Here are December's links, some of which are yearly recaps. Enjoy!
– Allure takes a look back at the year's wackiest Instagram fads, while this article highlights how the notion of "inclusive beauty" (a.k.a. the "Fenty effect" was 2018's standout trend among beauty companies. Plus, I'm wondering if 2018's influencer drama has anything to do with beauty consumers' waning interest in social media.
– As a sort of follow-up to my MM Musings on wasteful beauty packaging, it seems more beauty bloggers are speaking out against excessive packaging.
– I'm always interested in taking a peek in other people's makeup bags.
– Another ugly side of the beauty industry is the predatory nature of cosmetology schools. With the success of these and other for-profit schools, along with the crippling debt of student loans for basically anyone who isn't wealthy, I'm not hopeful for a solution any time soon.
– I'm loving the return of lip gloss, although in my '90s nostalgia-addled mind it was never really gone.
– Also super excited for Pantone's 2019 Color of the Year – coral is my go-to makeup shade.
The random:
– It might seem like nothing good happened in 2018, but here's proof that it wasn't a total dumpster fire.
– I think I might have experienced Stendhal Syndrome on more than one occasion (and I fully believe it can occur outside of Florence). Fortunately it didn't culminate in a heart attack like it did for this poor man who was recently overcome by Botticelli's The Birth of Venus.
– Did you know you can also be overwhelmed by cuteness? I know I live with the urge to squeeze the fluff out of Museum staff 24/7. It's very hard not to hug them too hard!
– "He was small in stature, but of the utmost symmetry of form." Speaking of too cute, I was mesmerized by this Roman sarcophagus that holds the remains of a very fancy pug named Harlequin. I only wish there was a painting of him so we could see his little squishy face and curly tail.
And finally, a quick blog note. I'll be returning to my usual slow schedule of about 1 post per week. I'm not sure if you noticed, but I ramped up the volume during December in order to cover all the holiday collections I wanted to before the actual holidays. Doing so came at a price: I had no energy left to do a holiday/winter exhibition. I'm also scrapping the idea of a 10-year anniversary exhibition, since honestly I'm feeling the same way I did this time last year and also felt that a decade of not getting anywhere wasn't exactly a good reason to celebrate with an exhibition (and one that wouldn't have turned out the grandiose way I wanted it to anyway.) Lastly, I'm going to continue blogging because I still enjoy collecting makeup and writing about it and because I have no identity without blogging – the Museum is still my "baby" and if I'm not the curator of an online museum I created then who am I? – but I will no longer be banging my head against a wall trying to get an exhibition or physical space for the Museum, nor will I be pursuing any of the book ideas I've had over the years. In short, I have thoroughly given up on any projects outside of blogging and maintaining the Museum's collection, and possibly overhauling the website. Having said all that, I'll still do my best to research and provide information about various items given the scant resources I have available to me, and I'll still be doing my little seasonal bedroom exhibitions and putting them online. So that's the plan for now.
How were your holidays? Any plans, goals or resolutions for 2019?