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
I’ve always had an affinity for the color yellow. Maybe it’s because my birthstone is topaz, or because yellow is one of the least popular colors and I love a polarizing underdog, or because mustard and chartreuse are surprisingly flattering to my cool-toned complexion, or because lemon bars are my favorite dessert and, fittingly, the… Read More Kitrinophiles Unite: ColourPop Uh-Huh Honey Palette
ColourPop released its Spring 2019 collection over two months ago, which is about two years in ColourPop time, and I’ve lost count of the number of new collections and product ranges and eyeshadow palettes that the brand has debuted since then. However, the spring collection is still available (and is on sale as I type… Read More ColourPop Spring Haul, Part 1: Jelly Much Eyeshadow in Photosynth Sis and Lux Lipstick in 7 Springs
I recently became obsessed with a very specific lipstick shade: the deep peachy brown often seen in mid-’70s fashion editorials. One of my favorite accounts on Instagram is that of bisexual icon Sandy Linter, a makeup artist best known for her 1979 book Disco Beauty and her editorial work with Gia Carangi in the late… Read More In Pursuit of ’70s Peach: MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Smoked Almond
I purchased these products with store credit earned through my Glossier referral link. Thank you to everyone who has clicked on it and helped me buy products to review! Update, 3/12/19: This post discusses Glossier Play’s excessive plastic packaging and non-biodegradable glitter. In the ten hours since I finished my post, Glossier has stated that… Read More Glossier Play Reviews: Colorslide Eyeliner in Early Girl, Glitter Gelée in Phantasm, and Vinylic Lip in Blow-Up
Welcome to my first makeup review of 2019! Unfortunately, it’s a review of a sold-out limited-edition product, but I just had to show you all the pretty photos I took of it. I mean, I ventured out after a blizzard for this one: In the past few years, Western beauty brands have begun catering to… Read More MAC Lotus Light (Lucky Red Collection)
Note: I purchased these products with store credit earned through my Glossier affiliate link. Thank you to everyone who has clicked on my link and helped me buy products to review! Glossier’s Generation G lipstick is aptly named, though that aptness is accidental: the sheer matte lipstick is now in its third generation, having been… Read More Three Generations of Glossier Generation G
Inspired by Renee’s recent post on her upcoming yearlong no-buy, I’ve been thinking about how to reduce my own beauty consumption in 2019. I was particularly struck by Renee’s observation that her “interests are varied, but the blog is relatively linear–how might that change if I created more of the kind of content I really… Read More Thanksgiving Red: ColourPop Lux Lipstick in Liquid Courage
In the past five years or so, I’ve owned at least one dark lipstick in almost every color family: red, purple, pink, plum, brown, even blue and gray. Until this year, though, I had never bought a true black lipstick. Black lips were a little too predictably goth, too Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way. A… Read More Wet n Wild Liquid Catsuit in Shady Witch (and a New Wave Halloween)
I’m back, bearing makeup! For the first time in the 4.5-year history of Auxiliary Beauty, I went over a month without blogging. A lot happened in those six weeks: I moved to a new apartment with my boyfriend; finished my summer job at a university office and began an adjunct gig in Jersey City; got more… Read More Glosses of Autumn, Part 1: Bite Prismatic Pearl Gloss in Rose Pearl
Auxiliary Beauty 