All right, technically the NARS Semi-Matte Lipstick in 413 BLKR has been around since Fall 2013. But it’s my standout lipstick acquisition of this fall, so there. I’ve had it for two weeks and have worn it on almost half those days. I can’t stop. It’s just too good. I forget how exactly I became… Read More The Official Lipstick of Fall 2015: NARS 413 BLKR
I don’t wear much red lipstick. Is that a strange admission for a lipstick addict to make? Red is the iconic lip color, the color that we all think of when we hear the word “lipstick,” yet it’s rare that I reach for a true red: I prefer my reds sheer or burnt or plummy.… Read More Stress-Fueled Impulse Purchase #4: Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in 69
I’m back, bitches! I have to submit a few more job and postdoc applications later this month, but most were due either Oct. 15 or Nov. 1, so I’ll be able to resume a regular blogging schedule in the weeks to come. I can’t properly articulate how good it feels to be done! (Well, sort… Read More Birthday Frolics, the Cloisters, and NYC Beauty Shopping
October has always been my favorite month. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, my love of seasonal makeup has a lot to do with my upbringing. My parents and I lived in Cambridge, MA, until I was seven, when we moved to San Francisco. I spent the next ten years pining for “real seasons,” especially… Read More FOTD: Autumn Leaves
2015 will certainly go down in makeup history as the year of the brown lipstick. Dark gothy brown, ’90s-style midtone warm brown, muddy red, and the strangest brown of all: a cool-toned gray-brown, often with a hint of purple. I don’t know why undead lips have become so wildly popular this year, but they’ve been… Read More Stress-Fueled Impulse Purchase #3: Topshop Matte Lipstick in Boardroom
(Apologies to Jenny Holzer, of course.) The stress of the job market has me feeling extra-acquisitive, as witness my latest impulse purchases: L-R: KBShimmer Open Toad Shoes, Zoya Fei Fei, Essie Leggy Legend, Milani Matte Fearless. But that’s not enough, oh no. I want still more, because when I’m trying to relax I tend to… Read More Protect Me from What I Want: Lipstick and Non-Lipstick Wishlists, Fall 2015
“Look, you stupid bastard, you’ve got no arms left!” If you frequent the company of middle-aged male professors who specialize in Renaissance history or literature, chances are good you’ll hear a lot of Monty Python references. A few years ago, after too much time spent laughing politely at allusions that went over my head, I… Read More Unholy Grails
Prior to this year, I felt ambivalent about Milani. It was the only cruelty-free brand with a decent selection in my local CVS (no NYX or Wet n Wild for this backwater), but its offerings included heavily fragranced, drying lipstick, sticky lip gloss, coarsely milled eyeshadow, and too-shimmery baked blush. 2015 has changed all that. I… Read More Stress-Fueled Impulse Purchase #2: Milani Matte Fearless
Guys, I miss beauty blogging. I miss it so much that in the week since I announced my semi-hiatus, I’ve worked on four different draft posts. I’ll open an empty post, add a title, write a few sentences just to give myself the feeling of blogging, then save the post to my draft folder and… Read More Stress-Fueled Impulse Purchase #1: Essie Leggy Legend
What were the odds that I’d review two lipsticks named “Crush” in three days? Pretty good, actually, since drugstore beauty brands love to name their lip products “Crush.” There doesn’t seem to be any color theme linking them together, either. Milani’s Amore Matte Lip Creme in Crush is dark brown; Maybelline’s Coral Crush lipstick is,… Read More Now for a Crush Worth Crushing On: Revlon Balm Stain in…You Guessed It
Auxiliary Beauty 