My dear friends, I love a good makeup story—so please, expose yourselves. Any embarrassing secrets? Do you also sit there doing mascara with your mouth wide open like a stunned fish? Because same. Be honest. This is a safe space.

Personally, I’ve never been shy about telling people that I ate an entire Cherry ChapStick when I was about five years old. Not a bite. Not a nibble. The whole thing. Bon appétit. No one panic—I survived my delicious little meal and lived to tell the tale.

Now, are there mysterious toxins in my bloodstream that gave me superhuman speed? The ability to leap tall buildings? Night vision? A sixth sense for Sephora sales? Sadly, no. I think my le ChapStick du jour only gave me… let’s say digestive consequences. Also, as far as I can remember, I never told my mom. I just… processed that internally. Like a soldier.

Anyway—guys, help your sister out. What’s that TLC show where people eat things they absolutely should not be eating? Like Tide Pods? And wasn’t there someone eating ashes?? Whose ashes?? WHY ashes?? Is it My Strange Addiction? Because at this point I feel like I qualify as: “Former child who ate makeup and now expects all lip products to taste like a delightful snack.” To be honest I think ChapStick was my gateway drug into makeup. It all started there. A slippery, waxy slope.

Now L’Oréal. Let’s talk. When I said lip products should taste good? I was talking to YOU. Why do they taste like regret and broken dreams. I see you. I judge you. I will continue to judge you.

And Maybelline—I’m watching you closely. If those new Lifter Gel Oil-in-Gel glosses drop and they taste like horrible or, worse, like the world’s sadness? I will be personally offended. This is a threat. A loving one. But still.

If you are embracing your soft, cutesy cherry blossom spring era, and want a gloss that actually tastes good?? Let me put you on: Lawless Forget The Filler Lip Plumper Line Smoothing Gloss.
At this point I own… too many. TikTok Shop is my financial advisor and she hates me.

But listen—this gloss? Elite. Incredible. Delicious (not that I’m eating it anymore… growth!). I wore it recently and my friend hugged me and went, “Wow, you smell amazing.” And I froze. Because I was NOT wearing perfume. I panicked. I thought maybe I had unlocked a new biological scent?? Like… am I evolving?? So I asked her what she smelled and she said, “Something sweet, like cherry.”

IT WAS MY LIP GLOSS.

Explain to me how my lip gloss has more projection than some perfumes I own??? Were we just dangerously close?? Was the gloss announcing itself?? Either way, I was delighted and slightly alarmed.

So while we wait for Maybelline to release those glosses outside of TikTok Shop like the rest of us peasants, we will be thriving with Lawless in Cherry Vanilla—living our best cherry blossom fantasy.

Now tell me—what are YOUR favorite flavored glosses?? I need recommendations immediately. My standards (and taste buds) are high.

Where to buy

Sephora

6 Comments

Dude… I just realized inflation finally came for Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in Cherry Frost. It’s not $1 anymore. The GASP I let out—$1.69!!! 😭

I mean… still basically the price of day-old chips, but as your designated lipstick snob, I was genuinely shook when I first tried this years ago and actually loved the formula. Don’t even sit there and pretend you don’t have at least one lipstick in your stash that cost you an arm, a leg, and a kidney. I know you. I know all of you.

Guerlain, Dior, Chanel… maybe you even treated yourself to a Rouge Louboutin Velvet Matte for $100+. Only the makeup gods can judge spending $50+ on lipstick while refusing to pay shipping on literally anything else in life. Be serious.

I think it was around 2015 when they repackaged the Silk Finish line, and honestly… nothing has changed. Including the most annoying part: it still doesn’t swivel down. And listen—I’m willing to admit I can’t chew gum and walk at the same time. Replacing the cap without taking a chunk out of a lipstick that won’t twist down? That’s a personal struggle. But hey… those are the sacrifices you make for a lipstick under two bucks, babe.

I actually had a tiny nub of this hiding in my stash, but then my bias started wearing red and suddenly I was like, I NEED TO WEAR RED.

Which meant:
– red Nike Valentine’s Day sneakers ✔️
– red sweater ✔️
– enough red lipsticks to summon the spirit of Marilyn Monroe ✔️

But tell me I’m not wrong—my bias looks insane in red. Ju… bro… you look GOOD in red. Muse approved. If you know, you know. The OGs get it.

Screenshot

Okay, fine—I won’t blame Junior completely. It was also February, and I was fully in my pink-and-red-everything era. And can we talk about when Timothée Chalamet wore that custom blood-red Haider Ackermann look?? Diet Prada reminded me recently and I got that same rush all over again. Because I’m sorry… they’re right. Timothée lost his fashion groove.

Timothée, come back to us. The fashion world needs you. I need you. I need that red carpet moment again.

Anyway—back to the lipstick.

Formulas (and prices) have definitely changed over the years, but Cherry Frost? She’s still that girl. The texture is soft, lightweight, slightly slippery in the best way—super comfortable and surprisingly hydrating, with really solid color payoff.

And the shade? A stunning cherry red that somehow works both warm and cool depending on your skin tone.

So yeah, a lot in the makeup world has changed—but it’s kind of nice knowing Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick is still doing exactly what it’s always done.

Is this one of your favorite reds? If not… what is? Put me on 👀💄✨

9 Comments

Hey, is this thing still on? I think it’s still working right? Hey, friends. What’s the story? Did you miss me a little bit? Did you miss me as much as I missed you is a better question? My ego could use a soft stroke or two.

We’re headed into April soon and I stopped actively blogging with a few posts here and there nearly a year ago. Kind of wild it’s been one year without me yelling at you about some new makeup launch.

Makeup, well, makeup and I still have a love affair from time to time. We aren’t actively dating at the moment and maybe, just maybe we went through a divorce period but it was mutually agreed upon and I got the house, the car, and the emergency bag of NERDS Gummy Clusters. We currently co-parent the last pot of MAC Parrot Eyeshadow together and we’re relatively in a very healthy relationship at this point in our lives. The other day my makeup collection came up to me and said bella, you look 12 years old, maybe you could just haul out a little blush, slather on a little eyeshadow, you don’t need a full beat, girl but at least add a little color into your natural face life, babe. And I was all, ehhh, maybe, let me ask the Internet first.

Life changed this past year and sometimes too much of a good thing can be tiring and beauty got tiring. The beauty bubble broke years ago and I honestly, don’t know if it’ll ever make a full come back for someone who lived through the Urban Decay Subway Token Eyeshadow era. I got this weird itch to waddle back into my Y-Girl life after I stopped blogging and I embraced it so hard my head near spun off my shoulders. If you’ve been here a while you remember the Lakorn and K-Drama Days and of course, the manga that came along for the ride with it all. Hell, most of you know all my weird and unusual interests like late night WOW sessions, Age of King binges, and overanalyzing Doctor Who episodes like the Queen nerd I am. What’s it like being a Y-Girl at my age? I dunno. It doesn’t seem any different than it did several years ago. The only difference was makeup isn’t part of that world at the moment. I was the girl walking around the house in my pajamas with a full face of makeup on while I did all the stupid viral things on Tiktok like make banana bread during the pandemic. What a time to be alive! At that point most people were embracing their self care era and I was like, “naaa! I’l wear red lipstick today and a bunch of eyeshadow while I re-organize the pantry and have a zoom meeting!”

The irony is the pandemic was over and that’s when I finally said, hey, I think I need a break to do things I love! Which is odd because maintaining Musings of a Muse was a thing I LOVED. But somewhere along this wild, wild ride of a blog I fell out of love. It became a chore, a task I had to do everyday, and that’s when I realized, I think I need a break from this to do things I let fall to the curb side. And here I am one year later telling you all about how makeup wasn’t part of my life for almost 365 days.

My makeup roo, she’s still here, waiting for me quietly to return. Musings of a Muse also, still here. But probably not as quiet lately as right now she’s tapping at my brain, brush her fingers across the back of neck, just subtle reminders that she’s here, waiting, wondering, is today the day I’ll write about the latest concealer or rant about the new Rare Beauty Eyeshadow Palettes.

Where do I go from here is the question?

54 Comments

Family! How are you? I haven’t been around much I know. I’ve been traveling, I’ve been goofing around in my fandoms, and I’ve just been taking it slow with beauty lately. Unfortunately, the beauty bubble has broken. Repetitive product releases, price increases, and tons of other chaos has just made it a less than magical experience lately. I know many of you feel the same way that I do. I’m trying to ease myself back into writing but almost as soon as I open a new post I end up staring blankly at it and struggle through trying to find something witty to say.

We’re entered a really interesting era in beauty. The lipstick index is being completely redesigned by zoomers and Gen Alpha. They’re out there shopping little luxuries like bag charms with lipstick being pushed to the sidelines. After years and years of double-digit growth we’re finally seeing the economic downturn in the beauty industry. Have you seen the steep loses beauty brands have reported lately? It’s pretty bad. Makeup and beauty is no longer recession-proof and the lipstick index, which has long since been the go measurement of the recession is slowly being dismantled by a new generation of consumers.

So who reported losses, who closed down, who’s still around, and who’s on the chopping block next? It’s a lot of loss lately with Coty reporting up to 6% sales decline and they have announced plans to lay off over 700 employees. Mother stepped into LV’s shoes but LVHM has a failed to see growth this year and L’Oreal posted a more reserved 3.5% growth report which is a massive fall from grace considering the double-digits we’ve seen from them in the past. Both Estee Lauder Companies and Shiseido continue to slide further and further down hill. Interestingly enough the post pandemic we saw such a spurt in skincare and self care with venture but we’re seeing a decline in that are as well!

So. what’s the problem? Value-seeking beauty lovers haven’t stopped purchasing it’s just that they may be consuming beauty on a different level now and a different demographic. You may feel beauty fatigue but those who indulge and use Tiktok as a way to consume their beauty content are of a different age and demographic. That being said, that group, isn’t necessarily propelling sales. But what will? And will beauty ever return to it’s glory days of old?

Fewer releases, more innovation, better pricing, less shrinkage, and other factors will perhaps help the beauty community to climb back up the ladder but whether or not it will actually secure it a spot in makeup lovers hearts remains to be seen.

What needs to be changed to revive your list for beauty? Do share your thoughts! I’d love to hear them!

37 Comments

Dude, I am like so proud of myself because I haven’t really purchased any makeup in the last month. Wild right? Me? Not buying makeup? BRB let me make sure fire isn’t raining down outside. Nope, we’re good. All safe. But yeah, like many of you, the need to purchase all the new makeup releases has def come to a standstill for me. With so many repetitive releases I feel like I’ve already have something similar in my stash! But never fear, I’m still craving stuff I don’t need so, your job, if you choose to accept it, is to de-influence me!

Let’s start with the most important matter. The Labubu Pin for Love Series. Guys, I think I’m good. I may need a little more support but all in all I made to executive decision to NOT shop this launch and I feel like I really did something by just saying no! Do I want a mini Labubu bag charm? Yes! Do I want to spend millions of dollars trying to score one with my initial, that’d be a nope. I’d normally say, screw it, let me get a complete set but what’s the point? I’d have a set with initials from A to M and would maybe only use two for my first and last name. And the initials are stitched into the Labubu’s butt so, not like you can hide the fact you’re carrying around a different initial. It’s such a weird, pointless release. I could see myself falling hard for this launch if initials weren’t involved but as it is, it’s a nope for me. I did see one of my favorite creators scoring a W and an F which are the initials of our fandom and it was like, dude, dude, wait, how did you pull those? Knowing me I’d end up with some odd pull if I did a blind box! If you see me walking down the street with a initial X on my Labubu just keep walking by and don’t say anything haha! So, yeah, I successfully de-influenced myself on this but words of encouragement are always welcome.

I think I successfully de-influenced myself on this too (with the help of some Reddit peeps). This was a hard one my friends. I said NO to purchasing the Timestopper DVD Set. Does it come with photocards? Yes, does it have backstage footage? Yes. Does it have ton of extras? Yes. Do I want to see Perth and Tata jump up from the bottom of the stage in synch at the same time in HD? Absolutely. Do I want to spend crazy tariff prices to purchase this? Eh…………………! Not really. It’s $60 retail (a little under) but it’ll set be back $145 with the tariff situation and I’m just about that. I don’t really mind the price but I do mind the wait time to actual get it shipped to the US. The wait wouldn’t normally bother me but the sheer amount of content that will be shared via edits and clips on Tiktok, IG, Reddit, and fan groups will be unavoidable and it will take away so much from my purchase. I’m consoling myself with a great purchase I made on Mercari as I got the Timestopper Photobook and the seller was super awesome as she was fangirling with me and put in a bunch of Timestopper photocards I feel well and properly over my need for this set. I hope I stick to that. Wish me luck!

But these photocards are carding:

Now for beauty…!

Dolce & Gabbana Ever Icon Eye Palette $72
I have no business looking at these. Not even glancing their way but I gotta admit the Ever Icon Eyeshadow Palettes are a vibe. They look like they have a slurry-like texture that we all know and love from some of favorite Japanese brands like Lavashuca and Majolica Majorca (what a time to be alive am I right?). But honestly, the price isn’t it. I feel like they should be at the $60 mark not $72 but, as we all know, makeup has gone up considerably. Expense aside do I need these? Absolutely not considering I have enough eyeshadow to last me into my next five lives. Do I want them? Yeah, I sort of want to check one out. The heart compact, the shade range, looking good, but do me a favor? De-influence me.

Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Lips Healthy Glow Nectar Oil $25
That’s a nope, dog. I can’t with this launch. Really, someone stop me because I’m not 12 years old and do not need to stockpile lip oil like the world is ending and my lips will be forever parched because production will stop on all lip oils as zombies devour the living. But but seriously, remind me again how I don’t need another lip oil! These are actually really tempting because the reviews are unholy good. We got glossy, we got sheer color, we got comfortable to wear, moisturizing, but I think they may all look the same on lips since they are selling that old pH “one of a kind” shade bullsh1T that’s unique to you. We all heard that marketing before am I right? That being said, I’m wear, I can see myself indulging in one. De-influence me.

Dolce & Gabbana Everlast Concealer $40
Taking it back to D&G over here. I can never say no to new concealer. This new formulation promises crease, water, and sweat proof coverage in a lightweight matte finish that promises to blend easily under eyes and on face with a precise tip applicator for application. De-influence me and remind me to use the hundred other concealer I already have.

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