As Allure’s annual Best of Beauty Awards turn 30, we’re celebrating three decades of beauty obsessions, breakthroughs, and editor-approved discoveries—from steals under $11 to truly worth-it splurges. A lot has changed since the inaugural Best of Beauty Awards in 1996, most notably how the awards are presented and their scale. The first BoB debuted in the pages of a glossy print magazine; today you can scroll through all the winners on Allure’s site and shop the winners IRL at the Best of Beauty Live event held in New York City. We even give readers a sneak peek into our testing process on social.
As we celebrate Allure’s 30th birthday (she’s grown up so fast!), we can’t help but look back at how far this publication has come—and how far beauty has come, in general. The industry has made strides in diversity, product innovation, and commercial value. In the mid-1990s, the global beauty industry’s estimated value was under $100 billion, compared with its roughly $450–500 billion value today, according to industry forecasts from firms such as Statista and McKinsey.
The real nostalgia, however, lives in the advice we’ve collected along the way. Long before TikTok tutorials and viral hacks, these were the tips passed from makeup artists backstage, whispered in test rooms, and scribbled into editors’ notepads (you know, when people still used pen and paper)—small, transformative tricks that quietly shaped how we see and understand beauty.
Here, 30 past and present Allure editors revisit the wisdom that has stayed with them for longer-lasting mascara, naturally defined brows, instantly brighter skin, and beyond.
What’s the secret to smudge-proof, long-lasting eye makeup?
Michelle Lee, Editor in Chief (2015-2021)
“If you have short, straight lashes like I do, always use waterproof mascara. You’ll get upturned lashes…that actually stay that way all day.”
Victoria Kirby, Beauty Editor (2006-2010)
Courtesy of Victoria Kirby
“I’ve been doing this eye-makeup move since college, and I can’t remember where I picked it up, but it easily could have come from a print issue of Allure back in the day. Instead of eyeliner, I use black powder eye shadow to line my top lids. I apply it with a stiff, square liner brush and smush the tops of the bristles into my lash line from both above and below my lashes, thickening the line as I move outward. It gives the illusion of fuller lashes and a slight lift at your outer corners.”