The Zoe Report

Khalea Underwood

Bio

Khalea Underwood is Beauty Editor of The Zoe Report. She writes, edits, reports, and conceptualizes features and photoshoots on all things hair, makeup, skincare, nails, and fragrance. You can catch her lurking backstage at New York Fashion Week, picking up tips from artists and assistants or cornering models about their favorite SPF moisturizers. A proud graduate of Howard University, Khalea's bylines have also appeared on Refinery29, Us Weekly, College Candy, MTV, and the New York Daily News. She earned a Webby Awards 2019 nomination for Best Use Of Photography for a Refinery29 feature on the beauty of natural hair. When she's not swatching products or tweaking her four-step skincare routine, she enjoys decorating her new apartment, reading, shopping, and spending time with her family. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @letsbeKHAlear.

4 Beauty Products That I'll Never Buy Again... For Now, At Least

I wouldn't necessarily call myself a brand loyalist these days — it's impossible to be one as a beauty editor whose literal job description includes trying everything on the market. But I am a creature of habit. I know what I like, know what works…
By Khalea Underwood

All Of The Coolest Updos That Ruled The 2020 SAG Awards

With all due respect to the dresses, jewelry, and sky-high heels, hair is a very important factor on the red carpet. It's the finishing touch for a look, and can make or break how an outfit is executed. But I'd like to believe that at the 26th…
By Khalea Underwood

These Silk-Lined Beanies Will Save Your Hair This Winter

Every fall and winter, people with natural hair often struggle with a few things: for one, cold air tends to be drying, and dryness is the mortal enemy of curly and coily hair. But because the air is drier, that means there's the need to bundle up…
By Khalea Underwood

The Classic Makeup Look That 7 Stars Swore By For The Golden Globes 2020

No matter how many new lip products and kaleidoscopic shades hit the market this year, nothing will ever beat the classics. Red lipstick looks were trending at the 2020 Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 5, breathing new life into the classic look that…
By Khalea Underwood

This Anti-Red Carpet Hair Trend Dominated The 2020 Golden Globes

The 77th annual Golden Globe Awards serves as the official kick-off for awards season, where Hollywood is celebrated for a years' worth of groundbreaking work — and where they work the carpet, in return. But in a surprising turn of events, the most…
By Khalea Underwood

10 Beauty Gifts Under $20 That Are Only Cheap In Price

I come from a pretty large family: three siblings, three aunts, one uncle, a host of cousins. And that's just my immediate branch — on my mom's side. While I love them dearly, my pockets are significantly lighter once the holidays are finished.…
By Khalea Underwood

9 Winter Nail Polish Colors TZR Editors Always Wear

The acronym for Seasonal Affective Disorder is wildly appropriate. I don't know about you, but I definitely get SAD when the temps drop below 20 and I have to trudge through 20 inches of snow to get to the nearest subway station... so anytime I'm…
By Khalea Underwood

The $1,585 Lipstick Gift Set On Our Beauty Editor's Holiday Wishlist (CC: Santa)

The National Retail Federation expects holiday retail sales to fall between $727.9 billion and $730.7 billion this year, which is a increase of 3.7 percent over the last five years. In layman's terms: We're spending a lot of money, y'all. So why not…
By Khalea Underwood

9 Holiday Candles That Don't Smell Like Sugar Cookies Or Cranberries

As I drove down Brooklyn's Flatbush Avenue this weekend, I noticed that things looked a bit... dim. Not just because it was already nightfall at 5 p.m., but because there were hardly any holiday lights up. Typically, the city is ablaze with…
By Khalea Underwood

Why Moschino's Pre-Fall 2020 Hair & Makeup Might Look Familiar

I'm a seasoned people watcher, especially on the train. There's always that Cool Girl™️ on the subway — typically coming from somewhere downtown — who's elusive but not trying too hard. She's grasping a beat-up novel and bobbing her head to…
By Khalea Underwood

The Tarte Shape Tape Glow Wand Helps Me Look & Feel Well-Rested: Review

My relationship with sleep is one that needs work. If I had to choose a relationship status on Facebook, I'd say that it's complicated. Don't get me wrong: I love to sleep. I just don't get enough of it. So on the days that I log five hours or less…
By Khalea Underwood

What Viola Davis & Helen Mirren Are Still Learning About Beauty

The L'Oréal Paris "Because You're Worth It" tagline has been around for over 40 years, but at the L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth 2019 in New York City, the brand's rolodex of celebrity spokeswomen proved how accurate the saying actually is. If you're…
By Khalea Underwood and Kelsey Stewart

The $235 Face Oil That I’m Splurging On For Black Friday

Consumers will spend up to $7.5 billion on Black Friday this year, according to Adobe Analytics. And though my job affords me access to test out many of the best beauty products out there, I still can't help but reinvest my hard-earned money back…
By Khalea Underwood

How Celebrity Makeup Artists Shop Black Friday

Want in on a little-known beauty secret? Celebrity makeup artists love to shop. Yes, they're often gifted by some of the best brands in the market — and those products are typically additions to their already-sprawling cosmetic cases. But that…
By Khalea Underwood

The *Only* Holiday Beauty Inspiration You'll Need This Year

The first set of holiday lights made their commercial debut more than 130 years ago, mostly because the whole candles-in-the-Christmas-tree thing was kind of a fire hazard. But with all due respect to their inventor, Edward H. Johnson, Douglas firs…
By Khalea Underwood

5 Wide-Calf, Wide-Width Boots That Are Actually Stylish

To me, a good pair of boots is like the cheat code to a cute and easy winter outfit. Add a trendy top, strong accessories, a fabulous coat, and you're good to go. Stylish wide-calf boots, however, can be disappointingly hard to come by. I can't…
By Khalea Underwood

10 Warm Fragrances That Always Get Me A Second Date

Without digging too deep into my personal life, I'm single. And have been since, well, forever. But for the first time in a long time, I'm perfectly fine with that — because honestly, I'd rather have fun dating around than to stay in a relationship…
By Khalea Underwood

6 New Nail Art Ideas To Try This Month

If you think about it, November is a time when your hands are truly on full display. You're preparing side dishes for Friendsgiving or perhaps going in for second helpings at Thanksgiving, and, more than likely, you're spending time picking out…
By Khalea Underwood

We Tested This Year’s Top New Fragrance Launches & These Are The 6 Best

Scent and memory are intertwined, as the brain's olfactory bulbs are the reason why we can't forget certain smells. Buttery popcorn, motor oil, freshly cut grass... you might not be around them, but reading the words are almost just as vivid as…
By Khalea Underwood

TZR Editors Are Obsessed With These 6 New Luxury Makeup Launches (& You Will Be Too)

The beautiful thing about, well... beauty? Its iterations are unique to everyone. My Friday night happy hour lipstick and sparkly eyeshadow combination, for example, might be someone else's midday grocery store run. Contouring might be a foreign…
By Khalea Underwood