This is a follow-up of sorts to a post I wrote a year and a half ago, in which I reviewed Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire Peach, discussed the Super Lustrous formula as a whole, and linked to previous Super Lustrous reviews I’d written. But I’ve bought four shades in the formula since then… Read More My Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Collection (Present & Past)
Glossy lip tints seem to be enjoying a renaissance in 2025, much as slim lipsticks did in 2023. And just as I did two years ago, I’ve managed to acquire two examples of the trend, one from the drugstore and one at a higher price point. I didn’t buy them specifically for this blog post,… Read More Tournament of Tints: Benefit Splashtint in Wide Brim vs. e.l.f. Sheer For It Blush Tint in Cherry Cola
Earlier this year, Revlon finally listened to its customers and relaunched the beloved Glass Shine lipsticks. For once, a wise decision from Revlon! Of course, they wouldn’t be Revlon if they didn’t fuck up that decision somehow, so they dramatically reduced and neutered the shade range. The original lineup had twenty-five shades, but the 2025… Read More Revlon Glass Shine Balm in Glossed Up Rose (2025 Version!)
After my positive experience with NYX’s Fat Oil Lip Drip, it was inevitable that I’d try the next product in the Fat Oil series: Fat Oil Slick Click, a balmy lipstick in click-pen form. I feel ambivalent about including this review in my Cheap Thrills series—$11 for two measly grams of lipstick is a mid-priced… Read More Cheap(ish) Thrills, Part 5: NYX Fat Oil Slick Click in DM Me & Going Viral
Auxiliary Beauty recently passed its tenth birthday, so it’s fitting that this post concerns one of the first lipstick formulas I ever reviewed on my blog! In fact, my very earliest lipstick purchase, way back in the fall of 2009, was a Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Certainly Red. (The only other makeup I owned… Read More Cheap Thrills, Part 4: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire Peach
Around the middle of last year, I became aware of a new makeup category (or, at least, one I hadn’t previously heard of): lip oil. Seemingly overnight, brands at every price point had begun offering new ranges of lip oils. I wasn’t particularly tempted by the name, which sounded a little, well, gross. In general,… Read More Cheap Thrills, Part 3: NYX Fat Oil Lip Drip in That’s Chic
For almost as long as I’ve been wearing makeup, I’ve been using NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer to tone down my dark circles. I started in 2014 with Vanilla, which at the time was the second-lightest shade, and switched to Chantilly, the lightest shade, a few years ago. Because Vanilla had a slight peach undertone, it… Read More Cheap Thrills, Part 2: e.l.f. 16HR Camo Concealer in Light Sand
Slim lipsticks, somewhere between regular lipsticks and lip pencils in width, have existed for decades (look no further than this Maybelline commercial from 1980). ColourPop’s original Lippie Stix, NARS’ now-discontinued Pure Matte Lipsticks, Hourglass’s Confession Ultra Slim Lipsticks, and Kevyn Aucoin’s Unforgettable Lipsticks all fall into this category. Slim lipsticks appeal to customers because of… Read More Season of the Slim Stick: MAC Powder Kiss Velvet Blur in Wild Sumac & Maybelline Color Sensational Ultimatte in More Cedar
Have makeup prices increased dramatically in the past year, or am I just no longer receiving a paycheck? I mean, probably both. For the past month, I’ve been searching for a brownish red lipstick similar to Elaine’s in the “Soup Nazi” episode of Seinfeld, but the $10-$20 price point of lipsticks, my former sweet spot,… Read More Cheap Thrills, Part 1: NYX Smooth Whip Blurring Matte Lip Cream in Chocolate Mousse
It’s finally happened. Makeup from the era when I got into makeup, the early 2010s, has entered the “nostalgic” category in the popular imagination. Makeup ads and editorial looks from the 2009-2013 years have started showing up on my favorite beauty-of-yesteryear Instagram accounts. I mean, it makes sense: who among us wouldn’t rather be living… Read More The More Things Change, the More They Stay 2012: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks in Pink Promise and Smoky Rose
Auxiliary Beauty 