(Three questions of balance, actually.) In my review of NARS Lhasa, I mentioned that I have several under-the-radar beauty staples, products I use so often I’ve stopped thinking about them. I thought I’d follow up on that post with a review of another product I use almost every day: NARS blush in Mata Hari, a… Read More A Question of Balance: NARS Mata Hari
If you’ve viewed any other post on my blog, you’ve probably seen NARS Single Eyeshadow in Lhasa. Since buying it last November, I’ve worn it almost every day, which means that it’s found its way into the vast majority of my FOTDs. I use it so much, in fact, that I’ve almost stopped thinking about… Read More Taupe of the Heap: The Congeniality of NARS Lhasa
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
“His life was a constant war with insensate objects that fell apart, or attacked him, or refused to function, or viciously got themselves lost as soon as they entered the sphere of his existence.” This is Vladimir Nabokov’s description of Professor Timofey Pnin, the hapless protagonist of Pnin (1957), but it is also a perfect… Read More Noteworthy Neutrals: Revlon Sultry Matte Balm and Pink Truffle Lip Butter
It’s hard to resist a $4 nail polish when you’re armed with a $4 CVS coupon. I’d been wanting a black-glitter topcoat for some time, and was drawn yesterday to Maybelline’s Street Art polishes, which feature matte colored glitter in addition to black: there’s a very pale pink, a neon pinky red, a yellow-green, and… Read More Review: Maybelline Nighttime Noise
After the earlier, sadder installment of my NYX review, let’s have a family portrait of the purchases I actually like. Left to right: Jumbo Eye Pencil in Knight; Slide On Eye Pencil in Jewel; HD Eye Shadow Base; Butter Glosses in Raspberry Tart and Peach Cobbler. First, the two eyeliners, Knight and Jewel. Left, in… Read More NYX Reviews, Part II: The Good
Internet has been restored to my apartment, light to my darkness, warmth to my frostbitten soul. No, forget that last one; it’s still below freezing in late March. But I do have a wireless connection again, and that means swatches and reviews. First, though, a rant. I ordered from NYX’s website, which promises that “orders… Read More NYX Reviews, Part I: The Bad
Milani Showy Sea-Green nail polish, new this spring, is the Holy Roman Empire of polishes: neither showy nor sea-green. It is, however, extremely pretty. To me, “sea-green” implies something brighter and bluer; this is a muted, slightly dusty jade or pistachio green, a very unusual color for a nail polish. I can’t think of another… Read More Review: Milani Showy Sea-Green
Let’s just get it out of the way: this liquid lipstick looks like a vibrator, right? Buying cruelty-free makeup is more difficult than it should be, especially when you’re on a budget. Recently, though, I’ve been making more of an effort to do so. I’m a vegetarian for ethical reasons; I feel like a hypocrite… Read More Milani Spring 2014 Reviews: Pink Rave and Sweet Grapefruit
Name: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Nude Lust Date of Purchase: Jan. 25, 2014 Grade: A- Notes: In the first part of Don Quixote (she began, like a totally normal beauty blogger), Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza meet a group of prisoners sentenced to hard labor. The galley slaves are chained together, which… Read More Review: Maybelline Nude Lust
Auxiliary Beauty 