Doing Things & Lip Creams

As my week and a half in Berkeley draws to a close, I find myself scrambling to complete all of the things I've procrastinated on. After settling in on Sunday, rallying on Monday, voting on Tuesday, powering through readings and responses on Wednesday through Friday, and shopping on Saturday, I find myself with only two days left to take care of all the miscellaneous adult things, like housing, that I need to do in Berkeley. On another serious note, in light of all the recent tragedies (Christina Grimmie, Orlando nightclub, and more) and a sleepless night due to coffee and social anxiety, I have found myself mentally and emotionally overwhelmed.

A bad habit of mine, which is unfortunately a go-to coping mechanism, is stress shopping. The first item on my to-do list was the Livescan fingerprinting, but Apple maps sent me to a location that was not the Livescan office. It was on Telegraph Avenue, but this far down Telegraph was unfamiliar territory. I wandered up and down the street until I decided to go into a large establishment to ask for directions. A block down was a CVS, where I saw a stand for NYX through the window. I had heard a lot of good things about the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams, but I've looked for them multiple times at Target and they've always been sold out. When I saw them in the window at CVS, my impulses got the better of me. I immediately swooped in and grabbed three, despite the markup. I reasoned that I bought one for each of the things I did (or would be doing) today: completing my Livescan, mailing out all my forms, and figuring out housing.

Many shades were sold out, but I picked out three that I was familiar with and knew were popular: London (mid-tone beige), Stockholm (mid-tone beige pink), and Copenhagen (matte rich plum). They remind me of the Kylie Lip Kit, though I'm not sure which ones they're exact dupes for. Right now I'm wearing Stockholm, which I'm very satisfied with, but I'm not going to post a photo because the rest of my face is icky. I wish London were a slightly darker shade of brown as it somewhat blends in with my skin, but the next shade is far too dark.

The formula and applicator are easy to use, but I wish I had read the reviews before buying. My lips are fairly full and I have a lot of ridges in them — this lip cream shows every single one of them (though it's not too bad from a distance). Also, it's something I'd be more likely to wear on an "airbrushed" face of makeup to achieve a flat, smooth look with a well defined lip instead of something I can pop on just by itself. The three of these cost just over $20 with tax, so it's not a horrible loss if something goes wrong, but I'd have to wear them more to really see the value. ◊