Many things in life carry hidden costs that aren’t reflected in their initial price tags (caveat emptor indeed). For example, if you buy a large house, you’ll most likely need to spend more money to get it cleaned (or more time cleaning it yourself). If you start using waterproof mascara, you’ll also need to purchase eye makeup remover. If you color your hair, you’ll have to start buying sulfate-free shampoo to help preserve that color—and hair treatments like the one…

Sometimes I marvel at how far humans have come from the days of putting leeches on our skin as a form of medicine. I feel so lucky to live in a world that offers many types of sunscreen—not just chemical and physical, but also tinted sunscreen and even sunscreen that’s designed to provide a cooling sensation. The latest innovation I spotted in the drugstore was “dry” sunscreen—not “dry” in the sense that it’s actually a powder, but sunscreen that doesn’t…

Nine out of 10 little sisters agree: Big sisters are expert authorities when it comes to discovering cool new stuff first. I read my sister’s books after she finished reading them, I wore her clothes after she outgrew them, and I listened to the music that she played in the car. So when I visited my sister a few weeks ago, I was more than happy to try out a new product that she picked up a Costco: the Karuna exfoliating foot mask.