Makeup

E.L.F. Cosmetics is turning into the new Estee Lauder and Lancome with purchases of beauty brands left and right. Currently, E.L.F Cosmetics owns Keys Soulcare, Well People and NATURIUM and will be adding one major player to their portfolio this month to the tune of 1 billion dollars.

That’s right, E.L.F. Cosmetics is purchasing Haily Bieber’s skincare brand for 1 billion dollars. E.L.F. made the official announcement yesterday and just days before there was news that Rhode was coming to Sephora shortly. This is E.L.F.’s biggest investment to date. The deal is comprised of $800 million in cash and stock with an addtional $200 million payout based on Rhode’s performance over the next three years. The deal will close in the second quarter or could happen as soon as later this year. E.L.F.’s stocks soared after the announcement and are up 11% today.

Rhode in it’s infancy but in three years time they are doing $212 million in net sales. They may not seem a lot but keep in mind Rhode’s catalog is very, very small. They have around nine to ten products most of which are skincare. I imagine they’ll expand further into color cosmetics once this deal is inked.

“From day one, my vision for rhode has been to make essential skin care and hybrid makeup you can use every day,” said Bieber. “Just three years into this journey, our partnership with e.l.f. Beauty marks an incredible opportunity to elevate and accelerate our ability to reach more of our community with even more innovative products and widen our distribution globally.”

I happen to be a very big fan of Rhode and I’ll readily admit this news makes me nervous. Formulas change, prices change, a lot changes when someone like E.L.F. steps in. I imagine Hailey will stay out with the brand for a while but at some point she’ll step down and the brand will likely head into a completely different direction. Speaking of price changes E.L.F. is set to raise their prices soon so stock up on your favs while you can.

How do we feel about Rhode Beauty being sold to E.L.F. Cosmetics? Share your thoughts!

Add a Comment

I was creeping all over Maxky’s Tiktoks about a week or so ago. Like you know, weird stalking the comments type stuff (don’t even sit and judge because you know the comments are where all the insanity happens). And someone said and I quote, “Too bad he’s too old”. Now wait one damn minute that boy is 30. If he’s old WTF am I? I’m not an auntie anymore, not even grandma, apparently I’ve graduated to great grandmother according to Generation Z and A.

But what’s REALLY sending me is my comments on Pinterest lately. You may or may not know but I keep a little album of beauty bytes over on Pinterest. I’ve posted new beauty a plenty but also, I tend to post really older stuff as well. I think people appreciate seeing some of the older items that launched several years ago like Maybelline Color Tattoos and other old drugstore beauty launches as well as old MAC Color stories from the days MAC was doing so many great launches.

But the comments are so not it….! I literally got all these kids on there asking, “Is this real?” “That’s not real right?” “Is this AI?” Am I THAT OLD that people don’t remember certain beauty launches? One of the most popular posts is the old Sol de Janeiro Lip Balms. DUDE…! DUDE….! Those balms aren’t even that OLD a release. Sol de Janeiro launched those Brazilian Kiss Tinted Cupuaçu Lip Butters launched around 2020 or something. And of course, we all know the ten years old love their Sol de Janeiro so, they are losing their mind that Sol de Janeiro had lip balms. BUT ALSO, they are not believing they were real and AI somehow created an image of them.

And it’s not even Pinterest. I see a lot of this across social media lately. I feel at least twenty years older than I actually am after reading some of the comments. What makes you feel old in the beauty industry? Do share!

Add a Comment

In 2022, E.L.F. raised their prices with fair warning to their customers. It was a nice gesture on their part to take to social media (as well as via e-mail) and say hey, listen, grab your favs now because prices are going up. Well, here we are again. E.L.C. Cosmetics broke the news yesterday that prices are going up again as of August 1st.

Starting August 1st prices will be raised by $1. 75% of the current offerings are still $10 and under however, in a post on Instagram they shared that inflation and tariffs were hitting them hard but they were doing their best to keep quality high and prices as affordable as they can be. They also shared they’ll be keeping an eye on the tariff situation which to me means very little as once prices go up it’s rare they go back down.

E.L.F. joins a number of other brands who have increased prices as of lately due to the new tariff policy. Even Walmart announced that their prices would be adjusted depending the tariff rate increased. E.L.F. also announced news that they’d be purchasing Rhode for 1 Billion this week and I’m unsure if also, announcing price changes after such a big deal was shared is the way to go. But who am I to say?

This is our new normal in the beauty world. Not to mention paying more for less as well as formulas changing and not for the better. E.L.F. still remains a fairly affordable brand but we can only agree it’s not longer the dollar brand we grew up with. Long gone are the days where you could buy blush, eyeshadow, and more for a mere buck from E.L.F. I’m sure we’ll all miss those days.

1 Comment

Wakey, wakey! It’s Monday! Time to rise, shine, and be productive! Today we should probably discuss the lack of SPF in lip products or the fact we don’t have a lot of SPF lip products. It’s like we think about it a lot but our lips are just as vulnerable as the skin on our faces when it comes to being out in the sun. Exposure to the sun can increase premature aging that’s why protecting them is super important.

I always find SPF in lip balms, glosses, and lipsticks lacking. We either get a really dose of SPF 15, we don’t get it at all, or we get a formula that’s waxy and uncomfortable to wear. Prequel Lip Visor Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 PA++++ is a new lip balm that not only seals in moisture and hydrates but also, protects the delicate skin of your lips with a SPF 30. This apparently has the consistency of a gloss and adds shine and even color if you purchase the rose shade. But does it taste like SPF? I totally know what you mean! I always find lips products with SPF have a funky flavor but this is flavored with mint for a refreshing scent and flavor.

I haven’t tried it yet but it was making the rounds on Tiktok and I got curious enough to purchase a tube. I’ll let you know what I think! But if you’ve been searching for an lip product with a high level of SPF maybe Prequel Lip Visor Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 PA++++ will fit the bill!

How do you protect your lips?

Where to buy

Prequel

Add a Comment

Wakey wakey friends! It’s Monday! I’m still on a little mini vacay over here and just cleaned the AirBNB top to bottom like it’s my career choice. I hinched the sh1t out of this place. Honestly, it was completely flawless when we arrived but I’m just extra. Is anyone this anal or is it just me? My boyfriend just sat to the side with a raised brow the entire time. I hope your week is productive, I hope the sun is shining wherever you are, and I hope you’re obsessively cleaning stuff like me today because nothing feels as a good as a clean, well organized living space.

Shall we chat a little Tiktok? Save and Auau are living rent free on my FYP since February (I’m actually sending them a bill if my feed doesn’t refresh at some point). Pretty sure his cat origins have now been revealed with the “Mai Ao” (meaning no or I don’t want) which basically sounds like meowwwww! What’s funnier is he drops Auau’s government name in there.

Before those two hit my FYP I kept getting TJ Maxx and Marshall haul videos. I was fascinated watching people go to TJ everyday to hunt out Hello Kitty Blankets and Juicy Purses. It was like Survival of the Fittest to snag a Hello Kitty Blanket at TJ. There was even a point where the same lady was snatching them up and other people were recording her. Fights happened, people lost limbs (dramatized for the blog), it was chaos.

But in between AuauSave, Juicy Bags, and Hello Kitty Blankets I still got my fair share of Tiktok QVC-style ads and of course, I was lured into purchasing things I didn’t need but totally wanted. Here’s everything I brought on Tiktok recently.

Guess who’s back? Back again! Rhode Pocket Blush in Sprinkle! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Everyone throw up there hands and scream! I missed out on Sprinkle the first go around and the FOMO was for realsie! I felt pretty sure I’d never experience the joys of this peachy pink shimmery cream blush! But it’s back! I got mine on the Rhode Tiktok Shop but it’s also available on the Rhode website. I’m eagerly awaiting for it to arrive.

So you may or not be into the Labubu craze at the moment. Popmart has been breaking down left and right with people trying to grab blind boxes but their big push of the moment is the Skull Panda Winter Symphony Series. I swore to myself I was not going to buy any more bag charms and absolutely no more Labubus. That being said I can’t get away from Popmart trying to force me into a purchase of the Winter Symphony Series. They have been seriously trying to unload these. I finally caved and purchased a blind box. Why am I so weak?

We all know, love, and hoard Beauty of Joseon sunscreen but did you know they now have a Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen SPF 40? This dropped on Tiktok shop recently and I quickly snatched up a shade. I’m not a big believer in SPF tints just because I feel like I’m not applying enough for proper protection. But I am a HUGE fan of lightweight, natural tints and this looks like a really nice tint for Summer wear! I’ll be reviewing it soon so stayed tuned!

Only on Tiktok Shop can you discover the fact that Palmer’s dropped a Tahitian Vanilla Body Lotion. I would never know about this if it wasn’t for Tiktok Shop! I snagged a bottle so fast! I hope it smells amazing!

Do you do any Tiktok shopping? What have you purchased recently from Tiktok shop? Do share!

About the Muse

Isabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

I’m on vacation this week and the weather is stunning but I’m hearing we got some crappy weather back home. New York really doesn’t understand what it wants to do with Spring this year. How’s everyone doing? Sorry for the delay in posts lately. I’m just trying to find the energy to actually blog beauty lately. It feels tone deaf to talk about makeup when things feel a little insane with the world. But I keep trying to remind myself how many of you visit me to escape from the chaos. Thank you. Thank you for being with me here to find your calm. I find mine with you.

Shall we discuss some Spring things I added to my cart this week?

Dior and Chanel Summer 2025 we’re rather amazing this year. In a sea of beauty releases that are getting cheaper and cheaper yet more and more expensive (You totally know what I mean by that right?) Chanel and Dior still managed to create something swoon worthy for the warm weather ahead. The new Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Golden Glow Powder is stunning. Available in two shade selections this illuminating powder duo creates the look of the golden hour on cheeks and face. Out of the two shades, Eclat du Soir is the most unique with a strawberry pink shade paired up with a soft orange-y coral. I indulged in that shade for myself. I’m eager to try it out and of course, will review it here soon!

I was on a plane when Heartetc dropped their Daisy’s Dream Collection but have no fear I was prepared to order! I haven’t purchased anything since the Mr. Cookie drop and I was eager for a fix and something cute for Spring. And of course, it wasn’t disappointing! I’m screaming at the Daisy Knit Vest! It feels like something Kon Diao would wear in Cutie Pie! I got it along with the Daisy Bundle that includes a beautiful cardigan. Sadly, it’s going to be hot to wear either one as Summer is soon on the way but I’ll tuck them away for Fall. The vest is only available in large. I really wanted to layer it for a bulky look so not sure how well the large is going to layer with another shirt. I’m thinking baggy jeans, cute blouse, vest, and my cute pastel yellow Converse. We’ll see! I also grabbed the Daisy Pink Tee. Daisy is over there being the Choupette of Thailand now haha! Too cute! Also, I still have pieces from Jason Wu’s Milu drop years ago! I thought combining Daisy and Milu would be a sweet contrast. Gotta go dig out my Milu stuff now! The collection is limited so get it while you can.

I don’t need another Selkie Puff Dress in my life but my only excuse is I haven’t purchased one since the pandemic. And also, I wanted something cute to wear to a Stray Kids concert so, yes, my Spring fling dress purchase was the Head in the Clouds French Puff Dress from Selkie. I have a cloud pair of Converse to wear with it. I am prepared to look cutely ridiculous please and thank you ever so much! Speaking of dresses…! I have a Spring garden party I’ll be attending at the end of the month and I wanted some cute and simple to wear to it so I picked up this pastel yellow Button-Front Pleated Shirt Dress from Anthropologie. I was a little worried it would be a bit short for the occasion but being being height challenged it works for me and what would be short on a taller person is just the right size for someone that’s shorter! I was also worried it would be wrinkled AF when it arrived as I’m not a fan of ironing or steaming but it actually arrived perfectly! I’m going to pair it up with a simple, white flat pair of Keds and call it an outfit.

We need to really have a sit down intervention for me and my bag charm situation. Things are getting out of hand. Between the Labubus and charms my purses are starting to look like a kindergarten art project. I recently grabbed the Vera Bradley Star Wars Bag Charm which is so cute for Spring! I couldn’t resist but I promise, I won’t buy anymore bag charms (don’t hold me to this promise).

As you know I’m all about light, natural coverage. My skin has always been in really good condition and aside from dullness it doesn’t require a ton of coverage as I have no real issues to hide. Lighter, more natural skin tints are perfect for me and I’m so glad they’re getting their moment in the sun thanks to Gen Zers being in their clean girl and boy eras. Lancôme Skin Idôle 3 Serum Supertint Skin Tint just dropped and it’s just in time for Spring and Summer lightweight coverage. I grabbed this as soon as it launched. It’s light, natural, has a serum-like consistency, absorbs easily, and gives skin perfect, lightweight coverage.

What’s have you purchased for Spring?

So, LVHM is over there blaming Amazon for slow Sephora sales. As for me, I’m all, say what now? According to LVHM CFO 2025’s Q1 earnings report was down 3% due to Amazon’s aggressive pricing strategy. Stores are thriving but e-commerce is taking a smaller hit in the US because of Amazon which isn’t actually beating Sephora prices but does match them at the same price. However, that being said select items are showing at better prices on Amazon such as Kérastase’s Gloss Absolu which is sold at Sephora for $36 but on Amazon at $26. Although, they have seen an overall revenue fall the company says they are still feeling very sound during turbulent times and feels sales will improve.

Sephora hasn’t addressed the Spring Savings Event and likely won’t but according to Beauty Independent sales there was a slide in sales during the event this year. They reported that Ulta’s Spring Beauty Haul had more organic traffic than Sephora’s Spring Savings Event and had a decline overall expect in the bath, body, and haircare categories. I know I personally didn’t do a major sale haul this year. I just didn’t find anything of interest I needed or wanted. I also, think the sale came at a rather bad time during the tariff war discussions. Beauty brands are scrambling to figure out how to survive in these uncertain times. Many smaller indie brands are just closing up shop which is sad and even more popular ones from the youTube era are closing down (Glam Glow is one that went down recently).

We’ll have to wait and see if sales improve but I can’t say that Amazon is Sephora’s biggest issue. Ulta being Sephora’s biggest competition with a better cash back rewards program, better sales, and outstanding brand growth (they’ve brought in so many brands in the last five to six years). Also, Tiktok has been a huge source of direct brand purchasing making it easy enough to bypass Sephora completely, buy from the brand direct with free shipping, and sometimes an even cheaper price.

I wish Sephora success but the last few years has been very turbulent for them. I’m still a Sephora girlie but I’ll readily admit the bulk of money spent on beauty isn’t with Sephora lately. I’m curious how things will go in the next few months especially as the Holidays grow closer!

Add a Comment

One thing I’ve always find challenging about blogging was keeping up with comments, e-mails, and private messages. It can be a little overwhelming sometimes as I want to be there for everyone and I want to answer everyone but sometimes I can’t. But I try hard to get back to everyone and do my best to interact as much as I can because not only do I appreciate it when someone takes time to like my content, say hello, or to have a little quick chat with me in the comment box but also, because I enjoy it. I don’t think of any of you as fans of followers but more my online friends and family. I’m not the biggest creator around but I have a good deal of interactions with people who enjoy my content and I love it. Just last week I was chatting with someone for an hour on Instagram and it was so nice getting to know the person beyond mere likes and small comments here and there.

One thing I’ll never understand are celebs, influencers, creators, etc…that completely fail to interact. Hey, when you have 100 million followers it can be hard to interact personally with everyone however, I do wish there was a little more interaction. And I think in the case of beauty gurus, Tiktokers, etc..they do have the ability to be a bit more interactive but just don’t bother for some reason.

Here are some interactions I’ve had that are pretty awesome.

Barry Brandon aka thequeerindigo
If you want stunning Instagram reels thequeerindigo is here for that. He’s also here to reply to your comments and be sweetly chatty in dms with you! Every interaction I’ve had with Barry has always been flawless. He’s just a humble glamourous person. I never thought I’d use humble and glam in the same sentence but that’s exactly the best way to describe him!

The Pasta Queen
During the pandemic the Pasta Queen was such a comfort watch for me (she still is for me) and she was absolutely one of the sweetest people to talk with one on one or via her comments. She never failed to slip into my dms and reply to me or interact in the comments. And to this day, after gaining many followers, she’s still one really awesome with her followers.

Donovan
Such a humble and kind man. He not only followed me on Twitter but at a concert I attended with a meet and greet he literally recognized me from Twitter. Truly a Sunshine Superman.

Sah.Van.Girl
A lovely lady living her best life in a van with her husband and just over there making feel good Tiktoks about her simple daily days. She never speaks in her videos and we just get a privy of food she makes, her daily jogs, and small little bits of her life living in a van. One thing she never forgets is to interact with her followers. She’s sweet, kind, quick to reply, and appreciates you joking around with her. She reminds me there are creators on Tiktokers that aren’t toxic.

Funmimonet
A top notch Tiktoker that’s a joy to watch as she grows bigger and bigger daily. I found out via DM one day she followed by blog back in the day and it was a surprise and delight to hear. She’s always super interactive, very sweet, and totally unapologetic about loving fragrance.

Experiment Beauty and Founder Emmy Ketcham
Not an influencer really but Experiment Beauty is always super interactive with their fans. I find this very rare with beauty brands but Experiment is always really super interactive, quick to joke with people in comments, and just an overall unproblematic brand. The founder, Emmy, is just as amazing. She’s always been very supportive of content I’ve done, always quick to dm and thank me, and just a joy to talk to. I found out she was also an old school reader of the blog and I really felt all kinds of flattered she knew who I was.

Thai Actors
If you need fan serving Thai boys are here for you. They’ll repost, like, comment, and slip into your dms to send you a quick heart or a thank you. I started rewatching dramas recently and enjoying new ones lately and of course, like any weirdo fan girl I’m tagging my favs and most of them are so not shy about replying back to me when I do or to watch my stories and like my content. When it comes to interaction they understand the assignment. I think they are just genuinely appreciative of you being a fan and all of them are green flags for being such sports with giddy fan girls. It’s rather wild as celebrities here in the US would never. Bar none the interactions I’ve had with them would be the best I’ve had online. And if you take time out to watch some of their fan event interactions it’s pretty crazy. They are seeing hundred of fans daily during tours and they are just not exhausted by it (They probably are but you’d never be able to tell with the permanent smile on their face!). Fans can be a bit overwhelming during some interactions and asking them to act out something on demand and they do it all with a smile. I saw a Tiktok of one of a girl asking Nouel to act like she was his ex girlfriend and he did it. That’s beyond weird to me (And def steps over boundaries for me personally) but he happily did it for her. Bonus points for Chinese Actors! Simon Lian in particular is such a doll and always patiently replies to me. Extra bonus points to Perth Nakhun Screaigh who has his own youTube channel with very interesting content about the industry and just his nerdiness (although, listening to him speak Thai in a drama is hard on my ears LOL because the Australian accent somehow seems to still come through! ) Very down to earth dude that’s quick to interact with his fans.

Lindsey Kelk
Author, friend, and just an overall amazing person. Lindsey is the type of person that loves what she does and appreciates the people who love it too. She’s always quick to interact with her readers and has always been supportive of me and this blog.

Tarababyz
I’m not really a youTube type of girl but I always make time to watch Tara’s content. She’s always very good with interacting with her following, has always been lovely to reply to me, and just really a humble and interesting makeup lover.

How about you? Who are some of your fav content creators, beauty gurus, or youTubers who have interacted with you on a personal level that you appreciate? Who are some that may have disappointed you with their lack of replies or interaction?

Do share!

Wakey, wakey my friends! The weekend is over but the weather is weathering. We had high 70s last week here in New York and more to come this week! I hope you had the same! What’s your latest obsessions? Anything in the beauty world that you’re fixated on? Or anything outside the beauty community? Share with me? Here’s my current hyper fixations!

Let’s start with Save Worapong Walor in pastels. Remember several years ago when Spring always brought a round of pastels to the makeup world? Shu Uemura was an icon for always releasing a round of pastel eyeshadows without fail every single Spring. Bobbi Brown dabbled in it too! I remember wearing a light aquatic blue from a Shimmerbrick Eyeshadow Palette she dropped for Spring a few years ago. I was delusional about looking good in them.

Speaking of pastels….I’m obsessed with Save’s pastel fits. Bro slays in those pastels. The pink hoodies, the light purple shirts, I think there was a light yellow in there too recently. He’s in his coquette era and I’m here for it. Love Shack Fancy needs to tap him for a Spring Collection. You can see him in the upcoming drama Mr. Fanboy. I’m glad he’s getting his own drama as he was in Your Sky and stole every single scene he was in. And P.S. I really need a light pink hoodie now! Image Credit: auausave4 on Instagram.

Like, thank you Dior for actually doing a seasonal collection this year. We the people miss seasonal collections and thankfully, luxury brands are still sort of doing them. I was a little reserved about this collection but the Dior Coral Glow Forever Glow Luminizer is dreamy! Sadly, it sold out! I wonder when this collection is going to drop at department stores like Nordstrom. That being I’m obssessed with the Pink Strobe Forever Glow Luminizer. OBSESSED! It’s not coral by any means but it’s a stunning luminous pink that’s perfect for Summer looks. It’s also, on sale this week at macys.com! It looks gorgeous alone or over your favorite blush!

Are we even friends if you didn’t snag at least one bottle of Quai St. Barts Detangling and Frizz Fighting Leave in Conditioner? Dude, dude, dude…! Tell me you didn’t miss out! I really want to buy more but I’m sort of hoping that QUAI does a sale for Mother’s Day! It’s so good! It makes my hair smell like the tropics! It’s delightful! A must get for Summer!

As an avid Converse wearer I’m always looking for the perfect no see sock to wear. I think I’ve finally found the holy grail of no see sockies! It’s these Ultra Thin Liner Socks available on Amazon. They are SUPER duper thin and a mesh design so they slip on easy, don’t slip off, and they aren’t cumbersome to wear with your fav chucks or even regular sneakers.

This one is diabolical because of the sodium but Trader Joe’s Tom Yum Seasoned Snack Mix is stupid good. I can’t buy it anymore because I’ll finish a bag in one sitting. It’s a bit spicy, a touch sour, salty, and even a little lemony and sweet. It’s addicting. But jeez, the sodium content is absurd. If you’re at TJ this week check it out. And if you’re scared to give a try you can always ask them to open a bag for you to sample! Yes, they’ll literally open the bag so you can test it.

Noodles with butter. Apparently, I’m a five year old kid with my food fixations lately because noodles with butter are now my thing. I ate them three times in a row this week and I have no regrets. Like why are these so good? But I will say they have to be egg noodles or pastina. I did almost burn the house down making pastina. No one makes it better than my little Italian mama. Egg noddles are easy but pastina is apparently level 10 experienced cooker level. Since my boyfriend had to leave for CA again I really don’t have to put a lot of effort into dinner plans or making dinner so eggs and noodles are the soup du jour.

Sit down, kick back, tell me your fixations of the moment. I’m here for it, friends.