Lana Turner was a dame who understood the power of the pout. In The Postman Always Rings Twice, her lipstick case rattles along a café floor toward a rugged John Garfield. Her manner poised and hand outstretched, Turner waits for Garfield to bring it over; when he doesn’t, she saunters by, grabs the case from his hand, applies her lipstick, then hits the road.

When you’re as famous for your looks—sun-streaked locks, perfect tan—as for your marriage to a star quarterback, anything you say about beauty is bound to be scrutinized. It took supermodel Gisele Bündchen two sentences to turn sunscreen into front-page news. “I cannot put this poison on my skin. I do not use anything synthetic,” the Brazilian bombshell declared.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: One of the world’s most influential hair stylists, Oribe (pronounced OR-bay) has earned his single-name moniker. Oribe launched an eponymous line of products in 2008, intent on bringing his A-list allure to vanity tables worldwide. Other celebrity hair artists—Sally Hershberger, Orlando Pita, Serge Normant—have transformed their credibility into shampoos, conditioners, and sprays, but what sets Oribe apart is his commitment to what he calls the “total experience” of hair.

Makeup brushes have long been underappreciated. Often used incorrectly, the brush has an ongoing relationship with its makeup counterparts and the faces they inhabit.

Snap. An image is captured—whether you wanted it to be or not. These days, it seems almost impossible to take a breath without someone photographing it, uploading it, and sharing it with others across the cyber-abyss.

“I’ve always had a great lipstick. My first was a classic Dior—it was a beautiful matte red,” says Susanne Langmuir, founder and CEO of Toronto-based lipstick company Bite Beauty. Headquartered on Geary Avenue in Toronto, the two-and-a-half-year-old company’s focus is lips—healthy ones.

If a drop is all it takes to discover La Prairie’s best-kept secret, then one glance is all you need to recognize the highly coveted collection of caviar products housed within the signature silver and cobalt packaging. The world-renowned Swiss beauty brand is a true pioneer in studying the way we age and trying to cease that process.

Carmen Tal enters effortlessly through the swinging doors of her midtown New York office at 57th Street and Lexington Avenue—sleek decor in white, sand, and earthy tones—with her shiny, healthy, chestnut-brown hair swinging behind her. One almost expects to see a camera crew appear next, or perhaps you’d think she’s on the set of a hair commercial, and in many ways she is.

If, as iconic pop artist Andy Warhol said, everyone is famous for 15 minutes, then he’d be pleased to know that the makeup line François Nars has created to honour the 25th anniversary of his death will last longer than that.

Picture this ad: a soft-focus shot of a naked woman sleeping on a rock, framed by hibiscus, and equally flowery promises courtesy of a pink jar with a curly gold font. “Helga of Russia” is what Jane Wurwand laughingly calls that category of beauty campaign, which, when she founded Dermalogica in California in 1986, was the mass depiction of skin care.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: A woman’s nails often act as visual shorthand, offering clues to her character through length, colour, and shape. Think of Humbert Humbert delicately daubing scarlet polish on Lolita’s toes in the opening scene of Stanley Kubrick’s film, or of Joan Crawford’s femme fatale fingernails—long, crimson, and razor-sharp.

Today, Korres is among the most respected natural beauty brands in the world, smashing innovation boundaries by using technology inspired by Nobel Prize–winning discoveries in chemistry, and earning international acclaim for everything from its eco-friendly products to its contemporary packaging.

Once the summer sun is burning bright, staying indoors begins to feel like a prison. For those of us who eschew the concept of year-round tans from bottled bronzer, summertime is a golden opportunity to head outside for a healthy dose of vitamin D. But what can we do post-beach to help sustain a glowing tan?

Cosmetic acupuncture is a holistic approach to anti-aging that has recently captured the limelight. But it is far from new. Founded on Traditional Chinese Medicine, this form of healing dates back more than 3,000 years.

We all know that sleep is important, even if we don’t always make time for it. Sleep, or lack thereof, impacts us in myriad ways, from our productivity at work to the glow of our skin. And for something we spend a good chunk of lives doing, it’s worthwhile to ensure that we’re getting quality rest.

Truth be told, most men don’t need much help when it comes to skin care—maybe just a bit of guidance when it comes to maintaining their daily beauty routines or, shall we say, grooming rituals.

How did we get the 60-second minute? What do the phases of the moon have to do with timekeeping? And why is watchmaking so popular?