What even is anything? Skincare in a post-fact world and other stupid things

Probably you already saw this, since it's a few months old now, but it seems appropriate for the times. Did you know that they tested a bunch of aloe vera gels and found that they contained no aloe vera? (I've been wondering what to do with the big bottle of aloe gel my mother bought for a sunburn once and left in my apartment, and I suppose the answer is just to toss it.) I really wonder how many similar tests would show that other skincare products don't contain what's included on the ingredients list.

And here's another one that isn't so much shady as just eye-roll inducing: Bite Beauty is coming out with new lip liners in wooden pencils, but I guess since they want to seem "natural" by using wood while also making it sound good to those who prefer twist up pencils, they describe them thus: "The case is an artisanal wood barrel that encapsulates whipped shea butter and three times the amount of pigments for a perfectly defined line."

artisanal wood barrel

artisanal wood barrel

Any other stupid beauty news out there that we can shake our heads at? It's very trivial right now, but maybe we need a short break from the much more serious bullshit.

And thanks to everyone around the world marching today! You all kick serious ass!

Birchbox has changed their points system

I'm guessing they weren't making much money in the shop, because people were only/mostly buying things with points. Here are the changes they've made (from an email sent to subscribers, which I've now read about in multiple places):

• You will no longer get 10 points per sample from your box when you review them. You will get 50 points for the first 5 samples you review, and that's it. Ever. There has been some confusion as to whether this meant 50 points per box, but here is a recent comment that the Birchbox rep made on their own Facebook post: "You’ll receive 10 points for the first 5 reviews you leave on or after July 11th. After you’ve left 5 reviews, you will no longer earn points for your sample reviews throughout your subscription. New subscribers will receive 10 points for the first 5 reviews they leave in their subscription. Please feel free to shoot us a private message and we'd love to chat! xx"
• All points now expire in 6 months, instead of a year.
• But you can now redeem your points in increments of ten, instead of 100.
• You still get 1 point for every $1 spent in the store.

I think this is going to tank Birchbox, which has been showing signs of struggling lately. The generous points system was one of the only things they had going for them during the last year or so, and it sounds like a lot of people aren't going to stick around now. Without it, they are just sending people a bunch of hotel toiletries and running a website that barely loads and a store without competitive pricing where everything is out of stock. I don't see much incentive to buy from Birchbox rather than Sephora or Ulta or Amazon.

Or maybe the store was a failed experiment and they are going to phase it out entirely and stick to the subscription service. [ETA: Apparently not--in fact, they are trying to expand their retail business.]

What do you think?

(Their Twitter is pretty funny now. Just a constant stream of, "Sorry to hear that! Keep in mind you still earn points from purchases!" Ha.)

Here is what is happening to the Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks

Disclosure: Affiliate links.
Refinery 29 has a post all about the newly formulated and repacked lipsticks from Urban Decay, including 74 new shades in 6 finishes. They will launch in June. If you didn't like the flat/round shape of the Revolution lipsticks, you might like the more traditional bullets in the new ones. They will also be slightly cheaper, at $17 each rather than $22.

If you were a big fan of the Revolution formula and are worried about the change, most shades are still available for 50% off ($11) on the Ulta website (regular, matte, and sheer). They seem to be all or mostly sold out from Sephora and Urban Decay's site. Ulta also has free shipping with a $35 purchase right now (no code), which makes it less painful to order form them. Plus there are three free minis that you can add to your order (via Nouveau Cheap): a Dr. Brandt mask, a BareMinerals mascara, and a Redken hair "cleanser." Just add them to your cart with the purchase of something else and they will be free.

ETA: Macy's has an even larger selection still in stock, if there's something you want that's missing from Ulta.

I had made up my mind that I didn't need any new lipsticks, but now that I know for sure these are going away, I am tempted again. I was thinking about Rapture, 69, and After Dark. Anyone have any opinions about those shades? Or others that are worthwhile?

Zoya raises prices to $10 a bottle

Hope you bought any Zoya polishes you wanted in their last sale, because they are now $10 a bottle! Sorry, as much as I love Zoya, that's way too much for me. They've raised the price $2 in just over 2 years--that's pretty steep when you think of it in terms of percentage.

I know there are much more expensive polishes out there, but I've never been inspired to buy them. I've tried some out and read lots of reviews, and I don't see a big (or any) difference that can be correlated to price. What's your upper limit for polish?