Review: Allure Magazine

Welcome back, TTT readers,

Happy V-Day everybody! I hope you got a kiss from that special someone, and if you didn't, I hope you got some chocolate kisses! And, to complete your Valentine's Day, without further adieu, here's my delicious review of the newly released Allure Magazine. And, I must say, there could not be a more auspicious time to publish a magazine: kudos to the Allure team! Bonus points awarded (just kidding, I don't do bonus points). Well, enough rambling, let's get down to business.

Allure's first issue is the quality of a fledgling magazine, which is no more than I truly expect for a first issue. It was not a smashing success, or a complete failure, but somewhere along the lines of ok, and moving upwards on the ladder. The Allure team has a lot going for them, however: Allure is also a daily blog, which I must give commend to: it is really hard to run a blog and a magazine at the same time! As always, to prevent from making this post too boring, I will put page numbers in brackets. For example, since this magazine has 25 pages, the cover would be [1/25]. It makes it easier for all of us.

Click HERE to view the magazine in a new window to follow along.

Graphic Design: 7/10 The graphics are not too bad, and actually get progressively better from the cover on. The hair on the model is too choppy and quite frankly too large for her face, but her face is beautifully sculptured. I like the "peek-a-boo" nudity risks that the magazine takes: it is daring for a first issue, but well composed and while does tread a fine line between art and porn, does not cross it [5/25]. Impressive. The editorial picture does look a bit awkward, however, as the models look like little girls caught in a child's pose [10/25], but maybe that's the photographer's job to work on the poses a little better: think refined- Coco Rocha! I like the daring chances the team took, however, for example, Lindsay Lohan smoking the cigarette [21/25]. Well done, but it needs work and refinement.

Fashion Editorial: 4/10 The editorial was 2 pages long. And a 4/10 is me being generous. Well curated fashion magazines have a spread of fashion usually: and this is the best time to have one! We are nearing Spring and the magazine could have easily, easily incorporated more clothing. But what I do like are the floral crowns [10/25], always a good trend, yet the girl with the wolf confuses me. This seems more along the lines of a fall edition, no?

Trends Shown: 8/10 What this magazine excelled at was trends. Huge commendation for the specific article on trends. I really liked how specific the writers were [6-9/25] and the clue-ins. Ombre hair is truly hard to do yourself- appealing to the "everyday girl" that is your reader is absolutely important! Yet, there were no pictures on hand to show what the final style should look like, and that's where the points came off.

Creativity: 6/10 This magazine had nothing out of the normal. Yes, it is edgy, but we can also say Wooldoor's Monster is edgy. My point is, it's not the only one out there. The points come from the "Playlist" article [13-15/25], where there is something new. Music has not been a topic yet explored by any magazine, and I am impressed the team has thought of it. I love that the author puts her own opinion into it, and why it means so much. This article made me really, really, happy. Overall, though, the magazine needs to follow this concept of originality.

Writing Style: 7/10 The writing style and grammar were good all around. Yet, I am upset that there was no real article. Where is the substance! Yes, fashion and style is important, but there are also tons of issues your readers could be more informed about. A new art exhibit? Fashion week? Politics? Looming issues such as melanoma and the use of tanning beds? Food for thought.

How did this magazine score?

32 out of 50 points, at 64% or D-

My Final Comments: Allure has done very well, although many fans and the team may think I was a bit unfair. This scale is one created for magazines that have run for many seasons, for improvement, and for people to read magazines with a more critical eye and get the most they can out of every issue. I don't believe I was unfair, and I believe Allure has a lot of improvement ahead but it has started at a very positive place. I look forward to awarding Allure with high marks in the near future!