Growing up as a second-generation tomboy, I had a blast. But I struggled to catch up as a teenager. I remember arriving at college and being baffled by the advanced knowledge of other students regarding hair, makeup, and posing in pictures. Where did they learn this!?
It took a long time for me to find a relationship to physical beauty that felt both accessible and interesting: a way to self-express, celebrate, and highlight my own beauty. To kill the “not like other girls” idea that had kept me away from the beauty industry AND to stop comparing myself to other faces, filters, bodies.
I began to experiment. Mercifully, time passed, and I started to love what I found!
Looking back on 2021, these are the beauty practices I want to celebrate.
Haircare
- The Curly Girl Hair Care method
Like many people, I discovered that my half-straight, half stick-outy hair was curly thanks to this wonderful method. It’s pretty involved and there are far better explanations available that I could share. But in order, the most important parts I follow are: don’t brush, iron, or use a terrycloth towel to dry; sleep on a satin pillowcase (or satin cap, which I prefer), and choose products that don’t have parabens or alcohols in them.
I can’t overstate what a difference this made. Feeling good about my natural hair went from “never” to “always.” Even for nice events, I can trust it will look good without a curling iron. It’s a night and day difference that I can’t attribute to anything else.
2. Shampoo & Conditioner
I’ve been hearing things for years about how we should all quit shampoo — my friends Alyssa and Gabe have the best curl definition of anyone I know, and they swear by it. My friend Hunter also swears by cold showers for health (and supposedly a cold rinse is great for hair shine). I am not brave enough and will stick with my shampoo and warm water for the time being.
My skin and hair are always dry, so I love Shea Moisture’s Curly Girl-compliant Curl & Shine set. Sometimes I’ll add a little tea tree oil to my shampoo. The leave-in conditioner (Curl Enhancing Smoothie) helps significantly with curl definition and preventing frizz, although it has a learning curve to avoid using too much and appearing greasy.
3. The Perfect Product
This year at a neighbor’s, I found my hair miracle. A single product that created volume, definition, and hold, abolishing frizz and giving me the shiny hair of my dreams–Main Character hair. It was Dry Bar’s “The Kicker” Finishing Wax, and it didn’t feel like wax, it felt like being kissed by an angel. At $25-30, it was on the pricier end of products I’d used before, but it was long-lasting and came with a ton in the bottle.
They discontinued it. I’ll never recover. Living Proof’s Instant De-Frizzer is acceptable but not the same.
Skincare
I’m a big fan of The Ordinary — in particular, their Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5. It feels good to apply: cool and kind of gel-like with no scent. Afterwards my skin is glowier, tighter, and perfectly moisturized. For a $7 product, that’s pretty impressive. The Ordinary’s Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG is also good for undereye circles, although with a much more modest effect.
The biggest improvement in my skin that I’ve ever seen, though, comes from really intense full-body exfoliating with a firm brush in the shower. It’s not for the faint of heart, but I’m getting the best shaves, circulation, and evenness of my life. I can’t prove this, but I think I’m even bruising less easily than I used to.
The other biggest trend I’m noticing in my skin is the effects of wearing a mask. I’m glad to do it and glad to be alive to do it! But despite wearing clean, well-fitting, breathable KN-95s, I find my skin hates them. You can see almost an outline of irritation and acne where the mask goes. If anybody has mask-relevant skincare tips, I’m all ears.
Makeup
For years, I’ve been a colorful eyeshadow person – a habit I credit to my high school uniform, which made life easier but left little opportunity for visual self-expression. Zoom call culture has no need for the subtleties of eyeshadow, though, so I’ve been sticking with the basics: defined eyes, bright lips, and enough blush not to look like a corpse.
Tarte Sex Kitten Liquid Liner ($20). I’ve tried tons of liquid liners, and this one is the gold standard. Pitch black, stays put, and is shockingly easy to apply for a liquid liner. For folks with deep-set eyes (that vanish into your cheeks when you smile) like me, this liner feels like a well-placed exclamation point.
Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush ($22) in Summertime Wine is a soft, easy-blending color that lasts all day. Previously, I tried Glossier’s Cloud Paint in Spark but wasn’t a fan.
For everyday foundation, I’m really happy with Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost ($10) in Classic Ivory. It includes Hyaluronic Acid, the same active ingredient as my favorite The Ordinary product above, and gives a nice evenness to my skin. A single bottle lasts a long time, too, making it a fantastic value.
Other products I don’t feel as strongly about. Still looking for my holy grail lipstick in particular – a long-lasting cream lipstick in red. It doesn’t exist. Pat McGrath’s MatteTrance lipstick ($14) in Forbidden Love is close, but no cigar.
Clothing
I’ve happily joined the Millennial / zoomer trend of shopping exclusively vintage or second-hand. It’s a satisfying creative challenge: to spend less and waste less while curating a look that’s both current and deeply personal.
While I still wouldn’t consider myself fashion-literate, I’ve loved looking to designers for inspiration this year. Zimmermann’s “The Postcard” RTW Spring 2022 collection was my favorite of the year – a perfect blend of bohemian looseness and preppy tailoring that felt like pure imagination. Masha Popova’s latest makes color interesting again, and I liked what Elie Saab did with black-on-black.
Fear of God’s Spring-Summer 2021 menswear collection is a perfect compliment to these: every piece feels weathered, structured, and effortlessly masculine.
Again, I don’t buy any of these. But when I’m hunting at vintage and thrift shops, they form a style guide of sorts – along with my permanent rules of 1) nothing wrinkled, 2) nothing damaged, 3) nothing I have to alter.
Trends
GOOD: Nicola Coughlan’s big sleeves, monochrome, acid wash denim, turtlenecks, elevated tie dye.
BAD: Giant blocky eyebrows are finally going away, which makes me happy. I’m still waiting for the end of tiny sunglasses, dad shoes, low-rise jeans, and, well, this. Last on the list is cutouts — everyone’s doing it and it’s boring.
But anyway. Happy New Year! Hoping that clothes feel more like art and less like a prison for all of us.