December always flies by because it's such a busy month — birthdays (including my own on the 13th), my anniversary, Christmas, New Year's Eve, visits with family. But despite the packed schedules and seemingly endless hunt for the perfect gifts for everyone, I still managed to try some different clothes, makeup, and jewelry. Let's dive into the last installment of The Cut for 2021.
Made the Cut
Morphe 2 Perk Up Cheek & Lip Color | Honey Sweet
Despite the fact that I consumed a lot of beauty guru YouTube (mostly for the unending drama and feuds...) during Morphe's heyday, I never bit the bullet and bought any of their palettes or brushes, no matter how often I heard "You can get X% off with my code" while watching a tutorial. And to be frank, I was kind of convinced Morphe was either a scam or simply not as great as the influencers made them out to be because I thought they were really only pushing the brand for commission kickbacks and free PR.
Fast forward to December 2021 and I'm walking around ULTA with a number of gift cards I got on my birthday and Christmas, and I spot a Morphe 2 end-cap. My eyes land on the Perk Up Cheek & Lip Color ($12) testers and I'm intrigued by the color Honey Sweet, a warm nude color with just barely a hint of peach. After years of resisting (and then ultimately forgetting Morphe even existed), I finally caved and bought a Morphe product.
The Perk Up Cheek & Lip Colors are a nice two-in-one product with a creamy, satin finish. Honey Sweet is a really flattering color on my skin tone, and I was really surprised by how great the formula works on the lips. Usually with these types of products in this finish, I find that they look much nicer on the cheeks than the lips, but this one works well for both applications. The staying power was better on the cheeks than the lips (not long-lasting as a lip color but it also doesn't claim to be, either). This is a really nice product for a quick makeup look and easy to throw in your purse for reapplication throughout the day. Still not a Morphe convert, but happy I found this product.
Yarrow Goods "Doin' Great" Tee | Japanese Kanji Edition
I love a good graphic tee and, like everything else in my life, am very picky about which ones I want to add to my collection. The "Doin' Great" tee ($48) from Yarrow Goods was yet another "Instagram suggested this to me" find and it was such a cool one.
Based in Sacramento, Yarrow Goods' designs take inspiration from old cartoons; you can see the Fleischer and 1930s Japanese animation influence on the design of the cat on this tee. The red kanji really bring it all together on the cream background. The smallest size is S, and while I agree with many of the reviewers lamenting the lack of an XS and wishing the S wasn't quite as large, I still like the oversized look and fit of this tee (especially with some high-waisted denim and doubly so if they're vintage jeans). This is one that will be a permanent piece of my graphic tee collection.
imogene + willie Inez shirt | Faded Blue Palisade
I can't indulge in imogene + willie as much as I'd like given how pricey their clothing is, but I've been lucky enough to run across some of their jeans at thrift shops and have treated myself to a couple of new buys from them over the years. I missed out on their Inez shirt in white chambray and really regretted it (and am still hoping they bring it back this spring or summer), but was happy to see it make a return this fall/winter in a new colorway: Faded Blue Palisade ($195).
This shirt is incredibly soft and flowy, and looks great paired with light wash denim for some contrast. I wore mine for the first time with a pair of distressed, light wash Levi's 501s, some boots, my Sézane Will Jacket in Khaki (military green), and silver and turquoise jewelry. The Mandarin collar is a nice touch, and while the longer back hem is perhaps just a bit too long for my taste, it actually doesn't look bad with the front of the shirt tucked in and the tail hanging loose. This is a great piece and while expensive, I was happy I took the plunge and got it.
Mejuri Snake Ring
I've wanted the Mejuri Snake Ring ($325) for a long time now (since they first released it), but never wanted to spend the money on it. And after buying a house and having to really pull back on how much we spend month to month, I just wasn't sure that I'd ever finally get it.
But then Mejuri had their Black Friday sale (which I believe was 20% off everything in-store and online, if I'm remembering correctly), and I was having trouble thinking of things to suggest to Zack for my anniversary/birthday/Christmas wishlist (I told you December is an event-packed month), so strongly hinted at the sale and said that I've had my eye on this ring for a while, and I couldn't really think of much else, so....
And then our anniversary rolled around, and now I finally have the Snake Ring, thanks to Zack. I love this ring. It's such a statement piece without being too gaudy, large, or over the top. It's also a more minimalist representation of a snake, and the spiky texture is a great contrast against the smooth bands of most other rings (but isn't at all uncomfortable). I wear it every day with the Pavé Diamond Slim Signet (gifted from Mejuri many months ago) and love that the pair goes with pretty much anything I wear. After a month of wear, including in the shower, washing dishes, etc., it looks as good as it did when I first got it. I do take off my rings (including my engagement ring) when I'm doing household chores like painting or cleaning the bathroom, out of an abundance of caution (but I'm pretty sure that's unnecessary, given that diamonds and gold are, well, pretty darn sturdy).
Didn't Make the Cut
...Nothing!
That's right, we have another month of nothing but wins. A positive note to end the year on, and I'm always happy when I spend my month on things that are worth it and that I'll continue to use for years to come.
2022 will bring with it a whole new set of winners and duds, so keep an eye out for next month's edition of The Cut — here's to a Happy New Year to you and yours.
Be sure to check back next month for another round of products that made the cut and didn't, and thanks for reading my monthly series, The Cut.
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