March 17, 2017

Victoria Beckham's makeup debut is bananas, hair accessories that make every day a good hair day, try that $300 perfume before you buy with ScentSplit and Pixi Beauty's instant eye pick-me-up.

I’ve been waiting for this makeup launch for months…

If I had told you I had a massive girl crush on Posh Spice back in 1995, you probably would have laughed in my face. Fast forward 20+ years and this 100% true. I attribute part of my Victoria Beckham obsession with her radical transformation from pop sensation to sartorial inspiration—the hot husband helps, too—and her makeup collaboration with Esteé Lauder definitely took my love to the next level. It was a smash, and today marks the debut of her second collection, and you better believe I’ll have some of these goodies en route by the end of the day.

The theme is “Sweaty-sexy skin. Fiercely lined eyes. Nude lips. Sexy cool with a bit of rawness and edge.” I’m in—and here’s what’s on my shopping list…

Eye Foil in Blonde Gold: I’ve been playing around with a glossy eye, and while dabbing a bit of Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream on my lids does the trick, it’s not a great option for long-lasting shine. The Eye Foil is a liquid shadow that promises vinyl-like shine even after it dries, and the pearlescent golden hue will be super-wearable for spring and summer.

Nude Spice Matte Lipstick: Perhaps an homage to the Spice Girl years, I think I need a nude matte in my lipstick wardrobe, and I’m pretty psyched about this one.

Moroccan Heat Lip Gloss: I’m a big gloss girl, whether on its own or over a coordinating lipstick, so adding this to my cart was obviously a no-brainer.

The collection is big on bronzer and golden highlighter as well, but alas I already have more than enough of these in my makeup drawer. The dark, sooty eyes will be fun as well, and I love how the end result should be smudgy and a bit messy (which won’t be hard for me to do at all). I’m really excited about this new neutral look for the new season—maybe I should have paid the extra $25 for overnight shipping.

I WILL achieve my #hairgoals with these accessories

It’s official: My hair is in that awkward growing-out phase. It’s come a long way (no pun intended) from the shortest it’s ever been about six months ago—and for the record that wasn’t by choice. As you probably know (and are probably sick of hearing about it), a combination of stress and over-bleaching made just about all of it break off practically at the root. I’ve trimmed my now-dark hair twice since the ordeal started and at my most recent haircut a few weeks ago, I was instructed to NOT come back for three months.

Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t look horrible (yet) but I’m so used to a close crop in the back that anything more feels too puffy and fluffy—but I have to live with it if I want to go back to the bob. My plan for surviving the grow-out involves hats, scarves (which I’ll be wearing J. Lo-style) and other hair accessories that will either cover the mop or deflect attention to it. At the top of my wishlist are these Adir x Lelet NY stunners, which were created by L.A.-based celebrity stylist Adir Abergel (and are available exclusively at Violet Grey).

Unfortunately, the only one I can rock right now is the Narrow Liquid Metallic Barrette, but it’s so pretty that I’m totally ok with that. I see it above my ear with a deep side part…

Once I have a bit more length in the front, I see pulling the sides back and securing them with the Mega Liquid Metallic Barrette…

I know I’m getting ahead of myself here, but once I’m ready to pull all of it back into a pony, I’ll be doing it with the Fresh Metal Pearl Pony…

Any my ultimate goal is having enough hair to use a hair pin, and I’ve never seen one as beautiful as the Metallic Peak Pin…

As with any goal, it can take a few steps or stages to get these, and dreaming about these gleaming accessories will help me get there (and surviving the growing-out phase).

Want to try that $300 perfume before you buy?

Not to date myself, but I remember when Manolo Blahniks cost less than $400—and back then even that was expensive for a pair of shoes. These days, the most coveted soles will set us back $1,000 or more, and we can all agree that this is NOT due to inflation. The same thing has happened with perfume, and I’m not even fazed by a $300+ price tag anymore. WTF?

Always one to (at least try to) find a work-around, there are a few ways to get your hands on super-expensive scents without breaking the bank. Option #1: Ask for samples at the store. (For the record, Tom Ford gives nice-sized samples you can transfer to an atomizer.) Option #2: Scent Split.

My bestie just sent me a link to this site, and I’m beyond impressed by the brands they offer. Featuring By Kilian, Byredo, Histoires de Parfums and the like, these are high-end fragrance houses with relatively limited distribution, so it can be hard to get a whiff unless you live in a major city. These perfumes are also very pricy, so plunking down the cash for a full-size can be a bitter pill to swallow—especially if you’re not 100% sure you’re going to love it for the long-term.

But with Scent Split, you can get 1 mL, 5 mL or 10 mL of any of their offerings—and the prices start at just $3.99. I can’t think of a better way to test-drive a scent for a while and get feedback from others before pulling the full-size trigger. My only problem is I want to try so many, it will probably add up to $300!

This pen is an instant pick-me-up (for your eyes, at least)

I received Pixi Beauty’s Eye Zone Brightener what feels like forever ago, and although I enjoyed its anti-fatigue effect from the get-go, I had a hard time figuring out how to incorporate it into my routine. It’s not a replacement for my eye cream (simply because I like a rich cream rather than a light gel) and not a replacement for concealer (although it definitely tones down the dark circles), but then it hit me: It’s perfect for applying when I’m hanging out at home so I don’t scare myself every time I look in the mirror.

Designed to offer instant illumination along with skincare benefits like hydration, improvement in fine lines and reduced puffiness, the pen features a built-in brush that makes it both mess-free and easy to toss in your bag. I like to think of it as a little pick-me-up that gets me through the day looking like I’m rested, relaxed and not about to fall on my face.  

Two-in-one lip colors are officially a trend

Hopefully you caught my post about the new Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Lip Compact last week, so you know that two coordinating lip colors in one package is a thing now. Though meant to be used in tandem to create an ombre look (or even more daringly, with one color on the top lip and another color on the bottom lip), I’ll all for using them individually depending on my mood, my look of the day (or night) or my destination. As I mentioned the Tom Ford formula is a bit out of the box, hence my mixed emotions about it, but I came across another option that’s not only more affordable, but more predictable formulation/application-wise as well.

In case you’re not familiar with Wander Beauty, this luxury, cruelty-free cosmetics line was created by globetrotting supermodel Lindsay Ellingson. Inspired by her copious amount of travel, each product is designed to help you look amazing without having to check a separate bag just for your makeup.

Case in point: The Wanderout Dual Lipstick. Featuring two complementary shades in one double-sided bullet, one color is meant for day while the other is meant for night, so you can take your look from desk to dinner without having to redo all of your makeup. I love this idea (and would totally be all over it if my desk wasn’t 20 steps away from my bathroom and my entire cosmetic collection), but I’m thinking that these lipsticks can also be used to try a trendy ombre with the help of a lipstick brush. And while we’re at it, we might as well try one hue on the top look and the other on the bottom and see what happens, right?

Even if this sort of experimentation isn’t your jam, at the very least you’re getting two high-end lipsticks for $30, and there’s nothing bad about that!