pop culture

The intersection between beauty and pop culture; all about beauty icons, trendsetters, top makeup brands and beyond.

Red My Lips
The color red is often associated with danger or used as a warning. It has also been used to show resistance and courage. One group has taken the color to another level and created a movement with cosmetics. With the pandemic causing tensions to run high as we are forced to stay home, this has created another global crisis. Domestic abuse has risen worldwide as more families are forced to stay home with the added stress of Covid-19. UN Secretary General António Guterres tweets, “I urge all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic,” as layoffs and record unemployment cause surges in domestic violence cases. One organization is using cosmetics to bring this violence to light and empower people all over the world to fight back and support the people affected. You can join the movement, too, and it's as easy as opening your makeup bag.
By MR. ERIQ5 years ago in Blush
Beauty At A Bargain
So you really don't have to break the bank to be beautiful. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I know a lot of girls use beauty products as a way to entice men, but some girls have beauty routines because they like it.
By Kathy Williams5 years ago in Blush
There Isn't Lead in Your Lipstick
I swear to God, as soon as someone posted on TikTok that the EU bans 1,300 ingredients for cosmetic usage, it was all downhill from there. Let's get one thing straight before I really delve, though. I never took chemistry in high school. I'm an idiot, truly. But if nothing else, I'm dedicated to getting to the bottom of beauty drama so here we are.
By Lillie Superstar5 years ago in Blush
How has Lockdown taught us to embrace the way we look?
Lockdown has been a strange time unlike any other, and the effects have spilt over into a lot of different areas of our life. Ranging from socialising and work to how we spend our money and time, many of us have turned to our own personal #glowup to remedy the effects of putting our lives on hold.
By Caitlin Purvis5 years ago in Blush
Why Will Bus Stops Say the Names of Victims But Maybelline Won’t?
I received a reply to the email I sent to a Maybelline representative on June 10th. Below is my next open letter response. Thanks for the additional information. You said that after I was asked for referrals to trans women willing to do social media work for freem that the concept changed, talent appearing in the “non-editorial content” for Pride last year were paid. What about talent appearing in branded "editorial" content? You also said that the Maybelline Pride initiatives would be rolling out. It's now June 15th.
By Andrew Sotomayor6 years ago in Blush
Diversity in Beauty
Following the explosive launch of Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty line, is the surge in brands attempting to replicate Rihanna’s remarkable entrance into the beauty industry progressive or problematic?
By Valentina Aiello6 years ago in Blush
Lush Cosmetics Has Always Done Their Employees Dirty
Today, I logged onto Twitter with no intention of minding my own business. As usual. But something in particular caught the attention of my little nosy self this morning. An outcry over Lush Cosmetics firing their employees because of the COVID 19 pandemic. Everyone was so shocked but like, why? Then I realized that 96.4% of the population probably doesn't know the carfax on Lush and their ethics. Or lack thereof.
By Lillie Superstar6 years ago in Blush
A Case for Drugstore Beauty. Top Story - March 2020.
As a Sephora employee, I hear a lot of unpopular makeup opinions. I also get the luxury of trying every new product that rolls its way onto the black tile. But before I was a Sephora doll, I was a CVS drugstore beauty die-hard, and after you swatch enough liquid lipsticks and shimmer shadows, you start to wonder what that $20 price difference really boils down to. Is buying drug store makeup bad for you or your skin? Does using drugstore brands make you "bad" at makeup?
By Lillie Superstar6 years ago in Blush
Unpolished Toes
"Oooooooohhh, girl, getting a mani-pedi is a necessity." Is it, though? I mean, really, people. We, women, are brainwashed into thinking spending over thirty five dollars once a month keeps us looking 'sexy'. Here is the truth. Are you ready for some real talk? Are you? I am about to get very real here. Beauty comes from our inner spirit. The crevices of our inner selves we like to bury, buff over, deep cleanse away, and glisten with a new, hot shade of fuschia or ruby red or Morticia green. And yes, these words sound like a self help chapter from Brene Brown's new book, but take a moment and think about feet. Human Beings are lucky because we look different than other species, and we look different from each other. The reasons most people want a manicure and a pedicure fall into these categories: maintenance, a self-care treat, and pleasing others. I understand wanting to maintain a level of cleanliness with your hands and feet and treating yourself once every few months. My beef and lack of understanding is with friends and loved ones, even colleagues, who get their nails done as a bonding experience. What an expensive outing! Hear me out for a second. How often do we really look at our feet? I don't about y'all, but I look at my feet twice a day, if at all. Once in the shower when I am washing my toesies, and at night before getting into my house shoes. My footsies are clean and isn't it true the goal of personal hygiene is to wash and moisturize your body? I think treating yourself to a bath is as much of a treat, if not more, than paying a total of forty+ dollars for gleaming toenails and smooth feet. For one thing, my bath once or twice a month (quick showering saves on your water bill) is way less expensive than a pedicure, and I get the same satisfaction. We need to be grateful for feet because not every person has the luxury of moving on their feet or even having feet. I think the hidden reason people like pedicures is to maintain an external image of beauty for others to admire in them. The problem here is the 'admire in them' part of this philosophy. Being natural means without the artificial layers of makeup, and isn't nail polish makeup for our feet and hands? Before I moved to Texas, I had no idea what these little buggers called Chiggers were in the insect kingdom. Let me tell you, Chiggers are nasty little insects that crawl into your skin, pop out and can crawl back into your skin again. Did you know nail polish kills Chiggers? Oh, yessirrreee. Those little f*&$ers die by suffocation after you dab a few layers of nail polish over your chiggerbitten skin. The next time you look at nail polish, think about how a tiny bottle of artificial beauty saves our skin. Enjoy your next mani-pedi, people.
By Karen J. Imas6 years ago in Blush
Tattoos & Ties
There was a strange time, say, back in the fifties or sixties, that a person with a tattoo would somehow be linked to a life of crime. That seems almost ludicrous considering fifty years down the line almost everybody and their great aunt had one. But, for a long period of time, tattoos were not only visually offensive, but also chained to a collective group of people who supposedly favoured the tainted road. Now, whether that is true or not we'll never really know. But, the likelihood of every tattooed grandparent living dangerously in their heyday? Now that's laughable, to say the least.
By Jord Tury6 years ago in Blush
By Snook: The Queen of Wondrous Hair Art
Lauren Snook, the braid artist from Bristol, has been making quite a footprint on the creative world these days. Unlike a lot of artists that dabble with a braid or two, our girl Snook has managed to snatch the attention of every eye in the market, with her unique styles and products. And, to be honest, there's a whole lot more to By Snook than we seemed to realise.
By Jord Tury6 years ago in Blush
9 Shocking Beauty Trends
Beauty trends come and go. The good ones stay, the bad one vanish and leave those who tried them wishing they never did upload that photo on their Instagram. So here are the list of beauty trends that are silly and were taken a little bit too far.
By Amy Roslan6 years ago in Blush