i know i don’t write about makeup all that often, but increasingly over the past couple of years, i’ve become totally obsessed with trying new skincare and beauty products. yet despite this little known fact, i still very rarely approach the beauty counter. i sometimes casually pass by when i’m at the mall and take a timid peek at the products, all neatly lined up in their shiny packages. but i tend to shy away if anyone behind the counter ever asks if i need help! so when clinique asked me if i’d be interested in making an appointment with one of their consultants, it was just the push i needed to finally try it out for myself. clinique has been a gold standard in the beauty industry for years, and they’re well known for having wonderfully formulated products with top notch staff, so i knew i would be in good hands.

when i arrived at the mall, i was greeted with a cute little menu of different options specifically targeted for whatever skincare concerns i might have. i got to rattle off my specific skin situation: that i have combination to oily skin with a tendency to break out. i have little dark spots from previous breakouts that kinda drive me nuts. and of course, i’m beginning to see the first signs of aging, and while i’m not trying to fight it, i know it’s important for me to up my skincare game. then we talked through what we would try and i got the luxury treatment: cleanser, my new favorite charcoal mask, the 3-step system, and an assortment of other products to compliment my new beauty routine. she explained the benefits of each product and talked about specific ingredients and addressed all of my concerns. i’ve been following my new routine every day, and will be reporting back with the results next week.

but for today, i wanted to talk about makeup! i tend to keep things pretty simple: a bit of foundation and concealer topped with a very light blush, mascara, and a swipe of liquid liner. i’m not really interested in contouring or a smoky eye, but i do love to play around with different lip colors. my consultant totally understood and let me guide the way, helping me pick a few colors from the new clinique pop lip collection to compliment my skin tone. it combines a bold, saturated color with a smoothing primer and a velvety finish. it’s moisturizing and surprisingly lightweight considering the bold pigment, which is a welcome change for me because i’d been trying increasingly dry, matte formulas that just weren’t as appealing to me anymore. pop lip still lets you wear a bright color, while still feeling totally comfortable all day long. so of course, i will now grace you with some silly photos of my new lip colors.

wow pop is a demi-matte bubble gum pink shade.

love pop is a demi-matte violet shade with little flecks of glimmer. i was surprised that this one turned out to be my favorite!

cola pop is the darkest shade. it’s considered a demi-matte nude, and comes out as a classic neutral burgundy.

grape pop is a demi-matte violet. it’s purple, but not so dark that it’s overpowering.