(Source: thefinenanny, via thefinenanny)
BOTTOM SHELF
Hello and welcome to this week’s episode of One Woman Glam Squad where I detail my beauty routine, here we go!
Skincare
I wash my face every morning with Purpose cleanser and never hesitate to make a Justin Bieber joke to myself when I do it. I use Cerave lotion as a moisturizer and Cerave eye cream.
At night, I remove eye makeup with Andrea’s Eye-Qs oil-free eye makeup remover wipes. Sometimes I buy the Almay ones if they’re on sale, but I just love the brand name ANDREA’S EYE-QS. I’ll wash my face with Purpose again, then wipe my face with half of a Stridex salicylic acid pad. That’s a trick I learned on Reddit! Cut your Stridex pads in half, they’re just as effective that way and you save money. Reddit gets a rep for being all Doritos and Mountain Dew, but I actually learned my whole skincare routine from a variety of Reddit threads.
I wait like 15 minutes to let the Stridex dry before applying more Cerave lotion and eye cream to avoid irritation.
About twice a week, I do a bentonite clay mask with Aztec Secret. I’ll mix like a teaspoon of the clay with equal parts Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar and some Manuka Honey. If I’m out of Manuka Honey (Look I don’t have Kourtney Kardashian money), I’ll add in regular honey. I’m prone to clogged pores and blackheads and I just love slapping on heavy foundation everyday, so this is great at detoxing my skin and keeping it somewhat smooth.
I like to slather my body in Udderly Smooth body cream, which feels like buttercream frosting, but smells like oranges.
Haircare
I have extremely curly hair that I blow dry and straighten constantly. I got a keratin treatment a few months ago, so my product use is minimal. Big ups to formaldehyde! I use Shea Moisture raw shea moisture retention shampoo and conditioner. They are the best, especially for keratin treated hair because they have absolutely no sulfates or sodium or anything that would be too harsh. I wash my hair twice a week.
I blowdry with a Babybliss hairdryer and go through with a Babybliss flat iron. I curl my ends under with a super thick Hot Tools curling iron. I probably style my hair with heat 5 days a week which is bad, but I don’t care!
Nails
I used to religiously wear glue on nails, then I upgraded to acrylics, but these past few months i’ve been growing out my natural nails and painting them at home. Which I knowww is so boring, but it’s the most cost effective. My routine of giving myself a manicure twice a week has been so good for them.
I think expensive nail polish is mostly a scam. Revlon has the absolute best nail polishes and their packaging is so timeless. My favorite Revlon polish is “Pure Pearl,” which I first purchased because one Makeup Alley reviewer said it gave her “elegant nails like Jane Fonda in the movie Monster-in-Law.”
Makeup
I start with Stila One Step Correct primer. I like how it has different shades of color correcting pigments in it and it fills in my pores. Then I use Makeup Forever Mat Velvet foundation in #30 porcelain. I use the same shade year round because honestly outdoor leisure activity stresses me out so I am just constantly pale. This is the best foundation I’ve ever used on my oily combination skin. The combo of this and the primer makes my skin look dewy as the day goes on instead of greasy, however it is such an expensive habit. Every 4 months, I cosplay as a rich person and spend like $70 at Sephora to replenish these two products.
The foundation is very thick and pigmented, so you don’t need to use too much at a time. I don’t use concealer with it because it’s that pigmented. I put some on the back of my hand, then dab it on under my eyes, the little red creases under my nose, and any blemishes or acne scars. Then I just dot whatever’s left all over my face and blend it with the Real Techniques buffing brush ( I am a Real Techniques stan. I have the Core Collection and the Eye starter kit. I feel like I have all the tools to try bold and exciting makeup looks between these two kits, although I haven’t really tried. One time I did a smokey eye and it was fine). I’ll brush whatever’s left on the brush on my eyelids as like a pseudo eyeshadow primer.
I’ve been using the Tarte Amazonian Clay Tartelette eyeshadow palette. My friends bought me a Sephora giftcard for my birthday and I bought this instead of smartly using it towards my wanton spendthrift foundation habit, but I live for glamour and risk. These are the best eyeshadows I’ve ever used, although lots of the colors have upsetting names like “Caregiver,” “Super Mom,” and “Free Spirit.” For everyday, I alternate between using nude “Force of Nature” and “Caregiver,” a pale pink. I know I should learn to like blend multiple colors, but my favorite thing is to load up a bunch of “Caregiver” on my Real Techniques base eyeshadow brush and do like an extremely pastel pink, matte eye. I was inspired, as I am everyday, by a Rihanna look.
Then I do a thick cat eye with Maybelline Line Stiletto liner. I don’t know logistically how your eye can wear a stiletto, but I support this in theory! Then I apply mascara. Lately I have been using this tiny Tarte mascara sample I got as a reward at Sephora (all of my years of foundation buying paid off!!!), but usually my favorite is Maybelline Lash Sensational.
I use Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in “captivating” (Tarte should hire me to spruce up their color names) on my cheeks with the Real Techniques contour brush.
I am #blessed with incredibly thick eyebrows that I fill in just using the wax part of the E.L.F. eyebrow palette and the eyebrow brush from my Real Techniques kit. Then I brush through them with an old mascara wand that I have been using for years. It’s from a Covergirl clear mascara that I used in middle school.
For lips, I have recently been on a gloss kick. I was a matte lip purist for awhile, but then I saw a conversation on Twitter about how matte nude lips kind of look like buttholes which inspired me to branch out again. I’ve been wearing Dior Addict gloss which makes me feel like late 90s Mariah Carey. Normally, I would not wear $29.50 lip gloss, but I got 5 of these for free by abusing my freelance employee privileges and taking all 5 of them from the giveaway pile at my office.
Fragrance
I still don’t have a signature scent and it is stressing me out! If I die before I figure out my signature scent, I’m gonna be so pissed. Sometimes I wear the travel sized Nicki Minaj perfume that my mom bought me at Sears.
Lately I’ve been getting a lot of emails/asks from girls about how to get writing experience and how to get published. I feel flattered that people would think of me as someone to turn to for this. I’m not sure if I have any solid advice other than keep writing and cultivating your own taste, so I thought it’d be helpful to make a timeline of my writing experience for transparency’s sake.
2007/Age 14: Started a weird Blogspot blog. This was the first time I wrote anything that wasn’t for school or my diary.
2009/Age 16: Joined Twitter. Joined Tumblr. Write funny things and make cool internet friends.
(Made my first Internet friend who became my best IRL friend aka Hazel!)
2010-2012/ Age 16-18: Work part time at a nursing home dining room! I know this isn’t essential to my writing bio, but I just need to emphasize I didn’t get paid for writing at this time. Also, my parents have zero connections. All of my relationships that have been beneficial to my life and career have been built by being a teen who spent too much of her free time on the Internet honestly.
2012/Age 18: Become a part of Rookie staff after being a devoted reader.
One of the most common anon questions I get is how I started writing for Rookie. Basically, Tavi and a few other Rookie staff writers already followed me on Twitter/Tumblr I think. And of course, Hazel was a staff writer. I mentioned to her how I would like to write for Rookie in passing and she told the editors who were already familiar with me. Then one day they emailed me asking if I’d want to contribute DIY tutorials (which I’d already been posting on my blog) and my relationship with Rookie spiraled from there. I began writing personal essays/humor pieces.
ALSO 2012/Age 18: Move to New York for college.
2013/ Age 19: Start interning for Buzzfeed’s DIY section (which I think is now just called Buzzfeed Life. Man I used to very into crafts IDK, I think it’s because I had no social life in high school) spring/summer of my Freshman year. I applied through the website and wrote an informal email to the DIY editor.
The first place I was published besides Rookie was Buzzfeed, where I made lots of silly lists about like Etsy and interior design as an intern. I think interning at Buzzfeed was a lot less competitive and formal back then. This was the era when like Buzzfeed lists that were just reaction gifs were a novel thing! But this was good for me because then I got lots of bylines and learned what an office environment is like, how to pitch ideas, and how to work closely with editors. My experience there was so helpful and good, but it did make me realize I don’t want to work fulltime for a website.
2014-now/ Age 20-21: Publish pieces on lots of other places like The Hairpin, The Cut, Racked, Rolling Stone, Jezebel, Paper etc.
This past year I’ve been freelancing mostly when I feel like it or when editors approach me (I’m still in school and I work as a bartender/party helper a few times a week!) Basically, I learned how to pitch by being friends with other writers who could guide me. I’ve never taken a journalism class.
Also, I’ve befriended people who happen to be writers or editors on Twitter. Not a in a creepy networky way. Just people have gotten to know me via me sharing my dazzling personality online!!!
THE FUTURE: Honestly, I intend on pursuing the MUCH more STABLE AND GLAMOROUS career of tv and film writing, not journalism! But freelancing has been a good way to hone in my writing skills and make a little bit of money. When people remember to pay me ;) #BBHMM
I hope this is helpful and answers some questions on how I bridged the gap between random girl on Twitter to paid writer!
EVERYTHING I WROTE IN 2014
For Rookie
Great Romances of Teen Cinema, Revisited
A Brief History of My Eyebrows
Literally The Best Thing Ever: Live TV Mishaps
Literally The Best Thing Ever: The Food Network
Paths to Success: Jobs People Had On Their Way To Stardom
How To Write A College Admissions Essay
The Official Rookie Guide to Female Pickup Artistry
Slumber Party Games: A Taxonomy
How To Write A Celebrity Profile of Your BFF
How To Make Your Own Comemmorative Plaque
For The Hairpin
Snackwave: A Comprehensive Guide to the Internet’s Saltiest Meme (with Hazel!)
The Worst Time Kris Jenner Taught Me To Make Pumpkin Bread
If Chain Restaurants Had Astrological Signs
For The Cut
Every Single Time Beyonce Has Worn Topshop
How To Make Miley Cyrus’s Dirty Hippie Jewelry Yourself
“For women, food is often presented as extremely serious, as either an expression of health and virtue or a terrible moral transgression. Maybe snackwave is a reminder that food can also be fun.”
—
“When Pizza Is Political” by Anna North for NYT Op-Talk
:)
Our essay on snackwave was featured on the New York Times opinion blog
:“”“)
(Source: hazelcills, via hazelcills)
I’m contributing to The Cut now! Last week I shared how to make your own accessories in the style of Miley Cyrus’s “Dirty Hippie” collection for Jeremy Scott (spoiler: the hardest skill it requires is access to a Party City).
See more here.
Not About Love
I wrote about My Life As A Teenage Spinster.
I have never received so much personal feedback from readers on anything I’ve ever written. Writing this was hard because I’ve felt like such as outsider for so long, but it turns out so many of us are in this together. Obviously I love Rookie everyday, but this really reminded me how lucky I am to be a part of something so important and special and necessary. My heart feels so full.
