Peter Thomas Roth

They're all the rage in Korea. (And they work!)

It's summer and I already have a bad farmer tan and some new freckles to prove it, thanks to a careless (and hatless) weekend spent in the suburbs with friends. It's time to stock up on sunscreen, and while it's not the sexiest beauty product out there, it's a necessary evil--unless you want wrinkles, weird dark spots...oh and don't forget cancer. We know--you've heard all this before. What you may not have heard is that the way you are using sunscreen needs to change.

Ed's Note: Meet our new beauty columnist! (No, that's not her at the left. That's Lindsey Wixson.) Contessa Schexnayder is a makeup artist and has been shackled to the beauty industry for over nine years, working for such lines and retailers as Nars, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Blue Mercury, and Space NK. She is a self-proclaimed ingredient know-it-all, and likes long walks on the beach. When faced with hundreds of bottles of lotions and potions, the drugstore aisle and department store can be overwhelming places. Do you need a seven step facial regimen? How worried should you be in your 20s about an anti-aging treatments? Should you just give up in your 40s? We’ll attempt to answer these questions with a handy guide for every age group, complete with product recommendations. Click through for some advice and pointers.

Does the world need another beauty e-commerce site? Dara Kennedy, a Harvard MBA and full-on skin care junkie, thinks so. Dara worked in beauty for a good chunk of her career before becoming an entrepreneur. She worked at Interbrand, was on the founding team of Living Proof, helped Marcia Kilgore launch Soap & Glory Cosmetics, and launched four product lines for Elizabeth Arden. So she knows the market well. Her site, Ayla, will have a soft launch this Monday, February 7. The focus is entirely skin care. Dara is a certified yoga instructor and passionate about natural products. However, she also puts efficacy high on the priority list. “Sometimes the naturals work and sometimes they don’t,” she told me. Therefore, you’ll find naturals and organics next to clinical formulas that are still safe. At launch, the site will offer Luzern, Peter Thomas Roth, Naturopathica, and the UK’s The Organic Pharmacy--which is an online exclusive for Ayla and quite a coup for the site--among others.