Online makeup shopping tips from Brightest Bulb in the Box

Brightest Bulb in the Box is my latest favorite makeup blog. She breaks things down with MATH and SCIENCE to tell you if the shit you're buying is worth it. Plus she has a pretty foul mouth. What more could I ask? In this post, she gives you a ton of advice for getting the beauty products you want for a good price. But I encourage you to browse, because she has a lot of gems.

(But she has some kind of witchcraft going on, because when she subjects lipsticks to her "4 hours and a meal" test, they almost all pass. When I put lipsticks through a "half an hour and a sip of water" test, they almost always fail. I must have slippery lips.)

How to make every nail polish you own double as a holographic polish for $6-15

I've posted about this before, but there's no real need to buy holographic nail polish in every shade when you can just buy a holo topcoat and use it to transform any polish you have into a linear holo. It really works. Here's are some examples:

One coat of holo topcoat (shade)

One coat of holo topcoat (direct sunlight)

See? Just buy one bottle of topcoat instead of ALL THE HOLOS. The easiest at-home dupes.

Stitch Fix update (Or: That's Quite a Markup)

So I was in Nordstrom Rack today, and I came across one of the exact dresses I was sent by Stitch Fix. If you go to this link, it's the patterned hi-lo he dress in the bottom right of the first photo here. It was on sale there for $23 (not on clearance). The tag said that the regular/MSRP is $44.

I'm posting about this for two reasons: (1) in case you like that dress, and want to know where to get it really cheap, and (2) as an example of how high the markup on Stitch Fix items is. I know that they are charging extra for the service they provide, but it's not like $44 is the wholesale price. Brick and mortar stores provide customer service assistance and have other expenses too. And for me, the personal styling wasn't particularly accurate. $44 to $69 is a 59% markup in addition to the markup from whatever they actually paid for the dress wholesale. That seems excessive to me. They were asking $69 a month ago for a dress that is $23 at Nordstrom Rack right now.

I still think there is possibly some value in this service if you have a lot of disposable income and hate the ordeal of shopping for yourself. Otherwise, keep in mind that you can probably easily find clothing from the same brands, and the same styles and quality, elsewhere for much, much less.

Tips for building a good makeup collection without wasting your money (from Lipglossiping)

Definitely useful. How to do research and decide what you need most without throwing your money blindly into a pit and just seeing what comes out.

Ten Worst Reasons to Buy Cosmetics (from Beauty and the Bullshit)

How to weed out marketing bullshit and avoid wasting your money on empty hype. Awesome! Also: New favorite blog?? Maybe! Be still my foul-mouthed heart.

Fix Your Face: Lip Scrub

People really pay $25 for this stuff? Really?

I mean, from the perspective of the (many, many) companies selling this sort of shit, it's brilliant. People pay $25 for this stuff! GENIUS.

Possibly my favorite gif.

But seriously, just put a little sugar (brown or white) in the palm of your hand and mix it with a few drops of honey or olive oil. Rub that on your lips. I do it when I exfoliate in the shower.

Or use a soft toothbrush.

And then put on some really good moisturizing lip balm. I like this one, because it works extremely well, it's huge, and it smells like buttercream frosting.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Moisturizers: Do I Really Need One?

Fact: Not everyone needs a traditional moisturizer (don’t be too shocked, we’ll explain why in a second).

Fact: To be truly effective, “moisturizers” are not about giving skin moisture, but helping skin retain normal, healthy, youthful moisture levels.

Fact: Too much moisture (water) can actually cause problems for your skin.

Fact: Everyone’s skin type needs ingredients that enhance the function and structure of healthy skin so it acts younger and prevents dryness.

Fact: Regardless of the product name (anti-wrinkle, moisturizer, toner, etc.) or its texture (gel, serum, lotion, liquid etc.), it needs to contain ingredients that repair and rejuvenate your skin.

So why do fashion magazines, cosmetic salespeople, estheticians, and even some dermatologists say you need a moisturizer? Because it’s hard to replace common myths with facts. Current research and published studies have proven what your skin really needs to look its best!

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Moisturizers: Do I Really Need One?