Oh, you thought the mob wife aesthetic’s moment had come and gone? Perhaps it took a summer vacation, but as we approach 2025, it looks like it’s already very much back. Just a couple of days after Sabrina Carpenter put her super-cute spin on the style, Cardi B has brought her boldness, and she definitely didn’t disappoint—especially with her lofty and fantastically flirty hairdo.

Cardi attended the grand opening party for the Skims New York flagship store—perhaps you saw the announcement on Kim Kardashian’s own nails—looking appropriately snatched (Skims is shapewear, after all), and wearing the brand’s leopard-print bodysuit from the recent Dolce & Gabbana collaboration. Under it were fishnet stockings; over it was more leopard print in the form of a fabulously unorthodox trench coat. She completely the sartorial portion of her mob wife look with a huge cross necklace and pointy heels in—guess what—more leopard print.

But the mob wife aesthetic isn’t complete without the beauty factor, and Cardi B seriously served with her voluminous updo. What looks like pounds of hair is piled in a fountain-like silhouette atop her head. A huge swath of hair—call it side bangs, call it a super-tendril—hangs in front, perfectly blown out to a shiny finish with a glamorous hint of curl, and fully obstructing Cardi’s right eye. She was seen occasionally moving it out of the way (an understandable, natural instinct) with her French manicure, but the peek-a-boo look really added to the drama of the overall ensemble.

Getty Images

Confession: Ellis Brooklyn has me hooked. These fragrances aren’t just scents—they’re full-on personalities, moods, and memories bottled up into the prettiest packaging imaginable. I’m talking about perfumes that can instantly turn your day around, make strangers ask, “What are you wearing?” and give you that extra boost of confidence you didn’t even know you needed. And I’m not alone here, turns out many of my coworkers at Allure are equally as obsessed with the scents the brand has to offer.

Whether you’re channeling sultry and mysterious, fresh and carefree, or warm and cozy, Ellis Brooklyn has a scent for every version of you. Trust me, I’ve sniffed them all (multiple times), and I’m here to guide you to your perfect match. These are the absolute best Ellis Brooklyn fragrances to buy right now—and once you find your favorite, don’t blame me if you start planning your entire vibe around it.

My Top Pick: Miami Nectar by Ellis Brooklyn

My personal favorite is Miami Nectar (no, it’s not only because I recently moved to South Florida). This scent feels like that first sip of a margarita on a sunny day—zesty, cool, and just the right amount of sweet. The first notes to hit your nose are bright and refreshing bursts of lime and coconut water before they settle into this soft, beachy vibe that sticks around like a tan after vacation. It’s not loud or in-your-face, but people will definitely lean in and ask, “What are you wearing?” Perfect for pretending you’re on a tropical getaway when it’s 40 degrees outside.

More Allure editors on their favorite Ellis Brooklyn fragrances:

Lexi’s Pick: Florist by Ellis Brooklyn

“I will forever be a sucker for a floral scent, and Florist by Ellis Brooklyn is one of my absolute favorites. The light, breezy scent transports you to a sunny afternoon walking through a lush garden. It’s long-lasting, lush, and the perfect amount of intensity for any season.” — Lexi Herrick, senior director, audience

Kara’s Pick: Après by Ellis Brooklyn

“Imagine your favorite, evergreen-scented holiday candle: crisp, herbaceous, and a little spicy. Now imagine you’re sipping an old-fashioned as you light the candle, adding notes of sweet bourbon and smoky bitters to your overall olfactory experience. That’s this perfume in a nutshell. It’s unlike anything in my collection, and I wear it all winter long.” — Kara McGrath, content director

Sarah’s Pick: Sun Fruits by Ellis Brooklyn

“As someone who doesn’t wear fragrance too often—but will spritz one when the occasion calls for it (I’m in a slump! I’m going on date night!)—Sun Fruit is the clear winner in the Ellis Brooklyn lineup. This “vacation in a bottle” is the perfect blend of fruity and floral—a.k.a. not too heavy in either category—and I’m instantly energized with every spritz. Even though the vibes lean toward summer and spring, the mood-boosting qualities are enough for me to wear all year round. Can you blame me? Fresh fig, jasmine, and vanilla are too scrumptious to pass up!” — Sarah Han, commerce editor

Deanna’s Pick: Dear Sky by Ellis Brooklyn

“To be fair, I’ve been a fan of fruity florals since high school—you say basic, I say classic—but this one is different. It does have an easy-to-love lineup of honeydew, strawberry leaf, and peony, but what sets it apart is the crisp quality—think waking up a desert at dawn. It’s cleaner and fresher than juicy, which I’ve been loving.” — Deanna Pai. interim shopping director

Talia’s Pick: Bee by Ellis Brooklyn

“Sweet honey, gourmand rum, and a touch of vanilla bean are just a few notes in this warm and fuzzy fragrance, which makes an excellent base for any fragrance layering. I like to pair a generous few sprays with a floral-forward jasmine fragrance (like Ellis Brooklyn’s Myth), which almost guarantees a handful of compliments throughout the day.” — Talia Gutierrez, associate manager, special projects

To shop all of Ellis Brooklyn’s scents visit ellisbrooklyn.com. We promise you (and your nose) won’t regret it.

“Peptides are small molecules that serve as building blocks for proteins in our bodies,” explains Ellen Marmur, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and the founder of MMSkincare. The purpose of adding them to your hair routine, she says, is to “enrich the scalp and build a robust environment for strong follicles.” Peptides can also reduce inflammation caused by excess hormones and/or irritation that may lead to hair loss.

The desire for these benefits is reflected in what you and your friends are searching online. Addison Cain, an insights and marketing lead for trend-forecasting company Spate, points out that there are 9,200 average monthly searches for the word “hair” alongside “peptides” on Google. There are 64,500 weekly views for peptide-related #hairgrowth posts on TikTok, she continues, which indicates that consumers are seeking products infused with this ingredient to address hair loss (more on this later).

Good news: As Allure editors preview what’s to come next year, they’re observing more peptide-spiked scalp serums that promote scalp health and density-boosting shampoos and stylers. Can’t wait? Try The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Treatment for Hair Density, a serum that combines peptides with caffeine and zinc “to strengthen hair at the roots, exfoliate the scalp, and improve circulation,” Margarita Lolis, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, previously told Allure. We also recommend trying the K18 Peptide Prep Shampoo, which contains a chain of peptides that helps strengthen hair as you cleanse.

Consumers are seeking mirror-shiny hair more than ever.

Let’s first acknowledge the (slick, shiny) elephant in the room: Glossy hair is not a new trend. But that doesn’t mean the pursuit of it has waned. According to Cain, Spate’s data indicates a 13.2% rise, year-over-year, in searches for hair glosses on Google. She adds that TikTok posts about glossy-hair routines and reviews receive over 419,000 weekly views on average, with a 169.7% increase year-over-year in searches, as of mid-November.

Michelle Hong, a colorist in New York City, says she now sees clients who come in for weekly glazes to keep their hair as shiny as possible. New York City hairstylist and groomer Michael Dueñas says the most consistent goal he hears from clients is very shiny hair. But getting shiny hair doesn’t necessarily mean a trip to the salon; there are a plethora of at-home products that deliver smooth, glossy results in your in-shower and styling routines—with more to come in 2025.

Coco Jones is having such a moment right now. She’s been casually hanging out on the charts—no biggie—with her single “Here We Go (Uh Oh),” which she sang on the Colossal Wave of Wonder float during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And not too long after, she swung back around a few blocks to visit Rockefeller Center for the star-studded annual tree-lighting celebration, where she treated the live and television audiences to “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and the song “String of Lights” off of her Christmas album, “Coco by the Fireplace.” But before she hit the stage, we had the pleasure of joining the singer for a get-ready-with-me that found her getting outside of her beauty comfort zone for this special occasion.

As Jones sat in a comfy-looking gray hoodie, she was surrounded by a glam team to her hair and makeup in the holiday spirit. “Today, we’re doing an elevated cherry, cranberry energy,” she tells Allure. “I normally never really do a lip color, but I’m trying to branch out.” Spoiler alert: the branching out pays off, as a cranberry ombré lip ended up framing her million-dollar smile.

But before she got her lip color on—and right in the middle of getting a shimmering champagne eye—Jones was called for a quick dress rehearsal. When she got back, her makeup artist, Andrea Ventura, finished up the radiant look, and her hairstylist, Elizabeth Semande, who was curling her wig before it was placed on her head, did some quick touch-ups to complete the timeless, bombshell look.

Getty Images

Cranberry nail polish is as versatile as a Chanel quilted 11.2 crossbody because it works effortlessly with all of your outfits. Gerstein describes it as a great accessory shade of red because of how well it complements so many other colors.

Try this trend with Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Pro Color Nail Polish in Cranberry Kiss, which dries down with shine even before you apply the top coat. If you don’t have time to paint your nails or hit the salon, we suggest Sally Hansen Perfect Manicure Press-Ons in Cinna-Snap. I used the under-$10 almond-shaped press-ons for the look above.

Black cherry

Instagram / @jadenailedit

Gerstein describes black cherry as “the darkest burgundy can get before it becomes black.” It’s moody and elevated, especially with a glass-like shine. She recommends using OPI Lincoln Park After Dark (which leans more purple) or Chanel Rouge Noir (which is a true deep red)for the look.

Gerstein also suggests trying the color with a jelly effect. “It gives the vampy shade a modern twist,” she says. To make your own black cherry jelly polish, Gerstein says to mix 4-5 drops of your nail color into a bottle of clear polish and shake it. If your shade isn’t as deep as you like, slowly add more until it is.

If you want to skip that extra step just go in with a ready-made burgundy polish with a jelly finish—we love Cirque Colors Bonbon Jelly, a dark burgundy with a super glossy finish that mimics that jelly texture.

Jewel-Toned Chocolate

Zola Ganzorigt

Some days call for a great braid… or braids. Just ask Kerry Washington, whose latest look makes me want to whip up a pair of pigtails for the rest of the week.

For a visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live on November 13, the Scandal actor wore her hair in two waist-length braids by stylist Larri, pairing them with a bedazzled tweed Stella McCartney skirt suit and matching bag. Her hair was parted precisely in the center and slicked down close to her head on either side for a super sleek foundation, then gathered into two sections near her ears and braided into thick, full braids that ended right at the waistband of her skirt. Simple, timeless, and ideal for both everyday errands and chatting it up on ABC.

Glam-wise, Washington and makeup artist Fiona Stiles kept it just as classic with black liner and lashes, a pale pink lip, and and minimal, naked manicure, letting the braids be the centerpiece of her late-night look.

Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez’s nails are so bright, I need sunglasses to look at them. No, seriously—the star is wearing full-on Swarovski crystals on each finger for the ultimate sparkle and shine.

Lopez is known for her signature ultra-glamorous style, but her latest mani took that luxury to the next level. The star performed at the Elie Saab fashion show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and matched her nails to her sparkly platinum performance bodysuit. Nail artist Tom Bachik was behind the look and spared no detail when it came to the sparkle factor. Bachik applied Après Nail Gel X Extensions in a coffin shape, then applied a silver chrome base from Mia Secret as the foundation. Atop that, he applied even more chrome, this time from his forthcoming nail care collection, and then covered each nail in Swarovski crystals. The gems take up the entire area of Lopez’s nail, from base to tip, and Bachik used varying shapes and sizes for visual interest, not to mention tons of glitter. See what I mean about the sunglasses?

Given that Lopez was performing for the 45th anniversary of the celeb-favorite fashion line, she needed a manicure that brought allllll the glam, and there’s really no better way to do that than with Swarovski crystals. (And, in Lopez’s case, a bedazzled Starbucks cup.)

Artists figured out years ago how to animate hyper-detailed straight, wavy, or loosely curled hair: see Rapunzel’s golden, tower-length locks in 2010’s Tangled or Merida’s bouncy, ginger ringlets in Brave from 2012. Simulating similarly detailed tight curls and coils for Black characters, however, has proven to be an ongoing challenge, even for incredibly well-budgeted animation teams such as Disney’s: After all, it wasn’t until 2021 that the studio delivered Black hair that had actual, visible texture with Encanto. This has, of course, directly affected the amount and quality of representation for Black audiences.

In an effort to close the gap, Theodore Kim, a professor of computer science at Yale, and A.M. Darke, an associate professor of performance, play, and design at the University of California at Santa Cruz, calculated an algorithm to simulate Afro-textured hair, the first and only of its kind. Their paper about the algorithm, titled “Curly-Cue: Geometric Methods for Highly Coiled Hair,” was co-authored by two of Kim’s doctoral students, Haomiao Wu and Alvin Shi, and released online in October. It will be officially published and presented at Siggraph Asia, one of the world’s most prestigious computer graphics conferences, in December.

The algorithm itself took about a year to develop, although the team spent nearly four years researching, building an entirely new system of physics animation software called HOBAK, and publishing other work about computing graphics of Black hair along the way. “We showed that generating Black hair with these phenomena is possible, but it’s still really hard,” Kim tells Allure. “Making the three hairstyles in the paper [a tapered Afro, a long Afro, and a fade] was very challenging; just barely out of the realm of the impossible. There’s still lots of room for improvement.”

But what does a mathematical algorithm have to do with animation? A lot, it turns out. Animations in modern TV shows, movies, and video games are created with a combination of mathematics and, in Kim’s words, “artistic intervention.” Elements like hair are simulated using physical equations calculated by software engineers, which creates a base animation for artists to then “go back in… and re-comb the hairs that don’t quite hit the right artistic note.” Artists are no longer drawing hairs using pen and paper but rather “meticulously polishing [generic heads of hair] with a mouse and keyboard until they look just right,” Kim explains. “This is the new ‘by hand.’”

Anyone who doesn’t think 2024 was The Year of the Bob hasn’t been paying attention. Celebrities have been making chin-length chops all year; just look at Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Sydney Sweeney, and Gigi Hadid. There are only so many ways to style a bob, and the stars have demonstrated most of them, inspiring us to go wavy, flippy, slicked back—you name it. But one version we haven’t really seen yet is a locs bob. Thankfully, Chlöe Bailey heard the call.

The singer posted a selfie video to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, November 13, looking adorable as per usual. What wasn‘t usual though was her hair. While sitting in a car, she showed off a side-parted bob, her locs bouncing as she modeled different angles. She even asked her followers, “Like my hair like this?” using Instagram’s Questions feature.

Chloe Bailey/Instagram

Chloe Bailey/Instagram