Wrote this in 2008 and thought I’d post it again – this was written pre-instagram and Youtube…
I don’t often do this, but once in a while I get all reflective and inward-looking on you guys. Now, it takes something to put yourself out there in this way, so let me just start by saying that any comments you leave will be appreciated.
So, I wanted to talk a little bit about how this blog has changed my life – obviously, I have access to a ton of products now, and I get some of them for free which is fun. One of my friends told me one time that she thinks free products make people biased (she didn’t know about my stash) but I had to set her straight. I used the example of an expensive cream. Now, if someone pays an exorbitant amount of money for a face cream, and they really saved up for it because they thought it would work, wouldn’t that make them biased? Wouldn’t they want the cream to work so that they could justify spending so much on something that most people couldn’t afford? Wouldn’t that consumer perhaps be more biased than someone who got the cream as a freebie?
Bias is something that’s nearly impossible to take away – it’s something that’s so intricately tied to our own experiences and I think with beauty products the only way you start becoming less biased is if you educate yourself and try a lot of things. You notice a trend in which products really work and which ones don’t work at all.
It’s kind of amazing how much I’ve learned about products in the last little while. A couple of weeks ago at a party, I ended up getting into a discussion about beauty products with a doctor and it culminated with me explaining to her why Retin-A works and why she should start using a glycolic acid product on a regular basis. It was kind of funny actually.
The best part is that people love asking me for recommendations and since they already know that I’m kind of “into” products, they feel no shame in coming up to me and asking me what I think about their favourite products or ones that they’re considering buying. I’ve had interesting conversations with women and men of all ages and backgrounds.
I will say that generally speaking, I’ve seen that people are absolutely obsessed with two things:
1. Red Lipstick
2. Getting rid of dark circles.
With the red lipstick question, I always recommend MAC’s Russian Red. It’s a cult hit because it really does look good on so many people, and if you don’t own it already you should! If you find that it didn’t work for you, check out Dior’s collection of reds – there are more to choose from and you may find something that works better for you.
The second question is much more difficult for me to answer. Honestly, the best way to get rid of dark circles is to get more sleep and drink more water, but nobody wants to hear that. Everyone would much rather have a quick fix, and I wonder what it says about our society (or maybe just my friends?) that people want to look good but are unwilling to become more healthy for it.
The second best option is to use a concealer. You cover up the circles and if you’re smart, you’ve picked a concealer that looks natural. Unfortunately and totally unsurprisingly, most men and women also don’t like this solution. One woman even said: “Ugh, that means that I have to wear makeup!” Um… yes. But it’s a solution!
In any case, being seen as a beauty “authority” was first something of a novelty and I must admit that its cachet certainly has not worn off and will hopefully only increase. Continue to send in your questions, comments, and letters because I enjoy reading them!
I know that many of you have been following along with my book reads this year, and I finally read The English Patient which has been on my must-read list for a while. All I can say is that it is probably the best book I read this year. The story of the patient in Italy totally drew me in, and it was nice that a couple of the characters were from Toronto, my home town. I usually don’t love Canadian fiction but this is probably the best I’ve read. I can’t wait to read more by Michael Ondaatje.
