pop culture
The intersection between beauty and pop culture; all about beauty icons, trendsetters, top makeup brands and beyond.
How The Use Of Cosmetics In Popular Culture Effect Our Daily Life
From the beginning of humankind, cosmetics have been widely used for many purposes. From a sociological perspective, cosmetic use reveals deep symbolism and external manipulation issues.
Dear Colourpop, Please Collab With These Brands...
Colourpop recently announced a collab with Lizzie McGuire, and while I currently have no plans to pick it up, I confess that it is an interesting concept. I’ve considered picking up a few of their prior collaborations but have never actually gone through with any of those purchases. So, what franchise collab would end up in my cart?
Merlot Led Love
Merlot Led Love It’s my wedding day! I can’t believe I, Olivia Baxter, will soon be Mrs. Ellington! This day must be everything I imagined and more. I wonder if people think that since this is also our anniversary that we are doing “too much”? What if someone objects? What if he has cold feet? He better not! Well, wait! What if I have cold feet? My foster sister and maid of honor can tell I’m letting my emotions and imagination get the better of me. She motions towards me grabs my hand, looks me straight in my eyes, and whispers, “Don’t you dare”, she says while smiling so others won’t notice my almost nervous breakdown. “I’m trying to Violet. Help me”, I say through my teeth while trying to produce a real smile. Violet has been the only one who understood me. When my family first took me in, I was wild, distant, broken and it showed. While others would become frustrated, her sweet soul seems to always calm me down. Her love for me as her sister, as though not by blood, was real. I could feel it. I know it. That is what helped me grow out of that, ‘no one wants me’ type of behavior. Granted I still have some issues with relationships and getting close to people. Maybe that was the problem. she was the only one I was myself with. Honestly, I do not know why Tyler wants to marry someone like me. He knows I’m still working on my intimacy issues and says it doesn’t bother him but I can feel his energy. I know it weighs on him. Violet grabs my arm and pulls me down the hall of our house to our parent’s room. She pulls out our favorite bottle of Chateau Petrus Pomerol, 2008. We both become so excited as if we were young children about to partake in a 'grown-up' drink. This rush of rather or not we will get caught permeated through us! “Shhhh! Someone might hear us, Violet!” I said in a hushed tone. Violet, unafraid, replied, “Where’s your sense of adventure? You are getting married you know! That’s an adventure of its own!” We both laugh and snuck the bottle to what used to be our room growing up. We slowly pour Pomerol. We both sniff the earthy scent of our glass and release an, “Ahhhh.” “Let’s make a toast...” she says with much excitement. “...to a long and healthy marriage!” A pit begins to form in my stomach. I almost forgot this was all happening today. We take our first sip. “Vi, promise me. Promise that we always be how we are. We will always be sister-friends.” Violet tilts her head to the side and smiles. “Olivia…” I cut her off to say, “Promise me!” She says very sincerely, “I promise.”
April LillardPublished 28 days ago in Blush
Becoming a Podcaster
Starting a podcast was a vision that I created in my mind ever since I started listening to various podcast shows. My favorite type of show is true-crime. I've always had an interest in true crime and the elements of the stories told. Maybe, it is because of my 30 years of experience working in the criminal justice system, or maybe it is my forensic psychology background in studying the criminal mind. But then, I have another type of interest; hair I love talking about African-American hair. I love buying hair products and experimenting with my hair. The black hair industry is a billion to trillion dollar industry with many products that are manufactured for us to purchase. Each product attempts to convince us that whatever ingredients that are in the product will help to moisturize, soften or promote growth in our hair. So of course, I tried all type of products to challenge their claims. My hair was essentially like a laboratory, where I would experiment with this style, that product, this treatment, that conditioning, etc., with some positive results and some negative. I'd figured if I'm a hair product "junkie"; addicted to buying different hair products, there must be others out here who are the same.
Harriet West-MoorePublished 2 months ago in Blush
Millennials - A Generation of Zero Confidence
The state of body confidence It’s not new information that media can have damaging effects on our self-esteem. So many of us have learnt to feel that way through television and magazine covers from a young age. At one point, we were all blissfully unaware of how we looked as children, rocking that second-skin swimsuit without a care in the world. Over time, this changed, and we became aware of things by comparing ourselves to others. This comparison has simply been made much more accessible at our fingertips.
Caitlin PurvisPublished 3 months ago in BlushA TikTok Trend You Don't Have to Fake
We've all made heroic attempts to hide the signs of aging. And in the age of the influencer, beauty brands have benefited. Helping to drive the growth of beauty products to a $532 billion industry.
Katherine BennettPublished 3 months ago in Blush
Make up and Murder
Being a beauty vlogger is hard in 2020. The big named YouTubers also frequently get exposed as misogynistic racists leading to fans trying to discover new gurus. Because of the pandemic, more and more people are staying home with their Morphy eyeshadow palettes and ring cameras. More and more people are convinced that they can be beauty gurus, even though they can barely apply eyeliner. It’s honestly hard to identify anything original in the glut of content.
Veronica ValentinePublished 4 months ago in BlushRetail Stories: "I Want Sample of This"
I've worked on multiple retail jobs and collected a lot of interesting stories. I still think back to the experiences... Cosmetic sellers nowadays all have some kind of sampling program. Samples are meant for you to try and see if the product is suitable for your skin, meaning if you will get any reactions to it. In terms of skincare products, the samples are not a means for you to try and see results, as for you to see results of any product it is recommended for you to use it for weeks, or specifically 28-40 days as that is the normal rate of skin cell turnover.
StorytellerPublished 4 months ago in BlushRetail Stories: "OMG! What is That?!"
I've worked on multiple retail jobs and collected a lot of interesting stories. I still think back to the experiences... Whenever I think of retail fraud, I think of this particular one, as it happens so ever often. As serious as it is, I find this incident quite amusing and entertaining, though I do sincerely feel bad for the colleague that it had happened to.
StorytellerPublished 5 months ago in Blush
Beauty- An Individual Choice or a Construct?
When talking about beauty one must keep an open mind. What one finds true beauty someone else might find outrageous, weird or even ugly. There is no such thing as ultimate true beauty because you can not compare beauty. We do not live all following the same standards or principles; we do not have the same ideals. We are different, so is beauty.
Red My Lips
The color red is often associated with danger or used as a warning. It has also been used to show resistance and courage. One group has taken the color to another level and created a movement with cosmetics. With the pandemic causing tensions to run high as we are forced to stay home, this has created another global crisis. Domestic abuse has risen worldwide as more families are forced to stay home with the added stress of Covid-19. UN Secretary General António Guterres tweets, “I urge all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic,” as layoffs and record unemployment cause surges in domestic violence cases. One organization is using cosmetics to bring this violence to light and empower people all over the world to fight back and support the people affected. You can join the movement, too, and it's as easy as opening your makeup bag.
Beauty At A Bargain
So you really don't have to break the bank to be beautiful. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I know a lot of girls use beauty products as a way to entice men, but some girls have beauty routines because they like it.
Kathy WilliamsPublished 5 months ago in Blush
