Commentary

Bi-Weekly WTF :: Vol 13 – Kat von D and Vaccines

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Kat von D and Vaccines

On Wednesday, I said I was going to take today off. I decided against it because I feel passionately about this topic; instead, I’ll take Monday off.

Recently, Kat von D shared that she intends to forego vaccines for her yet-to-be-born child. An uproar ensued regarding this opinion. The anti-vax stance is a radical one. Like many other customers, I will be foregoing purchase of Kat von D products in the future – even if it kills me because I love this damned lipstick.

Why Boycott Kat von D?

On the other hand, some argue that Kat is entitled to her opinion and has the right to parent as she pleases. In general, I agree with this approach…when it does not infringe on the health and safety of others. Choosing not to vaccinate for non-medical reasons, however, does both of those things.

I feel strongly about this and I will be acerbic:

The right to be an idiot does not imbue you with the right to endanger public safety. Full stop.

Vaccines are effective at eradicating disease when they are used en masse due to the principle of herd immunity. Some individuals legitimately cannot be vaccinated due to allergies or health conditions and they will therefore remain at risk to condition X. Those people are kept safe by the rest of us maintaining immunity…which we do through vaccination.

I find it tragic that yet another child will face the risk of debilitating illness that we had all-but-eliminated. It breaks my heart that others are at risk as a result.

The Bottom Line

This is not reactive, reflexive, or knee-jerk. I have rescinded support for other brands whose leadership’s decisions pose a dilemma to me (Revlon, for instance, who I have resumed purchase of in light of their problematic CEO’s departure). In this case, I don’t just dislike this decision. It is literally dangerous, and not just for Kat’s family.

Do you have an opinion on the matter? Debate is welcome in the comments.

Chapstick Duo: Novel, but Not Good

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Chapstick DuoChapstick Duo, $4

A few weeks ago, my lips were dry ALL. DAMN. DAY. Miraculously, I somehow had no lip balm in my purse OR desk at work.

How?!

After work, my husband and I had an appointment and couldn’t stop home for me to restock from my stash there. My lips were DYING, so we stopped at a CVS so I could run in and get some balm. I just went up to the register, expecting regular ol’ standby Chapstick to be there. NOPE.

Instead, I’m greeted with Chapstick Duo, a silly-looking double-ended EOS wannabe. The appeal of Chapstick Duo is that you get two balm flavors; mine was a sophisticated pairing of Cotton Candy and Pink Cupcake. There was no time; I grabbed it, paid, and went on my way.

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Monday Musings: TIFU – Salvaging Botched Eyeshadow

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Salvaging Botched eyeshadow - Wet n Wild Walking on Eggshells TrioWet n Wild Walking on Eggshells trio, discontinued

As a lover of sleep, I am often not awake in time to do the whole nine yards in the morning. I frequently cut corners and keep my daily makeup minimal and simple. There’s not a lot of room for error, which is great – because as someone who used to wear winged liner a lot, ain’t nobody got time for salvaging botched eyeshadow and eyeliner because you twitched or sneezed while applying a wing.

Lately, I’ve made a little more time for myself in the morning because starting the day with an application of warpaint can be fun too.

Last week, I got my complexion evened out and went about my eyes with a two-shade application from Walking on Eggshells. I slapped the lid color on my lid fairly generously. Then, with a Sonia Kashuk no. 116 (cheap! versatile! accessible! also loved by Sam), I picked up the crease shade (a bronze-y tone), tapped off the excess, and slapped it where it belonged with sweeping windshield-wiper motions.

…on the right eye, anyway.

End result? Subtle, pretty crease definition that isn’t obvious; you can’t see where the lid shade ends and the crease begins. You can’t see where the crease shade ends and skin begins.

It wasn’t until I applied the left side that I achieved the, “TIFU,” part of the post. I neglected that critical, “tap off the excess,” step. It wasn’t until I set my brush down and LOOKED at myself that I realized I had made a grave mistake. So much, too much, bronze. When you achieve a cut crease without intending to achieve a cut crease – ow. I looked like a child who had gotten into their mom’s makeup bag. Not a great feeling at 5:50AM, let me tell you.

My reaction? Panic! How the hell do I fix this?! I don’t have time to start over! Maaaan…

Breathe.

Fortunately, problem solving is basically how I earn a living. What’s a little facepaint? Here’s how I went about salvaging my botched eyeshadow.

  • First, tissue. Blot off the hyper excess. Better already, but still a bit like a bronze panda.
  • Second, q-tip, micellar water. Dab, dab, dab away the remaining harsh areas and lines of demarcation.
  • Tap with tissue again.
  • With a clean blending brush, blend out any weird bits.
  • With the proper method, reapply a mixture of the lid and crease shades.

Better. Presentable. As far as I could tell, no one noticed. Success!

The Bottom Line

Correcting my mistake took no more than thirty seconds once I calmed down and assessed the situation. Granted, it helps that the crease shade and the lid shade were not worlds away, but still. Don’t panic – unless you have eyeliner or mascara everywhere, you can probably succeed at salvaging botched eyeshadow.

The Verdict on my Balayage Highlights

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I unexpectedly had to reinstall my image editing software, so the graphic for my April Favorites was not done in time for Favorites to go live today. SOON, and thank you for bearing with me. :)

Balayage Prep

It took me a while to work up the nerve to pursue balayage a couple years ago. I loved the first two appointments, but my third was lackluster. The salon, which I enjoy in a general sense, switched up my colorist without notice for my third appointment. She didn’t do a great job, and I’m not okay with just feeling, “okay,” with the results of that kind of beauty spending.

I rescheduled, wrung my hands, and ultimately canceled my most-recent appointment (around St. Patrick’s Day). At the time, I decided I was done spending several hours and over a hundred dollars, twice a year, on it. I know that, compared to most people who color their hair, my commitment was barely that. I resolved to give myself more time to formulate my final verdict on my balayage highlights.

DIY

“Maybe,” I wondered to myself, “I could do this myself.” I’ve done plenty of other things that are generally pro-only. I’m educated, risk-averse, and tend to adhere to process. Down the rabbit hole I went to learn about levels, lightener, developer volume, processing times, etc. I was surprised to learn that it sounds a lot easier than one might expect if one is working with hair that has not been previously colored or otherwise chemically tampered-with.

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Melanoma Monday 2018

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Melanoma Awareness Ribbon - Melanoma Monday

As long as Beauty Skeptic is an active website, I am going to post, and repost, about the dangers of not observing sun-safe behaviors. May is Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness month, and the first Monday in May (today!) is Melanoma Monday.

Last year, I was blown away by this beach that has sunscreen dispensers for public use.

You can learn more about my family’s experience with skin cancer in my 2015 post. So far, I’ve dodged a bullet but my dumbass did use tanning beds for a few different periods of my life prior to my mom’s discovery.

Keep yourself safe by:

  • Limiting exposure during peak hours.
    • It doesn’t take long! A half hour outside around noon caused my feet to develop tan lines in the shape of my flats. As an office worker, I typically do not apply sunscreen to the tops of my feet buuuut maybe I should.
  • Wear a hat if you can swing it. Target has some inexpensive, cute ones; here’s a simple one.
  • Use a good sunscreen. I’m far from the only one who touts Biore Aqua Rich Watery Essence as the best.
    • I did recently learn, though, that some folks with very sensitive skin tend to have issue with it due to the alcohols in it.
  • Cover up if you can stand it.

Near Coral, Use Physical

Hawaii is on the cusp of banning sunscreens that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate. These chemicals are effective sunscreens, but have been found to contribute poor shape of the world’s coral. After application, it is washed away from skin in seawater, and later, washed away in a shower which results in waste water. If you live in or plan to visit regions closer to coral reefs, consider a physical, rather than chemical, sunscreen instead.

The Bottom Line

Stay sun safe, friends.

The KonMari Method Komono – Makeup – Part 2: Spark Joy

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I got around to executing the KonMari method on my makeup. This category did not include any skincare or tools. As I went, I realized that the process isn’t hyper conducive to photography, but I did manage to catch a few photos.

(Almost) Everything (that Isn’t a Palette)

Editing My Collection - before KonMari

My initial pass included everything that wasn’t a palette. I realized after capturing this photo that I had missed a few pieces. They were still subject to the same joy-sparking scrutiny, I just didn’t get them in the picture. I had:

  • 2 BB Creams (both Missha Perfect Cover)
  • 6 Concealers
  • 1 Highlighter
  • 5 Face Primers (one not pictured)
  • 8 Single Shadows (one not pictured)
  • 5 Eye Primers/Bases (including a MAC Paint Pot & a NYX Milk pencil)
  • 15 Eyeliners (duplicates not pictured)
  • 8 Blushes (one not pictured)
  • 2 Bronzers (one is packaged with one of the blushes)
  • 2 Face Powders (both Hourglass ALPs)
  • 14 Lipsticks
  • 4 Lip pencils
  • 6 Mascaras
  • 5 Brow Products (Ulta & the dregs of my Gimme Brow not pictured)

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