Melissa Epifano
Location
Bath, United Kingdom
School
University Of Oregon
Expertise
Shoe Trends, Fashion Styling, Beauty Trends
- Melissa has written for brands such as InStyle, Byrdie, The Zoe Report, and People, covering fashion, beauty, shopping, and lifestyle topics.
- She is the founder of a women's footwear brand and has learned the ins and outs of the shoe industry, how to style footwear, and what makes a great shoe.
- Melissa has covered London Fashion Week, interviewed high-profile designers, and sat at runway shows covering trends. She is familiar with the fashion world and spent three years living in NYC, writing about fashion, too.
Experience
With over six years of experience in writing and editing, Melissa has worked her way up from an intern to an editor-in-chief. After graduating with a degree in journalism, she cut her teeth in New York, writing for publications such as Real Simple, The Spruce, Forbes, Apartment Therapy, and more. Her expertise lies in trend coverage, commerce round-ups, and interviews. She serves as the editor-in-chief of Real Homes, a home and design website for Gen Z, but her heart lies in fashion.
Education
Melissa has a Bachelor of Science in journalism. She learned all things grammar, style, and reporting and graduated a year early. These skills prepared her for a career of turning her thoughts into engaging copy.
The List's lifestyle content is created by an authoritative collaboration of editors, writers, and experts representing the ever-evolving world of style, beauty, wellness, relationships, entertainment, and more.
Enhanced by our trusted experts and writer knowledge, The List's editorial staff regularly assess our coverage to ensure that it is accurate, comprehensive and inclusive. Complete information on our editorial process available here.
Stories By Melissa Epifano
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Retinol is placed on a pedestal for its said skincare capabilities, and rightfully so. Its long list include targeting fine lines and wrinkles, promoting cell turnover, and positively influencing your collagen stores among other things. But there's an alternative: bakuchiol.
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Consumers have settled for a one-size-fits-all approach to haircare for far too long. It's okay to expect more from companies who assume you can use the same shampoo as your bestie. In reality, your hair is far too different from the next person's to be swept under one category.
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No one likes cakey makeup, but it still happens. A less than ideal finish can be the result of one-too-many pumps of foundation, the wrong color match, or more importantly, how it was blended. It's more than a matter of spreading it around your face with the tools in your cosmetic bag.
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Before you celebrate compiling the perfectly personalized 15-step skincare routine, you'll want to double check you have the right order. Believe it or not, having the right products is only half the battle. The way you layer said products makes up the second part, and it's just as important.
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If a pedicure is in your near future, you may assume that you just need to show up, ready for some major relaxation, but the reality is a little preparation can lead to a much safer and satisfactory service. Sure, most of the work should be left up to your knowledgeable technician.
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Sleeping seems like the most innocent of actions, but it can be a huge contributing factor to how well you age, even when it comes to your skin. You could have the best lineup of products and religiously follow a strict skincare regimen, and your sleeping habits can still undo your work and effort.
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Summer is exiting stage left, and fall is ushering in a new set of trends and gorgeous makeup looks that only can be embraced while the weather is cooler, colors are darker, and clothing gets thicker. There is no better season to test your hand at eyeshadow trends that border the line of edgy.
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Heading to the salon to get your gels filled isn't quite an option right now, but that doesn't mean you can't achieve a salon-quality manicure. At-home nail products have come so far that you can get a pro finish without even touching lacquer, thanks to press-on nails.
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Staring at walls of products and testing out different formulas takes a large amount of patience, and the mysteries of skincare only seem to grow.
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Faux tans allow you to get a golden glow safely, and if used correctly, they will make you look as if you're freshly back from vacation year-round. But self-tanners are also ragged on for how finicky they are. They smell, stain, streak, and make it difficult to even apply and get the color right.
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When it comes to fall fashion, it's easy to sort things out. You needn't look further than a sweater, jacket, and boots to achieve the standard autumnal uniform. But when it comes to hair and makeup, things get a bit trickier. It's chilly, and hair can get frizzier or dryer.
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Everyone has probably had a bottle of witch hazel toner lying around their bathroom at some point in time, but toners and essences deserve much more credit than they often get for their abilities. But it's easy to get them confused, especially when you're unsure when to use each.
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It's startling how quickly you can rack up major money while shopping for makeup. You swear you were just going in for a new brow pencil, and here you are, $300 later with a few extra goodies. In order to provide a more affordable alternative, Sephora designed an in-house solution for its customers.
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Of the simple pleasures in life, plopping down for a manicure or pedicure is up there on the list. There's something about sitting in a chair and zoning out and letting stress slip away. Unfortunately, this is no ordinary time, and small luxuries can no longer be taken for granted.
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Whether you're already adamant about a 10-step routine or unsure of what an alpha-hydroxy acid is, it's important to have some kind of product lineup for your complexion, yes, even in your 20s. Don't stress, though, if you haven't fully immersed yourself into skincare.
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Even beauty aficionados can mix up the meanings of different products, tools, and techniques, like how to tell the difference between toners and essences or curling irons and wands. When it comes to hair, another one of the more confusing ones is the difference between silk presses and flat irons.
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There's no question that Tracee Ellis Ross is a fabulous actor, but thanks to the decision to launch her own haircare brand, Pattern Beauty, the star can be credited as a hair expert, too. Ross' strands always looks flawless, whether she's on the red carpet or sharing her workout routine on social.
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It's hard to find a more polarizing brand than Goop. The women's lifestyle and wellness site meets shop has as many fans as it does critics, and the launch of the brands Netflix documentary only made people's perspectives more fiery with many sources trying to debunk claims made during the series.
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In the past few years, trendy hair colors have moved through shades of pale. From the white and platinum hair trends came gray and silver, which evolved, yet again, into another fresh shade. Enter: the titanium hair trend, an edgier version to its precursors.
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Few things are more exciting than discovering a treatment you were once having done in-office is now available to you at home. Recently, one of the most popular treatments seems to be light therapy masks. You may have seen these odd-looking contraptions drifting around Instagram.
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It's almost impossible to name a makeup product that can provide a bigger burst of color than eyeshadow. Lately, embracing the power of brilliant hues is the colorblock eyeshadow trend, a graphic look that's currently taking over social feeds and runways.
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If you need a reason to bulk up your makeup bag, Addison Rae's Item Beauty line is the perfect excuse. Available in poppy orange, blue, and silver packaging, the brand new, pared-down collection only consists of six products, but covers all your bases when it comes to your routine.
