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I didn’t stop drinking for my skin, which feels almost embarrassing to admit after more than 25 years working as a beauty editor. I’d tried every retinol, LED facial, and faddy 24 carat gold-infused cream known to the beauty world, but it never occurred to me that the real game-changer might be quitting alcohol.

When I first decided to go sober, my skin was an afterthought. Like so many women in their forties, I was done with how alcohol was making me feel—permanently rough and anxious—even after just a couple of glasses of wine. I wasn’t someone who drank heavily in my twenties, but over the years, alcohol became threaded through my everyday life: after-work drinks, family parties, a post-putting-the-kids-to-bed treat.

And then almost four years ago, when I was 45, I moved from London to Florida, where it always feels like cocktail o’clock, and that quiet habit turned into something louder. I was also experiencing perimenopause at the time, which didn’t help my drinking. Or my skin for that matter. My tolerance to alcohol was shrinking while my anxiety and sleeplessness were growing. And my skin was suffering too. I noticed sagging creeping into my jawline, lines on my upper lip, worsening pigmentation, more prominent dark circles.

At 48, I’d had enough and decided to give up alcohol—literally overnight—and everything changed.

The very first week, I woke up with a clear head and clearer skin. That short timeline for good results is actually quite common, according to board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, especially if alcohol was a regular part of your routine. “Even a week off can be enough for your skin barrier to recover some of its moisture and for inflammation to start calming down,” Dr. Gohara explains. Jessica Krant, MD, a board-certified NYC dermatologist also points out that alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it causes the body to release more urine and lose water, which is awful news for aging skin, as it is drier by default. “Dehydration can negatively affect your skin by causing it to dry out and become dull and rough," Dr. Krant says. "Lack of hydration can also decrease the skin elasticity, making it saggy and wrinkled, so you appear older than you are.”

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A big reason alcohol affects your skin is because of how it can mess with your sleep schedule. “Alcohol disrupts your sleep, and poor sleep raises cortisol, your stress hormone, creating a double-whammy pro-inflammatory state,” Dr. Gohara says. “It also dilates blood vessels, which can worsen redness and flushing.” Within six weeks of giving up drinking, I was sleeping deeply and waking up without that familiar anxiety, or the dryness and puffiness. At nine weeks, I noticed that my skin looked plump—you know, that collagen-rich baby bounce you forget that you once had. People started to comment on how fresh I looked.

By the three month mark, even my two teenage sons were remarking on my sober skin. “It just looks a bit more alive now,” my 14-year-old said bluntly over breakfast one morning. And I knew what he meant. To translate to beauty speak, he noticed the depuffing, the debloating, the clarity. And I noticed it too. I still had some lines and wrinkles that being almost 50 brings of course, but they weren’t as deep and pronounced. I would always wake up with those ugly morning pillow creases on my face, even after drinking just a couple of glasses of wine, but not any more.

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“When your skin is well hydrated and your collagen isn’t under constant assault from alcohol-related inflammation, it’s more resilient, meaning it bounces back faster from pressure,” Dr. Gohara explains. “Alcohol also disrupts sleep quality, reducing the restorative deep sleep that helps skin repair overnight. Better hydration plus better quality sleep means your skin recovers from compression more efficiently, so those creases fade—or never form in the first place.”

Even I, a beauty editor, underestimated the impact sobriety would have on my skin. I’ve been testing skin care for years, but no serum or treatment had ever made this kind of difference. At five months sober, I was waking up with even fewer creases, less congestion, and a brightness that no vitamin C product has ever delivered. I felt like my cheekbones and jawline were more defined, and my glow was closer to its pre-perimenopause spark.

Drinking alcohol also weakens collagen and elastin (the stuff that keeps skin bouncy and firm) and can contribute to volume loss and broken capillaries—the tiny red veins that pop up around the nose and cheeks. “Add in sugary cocktails, juice mixers, or sweet wines, and you're also speeding up glycation, a process where sugar binds to collagen and elastin, breaking them down faster,” notes Dr. Gohara. “That means more wrinkles, sagging, and dullness over time—basically, sugar and alcohol age you from the inside out.”

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Being in the midst of midlife, I had to consider the impact that hormones were also having on my skin, too. “During perimenopause, declining estrogen makes skin thinner, drier, and less elastic,” Dr. Gohara explains. “Alcohol compounds this by further reducing hydration and damaging collagen. It’s like pouring gasoline on an already smoldering fire: Your skin’s more vulnerable, and alcohol makes recovery harder.”

Just over one year in, sobriety hasn’t erased all of my skin concerns. I’m 50 next year and I’m still menopausal, so there’s no doubt that my face is in for lots of changes. But being sober at midlife has definitely given my skin a far better baseline, especially as someone who doesn't get neuromodulator or filler injections.

And there’s the ironic twist: For years, I have shunned toxins like Botox in my skin-care routine, all while quietly nursing the effects of alcohol, also an undeniable toxin. I thought I was making healthy choices, but I was ignoring the one habit that was quietly undoing so many of them.

That’s the unexpected beauty of sobriety: It brings a kind of clarity no serum can deliver. Not just to my skin, but in the way I see myself, my habits, and the way I want to live. So these days, sober is my new skin type—and I’m really comfortable in it.

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After months—nay, years—of wondering where all of the impractically long, wackily patterned manicures had gone, the evidence points to nail art making a slow but steady comeback. Is it sprinkled in among an otherwise still-very-strong celebrity affinity for neutral nails? Absolutely. But even some stars who've come to favor basic French manicures have made room in their manicure calendar for playing with color, shapes, and even sharpness again. Take Kylie Jenner, for example.

In the new Khy campaign announcing a collaboration with designer Grace Ling, Jenner is seen wearing sleek black, gray, and white ensembles with smooth metallic accents. “Defined by GRACE LING’s signature piercing detail, each piece transforms classic silhouettes into bold statements 🩶 i’m so excited about this dream collab,” Jenner wrote when she posted about the collection on Monday.

And pairing perfectly with those “piercings” is Jenner's manicure, crafted by nail artist Zola Ganzorigt. Each extra-long nail is carved into a dangerously pointy tip and painted in a silverly, metallic finish that truly makes them look like daggers.

Photo: KhyPhoto: Khy

Ganzorigt tells Allure that she used OPI's aptly named Chrome Clawz for the base and silver chrome powder on top for that liquid-metal look.

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Prior to this stabby set, Jenner was seen wearing a '90s-throwback deep French manicure, proving you don’t have to be just Team Neutral Nails or just Team Nail Art. In fact, it seems safe to say we're entering one of our diverse manicure eras, and Jenner is pointing the way—pretty literally.

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Welcome to Doing It, a column where sex educator Varuna Srinivasan explores the deep connections between sex and emotions. This month, they explore how couples are using AI-powered apps in their relationships. Have a question or story idea for Dr. Srinivasan? Submit it here.

When I was in college and scared to break up with someone I was only dating for a couple of months, my girlfriend came over to help me draft the perfect breakup text. We sat on my bed, giggling and cringing at the various drafts before I hit send on a message we both agreed perfectly encapsulated the “it’s not you, it’s me” feeling I wanted to get across.

Today, an AI chatbot called “AI4Chat Break Up Text Generator,” marketed as a personal assistant that helps people navigate difficult conversations, can do that for you. In addition to helping you break up with someone, AI can help you sext and create an AI girlfriend companion that you might one day want to propose to (turns out the movie Her could have been a documentary if they waited a few years).

In the 21st century, the use of AI to manage any aspect of one’s love life is becoming a popular option. Some reports find that growing numbers of Gen Zers (especially 18-26 year olds) are relying heavily on AI enabled apps to find love, plan dates, and get relationship advice.

For some, these tools aren’t only useful for the beginning or ending of relationships. Ishani and her partner of 10 years are part of this new generation of couples using AI to improve their existing relationship.

“We have never gone for couples therapy but we tried Paired before exclusively moving over to Agapé,” Ishani says. Paired and Agapé are both apps meant to be used by couples seeking to improve their relationships: Agape focuses on having couples reflect on one question together everyday; Paired is more of a coaching tool which includes quizzes, and relationship advice from experts.

The 25-year-old from Canada was in search of a way to stay connected with her long distance partner when she came across these apps on Instagram. “I love words of affirmation but my partner is avoidant and giving compliments doesn’t come easily to him,” Ishani says. “These apps help us bridge that gap and communicate better.” Plus, since they’re long distance, it gives them something to talk about on the phone.

In a typical user journey, both couples need to download the Agapé mobile app to sync with each other’s profiles after which they’re automatically assigned one question a day. “Life gets busy, but we try to answer the question by the end of the day,” Ishani says. “We usually end up talking about [our answers] when we call the other person to say goodnight.” If they don’t have time to chat it out over the phone, the couple can answer the questions in the app and leave notes in each other’s comment sections. The ultimate goal of the app, Agapé says on their website, is for couples to ”both feel and show love.”

With regular user input, the company says the questions become more specific to each couple, thanks to a “complex machine learning algorithm.” Those personalized questions are a big reason Ishani continues to use Agapé. When they don’t want to answer the daily assigned question, they can pick from a different “deck” related to communication, family, and finances.

Then there are other apps, like Arya, that have created an AI powered intimacy concierge to help couples improve their sexual intimacy. The founder of this app, Offer Yehudai, is a serial entrepreneur with a background in advertising and technology who says he saw a massive gap in the market when it came to relationships and intimacy.

“Americans are spending billions investing in their personal wellness. But when I looked for something to help couples invest in their relationships? Nothing.” Offer says. “That's when I knew we had to create Arya—to bring that same tech-enabled approach to intimacy.”

Walking me through the app, Offer explains that when a user downloads Arya onto their phone, the AI powered “intimacy concierge" has you answer a couple of questions before categorizing people into one of four “Erotic Personas.”

This set of personas was developed by an in-house research team, which is led by Nicholas Velotta, a PhD student at the University of Washington and Pepper Schwartz, PhD, a professor of sociology at University of Washington, after interviewing more than 50,000 couples.

The app’s AI intimacy concierge is trained to curate experiences based on these personas, providing options for virtual experiences through the form of guided techniques, audio erotica experiences and aftercare meditations, as well in person experiences through discreetly delivered packages containing various toys, bondage related materials, and intimacy exercises.

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To be clear, none of the apps in this story should be taken as a replacement for couples’ therapy—and none of them claim to be. Rather, they’re marketed as a complementary AI chat bot tools developed with the help of human relationship therapists.

For example, when conversations with the Arya AI intimacy concierge start to become more emotionally charged (for example, if the user says “why am I feeling so disconnected lately” or “how do I talk to my partner about this”) the user is immediately transferred to their concierge team.

The team is made up of five on-call certified sex therapists, sex educators, relationship psychologists, and relationship scientists, with oversight from Shan Boodram and Prof. Pepper Schwartz. Offer explains that once members sign up, they’re assigned their own concierge who reaches out within a day. He goes on to clarify that communication only happens over text or web-app, not video, noting that they’ve “found that's the preferred and easiest way members like to interact.”

Israa Nasir, a licensed therapist and author of Toxic Productivity, showcases some of the easy ways we can use AI to be more productive when it comes to our relationships. “AI apps like this can help people learn emotional language and increase emotional literacy as well as [help users identify] topics to bring to your IRL therapist to discuss.”

But while she sees the upside, she shares some concerns about the objectivity of AI. “AI will only provide information based on what you feed it, and there is a risk that the model you’re talking to may not be as attuned to differences in the human experience, because of inherent biases in the way the AI model is built,” she adds.

When asked if AI can replace therapy, Shadeen Francis, a licensed marriage and family therapist, says it’s unlikely—plus, she worries about the harm certain AI apps can do by encouraging people to isolate and disconnect even more. “Therapists also get to know their clients, track patterns of behavior, and support them in reaching their goals,” Francis says. “However, part of their role is also to compassionately challenge their clients and help them grow.” Francis goes on to add that many AI models learn from every user interaction, which is then used to make up new data with the goal of pleasing the user, which is a big ethical concern.

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Even though many apps aren’t directly marketed as a therapy replacement (though there are exceptions, like Abby, which is actually meant to be an AI therapist), people are using them to replace visits with a human therapist. I’ve seen several videos promoting Entries AI, an AI journal to help people process their feelings, and suggesting followers can use the tool “if they can’t afford therapy." A subreddit called r/therapyGPT has 11,000 members, and there are plenty of videos training people how to use the LLM for therapy too.

“As humans, we need to be able to organize our thoughts ourselves and be able to articulate our needs ourselves—we cannot outsource thinking to AI when it comes to navigating relationships or conflict.”

There is also growing concern that AI can decrease a person’s emotional intelligence. Nasir refers to this as “Skill Erosion,” and it certainly applies to being able to maintain a healthy romantic relationship.

“As humans, we need to be able to organize our thoughts ourselves and be able to articulate our needs ourselves—we cannot outsource thinking to AI when it comes to navigating relationships or conflict,” she says. “Always having AI to think for us prevents us from accessing self soothing and building the skill to problem solve, process difficult emotions, or make sense of our experiences.”

When asked how Arya’s AI models mitigate the potential of skill erosion and other biases, the founder, Offer, notes that modelling AI is a work in progress, even when it comes to their app. “Emotional intelligence isn’t something we want to automate so we’re continually testing and refining our models with feedback from diverse members to make sure we’re not just building for efficiency, but for empathy,” he says.

All of that said, using an app to generate a conversation starter once in a while probably doesn’t spell the end of humanity. In addition to seeing a human therapist once a week to process some of her own feelings about the relationship, Ishani and her partner have found that some of the prompts on the app allow them to face difficult conversations (especially when living apart from one another.) “When we meet in person, we analyze our respective answers to some of the topics that one of us may not be comfortable bringing up over the phone,” she says.

If you're in the AI-curious set, here are a few tips on how to use these types of relationship apps responsibly.

Ask yourself why you want to use AI: This technology is not meant to understand or decipher human emotions. It lacks the emotional intelligence or empathy that a real human therapist is supposed to have. So when using these apps, be cautious about why you’re using it––Israa encourages couples to use it as a tool for generating curiosity and connection, not as a way to validate your negative feelings about your partner.

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Do your research: Opt for apps that share information on how their AI models are trained. The US Department of Health and Human Services has guidelines on what constitutes a well-trained health-related AI: The ideal model is one that is trained with peer reviewed research along with constant oversight from a team of humans. An unsupervised generative model that exclusively relies on content from you, the user, can create an echo chamber for its output. Most companies share their research and how they develop their proprietary AI models—if they don’t, that’s definitely a red flag

Go for hybrid apps: Especially when it comes to relationships and sex, think about using an app that shares the advice of a real human therapist with an actual degree and license. And remember: Anyone can claim to be anything online. Even if a website says someone is a licensed family therapist, you should confirm their qualifications by looking up their name or license number in the state they claim to be licensed.

Beware of sharing too much: As Shahdeen notes, “each platform has independent practices for data storage and privacy, so security of data becomes more complicated.” And while many apps claim they’re doing the best they can to protect your data, leaks can happen and any app that asks you to share personal details about your life is a red flag so be wary of oversharing. If you’re on an AI therapy or couple’s therapy app, look to see if the website or AI model is HIPAA compliant.

Apps can be a great way to plan a date if you’re feeling decision burnout, but it’s in your best interest to have difficult conversations with your partner yourself without the help of a teleprompter. Because ultimately, intimacy grows in the presence of shared discomfort and from being vulnerable in the presence of our loved ones. When it comes to your relationships, decide what you want to do yourself and what you want to outsource to AI.

The next time you’re facing a tough relationship moment, instead of turning to an AI bot, consider calling a friend you trust to give you some advice. As cheesy as this sounds, nothing beats the human touch.

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Sharon Chuter, the founder and former CEO of Uoma Beauty, has died at the age of 38. According to a report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Chuter passed away on August 14. The cause of death is still under investigation. In her newsletter Ahead of the Kirb, Kirbie Johnson reported that a source with knowledge of the situation said that a former Uoma executive had first shared the news with former colleagues last week.

Chuter was the founder of makeup brand Uoma Beauty and its sister brand Uoma Beauty By Sharon C, which launched in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Uoma was celebrated for its inclusive shade ranges and its mission to champion underrepresented voices, especially the voices of Black women, in the beauty industry.

Chuter often referred to Uoma as a brand that sought to champion inclusivity through its products and social messaging. "I'm here to start a movement [and] to encourage people and make them know that they have a voice," Chuter told Allure in 2020. This was seen through products like the Best of Beauty-winning Say What!? Foundation, which launched with 51 shades. It was heralded at the time for being one of the few foundations that rivaled Fenty Beauty’s then-groundbreaking 40 shades. (Uoma also won a Best of Beauty Award for its Black Magic lipsticks.)

Uoma’s mission was also reflected in projects such as Pull Up For Change, an online initiative Chuter started in 2020 that challenged big companies, especially those in the beauty industry, to be transparent about the racial makeup of their employee bases and leadership teams.

In May 2023, Chuter announced via an Instagram post that she had stepped down from her role as Uoma’s CEO and resigned from its board of directors. A couple of months after her departure, the brand ceased operations and went silent on social media until it was later acquired by The MacArthur Companies, an offshoot of a venture capital brand, in December 2023. Uoma relaunched under its new ownership in December of 2024; the following February, Chuter filed a lawsuit against MacArthur and other involved parties for alleged fraudulent transfer of assets, among other allegations. The lawsuit was ongoing at the time of her death.

Even after Chuter left the brand, Uoma still bears her legacy. The founder’s Nigerian heritage was central to the brand’s identity—the name “Uoma” itself translates to "beautiful" in Igbo. Last December, the brand’s current owners told us that they plan to carry on Chuter’s intentions: “Our mission is to create a space by our community, for our community, where everyone feels valued and represented,” Uoma’s then-CEO Tony Bash said at the time.

Leaders and creatives across the beauty industry are sharing their condolences and sentiments on social media following the announcement of Chuter’s death. “Rest Well. Thank you for your courage and strength,” Melissa Butler, CEO and founder of The Lip Bar, wrote in the comment section of one Chuter’s last Instagram posts. Makeup artist and brand founder Ashunta Sheriff-Kendricks wrote under the same post, “Thank you for your championship fight for diversity, equity, and to be valued as Black brand founders. Sad your light ended so soon.” Cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson also reflected on the luminosity that Chuter brought to her work: “You were such a bright light that broke so many barriers.”

Several remembrances of Chuter described her as a “force”—strong in her convictions and clear in her vision for a more inclusive beauty industry. It’s a vision that will hopefully live on.

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The best Korean moisturizers are the crème de la crème of Korean skin care, thanks to their advanced, effective, and surprisingly gentle formulas. Unlike many Western creams, K-beauty moisturizers often feature unique ingredients that set them apart—think rice water to tone, mugwort to calm inflammation, Centella asiatica (a.k.a. cica) to soothe, PDRN (a regenerative compound derived from salmon DNA), and hydrating yuzu. The result? Creams that deliver serious hydration without ever feeling heavy, leaving glass skin glassy and dewy skin dewy. Even better: Most of these top-tier picks come in under $40. That budget-friendly price point allows for more consistent use, which can make a world of difference in your skin, whether you're dealing with breakouts or dryness.

Our Top Korean Moisturizers

• Best Overall: Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream, $32
• Best for Dry Skin: Etude Soonjung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream, $16
• Best for Dull Skin: Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Capsule Cream, $22
• Best for Redness: Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Intensive Soothing Repair Cream, $52
• Best for Oily Skin: Torriden Dive-In Low-Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Soothing Cream, $23
• Best Cooling: Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb, $38

To make finding your perfect match easy, we chatted with editors and experts to round up our favorite Korean moisturizers for your slathering pleasure all year round.

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