I'm back with another edition of The Cut, with a bunch of new makeup, clothes, and accessories to discuss. What was great? What was not so great? Let's dive right in since we have a lot to talk about this month.
Made the Cut
MERIT Signature Lip
MERIT's long-awaited lipstick, Signature Lip ($26), launched at the end of February and, as I mentioned in my Instagram Reel about it, they're fantastic. I bought six of the eight launch colors — Slip, Baby, Cabo, Tiger, L'Avenue, and 1990 — and loved every single color. I can't remember the last time I bought that many lipsticks at once and loved every color. The formula is a hydrating satin finish that's buildable, and while it definitely gets pretty opaque with more layers, it still maintains just a hint of sheerness.
Slip was my favorite shade, truly a my-lips-but-better color. But again, I loved all of them, and choosing a favorite is really hard. At $26 a lipstick they're not exactly very budget friendly, and it's a price that I think is slightly overpriced despite how great I think they are. But if you want to treat yourself to a lipstick that looks great on your lips and sitting on your vanity (the amber-colored component is the best-looking of all of MERIT's makeup), this one's for you.
Madewell Court Sneakers | Neutral Leather and Suede
I absolutely did not need another pair or shoes and certainly didn't need another pair of sneakers when I dropped into one of my local Madewells and saw the Court Sneakers $98) on display. But after months and months of telling myself I wanted a pair and continuing to put off buying them, I finally decided to pull the trigger and do it.
I got the Neutral Leather and Suede combo and really love how the pops of mustard and blue work so well with the tannish-blush and white. They're comfortable and didn't require breaking in (and I actually got a compliment on them the first time I wore them). I wear a size 6 in most shoes and pretty much all sneakers, and the 6 in these fit perfectly. Not too big or small. Prepare to want to wear these all the time, especially when you realize how versatile they are even with the little pops of color. There are also lots of other color combos available if this one isn't up your alley. (I want to get the white pair next.)
Madewell Transport Camera Bag | Muted Olive
I've owned the smaller Transport Camera Bag in English Saddle for a couple of years now and it's one of my most-used purses, frequently appearing on my Instagram account. It goes with so many different looks, holds a lot of stuff for its size (at its most packed and still able to zip I've had my wallet, phone, keys, an umbrella, and some makeup in there), and has a unique look. Madewell recently released it in a pretty green shade, Muted Olive ($128), and I couldn't resist grabbing it on the same trip I picked up the sneakers. (I actually went to Madewell just for the purse, but we all know how well telling yourself "I'm only here for one thing" works out when you're shopping...)
There's not too much to say beyond what I've already said about why it's such a great bag, and the Muted Olive isn't any different than the English Saddle beyond the color. But it's nice having two different options of my much-loved bag, and the shade of green is muted enough for my neutral shade preferences while still adding a touch of color to an outfit.
Vans x Sandy Liang Chore Coat
This isn't the first time I've featured a Sandy Liang collaboration piece on my blog, and with good reason. She has an eye for great prints and a love for 90s/2000s nostalgia, which wind up manifesting into very cute pieces of clothing. Last time it was her collaboration with Target, this time it's her collaboration with Vans.
While I was aware she released a number of different pairs of shoes with Vans, I didn't know she also came out with clothes. I stumbled across the Chore Coat ($140) in her collection by accident on an impromptu trip to the Vans Store and fell in love with it. The neutral-colored cotton canvas features black embroidered flowers all over and a black corduroy collar. It has the phrase "Lower East Side Lover" embroidered on the back of the collar, which I don't really care for given that I have no attachment or connection to New York City, but it's easily ignorable. The coat has a quilted lining, is thick and well made, and buttons down the front with snaps. This is such a cute jacket and the pattern is fun to pair with a graphic tee. It's earned a permanent place in my wardrobe.
Flower Beauty Get Real Serum Foundation | Warm Beige
It's hard for me to walk into a drug store and not take a pass through the cosmetics, which is exactly how I came to try Flower Beauty's Get Real Serum Foundation ($15). One of the only foundations I own (and rarely use) is The Ordinary's Serum Foundation, so I was curious to compare Flower Beauty's formula. It didn't hurt that it was on sale for ten bucks (and if CVS's digital coupon was working like it should've that day, the bottle would've only been two bucks).
One of the drawbacks of taking a chance on drugstore foundations is the lack of testers. It took a while trying to compare shades in the frosted glass bottles, but I finally settled on Warm Beige (and was using the swatches and undertone descriptions on Flower's site to help guide my decision). My skin tone is usually in the light-medium range for foundations and is somewhere between neutral and olive depending on how much sun my skin has seen, but Flower's shade descriptions were really throwing me off. The first "light to medium" shade on their site looks very medium and has pink undertones while Warm Beige was described as a light shade with neutral undertones. I went with Warm Beige and hoped it was the right call.
At first, when I applied the foundation to my face, I got really worried that I chose a color that was too light. It looked accurate on the makeup sponge, but too light as I blended it out. But after checking three other mirrors in my house, all in natural light in different rooms, it appeared to be a perfect match to my skin. I wear NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Macadamia and it seemed to blend seamlessly together with the foundation. The Flower foundation has more staying power than The Ordinary's, though I look pretty oily by the end of the day when wearing either, a consequence of being very oily-skinned and wearing a foundation intended to create the dewy skin look. The oiliness is less pronounced with the Flower foundation, and ultimately wore pretty well by the end of the day and didn't develop any patches of broken up product on my face. I would repurchase and think this is a good product (especially for the price).
Didn't Make the Cut
Mad Hippie Cheek & Lip Tint | Fig
This one was a disappointment for me, and I think might be the first "appeared in my Instagram feed" purchase that hasn't worked out. After getting a sponsored post in my feed from Mad Hippie for their Cheek & Lip Tint, I decided to head to their site to take a look. Mad Hippie isn't exactly my sort of brand (and "hippie" is about the last word I'd use to describe myself), but I do love multi-use makeup products like cheek & lip tints. They only have three colors, and Fig was the closest to anything I'd wear day to day.
One issue is that the Cheek & Lip Tint in Fig in the product shots/swatches looked so much different than the product on their models. The color is a much, much darker reddish-brown hue in the pot than on the models, on whom it appeared as a much lighter, almost rosewood shade. When I got it and opened up the pot, it was definitely closer to the color in the product shots, and when I put it on it looked nothing like it does on the models. Maybe they were wearing the sheerest, lightest wash of the color possible, but this isn't a shade I'd wear very often. It's not ugly, it's just too much in the wine/berry family and I tend to not like wearing those shades and especially as lip color. The product swatch online also appears more reddish-brown than the almost wine-colored shade I received; had it been closer to the product shot, I might've liked this more.
I also didn't care for the fact that the product stained my ring finger, even though I washed off the excess product immediately after application. Either apply this with a Q-tip or lipstick brush or be prepared for some light skin staining. While I might use this color every so often, I definitely won't be repurchasing.
Be sure to check back next month for another round of products that made the cut and didn't, and thanks for reading my monthly series, The Cut.
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