Hi! TGIF!
What’s your win of the week? My sister and I just did ours over FaceTime. Mine: sending a text I’d been putting off out of fear of hurting someone’s feelings. Clear, kind, honest communication is always appreciated, even if it’s uncomfortable sometimes. Callie’s win was that a patient told her, “You’re the best nurse I’ve ever had.” Fabulous bedside manner, that girl. You’re all winners in my book.
Onto makeup! I’m a brown-mascara person. My eyelashes are strawberry blonde, and brown just feels less harsh than black. Most people wouldn’t notice a huge difference, but when I switched a few years ago, one of my friends clocked it right away.
The thing is, most makeup brands don’t make brown mascara. Or if they do, the brush is wrong and the mascara goes on clumpy (my nightmare). I’ve even jury-rigged a wand from one brand and used it with a brown mascara formula from another. Messy. So, today I’ve rounded up some good brown mascaras worth trying.
My mascara type: long, shiny, separated lashes that look natural.
Tower28 ($20) - My go-to and holy grail. It’s a tubing formula, so you don’t get sooty undereyes.
Glossier ($20) - Lash Slick is exactly like it sounds — like you just got out of the shower.
Westman Atelier ($45) - I haven’t tried this one yet, but this girl sold me. (Immediately saved her wedding-guest makeup routine.) The brush is chunkier than I’d normally go for, but I like what it appears to be doing.
Benefit ($29) - This lengthens and separates like a dream. The brown is new!
Ilia ($29) - Same story: A great non-clumpy formula, now available in brown. Finally.
Thrive Cosmetics ($26) - Great mascara, seven shades, including a solid brown
E.l.f ($6) - Honorable mention for this $6 brown mascara. E.l.f. remains my favorite affordable makeup brand across categories.
Now onto open-tab recs:
If you’re like me and need a cute carry-on bag with a trolley sleeve, I’ve been sent this one at least five times.
This week’s Ask Polly column was incredible. An impressive, smart, intuitive mother asks, How do I trust myself? A lot of good stuff about unlearning the productivity mindset.
A bagel order that inspired me: tuna salad on pumpernickel.
I have baby brain this week. My friend’s sister had a gorgeous, stunning, handsome baby boy, and I’m obsessed with him. Plus, I loved reading this essay from a new dad who didn’t bond with his baby right away — it came later.
Speaking of, I loved these clips of Penn Badgley on Call Her Daddy talking about fatherhood.
“party 4 u” has been on repeat, so I’ll leave you with this:
Happy weekend! I have to get ready for a MAGIC SHOW!
Love,
Megan