Beautifully Boring: We Have to Talk About My Current Beauty Obsessions
I haven't been this excited about makeup since July 2023.
Welcome to the latest installment of Beautifully Boring, a conversation devoted to navigating all things makeup, beauty and other cosmetic adventures. Every once in a while a new beauty product will come along and exceed all of my wildest expectations — thus ruining all other makeup products for me. Maybe it’s a mascara I discovered like a piece of buried treasure somewhere between pages fifteen and forty-two of Nordstrom’s beauty collection while scrolling late into the evening. Or maybe it’s lip gloss that’s been rolling around in the back of a drawer for a few months, patiently waiting for me to remember all the reasons why I purchased it to begin with. No matter how or why the product entered my orbit, it has the unique ability to reignite my love for makeup all over again — marking the end of an era, but the start of an age. Suddenly, it feels like the first time, yet better and more exhilarating than I ever could have imagined. And while these life-altering events usually revolve around one glorious product, this time I’ve somehow found myself surrounded by a gluttonous buffet of captivating delights. And I can’t wait to tell you about my favorites. You can find every installment of Beautifully Boring here. Let’s dive in.
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Beautifully Exciting
There’s nothing I hate more than the cycle of transient trends that subsume every social media platform, only to be eclipsed by the next wave of fruit themed trends within a few days. It’s exhausting and irrelevant to how I do my makeup. But unfortunately, this makes me a really bad “influencer” because I don’t pay attention to new beauty releases or trends (for the most part). My approach to makeup has always been more practical. I’d rather do the work to find the hidden gems and the classics — new and old — than buy whatever is trending on social media. I’m a firm believer that a product does not have to be new to the market to be worthy of winning a lifetime achievement award. And while I love the thrill of the hunt and am always willing to try new products to find the very best version of the products in my daily makeup look, I’m notoriously difficult to impress. Of course, some new releases and new-to-me finds end up in my everyday makeup routine every once in a while but not often, and not for long. Which is to say, if you’re looking for a roundup of the most anticipated (read: well-marketed) new launches — you’ll have more luck elsewhere. However, if you’re looking for very honest recommendations (even if you’ve been using some of the products since 1996) and the beauty products I’m currently obsessed with, you’ve come to the right place. While I won’t speak to every product below, you can the products in my most current daily makeup routine linked somewhere below.
My Current Obsessions
Here’s the thing: I have impossibly high standards across all beauty and skincare products but I’m uniquely passionate and insufferably specific about mascara. I love mascara and I’ve always been known to play favorites. And because I’ve already found my favorite everyday, barely there mascara (save w/ myskinterest15) and my favorite tubing mascara (save w/ myskinterest), I’m less inclined to try anything else. There’s nothing worse than having your makeup ruined by a bad mascara. However, everything changed when I saw someone apply this mascara, which is truly the perfect combination of volume and length. I immediately bought two tubes and it’s all I’ve worn since. While I very much prefer a natural bristle wand, this one is too good to pass up. Despite all odds, this mascara looks stunning all day and stays in place until I wash it off at night. And as someone who curls their lashes even when I’m not wearing makeup, this mascara actually lifted and curled my lashes without any help from my holy grail eyelash curler (save w/ myskinterest15). TD;LR: If you want to receive countless compliments on your lashes, buy this mascara.
Up until the last month or so, I only used makeup brushes that were stupidly expensive. While I had some bad experiences with really cheap brushes years ago, the real reason for this is because I’m a snob. While the Sephora Collection #19 Brush has always been the exception to this “rule,” the Earth shifted when I first tried a brush from Sigma. They sent me a lot and then they sent me even more — and I haven’t used anything else since. While I’ve traditionally only used like two different brushes to apply my makeup (I’m a sponge gal), I love using all the fun shapes and styles Sigma has. I feel like an artist (lol). I even decided to wash my Sigma brushes instead of using similar ones that I already had in my collection. And if you know, you know that’s basically the highest compliment one could give a makeup brush. Of the brushes I’ve tried, my favorites include this concealer brush, this everything brush, this other everything brush, this different everything brush, this other do it all brush and this eye brush. Honestly, I think this set is worth picking up but if you’re just looking for one or two, I would get this face brush and this eye brush.
I’ve mentioned this in other posts but generally speaking, I’m allergic to blush. Or, at least, I’m “allergic” to blush in the same way that I’m allergic to coconuts (I hate them) or any jewelry that isn’t solid yellow gold (this one feels self-explanatory). However, sometimes I like to live on the edge. Since the dawn of time, I’ve exclusively worn blush shades that could be easily mistaken for bronzer on my skin tone and/or are more of a barely there desaturated peach — never reds or pinks. However, I currently have six blushes that I regularly reach for (???) and I love them — even the pink ones. And I know what you’re thinking: is this a clue that could lead to the next great true crime podcast? Fortunately and also unfortunately, no. But I’m just as shocked as you are. Out of the six blushes I can’t stop wearing, my favorites are two very specific shades in what I believe is the best powder formula on the market (save w/ myskinterest15). The shades are La Vie En Rose and La Rosee Du Soir — and if I could only have one I would choose the latter (sorry, Steph). I would have never purchased these if I hadn’t seen them in-person because [a] the allergy and [b] the website doesn’t really do them justice. Also, I HIGHLY recommend grabbing a palette because they don’t come with one which is annoying but alas. I usually mix the two together for my perfect shade and use a very light hand to apply them but you could easily build them up if that’s your thing. It says a lot that even I can’t help but adore these beautifully nuanced shades and incredibly soft, buttery formula. — save w/ myskinterest15
So, I live dangerously close to a Blue Mercury and even the employees are starting to wonder why I’m there so often. Shopping addiction aside, while there nearly two months ago, I stumbled upon a lip balmy stick thing that felt like the Eighth Wonders of the World. Although I’ve never liked the packaging enough to entertain the price, said lip balmy stick thing instantly became my latest hyperfixation when I swatched the shade 24 Rosy Nude. However, it was the only shade that they didn’t have in stock in-store or online (of course). And so the hunt began. After venturing to two different Blue Mercury locations and religiously checking online at Blue Mercury and other major retailers countless times a day, the lovely employees at Blue Mercury were able to order it from another location. On my way to 24 Rosy Nude, I also ended up falling in love with 1 Nude, 11 Litchi and 15 Nut (which are all in stock here). On me, 1 Nude is almost a desaturated and mauve with a touch of plum (and shimmer). Meanwhile, 11 Litchi is a total crowd-pleaser (read: the perfect peachy pink) and 15 Nut is more decidedly red than the others but still lands somewhere in the magical in-between of balmy pinky reds that look different on everyone. Oh, and the FORMULA! I think the brand describes it best as “a tinted balm, colored like a lipstick and shiny like a gloss.” But rather than click up like most other balmy glossy products, this one twists up and down with ease. Despite my best efforts, the photo above because it doesn’t capture any of the shades properly but hopefully you get the idea.
If you’ve worn makeup with even a mild level of enthusiasm and/or consistency at any point since 1996, chances are you’ve used this bestselling powder. However, whether you can believe it or not, it took me until about two months ago to see what all the fuss was about. And to answer your question: no, I’m not okay. Anyways, I’ve used the same powder for years now (and I still love it) but after panning three of them, I decided to test the waters once more. And despite having skin that’s akin to an arid climate on the best of days, I’m here to tell you that this powder really does my skin all the favors — even on my under eye area (I know!). Whether you wrote off it powder ages ago, have a mostly filled jar somewhere in that dreaded drawer you avoid at all costs or you once used it as dry shampoo in a pinch — it’s a classic for a reason and it’s time to grab a new jar. While I may be the last person to learn this application trick, I like to apply it with a small-ish powder brush (like this one) and once I have some powder on the brush, I push/tap it directly onto the palm of my hand a few times. This helps removed any excess powder so I can apply it where needed in thin layers. I do this with all of my powder products now and my makeup as never looked better. Side note, they also came out with this version of the powder recently which I bought and like; however, the cost is absolutely insane compared to the amount of product to the jar. Get the jar. I wear shade Translucent.
Somewhat awkwardly, the new bronzer palette from Hourglass was like really, really limited edition. While they really didn’t give any warning whatsoever, it seems that if you didn’t buy it the day it was released — you missed out. Although the palette is my entire personality right now, I almost never reach for palettes. It’s only a matter of time until I put it away (at least I’m honest) in favor of my favorite summer bronzer (save w/ myskinterest). Because I avoid any and all sun exposure at all costs, I don’t partake in the whole “summer shade” and “winter shade” ordeal. I have one shade and it’s uncomfortably pale. Which is to say, I love this for summer because it has an ethereal, lit from within glow that we all aspire to have — from no makeup makeup looks to glowy wedding glam — and not because it’s deeper than what I would usually wear. It also has a great compact mirror for travel and I like to use it as an eyeshadow, too. I’ve been working on the same bronzer for years now and it still looks like brand new so safe to say it will probably become a family heirloom. Of course, I will always love my matte bronzers (if you know, you know) but this s the only glowy powder bronzer I ever reach for and it’s the one I recommend most to my friends. I wear shade Nude Bronze Light. — save w/ myskinterest
There are few things I love more than a one and done eyeshadow. I’m lazy. However, for any makeup product to be truly special in my collection, it has to align with my decidedly boring, practical and minimal daily makeup look. And despite my hesitation, it’s no exaggeration to say that this matte eyeshadow is an absolute game-changer. While I don’t recommend the shimmers in the line, the matte formula is truly so easy to apply (even I can do it!). I use the smallest amount of product and apply it on the center of my eyelid, then I quickly blendy blendy with this eyeshadow brush (you probably have something similar that will do the trick). But, and trust me on this, the brush has to be clean or clean-ish in order for it to blend well. If you’re still having trouble (can you tell I’m constantly troubleshooting?), I recommend having one brush to move the product around on your lid and another similar brush to blend and blur the edges. I know this sounds like a lot of caveats but it’s so much easier than I’m making it out to be. I find that the key is to use as little product as possible and go one eye at a time. I’m able to add more layers once the first dries completely (takes a few seconds) and it never looks patchy. Plus, the shade I have is the perfect neutral brown that’s effortless and goes with absolutely everything. While I was tempted to get the lighter shade of brown, it would likely lean orange on me and that’s my personal version of a natural disaster. Honestly, it’s an easier, longer wearing version of my former favorite one and done eyeshadow and if I can do it, so can you! I wear shade 22M. I don’t recommend 18M unless you are even more pale than me (and even then, I don’t live laugh love it).
Actually, I completely lied before: I’m the most obnoxiously picky and impossible to impress when it comes to a foundation. To be fair, my skin is akin to an arid climate and is far more dry than that person you know who claims to have “really dry skin.” If you don’t believe me, ask my dermatologist (she’s lovely). Anyways, I have always had a very specific complexion routine that heavily relies on an extensive skin prep routine (see my Instagram Stories) and my holy grail primer. Without those steps, my skin is doomed and will inevitably look like a dry, crusty sponge before I can even get it all on. But as my wedding gets closer and uncomfortably closer (so much to do, so little time), I’ve been testing several new-to-me coverage products to see if any rival my favorite foundation. And to my complete and utter surprise, this foundation easily bested them all. Truly, I did not expect this one to be anywhere near great. But it wears remarkably well throughout the day, blends like a dream, has medium coverage but is never cakey and is able to handle all the creams and powders I haphazardly apply along the way. It’s glowy, it blurs, it’s perfecting, it somehow never looks like too much and it’s truly a delight for dry and/or mature skin. For all intents and purposes, it’s my new favorite foundation and will probably be the one I wear on my wedding day (unless something crazy happens). And to all of the people who messaged me about the foundation of foundations — this is the one! I wear shade 0N, it’s the perfect match.
Help Me Decide What To Post Next!!
Should I post a “Best Concealers That Won’t Make Your Under Eyes Look Awful” or a “My Favorite Sunscreens and Other Sun Protection Measures” ?!?!?!!? You tell me!!!
Until next time, follow along on Instagram and browse all of my favorite things. myMusings is a labor of love but it is labor. Don’t forget to click the 🤍 button before you go! Thank you for being here. Talk soon.
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give us all the suncreen content please!! ☀️ 💛