Rituel de Fille is a brand that I’ve been following, but not actually patronizing, since its launch in 2014. I have a vivid memory of sitting on a bench during a break from my dissertation seminar in Washington, D.C., and scrolling through the newly launched Rituel de Fille website. The brand’s aesthetic seemed designed for… Read More Rituel de Fille Color Nectar Pigment Balm in Bloodflower
Now that I’m winding down my blog, I’ve entered a reminiscing frame of mind. I’ve been thinking about my favorite aspects of the beauty community, one of which is our appreciation for the nuances of color. I’ve always had a good eye for color, but following makeup and beauty for so many years has taught… Read More ColourPop Spring Haul, Part 2: Super Shock Cheek in Aphrodisiac and Super Shock Shadow in Truth
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from living in central New Jersey for the better part of a decade, it’s how to choose humidity-resistant makeup. (I would say “humidity-proof,” but nothing is truly humidity-proof except mosquitoes.) In a part of the world where the humidity index routinely hovers above 90% and occasionally creeps up to… Read More Making Up with 95% Humidity
For the past few years, I’ve been performing two beauty-related rites of spring. The first rite involves destashing a bunch of lipsticks (more on that soon). The second rite consists of searching for a pinky-red coral lipstick and a lavender blush. Those searches usually end in failure, though for different reasons. There are thousands of… Read More ColourPop Spring 2018 Butterfly Collection, Part 1: Face Duo in Winging It
I can’t remember getting as excited over any Glossier release as I did over the Cloud Paint cream blushes, which launched a week and a half ago (following a “soft launch” at the Oscars, because of course). Two days before the blushes dropped, I had a dream that I was looking at them in a… Read More In Pursuit of Pastel Pink, Part 2: Glossier Cloud Paint in Puff
For at least two years now, I’ve been searching for the perfect cool-toned pale pink blush, something that will give me that fresh-faced but slightly artificial k-beauty look. Here’s Jiwon of Spica for BNT International, back in March 2014: Source: Omona They Didn’t. Spica disbanded last month. 😦 And here’s Irene of Red Velvet for… Read More In Pursuit of Pastel Pink, Part 1: NARS Blush in Threesome
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
Three weeks into my no-buy, I’m not feeling any great temptation to get something new, but I do find myself adding a worrisome number of items to my “buy in 2016” wishlist. In the interest of self-distraction, I think I’d better get back to reviewing the stuff I picked up during my stress-shopping phase in… Read More Stress-Fueled Impulse Purchase #5: Urban Decay Rapture Blush
I’m an ocean away from the product I’m about to describe, writing through a haze of jet lag. Let’s see how this post turns out. For the longest time, I avoided any hint of orange in my face makeup. My desire for knowledge of colors and undertones turned into a harmful strictness, and I assumed… Read More La Vie En Corail: Milani Rose Powder Blush in Coral Cove
[Note: NSFW for Nell Gwyn’s boobs.] No, really, I’ll always have this blush. It’s so pigmented that I can’t imagine hitting pan earlier than 2018. I bought Paris two months ago, during Anthropologie’s Thanksgiving sale, but have worn it only a few times since then. It’s a bright watermelon pink, perfect for the warm months,… Read More We’ll Always Have (Face Stockholm Crème Blush in) Paris
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