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
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
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
As you know, I’m going on the academic job market for the first time this fall. Accordingly, I’m now interviewing lipsticks for the position of Interview Lipstick. Am I doing this to put off compiling my job materials? Maybe, but there’s no denying that first impressions are important. Academia has no set dress code. In… Read More Professionalesque, Part 2: Urban Decay Rapture
By ordering Eugenie, a matte plum lipstick from the six-piece MAC x Giambattista Valli collection, I broke four of my cardinal makeup-buying rules: No limited-edition makeup, and especially no limited-edition products from MAC No makeup that I haven’t seen in person first No makeup that isn’t certified cruelty-free No near-dupes of anything I already have… Read More I Have a Plum Problem: MAC x Giambattista Valli Eugenie
Name: Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Sangria Date Purchased: August 2013 Grade: C+ Notes: In my experience, sangria is almost always a mistake. I can’t stomach the taste unless I’m tipsy to begin with, which means that when I find myself drinking it, it’s already too late to escape a hangover. The first time I… Read More Lipstick Chronology #30: Milani Sangria
Name: Revlon Super Lustrous Shine Lipstick in Plum Velour Date of Purchase: July 2013 Grade: A- Notes: I’m usually indifferent to sheer lipsticks. No, let me phrase that another way: I like to think of myself as indifferent to sheer lipsticks. I’ve been wearing bold lip colors for over three years now, so putting on… Read More Lipstick Chronology #26: Revlon Plum Velour
BABY, ALL I WANT IS TO LET IT GO AIN’T NO WORRIES, NO WE CAN DANCE ALL NIGHT… Ahem. On my previous trip to the UK, I limited my Topshop damage to two nail polishes and an eyeshadow. This time I was eager to try one of Topshop’s many lip products, and I settled on… Read More Beauty Abroad, Part 13: Topshop Matte Lip Bullet in Get Me Bodied
This month I took an important step toward beauty-blogging legitimacy and bought my first NARS eyeshadow duo: Habanera, an unexpected pairing of mint and plum. I wouldn’t mind that pairing in a cocktail, either; I’m sure I could find artisanal plum bitters somewhere in Brooklyn. Habanera is part of the NARS permanent collection. Its name… Read More Review (and Cocktail Idea): NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Habanera
Name: YSL Rouge Pur Couture #8 (Belle de Rose) Date of Purchase: Fall 2012 Grade: A Notes: Of all the YSL lip colors in existence, Belle de Rose must be one of the least swatched and blogged about, despite its starring role in a Lisa Eldridge video. I suspect that YSL’s flurry of new releases–Rouge… Read More Lipstick Chronology #16: YSL Belle de Rose
Auxiliary Beauty 