I’m one of those “let it be and it’ll eventually go away” skincare enthusiasts. If I see a pimple, whitehead, or another blemish, I know it’s time to take a break from the makeup and be crazy diligent about my routine. However, in lieu of the fact that I’m in the house all the time and paying more attention to every little change, I understand people’s general desire for at-home extractors like blackhead removal tools. Eventually—and especially if you can’t get to a specialist—you just want it out.

As always, I think certain skincare treatments should be left to professionals, extractions included. However, when accessibility isn’t an even playing field and prices aren’t exactly frugal, DIY methods must suffice. When it comes to blackhead tools specifically, the good news is that expert advice is a scroll and click away. For instance, dermatologist Sandra Lee, more popularly known as “Dr. Pimple Popper” is a saving grace for many with her cringe-worthy, but can’t-look-away extractions on social media.

Source: Instagram

Coincidentally, her most recent Instagram posts are dedicated to blackhead removal using a traditional extractor tool. I won’t lie—the urge to pop is tempting, but if you’re going to handle extractions on your own, you might as well do it with a tool instead of hands that are more likely to transfer bacteria.

Source: Instagram

And if this type of tool isn’t alluring enough, there are also vacuum-like extractors and more that prove to be just as effective. Keep scrolling to check out just a few of the most popular ones.

Bestope.

Bestope Extractor Removal Kit

A multifunctional kit for removing a spectrum of skin blemishes with a chart that fully explains how to use each tool.

Buy: Bestope Extractor Removal Kit $9.99

Captain Green.

Captain Green Skin Scrubber Face Spatula

An esthetician-approved exfoliant tool that uses sound waves to gently remove blackheads and dead skin cells from wet skin.

Buy: Captain Green Skin Scrubber Face Spatula $30.99

Sephora Collection.

Sephora Collection Double-Ended Blemish Extractor

This space-saving two-fer tool has a small loop for getting rid of whiteheads and a bigger one for handling blackheads.

Tweezerman.

Tweezerman Blackhead Extractor

A traditional stainless steel blackhead extractor with a curved tip lifting and pulling blackheads from the skin.

Buy: Tweezerman Blackhead Extractor $16

Vanity Planet.

Vanity Planet Essia Ultrasonic Lifting Exfoliating Wand

A “high-frequency, ultrasonic oscillation” wand that helps clear away impurities and dislodges blackheads.

Spa Sciences.

Spa Sciences Mio Diamond Microdermabrasion Blackhead Remover

An affordable, dermatologist-recommended suction tool for loosening pore congestion and removing blackheads in one full swoop.

Buy: Spa Sciences Mio Diamond Microdermabrasion Blackhead Remover $29

ZIZZON.

ZIZZON Blackhead Remover Kit

A multi-beneficial, all-in-one extraction kit complete with instructions and a magnified mirror so you can get up, close and personal with blemishes for precise removal.

Buy: ZIZZON Blackhead Remover Kit $15.99

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

There are just a few days left of Sephora’s annual sale and if you’ve had your eye on something, now’s the time to get it before prices go back to normal on May 2. If you’re not sure what to shop or if you’re still looking for a Mother’s Day gift (it’s May 10!), we asked three Sephora beauty directors what they’re grabbing from Sephora’s spring sale for 2020. David Razzano, Jeffrey English and Myiesha Sewell all chose their favorite makeup, skincare and fragrances. Some you’ve probably tried and others are worth checking out.

As a reminder, this sale is open to all Beauty Insiders, VIB and Rouge members. Insider is free to join (as always) but the Insider event only ran until April 27. You’re VIB if you spend at least $350 and Rouge if you spend $1,000 or more per calendar year. The more you’ve spent throughout the year, the more you’ll save during the event. Plus, you’ll get first dibs on Sephora’s products and exclusive sizes.

During the Spring Savings Event, Rouge members get 20 percent off until May 1 with code SPRINGSAVE. VIB members get 15 percent off until April 29 with the same code. Some exclusions apply, such as The Ordinary is totally excluded from the sale and clients are limited to one Dyson item. Shop 10 beauty director-favorite products, below. And don’t forget Mom!

Image: Huda Beauty.

Huda Beauty Pastel Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette

“Pastels are traditionally a spring color story, but I forecast this trend in makeup to go straight into the summer,” says David Razzano, Sephora Beauty Director. “The softness of these bright shades allows you to be simple and chic while still making a statement. I am definitely grabbing the three Huda Beauty Pastel Obsessions Eyeshadow Palettes. Each of these palettes focuses on a pastel shade of either Mint, Lilac or Rose. They each have nine pans of beautifully crafted shades in both matte, high-shine metallics and shimmer swirls. These eyeshadows are sure to be showstoppers on your virtual conferences now and IRL in the near future.”

Image: Sephora.

Jouer Cosmetics Rose Cut Gems Blush & Cheek Topper Palette

“Whenever there is a sale, I always go for limited edition products. These short-lived items tend to become precious jewels within my beauty collection,” says Razzano. “Since we are all staying inside these days, I feel like blush is a key beauty product to bring some life back into our complexions. The Jouer Cosmetics Rose Cut Gems Blush & Cheek Topper Palette is an incredible palette of blushes and highlighter. The selection of shades is exquisite, and the quality is so fine and silky they blend effortlessly and seem to almost melt onto the skin for an extremely natural-looking touch of color.”

Image: Sephora.

Fresh Soy Makeup Removing Face Wash

“If you know me, I love to take advantage of great deals on my skincare essentials,” says Jeffrey English, Sephora Beauty Director. “Fortunately, Fresh has launched Jumbo sizes of two of their most coveted classics and certainly one of my most refilled products: the Soy Face Cleanser and the Rose and Hyaluronic Deep Hydration Face Cream.”

“This cleanser has a delicious crisp scent, courtesy of cucumber extract,” English continues. “[It] helps soothe topical redness and rosewater, which calms, tones and balances the skin. Its gentle, jelly-like texture glides easily on the skin and instantly begins to dissolve impurities and debris on contact. It even nourishes the lashes and brows with amino-acid rich soy proteins, all while removing the most stubborn waterproof products.”

English calls Fresh’s Hyaluronic Deep Hydration Face Cream “ultra-luxurious” for the price. “[It] gives you deep hydration, due to its time-released hydro-patches that deliver small doses on moisture to skin over an extended period of time,” he says. “Then the rose flower oil built into the formula hydrates, smooths and visibly brightens for a more perfected complexion.”

Image: Sephora.

Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40

“I always love to grab more primer and setting spray, since I use them in almost every makeup look,” says English. “Without the use of these critical products, my makeup melts down or smudges, so I want to make sure that I’m always fully stocked. To prime, I have been loving Supergoop’s Unseen Sunscreen, because it’s lightweight, has an SPF 40 and glides over the skin with a blurring effect that leaves it looking airbrushed. It even provides a broad spectrum covering that protects the skin from blue-light waves emitted from your electronic devices. A dime-sized amount is enough for the full face, so this jumbo size should probably last me the rest of the year.”

Image: Urban Decay.

Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

“To set my makeup I have always loved Urban Decay’s All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray,” says English. “I have tested this product on so many late nights of dancing, that I can assure you that it truly locks any makeup look in place for up to 16 hours, if not longer in my experience.”

Image: Nars.

Nars Bronzer Powder

“As someone who has a ton of freckles, I find that bronzer is the best way to enhance and even my skin’s natural tones, and it’s critical to my personal makeup routine,” says English. “An icon in its own right, Nars Laguna Bronzer has been a go-to for me since I first started with the company almost 15 years ago. Just in time for summer, [Nars] has released its Paradise Laguna Bronzer Jumbo Edition to ensure that you can keep your tan going even when you can’t get to the beach. Its subtle shimmer is universally flattering and creates that coveted ‘Gold Hour’ effect, enhanced by harnessing light diffusing and blurring, pearl pigments.”

Image: Sephora.

Sol De Janeiro Sol Cheirosa ’62 Eau De Parfum

“[It’s] a delicate gourmand fragrance with a very familiar nod to their super beloved Brazillian Bum Bum Cream,” says Myiesha Sewell, Sephora Beauty Director. “Gourmand fragrances are best described as olfactory desserts, and with a cocktail of salted caramel, pistachio, and vanilla I can definitely agree that it’s quite delicious.”

Image: Sephora.

Carolina Herrera Good Girl Eau de Parfum

“The super chic one-of-a-kind stiletto bottle design is what drew me to Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl Eau de Parfum, but the warm take on floral is what made me fall in love,” says Sewell. “I grew up idolizing my mom’s killer designer fragrance collection and Good Girl gives me the nostalgia of a classic fragrance but the freshness of a present-day cool girl.”

Image: Sephora.

Clean Reserve BEEautiful Earth Collection Mini Set

“[This is] s a great way to experience some of their most loved scents including the delicate Reserve Rain nd the warm and sexy Reserve Skin,” says Sewell. “Not only are all of Clean Reserve’s fragrances on Sephora’s Clean at Sephora list but one of my favorite things about Clean Reserve is their eco-minded packaging.”

Image: Sephora.

Maison Margiela Replica Springtime In A Park Eau de Toilette

“Maison Margiela Replica fragrances are a staple in my collection for so many reasons,” says Sewell. “The cool apothecary bottle design is totally my vibe as well as the super-specific call to a particular time and place: a park in Shangai in 2019. It really immerses you into the scent story and makes you feel like you’re living it. [It’s] a playful mix of juicy pear, lily of the valley and musk.”

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

There’s no hair enemy as fierce and unyielding as the much-dreaded split end. So when experts offer up advice on how to fix split ends without cutting them, you know we’re listening. The only proven split-end treatment method is to have them snipped off, but there are actually several small, but effective things you can do between salon appointments to improve the look of damage and prevent more splits from occurring.

“Split ends occur when the protective outer layer of the hair cuticle wears away because of external stressors such as heat styling and salon chemical services,” explains Amy Abramite, creative director and stylist at Chicago’s Maxine Salon. “Once the internal structure of the hair is exposed, it becomes weakened, dehydrated, and damaged, causing split ends.”

Use a Wide-Tooth Comb

XNICX.

Buy: XNICX Pink Wide Tooth Comb $5.99

After you apply conditioner in the shower, slowly run a wide-tooth comb through your hair until all the tangles are out. This prevents the snaps and breakage you can incur when you try to brush out hair that is roughed up from a towel-dry, advises Jessie James, stylist at New York’s Marie Robinson salon.

Mind Your Heat Tools

Conair.

That bargain-bin blowdryer may be a tempting purchase, but inexpensive tools tend to dangerously overheat over time and burn ends into splits, warns James. Instead, use a top-rated economical brand or invest in a professional-grade dryer like the BaBylissPRO Stainless Steel Hair Dryer.

Go Gentle

Goody.

Buy: Goody Ouchless Hair Ties $4.11

“Imagine wearing a silk blouse every single day. It would get pretty beat up. Treat your hair like an expensive fabric, and it will last longer and look better,” says Natasha Sunshine, owner of Santa Monica’s Byu-Ti salon. Use only covered elastics with no metal piece to tie hair into a ponytail.

Garnier Fructis.

Buy: Garnier Fructis Style Pure Clean Styling Gel $3.42

If you’re looking for a sleek look, rely more on styling products like an alcohol-free gel and finishing spray to create a smooth finish, instead of pulling hair too tightly to achieve it alone.

Take Folic Acid and Biotin

There’s a reason they say you are what you eat: nutrients literally build the proteins that make up your hair strands. Two B vitamins in particular—folic acid and biotin—have been shown to supplement hair health, length, and thickness, according to Sunshine.

iRestore.

Buy: iRestore 3-in-1 Hair Growth Supplement $24.99

Folic acid helps the production of red blood cells, which powers the growth of hair. Foods rich in folic acid include green leafy veggies, oranges, soybeans, and wheat. Biotin strengthens both hair and nails through its metabolism of fats, carbs, and proteins. Brown rice, lentils, peas, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and soybeans are all rich in biotin.

Use Leave-In Conditioner

Ouai.

Buy: Ouai Leave-In Conditioner $26

Conditioners that you rinse out in the shower will do little to nothing for split ends, but a leave-in conditioner will add extra protection that stays on strands as you heat-style and go about your day.

Blow-Dry the Right Way

Cantor.

Buy: Cantor Large Round Blow Dry Brush $14.95

Always use a nozzle on your dryer to control and direct the flow of air, and dry hair in a downward direction before sectioning off and drying completely with a round brush. This way, you spend far less time with intense heat straight on the hair.

“If possible, air-drying 90 percent before picking up the blowdryer is even better,” says Sunshine. And of course, if you can naturally dry all the way, that’s always your best option.

Limit Damaging Services

Unfortunately, there’s no way around it—treatments like hair color, highlights, straightening, and perms all cause trauma that can result in a bevy of split ends, says Abramite. Try to limit service to just one major hair concern and refrain from washing strands for at least 48 hours afterward when they’re most porous and likely to break and split. Not only will hair health improve after you go on a chemical-service diet, but your wallet will thank you, too.

Get Regular Cuts

Although a haircut is the only way to get rid of split ends, regular trims are your best protection against them. The longer you wait to trim, the greater the chance you have of split ends worsening and traveling up the shaft. It may sound counter-intuitive, but this is why it’s actually best to get frequent trims if you’re trying to grow longer, healthier hair. Whatever your hair type or style, our experts recommend you get a cut or trim at least every six to eight weeks.

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How to Fix Split Ends | @stylecaster

A version of this article was originally published in May 2016.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Read any retirement planning book these days and one piece of advice will stand out – start saving early! Well, this is all well and good, but, the truth is that many of us are already in the final years before retirement.

The decisions that we made in our 20s and 30s are set in stone. Now, we want to know what we can do to make the most of our money in the years that we have left!

Fortunately, we don’t have to be alone as we go through this process. With the right professional advice (hopefully from a Fiduciary Financial Advisor), we can still make a big impact on the quality of life that we have in retirement, even if we are already in our 50s or 60s.

So, to dig into this issue, I recently interviewed Pam Krueger of Wealthramp, a website that helps people to find personally vetted, independent Fiduciary Advisors. If anyone knows how to get the most from your relationship with your Financial Advisor, it’s Pam. So, I hope that you find the conversation useful (and profitable!)

Here are the topics that Pam said we should consider discussing with a Financial Planner in the years leading up to retirement. Of course, none of the information in this article is intended to be financial advice. But, I hope that it gives you plenty to discuss with a financial professional.

First Things First… Talk to the Right Person

Before we even got into the topic of what to discuss with a Financial Planner, Pam reminded us that not all financial professionals are created equal. For example, Pam points out that fiduciaries have a different set of rules that they must apply when it comes to helping you to manage your money.

As she said, “The fiduciary [has] a much higher standard; legally, they are on the line for their advice. They have to put your best interests ahead of their own.”

When I talk with the women in my community, they are amazed when they learn that many financial professionals have a much lower legal standard that they have to follow – basically, they just need to recommend financial options that are “appropriate” for your situation. This means that they could still have conflicts of interest and could legally put their own interests above yours!

If you are looking for a Fiduciary Advisor, I highly recommend checking out Pam’s website, Wealthramp.

What Are Your Life Goals?

As we dove into the topics that you should raise with your Financial Planner in the years leading up to retirement, Pam started by talking about the relationship between life goals and financial goals. She pointed out that, while your financial goals may be narrow in scope, your life goals are much broader.

As a result, she said that most people should start by making sure that their financial planner really understands their situation – where they live, what their family life looks like, what your priorities are, etc.

As she said, “When you go to a really good Financial Planner, one of the best things you can do is to collaborate on your life. Because a Fiduciary Advisor is not there to sell you products, [the conversation] should be all about you! Then, you can start to look for patterns and habits that you can change.”

Would You Please Audit My Investments? Am I Paying Too Many Fees?

For most of us – even the fortunate few among us who saved a significant amount for retirement – our investments are a bit of an accidental mess. Maybe we had a small pension plan at one company… and a 401K (probably filled with expensive, actively-managed mutual funds) at another… and a few CDs that we stuck some money in… and that jar under the bed. Regardless of where our money is stashed away, chances are we haven’t looked at the details in a long time.

One of the top requests that Pam says we should all make of a Financial Planner is to audit our investments. This way, they can look at whether we are sufficiently diversified, whether we are paying too many fees and whether we could benefit from a different strategy.

This is not the time to be shy. None of us like opening our financial lives up to another person. Doing so means that we need to face the consequences of our decisions. But, this is the only way to reset our financial lives in the years leading up to retirement.

Do I Have the Right Insurance?

Most of us don’t think about insurance as being a part of our retirement plan, but, according to Pam, this vehicle is so important.

A Fiduciary Advisor can give you objective advice because, quite frankly, they don’t have anything to sell! This means that they can help you to understand whether you are overpaying and, if so, by how much.

As Pam said, “They are in the unique position of being able to evaluate, in an unbiased way, your insurance situation.” This should include life insurance, homeowners’ insurance medical insurance and any other insurance plans that you have.

Do I Need Long-Term Care? How Will I Pay for it?

For most of our lives, we worry about not living too long enough. Then, as we reach our 60s, we begin, ever so slowly, to start to worry about living too long!

According to Pam, a good Financial Planner can help you to think about the financial tools that you need to have in place to prepare for the possibility that you will need long-term care in the future.

As she said, “There is [long-term care] insurance that you can buy when you are getting ready to retire… but, you need to make sure that you get the right policy.”

This interview with Pam Krueger was wide-ranging and I have only been able to scratch the surface of the great advice that she gave us. I highly encourage you to watch today’s video to get even more details about the questions that you should ask a Financial Planner in the years leading up to retirement.

What questions did you raise with a Financial Planner in the years leading up to retirement? What did you think of the 4 questions that Pam recommended we each ask? Let’s have a conversation!