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The VIP line, already filling the sidewalk of Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood at 8:30 a.m., was exactly what one would expect at an event celebrating beauty’s best: replete with immaculate barrel waves, slicked-back ponytails so shiny they appeared to be lacquered, a smattering of “c*nty bobs,” and totes ready to be stuffed full of Allure’s 352 Best of Beauty Award-winning products for the year of our Lord, Linda Wells, 2025.
Allure’s Best of Beauty Live, an event as premier as a UN Summit for the most beauty-devoted, was back. “I hope y’all who flew here checked your bags,” said Allure editor in chief Jessica Cruel on stage, noting how many people already had sagging carryalls before many Manhattanites had even rolled out of bed for the day’s first matcha latte.
A glossy magazine come to life, the venue bustled with a host of beloved brands, beauty heroes, and products (duh), ultimately filled by more than a thousand guests thrilled to experience the event’s guiding ethos: a chance to live like a beauty editor for the day. Most impressive, or rather most eye-catching, were the six-foot-tall renderings of the most recent Allure covers: one starring Selena Gomez, the multihyphenate founder of Rare Beauty, and the other featuring fashion darlings Anok Yai and Alex Consani, both startlingly beautiful and electrifyingly funny, as seen in their panel, the first one of the day.
Yai and Consani pose in front of their life-size Allure cover.
Photo: Sean Sime
It was hard to tell if the earthshaking energy of their panel came from Yai and Consani’s Supermodel Stomp™ entrance or from the jaws of audience members hitting the floor. (“I’m gagged,” said one panel onlooker who’s attended the event three years in a row.) In conversation with Cruel, Yai and Consani reflected on their friendship. “Any time I shoot with this one, it’s always major,” Consani said of their Allure cover before spilling some BTS fashion show tea: “I remember we did this show in New York this season…and the brief was natural makeup.…[Anok] came with a smoky eye.” The real gag? That smoky eye came from “the club,” per Yai, the night before. Yes, the world’s most-beloved supermodels sometimes sleep in their makeup, too. “All the girls are coming [out] natural, natural, and then you see me: smoky [eyes], lashes, whatever!” Essentially speaking on behalf of the entire room, Consani punctuated Yai’s admission of every dermatologist’s worst nightmare, saying, “It’s not like you ever come incorrect,” an unbridled example of sisterhood.
Attendees also strutted through the Best of Beauty Live venue looking fashion month-ready and very much “correct.” Despite presumed hours of early-morning preening, they flocked to hair and makeup touch-ups, courtesy of L'Oréal Paris, Wavytalk, and Wella Professionals like high-glamour moths to a flame (or Danessa Myricks Twin Flames liquid eye shadows). Across the venue, Amazon offered shopping and more beauty touch-ups, generously giving away coveted lip oils and dusting cheeks with blush. “I’d never try this color,” said one attendee of her tangerine flush, “but I’m obsessed.”
An attendee gets a professional touch-up and tries a new blush, courtesy of Amazon.
Photo: Sean Sime
For those of the clean girl, no-makeup-makeup ilk, EltaMD provided skin consultations, Dove offered personalized color analyses (“I’m wearing a color from my season,” squealed one attendee at the booth), and at Neocutis, masterful hands swept across masseter muscles and temples for irresistible face massages, all about embracing glow. TikTok sensation Tirtir also leaned into skin prep, using its beauty counter to showcase K-beauty secrets for perfect glass skin. Nestled in one alcove, Xeomin afforded those seeking more, let’s say, robust skin-care results injectable treatments for frown lines, forehead lines, and crow’s-feet. Next door, Ultherapy Prime showed attendees high-tech facial scans that revealed skin’s collagen supply, and Radiesse went old-school, using tarot cards to predict attendees’ futures.
#SkinTok was in full form—IRL—and continued in a panel discussion titled, “The Future of Aesthetics,” sponsored by Xeomin, during which Ben Wood, MD, chief medical director of Chapter Aesthetic Studio, Melissa Rogne, founder and president of Chapter Aesthetic Studio, and Erin Lichy, author, entrepreneur, and star of The Real Housewives of New York City, discussed things usually relegated to science-fiction comics: exosomes, bio-stimulators, and multimodality treatments. Immediately following, features director Dianna Singh moderated a schooling on the science of skin care, sponsored by Arcutis, with dermatologist Karan Lal, MD, and content creator Megan Srisutham. This time, they honed in on the ins and outs of the skin barrier.
Chris McMillan does a live haircutting demonstration, hosted by executive beauty director Jenny Bailly.
Photo: Sean Sime
Harkening back to simpler times, famed hairstylist Chris McMillan brought The Rachel—a definitive hairstyle beloved by all who remember dial-up internet—into the 2020s by shearing and razoring a model’s hair into a chic, shoulder-grazing bob right there on the panel stage. Highlights from his session, hosted by executive beauty director Jenny Bailly, included insights on the highly coveted “c*nty bob,” made famous by McMillan vis-a-vis Leslie Bibb's White Lotus look; McMillan revealing that Cameron Diaz was actually the first celebrity upon whom he bestowed The Rachel, for The Mask premiere (audience members, this reporter included, audibly gasped at this fact); and McMillan describing mousse as the Wheat Thins of hair care: “It’s so good, and nobody knows about it,” he said.
Someone intimately familiar with mousse, though, is McMillan’s peer Lacy Redway, who used what seemed like a gallon of Tresemmé’s Extra Hold Volumizing Mousse to transform senior editor Jesa Marie Calaor’s hair into a physics-defying, runway-ready, slicked-back ponytail, delicately crafted above the nape of the neck into a bow—all the while discussing hair trends with content director and panel host Kara McGrath. (If you’re wondering, bobs are making a comeback; c*ntiness was not disclosed.) The most heartwarming moment, though, was a scene in the audience: A fellow hairstylist and Redway fan swapped business cards with an attendee who’s starting her own candle business, sharing how much they’re inspired by seeing professionals in action.
On the main floor, Allure-branded totes began to balloon with award-winning products from Glow Recipe, LYS Beauty, and DedCool—all of which were posted up on the premises and offering lip balm charms, shade matching, and fragrance layering tips, respectively. Danessa Myricks herself was also present, floating through the crowd like some ethereal being of hope, positivity, and damn-good cosmetics, and greeting attendees at her self-titled brand’s booth. Later, on the panel stage, Myricks explained the onus behind the “Yummy Skin” moniker seen across her line’s SKUs: “Yummy, for me, means ‘your most unique, magical you.’” The mic drop moment exemplified her commitment to self-love and illuminated an unknown passion for acronyms.
Best of Beauty tote bags hang heavily from the shoulders of attendees with dozens of free product samples.
Photo: Sean Sime
Tucked behind (yet another) cosmetics-packed shelf was an oasis: the Allure Beauty Desk. There, attendees sat with the most esteemed industry voices for mini masterclasses, like exfoliation 101 with #SkinTok favorite Dr. Shereene Idriss, day-to-night hair transformations with Mara Roszak (before she rushed back to Emma Stone’s press tour), everything eyebrows with Anastasia Soare, a glow-centric symposium with e.l.f. Cosmetics, and how to thwart hyperpigmentation with Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton, featuring an impromptu visit from Allure’s editor in chief. Perhaps attendees of Best of Beauty Live 2026 will receive an honorary Doctorate of Cosmetics, if anyone can find room for one in their gift bags.
As the day came to a close and guests started inspecting their hauls for the night’s cleansing balm, two exhausted beauty lovers found respite on an Allure-red sofa, several Santa-sized bags at their feet. “This isn’t only our stuff,” they said. “We’re with two other people.” Three things stood out. First, that beauty isn’t self-serving. It’s most joyful when shared with friends—nights out, getting un-ready together, sharing tips and tricks. Second, that they could be lying. And third, that it’s easier to share with friends when you have a sh*t ton of free stuff and a full heart after a day of learning and connection. That’s what Best of Beauty Live is all about.
Allure's Best of Beauty Live 2025 is presented by Xeomin. Sponsors include L'Oréal Paris, Amazon, Arcutis, Dove, EltaMD Skin Care, Neocutis, Radiesse, TRESemmé, Ultherapy, WavyTalk, and WellaPRO.
