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Put This on Your Face: Faking a Full Night of Sleep With Beauty Products

I’ve had such a tough time sleeping lately. I wish I could blame it on something cool, like dating someone new or helping a friend communicate with The Beyond, but I’m pretty sure it’s because my bed is too small.

My partner and I sleep on a full bed, which is probably the smallest size the two of us could share without having to sleep on top of each other. Not necessarily a bad outcome, but it does get difficult to breathe after a while. I would know — I once slept in a single bunk with two other girls on an overnight field trip when I was 13. And yes, we did have our own individual beds but we thought it’d be Fun to share slivers of mattress space instead. The joys of being a preteen gay!!

Anyway, I brought said full bed with me into our shared apartment, and it’s a bed that probably should not follow us to our next home. And yes, we’ve been living together and sleeping on this bed for three years, but I recently slept on the couch for a few nights (my partner was sick and I didn’t want to catch what they had), and it was the best sleep I’ve had in a long time.

My sleep hygiene has never been great, but up until recently, I was able to get away with a sleepless night or two without it showing on my face. Now, though, if I don’t get my requisite seven and a half hours MINIMUM, I look (and feel) exhausted.

I know that my quest to banish dark circles isn’t unique; there’s a whole industry around it! And yes, there is an argument to be made that we should just embrace dark circles as part of living! They’re visible proof that we’ve had A Night — but sometimes, I succumb to wanting to look more “awake”, especially before big events. If you’re still with me, I’m assuming you’ve felt the effects of a late night at least once.

Here are some things I turn to when I have a big day ahead of me and I want to look Extremely Awake and/or Definitely Well Rested.

Random Pantry Things

I’m willing to bet you have at least one metal spoon and if you don’t, maybe this is your excuse to try the tiny cute CB2 ones I linked above!

Metal spoons are great for both hickeys AND dark circles. A dermatologist quoted in this article says that the cold temperature constricts blood vessels and that the pressure of the spoon helps with lymphatic drainage, which almost sounds too good to be true but it is not!! It does work!

While I have not tried previously steeped tea bags as an undereye remedy, I have heard that green or black tea bags under the eyes can work (something about the caffeine, I think?). I’m a morning coffee + midday tea gal, unfortunately, so by the time I get to my afternoon tea I’ve forgotten all about my undereyes. But if you HAVE tried this, please let me know!

Patches

I really like eye patches but they’re SO expensive and often single-use. There are definitely exceptions to the rule (Dieux Skin makes reusable patches that aren’t single-use but they are still a whopping $25 not including the actual serum you’d have to load them up with!) but I don’t typically turn to them unless I’ve got a big event or I impulse bought a pair in a checkout line.

If you have $75 to spare, the Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Pure Luxury Eye Patches are supposed to be incredible. The brand also makes eye patches without gold, but they are still pricey ($55-65). If you’ve got a big event coming up or just want to try eye patches without having to commit to a big tub of them, try buying a single pair! Stick ’em in the fridge for an extra spa-like time. I will admit that eye patches are particularly convenient for when you don’t want to hold two spoons or two tea bags under your eyes.

Eye Cream

Eye creams are complicated! Jury’s out on whether they’re actually different from moisturizer, but anecdotally, I’ve had luck with them. Ones that I have tried and liked: the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Eye Cream ($40), La Mer’s Eye Balm Intense ($260 lol but I promise I’ve never paid money for it, I just got a sample of it using my Sephora points and unfortunately I loved it), and the Hydraphase Intense Eyes from La Roche-Posay ($37).

If you’re after brightening, try finding a vitamin C or niacinamide-containing product. If you’d rather boost collagen production, peptides. And if you just want to look more awake, caffeine. It’s why the tea bag trick works!

Color Corrector

I’m relatively new to the world of color correcting, and it’s all because of the Live Tinted founder who used lipstick to color correct her dark circles. Her brand’s multisticks now work extremely well for color correcting (not a surprise).

The general idea here is basically using the color wheel to cancel unwanted shades out. If you think about the colors that are under your eyes after a sleepless night, you might have blues and purples. Using something on the opposite side of the color wheel (orange, for example) cancels those colors out.

Heads up that color correcting happens before concealer, and it’s better to use a light touch! You can always add more on later.

Concealer

I could write a whole Put This on Your Face about concealer so I will just keep this brief!! Stick to a shade that’s a bit lighter than the rest of your face, and if you’re not color correcting with a dedicated color corrector, maybe veer a bit warmer (peach or orange undertones). You don’t have to set your concealer, but it can help it stay in place! Use a powder puff or something equally puffy (beauty blender, maybe?) to press powder into your skin before the concealer has fully dried.

Put This on Your Face: Taking It All Off

Welcome back to Put This on Your Face, an ongoing series exploring the ins and outs of the makeup world! Over the past several months, we’ve made our way through the makeup aisles and tackled a single category at a time.

But what happens once all that stuff is on your face (layers of foundation and sunscreen and blush and even more blush because the blush from earlier faded but you didn’t want to wash your face and redo the whole thing) and it’s time to go to bed?

I’m aware that you likely already know your makeup needs to come off before bed, unless you’re wearing makeup you can sleep in which I have not tried, but if you have, please tell me how it is! Besides running the risk of staining your bedding with a bold lip that isn’t transfer-proof (can attest to a fuchsia lippie looking great on the lips and terrible on a pillowcase), wearing makeup overnight can clog your pores. The makeup, along with everything else you’ve picked up throughout the day, like pollution and dirt and glitter and kisses, prevents skin from breathing and getting its valuable rest.

I know it’s tempting to leave makeup on overnight, especially if you’re already doing it and haven’t encountered many (if at all) repercussions. But I just want you to consider, briefly, an alternative. I’m not saying you should do your full skincare routine when it’s 3 a.m. and you’ve just gotten home from the club (and already had your requisite post-club slice of pizza), but if you have just 15 seconds, or perhaps even longer, I’ve got some ideas for you to keep your skin happy!

If You Only Have 15 Seconds

If you really only have 15 seconds, I’m assuming you either fell asleep in the cab home and are having trouble staying awake long enough to pick out your PJs OR you have a cutie in your bed who you simply must resume kissing ASAP or they will turn into a pumpkin. In any case, while I am normally loath to say makeup wipes, I do think they are the best quick option to get the makeup off your face and to get you in bed.

I want to add a disclaimer here that I don’t think makeup wipes are necessarily good. I find them to be kind of harsh, and they’re not really the most thorough of cleansing tools, but I can’t deny that they’re convenient. If you know you have a bad habit of falling asleep with makeup on, try keeping a little tub of makeup wipes next to your bed. You can toss the wipe on the floor when you’re done, a gift for yourself in the morning. And as a bonus, you can stay in bed the whole time you’re taking your makeup off.

If You Have Two Minutes

Two minutes is kind of a long time, if you think about it. Maybe you’re trying to make frozen mozzarella sticks but need the oven to preheat, or you’re watching one of those extremely long TikToks that don’t let you fast-forward. Or maybe you’re in the bathroom watching someone brush their teeth — that’s exactly two minutes.

Two minutes are the perfect amount of time to find micellar water and a cotton pad (or your favorite reusable alternative). All you need to do is dampen the cotton pad with the micellar water and rub it all over your face. It might take a few swipes to remove some of the more stubborn makeup, like waterproof mascara, but it should eventually leave your face and take up residence in the cotton pad. Micellar water can technically be used on its own, but you can always use your favorite cleanser after, or just rinse with water when you’re done!

If You Have Five Minutes

If you have five minutes after a night out, you’ve made the kind of choices I can only dream of making. I envy you. You have time for a luxurious double cleanse! Choose a cleansing balm or oil, massage it over your face to remove makeup and that first layer of grime, then rinse and follow with the traditional cleanser of your choice. Cleansing balms and oils take a little longer than micellar water IMO (the latter is a swipe and go situation), but they’re well worth the extra effort and time. Also, cleansing balms are great for travel (solids, usually)!

And there we have it! Three different ways of taking your makeup off after a long day. Whichever option you choose, I just humbly ask that it not be leaving it on overnight. At least, not all the time. No one’s perfect.

Put This On Your Face: Liquid Shadow

During the first few months of the pandemic, when we didn’t have much to do besides look at each other, our screens, and piles of clutter, I decided it was finally time to address the collection of eyeshadow I had amassed over the years. Before the pandemic even started, I had stopped wearing eyeshadow entirely (save for Pride). I used to wear it daily in high school, albeit poorly blended. But by college, it was reserved only for parties, and I wore it even less once I graduated.

Despite not really wearing eyeshadow anymore, I still had so much of it. I do think some of it can be attributed to nostalgia — the Naked palette STILL has a grip on my heart, probably because it was the first “real” palette I purchased and also that velvet exterior was just gorgeous — but most of it was a desire to not throw out something that could prove itself “useful” someday (this is a problem in other parts of my life, namely the fridge).

I pushed past my discomfort and rid myself of no less than 11 mostly untouched super shock shadows (probably from a bulk order when I was in college and Colourpop would run $3 shadow sales), the aforementioned Naked palette, and a bunch of other shadow products to which I did not have strong emotional attachments. Honestly, I think everything I threw out was from 2014-2016, which I will now be calling my Shadow Era.

Since then, I haven’t really looked back. I haven’t reached for an eyeshadow product in the past several years (once again, save for Pride), though I do occasionally swipe a multistick on my lids just for the fun of it. Honestly, I thought I was free of eyeshadow until I was watching a TikTok creator do a full face of Euphoria-inspired makeup and they used the doe-foot applicator on a liquid shadow (shimmery, glittery, gorgeous) to create a graphic LINER!! Now, I am no stranger to using tools for things other than their intended purpose (my dilators are still in use despite not having vaginismus anymore, I won’t elaborate but you can figure out why) so I am very into this whole graphic liner shadow moment!

It also got me thinking that maybe I swore off of eyeshadow too soon. Just because I didn’t want to deal with the fallout or fading of powder didn’t mean that eyeshadow was off the table entirely. I could just use a liquid eyeshadow!

If you want to dip your toe into liquid shadow world, here are some options!

I am, unfortunately, a slut for ILIA, and their Liquid Powder Eye Shadow Tint ($28) is one of their heavy hitters. It’s quick-dry, water-based, and buildable, so it works even if you want a light wash of color. They’ve got shimmery and matte options, but nothing super wild in their shade range — you won’t find a lime green or a neon pink here. The Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Liquid Eyeshadow ($20) is another product that has rave reviews but doesn’t offer anything surprising in their shade range. It’s all pinks and browns and very nude and SFW. However! It is waterproof, so reach for this if you plan on crying in the rain a lot. Or, for something extremely sheer, try Glossier’s Lidstar ($18)!

If bright, bold colors are more your thing, try Halsey’s makeup brand, About Face! The Matte Fluid Eye Paint ($16) is so BRIGHT and comes in almost every color you could think of, and yes, this includes lime green. In a refreshing turn of pace for shadows, they only offer matte options (why are so many shadows shimmery?) but say that you can add glitter on top should you wish to have a little glitter on your lids.

Speaking of glitter, in the depths of hell (Reddit) I found a few recommendations for MISSHA’s Glitter Prism Liquid Eyeshadow ($10-20 depending on the retailer) and it’s simply gorgeous! The shade “02 Interstellar” has something marketed as mermaid scale glitter in it and while I KNOW that no mermaids were harmed in the making of this product I can’t help but wonder because it just looks so darn ethereal! “01 Gravity” also has my heart because it has holographic STARS!! Stila’s Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow ($25) is a classic for a reason — it won an allure award in 2018.

But if you want the glitter shadow experience at a cheaper price point, try the e.l.f. Liquid Glitter Eyeshadow ($6). It’s gel-based, and while it doesn’t have mermaid scales in it, it still is really pretty. I would use this as a graphic liner in a heartbeat. Another less expensive, but just as glittery option is the NYX Glitter Goals ($8). Ulta seems to only carry a single shade, which is disappointing IMO because the NYX site has four (though three of them are sold out so maybe “Multiverse” really is the only option).

If you want to splurge, try the Violette_FR Yeux Paint ($31) — and then let me live vicariously through you because the shade Rêve de Dahlia has been living rent-free in my head ever since I saw it, second only to the greenish gold Scarabée d’Or. I think they’re intimidating and hot and honestly critical to building up an Intense Femme look! Bonus points if you can pronounce either of those shades because I simply cannot!

Put This On Your Face: Brows, Baby!

Welcome back to Put This On Your Face, the series where I tell you what to put on your face!

Technically, eyebrows are already on your face, but you can do so many things to them! As a South Asian, and as a queer person, my relationship to my eyebrows (and hair in general, honestly) is a little complicated. Bushy brows were generally frowned upon in my childhood, both by media and also just the people I was around, but now they’re kind of nice to have and would (hopefully) be considered lesbian eyebrows!

I’ve been doing things to my eyebrows for the past 20 years. It started with trips to the threading salon, where an older Indian woman would, through some magic, use sewing thread to shape my brows. I did briefly try waxing, both by myself and in the hands of a professional, but I didn’t like it and also it hurt and I definitely didn’t like that!! Now I’m mostly just tweezing when I remember, and relying on makeup for the rest of it.

Brow makeup is a big category composed of a bunch of things: gels, powders, waxes, pomades, pens, pencils… it all depends on how much hold, color, and volume you want!

Brow Gels

If you’re looking for a low-effort way to up your brow game, look no further than brow gels. Brow gels are the platonic ideal of a brow product IMO. They give you a firm hold, some color deposit, and, perhaps more importantly, some extra floof in your brows and yes, floof is the scientific term!

They’re typically sold in tubes, with wands not unlike those found in mascara used to disperse the product through the brows. Just a few swipes of product and your brows are all set. The tradeoff here is that brow gel isn’t usually the most color-depositing option, so if you’re trying to fill in gaps, you might want to go for something more pigmented. But!! If you want something forgiving, something that you can brush haphazardly through your brows while gulping coffee that is a little too hot because you’re late to work but also simply must have the caffeine… brow gel is your new low-maintenance BFF.

So, some options. Boy Brow took the world by storm in 2015, and for two years straight won an Allure Best of Beauty “Game Changer” award. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it, but also there are tons of other brow gels out there that can do what Boy Brow does, some that might, dare I say, even be even better? Refy’s Brow Sculpt comes with a double-ended brush, one end for subtle brows and the other for more prominent ones. Kosas and Merit are “clean” options, which is admittedly a murky term but also the marketing has worked on me, so if it’s important to you, use them!

Pencils and Pens

I have terrible luck with brow pencils tbh so I have mostly given up on them entirely! When I did use them, I used the ABH Brow Wiz (pencil on one end, brush on the other). The shade range was great, but the thinness of the pencil meant that it broke pretty much every time I pushed down on it. I couldn’t justify the cost after a while, but I did then try the ColourPop Brow Pencil that’s linked above and I felt like I got the same experience at a fraction of the cost!

For the past five years, I’ve been almost exclusively a brow pen user — I like that they’re more inky and less waxy than pencils. If you want precision or just want the microbladed look without having to actually get microbladed, a multi-prong pen is the way to go. Both the Benefit and the L’Oreal above have multi-prong tips, making it easier to fill in sparse areas, with the result being surprisingly realistic.

Soaps and Waxes

Yes, you read that right — soaps! You might’ve seen “soap brows” trending on the Internet recently. Turns out, a brow brush and a little glycerin soap go a long way to making your brows more voluminous. Both waxes and soaps are a great way to fake a “laminated brow” moment, but if you’d rather leave bar soap for your hands and body (which, fair, especially if you have sensitive skin), you can still get the same effect through a wax. Both the ColourPop wax and the Patrick Ta wax above boast glycerin as their first ingredient. If you’d rather have a pencil experience but get the hold of a wax, the e.l.f. is a great choice.

Pomades

It’s hard to stick brow products into categories, honestly, because many of them straddle the lines between two or even three types of products. Boy Brow is technically a brushable wax pomade, but it comes in a little tube and is often categorized as a brow gel so I guess chaos just wins this time!!  Some of the waxes I mentioned earlier could arguably belong in the pomade section as well, but for our purposes, let’s consider pomades to be super pigmented with light to medium hold.

Now, ABH’s Dipbrow is to pomades what Boy Brow is to gels. That is to say, it’s a mainstay in the category. The bold, arched brows of YouTube makeup tutorials in 2015 often relied on Dipbrow and honestly? It’s pretty good. The color payoff is hefty, on the same level as the Rare Beauty blushes IMO — I don’t think I’ve ever made it to the bottom of a jar of Dipbrow. The shade range is decent, though definitely bigger than other pomade shade ranges I’ve seen. You could also try the e.l.f., especially if you’re looking for a two-in-one brow and liner situation!

Powders

Powders are great for building a soft brow and for filling in any sparse areas. You can use them on their own, but they really shine when used in conjunction with other eyebrow products, like waxes or pencils. The nice thing about powder palettes for eyebrows is that they contain several shades, making it easier to create multidimensional realistic brows. They also can come with waxes already in the palette, so you don’t need to buy a separate product for hold!

You could also totally use eyeshadow to fill in your brows. The shade range on eyeshadow is often way bigger than that of brow powder, which means you’re more likely to find Your Perfect Match in the eyeshadow section IMO! It’s also a great way to incorporate more color and glitter into your brows, if that’s something you’re into!

Put This on Your Face: Foundation (and Things Like It)

Welcome back to Put This on Your Face, the series where I tell you what you should be putting on your face! Last time, we went back to the basics and covered sunscreen. We’re gonna continue our journey through the basics today and talk about foundation!

Foundation is makeup that you can put all over your face to help you get an even base. It comes in a bunch of forms: liquid, serum, powder, stick, etc., not to mention the products like foundation that aren’t quite the same but definitely cousins (tinted moisturizer, BB creams).

You definitely don’t need foundation, but if you decide you want to try some, hopefully this guide helps you get closer to the type of foundation that you want!

As a quick note, I know it’s hard to online-shop for foundation. You can definitely try and shade-match at home — there are plenty of tools on popular makeup sites that can help you find the right shade in your desired product based on what you currently wear — but I’ve personally had better luck checking YouTube and TikTok for folks with similar skin tones to see what shade they’re wearing in the thing I’m thinking of buying.

If you’re comfortable, having a professional shade-match you is the best way to get a good match for your skin. Once you have your desired shade in the product that you want, ask for a sample! I love samples! The only way to really know how a foundation will feel and look after 6-8 hours is to try it on your skin, and hopefully you don’t have to pay full price just to try something.

Liquid Foundation

I don’t usually trust celebrity makeup, but I feel like it’s really having a moment. Both the Rare Beauty (Selena Gomez) and the Haus Labs (Lady Gaga) are getting surprisingly great press. For something with longer wear, I’d recommend the L’Oreal, Estee Lauder, or the Fenty, but if it’s a matte finish you’re after, try the latter two.

Application-wise, liquid foundation is pretty easy. Technically, you can use your hands if you really want (we all know I’m a big fan of finger makeup), but I’m willing to bet this’ll leave you looking a little uneven. Also, I think you might wind up wasting product since you’ll have a bunch of liquid foundation left on your hands once you’re done. Instead, try using a foundation brush or a damp sponge to get more even coverage.

Apparently, people are whipping their foundation which I think is just an extreme version of using a damp Beauty Blender (water + foundation), but if you’ve tried it please tell me because I simply must know if it actually works!!

Powder Foundation

The first foundation I ever used was the bareMinerals powder foundation. I’m pretty sure it was this one, but also… it was 15 years ago and my memory is kind of hazy so it could’ve been something similar in the bareMinerals lineup! I just remember hating it at the time. I was a preteen and a swimmer, and the chlorine left me with perpetually dry skin. Puberty didn’t help much either. I wanted something more full-coverage that also wouldn’t emphasize my dry skin, and a powder formulation just wasn’t it. But!! Now that I’m older, not a swimmer, and live (sometimes) in a more humid environment, I do sometimes like a powder foundation.

Powder formulations have some superpowers. For one thing, they’re TSA-friendly. If you’re going to an airport, you won’t need to stick your powder foundation in your tiny quart-size bag of liquids, which means you’ll have more room instead for tiny little bottles of shampoo! They’re also lighter coverage. Powder foundations are easy to apply — just take a brush and swipe the product all over your face — and they’re great for oily skin.

Serum Foundation

I love serum foundations. They’re not quite traditional foundation, nor are they tinted moisturizer, but they’re this secret special third thing and they deserve their own category! They’re lightweight, often have buildable coverage, and come with a bunch of skin benefits. I use the ILIA daily, and I love it. It comes with squalane, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid (but I’ve heard that the L’Oreal linked above is a dupe for it!), and it has a shade range that actually works for me.

Serum foundations are super easy to apply — no brushes necessary. Just pop some on your face and spread it out evenly using your fingers!

Foundation Alternatives

Tinted Moisturizer

If you want something more hydrating than a standard foundation, try a tinted moisturizer! Tinted moisturizers are generally less coverage than their foundation counterparts, but what they lose in coverage, they make up for in hydration. Most are fairly easy to apply, no brushes necessary — the sheer coverage means forgiving application — and they’re good for all skin types. They’re great for those days when you want to wear a little something, but not do a full face. Also, they make you look super glowy!

P.S. If you already have a foundation you like, but it’s a little too full coverage for your liking, try mixing it with a little moisturizer. This might work, but how well they mix is super dependent on both your moisturizer and your foundation, so no guarantees.

BB / CC Cream

BB and CC creams aren’t tinted moisturizers, but they do have some overlap! BB and CC creams are actually slightly closer to foundation in terms of coverage, though they do (like tinted moisturizers) often have other good-for-your-skin ingredients like ceramides, SPF, and more. If you like the ease of use of tinted moisturizers but wish they came with slightly more coverage, BB or CC creams are a great option.

When using a BB cream or a tinted moisturizer, you can also get targeted coverage by using concealer after application!

Put This on Your Face: Sunscreen

Welcome back to Put This on Your Face, the series where I tell you what you should be putting on your face. In the past, we’ve talked about some trends hitting the makeup world and #beautytok (multisticks and lip oils, to name a few). Today, however, we’re taking a slightly different approach and talking about the classics. One classic, really. Sunscreen.

It might seem weird to have a whole post dedicated to sunscreen just as we turn the corner into the “official” winter months, but sunscreen is a year-round preventive health necessity! It helps with maintaining an even skin tone, it prevents premature aging, and most importantly, it decreases your risk of skin cancer. I know I have a reputation for not being prescriptive in this column, but we’re taking a pretty significant departure from that, because you need sunscreen daily! I mean it!

If you’re reading this and thinking “But I’m an indoor gay, I don’t need to wear sunscreen daily”, I am here to tell you that unfortunately, that is not true! Not the part about you being an indoor gay (I believe that’s true and wholly respect it) but the part about you wearing sunscreen. If you get significant natural light in your home, you’re likely getting some UV exposure with it (glass doesn’t protect against all UV light).

SPF (Sun Protection Factor, if you’re curious) is a measure of how much UV radiation it takes for someone to get a sunburn on protected skin relative to the amount needed to get a sunburn on unprotected skin. Basically, the higher the SPF value, the more sunburn protection you’re getting. Experts recommend SPF 30 or higher and say you should reapply every two hours if you have extended sun exposure. Because this is Put This on Your Face, I’m only going to talk about face sunscreens here, but please know that this SPF 30 and reapplication rule applies to all parts of your body that are getting sun exposure!

Liquid Sunscreen

There are, in general, two types of sunscreen: physical and chemical. Physical sunscreens are the mineral ones, the ones that are able to deflect UV rays away from the skin. They do tend to leave more of a white cast than their chemical alternatives, which isn’t super surprising considering they remain on the skin like a barrier against the sunlight. If you have sensitive skin, physical sunscreen might be a better choice as it’s less irritating than chemical sunscreen.

Supergoop! (unrelated to Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop) is a heavy hitter in the sunscreen world and has a physical sunscreen — the Mineral Sheerscreen Sunscreen ($38). It’s admittedly pricey, on par with its other offerings, but very sheer if that’s what you’re going for. If you want something more matte, the brand also makes a Mineral Mattescreen Sunscreen ($38) that is slightly tinted! First Aid Beauty’s Mineral Sunscreen ($28) is another fan-favorite. Neutrogena’s Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen ($17) is half the price of the Supergoop! and also sheer. EltaMD is a brand that my derm recommends all the time, and they make a physical sunscreen too, the EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum ($39).

The chemical world requires a bit more planning than the physical one. Because physical sunscreens sit on your face like a shield, you don’t need to wait for anything to be absorbed by your skin before going outside. With chemical sunscreens, that’s unfortunately not the case — you’ll want to wait 15 minutes before sun exposure. That being said, they do (typically) blend into the skin better, so if that’s important to you, perhaps chemical is the way to go.

Cetaphil’s Daily Facial Moisturizer ($15) has SPF in it, making it a multitasking morning product. If you’re worried about a white cast, Black Girl Sunscreen ($15) is specifically made for skin with more melanin in it, so you know it won’t leave a white cast. Supergoop!’s bestseller, the Unseen Sunscreen ($36), is a primer-sunscreen duo and great for layering under makeup. Fun fact: Trader Joe’s makes a dupe of this, but it’s always sold out at my local Trader Joe’s locations. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on it, I’ve heard it’s just as good as the real thing for a fraction of the price ($9). There’s the innisfree Daily UV Defense Sunscreen ($15) if your skin is on the drier side, and the Cetaphil Oil Control Moisturizer ($18) if your skin is more oily.

Stick Sunscreens

One of the coolest skincare products I’ve seen lately (leaving out all the tech-y things like the NuFace, TheraFace, etc.) is all the stick sunscreens on the market. They’re great for tossing into your bag without having to worry about spills! Also, you can apply them over makeup, making the whole “two hours” rule much easier to follow. The Shiseido Clear Sunscreen Stick ($29) goes on clear, is water resistant, and can be reapplied over makeup with minimal smudging. The Supergoop! Glow Stick Sunscreen ($25) is great for dry skin and imparts a glowy sheen all over your face. For a mineral alternative, you could try the EltaMD UV Stick Broad-Spectrum ($34), or the Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Vitamin E Sunscreen Stick ($13).

Makeup / Sunscreen Combos

We all know I love a multitasking product! Some of my favorite sunscreens are tinted ones that I use under my makeup or that I sub in for a lightweight foundation. The Revlon ColorStay Makeup For Normal/Dry Skin ($16) is a medium-to-full coverage foundation with sun protection. Rare Beauty’s Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer ($29) has a wide shade range and is a bit lighter coverage! Both the Saie Slip Tint Dewy Tinted Moisturizer ($36) and the Tower 28 SunnyDays SPF Tinted Sunscreen Foundation ($30) have gotten great press, but the former was a bit too oily for my liking. My personal favorite is the ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint ($48). It’s pretty sheer, so if you’re looking for something full coverage, it’s probably not the best bet, but it is a physical sunscreen and super hydrating (squalane and hyaluronic acid will do that). If you’re in the market for a setting powder, the tarte SEA Set & Protect Mineral Sunscreen Powder ($30) is a physical powder sunscreen that sets makeup and has sun protection in it!

There are so many sunscreens on the market! Honestly, the best way to find the right one for you is to figure out what kind of formulation you want (physical or chemical) and to try out different products from there. The only way you can go wrong is if you don’t use any sunscreen at all!

Put This on Your Face: Multisticks

Welcome back to Put This on Your Face. Today, we’re talking multisticks.

If I rush, I can do a full face in under five minutes. I pop on some tinted serum, a little powder, liner, mascara, blush, highlighter, and just a dab of lipstick. Is it perfect? Definitely not. But it works. Unfortunately, it does also take seven products, minimum, which is kind of a lot  — and that doesn’t include moisturizer, primer, or sunscreen. Sometimes I want something easier, something that requires fewer steps. It’s in those moments that I reach for multisticks!

A multistick is a makeup product that can be used on several parts of your face. The same multistick can be used as lipstick, eyeshadow, a cheek color, and in some cases, even eyeliner! Because of their wide range of applications, multisticks tend to be creamier products — a powder formulation might be fine for your lids and cheeks, but it wouldn’t be the most fun for your lips.

Makeup does not need to be hard, and multisticks embody this perspective IMO! They’re easy to use, requiring just a few imprecise swipes and a little blending to get the job done. They’re an excellent first foray into the world of makeup, because they save you (and your wallet) from having to purchase separate products for each part of your face. Thanks to their wide variety of applications, they also save space in your makeup bag!

They’re also a great way to get a monochromatic look with minimal effort! Rather than spending time thinking about which shades of products go well together, you can just use the same shade of a multistick across your face and get a cohesive look in a fraction of the time. Also, they’re kind of fun! They’re often shaped like crayons or come in a stick-y tube shape, so you can draw on your face before blending out the color.

(If none of this has sold you on multisticks, please consider this TikTok in which someone does a Zoom-ready face of makeup in under a minute (!!!) using just a multistick.)

@lookwhoshira

Literally “just give me a minute” #zoommakeup #makeuptutorial #livetinted #huestick #virtualmeeting #grwm #quickmakeup #balance

♬ original sound – Hira

Lucky for us, there are a ton of multisticks on the market. The Live Tinted Huestick ($24) started as a color corrector (the brand’s founder, Deepica Mutyala, went viral on YouTube in 2015 for color correcting her under eyes using lipstick, which, by the way, is a multistick moment!) but now comes in a variety of shades that would look equally at home as a shadow and a lipstick.

Milk Makeup’s Lip + Cheek Cream Blush Stick ($22) is another way to get blush and lipstick knocked out in one go. A quick disclaimer that I didn’t love the product when I tried it a few years ago, but it does have plenty of fans, including some of my family members, for its ability to give a natural flush so YMMV! The Ilia Multi-Stick Cream Blush + Highlighter + Lip Tint ($34) also has a decent shade range, including some more shimmery options if you want to lean into the highlight side of things.

If you’re a Nars Orgasm devotee, you’ll be pleased to know the same shade exists in multistick form. Tucking a Nars The Multiple Cream Blush, Lip and Eye Stick ($39) into your bag is an easy way to ensure that a post-coital flush is always within grasp! For a cheaper alternative, you could try the e.l.f Monochromatic Multi Stick ($5). Reviewers love its staying power, but note that it is on the more shimmery end. There’s also the Burt’s Bees All Aglow Lip & Cheek Stick ($13).

All this being said, if you have a cream lip or cheek product that you really like, and you’ve been magically blessed with unreactive skin, you can technically get the multistick experience by just using small dabs of the product on other parts of your face. However, I would not recommend this approach if your skin is sensitive or if, like me, you break out easily! Many lipsticks are comedogenic (basically, they clog pores) which isn’t as much of a problem if you’re using them on your lips but can present a problem if you’re using them on your cheeks or lids.

If you’re looking for ways to shorten your makeup routine, or to dip your toe into the world of cosmetics, I think multisticks are the way to go! They’re great for tucking into your bag for touch-ups and emergencies, and they’re a TSA-friendly alternative to liquid lip and cheek stains.

Put This on Your Face: Lashes

Welcome back to Put This on Your Face! Picking a lash product can be so hard! Are you looking for length, shape, or lift? Do you want to look like you have falsies on (more on this later) without actually having to put falsies on? Are you vegan? Honestly, sometimes it feels like the options are endless. The last time I checked, there were a whopping 385 options under the ‘mascara’ category at Ulta alone. Thankfully, all hope is not lost! Here’s a quick guide to things you can do with your lashes.

Mascara

I love mascara — mostly because I don’t sleep well, and a single swipe can instantly make me look more awake. If you’re in the mascara market and looking for volume, you could try the new-ish, $20  Rare Beauty Universal Volumizing Mascara (Selena has been killing it lately) or the tried-and-true classics, Lancôme Lash Idôle Lash-Lifting & Volumizing Mascara ($27) and Too Faced Better Than Sex Volumizing & Lengthening Mascara ($28). The L’Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara ($11) is also great, waterproof, and at a lower price point. The COVERGIRL Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara ($9) is supposed to be excellent, and as a bonus, it’s paraben-free, vegan, and under $10.

If length is what you’re after, the Benefit They’re Real! Lengthening Mascara ($27) works wonders, as do Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara ($24) and Milani’s Highly Rated Anti-Gravity Mascara ($11). The ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara ($28) is my personal fave, mostly because it’s gentle for sensitive eyes, and the brush is unlike anything I’ve seen before — it’s dual-sided and somehow manages to coat every lash without making it look clumpy or feel heavy. Also, it comes off with my regular face wash (no eye makeup remover required)!

No-makeup makeup looks are all the rage, so if you want to give your lashes extra oomph without adding too much pigment, you could try the Glossier Lash Slick ($18) or even any clear mascara — this Wet n Wild one is under $3! Alternatively, you could try a mascara that doesn’t match your natural lashes. The ColourPop BFF Mascara ($9) comes in several shades, including a gorgeous bright red, and both the L’Oreal Voluminous ($11) and the Maybelline Great Lash ($6) come in bright blue.

Also, while we’re here, let’s talk about mascara expiration and when to stop using the mascara you opened right before the pandemic started. The Experts (FDA) say that mascara has a shelf life of about 3 months once opened. I know that seems short, and I’m sorry — I hate it too! I take most cosmetic expiration dates with a grain of salt, but not eye products. On the bright side, many of the mascaras listed above come in trial or travel sizes, or are even sometimes offered as samples during checkout, making it easier to follow FDA guidance without wasting too much product.

Primers

Do you need lash primer? Not necessarily. But you might want it, especially if you’re going for a fuller lash look or playing around with a funky color. Lash primer does for mascara what face primer does for foundation: it gives you an extra-smooth base. Primers tend to come in white or clear, and they go on before your mascara (hence, primer). Some primers are meant to add extra volume, like the Diorshow Maximizer 3D Triple Volume Plumping Lash Primer ($30) or the L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Primer ($11). Others are strengthening, like the Urban Decay Subversion Lash Primer ($23), or deep-conditioning, like the tarte Opening Act™ Lash Primer ($24).

False Lashes

False lashes come in all shapes and sizes. If you want a more subdued, natural look, you could buy individual lashes, like the Ardell Double Up Individuals ($7). If you want something fuller, or just an easier application process, a half lash or full lash is probably best. The House of Lashes Iconic False Eyelashes ($12) or these Sephora Collection Weightless False Eyelashes ($15) are both solid, everyday lash options. For something more dramatic, you could try Huda Beauty’s Classic False Lashes in Carmen #9. If you wind up going the full lash route, just make sure to trim the corners of the lashes so that they fit your lash line (most false lashes are quite long).

With most traditional false lashes, you’ll need lash adhesive. I like to spread a thin layer across the part of the lash where it’ll come into contact with my lash line, and then let that dry down for about 15-20 seconds before placing the false lashes on my natural ones. Tweezers are an excellent way to ensure the lashes are snug against your lash line, but honestly, the idea of tweezers near my eyeballs is terrifying so I’ve been using my fingers.

You can find Ardell Duo ($6) pretty much everywhere, both at large cosmetics retailers and at drugstores. It comes in a tiny tube, has great hold, and it’s fairly inexpensive. Because it comes in a tube, however, sometimes application is a little challenging (some parts of the lash get more adhesive than others). If you want to ensure the adhesive is evenly distributed across the lash, brush-on adhesive is probably best. You could try the Lilly Lashes Brush On Lash Adhesive ($13) or the Sephora Collection Brush-tip Lash Adhesive ($8).

If the idea of putting sticky stuff near your eyes doesn’t feel great, you could explore magnetic lashes ($30). You’ll still need to put something on for the magnets in the lashes to stick to, but it won’t be an adhesive, it’ll be a magnetic liner ($25). Once that’s on, you just plop the falsies on top and you’re all set!

Put This on Your Face: Lip Oils

One of the first products I ever put on my face was the Lancome Juicy Tubes Original Lip Gloss. It was the early/mid-2000s, and my mom gifted me a tiny sample-size tube that someone had given her. It looked terrible on me (I don’t look good in cool-toned pinks!!) but I remember feeling so cool — and also, so sticky. Wearing that lip gloss with even the slightest breeze around was basically a guarantee that your hair would get caught on your lips. Even when you managed to detach the strands of hair, thick globs of gloss would be stuck in your hair for hours.

I stopped wearing lip gloss a while ago, mostly because of the texture, and also because I live in New York and avoiding a slight breeze is near impossible. I had resigned myself to a life of matte or blotted lipsticks, or maybe even tinted balms — basically anything that isn’t sticky. That is, until I found lip oils. Well, a more accurate phrasing is that lip oils found me thanks to the scarily-good algorithm that powers my TikTok FYP. I was scrolling TikTok one night last year, and saw that the Dior Lip Glow Oil ($38) was going viral.

Turns out lip oils have all of the fun that lip glosses do, but without the stickiness. They’re just as shiny as lip glosses but infinitely more hydrating, making them great for my perpetually chapped lips. They aren’t as bold in terms of color payoff as, say, a lip stain or lipstick, but then again, neither are glosses! If a shiny, softer look is what you’re after, a lip oil can definitely help you get there.

The exact blend of oils used in each lip oil will vary. Dior uses cherry oil in the aforementioned (and admittedly quite expensive!) option. It’s also so popular that it’s often sold out. The Clarins Lip Comfort Oil is a bit cheaper ($27) and a solid alternative, relying on a trio of sweetbriar rose oil, jojoba oil, and hazelnut oil. I have heard it doesn’t last as long as Dior, but IMO the Clarins shade range is more interesting!

If you’re after clean beauty, the ILIA Balmy Gloss Tinted Lip Oil is a great choice. It uses meadowfoam sea oil and is around the same price point as Clarins ($26). There’s also the Ami Colé Lip Treatment Oil ($20), made with baobab, camellia, and passion fruit seed oils. It only comes in one shade, but that one shade is designed to be universally flattering, especially for melanin-rich skin. The product is this gorgeous brownish-red color and honestly, it’s supposed to be amazing.

It’d be unfair to write a piece about lip oils without including the MERIT Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil ($24) — it’s another I’ve seen on #beautytok quite a bit. The Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Oil is one of the most affordable options, coming in at just under $10! The applicator is also super cool and shaped like a pen! A cheaper option is the MILANI Fruit Fetish Lip Oil ($8), which folks seem to love, especially in the shade Cherry Lime.

And if, after all of this, you’d much rather have a chapstick…Rachel has an excellent guide for you.

Put This on Your Face: Pride 2022 Edition

Hello, fellow makeup-wearers! Is it Pride season where you are? It is where I am, which means it’s time to start thinking about Pride makeup!

I find that Pride makeup requires a bit more thought than regular makeup, mostly because it needs to stay put through back-to-back activities (brunch, parade, party, etc.) without feeling tremendously heavy and gross after a few hours. I usually want it to be more fun than my regular makeup — which means I’ll try and incorporate extra color, face jewels ($7), and maybe even some false lashes.

Here are some things you could put on your face this Pride!!

Funky Eyeliner

PYT Beauty Wingman Liquid Liner

PYT Beauty Wingman Liquid Liner

A well-placed graphic liner can absolutely function as a statement piece! Like all eyeliners, graphic liners draw attention to the eyes, but have the bonus effect of adding pops of color to your look. If you wanna go extra bold, try playing around with negative space, or using several graphic liners in different colors to create a masterpiece on and around your lids.

If you’re a liquid liner fan, try the PYT Beauty Wingman Liquid Liner ($18; I use the blue shade daily!), the Fenty Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner ($23), or the Colourpop bff liquid liner ($9). If you’re more of a pencil person, I’ve heard good things about the Sephora Collection Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner ($13)! You could also try the Colourpop crème gel liner ($7), the Make Up For Ever Aqua Resist Color Pencil Eyeliner ($22), or the NYX Retractable Long-Lasting Mechanical Eyeliner Pencil ($6.50).

Smudge-Proof Lipstick

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip

If there is one thing you take away from this article, let it be this: if you plan on kissing this Pride, please test out your lipstick to see how transfer-proof it is before you commit to it! If you’re at a crowded bar/party/parade and you realize your lipstick has somehow made its way onto your chin, it might be hard to find a makeup remover and also, you might not want to spend your precious Pride hours hunting one down!

An easy way to test out whether your lipstick is kiss-proof or not is to put the lipstick on, wait for it to dry down, then use your finger to gently wipe across your lips. If nothing comes off, you’re good! You could also just smooch the back of your hand, or find a kissing partner (for science purposes).

I have yet to encounter a lipstick that is 100% transfer-proof, unfortunately! The Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick ($22) is pretty close, as is the ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip ($8). You could also try MAC’s Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour ($25) or the NYX Shine Loud Vegan High Shine Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick ($11.50).

Glitter

NYX's Face and Body Glitter

NYX’s Face and Body Glitter

Glitter is a cornerstone of Pride makeup for many people, myself included! You can put it in your hair, on your face, on your body — just know that it will take 3-4 showers to really wash out, and even after that, you might still find pieces of glitter hanging out in your sheets. Some glitters you might want to check out: the MAC Glitter ($23), NYX’s Face and Body Glitter ($6.50), and the Milk Glitter Stick ($30). If you already have a glitter eyeshadow, that could work as a body glitter in a pinch!

Sunscreen

Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen

Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen

I take it back. Please take away two things from this piece: (1) the lipstick test and (2) sunscreen is a must! If you are outdoors at a picnic, marching in or watching a parade, going to a rooftop party, or just plan to be outside in general, you should absolutely be wearing sunscreen underneath your elaborate Pride makeup look.

If you need a sunscreen rec, I love the Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen ($44) — it acts like a primer and goes on clear. There’s also the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Tinted Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid SPF 50 ($37). Honestly, any sunscreen will work but please wear some! Protect your skin!!

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