Makeup Case: All the Lush Products Forever

In the land of yuppie bath products, Lush reigns supreme. Lush promises fresh, vegetarian, ethically-sourced products that are not tested on animals. Lush products carry a heftier price tag than your average drug store product, but I've found that their products are nicer. I also like to "vote with my dollars" when I can and am fortunate enough that I can afford to buy more ethically sourced products.

Caveat emptor: my hair is not your hair, my skin is not the same as your skin, etc. I have straight, flat, fine hair and dry-sensitive skin, if that helps.

Unity: Guadalupe "Lupe" Cruz

We first meet Lupe at a freshly minted age 14, the summer before she starts high school. Lupe is the youngest of three girls and the only member of her family born in Connecticut. Her parents were high school sweethearts in a small Texas town. When Monica was three and Danielle was an infant, the family moved to Unity. This was before the influx of immigrants (mostly from the Dominican Republic), so a Hispanic family in a majority white town drew some nasty comments. Lupe's parents responded by christening their third daughter with the most "Spanish-sounding" name they could muster and enrolling themselves and their daughters in Spanish classes.

Now Lupe lives in two worlds. She's the only one in her immediate family fully fluent in Spanish and English, placing her in the awkward position of translating for her mother and her maternal grandmother when they want to have a serious conversation over the phone. Her two best friends are complete opposites, so Lupe often acts as the go-between. She's almost in high school, straddling the line between kid and adult. Her ethnicity makes her an outsider in her conservative hometown, but it's still the only home she's ever known. And Lupe has a knack for finding the pockets of weirdness in Unity, especially these strange, supernatural occurrences that no adult ever seems to acknowledge...

Julep December It Girl Box (Plus Two More)

I'd like to start the new year with a review of last month's It Girl box. In my defense, last month I was far too busy painting my nails for Christmas or Hanukkah or New Year's parties to write up a formal review. It had nothing to do with laziness at all!

Left to right: Rochelle, Aurora, Sharna, Soleil, Paula

Rochelle is a "boysenberry shimmer." I did not know that boysenberries were so pink, but this is a lovely color that I was proud to glop all over my thumb.

Aurora is what some might call "silver" but Julep calls "melted platinum chrome."

Sharna is a bronze microglitter that delivers on its promise of full coverage.

Soleil is "rose gold chrome." I think rose gold is super hot right now? FASHION.

Paula is the color that made me add the extra polish duo. Described as "Persian blue with gold microshimmer," its prettiness defies camera capture, but I tried.

Metallics with a side of boysenberry and Persia.

I was happy with all three It Girl colors, all of which I thought were great New Year's Eve party colors. What also makes me happy is that holiday sets were an add-on option but not part of the monthly boxes by default. Good job, Julep! Paula is still my favorite of the bunch, but the other four tie for second place.

Why is photographing nail polish so hard?!

In love with Julep's polishes? Feel the need for a subscription? Feel free to use my referral link.