Being a New Yorker for 21 years made me incredibly efficient. Couple that with my freelance status for 14 of those years and you have a person who doesn’t waste a second. When you’re paying New York City rent solo — and you’re not getting paid when you’re not working, you kind of figure out how to work all the time. This is both good and bad, of course.
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So in terms of efficiency, I knew I didn’t want to have a baby in the city. I admire people who do it, but watching people struggle carrying strollers up and down subway steps and paying a gazillion dollars for private schools (unless you’re lucky enough to live in a district with a good public school) was not in the cards. The day to day would just take too long for me as a working freelance/entrepreneur mom with part-time childcare.
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Similarly, with breast pumps, I tried the Spectra that I got from the hospital and used it exactly once. What a spectacular waste of time to be tethered to this gigunda thing and washing what felt like one thousand parts multiple times a day? No. I would have given up on the whole enterprise had it not been for wearable breast pumps.
I have a point, and I’m getting to it, I promise.
It’s the same thing with beauty. Front-loading my beauty routine means less maintenance on a regular basis. Things like DIY lash extensions (I like Lilac St. ), keratin treatments and gel manicures mean I don’t have to do as much, as often. I’ve been going to my colorist, Sally Hershberger NOMAD’s Dana Ionato (who is my EVERYTHING) for a decade because the subtle way she paints on balayage highlights helps it grow out super gradually — so I only have to go see her once every two months.
And my new thing? A one-and-done lip. I’m over applying 16 times a day. The game changer here is Wonderskin Lip Stain. There are a metric ton of colors, but mine is Xoxo. I tried it years ago and somehow couldn’t get into using it regularly before, but man, am I now.
The application is a little odd. You paint on this deep, metallic purple lip mask. You acknowledge that you look like Richmond from The IT Crowd. But it’s fleeting. You leave that on for three to five minutes, then take a damp washcloth and remove it and you’re left with a juicy, stunning pinky-red stain that lasts all the live long. Okay? As I live and type, I put mine on at 8:30am and at 9:32pm, it’s still going.
I top it with a little Olio e Osso lip balm in French Melon or Glossier Balm Dotcom in Wild Fig (hallelujah for the return to the old formula) and that’s that. I’ll reapply the balm a couple of times throughout the day. But the whole stain reapplication thing doesn’t need to happen unless I’m going out to dinner or something and even then, it’s not really necessary.
A lower-priced option that lasts a long time but you’ll need to reapply once or twice? Etude House Oil Tint, which has bonus moisturizing properties.
P.S. This dress is my new wardrobe workhorse (code YOUROCK for 20% off), this one would be perfect with a bright cardi, I’ve rediscovered my love of Hairstory New Wash and Away is offering up to $150 off with code GETAWAY.
Interesting. I have a weirdness in the center of my lips when I use it - it more or less dissolves there. I haven’t done any internet sleuthing to see if anyone else has this issue and what they do about it. The IG algorithm got me two years ago, and I’ve had it since then. Maybe I need to let it cook longer…