Beauty Digest #01

Unpacking my latest obsessions about all things beauty (hint: this newsletter is all about cool tones and nude lipstick).

The 90s nudes rereleases of MACXIMAL Silky Matte Lipstick

From watching influencers hoard MAC’s OG 90s nude lipsticks from eBay to discovering how hard it is to find pale cool-toned nudes in physical stores, MAC’s rerelease of the 90s cool-toned lipsticks felt not only aptly timed, but also too good to be true.

Yash, Acting Natural, Folio, Fleshpot and Stone are the cool-toned rereleases, with Cool Teddy being a new addition – a cool pink update on the classic Teddy. I first searched for the launch at the Herald Square Ulta, which I frequent on my lunch breaks. To my dismay, the display was not only hidden in the back of the store but half of the products were either missing from the display or on display but completely sold out. The displays also weren’t “testers.”

This MLK weekend this year, I planned a trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to see my family and made sure to hit up Ulta, located in the area’s prime mass shopping hub (which opened roughly 8 years ago, finally bringing a Whole Foods and Nordstrom Rack to my humble hometown). As a city girl, suburban Ultas and Sephoras are the epitome of luxury - nearly every shade is in stock and no stolen testers. I went straight to the MAC counter, and lo and behold found every single nude shade at my fingertips. I immediately swatched everything from Fleshpot to Stone.