If you've ever stepped into a Sephora store and had a mini panic attack...keep reading. The beauty industry is a mighty beast, generating $160 billion a year from sales of make-up, diet and exercise, fragrances, skin care, hair products, and cosmetic surgery. From lotions to loofahs, shadows to scrubs, mascaras to manicure sets, trying to navigate the front lines of primping products seems near impossible. And with new beauty booty arriving on the scene daily, what's a gal to do?
Most friends of mine take to the net, searching out reviews from real people, expert advice on the best bang for your buck and information on where to buy in their areas. After chatting with them and trolling the Web ourselves, we feel confident we've sifted through the good, bad and the ugly: award-winning sites, blogs with bazillions of page views and underground addresses experts swear by. We spoke to real women who want to look gorgeous but don't want to spend a fortune doing so. And so, below, our top beauty blogs for the beauty fanatic.
BEST BEAUTY NEWS BLOG
The Pretty Picture: One part pop culture, one part hilarious author (Amber Katz) and three parts beauty news and reviews, Beauty Blogging Junkie is a comprehensive site geared to girls who want to stay on top of the latest and greatest in the beauty world.
Best Bonus Feature: The site is updated on a near hourly basis and is a great address to bookmark because you'll always find something new.
Besides the Beauty: The award-winning site has been ranked as a top ten beauty site by WWD and has been featured in Glamour, luckymag.com and allure.com.
BEST MAKEUP TUTORIAL BLOG
The Pretty Picture: The site has over 4,500 posts and grows by 5-10 daily, not to mention more than 150,000 comments, which grow by 100-300 daily. Temptalia is a beauty environment that fosters creativity by connecting readers on several levels: product reviews, beauty tips and industry news.
Best Bonus Feature: Makeup tutorials for eyes, lips and face (among other topics) allow readers to view how to apply makeup exactly as they should be.
Besides the Beauty: WWD listed Temptalia as one of the top 10 beauty blogs in 2007 and the site just won best Beauty Publisher at the 2009 Glam Network Awards.
BEST PERFUME BLOG
The Pretty Picture: When it come to the world of fragrances, look no further than basenotes.net. The online reference guide has a database of more than 10,000 fragrances with more than 30,000 consumer review, at the ready for your perusal.
Best Bonus Feature: Base Notes really excels in facilitating visitor interaction, including a great discussion forum.
Besides the Beauty: Since the site’s launch in August 2000, Base Notes has become the largest fragrance blog on the internet and featured in a number magazines and online outlets.
BEST MOM MAKEUP BLOG
The Pretty Picture: A beauty blog focusing specifically on mommies, A Mom in Red High Heels rates products on certain Mom-centric criteria, such as multi-tasking power, availability at mass retailers and if products are really worth the splurge.
Best Bonus Feature: The site has a panel of moms who test and write about each beauty product, so you know the reviews are accurate and tailored to your needs.
Besides the Beauty: Blogger Tammy Gibson is a mom of two herself and addresses the three special needs of moms: lack of time, lack of budget and lack of sleep. The site has also been featured in the LA Times, and Gibson is the beauty/fashion contributor to a new TV show, the M Show, currently being taped.
BEST LIFESTYLE & MAKEUP BLOG
The Pretty Picture: A beauty, fashion and lifestyle website with national market coverage, as well as special subscriptions to Nashville, Chicago and Houston. Glossed and Found is a weekly online magazine giving you the inside scoop straight from the experts. Behind-the-scenes videos, local/national beauty calendars and focus pieces on fave beauty beats create a terrific online resource.
Best Bonus Feature: Graham Kostic is an adorably charming host who lends comedic relief to your beauty research with his video interviews of local celebrities, designers, makeup artists and more.
Besides the Beauty: Kostic is also Modern Luxury Magazine's Style Editor, and founder Stacey Koerner-Roney is the brains behind Beauty on Call and Haute PR.
BEST GREEN MAKEUP BLOG
The Pretty Picture: Just because you want to go green doesn’t mean you need to compromise your beauty regimen. Fig and Sage shows visitors the best in organic makeup, skincare, beauty and home products. Whether purchasing or making your own products at home, this is one of the most comprehensive green makeup sites out there.
Best Bonus Feature: The site features sale alerts and reader deals/discounts so you can snatch up your favorite organic makeup for a mean, green discount.
Besides the Beauty: Sisters Stancie and Erin do their research, making sure every product feature meets the duo’s high standards. You don’t need to question the “greenness” of a product because the girls have already done it for you, using and testing products and then sharing findings with visitors.
BEST NAIL POLISH BLOG
The Pretty Picture: Lest we forget about beauty-deprived extremities, Vampy Varnish is a blog dedicated exclusively to nail polish. The site has a readership of some 75,000 visitors per month and is viewed in over 115 countries and territories.
Best Bonus Feature: Vampy Varnish is anything but boring reviews and dry descriptions. Blogger Kelly’s writing tone is creative and quirky, and readers seem to connect with her and each other.
Besides the Beauty: The site was featured last year in Woman’s Wear Weekly Magazine and profiled on Sephora’s blog.
BEST QUICK MAKEUP BLOG
The Pretty Picture: Late sleepers, moms on the go, one bathroom and three roommates. Whatever the reason, so many of use rarely have enough time to get ready every morning. 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic is for those who love to primp but can’t find the time to get it all done in the morning.
Best Bonus Feature: The site features drop down menus for several categories – hair, nails, skin care, makeup, favorites and fragrance – so users can easy makeup advice fast.
Besides the Beauty: If anyone knows how tough it can be to do quick makeup, it’s 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic Blogger Christine. The girl is working as a PICU doctor in the Midwest and studying for the boards!
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