
While fluffy magazine editor Richard David Story, of Departures, uses his editor's letter each month to pay favors to the lush resorts and jewelers whose procurement of services allow for his glossy editorial each issue, there are some fluffy magazine editors who see their intro copy as a chance to make a difference in the world. There is Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter, who pens his editor's letter to lambaste the Bush administration in print the way Keith Olbermann does it on the tele every night. This month GQ's Jim Nelson waited 136 pages to tell us how excited he gets about politics, and how excited he gets seeing other people excited about politics. (Okay, that's not exactly going to make a difference in the world, but at least he mentioned something other than clothing.) And at Allure, a magazine we do not read but assume to be stuffed with advice about choosing the right lip gloss color to match your scarf, editor-in-chief Linda Wells is now using her letter to readers to bring change in the environment. And Wells' efforts are, in some ways, more game-changing than even Graydon Carter's, because while he attacks the right-wing political machine, he's not exactly risking any particular advertiser. But this month Wells is going off on the very beauty companies who advertise in her magazine, for using excessive packaging to create the allure of luxury, all while creating excessive trash. It's like there's something meaningful in her words! CONTINUED »

• Harper's Bazaar has been busy shopping Conde Nast's market staffers. We hear the Hearst cafe is better, people! [FWD]
• Clubs in L.A. don't want Brandon Davis to enter. The real question, though, is "why?" He's so sweet and fun-loving. We really just don't get it. [TMZ]
• Now that she's the most famous lady of the day, maybe Arianna Huffington can offer to have Tom Freston's carpet cleaned? [FBNY]
• Girls, listen up. Just be happy with yourselves, ok? So what if you're a frizzy mess and dickwads call you names like hag or slag or biyotch? Linda Wells thinks you're hot. And she would also like if it if you grow some confidence and stop interrupting her vacation to talk about lip gloss and conditioner. Capiche? [NYDN]
• And then there's this girl. Who almost has too much confidence. We don't know — celibacy vows seem somehow cheapened when Paris Hilton flashes her ass all over town. [Mollygood]

Gap face Joss Stone highlighted Allure's 10th annual Best of Beauty "awards" at the Rainbow Room Monday night, celebrating, well, we're not exactly sure what — but we have a a feeling departing CNBC chair Pamela Thomas-Graham might be interested.
But there was something to celebrate: A fat, fat issue. In fact, it's Allure's biggest issue yet thanks to 229 ad pages. And don't think editor Linda Wells is going to let you forget it anytime soon.
What Kinsey did for sex, we did for shampoos, creams, lip glosses, mascaras.
Just say it, Linda: This was your tsunami.
