely to be the best man at a wedding. Declare your dog as such with this U.S.-made, professionally screen printed burlap style bandana complete with bow tie. The Dog of Honor bandana swaps the tie for flowers, if you prefer.

8. Dog Bow Tie: Bingapet Diamond Bow Tie Pet Collar

If your dog is simply a guest at your wedding, adorning them with a bow tie can provide just enough of a look to fit in. Of course, casual bow tie wear for dogs has been popular for awhile now, but if your doesn't yet have one, a wedding is a perfect excuse. This one comes on a rhinestone-studded collar in red, black, or pink across three sizes.

9. Casual Dog Wedding Guest: Fitwarm Casual Dog Plaid Western Shirt and Bowtie

Perfect for casual fall weddings (the best kind, in my opinion), your dog can arrive as the consummate guest in this cozy shirt and tie combination. Dressy enough for a special occasion, but not in danger of outshining the bride or any of the wedding party.

10. Dog Wedding Announcement: TooLoud Personalized Mr and Mrs Design Dog Bandana

Whether at the reception or on the honeymoon — dogs go on honeymoons, right? — this personalized bandana will announce your recent nuptials to the world. Enter your name and year or date so your dog can sport this personalized celebration of your marriage. Rather than the MC at the reception making the announcement, just send your dog running in wearing this.

Faff-free party dresses and duvet coats

It is is late August, which can only mean one thing: we now declare the new fashion season open. Here's how to use the upcoming trends to help you achieve your best autumn ever.

If you want to get promoted … wear red

There's lots of talk this season about the appeal of tonal dressing – ie wearing the same shade head-to-toe. The Kardashians have been on this for ages, but the catwalk moved it on by spinning the colour wheel to red, AKA the no-brainer 80s-worthy symbol for power. It's indisputably the colour of the season and the death knell for the ubiquitous millennial pink. A pair of red boots puts a pleasing full stop on any office look on a day when you haven't got the bandwidth for Dulux-style colour matching.

If you want to have 10 minutes extra in bed every morning … wear a long-sleeved dress

Seen everywhere from Erdem to Michael Kors and Dries Van Noten, the long-sleeved floral dress is not only pretty, but it is also joyous, because it is so useful. The satisfying life hack of a dress versus separates – no rummaging for the right T-shirt to go with the tweed skirt – plus the statement of the floral print means you have a look without thinking about it. This is win-win dressing at its best. Invest immediately.

If you want to demonstrate your cultural prowess … wear the Americana trend

To get a take on the US now, with intellectual weight, Raf Simons – a Belgian who references rave and collaborates with artists including Sterling Ruby – is a good shout. His debut for Calvin Klein was all cowboy boots and denim with one model wearing an American flag as a skirt. His ad campaigns, meanwhile, feature models on a deserted highway, with – keep up – a Calvin Klein billboard in the background showing other models looking at Andy Warhol's Elvis. If that sounds meta and knowing, so is your conscious choice to wear an indigo denim jacket and jeans, as seen in Simons' collection.

If you want to take your hangover look outside … wear a duvet coat

You know those Sundays when you don't leave the house until 5pm for a trip to the local shop to procure Hula Hoops? They are totally fashionable this season. Mulberry brought duvet days on to the catwalk with a selection of eiderdown jackets worthy of the Queen tucking into a box set at Balmoral. A longline padded jacket is the norm's version – and handily doubles as a blanket when you get back from the shop.

If you want to look vaguely on trend but basically wear the same jeans you always do … wear a double-breasted blazer

Newsflash to those still wearing athleisure: tailoring, and general smartness, is back. But this doesn't mean the kind of pointy shoes and bobble-prone neat black suiting typically worn by a first-jobber. Instead, make sure your tailoring is oversized and somewhat 80s in flavour. Think Princess Di off-duty – she owned the jeans and blazer look and is the first retro fashion reference to trip off the tongue of any self-respecting millennial in 2017.

If you want to do party dressing without the faff … wear chainmail

Forget about the dry-cleaning issues – party dressing is a yolo kind of affair. A chainmail dress brings drama to any autumn 2017 dates in your diary and is surprisingly chic, in a 90s Met Bar kind of way. For inspo, Campbell and Moss walking the runway together at the Versace show in 1999 is everything here.

If you want to feel the benefit … wear a hat

Expect to see guides to avoiding hat hair soon – headgear is essential for AW17, and not just because of the long-held parental theory that you lose heat through your head in winter. The beanie is over but take heart, the beret is your friend this season – it is a subtle nod to your wokeness in hat form. Che Guevara is an icon of the beret, after all.

If you want to up your Insta game: wear a T-shirt with a quote

Moving on from the “We Should All Be Feminists” T-shirt of last season, the newest sartorial sandwich boards are less about female empowerment and more a way to show off your cleverness. Enter the highbrow T-shirt. Rihanna's Gucci tee appealed to philosophy graduates with a Baudelaire quote, while others reference song lyrics and Bible verses.

4 Trends to Shop Now

Regardless of what the Gregorian calendar says, for many of us fashion folk it's September that feels like the start of a new year. Perhaps it's because the magazines stretch their bindings on their biggest issues, or that, on the runways, we get a glimpse of what is to come. Or it may be the persistent association with back-to-school prep that lingers long after the last bell.

Whatever the reason, autumn puts one in mind of fresh beginnings. We can hardly be blamed, then, for wanting to jump-start the seasonal update now, even as we wait for temperatures to cool. Luckily, the stores have plenty of fresh offerings that play into fall's biggest trends.

Statement Velvet

Velvet is to fall what florals are to spring. The cozy material is always a mainstay of the season. This year, though, the volume has been turned way up. Not only is it more omnipresent than ever, but instead of the usual navy, black and burgundy, it's showing up in loud hues like hot pink and mustard gold.

The Hottest Hue

There are those of us who love to wear red and those who swear they can't. This season may convert some of the naysayers. All over the runways, at Oscar de la Renta, Dolce & Gabbana and, most notably, Givenchy, which showed a completely crimson lineup, the potent color comes in many iterations — hipster-approved ensembles, sophisticated separates — that will appeal to all sorts.

A Different Kind of Suit

It's always nice when a trend comes along that's as comfortable and practical as it is cool. The tracksuit, seen on the runways at Marc Jacobs, Chloé and Yeezy, is one such gem. Updated in a variety of fabrics and slightly tweaked silhouettes, the tricked-out suits invite a certain swagger.

Laced Up

It's a little odd that, at a time when feminism is arguably thriving more than ever, the corset, that hallmark of the patriarchal oppression, should be enjoying a moment of popularity. Of course, the 2017 versions are a good deal less restrictive — and pair perfectly well with a finely honed sense of social justice.

Your Everyday Makeup Questions, Answered

A big night out may be a good excuse for a fun new makeup look, but most of us need our makeup to work Monday through Friday, and we count on a few reliable products to get the job done. Unless you're ready to risk a faux pas — your smoky eye gone singed, let's say — the workweek isn't the best time to go experimental. Instead, we offer advice from experts on the best ways to apply your daily makeup and, along the way, clear up a few confounding makeup questions.

Foundation

Conceal blemishes, smooth your complexion and create a flawless face.

Should I wear a primer underneath my makeup?

Primer can be a controversial topic, and even professionals are divided. Well-known makeup artists hail its effectiveness in creating a smoother surface for makeup, evening out skin texture and providing longer-lasting wear. Others insist that primer serves only a minimal purpose for the general population. Jamie Greenberg, a makeup artist who often works with the actress Rashida Jones, suggests thinking of primer as a problem solver. "If you find yourself having trouble keeping your makeup in place, and you've already tried different foundation formulas, you might want to try a primer," she says. "It will make your makeup last longer, so if you have a special meeting or aren't able to touch up during the day, it helps."Generally, Ms. Greenberg finds that a good primer can get you "four hours where your makeup will look top-notch." Apply it all over with a flat foundation brush. It adds a few minutes to your morning makeup routine, but it can save you time on touchups.

How do I determine which foundation is best for me?

Skin type plays a key role, but Ms. Greenberg would argue that most people already know their skin type. The issue, she says, is more nuanced. "You have to think, ‘Is your foundation compatible with your moisturizer?' As you know, water and oil don't mix, so if you're using, say, an oil-based moisturizer and water-based foundation, you might have an unwanted pilling effect." This remains true throughout the seasons, she points out, so you may want to pair a water-based foundation with a water-based moisturizer during the summer but switch to oil-based products in the winter.

Are there tricks to blending foundation?

When it comes to makeup tools, Ms. Greenberg says a damp sponge by beautyblender wins hands down. You add foundation to the moist sponge and use stippling motions to apply it to the face. "It really helps set the foundation into the skin," Ms. Greenberg says. "You get coverage but without looking like you have a pound of product on your face."

Why do some base products look more natural than others?

Whether or not a base looks natural hinges on texture and consistency. Generally, matte or thicker foundations will have a more artificial-looking finish. Natural skin tends to reflect a bit of light. Ms. Greenberg also finds that color plays an outsize role. "The No. 1 issue I see is that the color is off," she says. She suggests that it might be worth it to buy two foundations, one light and one dark. Then practice mixing them and adjusting as needed. "Don't forget that skin color can change every day depending on the season or exposure to sun," she says. Another tip for a flawless finish: "It sounds crazy, but I have combination skin, and I'll often use two different foundations in the same shade," Ms. Greenberg says. "I'll use one that is more oil-absorbing for my T-zone and one that is dewier for the rest of my face."

What's the best way to apply concealer?

"For spots, I like ZO Skin Health's Offects Correct & Conceal, which has a salicylic acid to heal at the same time," Ms. Greenberg says, adding that concealers meant to cover blemishes need to be on the dry side to stay put. She likes to apply concealer with a Bobbi Brown Concealer Blending Brush. "When covering a zit, your product can get too concentrated and you end up with a ring around it," she says. "This brush buffs gently so you don't have any ‘seams.'" For undereyes, she recommends finding a concealer formula that also hydrates so it's less likely to accentuate fine lines. "Also, don't apply with a heavy hand," she cautions. "If you add too much product, it can be aging as it will settle in and bring out fine lines." Apply the concealer with your ring finger. Using the pad of the finger, gently tap it onto the affected area.

If I'm in a rush, what's the quickest way to enhance my complexion?

Given the choice of more sleep or a more complex morning beauty regimen, sleep generally wins out. In such a case, a concealer fix is ideal. Ms. Greenberg suggests tapping on concealer where needed and blending. Otherwise, she likes a tinted moisturizer, which is fairly goofproof. "You can get away with it not being perfect because it's sheerer," she says.

Nordstrom Unveils New Fall Fashion Campaign

The campaign vision and concept was developed by Olivia Kim, Vice President of Creative Projects at Nordstrom, who has set the creative tone for the retailer's last five brand campaigns. Kim along with her creative team tapped Farago and Cullen, the husband and wife creative duo favored by the fashion world, to bring their vision to life.

The campaign features intimate and honest portraits of models and non-models alike, minimally edited and styled how people really dress to depict a modern and relevant perspective on a high-fashion campaign.  The full campaign imagery and videos can be seen at Nordstrom.com/Fall2017.

"People are the foundation of Nordstrom," said Kim. "Our customers and employees are at the center of everything we do. They are our friends and our friends-of-friends, and this season we wanted to convey a sense of community and celebrate real people who are doing great and extraordinary things, who inspire us in our everyday lives.

"We see the brand campaigns as our opportunity to tell our most fashion-forward story, yet this season we put the focus back on the people. We cast people we find inspiring, who have something to say and use their voice for positive impact and influence whether through art, education, journalism or mixed media. Most of all, we wanted to celebrate them and their immense talents."

Farago is a Los Angeles-based photographer whose work has been exhibited at New York's Canada Gallery, London's Jonathan Viner Gallery and The Future of the Photography Museum at Foam in Amsterdam. His commissioned features and portraits have appeared in Vogue Paris, Purple Magazine, The New Yorker, and the New York Times, to name a few.

Cullen is a director who works in a range of mediums, proposing new ways of showing moving image using the newest technologies and the internet as her primary platform. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, NOWNESS, Purple and Love Magazine, with commissioned work for various fashion brands.

In her role, Kim focuses on creating energy, excitement, a sense of discovery and a bit of disruption through engaging and unique shopping experiences at Nordstrom, both in-stores and online. Kim joined Nordstrom in February 2013, and her Creative Projects initiatives have established Nordstrom as a retail platform to test new partnerships, concept shops and to bring limited distribution collections to customers, as well as introduce customers to the best up-and-coming brands and new talent.

With her creative mind and unique perspective as a merchant, Kim took on the role of setting the vision for the company's brand campaigns in Spring 2016, the retailer's first in 15 years. Following her inaugural "See Anew" campaign, "We Are Here" from Fall 2016, and "Love, Nordstrom" from the holiday season, and the Spring 2017 campaign shot by Petra Collins. The Fall 2017 campaign marks Kim's fifth developed for Nordstrom.