Five Products I'm Trying to Finish This Fall

You know you've been teaching for too long if you label your pictures things like "Fall18." But hey, this is just what it says on the tin: five products I want to finish in fall 2018. For the record, I consider December 1 the first day of winter. The calendar says December 21, but does it wait that long to get stupid cold? Nope, so I'm going with September-October-November for fall.

MAC Strobe Cream -- This is an old standby that I've repurchased a zillion times, but the tube is getting a little old, slash, I keep getting distracted by other highlighters. I'll likely use this up by wearing it to work. The black line next to the word "Strobe" shows how much product I have right now.

YSL Touche Eclat #2 -- While I enjoy this product, I'll never get over the $42 price tag. I mostly use it as an undereye brightener, and in that capacity, I like the Maybelline Dream Lumi concealer just as much. I can't tell how much of this is left, but I'd guesstimate that it's about half full.

Stila Huge Extreme Lash (deluxe sample) -- No amount of volume is worth a formula this wet and clumpy. Because I can get this mascara to work if I apply it super carefully and really clean up my eyelid afterward, I'm stubbornly refusing to throw it out until the end of September.

Milk Makeup Gel Brow in Pilsner -- This is an okay brow pencil, but it's just okay, and I definitely prefer a harder formula than this for my day-to-day looks. I've already used up quite a bit of this pencil!

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Vanilla Kiss -- Do I like this cream eyeshadow? No; it never seems to dry down, leaving me with slightly sticky eyelids if I apply too much. Is it a good color? Yes, but Wet n' Wild Brulee is just as nice and it only costs $2 per pan. Am I going to finish this anyway? Yes, because it's bearable when used in small amounts and I'm too lazy to apply powder eyeshadow at seven in the morning.

If you want to join me in finishing five products and you use Instagram, try using the hashtag #5ff. I'd love to see what you're using up!

Charlotte Tilbury Mini Reviews

Charlotte Tilbury is a talented makeup artist, no doubt, but between her using the word "pop" a few too many times in her videos and her Into the Gloss interview that described wearing makeup to bed so her husband doesn't see her bare-faced, I've found it a bit hard to stomach her as a person. For a time, those feelings were transposed to her makeup line. I held off trying it for a couple of years.

Now that I have tried several products from the range, I have to admit that I'm impressed. Is every product as revolutionary and unique as she claims in her tutorials? Of course not; sometimes, a black eyeliner is just a black eyeliner. However, most of the range seems solid, and while there are some definite duds, there are also a few standouts that I would wholeheartedly recommend. So it's time to give them their due and write some mini reviews. (I've already written a full review of the Light Wonder Foundation, which you can read here.)

I purchased the Beauty Light Wand from Nordstrom earlier this year, and I gotta say, the hype is real. It's a beautiful champagne gold highlight that maintains a wet, glossy look even after drying down. It looks amazing in photographs and always garners compliments in real life. I've also used it on my eyes without any irritation or issues--your mileage may vary. I am a bit weirded out by the sponge tip applicator because you can't really clean it, but I like that you can lock the tube so it doesn't leak in your bag. It has become one of the stars of my highlighter collection.

The other three products mentioned in this review were sent to me by Influenster in preparation for Charlotte Tilbury's big Sephora launch. Let's start with the Hot Lips lipstick, which I expected to get in a more muted shade like Secret Salma and instead received in the very nude color Kim K.W. This is one of two satin shades in the range, and if by satin they mean "not matte," then okay, I'm fine with it. But for me, "satin" has always been between a true matte (with no shine) and a glossy, rich-looking cream, ie, most of the Besame Classic Color lipstick range. Charlotte Tilbury Kim K.W. has more of that plush look I associate with cream finishes.

Quibbling aside, it's a good lipstick. It feels comfortable on the lips, it isn't drying, and it photographs really well. It can look a bit smeary on me in real life, but I think that's just because the color is so light, and using a darker lip liner around the edges of my mouth definitely helps. That said, I won't spend $34 on another tube unless they make a shade I desperately want. It doesn't beat the aforementioned $22-a-tube Besame lipsticks, so it's not worth the extra $12 to me.

If any of the Charlotte Tilbury makeup products disappointed me, it was the Colour Chameleon Eye Shadow Pencil, which I received in the shade Champagne Diamonds. It's not awful, it's just...very meh. Based on the name and the description ("mineral, soft-focus effects transform and enhance eye color for a range of looks"), I expected something complex and versatile. What I got was a pretty but plain champagne color with some flecks of glitter, which looks ordinary and one-dimensional even in the above macro shots. Eh.

That said, the actual formula of the eyeshadow pencils is just fine. It's a bit dryer than I expected, but it applies smoothly and evenly, and it definitely sets. I had no issues with creasing, and I didn't notice any of the glitter dropping down on my face. Again, this is not something I'd purchase with my own money, but I'm not opposed to wearing it or recommending it. It's a wonderful product for long days at the office, for instance. I just expected a little more shade complexity from a $27 eyeshadow called Color Chameleon. I'll stick with the cheaper Butter London Glazen Eye Glosses for now.

Now...let's talk about the Magic Cream. I'm trying to be more restrained with my skincare snark, since I've gone through half a dozen bottles of a $24 cleanser that is objectively rather basic. But I think a $100 cream that claims to contain "patented anti-aging, hydrating, and youth-boosting ingredients" that can "fight the aging process" needs to back up its claims with more than run-of-the-mill cloggers. I'd joke that reading this ingredients list gave me nightmares if it weren't all so generic. Butylene glycol and glycerin are cheap-as-dirt moisturizers included in most affordable options. Dimethicone is a form of silicone, and it's often used in skincare to make it seem smoother and more softening than it really is. Shea butter is a lovely ingredient, but it clogs my face like crazy. So on and so forth. Basically, it's $100 worth of hype based off of a mixture of other moisturizers Charlotte used to slap on runway models' faces.

Even if I weren't rolling my eyes a little too hard at this cream, I wouldn't be impressed. As expected, it didn't patch test well on my face, but I could use it on my neck and hands. It was a wholly average moisturizer with a thick lotion texture that took some time to soak in, then provided adequate moisture. And that's it. I'm sorry, but for $100 a tub, you'd better make my dry-as-a-grilled-chicken-breast skin plump, soft, and super-hydrated.

The only thing I liked about Charlotte's Magic Cream was the soft baby powder scent that reminded me of my mother, and I only liked that smell when it was on my hands. I certainly wouldn't want my face to smell like that.

I know that three out of four mini reviews ending with "I wouldn't spend my money on it" sounds like a lot of negativity. It's not: the makeup is usually good, sometimes great, occasionally shit, just like most other brands. It's just that I have found cheaper products I like just as much (Besame lipsticks) or better (Butter London Glazen Eye Glosses), and in those cases, I'm always going to save a few dollars. The Charlotte Tilbury makeup products are still worth recommending, say, if you want a nice nude lipstick or a quick and easy eye color for work.

The skincare range? Not so much. I've looked at some of the formulas for other products, and I'll take a hard pass on trying those in the future.

Charlotte Tilbury products will be available at Sephora on September 13.

This product was sent to me by Influenster in exchange for an honest review.

Holy Grail Products I've Replaced (or Supplemented)

People often send me incredibly kind messages and emails telling me that they love my blog. And in a solid half of those emails, these incredibly kind people mention that one of their favorite things about my blog is that products I rate highly or call my favorites generally reappear for years and years. I take pride in the fact that, when I say I love something and it's a favorite, I mean it. I will almost never call something my Holy Grail unless I have used it for at least a year and/or finished an entire tube/bottle/stick/whatever.

That said...

Now that I've finished my move and started wearing makeup again, I'm noticing that I keep reaching for specific products. Many of them are not my much-raved-about Holy Grails. Instead, they're products that have entered my collection in the last year or two. It used to take me forever to replace a Holy Grail favorite, but it seems to me that changes in consumer tastes and improvements in product textures and ranges have resulted in a lot of new stuff that suits me better. (That is, cream and liquid products that are easy to apply and take very little effort, also known as "makeup for lazy people.") When the Holy Grails I've Replaced tag became popular on my YouTube feed, I knew it was time to talk about these new loves.

Bear in mind that I still love all of these products, that the original Holy Grail is still a better choice in some scenarios, and that I would still give all of these my wholehearted recommendation. But in my day-to-day life, yeah, the newbies are taking precedence.

Shu Uemura lash curlers -- Surratt Relevée lash curlers

I used the Shu Uemura lash curlers for most of my undergraduate years, but I switched to the Shiseido curlers when Shu left the US. While the Shiseido version worked well, I decided to give Shu Uemura another try last year, and I had to admit that the Shu just gave me a better curl overall. Then somebody offered to sell me their like new Surratt curlers at a super low price. Now, I admit that the Surratt curlers can pinch my eyes a bit, mostly because it's a bigger tool with a bigger opening and I suck at positioning it. But while the Shu Uemura curlers sometimes have trouble grabbing the lashes at the outer corner of my eye, the Surratt curlers never miss a lash. Shu Uemura lash curlers, $22; Surratt Relevée lash curlers, $30.

Maybelline Full n' Soft Mascara -- Glossier Lash Slick

Maybellin Full n' Soft remains my go-to mascara for voluminous, fluttery lashes that don't smear or flake horribly. But if I'm not too fussed about getting a lot of volume and I want next to no flakes at the end of the day, I go for Lash Slick. It's become my go-to every day mascara: I can slick it on at 8am, work until 4pm, run errands in to the evening, and go out to dinner with zero mess. Despite the great staying power, it's also easy to remove with a Makeup Eraser and warm water. Glossier really killed it with this launch. Maybelline Full n' Soft mascara, $8; Glossier Lash Slick mascara, $16.

Buxom Show Some Skin Foundation -- Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Skin Tint

Let's make one thing clear: I'm still more likely to recommend the Buxom foundation over the Philosophy tinted moisturizer. Buxom Show Some Skin has a much more inclusive shade range, and the packaging doesn't make me want to cry every time I open it. But I wear that Philosophy Skin Tint several times a week now, and I haven't reached for my Buxom foundation since I moved. I just find the Philosophy more comfortable and natural-looking on my very dry skin--once it's settled in, my skin looks smooth and lovely, but almost makeup-less. It's also a slightly better shade for my casual makeup days now that I self tan my neck. Buxom Show Some Skin foundation, $34; Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Skin Tint, $39.

Rohto Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Milk SPF50 -- Skin Laundry Daily Moisturizer SPF35

I have yet to find the dry-skin friendly sunscreen that will beat Skin Aqua for long, sweaty days in the sun. However, I'm definitely preferring the Skin Laundry Daily Moisturizer SPF35 for my day-to-day needs. It has a rich lotion texture and lightly hydrates my bone dry face while sinking in relatively quickly, working well under makeup, and never breaking me out or causing irritation. Also, Japanese sunscreens are frequently discontinued or reformulated to keep up with market trends. The relatively new Skin Laundry line, however, seems like it will be a bit more slow to change. Rohto Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Milk SPF50, ~$10 on eBay; Skin Laundry Daily Moisturizer SPF35, $25.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector -- Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand and Glossier Haloscope

I've finally admitted that it's time to throw out the bottle of Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl that I've clung to since grad school. This stuff is way past its expiration date, after all. But even more than that, I just don't reach for the Becca highlighter as much as I used to. Mind you, it's still one of the most gorgeous, photogenic, and versatile highlighters on the market, and I'm sure I'll repurchase it one day. But I've been favoring quick-and-easy over versatile these days. I don't usually want to carefully ration how much Becca SSP I apply for a natural look; I just swipe on Glossier Haloscope in Quartz and tap it out with my fingers. I don't want to layer Becca SSP for a wet look; I'd rather spend all of thirty seconds swiping and blending the Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand over my cheekbones. I'm lazy, you guys, and I'm finally admitting that that extends to my makeup. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, $41; Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand, $38; Glossier Haloscope, $22.

REVIEW: House of Besame Debutante Sheer Color Lipsticks

For as long as I can remember, my mother has been obsessed with costume dramas. Does she actually care about the plot of The Age of Innocence or Downton Abbey? Well, kind of, but she openly admits that her primary attraction to those sorts of shows is the lavish clothing wealthy people wore at the time. Even after discovering that the sort of people she's looking at didn't bathe too often and, therefore, said lovely clothing probably had a bit of a stench to it, she's drawn to anything that promises corseted women swooning over their beaus.

Despite the fact that I hate even wearing a bra and get most of my ratty black t-shirts from the thrift store, my mother's love of costume dramas rubbed off on me, as did my brother's interest in history. This prompted a fascination with cultural norms and beauty expectations throughout the ages, particularly the Revolutionary War era and the 19th century.

So you can imagine how deliriously happy I was when Besame, one of my all-time favorite brands, released a picture of their new Debutante Sheer Color Lipsticks, which feature the Gibson Girl on the box. After I posted the picture on my Instagram story with the shrieking caption "OH MY EDWARDIAN GODDDDD," Besame messaged me and said they had actually sent the new lipsticks to me.

How excited was I for these new lipsticks? So excited that I immediately made my mother promise to forward the box to me ASAP if it arrived after I'd moved. After several stressful weeks of moving in to our new place a thousand miles from home, receiving these lipsticks was a treat.

The Debutante Sheer Color Lipsticks are advertised as part of the new "House of Besame" line, which seems to be inspired by turn-of-the-century luxury beauty routines. They arrive in matte, pink tubes with the traditional Besame flower logo. At $22 per 0.12oz tube, they are the same size and price as Besame's breakout Classic Color range. The main difference, of course, is that these are meant to be sheer. These also have a different scent: the original Besame lipsticks smell very faintly of vanilla to me, but the Debutante range uses peppermint oil for a light mint scent.

There are currently three shades in the range. Berry Red is, as the name suggests, a relatively neutral, popsicle-stain red; it's slightly less brown and more vibrant in real life than it looks in this swatch picture. Mint Rose is a soft pink. Chocolate Kiss is a sheer version of the same warm brown shade from the Classic Color range.

While these lipsticks are more sheer than anything from the Classic Color Range, they're not as barely-there as some sheer lipsticks, ie Glossier Generation G. One swipe will net you visible color. Mint Rose and Chocolate Kiss are very slightly glossy, but only slightly, and this easily rectified with a quick blot if you prefer a more matte look. Berry Red has more of a traditional lip stain look to it.

From left to right: Chocolate Kiss, Mint Rose, Berry Red.

I fully expected Mint Rose to be my favorite of the three shades. But while it's certainly the one I'll wear most frequently, being so work-appropriate and my-lips-but-better on y skintone, I think the shade that impresses me the most is Chocolate Kiss. I love the original, full-on version of this shade, but it can be a bit tough for me to wear brown lipstick past autumn. This sheer alternative seems like it will be more wearable on different skintones throughout all four seasons.

As far as wear goes, these perform about the same as most sheer lipsticks: they last for a good 3-4 hours if you're gentle with them, but they will fade quickly if you eat a full meal or drink a lot.

I have two problems with these lipsticks. My first complaint is honestly a bit petty: the names of the lipsticks are on the bottom of the tubes and on the white barcode stickers on the boxes, but they're not on the box itself. I always loved the "This shade is a true replica of a shade from ____" stickers on the Classic Color boxes; it felt like it fit right in to the aesthetic. Having to locate the name on an obtrusive white sticker makes the experience feel a bit less lux than I'd expect.

My more substantial quibble is that Besame claims these lipsticks are moisturizing, but I can't agree; I actually found that they could be ever so slightly drying by the end of the day. I think this is caused by the peppermint oil, which dries my lips out a bit; your mileage may vary.

While the Debutante Sheer Color Lipsticks are never going to usurp the many Classic Color Lipsticks in my collection, they've earned the right to sit in the same drawer. They're easy to wear, beautifully packaged, and have me excited for whatever else Besame is planning for this new range.

RATING: 4 out of 5

House of Besame products are available at BesameCosmetics.com.

These lipsticks were sent to me by Besame. As I made clear to the company, I only write honest reviews. I do not accept financial compensation for my posts.

VIDEO: Why I Don't Want Children

My blog's formula is usually 90% beauty, 10% miscellaneous junk. Clearly, this video sits in the miscellaneous bin. However, it's something I've wanted to talk about for a while, and there was a surprising amount of interest when I mentioned it on Instagram before going on hiatus. So here we are: the eight reasons why I don't want children.

Replacing My HG Powder

This smeared, rubbed bare, looks-like-my-cat-got-hold-of-it compact is actually the Dolce & Gabbana powder foundation I've loved for years. It's the softest, most natural, most finely-milled powder I've ever dusted over my dry skin; the shade 50 Ivory was perfect for me, and I could use the product sparingly as a setting powder or apply it a bit heavier in lieu of foundation without looking like a sheet of sandpaper. Unfortunately, Dolce & Gabbana hates my happiness and decided to discontinue the product when my back was turned. Even if it was still in production, I don't know how comfortable I'd feel repurchasing it now that I've discovered that they've done some shit.

So I'm on a quest for a new powder! There's no critical rush, since this compact will still last me a while. (I don't wear makeup every day, and even when I do wear makeup, I tend to skip powder in the cooler months.) But you see, I need to start a list of potential replacements nowbecause I am Hella picky. My short list:

1. It must be pressed. I've tried loose powders, and while I like how some of them look, the mess and the inability to throw it in my purse for touch ups is a downer.
2. It must be light coverage. Again, I like a powder that I can use lightly to set makeup or instead of foundation, ie, if I'm wearing sunscreen and concealer and just want a bit more evening out.
3. It needs to be an NC5-15 shade that doesn't oxidize. Because I have dry, dehydrated skin, I use a lot of rich skincare. I've discovered that moisturizing ingredients can make powders turn a few shades darker within an hour. While I'd prefer something that leans lighter, I'll go for an NC15 shade if it can be sheered out.
4. I shouldn't have to sell my kidney to afford it. $50+ was pushing it for this guy, but it was so damn perfect that I was willing to pay it. But frankly, I'd hate to pay more than $50 for a powder these days.
5. It cannot emphasize dryness or look powdery. I know, I know: it's kind of absurd to insist that a powder not look like powder. But the D&G powder foundation always had the smoothest, most invisible look on my skin while still slightly mattifying and providing a hint of coverage. There HAS to be other powders that can do that for me.

The powder that seems like the best possible replacement is the Charlotte Tilbury Air Brush Finish Skin Perfecting Micro-Powder, which gets nothing but rave reviews, especially from fellow dry-skinned people. However, I'm told that there's not a lot of product in the pan (Nordstrom says it's 0.28oz, which is half the size of the D&G powder), and that what's in the pan is relatively loosely pressed. Pictures showing almost-empty compacts after a mere three months of use are enough to make anyone nervous.

Soooooooo...help? What are your favorite dry skin friendly pressed powders? 

Hi, I'm back. Here's some stuff in our new apartment.

We've got our place about 95% set up, so it's time to come off of hiatus and post the obligatory shelfie picture! I'm aware that this isn't the most attractive arrangement of products, but we have a massive vanity in our bathroom and I've yet to find a bathroom organizer I like, so...product pile! Fun fact: roughly a third of these products have been living in a drawer in my fiance's old place for years. You can tell how long we've been dating by the bottle of Pssst dry shampoo, since I made the switch to Not Your Mother's years ago.

I have more products, by the way, but they're in a bin under the sink or in the vanity drawer. I'd be more apt to show this stuff off in an apartment walk-through if I lived in a place that was truly #aesthetic, but no joke, friends, almost every piece of furniture in our apartment came from a family member's garage or a local rummage sale. We're very function over form here. Case in point: the beat-up desk and bookshelf in my office were in Kirby's undergrad basement apartment.

That's not to say we haven't fancied things up a bit. The chair in my office reading nook came from Kirby's late grandmother's house, yes, but the pillows and the picture are new-ish: my parents bought the poster for me when I was a teenager and my mom made me the pillows several years ago, and they stayed wrapped in their plastic until we had a home of our own. Insert a lamp here and we're pretty much done with this section of the apartment, which I think is quite cute.

I'll also have more attractive organization for my beauty products soon, but I'm hoping to use a certain antique that Kirby is refinishing for me. In the meantime, my makeup lives in this post office box and these Glossier mailers. Trust me: the wait for my new organizer will be worth it.

As a post-script, I've considered starting a second blog for posts about budgeting, food, books, and other miscellany stuff, mostly because I think it would frustrate people if that content started popping up here. If you've got an opinion on that, leave it in the comments!