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Fast Five Minute Face featuring Girlcult 61# Sinensis

by Lina Clémence August 15, 2025

written by Lina Clémence

Hello, beautiful people! I filmed a fast five minute face makeup: get ready with me for my doctor visit look to share with you featuring Girlcult Sinensis #61 chameleon eyeshadow quad.

Everything purchased by me. All opinions my own.

Fast Five Minute Face Tutorial

This easy, make your eyes pop, multichrome makeup look takes only five minutes to put together. Here’s what you’ll need to recreate at home in case you don’t have the exact same items I do:

a clear brow gel
an eyeshadow primer
a light multichrome eyeshadow
a golden green eyeliner pencil or eyeshadow
a mascara
a foundation
a cool toned light pink iridescent blush
a multichrome highlighter
a loose setting powder
a pink beige lip pencil
a pink beige lipstick or lip gloss
a setting spray

Many of my past tutorials use generic color terms in addition to listing specific products so that you can shop your makeup stash for similar shades to play with. And while my specific makeup tastes might not match yours, they can inspire you to be creative with your own unique style.

I prefer the YouTube Short I created of the fast five minute face tutorial over the IG Reel, as I believe I did a better job with how I edited the short. Getting better every day with practice!

WHAT I’M WEARING

BROWS
Nyx Clear Brow Glue (v)

EYES
Sigma Beauty Sorbet Eyeshadow Primer Pencil (v)
GirlCult Sinensis #61 Chameleon Eyeshadow Quad (cf)
Urban Decay Reflect 24/7 Pencil (discontinued)(cf)
Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara (best vegan mascara ever)

FACE
LYS Beauty LN1 Triple Fix Blurring and Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation Stick (cf)
Em Cosmetics Seraph Heaven’s Glow Blush (v)
Kaleidos Moon Cruiser Highlighter (v)
Huda Beauty Pound Cake Loose Easy Bake powder (cf)
one/size On Til’ Dawn setting spray (v)

LIPS
Buxom Cosmetics Hush Hush Henna Power Line Lip Pencil (cf)
Fenty Beauty Blaz’d Donut Gloss Bomb Stix High-Shine Gloss Stick (cf)

FASHION
Black Jade Necklace
Barbell Apparel Blue Motive Dress Shirt
BlackMilk Clothing Floral Coral Cuffed Pants

Girlcult Sinensis #61 Eyeshadow Quad Mini Review

I adore GirlCult Sinensis! If you love multichromes, this eyeshadow quad doesn’t disappoint! All four shades are beautiful. I used shade one in the video tutorial. The Girlcult eyeshadow quads are made from sturdy plastic and are very beautiful. Their compact size makes them perfect for miniscule makeup bags.

Looking for more Girlcult content? Check out my Girlcult #52 Like Fire eyeshadow quad demo and swatches.

LYS LN1 Triple Fix Blurring and Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation Stick Mini Review

If you love blurring, hydrating stick foundations for dry sensitive skin, you’ll love LYS Triple Fix Blurring and Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation Stick. It’s my favorite foundation! I love stick foundations, especially ones like this that are meant to be applied with fingertips to blend seamlessly with your skin.

I talk more about this foundation in my best makeup for travel article.

Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil Mini Review

Urban Decay Reflect is one of those 24/7 pencils that I bought two backups of because I love the unique color. It makes my blue-green eyes pop!

See more Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencils Swatches

Fenty Blaz’d Donut Gloss Bomb Stix High-Shine Gloss Stick Mini Review

Fenty Blaz’d Donut is the perfect sort of glossy pink beige MLBB on me. I waited forever to try this formula and I don’t know why because it feels wonderful and looks great on. If you are very fair skinned and most ‘nudes’ turn orange on you, try Blaz’d Donut.

Check out more in my best nude lipsticks for very fair neutral cool skin.

Em Cosmetics Heaven’s Glow Blushes Mini Review

Heaven’s Glow blushes have the most beautiful finish and glow! I’m wearing Seraph (bright pink with lilac iridescence) and also own Baroque (soft neutral beige with pearlescent champagne iridescence). These give me the most gorgeous glow! The entire shade range runs very warm but I can wear these two hues.

Curious about Baroque? See how I look wearing Baroque in my R.E.M. Beauty Starlet Liquid Eyeshadow Review.

Quick Social Media Note

I’m not on social media much these days and took social media off my phone. Instead, I’m spending the time I used to spend doom scrolling on reading books. Kindle app says I’ve read 39 books in 2025, but I’ve actually read far more than that, since many of those ‘books’ were 6 to 10 books within one digital book.

What I’ve Been Reading:

Eternal Night Shift Series by Lena Nazarei
Magiford Supernatural City by K.M. Shea
A Vampire’s Guide to Gardening by Shari L. Tapscott
This Alien Earth by Paul Antony Jones
Blood Magic by J.T. Lawrence
Waifs and Strays by Helen Harper
Shadow Magic by Melissa Delport
Throne of Glass Sarah J. Maas
The Stars are Dying by Chloe C. Penaranda
Darkstone Academy by Bliss Devlin
The Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven by Steffanie Holmes
The Empyrean Books by Rebecca Yarros
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
The Golden Wolf by Shannon Mayer
The Shadow Bound Queen by Eliza Raine

And some other smutty books that were so poorly written I’m not going to mention. I prefer long book series. Still searching for high quality sci fi that I haven’t read before that is overall positive. I found myself wanting to read something similar to the Rowan by Anne McCaffrey, but haven’t been able to discover a new series yet. And I’m always open to new urban fantasy with vampires, faeries, witches, and werewolves.

Some of my favorite authors include:

Seanan McGuire (especially the October Daye series and Incryptid series, her Mira Grant work is great too)
Yasmine Galenorn (The Otherworld Series is my favorite)
Laurell K Hamilton (Anita Blake, of course, but Merry Gentry was fun too)
Hailey Edwards
Kim Harrison
Patricia Briggs
K. F. Breene
Lindsay Buroker (Legacy of Magic)
Jacqueline Carey
Melissa Marr
Jim Butcher

Final Thoughts

My 17 year blog anniversary is tomorrow and it’s been on my mind a lot recently. It’s amazing how far I’ve come and how much I’ve accomplished over the past two decades with my blog thanks to your love and support. From publishing the book Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual to backstage at New York Fashion Week to Cosmoprof in Vegas to IMATS LA, and the Makeup Show, I’ve met so many people and done so many things. I’m so grateful for all the opportunities that I’ve had and the people I’ve met.

I have more Girlcult coming up soon. Are there specific looks, brands, or tutorials you’d like to see from me? Let me know!

More to See

August 15, 2025 0 comments

Sustainable Fashion

H&M is just one un-cool monkey in the jungle of fast fashion – leafable

by Lina Clémence August 14, 2025

written by Lina Clémence

H&M is facing a wave of criticism and boycotting because of a racist catalogue photo – but there are many more reasons not to shop at H&M, or any other fast fashion giant for that matter.

Photo source: http://www.thisinsider.com

If you haven’t yet heard, H&M is facing backlash and boycott due to a more than questionable catalogue photo. If you’re confused as to why this image is considered racist, just think about how long people have been comparing black people to primates. Hundreds of years ago, black people were depicted as beasts, and were considered animals. When the theory of evolution came along, people started considering black people some type of primitive form of human. All this was an excuse to treat black people as inferior to white people, leading to slavery and centuries of abuse. And it hasn’t ever ended – using “monkey” as a racial slur is still common, and in a world of “alternate facts”, there are still many people who think that black people are inferior.

Some people think this picture is fine, and it’s “cute” – kids wear all sorts of fun clothes! But when colonialism, slavery, apartheid, and Jim Crow have left scars that have still to heal, comparing a black boy to a monkey is not okay. When people are still suffering from the structures of inequality that have existed since the dawn of man, comparing a black boy to a monkey is not okay.

H&M has apologised saying “We sincerely apologize for offending people with this image of a printed hooded top”. But we’re not offended by a hooded top. We’re offended that H&M thinks it’s okay to make colonialism and centuries of oppression into fashion.

And can it really be a mistake or a coincidence that the black boy is called a “monkey”, when the white kid is called a “survival expert”?

Photo source: Twitter

Understandably, people are angry at H&M. People are boycotting the company, celebrities are refusing to work with H&M, and people are flooding H&M’s social media with criticisms.

I think it’s great that people are disappointed in H&M. I’m only sad that the people now starting to boycott H&M haven’t found reason to boycott the company before. After all, H&M makes its billions through racism and slavery in Asia.

Why are media outlets not full of the human rights violations H&M and other fast fashion retailers keep on doing? Have you heard that garment workers in India making clothes for H&M are on a hunger strike? Workers are paid under minimum wage, have been refused basic worker rights, and have been punished for forming a union. (You can sign a petition to help H&M hear the demands of these workers here, by the way.)

In addition to violating the rights of garment workers, fast fashion has toxic repercussions for our planet. There isn’t enough outrage about what H&M and other fast fashion retailers are doing to nature, though the fast fashion industry is the second dirtiest industry in the world, next to big oil.

I’m glad that people are boycotting H&M, but I just hope people remember how toxic companies like H&M are, even after the criticism about this catalogue photo dies down. H&M isn’t only guilty for posting a racist photo, they’re guilty of so many human rights violations throughout their production process. And this isn’t only H&M’s problem – it’s a problem that penetrates most of the fashion industry.

If this outcry about H&M’s catalogue photo proves anything, it’s that consumers have power! H&M deleted the photo from their websites and other media within days of the picture being posted, and they have apologised on all their channels. Imagine if we could all get together to cry out to H&M and other fashion giants that we do not accept their human rights violations and squandering of natural resources – what changes we could initiate!

By the way, H&M has said that they are removing their “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” shirt from stores. I’m hoping they recycle the shirts, since they even collect old garments from customers to recycle. But I’m quite skeptical of this, since H&M simply burns 12 tonnes of usable clothing per year. So H&M’s racist catalogue picture has not only offended a large group of people, but also led to a huge waste of natural resources.

August 14, 2025 0 comments

Sustainable Fashion

French Laws Curb Fast Fashion Environmental Impact

by Lina Clémence July 29, 2025

written by Lina Clémence

France is curbing fast fashion’s environmental impact with a new law demanding transparency, recycling, and no ads.

Thanks to social media, fashion is akin to a dopamine hit, and brands like Shein and Temu have taken over the world with overconsumption of their trendy, inexpensive clothes. The allure of fast fashion is so strong that while the world shut down in 2020, retailers like Shein experienced billion dollar successes and revenue growth by 150%. As these fast fashion brands continue to grow, the cost to the world- microplastic pollution, water scarcity, landfills greenhouse gas emissions, etc.- are becoming too much for our planet to bear.

Now, governments are reining in fast fashion brands to curb fast fashion’s environmental impact. France, one of the biggest fashion markets, has introduced new rules aimed at stopping harmful practices in the industry. These laws are set to shake up how brands operate and could reshape the future of fast fashion.

The Rise of Fast Fashion Giants: Shein and Temu

In 1980, the average American purchased 12 new items of clothing. Today, that number is closer to 70 and most of those items are worn 3 times. That number has ballooned, thanks to fast and ultra fast fashion brands. Over the last fifteen years, Shein and Temu have steadily risen and now hold a large chunk of the global fashion market. Shein, launched in 2008, became famous for offering an endless array of trendy pieces at bottom prices. It appeals mostly to teens and young adults who want style without spending a lot. Temu entered the scene later, gaining quick popularity through aggressive online marketing and ultra-cheap products.

11 Dirty Fast Fashion Statistics You’ll Want To Know

Fast fashion brands use low-cost production methods. Massive quantities of clothes are made in factories with cheap labor that are oftentimes unverified to meet labor laws. By some estimates it can take as little as 10 days for garments to go from a concept to the finished garment. This quick cycle keeps them ahead in fast-changing trends while offering shoppers 10,000 new items daily.

So what’s the true cost of fast fashion’s environmental impact? Its big environmental footprint. Industry data shows this sector produces tons of waste, consumes lots of water, and contributes heavily to pollution. Plus, concerns rise about poor working conditions and unfair wages in factories. These issues harm both the planet and the people behind the seams. Here are a few fast fashion about the industry’s harmful impact:

What Is France’s Anti-Fast Fashion Law About?

On June 10th, France’s Senate approved a revised version of a law regulating fast fashion that would ban advertisements from Shein and Temu. The “clarifications (made by the Senate) make it possible to target players who ignore environmental, social, and economic realities, notably Shein and Temu, without penalising the European ready-to-wear sector,” Jean-Francois Longeot, chair of the Senate’s Committee on Regional Planning and Sustainable Development, said in a press release.

Read Highlights From The 1st U.S Fast Fashion Waste Report

Elsewhere, the bill targets the fast fashion giants with eco-taxes and sustainability disclosures. These brands must disclose how their clothes affect the environment and where their materials come from. There are also strict rules on recycling clothes, making it mandatory for brands to create systems that encourage recycling and reuse. Fake sustainability claims? They could lead to hefty fines.

The laws came into effect at the start of 2024, with some deadlines set for the coming months. Fast fashion’s environmental impact must be shown to consumers along with proof of brands’ efforts to curb their environmental impact through detailed reports.

France aims to cut the harmful effects of fast fashion’s environmental impact. By aligning with the European Union’s rules, they will push the entire industry toward greener choices. The goal is clear: make fashion more planet-friendly and socially fair. For these brands, transparency is no longer optional, it’s mandatory. They might need to reveal where their fabrics come from or how they handle waste. Plus, they’ll need to invest in recycling programs, which could mean big changes in how they operate.

Laws like these could force fast fashion brands to genuinely focus on sustainable production methods instead of greenwashing campaigns. They might highlight steps they’re taking move away from plastic-based materials like polyester. or working with factories that recycle water and use non-toxic dyes. Innovation in sustainable materials and design might even become a competitive edge under this new legislation.

Impact on the Industry Globally

When a major market like France enforces legislation like this, international brands must adapt everywhere. France’s laws may inspire other nations to follow. This domino effect could slow down the rapid growth of fast fashion and push more brands to prioritize sustainability. It comes at a perfect time. Today, more shoppers seek responsibly made clothes. Social media and advocacy groups play a big role in spreading awareness and encouraging ethical shopping through movements like #deconsumption, #buynothng, and #whomademyclothes.

Stricter laws around transparency and advertisements might also encourage more consumers to avoid buying into the dopamine hit of fast fashion. Some may turn to more sustainable brands, slow fashion, or even repairing clothes. Globally, we could see a decline in fast fashion and a rise in brands that put the planet first.

2024 Is The Time To Break Up With Fast Fashion Companies

The new French regulations could be a turning point for fast fashion. They challenge brands to rethink how they produce and market clothes. With transparency and innovation, the industry can become more ethical and less harmful to our planet. The future of fashion depends on how well brands embrace these changes and how consumers support those making a real difference.

If brands want to thrive, they will need to invest in better production practices. Honest communication with consumers about their efforts will also build trust. Governments and brands working together will turn fashion into a more responsible industry.

July 29, 2025 0 comments

Hair Styling

How to Grow Long Hair Fast in 9 Steps

by Lina Clémence July 27, 2025

written by Lina Clémence

There is no mathematical equation that will make your hair cascade like an amazing waterfall instantaneously. According to most hairstylists, hair growth is gradual and in most cases ranging from a quarter of an inch to half an inch in a month. Nevertheless, a super healthy scalp without split ends can achieve this feat within the reasonable time if well groomed and kept with the natural therapy.

This guide will show you 9 easy steps on how to grow your hair long

1. Scissors Are Pivotal

The ends of your hair will always look healthier when you get regular trims to snip splits. Although it is no guarantee for rapid hair growth, it will avoid splits from finding their way up strands which might lead to you chopping the hair too often. In the words of famous Hair Stylist, Mark Townsend; “If you wait so long that splits are causing your hair to break off high up on the strand, your hair will be shorter than if you get consistent trims.”

Let your hairdresser or barber trim your ends every 4-6 week to prevent the onset of extremely split ends.

2. Use Conditioner Whenever You Apply Shampoo

Townsend noted that it is ideal always to condition the hair whenever it is wet: “Over time, from coloring and heat styling, strands start to get thinner at the bottom” he explains. Lipids and proteins found in the hair shafts are restored whenever the hair is conditioned. “A conditioner helps to seal the cuticle to help prevent more damage from happening so that you can get your hair to grow longer and look healthier” he explains.

3. Don’t Shampoo Everytime You Shower

Shampoo serves the purpose of washing away dirt and the residue of product buildup, but on the negative side, it may as well strip the hair of critical natural oils that give the strands its natural sheen and softness. You need to be gentle to your hair when it becomes necessary for you to shampoo. We recommend using a shampoo kit from By Vilain. The primary requirement is for you to make lather at your scalp after which you may then let the suds work through strands and dripping down the rest of the hair as you rinse with water.
In Townsend’s words, “It’s shocking to me how many men skip conditioner when showering, which is the worst thing you can do for your hair – especially when you are trying to grow it long – and it’s shampoo that you should be skipping as much as possible.”

4. Finish With Cold Water After Each Shower

“This really does help to grow hair and keep long hair healthy for longer. Cold water lays down the outer layer of hair more smoothly, which helps prevent moisture loss, snags and heat damage – you only need to do it for a few seconds, but this one extra step over time can make a huge difference” Townsend says.

5. Make An Oil Or Mask Treatment A Weekly To-Do

Is your hair in need of some serious revival? Hairstylist recommends the use of moisture-based masks and oils at least once in a week. “I make a natural oil treatment and give it to all my clients to use pre-shampoo,” Townsend hints.

His homemade recipe for the hair includes 1 cup of unrefined coconut oil diluted with a tablespoon of jojoba oil and a tablespoon of macadamia. Since great oils for promoting hair growth are bound to leave residue on hair, the recipe is best used on dry hair and then to be left in for ten minutes. Sequel to this, it becomes advisable to shampoo and condition regularly. “These oils can fill strands up with fatty acids and then, when rinsed out, using regular shampoo helps seal them inside the hair” Townsend points out.

6. Hair Boosting Supplements Are You New BFF

The body needs a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and protein for hair growth. Your diet is of utmost importance and should serve as the bedrock for any hair growth therapy that you may want to use or are already using. The lack of some trace nutrients can facilitate rapid hair loss and sometimes make the process of regaining it almost irredeemable.

The hair is the fastest growing tissue in the human body and it needs sebum; an oily substance found in vitamin A responsible for moisturizing the scalp. Vitamin B is also known as biotin transports oxygen to the scalp and spurs hair growth. It is sometimes used for treating hair loss. Vitamin B is found in a wide range of foods including vegetables, almonds, fish, meat and seafood and is easily accessible through your regular meals.

Vitamin C stimulates the production of collagen in the skin to help prevent the aging of the hair. While vitamin D helps to avoid alopecia – the technical term for hair loss. Finally are irons, zinc, and protein all essential nutrients for proper hair growth.

7. Brush Your Hair With Care

Consistent brushing can undo your hair in the long run. Instinctively, we brush from the base of the scalp which will most likely gather small tangles into one big knot. This can lead to hair breakage. Townsend recommends the By Vilain Giant Comb known for its delicacy in spreading natural oils across the hair and being gentle on strands too.

8. Say Goodbye To Your Cotton Pillowcase

A silk or satin fabric is ideal because they don’t cause friction, unlike regularly woven cotton, does with the hair. The cotton pillowcase will reduce the occurrence of tangles every time you wake up.

9. Avoid Wrapping Your Hair In Big Towels

Wrapping the hair in big towels makes the strands of hair close to the face likely to break. Soft microfiber towels are the best bet. Your basic cotton t-shirt works as a cheaper alternative as well.

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July 27, 2025 0 comments

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Sustainable Fashion

Why fast fashion causes so much waste – leafable

by Lina Clémence June 1, 2025

written by Lina Clémence

According to Fashion Revolution, one garment is only worn 4 times on average. Why do we buy clothes that we barely end up using? Why are we throwing so many clothes away that are still in perfectly fine condition? One reason why fast fashion is terrible is that it makes us think that wearing something only 4 times is okay – or they make make clothes such poor quality, impractical to use or only serve a very short-term trend that it doesn’t feel good to wear them more than 4 times.

Fast fashion sucks – and this time I’m not even going to talk about the ethical violations and the environmental issues in production that are woven into the fast fashion industry, though they are obviously a big reason as to why fast fashion is terrible. This time I’m going to rant about how fed up I am with clothes being useless.

Case study: this top. I bought this second-hand a couple of years ago because I thought it looked nice. But oh boy have I learnt through the years that this just does not work as a piece of clothing.

First of all, it’s see-through. That was a huge trend a couple of years ago (is it still? I haven’t been inside a fast fashion store for a while…) and so many clothes were made out of see-through fabric. I feel uncomfortable with my underwear showing, so whenever I wear this top, I need another top underneath. So actually whenever I’m wearing this, I don’t really need to be wearing this, because I’m already wearing another top anyway.

Secondly, this is 100% polyester. It looks like such a nice and breezy shirt for a warm summer day. But since it’s 100% polyester, it’s literally like just wearing a plastic bag on yourself. Guaranteed sweat! No matter what the weather, this shirt will make me sweat because the material doesn’t breathe at all. Not only is this uncomfortable but also this means that after each time I wear this, it’s in need of a wash. More laundry means more water is used, and unless you use a microfibre-gathering washing bag, this also means more microplastics in our water streams.

Even though it’s recycled, it’s still plastic!

So why do I own this shirt that is uncomfortable to wear and has no good attributes apart from the fact that I think the print on it is nice? We’ve been taught to expect less of our clothes – all it has to do is look nice. If it breaks apart after a couple of uses, it has already served its purpose. If you sweat in it, that’s probably your fault for having sweat glands, not the fault of the manufacturer who thought it would be a good idea to use the equivalent of a plastic bag as a shirt. I’ve had enough of this. I want clothes that feel good and that will last many years of use. The fashion industry used to make those types of clothes, but with clothing production having doubled in only the last 15 years, the fashion industry is under pressure to produce more and more clothes at an increasing rate – unless we as consumers begin to demand less quantity and more quality.

I have recently been faced with a lot of evidence of how people buy way too many clothes. For instance this news story says that in Finland in the last year people have bought more clothes, but used less money on them – showing that fast fashion is still going strong. I have also very concretely seen the consequences of people buying way too many clothes. Last month we organised an installation made out of textile waste in the centre of Jyväskylä. We received textile waste from a recycling centre and I was surprised when I looked at what this “waste” was like. Almost all of the clothes were in fine condition – most were just basic or boring clothes that clearly haven’t interested buyers. Some of them had a stuffy smell, so it could also be that the recycling centre couldn’t sell them, since they don’t have the resources to wash the clothes. I was shocked at how all this clothing was on its way to be burnt. And that is by no means the fault of the recycling centre – they just get too many clothes and they are unable to sell all of them. I had a big bag full of these clothes after the display was done and I didn’t just want to throw them away – and I have realised that trying to recycle these types of clothes really isn’t efficient (there’s just far too much clothing waste, and often mixed textiles can’t be recycled anyway). So I decided to reuse them myself and am currently making a bean bag chair filled with these textiles.

Photos by Jyry Soininen

The textile waste display was organised as a part of Pro Ethical Trade Finland’s (Eettisen kaupan puolesta ry) #Lempivaatteeni (#MyFavouriteClothes) campaign. The campaign promotes love for our clothes and challenges the current state of fast fashion. Hopefully we will learn to demand more of our clothes and not buy something that we won’t like using just because it looks decent and will learn to love our clothes and wear them often and use them for years. If we do this, textile waste won’t be such an issue.

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June 1, 2025 0 comments

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