Monthly favorites will be rescheduled – thanks for bearing with me. Meanwhile, I’ve been seeing a resurgence of some bad beauty advice.
Ostensibly in an effort to reduce exposure to chemicals, the sources promoting, “natural,” beauty are back to promoting using baking soda as a skincare and exfoliation agent again. Stop! You’re causing more harm than help.
Image from PopSugarWhen I read the title of this Popsugar article on Hair Strobing, my face lit up. In spite of being a boring (mostly) professional, I have a love for glitter – and hey, why not my hair?
Then, though, I read the article itself and took in its photos.
It seemed like the Fenty hype came out of nowhere. Maybe it didn’t; perhaps I fell outside the subset of cosmetics consumers being targeted by the brand. Maybe the behaviors I practice on my No Buy shielded me from the information.
Unlike RiRi Woo with MAC, Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty is not a collaboration. Granted, I’m sure Rihanna’s team is working with a lab that manufactures for multiple brands like any other brand does. It seems as though they’ve positioned themselves well and, if my prediction aligns with reality, will perform well (sales-wise) in contrast with other celebrity beauty lines.
Aside from my No Buy (which has its own underlying motivating factors), there are other factors stopping me from buying certain things. The Hourglass Confession Lipsticks appear to be everything I’ve come to expect from Hourglass. They’re chic, they (purportedly) perform. The pricetag is also in line with what I’d expect from Hourglass. They’re a vision of loveliness, and I’d love to add one (ha, yeah, one) to my collection.
Lipstick is a no-go for me during Invisalign. I’ve slapped it on a few times and it often transfers to my trays a bit. It brushes away easily when I clean the trays but if you aren’t careful you can look a little silly. Most days, I’m too absentminded to want to bother with the vigilance needed, so I’ve been skipping lipstick more often than not these past two months.
Pat McGrath may as well be a cosmetics wizard. Over the decades of her career, she has undoubtedly earned such monikers as Most Influential Make-Up Artist in the World (Vogue).
A few years ago, Pat started her own line; self-funded at first (pretty damn amazing), the first product was a single golden pigment with a mixing medium that went for $40. A higher price makes more sense when it hails from a limited, 1000 piece run funded by a single solitary individual. Now, there are investors on board. This means Pat’s brand can place larger orders, making the price-per-unit lower. Later, there were lip products and other intriguing things that were entirely unlike what many of us have seen at a counter.
“Basic,” as an insult has been a thing for several years now. Paired with, “bitch,” for most millennial sorts it conjures certain imagery (UGGs, PSLs?) that some find funny or #relatable.
I’m not a fan of using the word, “bitch,” as a deprecating term of endearment amongst girlfriends. To me, it isn’t cute or clever; it is catty and perhaps trying too hard to be edgy. It’s clear that when we do use such words in those context, others do not understand when and why they should not use those words, too. Bottom line, the term is pejorative. You aren’t taking, “bitch,” back.
So when an e-mail from MAC Cosmetics with the subject line, “Get the Basic Bitch Look! Available In-Store and Online,” landed in my inbox last month, I was surprised. I hardly feel it is appropriate coming from a company!
Here’s a screenshot of the message. The graphic is a gif and would change between what is shown below and another shimmery, light-smoky eye look.
