Worth it? Dieux Forever Eye Mask (Reusable Eye Mask)

Dieux Forever Eye Mask

Dieux you know what? Dieux Forever Eye Masks ($25) came back in stock shortly after I mentioned them in February 2021. I flung myself at the ordering page. Within a few days, they were on my doorstep – and then my face. Annnnd then I kinda did this hiatus and didn’t mention them again for a year and a half, basically.

I’ve been on this gradual conversion to reusables for a few years now. I enjoy eye masks, but they seem pretty expensive for what they are, and then there’s all this waste. Using disposables doesn’t align with how I want to live, especially considering the ultimately frivolous nature of beauty items.

What I Love about Dieux Forever Eye Mask

Read more

SO COOL: Dieux Forever Eye Mask

The sheet mask trend has completely missed me. What value is having a sheet on my face? It seems wasteful; I’d rather just slather the product on. But although the sheet mask trend isn’t for me, the little swoop eye masks are not only relevant to my interests but a fairly important part of not looking quite so … zombified. So learning about the Dieux Forever Eye Mask blew my mind.

Over the years, I’ve been working towards a more mindful approach to my consumption and use of disposables. I no longer use makeup wipes, have drastically reduced my use of disposable cotton, and done several other things to lower my beauty waste. Under-eye masks, however, didn’t have a good swap or alternative, though – until now.

The Dieux Forever Eye Mask

What makes these eye masks so great?

Read more

Kopari Coconut Deodorant

Kopari Coconut Deodorant

Today, we’re back on glamorous AF beauty topics to talk about Kopari Coconut Deodorant.

Fortunate not to be prone to sweating much, I generally eschew antiperspirants except in special cases. In the past, I’ve shared that I use primarily use Old Spice. GASP, I know. If you’re new here, that sounds crazy as hell (and, ridiculously, an impassioned discussion of this very topic net my table free dessert at an upscale restaurant on a recent business trip). It isn’t, though; Bearglove is a surprisingly neutral scent, even if it is favored by Terry Crews.

I’ve also tried Lavanila and an inexpensive Arm & Hammer product. I’m not particularly hell-bent on the natural route (see previously my criticism of 1 part baking soda, 1 part essential oils or patchouli, and 1 part denial about efficacy); effectiveness is my priority. But if effective might come in a natural-ish route, I’m up for it.

Coming Across Kopari Coconut Deodorant

I first heard about Kopari Coconut Deodorant, $14 from Stephanie. I find her recommendations reliable and was therefore curious, but I had to reconcile this with my deeply-rooted skepticism of The Magical All-Curative Salve that is Coconut Oil. For a while, the beauty world was intoxicated with coconut oil; somehow, it occupied this be-all-end-all pedestal much like duct tape does for other things. Free of:

  • aluminum,
  • silicones,
  • parabens,
  • phthalates, and
  • baking soda

it turns out that Kopari Coconut Deodorant is a decent product -and cruelty free to boot. More details on their FAQ, here.

Read more

Lavanila The Healthy Deodorant

Lavanila The Healthy Deodorant

I make no bones about the fact that I primarily wear men’s deodorant (still loving and repurchasing Old Spice Bearglove). I don’t care for antiperspirants (and generally don’t, “need,” them); surprisingly, there are few products marketed to women that aren’t. A few years ago, I purchased a stick of Lavanila The Healthy Deodorant to test the waters of so-called natural deodorants. I have since realized that, apart from alluding to it in this favorites post from May 2016, I never talked about it. Whoops.

Why You (Theoretically) Want It

If you’re looking to get away from traditional antiperspirant deodorant products, Lavanila The Healthy Deodorant is free of:

Read more

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

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

Read more

Worth it? Tarte Shape Tape Concealer

Tarte Shape Tape

Tarte Shape Tape, $25

Holy heavily-promoted-on-YouTube, Batman! I eventually bought Shape Tape to weigh in on it to see if it was ridiculous YouTube sponsored hype or a legitimately good product. This cruelty-free, apparently vegan product is evidently sold once every twenty-six seconds according to Tarte’s site.

Availability

When Tarte Shape Tape came out, it was basically out of stock in all popular shades, including mine, for what seemed like months. I suspect this is due to a bit of manufactured scarcity to pump up demand and hype. Eventually, I got my hands on a tube during a Ulta 20% Platinum Perk sale.

I didn’t realize this at first, but Tarte Shape Tape is only sold on tarte.com and at Ulta. I learned that Tarte seems to offer 20% off promotions more often than Ulta does, but then you lose your point/perk earning potential. Pros and cons, people.

Read more