PSA: Palette

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This is a legacy post that has been given a facelift. Content remains the same with a little added flavor. ;)

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears:

There’s an epidemic, you see. I’ve kept my response contained as best I can, but I’m fighting the urge to go all Katie Holmes-in-The Giver, being a shrieking harpy about

precisionoflanguagePRECISION. OF. LANGUAGE.

But I’m not Jonah’s mom, and we aren’t in some dystopian, baby-murdering (spoilers, not sorry, the book is old) society, and I prefer to teach than scold.

This:

This is a pallet.

is a pallet.

For the sake of argument, here’s a definition.

a portable platform on which goods can be moved, stacked, and stored, especially with the aid of a forklift.

You’ve probably seen one, right? Maybe you’ve (ever) been in a Lowes. Maybe you were at Wal-Mart late at night. Perhaps you, yourself, have worked in a retail outfit and had to stock stuff. The only time this has anything to do with cosmetics is perhaps when Sephora receives a shipment; when there is a pallet of palettes.

Moving on,

This

Naked2 Basics Palette - More than one of these would be palettes, not pallets.

is a palette.

When people say things like, “that’s a really nice pallet,” when talking about, say, Lorac PRO or a Viseart palette, the image that fills my mind silly: it is an expertly crafted, robust shipping platform. Maybe it’s even sanded, stained, and lacquered in gold. I deeply regret being a crappy artist because I would love to illustrate the image that fills my mind like Hyperbole and a Half brought us the Alot…but alas.

Extra Credit (2018)

These items are also not to be confused with palate which refers to the roof of your mouth or to the discerning appreciation of flavors.

Anyway, I digress. This has been a Public Service Announcement. You now have the vocabulary tools to stop being that guy.

Bi-Weekly WTF :: Vol 8 – MAC 217 Discontinued

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MAC 217

Within the last three months, MAC discontinued the classic construction of their perennially popular 217 brush in favor of a synthetic bristle version, the 217S. The change came not only for the cult favorite 217 but for the entire MAC brush line. The 224, for instance, is now the 224S.

For some, this is extremely exciting; synthetic bristles make the brush accessible to vegans and those with animal cruelty-related concerns.

The Disappointment

For many others, however, the new brush is not achieving the same rave reviews as the original. With 2.5/5 reviews at most retailers who carry MAC, the performance of the new, synthetic version doesn’t quite live up to consumers’ expectations. After all, if you take two brushes that are cut identically but one is natural hair and one is Taklon, the way they pick up and distribute color is going to be vastly different. The way they feel on your skin will differ, too.

The Perplexing

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March 2018 Favorites

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March 2018 FavoritesMarch 2018 Favorites
1. Scunci Stay Tight Barettes; long & short, $4.50 / 2. Wet n Wild Walking on Eggshells, $3 /
3. CND Solaroil, $8 / 4. Aveeno Stress Relief Body Wash, $7 / 5. Sensationail Express Gel, My Cherry Amour, $6

Without a purpose in mind, my March 2018 Favorites shaped up to be accessible in terms of where you can purchase (drugstore! Target! Online!) as well as an awesome <$10 each month. I shudder when I see favorites posts and videos where all the products are $25+; for most people, that just isn’t realistic. Details on my favorites after the jump.

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Quick Take: Benefit Gimme Brow is Coming Back

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Gimme Brow Recall

I was sad when the recall of Gimme Brow came out. At the time, it seemed as though the product was being discontinued.

Then, after weeks with a new product and almost as soon as my post about that product went live, I got word that Gimme Brow is returning. Rather, at this point, has returned for online sales for the most part. It will be available in most stores by Friday.

The packaging, price, and shade range appears to be the same. The product now has a plus sign appended at the end of its name so it reads: Gimme Brow+. To me, this implies a reformulation. Based on the earlier recall, a reformulation makes sense to comply with eye safety standards…but then why throw on the + sign? There don’t appear to be any claims of enhanced efficacy, hold, conditioning, or any of that jazz.

As for me… 

I still intend to use up my Ulta Brow Tint. I also still intend to try Glossier Boy Brow. But I’m delighted Gimme Brow is back and definitely plan to repurchase to verify that havoc wasn’t wreaked on it. That said, at $24 a tube, purchases will be limited to infrequent VIB and Ulta Platinum sales.

Wands for Wildlife

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Wands for WildlifeA wee opossum helped by Wands for Wildlife

What happens with your mascara wands when you finish a tube?

If you’re anything like I was they usually end up in the trash. Cosmetics packaging isn’t readily recyclable due to the blend of plastics and other materials. Occasionally TerraCycle has a campaign that allows for recycling of otherwise-uncommonly recyclable cosmetics packaging; right now, they’re partnered with Garnier to offer no cost recycling for those tough-to-recycle beauty and personal care items. Pretty cool!

Recycling = Good; Reusing = Better

I now keep a bin of cleaned out packaging to send off to TerraCycle. While it’s great to recycle when you can, you’ll have a greater impact to the environment if you can reuse. After all, an item in its original form without engaging the additional resources needed to turn Item A into new Item B is more resource- and environment-friendly. For me, this means cleaning and keeping mascara wands I like to use with formulas I prefer. I’m picky, though, and a lot of them are still cast out.

For the environmentally inclined among you: What if I told you that you could save your wands and send them off to help woodland critters?!

Wands for Wildlife

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Ultamate Rewards – New Reward Tier

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I don’t know if there was a promotional communiqué regarding the new reward tier available at Ulta but I saw it mentioned in an e-mail last month.

Previously, their base tier was open to everyone and included point earning (redeemable for $ off), a free birthday gift, and double points during your birth month.

Platinum

If you spent $400 in a year, you’d achieve Platinum. For the 2018 reward year, however, Ulta has increased that threshhold by fifty bucks to $450.

New Reward Tier – Diamond

The new reward tier is unlocked with a $1200 annual spend with Ulta. That exceeds Sephora’s VIB Rouge tier by $200 per year.

At first, I thought their new credit card may accelerate that achievement, but since the tiers are based on dollars-spent, not points-earned, it doesn’t seem like it will.

Diamond Perks

Perks new or exclusive to the Diamond tier include:

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