I’m all for natural beauty in theory, but in real life rarely choose to go that route: I always feel like the items in question just won’t do their job as well as the ones with helpful chemicals. But the other day, I was in the horribly-named-but-excellent Detox Market (they sell natural beauty products, but doesn’t the name make you think it’s all going to be about cleanses?) with my friend Andrea. While she made a return, I checked out the RMS lipstick, and tried this plummy color, called Russian Roulette. I thought it was very pretty, but also that it looked a lot like most of the lipsticks I already own, so I passed. And I went home, and the late morning turned to late afternoon, and at one point, I went to reapply lipstick before going out and it was still on. I have since purchased it, and can say that first time wasn’t a fluke: I don’t know what they’re putting in this stuff, but I’m pretty sure it’s magic.

*You can read her post on Detox Market here, on I Want to be Her.

I wasn’t looking for a new favorite mascara the other day when I popped in to my local Nars shop to stock up on my current lip color of choice, but of course I’m always sort of looking for a new favorite mascara, and I decided to give their latest formulation, called Climax, a whirl. And I’m so glad I did, because this stuff gives crazy volume—like the kind where people ask if you’re wearing false lashes—and builds nicely with precious little clumping.

I’ve heard raves about the volumizing effects of this mascara, and I love the fact that it goes for $4.99 a pop.

I’ve also been reading about how good it supposedly is for your skin to wash it with a cloth, preferably one of rough silk or muslin, and apparently these, from Eve Lom, are the sine qua non of face cloths.  I don’t know how special a few squares of muslin could be for them to get away with charging $22 for them, but what if they’re magic?

My face shines like there’s no tomorrow, and apparently this primer helps mitigate that, which is an appealing notion. But I also like the idea that it helps your makeup stay on longer.

Ever since a reader mentioned in the comments that her dermatologist said that one must wear a dedicated sunscreen and not just depend on the protection in your makeup, I’ve been convinced I must up my SPF game. I’m interested in this Umbra Tinte from Drunk Elephant, my skincare brand of choice, because Drunk Elephant can do no wrong in my eyes (here’s an untinted version too).

I live with undereye circles most every day, and have pretty much learned to ignore them—and have even attempted to think, as the French apparently do, that they’re sexy, implying as they do that the previous night was spent in amorous pursuits. But the truth is, I don’t care for them, not at all, and have simply never found a concealer that matches my skin tone and doesn’t give me a reverse-raccoon effect. This is from Charlotte Tilbury, and I feel like the spongy applicator would make putting it on a breeze, even for makeup novices such as myself.