As you might imagine, the last two months have been extremely busy for me. The final weeks of wedding planning really caught up with me and I got way behind in my writing, but I've finally found the time to sit down and catch back up on my monthly series. September didn't yield a ton of new products I was interested in trying, but the ones I did try were fantastic and have now become go-to's.
Made the Cut
Le Labo | Musc 25
I've been wearing Le Labo perfumes for a few years now, and while the prices are, frankly, eye watering, the lasting power and uniqueness of the scents make them worth it to me. I bought my first bottles in 2018 and they finally turned (went bad) this year, so longevity is another point in their favor.
I went into my closest Le Labo to refill my scents — Gaiac 10 and An0ther 13 — and made the mistake of going in 1. during September, the City Exclusives event when all city-exclusive scents are available to purchase in all Le Labo stores, and 2. allowing myself to smell all of them. Sure enough, I wound up finding a new scent I fell in love with: Musc 25, the Los Angeles city scent. It smells like old Hollywood, back when it was glamorous: a little powdery but not stuffy or overwhelming, a little floral, and clean. It's such a pretty scent that fades nicely and has very nice lasting power. I spray this and I'm smelling it all day.
Which leads to a small aside: I'm not sure if this is just the result of the mix done by the technician or if this is indicative of a larger problem at Le Labo, but I noticed that when I got my new bottles of Gaiac and An0ther, the staying power wasn't quite as good as I remember it. They still last unquestionably longer than most of my other perfumes, with the exception of Byredo, but even the new bottle of Mojave Ghost that I got recently seems to last a shorter amount of time than a few years back. Not sure if this is just bad luck or the perfume industry simultaneously rising prices and reducing staying quality and power. Just something to note, but the issue isn't bad enough for me to stop recommending Le Labo.
Glossier Generation G | Malt + Fuzz
Glossier's Generaton G matte lipstick is another product I've been using for years, since back when the component was thinner and more pocket friendly (bring it back, Glossier). After years of having the same handful of colors in their permanent color line, they finally introduced three new colors in September: Malt, Fuzz, and Punch ($18 each). Leo is my go-to, favorite shade, but I also like Cake, so I knew Malt and Fuzz were right up my alley.
The formula is the same so if you're familiar with and like Generation G, no worries — nothing has changed. Fuzz is a very flattering taupe-rose shade, and Malt is a deeper shade of Leo. I really loved both of these colors and they've been in regular rotation since they got delivered.
Kosas Revealer Concealer | Tone 5.5
Like most makeup-wearing women, I have my tried and true, never-fail concealers, but I also like experimenting with new concealers that look interesting. I follow Violette_FR on Instagram and they regularly post makeup looks using their own products in tandem with other brands' products (which I appreciate, as opposed to other brands, makeup or not, that seem to think they're above showing their products worn or used with other brands', which is how most consumers use or wear their products). Violette_FR uses Kosas' Revealer Concealer ($28) often, and I loved how creamy and smooth it looked when blended out.
On a trip to Sephora in September for something else, I walked past the Kosas display and saw the concealer there. I got matched in-store and they happened to have one tube left of my shade, Tone 5.5 (medium with olive undertones). This is a fantastic concealer (and a little goes a long way, so don't overapply) that blends out really nicely and lasts. I also don't get raccoon eyes with this one; my mascara doesn't transfer onto it. It doesn't crease under my eyes and just looks fresh all day. If you're looking for a creamy, fresh-looking concealer, give this one a shot (and get color matched if you can in-store at Sephora because it was a little daunting trying to figure out what was going to work among all the shades).
Didn't Make the Cut
Nothing! This was a good month. Not too many new products, but all of them were great and products that have entered into my regular product rotations.
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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