With more than 150 women's magazines worldwide in the early 1990s, some critics may have thought the market was flooded. Despite strong competition, two publishers believed they had something new and innovative to offer the magazine industry. In 1991, Condé Nast launched Allure, the first women's magazine dedicated specifically to beauty. Three years later, Time Inc. had its own idea. They launched InStyle, hoping to stand out from the competition by appealing to a wider audience than magazines like Vogue and Elle, which aimed primarily at wealthy women. In the years that followed, both publications would leave their mark on the worlds of fashion and beauty and prove to be pillars of the magazine industry. In 1990, SI Newhouse Jr., chairman of Condé Nast, and then editorial director Alexander Liberman approached Linda Wells to develop an idea they had for a beauty magazine. At the time, Linda Wells was working at The New York Times Magazine as beauty and food editor, where she had built a reputation for her relevant and honest approach to reporting. Newhouse and Liberman thought she would be the ideal candidate to launch a magazine aimed at advising beauty tips for stylish women (Condé Nast). Linda Wells agreed to become founding editor and set out to create a magazine that was both informative and truthful, unlike traditional magazines focused on fashion and trends. The magazine planned to debut as a monthly. magazine in January 1991, but something didn't seem quite right to the editors. They tore up the initial prototype and started from scratch, completely overhauling the entire format and logo. Allure was finally ready to launch... middle of paper ......since their debut over 20 years ago, InStyle and Allure magazines have secured a place in the women's magazine market. They have both demonstrated authority and influence in the fashion and beauty industries. Despite these similarities, the magazines achieved their success in different ways. By creating the world's first beauty magazine, Allure achieved its success by securing a niche market and offering an original product. On the other hand, InStyle took an existing model of a fashion magazine and expanded it to reach a larger audience by including trends at all price points. Both magazines took innovative steps to succeed in a flooded market and continued to build readership loyalty by adapting to new media and positioning themselves as go-to guides to beauty and fashion..