I told myself that I would write a weekly recap, but my mind has been entirely too preoccupied. I cannot let myself fall victim into a downward spiral (yet again). So let’s get back on track with another edition of about a week ago.
In my hiatus, a lot has happened. New beauty releases from several brands including Rare Beauty, Rhode, Gisou, and Glow Recipe. The creator industry survived a so-called “Tiktok ban.” Instagram is launching a direct competitor to Capcut. At least I am still on track on my Goodreads 2025 Yearly Challenge.
Table of Contents
Creator News
Tiktok ban?
Tiktok took a restful couple of hours then came back. Although the permanence of the app is up in the air, it seems that the organization has ties with the current administration. The app sponsored an inauguration party with key conservative voices. The app’s future continues to be cloudy as Trump signed an executive order signaling a government fund potentially acquiring the app. Not exactly sure how such a buyout would affect the current algorithms, but I guess only time can tell.
Edits, an Instagram app
Meta is continuing to expand it’s app deck as Instagram announced that they are launching a direct competitor to Tiktok’s Capcut. Edits is an app that is supposed to launch in March 2025. The Instagram in-app editor has been improving, though most users still believe that the Tiktok in-app editor is vastly superior. I wonder if the app is going to offer more than Capcut. Capcut has shifted portions of their capabilities for paid users, so Meta might try to do the same.
Amazon Creator x Canva
Potentially the most exciting news for me is finding out that Amazon is making it easier for creators to post Canva created content on their Amazon Storefronts. I haven’t tested it out, hoping to test it out this week. I am hoping that it will motivate me to actually work on my storefront.
February Beauty Releases
We just got done with January, but this year seems to be jam packed with beauty releases already. A couple releases are buzzing through the internet like Rare Beauty and Rhode.
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Contour
Besides new blush shades, I feel like it has been a while since Rare Beauty launched something for their makeup line! They did launch the Awaken Confidence body lineup, which I am excited to use during the warmer months. I am not exactly the best at contouring my face and I have found that Rare Beauty formulas are typically easier to work with in comparison to most so maybe I’ll finally master how to contour my face in 2025.
The Soft Pinch Liquid Contour lineup currently has seven shades. I’ve seen mostly positive reviews so far, so it’s very promising.
Available for $28 at Rare Beauty and Sephora.
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Matte Bouncy Blush
I guess me and Rare Beauty are on the same wavelength because I didn’t finish my blog yesterday, and they dropped a new blush today. Perfect timing. The Soft Pinch Matte Bouncy Blush has a cream-to-powder formula that is supposed to leave a blurred matte finish. I love a good blush and I am definitely excited to get my hands on a couple. The packaging is a little different from their previous blush releases as well, which is even more intriguing.
Early access. Available for $27 at Rare Beauty and Sephora.
rhode peptide lip shape
On the other hand, rhode releases have been consecutively dropping! Hailey Bieber has been teasing the lip liners, many rhode fans were eagerly waiting for this drop. I loved the visuals for this drop, it kinda reminded me of Justin Bieber’s Sorry music video, which was my favorite from him.
The peptide lip shape comes in 11 different shades. Not sure how new it is, but I also saw that there is a new rhode mirror available on the website. Side note: I’ve been hearing rumors that rhode is potentially launching at Sephora in the near future, which is pretty exciting particularly for accessibility for customers who aren’t so much fond of ordering from individual websites.
Available for $24 at rhode.
Gisou Honey Gloss Ceramide Therapy Hair Mask
I cannot get enough of Gisou! I have loved everything I’ve tried so far. It’s funny because I just started using the older version of their hair mask recently, which I still enjoyed the second time. The new hair mask, the Honey Gloss Ceramide Therapy Hair Mask, has the cutest packaging. If you have seen their candles, it looks similar.
Available for $42 at Gisou and Sephora.
YSL Make Me Blush 24H Buildable Blurring Powder Blush
This YSL Blush is actually the cutest blush packaging I’ve seen lately. I don’t think I’ve tried any of their blushes, I’ve only tried their lip products so far. This might just be the one to make me check-out though.
The YSL Make Me Blush Powder Blush currently comes in seven different shades. The powders are buildable with both satin and matte finishes, depending on the shade. The shade I’m eyeing is #44 which is a dusty pink satin shade.
Available for $45 at YSL and Sephora.
Ellis Brooklyn Marshmallows Hair and Body Fragrance Mist
I have to say that I am such a sucker for a gourmand lately and this just hits the mark. I will not try to pretend like I am someone who is able to describe scents (highly recommend my girl @aromasandaesthetics for this) All I know is that I love how cozy and sweet this is without being overly so. I have been using this one nonstop in this winter season.
Available for $48 at Ellis Brooklyn and Sephora.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dewy Flush
Glow Recipe is launching a tinted cheek serum! I haven’t used Glow Recipe in a while, but I am a little bit intrigued about this one. It reminds me of the Rosi Drops from Drunk Elephant. The Drunk Elephant version did not work for me and my skin tone unfortunately, but the Glow Recipe Dewy Flush does come in two different shades Watermelon Flush and Berry Flush. I am more of a berry blush girl, so it will definitely have to be Berry Flush for me.
Available for $25 at Glow Recipe and Sephora.
App Recommendations
Craft
I have been attempting to find a good replacement for Apple Notes. Even with the current improvements, I feel like my notes app is just so far gone that I just don’t want to deal with it. There is entirely too much to go through. I may have to do that one day, but in the meantime, I do still need to take down some notes.
Right now, I am using Craft. I like the app design. It’s like a more elevated Notes app, with increased capabilities, without being too overwhelming. I initially wanted to use Notion for note taking but it is a little bit too difficult for note taking. At least when it comes to creating a template that makes it look how I would like it to look.
One downside that I found is that you can only have a certain number of notes when you have a free version. I did find out that premium is free for students at the moment so I’m going to have to switch over to use my student email.
Try out Craft.
Reads
I just finished Don’t Believe Everything You Think on Spotify, and now I have three books I’m reading at the same time. Ideally, I should really focus on one book at a time but I need a book for working out and a normal book at a minimum, then an audiobook for when I’m doing chores. So at least three minimum haha.
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano: I started reading this because I watched something that said former President Obama was currently reading it and I kept seeing the same book at Target (before the whole DEI thing) and I just pretty much gave in. I am liking this one so far actually.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: I had this one in my collection for a while but didn’t come up on my next reads until I randomly read a comment on a Tiktok talking about Tuesdays with Morrie and I was just convinced that I needed to start it ASAP. On a side note, this one is classified under Time Travel fiction on Amazon and I would have never thought about picking this up based on that category.
The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West: Reaffirmed how I felt about some of these Adam Sandler movies (but not 50 first dates because I can watch that one over and over again). This one is a comedic commentary on the current affairs. Easy to read so far.
Last Thoughts
I forgot how long these updates end up being! I am pretty happy that I was able to get this done this week. I am pretty excited about the newbies from Rare Beauty. I just got a few things from rhode, so we shall see how those end up swatching. I’m hoping to finish up some books this week and maybe just chill because ya girl is tired!
PS. I created my first freebie! If you sign up for the newsletter, I can send over the free 2025 digital planner / journal for you to use.
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