Apologies for both my Beirut allusion and my ten-day absence from this blog. I was writing my second conference paper of the month, and then I was in Venice, drinking Campari and soda. I’ll probably never like Campari, even if I drink it while sitting in a Venetian campo watching little Italian boys kick a… Read More Postcards from Italy
Two weeks after I arrived in England, I finally set foot in the huge mall near my boyfriend’s apartment. It’s a ten-minute walk away, so I’m not sure what was holding me back except my congenital fear of spending money. I needn’t have worried, because I wandered for three and a half hours and still… Read More Beauty Abroad, Part 3: Guerrilla Swatches from Topshop, Rimmel, and Illamasqua
My face has emerged from the shadows! My previous post on theBalm’s Nude ‘Tude palette was devoted to swatches and mini-reviews of the colors. As promised, this post features four looks I’ve concocted since then, plus an alternate use that isn’t a look per se. I began by pushing myself to focus on the shades… Read More Experiments with theBalm’s Nude ‘Tude Palette (Part 2: Looks and Field Notes)
Sorry for the infrequent posting recently! No sooner had I recovered from jet lag and returned from my conference in York than I was felled by a bad cold. It’s now been six days; the fever is long gone, but the hacking cough and general malaise remain. We went to Oxford yesterday, my first time… Read More Beauty Abroad, Part 2: Barry M Nail Paints in Sugar Apple and Shocking Pink
(Yes, I’ve been rewatching Arrested Development.) I bought theBalm’s Nude ‘Tude eyeshadow palette, a mostly cool-toned mix of neutrals, back in August 2012. It was my first eyeshadow palette, and still the only one I own. I’d spent all summer vacillating between Nude ‘Tude and Urban Decay’s recently released Naked 2, and I might never… Read More Not Quite Never-Nude: Experiments with theBalm’s Nude ‘Tude Palette (Part 1: Review and Swatches)
(Fewer words than usual because ugh, the jetlag, and because I need to finish my conference paper.) It turns out that my boyfriend lives half a block away from a Superdrug and a Boots. This will be bad, I thought, before discovering that this particular Boots has a limited beauty selection, while the Superdrug has… Read More Beauty Abroad, Part 1: Sleek Blush in Life’s a Peach
The 18th-century novelist Samuel Richardson once described himself as a “poor pruner.” It amazes me that the author of a 1500-page novel could also be the king of understatement, but so it goes. (By the way, if you enjoy totally immersive, psychologically harrowing reading experiences, Clarissa is well worth your time.) I too am a… Read More What I Brought to England
I rely on drugstore beauty brands for colors I feel ambivalent about, which means that I’ve amassed quite a few orange and warm red lipsticks from Revlon, Milani, and Maybelline. And, surprise, I’m still ambivalent about oranges and warm reds on my complexion. Is this because they really don’t suit me, or because I never… Read More Mandarin Lips and Mannequin Hands
Auxiliary Beauty 