#this applies to shein as well

[xiaoflu]

temu you are a stain to humankind and i hate you and your ancestors

[olenvasynyt]

“Oh well Elain looking bad in black doesn’t have to mean anything! She can just have colors that look bad on her! I look bad in pink / yellow / orange—“

Are you a fictional character an author is using to tell a story? No, you’re not. Is your life filled with literary devices? No. You’re not in a book, you’re in the real world. You looking shit in orange or yellow might not mean anything but when an author is writing something like that about a fictional character and they attach it to other discussions like trying to belong, etc….they’re doing it for a reason.

Color symbolism is a very popular literary device and it does not apply to the yellow sundress you had to return to Shein.

[being-addie]

Online aesthetics and the effects of social media trends

Let's talk about this.

How it can affect young teenagers

Open Tiktok or Instagram and everything on my For You Page now shows "How to achieve a Clean Girl Aesthetic"', "Old Money Aesthetic Hairstyles", "Cottagecore Hobbies", "How to be a Femme Fatale"

It never ends. Trends keep popping up left and right and it's inescapable.

As a young, impressionable teenager, I was, of course, naturally going to be influenced by these ever-changing trends. I'd constantly change my room aesthetic, buy new clothes, and I was never satisfied with my appearance. Why? Because I didn't look like the girls on screen.

News flash. You're never going to look like them. All that content they produce which gets 100k likes is done with excessive attention to detail, expensive lighting and sound equipment, and top-notch editing software. OF COURSE, you can't look like that. It's completely manufactured. It's heartbreaking to see young girls develop body image issues because of the constant bombarding of these "aesthetics" which are basically different beauty standards and stereotypes all wrapped up in a neat little package that is labelled "personality and style". I don't have anything against the concepts of aesthetics. I love how Dark and Light Academia is centred around learning, and how Cottagecore is all about relaxation and not conforming to being part of a 9-5 and just living life. I like how the Clean Girl is focused on being healthy and productive. What I don't like is how all these healthy things, which normal functioning humans should be doing are now turned into "trends" and you must "choose" between them.

Why it's so harmful

Fashion: Since aesthetics keep changing, you're going to find multiple that appeal to you. What happens when you discover you really like cottagecore, but your closet is filled with dark academia tweed? You turn to fast fashion. It's cheap and stylish. But it's horrible for the environment and that floral dress you're wearing was made by a woman in a sweatshop in Bangladesh, while fashion giants like Shein pocket the money.

Makeup: It's always there. Always. You cannot find a "how-to" post regarding aesthetics and makeup is not included. Its always how much blush to apply, why mascara is your best friend, blah blah blah. You know what I want to see? An aesthetic which promotes a clean, fresh face. I do wear makeup, not saying I'm perfect(yes, I wear lip tint and sometimes eyeliner), but it's the ridiculous notion that there's a specific makeup look for each aesthetic, and they say it's not very heavy, but really is concealer, foundation, blush, mascara and lipgloss light makeup?

Other: Then comes the things you should own, the bags, the shoes, the jewellery, the house decor. Did you notice to achieve the look, we're spending money bit by bit? Then you don't even realise it's made a dent in your savings.

Mentality: I hate this part about aesthetics so much. A while ago, I was really interested in Dark Academia and how it was centred around learning and studying. But everything was gloomy and dark and said I should be tired and bitter to achieve this. I'm not a serious person by nature in the first place, but here were blogs telling me to be "mysterious" and how I should be getting only 4 hours of sleep to be true Dark Academia? What is this dystopia? There's this weird obsession with how someone should behave if they like an aesthetic.

Online trends are all consumerism based. It's all to get you to blow your money on things that don't even benefit you.

There's a reason I never include and never will include tags like #clean girl or #pink pilates princess in my posts because it sort of reduces you to a certain aspect. Why confine yourself to these barriers? Wear what you want. Read what you like. The one "aesthetic" I believe in, is "that girl" which in reality is different for everyone, but boils down to being educated, well-mannered, and considerate. I will make a post on this. Being educated and kind is such a flex, not wearing one flowy white dress and "thinking" you're in a meadow. Break out of the pattern of being influenced by algorithms. Don't restrict your identity because of FOMO and the urge to be trendy. You've got this.

<3

[fancylala4]

Someone brought this to my attention but that Moana critique is so bad. “Nothing stands out about her from other princesses that came before. Just cultural difference but that’s not a personality type.” She just said how Moana stands out from the rest of the Disney princesses and then takes it back because it’s not a personality type. Not only is that wrong (her culture is a huge part of her character!) but it has a racist undertone to that statement (makes sense since she likes that antisemitic and racist movie).

Another thing. It’s just so funny how all this criticism of Moana being boring, how generic and unoriginal the movie is compared to Disney movies is coming from a rapunzel stan. I can say all that criticism applies more to rapunzel and her movie than Moana. Rapunzel is a bootleg version of Ariel and her movie copied from not only from every Disney movie but other movies as well (Barbie as rapunzel and dreamworks movies).

I can say that this criticism of Anna and Moana is pure jealousy on her part because she’s mad that both of them is way more popular than her fav ever was. After all, Moana and Anna had successfully spin offs while rapunzel’s tv show was a huge flop. Both Anna and Moana movies were consistently on the top ten most streamed movies while SHEIN Ariel’s movie was no where close to that list.

[zevranunderstander]

living and being born in a western country, especially as a white person is so infuriating. like. you're privileged and you can get everything you want at a store and all that but like, so many of the things you can buy are direct results of genocides and massive exploitations and labor rights abuses, and you can't even do anything about it. no one even really tells you about this most of the time. everyone here has a phone and it's just kind of accepted that black children die in some mines *somewhere in africa* for this, but that doesn't stop anyone from buying a fucking phone each year

and trying to bring this up always shows how comfortable everyone is exploiting the global south, because then it's always 'well, me not doing this won't change anything so why should I stop? everyone else is doing it too!', and the deeper you dig the more you realise that really any action you take makes the life quality of everyone in the global south so much worse

and if you advocate for climate change action, or go vegan, or stop buying plastic, or try to only buy fair trade, your impact obviously is only very marginally doing anything, but your interaction with the fact that western civilization is built entirely on exploitation makes everyone around you so fucking uncomfortable, that they need to turn you into the laughing stock for being such a hippie or whatever, when it should be our basic fucking responsibility to try not to be complicit in systems of systemic exploitation if we can, and people who are so comfortable in their luxury fucking laugh at people for protesting climate action and call them delusional while people in India die of heat strokes en masse

and this is just my personal take, but I hate (hate!) the sentiment on here that's like 'well it's all corporations fault, *they* need to change, we need regulations', which isn't wrong, but it's literally not gonna happen without pressure being applied. corporations only care about the profit margin and if that means burning everything on the planet alive so be it, and government regulations are slow and usually even slower because of relentless lobbying, they aren't gonna do anything if their user base is comfortable with their exploitation.

idk maybe it's just me but if you are comfortable explaining to a mother of some child that just died in some mining accident in africa, that yeah, you produced more plastic waste in a week than any of them do in half a year, and yeah, you bought two phones in two years, and yeah, you love shopping on shein and going to primark, and yeah, you eat cashews imported from the southern hemisphere that are produced on slave labour and that use massive amounts of water for one fruit, but really none of these things are your fault because it's not you who needs to change its the corporations, and I don't think you're entirely wrong, but like, I won't just sit in fucking Omelas paradise and enjoy a comfortable life on the blood of the other half of the world population just because I got lucky and was born in as a white person in Europe.

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT SEO & MARKETING NEWS FOR ECOMMERCE, March 2024

Welcome to my roundup of SEO and marketing news and useful resources for ecommerce businesses, March edition. There is a lot going on with Google, and some really strong marketing pieces this time around, so let's get right to it.

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Google launched both a core algorithm update and spam updates on March 5, with the spam update ending on the 20th. Core updates now include the Helpful Content algorithm. In early observations, Etsy and Reddit both picked up visibility in the UK. 

The Helpful Content algorithm updates late last year destroyed a lot of sites’ Google traffic. Avoid the things they had in common.  You can read the full study here. 

Ecommerce sites were some of the biggest losers in Google visibility in 2023, with Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Etsy, Target and Best Buy in the top 10 of sites whose Google appearances slipped. 

New to Google SEO? They’ve revamped their SEO starter guide for people like you. And if you are more advanced and want to learn how to optimize your website product pages, this is a good overview. 

This lengthy article on backlinks for ecommerce websites covers pretty much all the angles, including the really difficult ones. 

Reminder that if you want to rank on Google for a search term, you need to look at what is already ranking, and make decisions based on that content. [video and transcript] This works for most search engines, not just Google. 

Yes, Google crawls “high quality” content more often. I used to refer to this as Google thinking the page is “interesting”, so I guess I will need to change my wording...

While Google sends the most traffic to websites, people spend a lot more of their online time elsewhere. Market where people are, not just where your stats say they came from. 

Sadly, Google has stopped providing caches of website pages in its search results. While you can still see the caches of some pages by using the Google search Cache:[page link] as in cache:https://cindylouwho-2.tumblr.com that will eventually stop working as well. Bing still provides caches, but unfortunately both it and the Wayback Machine do not crawl often enough to give really recent results most of the time. 

Missed Google news in February? Here’s your update. And just in case you are really behind, here is January. 

Not Google

Unsure if your website has enough good backlinks? Bing Webmaster Tools will now tell you if you don’t. 

Yandex - the top search engine in Russia - was sold by its Dutch ownership group to a consortium in Russia. 

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

General

A US study of social media use found that the most popular site was YouTube, with 83% of adults using it. Two-thirds of American adults use Facebook, while TikTok is up to ⅓ of the US population. 

Because they do change periodically, here are the latest image and video sizes recommended for the top social media platforms. [infographic]

Bluesky is now open to everyone - it was previously invite-only. 

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta)

Meta has introduced several changes to its Ad options, applying to Facebook and Instagram. 

Meta had a great 4th quarter in 2023, with revenue, users, and earnings per share up. “Fast-growing upstarts Temu and Shein, which originated in China, have been pouring money into ads on Facebook and Instagram. Li said on Thursday that revenue from China-based advertisers accounted for 10% of sales for the year and 5 percentage points of growth.”

Instagram

An updated post on Instagram's algorithm and how it works. 

Instagram is still beta testing longer Reels for some users. 

If your account is a brand account, you can now run ads on Instagram with coupon codes right in them. (Some Facebook users can already do this.)

LinkedIn

Among other recent changes on LinkedIn, the algorithm is now looking to boost important content longer than just the first day or two after publication. 

Pinterest

Pinterest has its own stats package, called Pinterest Analytics, but only for “Business” accounts. They show how many people clicked on the outgoing links, how many people saw your pin on their screen, and much more. Here’s everything you need to know. 

Reddit

Reddit successfully launched on the stock market this past week, but questions remain about how this will change the site. 

Google is paying Reddit to scrape its content through the API instead of from the web. 

Snapchat

Snap was a little later than most tech companies doing layoffs recently, waiting until February 5 to let 10% off staff go. 

Threads

Threads is so new that the algorithm is bound to change a lot in the next year, but for right now, here is how it works. 

TikTok

There is an overwhelming amount of info out there on the US attempt to either ban TikTok or force its sale, and much of it is incomplete, so I will let you Google to your heart’s content if you want to learn more. If you are relying on TikTok to drive sales, this would be a good time to make sure you diversify your promotional strategy. 

You can now track trending terms on TikTok through the Creator Search Insights section. “Creator Search Insights will highlight frequently searched topics, which creators can organize by category (for example, tourism, sports, science) or tailor to their content type with the “For You” option. Additionally, creators can filter for “content gap” topics, which are highly searched but have relatively few videos on TikTok covering them.“

TikTok may be testing a photo app, which would obviously compete with Instagram. 

Twitter

What? Twitter may have lied about its Super Bowl ad performance? I’m so not shocked. 

Tumblr

Tumblr will be selling data access to AI companies. 

YouTube

This is a pretty decent article on YouTube SEO. 

(CONTENT) MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 

Small and micro-businesses need an email list. An email list is:  

portable (unlike most social media followers or marketplace buyers) 

is available to almost everyone, as we all need at least one email address if we are online

less susceptible to the whims of algorithms (unlike SEO, marketplaces, social etc.)  

I keep seeing people argue that no one opens emails, but the chart in the article above is proof that is still wrong. (My blog email list averages close to a 70% open rate, depending on the topic and the time I send it. My jewellery email list - which I hardly ever send to - still has an over 30% open rate. My click rates are well above the industry averages, usually 30 to 40% of all recipients for the blog list. These are much better numbers than social, and astronomically better than my clickthrough rate on Google and other search engines.)

Gmail and Yahoo both changed how they handle bulk emails such as newsletters in February. Here’s what you need to know on the basics, including authenticating yourself so your email gets through. 

Find out how to get people to read all the way to the end of your content. 

Get ready for April marketing with 5 topical ideas. National Handmade Day is April 6. 

We should all think twice before deciding to use AI to create content. “Circa 2024, generative AI does not produce new ideas or even develop its own conclusions. Rather, it regurgitates information that it has indexed.” Not convinced? Here’s another article. “AI-generated content represents the literal “average of everything online.”

ONLINE ADVERTISING (EXCEPT INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL MEDIA AND ECOMMERCE SITES) 

Google Ads can now be tracked in Google Analytics 4. 

Both Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising were up in the 4th quarter of 2023. 

STATS, DATA, TRACKING 

Google Analytics 4 tracks organic traffic differently than the previous version. Here’s how to figure it out. 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

I’ve probably posted this specific article before, but it is worth another read: how to communicate with customers.  For example, “Mirroring your customer’s tone lets them know you’re on their side. If a customer is formal, for example, hold back on the LOLs. If they’re more casual, relax your tone.”

According to a US study, Generation Z is skewing the traditional marketing funnel. “Per Archrival’s data, 77 per cent of Gen Zs and 79 per cent of millennials in the US are actively seeking style inspiration at least monthly, with almost half of those looking for style inspiration on social media. When asked where they learn about new brands, products and experiences, video reigns supreme: YouTube is the most popular platform with Gen Zs, followed by TikTok, then Instagram.”

Trend alert: bag charms are back. 

IMAGES, VIDEO, GRAPHIC DESIGN, & FREE ONLINE TOOLS

Almost all of these 12 video tools are free, and some can be used on your phone. 

MISCELLANEOUS

This is an older piece, but it checks out: IKEA Hacks for Craft Show Displays. A few of these could be done with non-IKEA items. 

Want to stay up-to-date on a nearly daily basis? Follow me on Bluesky or on LinkedIn, or become a member of my Patreon.

[museenkuss]

Hi Marie! What does B540 Girl mean?

Hi! :) In short, it refers to a girl who wears Baccarat Rouge 540, a very strong perfume. On public transport, sitting in the same cart as someone like this can be really, really annoying (or worse, depending on your nose, your allergies, and other factors the "B540 Girl on the Train"TM doesn't care about). So basically, what I was saying was "we can be sure we're not the type of person who wears a very heavy fragrance, disregarding the needs of the people around them".

There is more to say about this specific example, however - regarding current trends, greed and luxury, respect and status symbols, etc. I got carried away and did say it, and you're welcome to read it if you'd like! :) You don't have to, though, the short version sums up what I meant in the ask)

Baccarat Rouge 540 is a scent created by Francis Kurkdijan, a perfumer who has created a lot of very popular fragrances for different fragrance houses over the years. This scent, he created for his own brand, Maison Francis Kukrdijan. So the fragrance is sometimes shortened to "Baccarat Rouge" or, more cryptically, "B540 by MFK". This is a niche brand, which means a bottle will cost you between 250-450€.

The scent is incredibly popular and currently, we live in a time were "dupe" has become a very accepted concept. When I was a teenager, we called those counterfeits "knock offs" or "fakes" and the mere concept was embarrassing. So, in other words: The market is flooded with B540 knock offs. Zara sells one, for example. Kurkdijan himself has produced similar scents for other houses before creating this one for his own brand, for example Burberry Her Elixir. Cloud by Ariana Grande is also said to be very similar, but I'm not sure whether he created it. You'll find hundreds of tiktok girlies proudly showing off their fake B540s online and discussing which knock off is most convincing. Shein culture for perfume. Which is unfortunate, because the scent itself is most definitely very well done - FK is no doubt a skilled perfumer. However, this scent to me is always connected to this tacky greed that sticks to dupe culture. "How can I get this for cheaper?" - this is not meant to attack people who can't afford perfume this expensive. I think most of us would think three times before spending 250€. BUT the shein haul mindset of "if I get the knockoff of this, I can ALSO get the knockoff of that, and the knockoff of that, too, since it's all so cheap anyways" is very gross to me. It's pure greed and gluttony, there's no love or respect for the actual product anymore. --- Again, this doesn't apply to everyone who buys knockoff perfumes or tries to get a fragrance that is similar to one they like but can't afford. I have nothing negative to say to these people, I know what it's like. I'm saying that unfortunately, to me personally, B450 has become a symbol for a specific kind of gluttony.

To sum up this part: The scent is very popular. It's a status symbol, but you can also douse yourself in dupes and similar scents for a very wide range of prices.

As for the scent: This scent is very strong. Again, it's popular and taste is subjective. It's extremely sweet, smells of red fruits with something "deeper" that to me feels as if you're eating a bunch of mushed, sugared fruits (strawberries, red currant..?) with a handful of dirt thrown in. It grinds between my teeth. I notice when people wear this scent (or a similar one) around me, and it quickly becomes oppressive to me. I probably don't notice every single girl who wears a variation of this scent, but since it IS so very popular where I live, whenever I go out (shopping, uni, public transport), I'm very likely to encounter at least one person that smells like this. Strongly and oppressively. This also slips into another conversation around a current trend where the goal is to smell "so the whole room can smell you" - which is wildly inconsiderate not only to people with allergies, but also jsut to normal people who don't want to be trapped with your perfume. It's the equivalent of playing tiktoks on your phone on public transport. But once more, I don't want to hint that every girl who wears this fragrance (or a similar one) just showers in it, ignorant towards the damage she's doing to the people in her surroundings. It's a strong perfume, and when you get too used to is, you might end up overdoing it without noticing. OR, also an option: I notice is especially because the scent isn't pleasant to me.

To summarise: to me a "B450 girl" is someone who smells very strongly of a fragrance without regard or respect for the people around her, and who's a slave to fast fashion ideas of trendiness. It's a symbol more than a real person, and as such, it's a symbol for trends that are both inconsiderate and tacky.

[archivist-emoceans]

Little personal vent here,

But as somebody who is very actively against using Temu and Shein, it’s incredibly hard to argue against other people using it while US companies also use slave labor, child labor, and contribute to excessive waste.

On the end of slave labor, this doesn’t just apply to outsourcing labor from other countries. The US prison system is absolutely fucking abysmal and we have sweat shops here that prey on immigrants. Hundreds of US companies were recently exposed for using child labor, as well.

When we look at waste and environmental impacts, what are these companies compared to ours—specifically Amazon (and I’m trying to find more names to call out, there are just a lot of articles for me to comb through when it’s almost 2 am for me lol).

And of course, to top it off, buying from sustainable, ethical companies often isn’t an affordable an option for lower or working class people.

Please note, I’m not supporting Temu or Shein in anyway, nor am I saying that “since everything is bad, just buy from them anyways.” It’s just fucking infuriating to figure out how to draw these lines and talk to people about these issues when there’s no real alternative for many people who are living paycheck to paycheck.

This also isn’t a comment about overconsumption necessarily, which is ALSO a huge issues with these companies. It’s not entirely separate, but I’m more concerned about the ethics aspects of the companies themselves in this little rant here.

[ketbra]

✨2024 goals✨:

1) Don't let your country fall into a fascist state

Show up for your community

Join library's event and groups

Join your university's events and groups

Speak up against injustices (if it safe to do so)

Make sure your workplace respects yours and your colleagues rights

Be kind to strangers

Show up at protests (if/when it's safe)

If you engage in a debate with the opposite party: be safe, be calm, don't let them get to your nerves

Help old people

Listen to teens

Talk to people who seem lonely

More in person action, less social media activism

Be kind to the homeless, if you have the possibility some spare change can make the difference

If you can join a volunteer organization

2) Help fighting climate change

STOP BUYING THINGS YOU DON'T NEED

Stop using shein, temu, amazon and all the e-commerce apps and websites of the sort

Buy local and in person. This applies for food and objects as well

If you have the space and the time try growing easy vegetables

Recycle and demand your country/state/region/city to actually dispose of waste in a safe way and to actually recycle

Instead of throwing away your old clothes give them to others, friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, charities

Try to avoid buying plastic products. (I understand this can be impossible sometimes but if you have alternatives pls consider them)

Demand your government for environmental friendly politics and demand them now

Boycott brands that greenwash their products

Take care of your garden, plants, the grass at the park

Stop buying from brands who pollute water (fuck nestle)

Stop buying from brands who promote child labor and slavery (fuck nestle)

Demand for better public transportation

Try to fix the objects that break instead of buying new ones

Don't buy another car if yours works fine

Read what things are made of, clothes, foods etc

If there are protests join them!

3) Improve mental health

Less screen time

Unfollow anyone you think has a perfect life, a perfect house, a perfect partner, a perfect career, a perfect body. Unfollow any aesthetic blogs. Life isn't like that anyway

Anyone who tells you you can fix your life with just enough motivation is lying to you

You just need the right diet/outfit/skin routine/face symmetry/... Lies! ALL LIES!! You need a support system.

The good news, if you don't have a support system is that, is that making friends isn't as hard as it seems I promise.

Lots and lots of people are feeling lonely right now, everybody is looking for a sense of community, build one

Try a new hobby, or continue with another one

Read something, not like everyday, or that you have to reach a book quota, read anything magazines, fanfictions, instructions...

Sometimes the world seems against you, but it's not

Don't panic

Talk with your friends

Talk with your family

Make new friends and/or a new family if the current ones sucks

Walk a little bit every day

Get out of the house

Ask for help if you need it, even if you think it's something stupid, I promise people won't roll their eyes and be pissed about it

You're a complex organism, you need to eat

4) Career

It's always okay to waste company's time and money

Ask for a raise even if you don't think you deserve one

Never give your 100%

Be friendly with your colleagues (you're in the same boat)

Don't do things that are obviously dangerous just because "they've always done it like that" . You have the right to be safe

Always check the company's benefits

In many countries is actually illegal to get fired on the spot. Workers have rights, and if they don't they should demand them

Unionize. If you can't/don't want to at least talk with your colleagues about the problems you all are facing

You don't owe your workplace the truth about your lifestyle and your identity

5) Manifesting

Remember that is always morally right to celebrate when horrible people die

It's also always morally correct to wish for billionaires, politicians, CEOs, and dictators to die

6) Be the change

- Vote. One of the most important things you can do is to VOTE

I know politicians all look the same and it feels like compromising your ethics. But it's not like that. The only ones gaining something from your absence at the polls are the fascists!!

Spread awareness about the injustices, not only online but in your circle as well.

Donate when you can

Protest

Demand your government to take action

[gltzpzy]

Hiiii! I love your makeup sm, can we pls get a tutorial 💕

hihihi tysm sm anon !!!! i’m writing this on the bus so sorry if i’m rumbling and sound rushed 😭😭 (it ended being a lot of writing so i put a more thingy if you really want to read it LMFAO)

so before i even do my makeup i always do my skincare which is just double cleansing, witch hazel and moisturiser :) whenever i do this my base always ends up smooth (i have a lot of acne scars which always makes my makeup look cakey 😭)

i do my eyebrows first with pomade & powder, tbh brands don’t really matter in my defence cus literally all of my makeup is shein glam and shit i stole 😭😭😭😭😭.

i feel like eyebrows are what pulls together your makeup besides lashes so research what style of brows suit you!! i then carve them out bc i luv instagram 2016 brows theyre my baeeeeee, you can use whatever brand you want but because i have heavy yellow undertones i just used a colour corrector palette and make my own shade lol if anyone relates to me buy this lol. when carving under your brows use a concealer shade and for the top use ur foundation shade :) then after blend it so it looks more seamless and you barely have to use a lot of foundation on ur forehead

BASE ROUTINE IS SO CRUCIAL ILL TRY AND BE VV SPECIFIC WITH THIS!!!!!

you don’t need to invest in a really good primer, i use the elf dupe of the milk hydrogrip primer and vaseline and das it!!!! also, let your skincare sink into ur skin first or it’ll just slide everywhere bae

use whatever foundation you want, if u want recs my faves were the elf foundation in sand or the hydrating foundation on shein.. also in sand, again i don’t use any high end products bc #broke nd bc you can get a good base with cheaper products. put your foundation on the back of your hand nd then apply with you fingers since you have more control on where to put it (people say don’t do this but if you want that full glam beat look start from the perimeter of your face so it doesn’t look.. faded? idk lol) and use a DAMP beauty blender to blend, soak it under a tap so it gets very soft and then dry it so it’s damp you know 😝 and then blending inwards into your t-zone, making sure not to touch ur brows and under eyes (it’ll make it look more cakey when adding concealer on top of foundation). and after you think you’ve blended, BLEND MORE!!!!! get a setting spray or a spray bottle and mist your face then blend more just in case, plus it makes ur base more smoother no i do not know why but it works

for concealer this is where i’d recommend using a colour corrector rather than concealer imo, i use a mix of a peach and yellow colour corrector for my concealer but again if u like what u use, use it 😭. i like a bright undereye so i apply a lot but u don’t have to ofc, place it below your waterline so you can blend up. as placement goes i do tiny triangles because i’m mentally since in 2016 lol, then after let it set a little for more coverage ig. if you want a full coverage undereye i suggest blending the concealer up into your waterline as well again idk why i did it by accident once and i’ve never turned back lmfao

people say to let your makeup dry on its own before setting it but with this much product you really can’t and i crease really easily so 😭😭. i use banana powder and a mix of translucent powder and mix them together on a puff (dab a little on the back of your hand before applying) apply the powder under your eyes first, i bake but u don’t have to, then your forehead, then chin and buff the rest on the rest of your face then mist setting spray n then yay base is nearly down queen ✊✊

for the rest of your base it’s really up to how you like it, for me i’m really into browns and not so much blushy tones so i use a mauve blush since it blends really well into bronzer, be light handed and patient with your powders, it can look really muddy if you just slap it on. use very fluffy brushes, it’s easier to blend and harder to make it look muddy and sharp (unless u like that lol)

eyes r really simple all i do is use my bronzer and slap is on my eyes and place a creamy eyeshadow on the lids, tight line my lash line with a pencil liner then mascara and lashes LOL easy peasy lemon squeezy. here are the lashes i swear by (i had the blue ones in the these pics <3)

nd for lips i just wipe off any product i had on my lip and line it with a really cool toned brown lip liner (i hate warm brown lip shades…..😡) and blend the inner part into my laps and slap on clear gloss AND YUH DONE YAY!!!!!!!

so sorry for the realllllly long answer, i like to mumbo jumbo abt makeup hehehehehahhshshsa

[vampryn]

only 2 more weeks to go working at the haunted house!! these are the most intense 2 weeks, and i only get 2 days off, so i need all the prayers you can muster~ i had 3 days off and am back at it today, man this job is soooo exhausting!! its a lot of fun in some ways, and a pain in the ass in others, but overall im glad ive tried something new :) im still undecided on if im going to apply again next year.. im just really hoping i dont get another injury because i narrowly escaped breaking my finger last week ;-; and i also had a moderate muscle strain the first week and a half WHICH SUCKED SO MUCH. after im done at the haunted house im back on my grind of applying for jobs every day~ also not looking forward to that because its just rejection after rejection, so it would seem.. being on the job hunt means i can also spend more time on youtube, which i have neglected for the whole of october.. (hehe). it just takes a lot of time to film and edit, and time isnt something i have a lot of right now!! but i really do miss my weekly uploads, so hopefully i can maintain that again :) a lot of people liked my shein video, so im hoping people enjoy the next one ive got up my sleeve as well!!

[witikli]

(very long but very important post, sorry in advance) hi uh. i know a lot of my recent posts have been more political than usual but um cope bcus its not gonna stop!

it's more important than ever to deprogram ourselves and confront internal biases based on culturally christian & capitalistic society. duh. i see a lot of people saying this but not many giving examples or advice on how to actually go about doing so, other than just "do the research urself." so i'm trying to share some resources to maybe help people get started. if you take the time to check these out and find them helpful, i urge you to share them with your friends and family as well.

second thought and genetically modified skeptic on youtube have some fucking amazing videos deconstructing christian and capitalistic ideas that most ppl probably don't even realize are ingrained so heavily into our society and are reinforced in almost every single piece of media, like, ever. both of them cite reliable sources and include links to all of them in their video descriptions. they explain things thoroughly and make it easy to understand (also they both put really good captions on all of their videos, but do sometimes reference images on screen without explicitly describing them or providing alt text, though these usually aren't essential to the point of the video). and remember to be critical of ALL media, including the channels i've linked and other anti capitalist or anti (cultural) christianity media. the channels i've linked are both run by cishet white abled men, and they're bound to make mistakes.

so anyways, i think a lot of ppl see criticism about cultural christianity/capitalism and assume it doesn't apply to them. myself included. i am an indigenous + asian queer disabled neurodivergent person and i consider myself an anarchopunk communist. i've done hours upon hours of research about this stuff. this does not mean i am immune to propaganda and internal bias, as much as i liked to think i was for a very long time. people always ask how they can help, how they can contribute, how they can possibly make any sort of an effect when they're just one person, who probably can't afford to donate large amounts of money to the people who Can take things into their own hands. the most important thing you can do is educate yourself. which, by the way, costs nothing but your time, and is often really interesting and enlightening. this doesn't mean you have to read depressing stories about people who are less fortunate (though i encourage you to do that as well). i understand news fatigue, hopelessness, and the want to distance yourself from social media as a means of self care. educating yourself doesn't have to be draining and emotionally demanding.

this has kinda turned into an essay but i wanna end it by saying the thing that prompted this was something as simple as that post saying "when are we going to overthrow the government," with a reply saying "y'all couldn't even boycott chick-fil-a." regardless of whether or not you still eat chick-fil-a, there are countless other companies that are much worse that we don't even bat an eye at. i haven't eaten chick-fil-a since i first found out about their homophobic shit, and i thought that gave me some moral high ground to stand on, despite the fact that i still ordered clothes from companies like fucking shein. i know not everyone can afford to stop buying from unethical but more affordable and accessible companies, i can't either. but everyone can at least be aware of the affect these things have, and spread awareness about it. i can do better, and so can you.

[rgrrgr]

What Are the Best Shein Hacks for First-Time Shoppers?

Shopping on Shein can be fun. But, it can also be tricky for first-timers. Knowing the best hacks will help you save more. First, check the size guide. Sizes on Shein can be odd. My first time, I ordered a dress. It was too small. I learned to always measure first. The size chart helps a lot. Use a tape measure to check your size. Then match it to Shein's chart. This way, you avoid returns. You get clothes that fit well. That’s a win!

Another hack is to read reviews. Reviews are like gold on Shein. They show real buyers' thoughts. I once skipped this step. I bought a shirt. The fabric felt cheap. The reviews said the same, but I didn't check. Now, I read reviews first. Look for pictures. People often post real photos. This helps you see the true color and fit. Reviews also mention if an item runs small or big. It’s like having a friend guide you. Always trust the reviews.

Last, use discount codes and points. Shein always has sales. But, you can save even more. Search for discount codes online. I once saved 20% on a big order. Also, collect points on Shein’s app. You get points by checking in daily. Write reviews and earn more points. These points give you extra savings. Before you checkout, apply a discount code and points. Watch the price drop! It’s like a little reward for being smart. With these hacks, your first Shein buy will be smooth and cheap. Happy shopping!

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[its--deandraa]

Okay so there’s a really popular content creator on Tiktok that I love(d) watching so much. Everything this person stands for has been so inspiring, she’s also very funny, entertaining, etc. literally been supporting them for years and seeing them thrive is really amazing and I’m truly happy for them.

However recently they were seen wearing a top from a recent clothing brand that’s run by a “self-made billionaire” who also has been called out for being a climate criminal and has been profiting off of toxic diet culture for years as well as this persons entire family.

My problem is if your going to create an entire platform off of calling out these very harmful structures that effect women and the environment to a point where now you profit off of it, why are you now lining the pockets of the very people who uphold, benefit and MAKE MONEY OFF OF the very structures you are calling out?? What kind of hypocrisy is that?!

Is it because once you reach a certain tax bracket it just like, doesn’t matter anymore? Is it because now your on the same “level” as the very people you might have looked up too so now you wanna support them?? I’m very sad and disappointed because I really thought she stood up for a lot, but now I can’t take it seriously because there’s limits to their activism, it’s like someone saying “Free Palestine” but then buying something from the new puma collection or supporting a business on the BDS list, wouldn’t that make you question where their ethics lie?

It’s one thing if you CANT AFFORD to be ethical but this content creator has bragged several times about how much they’ve made tearing down horrible men, and especially if you have 100$ to spend on a top then why give it to the person who profited from toxic diet culture and not take a few mins to find a different brand/label/designer. This person has also supported shein in the past and bought a Tesla, so maybe at this point the flags were there and I didn’t open my eyes wide enough.

I’m being vague on purpose because I don’t want to get hate from their loyal followers, (and if you figured out who I’m talking about then keep it to yourself, I’m not here to debate anyone!) but I’ve noticed especially within the past year or so, celebs and creators have been doing ALOT of fake activism. I’m not expecting them to educate the masses but god damn if your going to use your platform for speaking out against any type of injustice or movement then stick to it then!!! Don’t just use that as leverage to make yourself look good to benefit from it and not do any work!! ( this doesn’t entirely apply to the content creator I’m talking about, but more so about celebrities in general!!!)

I’m sad I have to unfollow this person, they were so entertaining and helpful and really looked to them especially when it came time to talk about body issues, diet culture and self esteem, but someone recently mentioned to me how “you become more progressive then the people that taught you/look up too and they also mentioned how that was the goal, to take what I’ve learned and go forward, and the fact that I’m calling this out and recognizing this in the first place recognizes growth. And I think that being my conclusion to this think piece is very positive way of looking at all of this and for any future instances this might occur with myself.

[pale-plant-bones]

The Problem with Brandy Melville

isn't just that they're one-size, and thereby body-shaming anyone who doesn't fit their clothing. It's the fact that they're literally racist.

You can Google the stuff that they've done to POC applying for jobs or just shopping there. Lots of stories of blatant discrimination.

But on top of that, and something I don't think enough people realize, is that they don't even cater to a general petite body-type. Their clothes are too big for your average small, skinny person. The body-type their clothes are actually made to fit is specifically the glamorized lanky California white girl, as seen in their advertisements and models.

Brandy Melville clothing was too big and too shaped for my Asian friends in high school to fit. I bet girls with more curve, like is more common with Black and Latina bodies, wouldn't fit either. But they fit me, a 5'10" white person with a thin hourglass frame, pretty dang well. If I was shorter, maybe around 5'7," it would all fit absolutely perfectly on my body-type. Only my body-type.

It's clear that the only bodies they want their clothing on are size 4 white girls. It's racist. Straight up. It is supporting white supremacy, and specifically white American supremacy (via the blended white person made in the U.S, as apposed to a specific European white person), in the beauty standards presented to teenagers and young-adults who might be interested in the Brandy Melville aesthetic.

Go buy knock-offs from Shein. Multiple sizing options, a quarter of the price, and hey, they're both made in Chinese sweatshops anyway.

[phyrexian-mama]

People are real fast to blast Amazon and Shein and Walmart, to talk about Fast Fashion and abused workers

But something you have GOT to realize is that things are expensive to make. The whole reason Mom & Pop stores were able to be bullied out of cities and towns when stores like Walmart started to crop up in the first place is because they sell cheaper than is realistic. They do it by underpaying the people making their stuff, and by using and shitty quality in materials.

You want a handknit sweater that isn't going to fall apart after one year? You're going to have to get okay with the fact that you're going to be spending $100 for it, or learn to do it yourself.

And this applies to everything, it isn't just crafting. Do you like playing board games? Card games? TTRPGS? If you live in a city, chances are there's at least one gaming store that sells that stuff around the general MSRP. 'Well, Amazon sells it for half as much' Amazon isn't giving jobs directly to people in your community. Amazon isn't providing a space where you can meet up with others who game to play together. Amazon isn't a hub for community.

Do you like books and reading? Journaling? Yeah, you can get things cheap on Amazon or from Walmart, but a local bookstore has people who know what they're talking about who give you recommendations. Local Bookstores host events and authors and more. It's Community.

The unfortunate reality is that to support your community, and to support each other, you have got to get comfortable with spending more. Yes, that means you can't get things as often, but those things will be better, and will build a community with others. And it's worth it.

True facts.