It’s the vernal equinox! It’s also the coldest day in about three weeks, and it’s snowing as I type this, just as it snowed on last year’s vernal equinox. But I still think the first day of spring is a fine day to review a bright coral lipstick, so meet my newest beauty purchase: Marc… Read More Coral Conundrum: Marc Jacobs So Sofia
Wow, it feels like it’s been forever since I last posted here. And indeed it has been forever—well, 11 days in Earth time, but forever in blog time. March has been a trying month so far, due to various academic stuff that I won’t get into here because this is a beauty blog and not… Read More The Great Lipstick Inventory of 2016
In addition to the Ultra Matte Lip in Trap, I bought three cream products from ColourPop last month. After a few weeks of playing with them, I’m excited to finally write a review! I’ll start with an overview of each item, then post a few looks I’ve put together. Clockwise from left: Super Shock Cheek… Read More Pre-Spring Brights: ColourPop Eye Candy, Rain, and Shop
You know those products that never quite make it onto your wishlist but inspire a low-key lust for several months? So it is with me and NARS Hammamet, a limited-edition eyeshadow duo for Spring 2016. Hammamet, named after a Tunisian resort town, comprises a light matte peachy beige and the prettiest metallic rosy copper. That’s… Read More FOTD: Who Needs Hammamet?
Welcome to my second low-buy progress report for 2016! I used up a few things this month and needed to buy replacements, but I did a much better job of staying under my $40 limit for brand-new items. Oh, and I’ve added two new categories to this series of posts. In addition to chronicling my… Read More Low-Buy Progress Report #2: February
I had such a bad experience with Milani’s liquid matte lipstick last year that I…ordered another liquid matte lipstick earlier this month. Luckily, the universe sometimes rewards our lapses of logic, and I’m pleased to report that ColourPop’s Ultra Matte Lip in Trap surpassed my expectations by a little and Milani’s version by a lot.… Read More ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Trap
Now that a new semester is in full swing, I thought it would be fun to do a roundup of my favorite lipsticks to wear while teaching. Here are the basic criteria I have for a Teaching Lipstick: not too bright—no fuchsias, flaming reds, or white-based candy pinks not too dark—no blackened browns or gothtastic… Read More My Favorite Teaching Lipsticks
Like many of us, I go through polish phases. Sometimes I prefer neutral cremes, sometimes bright pastels, sometimes dark shimmers. The category I’m most fickle about, though, is the glitter topcoat. I’ve accumulated quite a few over the years (so pretty in the bottle!), but I usually find it hard to wear glitter on ordinary… Read More Fun with Glitter Topcoats: Essie, Floss Gloss, Urban Outfitters, Zoya
I kept reasonably good tabs on new makeup releases last fall (self-destructively good tabs, even), but there were a few that escaped my notice. One new development was the addition of four shades to Revlon’s line of Colorburst Matte Balms. The new colors are Enchanting, a pinkish beige; Fierce, a warm cinnamon brown; Fiery, a… Read More Revlon Matte Balm in Fierce
Last summer, while working in the university archives, I wrote a post about some treasures I’d unearthed from the “archives” of my own makeup collection. In the spirit of my 2016 low-buy, I’ve decided to turn “From the Archives” into an ongoing, if not regular, series. Let’s get better acquainted with a product I wrote… Read More From the Archives: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk
Auxiliary Beauty 