Best Lipstick Formulas 2019

One of the less charming aspects of being an American millennial in 2017 is getting called a "special snowflake" by old bigots on the internet. From my occasional perusal of right-wing Twitter accounts (I discovered last year that my mild-mannered undergrad Shakespeare professor is an alt-right conspiracy theorist, and I'm still not over it), I gather that special-snowflakery consists of wanting a living wage, universal healthcare, Nazi-free public discourse, and a modest decrease in mass shootings. In that spirit, I nominate Topshop Glow Stick in Otherworldly as the official highlighter of millennial special snowflakes, not only because of its color (white as the driven, pre-dog-pee snow) but also because it's as jankily constructed as our government these days. And because Topshop is a British brand and Brexit was the first event that made me wonder if Trump really could become president (though I do think that's a false equivalence in many ways). And because m...

I thought I'd post more after returning from England, but instead I've spent most of my time agonizing over a dissertation chapter that I'm revising (well, basically rewriting). You know that feeling when you read over an unfinished piece of writing one too many times, and suddenly it seems to dissolve before your very eyes, and you're no longer sure whether you've made an argument or even written coherent, grammatical sentences? And then you start questioning the very foundations of your knowledge and reach the conclusion that you don't know how to write about anything and in fact have never known? Yeah. Experience has taught me that the only thing that helps once I reach this point is taking a break, and I'm lucky enough to have the liberty of taking breaks when I need them. Here's hoping that writing about nail polish will clear my head. Let me introduce you to the three Barry M nail polishes (sorry, "Nail Paints") that I bought in England l...

Seventeen is a British beauty brand that had never sparked my interest prior to last month's UK trip. It doesn't get much press in the blogosphere, probably because it's exclusive to drugstore giant Boots and so lacks a solid brand identity. Boots has two house beauty brands: the more famous and extensive Boots No. 7, which also offers a range of skincare, and the smaller, trendier Seventeen, which is geared toward younger shoppers. Having turned 17 almost a dozen years ago, I assumed that Seventeen had little to offer me : the name evoked images of brightly colored, poorly executed kiddie makeup. But one day I decided to swatch a few of Seventeen's eyeshadow singles, and though some were indeed patchy and cheap-looking, I came away very impressed with the shimmery neutral shades. Two in particular caught my eye: Rose Quartz, a purplish taupe, and Statuesque, a coppery rose gold. Top to bottom: eyeshadow monos in Magenta (note that the matte formula is much less pigment...

The title of this post is misleading, since I took a break from my low-buy during my month in England (I'm writing this on my last evening here). I'll just say it: I bought 11 12 new pieces of makeup and nail polish in June. This is going to be a haul post. Which is okay! I planned for this hiatus, I could afford it, I'm happy with what I bought, and I'm eager to get home and start experimenting. I'm also going on a replacement-only no-buy for the month of July, just to give myself some time to enjoy my new stuff. In August, I'll resume my low-buy regimen. As I'm sure you've heard, the pound has taken quite a hit in the last week. I bought seven of my new products pre-Brexit but am using the current exchange rate ($1.33 to £1 ) for the conversions in this post, so my total in dollars will be a little lower than what I actually paid. New Makeup/Polish: Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Facet: £14.50 Barry M Nail Paint in Vintage Violet: £2.99 Barry M Gelly Hi-...

UM, HI. A lot has happened since I last posted. I'm still stunned and depressed at Britain's decision to leave the European Union. It was surreal to watch the whole thing unfold around me , and painful to have no way of affecting the outcome. It's not my nation or my fight, but I'm still heartbroken at what this means for Britain and Europe in general. It's clear by now that we live in an age of paranoid nationalism, and if you can think of anything good that paranoid nationalism has ever produced, do let me know. I'll just be over here reading Hobbes and glancing obsessively at the BBC. You know what? Let's talk about makeup. I've been in London for the past week, and have found myself wearing less makeup than usual. My boyfriend's parents and sister are visiting, and they're no-makeup WASP types who can go from pajamas to out the door in ten minutes. Since they've been generous enough to let me travel with them for nine days, I've done ...