new beauty products @sephora that make no sense.

I tend to scroll through Sephora’s new arrivals quite often, and I have been realizing products that catch my eye but not in the best sense. I question why these products were made, why they have certain price points and so on.

Yo Glow Facial Enzyme Scrub by Wishful. 51$ (cad) , for what it is the price is a big no. As someone that buys Kbeauty I love these kinds of peels, they usually can be…

In her mini tutorialon youtube, all she used was a Chanel mascara to create the look, but I decided to test this over an eyeshadow look I had done that day and needless to say, I loved the mix of the red shadow with the blurred cat eye like dotted mascara. Baker called this look Attitude Lash and I couldn’t agree more!

Basically, the look involves a lot of mascara wand twirling, stamping, and pinching. I felt it worked out well with starting with a coat of mascara on the upper and bottom lash and then using the wand on the horizontal, but holding it against the root of the lash and pressing it against the lid, which creates a track mark of mascara. Then also holding the wand on the vertical and trying to coat every single lash and separate them. I took my mascara a bit around the crease almost giving myself a faux cut crease.

✨E Y E S H A D O W: @anastasiabeverlyhills x @jackieaina palette (pink+red shade). @natashadenona 60M single shadow (pink shimmer in the middle). ✨W a t e r l i n e : @colourpopcosmetics creme gel liner in ‘get paid’ . ✨m a s c a r a : @marcjacobsbeauty velvet noir mascara. ✨b l u s h : @hourglasscosmetics ambient lighting blush in ‘mood exposure’. ✨l i p s : @etudeofficial powder rouge in ‘RD301’ . + @physiciansformula organic wear tinted lip in ‘love bite’. .

Glitter is also messy and no matter what base you use you will be getting some sort of fall out, but then I heard of Lemonhead LA, which has its glitter premixed with a base.  So after some months of thinking about it (since the product and shipping are a bit high in price), I finally caved in to try these glitters.

I was so amazed by these glitters, a little product would give an opaque look that looked like I spent 20 minutes building up the glitter on my lid, then the lack of fallout was almost a weird thing to take in. These would stay put on the lid for many hours, no fallout and the base would not sensitize my eye (which is something some glitters like this have done to me).

The great part of these Lemonhead glitters, is that they allow creativity to flow since the way they are made are also very creative, in order to have a glitter go on this opaque it needs a mix of different sizes of glitters, which makes it all more special.

Some colours like Houdini and phantom change completely as they hit the light, making them my favourite shades. And then there’s ‘Dirty Penny’, which Sir John use it on Beyonce for her Coachella show,  which is really the colour of a penny and a great shade for those who want to go tame (but it gives such a nice 70s vibe to a look!).

I am aware that other brands have created products similar to this, but so far none have wowed me like Lemonhead. Also to note, that I have owned my Houdini glitter since 2018 and it’s still doing the job and I am only halfway through it, even after many uses and also deppoting some for a friend. – the trick is to keep the little seal along with the lid tightly closed. In case of the product drying, Lemonhead, advises to ”reactivate glitters with LHLA Jellyfix™ (coming soon). Until then, add a bit of distilled water, Evian spray or Fix+ (an artist must-have by MAC) to rehydrate.” . 

So is this product worth it’s price? 100%. It really makes glitter fun and fuss free and it is a product that seems to go a long way before you are completely done with it and need to buy a new one.

Now will KVD beauty be around for a long time and be successful? I am 80% sure it won’t and I have a list of reasons why it wouldn’t.

1- Vegan isn’t that much of a niche anymore.  Back in the day finding Vegan cosmetics was hard and KVD beauty made its name around it. Right now, it is very common to find. In 2015, Vegan was equivalent to what clean beauty is now. The ship to profit from that has sailed.

2- The name just doesn’t feel right.  There’s something about this rebrand that just… *yawn*. The team behind this didn’t really try to come up with a name that would make us feel that the brand is a breath of fresh air and not associated with its previous owner that so many disliked.

3- It doesn’t feel special anymore.  Kat Von D beauty launched in 2008 and when comparing the products it came out with, with the products that were being made in the same year by other brands, there’s a clear picture of why the brand took off:  It felt special. The colours, formulas and packaging were different from the stuff other brands were making and it also spoke to a few subculture that saw a makeup brand representing them (goth, emo, scene and punk).

4- Kat was a key element of the brand.  Chanel Beauty can exist without Coco Chanel, but a brand like Kat Von D (even if it had a different name) would struggle. Reason being is the fact that Kat was very involved with the creative process of the brand, as an artist, Kat would help pick colours, do the designs of the packaging and so on. An example of a brand losing its special charm is Lime Crime, ever since the Doe Deere stepped away from the brand it just lost it’s appeal and design that would catch people’s attention. I feel that KVD beauty made the whole limited edition palette a thing, with palettes going from looking like a Mac basic thing to these elaborate packages that people wanted to have even just for decor.

Here’s my tips for this brand to launch itself from the ashes and actually be successful, I haven’t supported Kat and her views for a while, but I see a brand that hires many people who need jobs.

1- Hire someone with an artistic background to work with you.  Everyone is flocking into collabing with beauty gurus and it’s boring! Collab with artists! Make palettes inspired by art pieces they have made, pay them to help you design a product that people will want to have displayed in their vanity. You can be the Andy Warhol of the beauty industry!

2- Have people who felt done wrong by the brand before to now be represented.  The ‘old’ brand had lack of diversity when it came to representation. Have these people be heard now and make them the face of the brand.

3- Stimulate creativity.  Share your platform with small creators, showcase works of people that have less visibility.

4- Revise your name situation… really.

5- Support vaccination, the end of animal cruelty and so on.  Show the brand doesn’t share the old views and put that Vegan in your name to good use, by supporting animals in some way.

To end , I will post some images of old school KVD products. To remind us how the brand started and how it might need to change to go forward.

I am a hairstylist but also someone very curious about human behaviour. A few days into social distancing being a thing in Canada and I see stylists sharing messages their clients have sent them trying to get them to come to their homes and do their hair. Now as hairstylists we are not essential workers but we work as close to the public as a doctor, we can’t practice distance while doing our…

                  So Juicy Plumping gloss in ‘Round about’. – These glosses are a major 90s throwback and this shade is just the perfect nude topper. They make the lips look super juicy and gives them a slight plumping effect.

Super Shock shadow in ‘Milky Way’– I have recently fallen in love with the super shock shadows again. This formula was quite ahead of it’s time and misunderstood by many.…

FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNASnap Shadows Mix & Match Eyeshadow Palette – These are really nice and I love #7! It’s a perfect mix of neutrals with a green/mustard base.

PAT MCGRATH LABSFetishEyes™ Mascara – At first I felt meh about this mascara and then it was one of those I started using everyday for doll like lashes.

ROEN BEAUTY11:11 Eyeshadow Palette – Clean beauty that isn’t boring. Any of the Roen palettes is great, it has a very unique formula.

  HOURGLASSAmbient Lighting Blush Collection – Mood exposure is that blush that will go with any kind of look. The mini size will last a long time.

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLSJackie Aina Eyeshadow Palette – One of my favourite palettes. It has amazing jewel tones, the formula is very nice too. On top of the sephora sale, this palette is also on sale. 100% worth it.

PAT MCGRATH LABSPERMA PRECISION Liquid Eyeliner – Great marker tip eyeliner for precise liner looks.

HOURGLASSAmbient® Lighting Powder – This is not a highlighter, but rather a perfecting powder to apply over foundation to give the skin a beautiful and radiant glow.

FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNAGloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer – This is the lipgloss that made me like lipgloss. It just makes the lips so juiccyyyy. 

  Remember to activate the Rakuten plug in, right now they have 2.5% cash back, it’s not a fortune, but adds up (I see it as money to pay my Netflix subscription). I just have it connected to my Paypal account and then they send the money monthly.

Too Faced was a brand that started releasing palettes that almost had a collector’s connotation to it. The sweet peach palette was launched at a time when brands used to bait people to buy by using the words ‘limited edition’. This was one of the first palettes that were doing peach tones (though if you look closely it has only about 5 shades that are close to peach) and people went crazy for it, making it sell out a couple times.

2- Any NAKED palette from urban decay

I feel that Urban Decay was the first brand that brought palettes to the main public, before their Naked series, palettes that weren’t quads (4 shades) weren’t very common and those that existed were made towards Makeup Professionals. The Naked palettes set a tone (get it?) when it came to colour stories with palettes.

3- ABH modern renaissance

Modern Renaissance is the Anastasia Beverly Hills superstar. The colour story took over the makeup industry and was often duped or taken as an inspiration. It was where the mix of warm browns/oranges with pinks started, and it is a palette that ABH has been trying to live up to… but not even with dozens of new palettes released in a year, they come close to reliving the hype.

4- Kylie Cosmetics Bronze palette

Remember when Kylie cosmetics first launched? The website crashes were common, packages being stolen from the mail were a thing and it took the black market by storm. Same thing happened when Kylie launched her first eyeshadow palette. Let’s face it the colour story wasn’t anything new, but everyone had to get their hands on it to see what the lip kit mogul was up to.

5- Jaclyn Hill X Morphe pt I

Dramas aside, the first palette Jaclyn Hill released with Morphe was the palette that most beauty gurus were reviewing. The colour story is great and allows for an array of looks. It is definitely the star product Ms Hill has made.

6- Natasha Denona Lila palette

This was one of the first ND palettes I remember being mass talked, another amazing colour story! In fact, Natasha Denona seems to be very good when it comes to the her colour stories. This was one of those palettes (along with Pat Mcgrath) that opened the way to pricier palettes and the ‘normalcy’ of them.

7 – Kat Von D Beauty palettes

The infamous beauty brand, had an amazing take on colour stories when it came to their palettes and stood by the words ‘limited edition’, once these palettes were gone, they were gone forever. Kat Von D Beauty was daring to make the colours other brands wouldn’t at the time. Some palettes in the memory of many are: Saint and Sinner,pastel Goth, Serpentina, Mi Vida Loca, Ladybird, True Romance, etc.  Eventually, the brand started taking a slope with their creativity while their less accepted behaviours kept rising (which eventually made the company by bought out and now called KVD beauty).

8- Huda Beauty Textured palette

The first palette by Huda Beauty (which initially only made lashes) was a palette that was widely talked and purchased. The reviews were very mixed, especially when it came to the glitters on the palette.

9 – Anything BH cosmetics

I can’t recall the last time I saw a BH cosmetics palette, but some years ago it was the dream brand for people that were dipping their toes into makeup. Often mentioned as the brand that would make dupes (not copies) of other famous palettes but at a fraction of the price.

10- Tartelette in bloom (any tarte palette, really)

Tarte used to be that mid range brand that everyone liked. Their neutral toned palettes were very liked and popular and eventually the fact that the brand has stuck to that image has made them be a bit forgotten and less exciting.

11- Urban Decay Electric palette

Pigments that were sold to the masses. The once, only afford by MUAs product was now put neatly in a palette and sold at Sephora. This palette is still talked by many, it brought vibrant shadows to the market. It was a true ode to the 80s and the tutorials on youtube would pour and those shadows were dipped in so much until the pans got bare.

12- Lorac pro

Does anyone still use Lorac? I swear every beauty guru used to own these and I have seen no mentions about the brand in a long time.

This look is still widely popular all over the world and seen very often on runways and editorials.

The look and aesthetic is very popular on instagram these days and an array of brands have their whole aesthetic going around it (like Le Rouje). Great makeup artists to follow to get the ultimate rundown on the French girl makeup trends are Violette, who is the Estée Lauder Global Beauty Director and Lucia Pica  who is the creative director for Chanel.

The look is very easy to achieve and the products needed are likely part of most women’s beauty bag. The trick is keeping a light hand and light application unless you are applying red lipstick.

Red matte lipstick

A matte red lipstick should be part of any women’s beauty bag. It can quickly be added to achieve a quick and easy chic look. Chanel lipsticks are a good classic, for those wanting to try smaller indie brands, le Rouje is an amazing brand to shop for all sorts of reds.

Tinted Balm

For those feeling a bit overwhelmed by the thought of a matte red lipstick, tinted balms are a great alternative. They will leave the lips looking healthy and give it a bit of colour that simply looks like a fruit stain.

Soft liquid blush

There’s something special about liquid blushes, they simply melt into the skin giving a great healthy flush that looks like it is natural. Em cosmetics have an array of shades, but brands like Flower Beauty offer liquid blushes at drugstore prices that are very easy to work with.

Red or neutral nail polish

Can’t go wrong with nail polish, neutral rosy tones and reds will suit any look.

Skincare over complexion products

Complexion, when it comes to French Girl makeup, is very natural and minimal, spot concealing is preferred and in order to wear minimal foundation, a good skincare regimen is a must.

Subtle eye toppers

A subtle eye topper, applied with the finger tip can give that minimal touch to the eyelid without overpowering the look or taking away from the statement of the red lipstick. My whole time favourite is Roen, this brand has a very unique formula, it gives that glow to the lid that looks wet without feeling sticky. A more wallet friendly product is the Colourpop super shock shadow in ‘Ritz’.

This look is very easy to achieve and it will work for any type of occasion. Bellow I will link a few Instagram accounts for the ultimate French Girl makeup inspo.

Jeanne Damas  ,Lou Doillon  https://www.instagram.com/estherrollande/ https://www.instagram.com/violette_fr/ https://www.instagram.com/sonagasparian/ https://www.instagram.com/aimeesong/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/louisefollain/

I don’t think only James Charles should be bashed for embracing this ‘trend’, the others who have joined in this should also be called out, but James, along with being disliked by many people, has a reach that goes beyond Tik Tok, and outside of Tik Tok this reached more people that have suffered domestic abuse but also people of a higher age group that understand better why this is a problem. Some defend that if this is an issue than all SFX makeup (special effects) that is shown online should also be an issue. It’s not an issue, SFX makeup is an important part on movies,series, etc, it’s an art form and also a job where people specialize on this type of makeup, when looking at an SFX account we know that this is what is being shown to us, beauty gurus that only do cutcreases showing up in April (quite far from Halloween) is rather strange! And in no place was mentioned that these people were playing around with special effects makeup.

To those thinking that the internet is being too fragile over this, we need to think what glamorizing violence can do to a young generation, it will normalize it and make people not be aware that it is wrong or that they need to ask for help if they are caught in a situation where domestic violence occurs. This is a fragile time, many victims are quarantined with their abusers and have nowhere to go. Also glamorizing prison, which highly affects Black and Latinx communities, is highly ignorant and comes from a place of privilege, many of these people embracing these ‘trends’ have likely never had a family member in prison, or likely will never be in a situation of being arrested or having their life at risk.

So there’s more than it affecting domestic violence victims, this whole trend should have never been a trend, but it can open a dialogue as to why it is wrong and we all find some growth from it.

Another thing I want to mention, is how many people use these kinds of topics to bring attention to them, lots of younger people try to use drama tactics to bring in attention (cue in any scandal Trisha Paytas has ever been on) , a scroll around twitter and I see many people posting these mugshots over the last hours, even though they have seen how many are against it. So please avoid commenting, viewing or sharing the names of anyone else doing this, as it will simply add on to the fire of these people trying to get attention.

One palette + one look and 4 different finishes. – ft. Fenty Beauty

My favourite part about playing with makeup is trying many different textures and finishes. I saw my Fenty Beauty Snap Shadow palette in ‘cadet’ (lucky number 7!) sitting on the corner and thought I would give a try on a 90s smokey eye but using more olive based tones versus a common brown.

I have been sold on the idea that the Pantone of the year is on the green familyand I refuse to accept…

The 90s pulled it’s trends from many things such as the popularity of R&B music, grunge and also the goth movement. Even though all these things were different from one another when it came to its makeup basics they all tied into the same makeup concepts, just some taken into more of an extreme versus others (eg: gothic makeup).

Popular celebrities for it’s makeup looks: Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista (any supermodel, really), Gwen Stefani, Courtney Love, Madonna,Selena Quintanilla.

Popular makeup artists: Kevyn Aucoin .

Bellow are some 90s makeup looks to use as inspo.

Aside from a great style for downtime it can also be an extremely chic and trendy do. There are unlimited ways to do this style such as sleek, messy, wavy, braided. etc.

The sleek pony.

1- Part the hair with the desired part. 2- Run an oil/ serum through the hair to make it look shinier and smoother. 3- Using a mousse at the root (on dry hair) will help create a sleeker look with more ease and fly away free. 4- Brush hair into place and tie. 5- Spray hands with a slow drying spray and pat down any fly aways. 6- Use a small brush (an unused toothbrush will do too) with cream/paste/gel to smooth out any more details and add sleekness.

Messy and accessorized.

1-Avoid using any pastes, mousses or oils on this look, working with natural texture (or texture added with a hot tool) will be best. 2- Use a texture spray to give hair a more lived in look. 3- Avoid using a brush, use fingers or a wide-tooth comb to gather the hair for the look. 4- Tie lightly without losing the more loose feel and shape. 5- Let any face-framing pieces fall if they can’t be tied. 6- Pinch a few pieces to give it a more textured feel. 7- Accessorize with a scarf, ribbons, etc.

More ideas:

Products I like using for these looks.

Oil/Serums

Sebastian Dark oil. 2. Kevin Murphy Young.Again. 3. Oribe Gold Lust.

Mousse:

1. Eimi (by Wella) Root shoot. 2. Kevin.Murphy Body Builder.

Texture Spray/powder.

Briogeo blossom & Bloom root powder. 2. Kevin.Murphy bedroom.hair. 3.Living proof Full Dry Volume Blast.

Cream/gels/etc. (for tamming fly aways)

1. Larry King hair ‘a social life for your hair’. 2. Kevin.Murphy Undressed.

Roen Beauty is part of the clean brands sold at Sephora, but unlike most clean brands, it felt like it wasn’t your typical clean product that simply gives you a little glow, a little colour on the cheeks or a sheer stain on the lips. Their ads felt very high end, runway, cool girl but also ”I swiped my lid with shadow so this look took 10 seconds” . The price was steep, but unboxing my first disco eye sure felt luxurious, but I was looking at that little pan and wondering if it was money well spent.

That first swipe of the product felt strange, the consistency of the product was different from anything I had tried, it didn’t feel sticky, but there was also no fallout. Also, it had taken me a couple seconds to apply a lid that could shine from afar, with some good coats of mascara I was ready to head out. Since the product doesn’t dry on the lid, it will crease throughout the day, but unlike a dry eyeshadow that will roll up and patch if you try to tap, this shadow will simply blend into place, so no need to carry the shadow for touchups. Also, there’s something cool about letting this product crease and I tend to believe that creasing is a look in itself.

Roen’s eye products aren’t for the pristine, cut crease loving people, the product will move around, will crease, etc. But it is a great product for someone who wants high shine on the lids without having to own 20 makeup palettes and 40 eye brushes… for most looks, I have done I use my fingers, for more clean linework a fine synthetic liner brush will do the job. – The best of all, it has allowed me to spend less time on my eye makeup.

Tips and tricks to use this product: – Don’t be gentle with the palette, dig your fingers in to get the best payoff from the product. It will feel strange being a savage with your palette/disco eye, but it’s worth it! – Finger application gets the best look in my opinion. – Start applying the product close to the lash in the middle of the lid with a finger, then use a clean finger (ring finger works great for this!) to blend out the product. – Nail art brushes are great to work this product into more graphic shapes. – Tap product with finger if it is creased after some hours of wear. -Always apply with fingers and then blend with a synthetic brush. -Easy to wear on the undereye. -To see more sparkle on your linework, apply a layer of the product and then run the brush back and forth to reveal more glitter. -Roen’s instagram is full of tutorials and looks to inspire. The company is founded by a celebrity makeup artist – Nikki DeRoest.

Overall, this is a great product and it can really make makeup easy but still a statement, up to now a lot of clean beauty was very tame and simple so I am excited to see brands opening up to clean but also bright and sparkly things.

Dua has been working a lot with Lisa Eldridge who is a known MUA in the UK that is often behind many movie looks, red carpets and also editorials. Lisa’s approach to beauty tends to be very different from most instagram MUAs, she tends to go very light with products, your skin but better kinda thing and then steal the show with a statement eye look or lip.

Via instagram @esteelaundry

Skincare brand, Drunk Elephant, also tried to pitch their overpriced soap as a better go to soap versus the regular 1$ soap, people can get and wash their hands for at least 20 seconds to help stop the spread of COVID19.

And these are two examples of how times like these can really show who are the brands that are worth supporting and which ones have values we agree with.

With this, it also came to my mind how many people (who likely have their jobs suspended because of the pandemic) will be seeing their fave youtubers and beauty gurus trying to throw their merch and personal brand at them. If you don’t have income coming in and have some savings, it might be a good idea to hold on to that as we don’t know the future and how long we will need to stay away from work. If you want to support a youtuber because you like them, you have to think who will be needing that money more in a week or so, big youtubers have their own big mansions and probably a pantry stocked with everything, many of the people watching them don’t have that. If you want to still support your favourite creator, you can do so by watching their videos and letting the ads fully play, which will give them that Adsense money, like their videos and content, share it. If you understand that this a small creator that doesn’t have the pay of many that have millions of followers then do all the above, plus if you can comfortably afford, buy their merch or something to support. But for now we are all home, the best and most sensible way to support creators is by watching their content, liking it, commenting, etc. Rewatch some old tutorials, let the ads fully play. It’s important to not fall into toxic consumerism during this time, many brands will try to pitch it to us, we are home, we are bored, not doing our regular dinner outs and clubbing and the thought of a package coming to our door seems exciting, but some predict this pandemic might still be happening in May, we have uncertain times ahead and need to be as ready for it as we can.

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Contour Kit

theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer

Lorac Palettes

  Abh Dipbrow

Milani baked blush in ‘luminoso’

RCMA No colour powder

Benefit Roller lash

Farsali Unicorn Essence

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel

NYX Jumbo Pencil in “Milk”

Nars Blush in ‘orgasm’

Urban Decay Naked palettes

Urban Decay Heavy metal glitter in ‘Midnight cowboy’

Any Mac lipstick

Benefit Porefessional