The necessities
I love lists of beauty product "classics" and "must-haves" for some reason. I suppose the appeal is that I'm always looking for THE perfect product that I can just have on order via Amazon's Subscribe & Save and never have to think about shopping for again. Not that this ever works--I get bored, the product stops working so well, I find something else I like better (mostly I get bored).
Naturally, then, I was intrigued when WWD posted this image on their tumblr
along with this slightly ridiculous caption:
"In the words of Edward Bulwer-Lytton, “The classics are always modern.” These 21 products more than prove the maxim. Now the stuff of legend, they have made a lasting impression on consumers-and sales."
I mean really--Edward Bulwer-Lytton? They must have looked that one up in a dictionary of quotations. And wtf is there no list? The picture is just slightly too small to see exactly what everything is and it doesn't embiggen (for shame!)
Though of course the busy bees of tumblr-dom, all of whom reblogged this (I can't believe how many nice but boring girls who are obsessed with makeup and fashion have tumblrs) came up with a list which seems fairly accurate:
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat (one “sold every 10 seconds”), Benefit Benetint, Angel perfume, NARS Orgasm blush (“one of which is sold every 30 seconds”), Maybelline Great Lash mascara, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (one “sold every 4.8 seconds”), Dior DiorShow mascara (the original one), Shu Uemura Cleansing oil (“one bottle is sold every 20 seconds”…how do they measure the bottle-per-second speed of selling?), Cover Girl Clean Makeup foundation, Chanel No. 5, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, Essie Ballet Slippers, L’Oreal Paris Elnett hair spray (“1.3 cans sold every minute in the US”), John Frieda Frizz-Ease Serum, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, Cetaphil Cleanser, Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, La Mer Creme de la Mer, Olay Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid, MAC Spice Lip Pencil, and Revlon Fire & Ice Lipstick.
(from a nice but probably boring girl's tumblr)
So of course now I have to give MY opinion on each of these, and suggest alternatives (if any ...)
1. YSL Touche Eclat: I always though this was too expensive and I never really had dark circles under my eyes when I was younger. And my dark circles now are due to aging, which I don't think this would help with. Pass.
2. Benefit Benetint: I find any of these lip tints way too drying, plus I have naturally pink lips, so I just use Cherry Chapstick.
3. Angel perfume: Never tried it, it's always seemed way too 80s to me.
4. NARS Orgasm blush: Yup, it's great and looks very natural. I have a travel version (I stopped buying fullsize makeup a while ago, because I just never use it up) and I like it.
5. Maybelline Great Lash: I never understood the hype. Maybelline must pay kickbacks.
6. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion: I just use sunblock. I only use moisturizer in the very driest part of the winter, anyway. But I guess this one is OK (I have tried it many years ago).
7. Dior DiorShow mascara: Haven't tried. I've been using the L'Oreal Beauty Tubes and Blinc tube mascara because they don't flake and get into your eyes, they don't smear, and they are very easy to remove. But not everybody likes the texture.
8. Shu Uemura cleansing oil: This stuff is fine, but it's expensive for something that's not WOW, I think. Plus I don't like the green tea scent (I don't know if it comes in other scents). The special-edition bottles with labels drawn by manga artists are really cute though.
9. Cover Girl clean makeup foundation: I never wear foundation! I had some Bobbi Brown stuff I liked once, but then I turned out to be allergic to it.
10. Chanel No 5: Absolutely a classic, but I am over my Chanel phase.
11. Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour Cream: Love the way it smells, but there is no way my skin is dry enough to put this on it. It's good for cuticles and lips and stuff, but so is vaseline (which is basically what this is).
12. Essie Ballet Slippers nail polish: I don't wear pale pale pink polish, it looks silly on me. Maybe this is a classic for blonde girls.
13. L'Oreal Elnett hair spray: I guess if I ever need to make a fancy 'do stay up, I know what to buy. But I haven't had my hair done since my wedding.
14. John Frieda Frizz-Ease serum: This works, though I don't use it any more. I use the living proof no frizz stuff. Though they both gum your hair up after a while.
15. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick: I never use bronzer, it seems kind of dumb to me. But then, I am not naturally pale. I do have a travel-size NARS bronzer that I use on occasion.
16. Cetaphil Cleanser: Not really useful if you have oily skin. But inoffensive enough.
17. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair: Honestly, I have NVER seen the need for anything like this. Maybe when I'm 70.
18. La Mer Creme de la Mer: Again, my skin seldom needs any type of heavy-duty intervention. Maybe I might use the hand-cream version, but it is SUPER expensive.
19. Olay Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid: I like this, but again, I would rather use a day moisturizer with SPF.
20. MAC Spice Lip Pencil: It's too orangey for me, and who uses lip liner any more? But the consistency/texture is nice.
21. Revlon Fire & Ice Lipstick: Oh, come ON. My mom used this. My grandma probably did too. Which probably means it is a classic, rather than just utterly old-school. But it is cheap.
I'm on the "these really aren't classics" side of the debate, now that I think about it. You? Clearly it's an individual thing (and most of these "classics" seem aimed at a particular type, as opposed to being universal. But can "classics" be universal?)
Naturally, then, I was intrigued when WWD posted this image on their tumblr
along with this slightly ridiculous caption:
"In the words of Edward Bulwer-Lytton, “The classics are always modern.” These 21 products more than prove the maxim. Now the stuff of legend, they have made a lasting impression on consumers-and sales."
I mean really--Edward Bulwer-Lytton? They must have looked that one up in a dictionary of quotations. And wtf is there no list? The picture is just slightly too small to see exactly what everything is and it doesn't embiggen (for shame!)
Though of course the busy bees of tumblr-dom, all of whom reblogged this (I can't believe how many nice but boring girls who are obsessed with makeup and fashion have tumblrs) came up with a list which seems fairly accurate:
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat (one “sold every 10 seconds”), Benefit Benetint, Angel perfume, NARS Orgasm blush (“one of which is sold every 30 seconds”), Maybelline Great Lash mascara, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (one “sold every 4.8 seconds”), Dior DiorShow mascara (the original one), Shu Uemura Cleansing oil (“one bottle is sold every 20 seconds”…how do they measure the bottle-per-second speed of selling?), Cover Girl Clean Makeup foundation, Chanel No. 5, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, Essie Ballet Slippers, L’Oreal Paris Elnett hair spray (“1.3 cans sold every minute in the US”), John Frieda Frizz-Ease Serum, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, Cetaphil Cleanser, Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, La Mer Creme de la Mer, Olay Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid, MAC Spice Lip Pencil, and Revlon Fire & Ice Lipstick.
(from a nice but probably boring girl's tumblr)
So of course now I have to give MY opinion on each of these, and suggest alternatives (if any ...)
1. YSL Touche Eclat: I always though this was too expensive and I never really had dark circles under my eyes when I was younger. And my dark circles now are due to aging, which I don't think this would help with. Pass.
2. Benefit Benetint: I find any of these lip tints way too drying, plus I have naturally pink lips, so I just use Cherry Chapstick.
3. Angel perfume: Never tried it, it's always seemed way too 80s to me.
4. NARS Orgasm blush: Yup, it's great and looks very natural. I have a travel version (I stopped buying fullsize makeup a while ago, because I just never use it up) and I like it.
5. Maybelline Great Lash: I never understood the hype. Maybelline must pay kickbacks.
6. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion: I just use sunblock. I only use moisturizer in the very driest part of the winter, anyway. But I guess this one is OK (I have tried it many years ago).
7. Dior DiorShow mascara: Haven't tried. I've been using the L'Oreal Beauty Tubes and Blinc tube mascara because they don't flake and get into your eyes, they don't smear, and they are very easy to remove. But not everybody likes the texture.
8. Shu Uemura cleansing oil: This stuff is fine, but it's expensive for something that's not WOW, I think. Plus I don't like the green tea scent (I don't know if it comes in other scents). The special-edition bottles with labels drawn by manga artists are really cute though.
9. Cover Girl clean makeup foundation: I never wear foundation! I had some Bobbi Brown stuff I liked once, but then I turned out to be allergic to it.
10. Chanel No 5: Absolutely a classic, but I am over my Chanel phase.
11. Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour Cream: Love the way it smells, but there is no way my skin is dry enough to put this on it. It's good for cuticles and lips and stuff, but so is vaseline (which is basically what this is).
12. Essie Ballet Slippers nail polish: I don't wear pale pale pink polish, it looks silly on me. Maybe this is a classic for blonde girls.
13. L'Oreal Elnett hair spray: I guess if I ever need to make a fancy 'do stay up, I know what to buy. But I haven't had my hair done since my wedding.
14. John Frieda Frizz-Ease serum: This works, though I don't use it any more. I use the living proof no frizz stuff. Though they both gum your hair up after a while.
15. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick: I never use bronzer, it seems kind of dumb to me. But then, I am not naturally pale. I do have a travel-size NARS bronzer that I use on occasion.
16. Cetaphil Cleanser: Not really useful if you have oily skin. But inoffensive enough.
17. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair: Honestly, I have NVER seen the need for anything like this. Maybe when I'm 70.
18. La Mer Creme de la Mer: Again, my skin seldom needs any type of heavy-duty intervention. Maybe I might use the hand-cream version, but it is SUPER expensive.
19. Olay Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid: I like this, but again, I would rather use a day moisturizer with SPF.
20. MAC Spice Lip Pencil: It's too orangey for me, and who uses lip liner any more? But the consistency/texture is nice.
21. Revlon Fire & Ice Lipstick: Oh, come ON. My mom used this. My grandma probably did too. Which probably means it is a classic, rather than just utterly old-school. But it is cheap.
I'm on the "these really aren't classics" side of the debate, now that I think about it. You? Clearly it's an individual thing (and most of these "classics" seem aimed at a particular type, as opposed to being universal. But can "classics" be universal?)