Old NYX taupe blush vs. new NYX taupe blush (from Sultry Suburbia)

I do have the old version of this blush, which is a popular affordable contouring option for creating natural-looking shadows. Since I rarely bother to contour, I've never been inspired to post about it. But if the fact that the old NYX blush formula has been replaced with a new one worries you, check out this helpful comparison. All is not lost, it seems! (And Sultry Suburbia is a blog well worth reading for the stunning, dramatic makeup looks she creates.)

Why do you get mad when other people put on makeup, though?

So Jezebel has a new . . . sub-blog? What do we call these things? A beauty section? Anyway, it's called millihelen (which I don't think is as clever as they think it is). I was kind of excited when it started because, despite having lots of ambivalence about Jezebel in general, I do want more fun beauty blogs to read. They have a regular feature where people go to the mall in the area where they live and ask for a makeover in the most popular local style. It's cool, especially when people are living away from home and you get to see what some international trends are like. Even if nearly every single person who gets a makeover is like, "Oh, I almost never wear makeup! It's so weird to have all this paint on my face." Please.

A lot of the articles/comment sections seem to involve mocking people for wearing too much makeup, which I'm not really on board with and just seems fucking weird on a beauty blog. Like this story today, which literally encourages commenters to make fun of "lip contouring," as though it is some new abomination that Instagram is forcing us all to do. Whatever your thoughts about how realistic contouring is for normal humans: first of all, I remember reading about tricks like this in YM or Seventeen or whatever in the 90s, so it's hardly new. Second, it's pretty clear that people who do extreme makeup like this on Instagram are doing it because they think it's fun. It's a hobby. And they do tutorials for other people who also think it's fun. I don't think anyone is suggesting that ordinary people who do not put makeup on themselves as a hobby MUST contour their lips to meet basic beauty standards, even if Kylie Jenner's lips are trending. Why exactly do we need to mock people for experimenting with makeup and posting photos of it, again?

Am I missing something? What do you think about Instagram makeup, or lip contouring, or millihelen, or Jezebel in general?

Do I Need This? Highlighting and Contouring (plus highlighter comparison photos and review)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Here is the latest installment of "Do I Need This?", a series about new and trendy beauty products (or just those that might be unfamiliar and baffling to both of us). I'll offer my experience and opinion about whether or not I think the product under consideration is worth shelling out for. Obviously, you don't need ANY beauty products, so the answer is always going to be no, a little bit. But is it going to change your life (or face)? Is it going to make things easier? Are you going to notice any difference at all if you use it? That's what I'm getting at. You may disagree with my verdict, because we all have different bodies/faces/brains/desires, but I'll try to give you a starting point at least.

Short answer: No, but if you want to play around with it, you probably already have something you can use.