Allure (magazine)

Allure is an American women's magazine focused on beauty, published monthly by Condé Nast in New York City. It was founded in 1991 by Linda Wells. Michelle Lee replaced Wells in 2015.[2] A signature of the magazine is its annual Best of Beauty awards—accolades given in the October issue to beauty products deemed the best by Allure's staff.

Allure
April 2017 cover featuring Imaan Hammam, Dilone and Aamito Lagum
EditorMichelle Lee
CategoriesBeauty
FrequencyMonthly
PublisherCondé Nast
Total circulation
(2013)		1,165,392[1]
Year founded1991
CompanyAdvance Publications
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.allure.com
ISSN1054-7711

History

In 1990, S.I. Newhouse Jr., chairman of Condé Nast, and then editorial director Alexander Liberman approached Linda Wells to develop a concept they had for a beauty magazine. At the time, Wells was the beauty editor and the food editor at The New York Times Magazine.[3]

The magazine's prototype was shredded shortly before the scheduled launch date and, after overhauling everything (including the logo), Allure made its debut in March 1991[4][5] designed by Lucy Sisman. The magazine's original format was oversize, but this prevented it from fitting into slots at grocery-store checkouts and required advertisers to resize their ads or create new ones. After four issues, Allure changed to a standard-size glossy format.[3]

Impact

Allure focuses on beauty, fashion, and women's health. Allure was the first women's magazine to write about the health risks associated with silicone breast implants, and has reported on other controversial health issues.

After Lee took the helm in late 2015, the brand was celebrated for promoting diversity and inclusivity. In 2017, Adweek named Allure Magazine of the Year and awarded Lee as Editor of the Year.[6][7]

The magazine's circulation, initially 250,000 in 1991, is over 1 million as of 2011.

Many writers have contributed to Allure. Among them are Arthur Miller, John Updike, Jhumpa Lahiri, Michael Chabon, Kathryn Harrison, Frank McCourt, Isabel Allende, and Francine du Plessix Gray. Elizabeth Gilbert’s essay “The Road to Rapture,” published in Allure in 2003, was the precursor to her memoir, Eat, Pray, Love (Viking Adult). Photographers who have shot for Allure include Michael Thompson, Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, Tina Barney, Marilyn Minter, Carter Smith, Steven Klein, Steven Meisel, and Helmut Newton. Cover subjects have included Demi Lovato, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Helen Mirren, Zendaya, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie, Reese Witherspoon, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Victoria Beckham, Beyoncé, Fergie, Britney Spears, Lupita Nyong'o, Jessica Simpson, Kate Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, and Gwen Stefani. (See List of Allure cover models).

Best of Beauty Awards

Allure began its Best of Beauty awards program in the mid-1990s, at the initiative of Wells, to help readers choose among the vast array of makeup, skin-care, and hair-care products on the market.

Allure has two sets of awards, one judged by the magazine's editors and the other by readers. A “winners’ seal” logo, developed by Allure, appears on many of the winning products. To ensure that its judgments are neutral, Allure's ad department isn't involved in the selections.

In 2010, the magazine developed an iPhone app that highlights the winning products and tells users where they can buy them based on their location.[8]

Controversy

There was an outrage when the magazine showed Marissa Neitling with an Afro haircut.[9][10]

Awards (for Allure)
  • Magazine of the Year from Adweek (2017)[11]
  • Bronze Clio Award for Allure Unbound augmented reality app (2017)
  • The National Magazine Award for Design (1994)[12]
  • The Editorial Excellence Award from Folio (2001)
  • The Circulation Excellence Award from Circulation Management (2001)
  • “Ring Leader,” an essay by Natalie Kusz from the February 1996 issue of Allure, was selected for The Best American Essays 1997 (Houghton Mifflin).
  • The magazine has been on Adweek’s Hot List in 1993, 1994, 1995, 2003, and 2007.
  • Allure has received 29 awards from the American Academy of Dermatology, 9 journalism awards from the Fragrance Foundation, and the Excellence in Media Award from the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Awards (for Linda Wells)
  • The Achiever Award from Cosmetic Executive Women (2001)
  • The Matrix Award for magazine leadership from New York Women in Communications, Inc. (2009)

Awards (for Michelle Lee)
  • Editor of the Year from Adweek (2017)[13]
  • Digiday's Glossy 50 (2017)
  • A100 Most Influential Asians from Gold House (2018)
  • Creative 100 from Create & Cultivate (2017)

In the media

Wells, along with Allure editors Michael Carl and Kelly Atterton, have appeared as judges on the Bravo TV series Shear Genius.

Allure editors have appeared as experts on programs such as the Today show and 60 Minutes, and Allure stories frequently receive national attention.

Hilary Duff played an Allure intern in Cheaper by the Dozen 2.[14]

See also

References
  1. "Alliance for Audited Media Snapshot Report". Alliance for Audited Media. June 30, 2013. Archived from the original on January 23, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  2. Steigrad, Alexandra (2015-11-12). "Linda Wells' 24-Year Run at Allure Comes to an End". WWD. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
  3. Smith, Stephanie D., "Allure Survives Early Blemishes and Turns 15", Women's Wear Daily, October 20, 2006.
  4. "Top 100 U.S. Magazines by Circulation" (PDF). PSA Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 15, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  5. Greg Allard (October 3, 2015). "The Top 20 Selling Fashion Magazines". Tune Groover. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  6. "14 Magazines Shaking Up the Publishing Industry, One Reinvention at a Time", Adweek. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  7. “With Michelle Lee at the Helm, Allure Is Blowing Up How Our Culture Defines Beauty,” Adweek. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  8. iPhone Apps Allure
  9. "Allure Uses White Model for Afro Tutorial, Backlash Ensues". E! Online. August 4, 2015.
  10. "It's A Slap In The Face When White Women Wear Black Hairstyles". Huffington Post. August 4, 2015.
  11. "Presenting the 2017 Readers' Choice Poll Winners". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  12. "FASHION : The Allure of Allure : Why is the young magazine a winner? It might have something to do with Editor Linda Wells' beauty-biz-not-as-usual style". Los Angeles Times. 1994-12-08. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  13. Eldor, Karin. "To Allure Editor-In-Chief Michelle Lee, Diversity Is More Than A Buzzword". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  14. tvguide.com, Cheaper By the Dozen 2

Further reading
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