Beginning this post, I realized how often I want to preface these things with updates about the weather. It's completely mundane, somewhat irrelevant, and yet I find it important enough to discuss. Whatever. Did you know it's going to warm up later in the week, if you leave on the East Coast?
I wanted this to be a relaxing round of Pet Peeves. This is not an "Unpopular Opinions" post, nor self-aggrandizement in any way. Just a commentary on certain trends that I don't find to be helpful.
1.) Creative liberty with the term "drugstore." I've definitely talked about it on my blog before, but this tendency to equate "affordable" with "drugstore" is so misleading and annoying. Let me get this out of the way. Colourpop is not drugstore. An American buying Makeup Revolution from Ulta is not drugstore. Hush is not drugstore. This all has to do with accessibility. The drugstore was, and still is, a place where many can buy affordable make up. We know what the drugstore brands are. We do not have to pay shipping costs for them. I make a point of not conflating the two because no, Colourpop is not accessible in the same ways Covergirl is, so we need to stop pretending that is the case.
If I am going to be really salty, I think some bloggers do this to appear to be open in terms of using all price points. But there is still a stigma with drugstore products and brands, that definitely comes across as classist at times. And to suggest that Colourpop has the same "drugstore" connotations as a brand as Revlon is very unrealistic.
2.) Another pet peeve is a type of swatching people do. Now, I do a little of both finger swatches and brush swatches on this blog- whatever suits my fancy. But there is nothing as quite as disappointing as when a blogger offers as their swatches the product on the tips of their fingers. What purpose does that serve? We can see the color, but not the texture or finish. Ultimately, it feels really very lazy.
3.) Presenting only one kind of technique. This really depends on the skill level of the blogger, because maybe they only know one technique, or only care to know one technique. But then again, there's good technique and bad technique, which may work out differently for different people. I just don't like when one kind of style or technique becomes the only one to do.
For example, I cannot stand a shimmery color on my brow bone. I think it's gross. I've got hair there, mingling with a frosted shadow- and in a lot of videos I've seen, that bit of skin always comes out looking textured. I find it not that great of a technique- but so many people do it!
Another one is this thing about setting eyeshadow primer. Don't get me wrong, I do this. I prime my lids, and then set my brow bone and crease with a light powder. If I am wearing shimmer, I leave the lid alone so the shimmer will stick to the primer.
However, let's say you want your crease color to deepen a bit. You don't have to set your lid with a powder! It all depends on the effect you want!
4.) Selectivity in advocacy. This has come up time and time again, especially in the wake of the Tarte scandal. People continuing to use Tarte, people promoting brands with just as limited shade ranges, bloggers and racial slurs. I think so many people are worried about self-promotion and controlling a narrative they don't have control over. But for me, it just makes it easier to avoid giving my time and money to trash. #wayharsh
I think that's enough for now. Any pet peeves that I missed?
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