Halsey's Makeup Line Pulled Me Out of a Year-Long Makeup Rut — and Now I Owe Her Everything

POPSUGAR Photography | Samantha Sasso
POPSUGAR Photography | Samantha Sasso
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Once upon a time, I wore makeup every single day and truly loved it. I, like many people in the Before Times, enjoyed getting ready for work, but for the last year have abandoned most of my daily rituals for an easier, breezier, and admittedly lazier routine that more often than not includes comfortable track pants and a completely naked face (save for some moisturizer and SPF). Don't get me wrong, I love that I can sleep in a little longer in the mornings, but that doesn't mean I don't get curious about the life I once led.

As a beauty editor, I eat, sleep, and dream beauty all day long, so it's not too surprising that after a year of feeling tired and uninspired with my own routine that I began to wonder about all of the makeup looks I've been missing out on. Then, Halsey's beauty brand About-Face launched, and a wave of inspiration came over me. One look at the playful ads filled with makeup fit for the life I kind of remember, and I decided it was time to get back on the horse and out of my beauty rut.

Fast forward to last week when I got my hands on the entire About-Face collection and officially committed to doing my makeup every day. The goal: play with as many colors and new shapes as possible. Not only did this challenge remind me of how fun doing my makeup can be (even when it goes horribly wrong), but also that a huge source of my confidence was always hiding in this daily ritual. Like learning a new recipe, mastering a look — or at least trying something new — is a fast way to boost my self-efficacy. Even when my makeup doesn't turn out exactly how I planned it, knowing that I wanted something and I made it happen makes me feel oh so good.

Read on to see how I crawled out of my makeup rut and why I officially owe Halsey a thank-you card.

Day 1: Key Lime Pie
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Day 1: Key Lime Pie

For the last two years, I've been fascinated by the slime green trend that's snuck its way into the beauty space, but I never owned any green eye makeup to try it for myself. This is exactly why I chose the pearly chartreuse Shadowstick as the first product to use in this challenge. I also had Euphoria on the brain, so these random shapes came to mind when I first looked in the mirror. This was the very first day of lifting myself out of a makeup rut, so I was really going with the flow. I did notice that for a cream shadow, these shades lasted all day long, but came off easily when I took a makeup wipe to them that night. What more could I ask for?

The Products I Used: About-Face Shadowstick in Acidic ($21); About-Face Shadowstick in Oxide ($21)

Day 2: Pinterest Fail
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Day 2: Pinterest Fail

Have you ever looked at a very complicated makeup look and thought, Oh, I could do that. Cut to hours later and you realize you very much cannot do that. Well, that was me on day two. After about 40 minutes of fussing around with this look that I pulled off of Pinterest, I kind of gave up. On the bright side, this look allowed me to discover the magic of Matte Fluid Eye Paints, the product from About-Face I was the most excited about using because I don't own anything like it. Unfortunately, my inexperience kind of shows. I was down, but not out — determined to make day three a success . . .

The Products I Used: About-Face Matte Fluid Eye Paint in Dionysus ($24); About-Face Shadowstick in 2002 ($21)

Day 3: Lover Fest
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Day 3: Lover Fest

By day three, I was more motivated than ever and decided to pull a look from the About-Face founder herself — thanks, Halsey! This all-pink look is probably what I'd wear if I ever got to attend Taylor Swift's now-cancelled Lover Fest; it's very pink, very cute, and surprisingly easy. By this point, I had learned that having a bottle of micellar water and handful of cotton swabs on standby was key in eye paint cleanup. Determined to use the product as it came — no brushes involved — I just went for it, sweeping the flat applicator right onto my lid. The odds were in my favor, because this ended up being my favorite look of the whole week.

The Products I Used: Matte Fluid Eye Paint in Dionysus ($24)

Day 4: Twiggy Take
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Day 4: Twiggy Take

Bold eyeshadow has never really been my thing, but not because I don't love it; I've just always been too afraid to play with something so intense. Luckily, Creature, the brightest Shadowstick in the About-Face line, called my name. I answered its siren song and immediately knew whatever I did with this color had to be dramatic. Back to Pinterest I went and found a handful of photos of Twiggy circa 1965. Having to make sure that the lines were clean was a tricky feat, so this look definitely look me a lot longer than anticipated. Of course, it still ended up looking a bit messy, but c'est la vie. Despite how imperfect the makeup turned out, it — along with my Robert Pattison T-shirt — put me in one of the best moods I've been in since March 2020.

The Products I Used: About-Face Shadowstick in Kill the Lights ($21); About-Face Shadowstick in Creature ($21)

Day 5: Inner-Corner Spotlight
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Day 5: Inner-Corner Spotlight

After four days of going big or going home, I wanted to try something more subtle. So, I opted for an inner-corner eye look I've loved since it first hit Instagram in 2016. It was at this point that I realized the Shadowsticks are just as good when used with a really thin liner brush as they are alone.

The Products I Used: About-Face Shadowstick in Kill the Lights ($21); About-Face Shadowstick in Baroque ($21)

Day 6: Seriously, Just For Fun
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Day 6: Seriously, Just For Fun

Even after my official challenge week ended, I wanted to keep going. By the following Monday morning I was sure I'd go back to my old ways: waking up late, too tired to do anything but put on moisturizer, and forget the joy makeup once brought me. Luckily, that wasn't the case at all. They say it takes at least 21 days to form a habit, but after just five I was inherently eager to play with the Matte Fluid Eye Paints some more. So, I reached for White Noise, got to work, and quickly learned that I'll never underestimate white liner ever again. Thanks to an angled brush and some micellar water, I finished this look in 10 minutes and can now confirm Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande were seriously on to something last May. Consider my rut officially over.

The Products I Used: About-Face Matte Fluid Eye Paint in White Noise ($24)