@bufferingbetty

Futuristic Vanity

Beauty innovations often come in new formulas that last longer on the skin or in new ways of using an old remedy. But it’s 2019, and re-purposing Mama’s old beauty bag may not be enough. Could these gadgets be proof that the beauty industry could be feeling the pressure to get techy with it? Here are some of the strangest beauty meets technology products I find myself wanting to try at least once.

A Face Mask - But Make It Fashion

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare SpectraLite™ Faceware Pro What is even is this? “A device that harnesses a full spectrum of therapeutic red and blue LED light to support natural collagen and zap acne-causing bacteria—hands-free” (source)

Shop here →

The Prefect Hipster Beard

Cutie Academy Electric Beard Straightener for Me

What is even is this? Half hot comb, half straightener. For your facial hair! Beards are sexy unless it looks like a result of lazy hygiene and not a choice to highlight your face. Shop here →

Eye Gels With a Vibe

Japan Trend Shop Eye Slack Haruka

What is even is this? Oh, it’s exactly what you think. An eye mask that vibrates to stimulate the muscles around your eyes to prevent sagging. Cheaper than an a facelift!

Shop here →

Mirror, Mirror, Am I Ugly

HiMirror Smart Beauty Mirror

What is even is this? You’re definitely not ugly! This mirror will help keep track of skin progress. Imagine there is an expert esthetician living inside your mirror. But not like a “Black Mirror” episode type of way.

Shop here →

Blair Waldorf’s headbands could never

HAIRMAX® LaserBand 82' Laser Hair Regrowth System

What is even is this? Binge reality TV while your hair get denser and fuller with this at home, FDA cleared laser scalp treatment.

Shop here →

Hydration, Hydration, Hydration

A skincare humidifier with a humanitarian heart! We covered this for B. News! See all the deets here →

Because lip Injections are cancelled

Conair True Glow LED Light Therapy Anti-Aging Lip Care and Lip Plumping Device

What is even is this? Injection free lip plumping! It increases circulation give your lips a little boost!

Shop here →

Related: Watch This Video If You’re Thinking Of Getting LIp Fillers

No, it’s not for kids!

Thara Portable Beauty Blender Washing Machine

What is even is this? It probably takes longer to do a load of a beauty blender than washing it by hand at the sink …. but it’s just so cute!

Shop here →

A dad Cap with some Tech to it

CAPILLUS Hair Regrowth Laser Cap

What is even is this? 6 minutes to reversing and/or slowing the inheritance of your Dad’s receding hairline. Oh, and it’s just $2,000!

Shop here →

There’s and app for that, too

Neutrogena Skin360 Skincare

What is even is this? Scan your skin and find out what it needs! Now there will be an esthetician in your pocket too!

Shop here →

@bufferingbetty

Can’t fight the magnetic pull

Magnetic lashes have been on the scene for a minute now. This innovative beauty hack has been one that I have been fascinated by. I could watch video after video of gurus mastering the magnetic lash. When they first started to creep into our social feeds, the lashes were magnetic to each other. There were two sets of lashes, one per eye, where a top lash band made a sandwich out of your own lashes with the bottom lash band. Moxie Lash just raised the bar when they thought of a way to make you the magnet!

Meet Moxie Lash

Ok, so you are not the magnet but your LINER IS!!! Moxie Lash has made a liquid and gel eyeliner that are magnetic and hold your magnetic lashes in place! You apply the eyeliner, let it dry, and then apply your favorite pair of magnetic lashes. When asked if their liner will work with other magnetic lashes, Moxie Lash says, “Absolutely! Our eyeliner works with any & all magnetic lashes!” (source)

Lashes are the final touch to any look. If you ever loved your eye makeup but wondered what was lacking in the pop factor, it’s your lashes, honey.

Magnetic Gel Liner: $32 →

Magnetic Liquid Liner: $45 →

This set of magnetic lashes is the format we’ve gotten used to seeing. The aforementioned sandwich method. I have personally tried a pair of magnetic lashes like these in the past from Ardell.

My struggle was that the magnets did not sit exactly on each other, so they always looked wrong in some way. Remember in elementary school when you first learned about magnets. Did you ever get the magnets that, yes, they pulled toward each other, but they weren’t perfectly on each other. Imagine that but eye lashes attached. I just thought maybe I got a bad pair. Moxie Lash eliminated the issue of having to align magnets right near your eye!

They currently have 3 styles of lashes each available for $35. Each lash band has 5 magnets that latch on to the liner. The Ardell magnetic lashes I tried only had three magnets. Because of that, I could not trim down the lashes to the length I needed them to be. I think with more magnets, you could make the lash more customize-able.

Classy Lash → Sassy Lash → Flashy Lash →

My very first thought when I heard of magnetic liner for your lashes was that your lashes would fly off with a gust of wind. But Moxie says their lashes are wind resistant and stay in place all day. They tested it out with a blow dryer. was

My next thought brought me a question of safety. Could having a magnet near your eye for a few hours a day impact your eyes? Moxie Lash says yes!

“Yes! We’ve been in business for close to a year with THOUSANDS of customers and we’ve never had any issues. In fact, Princeton Consumer Research independently studied the effects of prolonged magnetic lash use in healthy female subjects, and not a single adverse reaction was found. Rest assured that MoxieLash has officially been deemed safe for everyday use. Of course, as with any new product, people with pre-existing eye conditions should consult their doctor before using MoxieLash.” (source)

Check out their video for application!

@bufferingbetty

Beyonce. Shay Mitchell. You.

When it comes to stalking celebrity beauty tips + tricks, I always want to know who is the name behind the face! Luckily, these days, actresses and music artists don’t shy away from giving the hands behind their signature looks a moment to shine too. These things aren’t so secret anymore.

Sir John + Patrick Ta have both been creating products!

Sir John x WBeauty

If you follow any aspect of the beauty world, you already know who Sir John’s biggest celebrity client is: Beyonce! He also is the adviser on the reality TV show, American Beauty Star. His role is like Tim Gunn’s part on Project Runway. He’s very active on social media and began running in circles with big name Youtubers like Desi Perkins. He’s hosted masterclasses around the world, including a class that was held at a Woolworth department store in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the collection will soon launch!

He’s even appeared in a Youtube video on Nikkietutorials’ channel where he did her makeup. In that video, he told viewers how he uses wig glue to keep Beyonce’s eyebrows in place.

Sir John has partnered with a department store in South Africa and released cosmetics collaboration including an eyeshadow palette, lippies, what appears to be nail polish, and cheek products. There isn’t a release date yet. It is only available in South Africa at the moment ……but I’m sure those who crave it, will have it! On Woolworth’s instagram they referred to this collection as ‘Volume 1.” Will there be a Volume 2??

Here are some screen grabs from the Woolworth’s Launch Party!

Are you booking a flight to South Africa??

Now for Patrick Ta!

In the past couple of years, Partick Ta has been making his name more known. Especially with some social media influences. When I think of Patrick Ta’s signature looks, his client that often comes to mind is Shay Mitchell. He often works with her and shows all of his 1.3 million followers on Instagram his work.

Like Sir John, Patrick Ta has made a Youtube appearance on Desi Perkins’ channel where he did her makeup.

But now Patrick Ta is ready for his own line! When he launched Patrick Ta Beauty, his products sold out! They will be available for purchase at Sephora starting May 24th!

The Goods

@bufferingbetty

Who Wants To Be A Queen When You Can Be a Goddess!

This is not just another highlight palette. It’s a palette that comes to us mere mortals from pro makeup artist, Danessa Myricks. Her work is impeccable. I could scroll through her Instagram for hours getting inspired whilst wishing she could do my makeup. Every canvass she touches turns humans into goddesses. Her complexion application is unrivaled. You become a source of light. not the highlighter on your cupid’s bow.

Meet The Lightworks Palette from Danessa Myricks Beauty

This color spectrum. The range! The depth!!!

The Big Claim: “This weightless, soft, creamy, powder formula is infused with micro light refracting pearls that amplify your natural radiance while offering a sophisticated “lit from within” glow .” (source)

Need to know: $40, Vegan, Cruelty Free Avaiable at danessamyricksbeauty.com Shop here →

Here is Danessa Myricks centered in this photo alongside two models adorning Myricks skils!

What is incredible about Danessa Myricks is that she showcases beauty of every skin tone. From her work, it is evident that she cares deeply about displaying the beauty of every skin tone.

It’s certainly a quality that we need to see more often!

Could you imagine being this fly and glowy!

Here is some more of Danessa Myricks’ work that just captivating!!!

Danessa Myricks Beauty is a brand that flies a little bit under the radar. It’s not one you see super often on social media. However, pro artists are very familiar with her line! She has a full range of products to do a full face worthy of an editorial shoot!

Myricks makes skin look so healthy!

@bufferingbetty

Por fin.

Admit it. You’re single and have a secret Pinterest board full of rustic-twinkle light aesthetic that is exactly what you’d want for your dream wedding. Yeah, same. I love scrolling through recipes and beauty looks but, like many media outlets, Pinterest has makes the seeing the representation of people of color like, well, finding a black model on Pinterest. Nearly impossible.

I’m just gonna say it.

Pinterest has been a ‘hail to the size 4 boho white girl whose hair flows long and blonde with summer tanned skin.” In every category. On every mood board. At all times. That is a really tough thing for some people to hear and, the thing is, I’m ok with that. It should make you uncomfortable when you realize that your favorite app to scroll through doesn’t celebrate all people.

What keeps all of us on Pinterest is the fact that it is women celebrating each other.

(And all the organizational tips, right? #virgo4lyfe)

How many times have you shown your hair stylist screenshots of the perfect highlights you saw on Pinterest.

For many of us WOC, seeing how those highlights or that eye shadow color might look with our skin color took a carpal tunnel educing amount of time to find. If you did not explicitly type ‘hair style’ followed by ‘black woman, asian woman, woc,” chances are that you scrolled and scrolled and scrolled and still didn’t find someone with a complexion similar to your own.

I have literally typed in my foundation or concealer shade in order to find women who look like me.

Pinterest did an update this week that POC have been asking for for a long time now.

Look at these tweets as your receipts:

I’ve had this exact conversation with my own sister. We were trying to find some Puerto Rican recipes for the holidays that weren’t created by someone went to La Isla Del Encanto and pinned their watered down version of sancocho.

Search by skin color

After you have entered your search, Pinterest has had a row of suggestions to help narrow your search. Now, por fin, finally, the new feature lets you add a skin color. They have added 4 color wheels to choose from. Pick the color wheel that most closely represents the skin color you are looking for. Here I searched ‘glowy makeup.” As you can see, the default result images are of lighter skinned women.

The row of suggestions still includes the option to add, for example, “Dark Skin,” and “Black Girl” to your search like it did before.

Pinterest is an homage to white girls with blonde hair.

Just look at this search of pretty hairstyle from this morning. Pretty hair according to Pinterest is naturally straighter and on a white woman.

But hopefully this new feature will help up us who don’t fit that mold get some inspo too.

This new feature isn’t all the way there yet. Not all searches include the option to add a skin tone to it. I looked up ‘purple smokey eye’ and the color wheels did not pop up. Instead it was the original way you had to search: waiting for the exclusionary results to then add who you are really looking for.

Why does all of this even matter?

Pinterests search results reinforced our societal flaw that we understand beauty as being in one form. It emphasized that ‘white, thin; blonde’ is the default for beauty. You could argue that that hasn’t changed because you still need to add a skin color instead of there being a natural mix of different women in the search results. I agree. White woman is still the Pinterest default setting. However, adding the 4 color wheels is a step in the right direction.

As a beauty editor, I try to be conscious of the beauty shots I choose to share. Pinterest is one of my most frequented sights when it comes to searching for a specific beauty look. Especially when I draft B. Scopes; meetpepperb.com’s beauty horoscopes. I spend a lot of time trying to find WOC: east and south asian, black, latina. All of us. Women and men with all skin tones but I do my best to focus on medium to darker skin tones. Even after I have chosen “The Look” for the horoscope, If I’m not finding models of different skin colors, I abandon that look and find something new. Even if I REALLY wanted to use that look.

I do this because it would be so very easy to just pick 10 pictures of pretty light skinned women.

Easy because we have been conditioned to recognize beauty through a eurocentric gaze. I refuse to be a partner in encouraging that one standard of beauty. I don’t always get it right. I’ve checked my work and I want more diversity.

I think this is a major improvement to Pinterest but I do hope to eventually see a more a organically diverse search result.

@bufferingbetty

Por fin.

Admit it. You’re single and have a secret Pinterest board full of rustic-twinkle light aesthetic that is exactly what you’d want for your dream wedding. Yeah, same. I love scrolling through recipes and beauty looks but, like many media outlets, Pinterest has makes the seeing the representation of people of color like, well, finding a black model on Pinterest. Nearly impossible.

I’m just gonna say it.

Pinterest has been a ‘hail to the size 4 boho white girl whose hair flows long and blonde with summer tanned skin.” In every category. On every mood board. At all times. That is a really tough thing for some people to hear and, the thing is, I’m ok with that. It should make you uncomfortable when you realize that your favorite app to scroll through doesn’t celebrate all people.

What keeps all of us on Pinterest is the fact that it is women celebrating each other.

(And all the organizational tips, right? #virgo4lyfe)

How many times have you shown your hair stylist screenshots of the perfect highlights you saw on Pinterest.

For many of us WOC, seeing how those highlights or that eye shadow color might look with our skin color took a carpal tunnel educing amount of time to find. If you did not explicitly type ‘hair style’ followed by ‘black woman, asian woman, woc,” chances are that you scrolled and scrolled and scrolled and still didn’t find someone with a complexion similar to your own.

I have literally typed in my foundation or concealer shade in order to find women who look like me.

Pinterest did an update this week that POC have been asking for for a long time now.

Look at these tweets as your receipts:

I’ve had this exact conversation with my own sister. We were trying to find some Puerto Rican recipes for the holidays that weren’t created by someone went to La Isla Del Encanto and pinned their watered down version of sancocho.

Search by skin color

After you have entered your search, Pinterest has had a row of suggestions to help narrow your search. Now, por fin, finally, the new feature lets you add a skin color. They have added 4 color wheels to choose from. Pick the color wheel that most closely represents the skin color you are looking for. Here I searched ‘glowy makeup.” As you can see, the default result images are of lighter skinned women.

The row of suggestions still includes the option to add, for example, “Dark Skin,” and “Black Girl” to your search like it did before.

Pinterest is an homage to white girls with blonde hair.

Just look at this search of pretty hairstyle from this morning. Pretty hair according to Pinterest is naturally straighter and on a white woman.

But hopefully this new feature will help up us who don’t fit that mold get some inspo too.

This new feature isn’t all the way there yet. Not all searches include the option to add a skin tone to it. I looked up ‘purple smokey eye’ and the color wheels did not pop up. Instead it was the original way you had to search: waiting for the exclusionary results to then add who you are really looking for.

Why does all of this even matter?

Pinterests search results reinforced our societal flaw that we understand beauty as being in one form. It emphasized that ‘white, thin; blonde’ is the default for beauty. You could argue that that hasn’t changed because you still need to add a skin color instead of there being a natural mix of different women in the search results. I agree. White woman is still the Pinterest default setting. However, adding the 4 color wheels is a step in the right direction.

As a beauty editor, I try to be conscious of the beauty shots I choose to share. Pinterest is one of my most frequented sights when it comes to searching for a specific beauty look. Especially when I draft B. Scopes; meetpepperb.com’s beauty horoscopes. I spend a lot of time trying to find WOC: east and south asian, black, latina. All of us. Women and men with all skin tones but I do my best to focus on medium to darker skin tones. Even after I have chosen “The Look” for the horoscope, If I’m not finding models of different skin colors, I abandon that look and find something new. Even if I REALLY wanted to use that look.

I do this because it would be so very easy to just pick 10 pictures of pretty light skinned women.

Easy because we have been conditioned to recognize beauty through a eurocentric gaze. I refuse to be a partner in encouraging that one standard of beauty. I don’t always get it right. I’ve checked my work and I want more diversity.

I think this is a major improvement to Pinterest but I do hope to eventually see a more a organically diverse search result.

@bufferingbetty

Meet Sublt Beauty.

If you are just taking the crosstown bus or boarding a cross country flight, this product should be on your radar.

Subtle Beauty

At a glance, my first thought was: How are you fitting a whole face in the palm of your hand?!?

Subtl Beauty has eliminated your need for an over sized makeup bag to put in your over sized purse without neglecting your desire to feel and look pretty.

Meet Rachel, founder and CEO of Subtl Beauty.

“I’m not an aspiring #MUA #Influencer or #trendsetter. I’m a woman with career goals, family responsibilities, a social life, and a very real need for portability in my beauty products...This is how the idea of Subtl Beauty came to be. I developed the Subtl Beauty stack to be compact enough to fit in my clutch for my sleepovers, but also big enough to hold full-size products for travel and daily use.” (source)

Rachel is all of us. Sublt Beauty is relatable.

Basics for a face that says, “I’m here!” or, “Where is my coffee, Josh?” or “Brunch is on me!!!”

It is the age of growing beauty brand inclusivity. More brands are pushing themselves to create shades other than medium to dark white girl. It is a mix of the frenzy that sparked from Fenty Beauty jumping off with 40 foundation shades combined with braver influencers being more vocal about not using or promoting brands that have PITIFUL shades ranges.

While there are only 5 shades of concealer available from this brand, I don’t want you to take that as vote against them. Let’s be real, Fenty launched 40 shades because regardless if the products sucked, everyone was going to buy and try them because, one word, Rihanna. They could risk investing all that shade development money. Subtl Beauty literally had a kickstarter campaign to get support. I think this is one of those brands we will find in Target in just a few years if we support just another working woman who had a vision to give other women something the market wasn’t offering them.

Subtl Beauty created a chart to help you find your shade! If we have a similar complexion, I think medium might work for us with a sheered out application! I used the Too Faced Born This Way Concealer in shade Warm Beige. The chart lists the shade Honey as a match for their medium shade. Honey is three shades deeper than my Too Faced shade and described as ‘tan neutral.’ (source)

I’m a huge fan of beauty influencer, Jackie Aina. Like many of us, I’ve watched her apply her concealer a 1000 times. She often uses Nars concealer shade ‘amande’ which is listed as a shade match for Subtl Beauty’s dark concealer. She describes her complexion as dark and often acknowledges that brands tend to stop their complexion shade range right around her skin tone. Unfortunately neglecting an entire group of women ready to make beauty purchases if only they were available to them. If you are deeper than Jackie, you may not have a concealer from Subtl Beauty just yet. I will also say that their Instagram could use a huge serving of diversity not just for the sake of diversity but because anything less is just unacceptable.

Subtl Beauty also has a cute brush available!!

Sublt Beauty basically looked at my makeup bag and was like, “biiiiitch, that is unacceptable! LESS!”

The smooth clean lines and minimalist look of Subtl Beauty will make you look at your own makeup bag and feel like a hoarder.

Here are my essentials for my basic go to makeup look. Stacked, because why not. This excludes mascara, brow gel, and all the cotton swabs I carry to edit my work. plus the two full sized makeup brushes I need to get all of this on my face.

Subtl Beauty gives me that Milk Makeup minimalist feel without all the bulk. While Milk Make up has that ‘so chic, too cool’ vibe, Sublt Beauty has that “CEO + confident in my looks” feeling.

I think the stackable makeup is accessible for makeup wearers at all skill + interest levels. If you are just trying to look + feel better at a morning meeting or on a coffee date, this is perfect to just keep in your bag. You can get ready in your Uber on your way to catch up with some friends, too. Business, casual, date, party. In your small purse!

@bufferingbetty

Gross mouthfeel. Sparkling Results?

Oil pulling is an old healthcare remedy from India where you take a tablespoon of oil and swish it around in your mouth for about 20 minutes and then spit it out. It is believed to be useful for things line whitening teeth to helping fix all of your health woes. The practice became trendy a few years ago when some celebs began to swear this 'new' thing had changed their life. There are articles pro and against oil pulling. Some argue it is a waste of time that does no harm or good, while others say it improves overall mouth health thus improving overall health. What I'm here to tell you is my results were!

Maple Holistics specializes in providing products for those who want to know what exactly what ingredients they are using. Their fractionated coconut oil seemed perfect for trying out oil pulling. Fractionated means that the coconut oil will remain an oil. 

I brushed my teeth before oil pulling. Ok, let's be real, the thought swishing around oil in my mouth for 20 minutes sounded like it would the most horrible way to start any day. From everything I had found, you should oil pull on an empty stomach. My guess is just in case the mouthfeel really gets to you. Truthfully, it might. There isn't a taste to the oil but it's the texture that'll get ya, Thick and heavy. UGH!!!

Moving the oil around on my gums was easy to get used to after a few minutes. I always have a dry tongue. I thought that if I swirled *blech* the oil on my tongue *blech* it would help. But the second I felt the oil on my tongue, I was ready to cut the 20 minutes short and move on. 

The worst part about oil pulling is that as you swish the oil around your mouth, the thicker the oil gets. As the minutes crawl by, you feel a thick and foamy slug forming in your mouth. All you can focus on is not letting the oil get too close to the back of your mouth so you accidentally swallow anything. Ugh, the thought of that makes my whole body clench in disgust. 

Oh the moment of release. So soothing it was to know that it is finally over. The once clear oil is now a vulgar shade of milky white. I followed up with brushing my teeth. I noticed that my mouth didn't feel as dry as usual that day. I was pleased with that. 

Would I try oil pulling again? 

Yes, and I have! It took me about a week to give it another try remembering the nauseating slug that formed in my mouth, but I did do it but this time in the shower. If you occupy your mind, you won't focus so much on the feeling in your mouth. I don't know if I would make this a permanent addition to my oral care. When I have oil pulled, maybe it is just in my head, but I feel like the spit in my mouth is super thick and I end up spitting all day. 

And, of course, there are more satisfying ways to use coconut oil. 

The lipstick I am wearing is from Beauty Bakerie. If you've worn one, you know how hard they are to remove without attacking your lips. This oil broke it down quickly and easily.