Someone who read my letter last month about Big Blepharoplasty commented, “it’s so rare to reach the end of a makeup article without being nudged to buy anything.” This made me realize I haven’t been shoving enough products down your throats, and prompted me to revisit my Holy Grails: MAKEUP spreadsheet.
You all love being told what to buy. Vanity Project’s top four articles are all my Holy Grails lists—explicit guides to shop my favorite things, with coordinating lists chock-full of affiliate links. See also: SKIN, HAIR, and BODY. Or maybe you just enjoy a voyeuristic peek into someone else’s medicine cabinet (though I would never keep my makeup in the bathroom—too humid, no chair).
My constant struggle is that, while I love shopping for cosmetics more than most things in life, I have an ethical obligation to only recommend products I can truly stand behind—even the ones you can only find on obscure websites or Mexican farmacias with no affiliate links. Did you know that most media outlets and influencers these days won’t even consider sharing a product which doesn’t have a monetary kick-back? Not WSJ (true ascetics, they don’t even accept free products for testing), and not me. Cash poor, rich in integrity—like a real journalist!
So don’t be surprised to see mostly familiar products on this year’s reboot of the Holy Grails: MAKEUP spreadsheet. There are a few demotions and a few additions, but the real grail is the tea I discovered along the way.
What you are about to read is a mix of tinfoil hat theorem and Watergate-level beauty journalism, if you’re scandalized by luxury brands fumbling their makeup lines. Let’s just say… Byred’oh!