Since the spring semester is almost over, I thought I’d publish a quick update to the post I made six months ago. I still take about five minutes to do my makeup before classes, but as the weather has warmed up, I’ve gravitated toward different colors and textures while remaining in my cool-toned comfort zone. For some reason, spring always inspires me to draw on the 1960s for inspiration, because part of me will never not want to be Carey Mulligan in An Education, I guess.

The boring parts of my routine (skincare, brows, concealer, mascara) have stayed the same, so check my older post if you’re curious. This post is really just an excuse to show you some pretty eyeliners, blushes, and lipsticks, many of which I’ve bought in the past year.

Eyes: Basically, if it requires a brush, I haven’t been using it. My go-to neutral eyeliner is Urban Decay Mushroom, a shimmery taupe that you’d think I would have discovered before this year, but somehow I didn’t. I’m also enjoying two pastel eyeliners by Glossier—Colorslide in Early Girl and No. 1 Pencil in Muse—as well as an About-Face eyeshadow stick in Baroque, a shimmery pink eerily close to my skin tone (to the point that I sometimes can’t tell how much I’ve actually swiped on). All four products have amazing lasting power, which I appreciate as the days grow warmer and stickier.

L-R: Baroque, Mushroom, Muse, Early Girl:

Swatches, same order:

Blush: We all know my weakness for lilac and cotton-candy blushes, and since they’re coming back into fashion, spurred by the viral success of Dior Backstage Rosy Glow in Pink, I’ve had my pick of new shades recently. From left to right, we have NARS Threesome, Milk Makeup Lip & Cheek Tint in Rally, elf Putty Blush in Bora Bora, About-Face Cheek Freak in Score, and ColourPop Night Bloom. Threesome is quite old (2017!), but the others are from 2022 and ’23.

Swatches, same order (top in shade, bottom in sun):

Lips: As in the fall, I need a lipstick that can last an entire morning or afternoon with no touch-ups. This generally means either a matte lipstick or a long-lasting lip tint. My Etude House popsicle tints remain favorites, as does my nearly depleted mini NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Let’s Go Crazy. (The shade got discontinued before I could buy a full size, damn it.) MAC All Fired Up is my choice when I want to make a statement, but recently I’ve been wearing MAC Rose Daydream, from this spring’s mod-infused Richard Quinn collection, almost every day.

Swatches, L-R: Rose Daydream, All Fired Up, Red Bean Red, Shark Red, Let’s Go Crazy.

I’m planning to feature Rose Daydream in an upcoming post, but for now, here’s an extra shot of the tube. This might be my favorite MAC LE lipstick ever!

Fragrance: not part of my face, per se (though I do accidentally spray it on my face now and then), but I’d be remiss not to mention how often I’ve been wearing D.S. and Durga’s Rose Atlantic eau de parfum. I got a sample of it last summer and actually finished it, so I felt confident in buying a full bottle as an end-of-semester present to myself. It’s a light, fresh rose with the slight saltiness I love in my spring and summer perfumes. It feels very preppy, very May-at-a-boarding-school, very gin-and-tonic-in-an-Adirondack-chair.

FOTDs:

UD Mushroom, NARS Let’s Go Crazy, and (I think) Milk Rally; clearly I don’t need all these pink blushes if I can’t even tell one from another on my face, but whatever. I was teaching Clarice Lispector’s “The Fifth Story” in my AP Lit class that day, if you’re wondering about the background.

About-Face Baroque, NARS Threesome, MAC Rose Daydream:

Today’s face: Glossier Muse, elf Bora Bora, and Rose Daydream:

This will be my last teaching-related post for the foreseeable future: I’m leaving the boarding school where I’ve taught since 2021 and taking some time to focus on writing! More on that soon; I’m very excited.