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Ask Ugly

Ask Ugly is the Guardian’s new beauty advice column, written by Jessica DeFino

  • A graphic illustration in sepia tones of a light-skinned woman with long, dark hair, kneeling in a sexually suggestive manner wearing a bathing suit.

    Ask Ugly: the state of the bush – how should I be styling my pubic hair?

    I polled thousands of women about their pubic hair. This is what they told me
  • ‘Take a fraction of what you’d spend on Le Labo Rose 31 and buy yourself a bouquet; meditate on your own impermanence as it wilts.’

    Ask Ugly: signature scents are deeply appealing – but how else can I express ‘the self’?

    In her monthly column about beauty culture, our columnist takes on the power of perfume and how we should leave an impression beyond store-bought smell
  • Graphic illustration in shades of ochre, light pink and light blue, of a fit woman (cropped below the neck) in halter top and yoga leggings sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat, surrounded by makeup bottles and holding one in each hand on her knees, each of which emanates colored steam.

    Ask Ugly: Is a makeup routine really mindfulness?

    In her monthly column about beauty culture, our columnist takes on the blurring of the line between the beauty and wellness industries
  • ASKUGKLY CHAPSTICK LOLAbeltran

    Ask Ugly: I’m addicted to lip balm – but it doesn’t work. What’s a better alternative?

    In her monthly column about beauty culture, our columnist lists the ways to care for your kisser that don’t involve a plastic tube of petrochemical goo
  • ASK UGLY BABIES

    Ask Ugly: I’m getting ads for beauty products for my baby. Infants don’t need skincare – do they?

    In her third monthly column about beauty culture, our columnist says the best thing a parent can do for their baby’s developing skin is leave it alone
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    Ask Ugly: now that I’m a mother, I’m mourning my old, ‘pretty’ self. Is this normal?

    In her second monthly column about beauty culture, our columnist talks about the pressure to ‘feel like yourself again’ after having a baby
  • For what it’s worth, anti-ageing beauty behaviors don’t seem to truly help ageing women.

    Should you be getting Botox? Welcome to Ask Ugly, our new beauty column!

    In the inaugural edition, our expert answers if one should be ‘proactive about anti-ageing’
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