Some long overdue links.
– Racked had an interesting history of makeup during the Cold War, while this fearless woman painstakingly recreated lip colors based on historical recipes completely by hand. Neat!
– I'm loving this beautiful eyelash art. Totally impractical but so pretty to look at.
– Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Rihanna's new line dropped yesterday to rave reviews and applause for its commitment to diversity – the collection was clearly developed to meet the needs of non-white women, as evidenced by its 40 (!) shades of foundation. And let's hear it for Cover FX, who just launched their "Nude Is Not Beige" campaign, along with Mented's new glosses. While these are great leaps forward for an industry that has always left women of color by the wayside, L'Oreal still managed to move backwards…but Rihanna may save the day again.
– Speaking of L'Oreal, the founder has quite a sordid history that I wasn't aware of until now.
– Sorry, Feministing, but I'm with Jezebel regarding this author who claims that makeup is a waste of time.
– Now onto lighter fare! Brow "trends", if you can even call them that, have really gotten out of control: from foil and braided brows to squiggle brows (which managed to migrate down the face to becoming squiggle lips), people are inventing ever weirder ways to adorn their brows. Fortunately makeup artist Huda Kattan is here to poke gentle fun at them.
– Other crazes include inner eye strobing and butterfly eyes, both of which I think are quite pretty. Less so is taco eye makeup, but it's fun nevertheless. Also, the glitter fad is still going strong. I must say I think people really need to stop putting it into every orifice. What's next, glitter armpits? Oh wait…
– I still don't really understand the ASMR concept, which is why these lipstick destruction videos are the exact opposite of soothing to me.
– I'm down for PSL-scented beauty products, but I draw the line at deodorant. *shudder*
The random:
– In '90s nostalgia, we have plenty to celebrate, including the 20th anniversary of Ally McBeal as well as Netflix, along with Chumbawumba's "Tubthumping". Going back even earlier, Def Comedy Jam will be revived for its 25th anniversary, and Right Said Fred's 1992 hit "I'm Too Sexy" somehow ended up mixed into a new Taylor Swift song.
– Not all the nostalgia is pop culture-related: check out this well-preserved house featuring some quintessential '90s interior design.
– Possibly the only thing that makes me feel older than '90s milestones is aughts milestones. Can you believe the hashtag turned 10? (It's taken me about that long to stop referring to it as a pound sign.)
– This new poster museum sounds pretty cool. And I wish I could see this exhibition of exquisite Chinese boxes, some of which were used to hold cosmetics.
How are you? Are you ready for fall? I miss summer, but I did enjoy my first PSL yesterday. 🙂