I ain't no Hollaback Girl

Gwen Stefani has been a mainstay in the pop culture world I live in since I was ten years old. While I enjoyed some of her songs from her days with No Doubt, I was always more interested in her fashion, makeup and hair choices than her music. That is, until she released her solo album which I spent the entire year after I turned 18 dancing my little heart out to on the stage at my local bar. Then, it became more about her music which I was drawn to and less about her appearance, which I was not. So when Urban Decay announced they were collaborating on a collection with Gwen, I was less than thrilled. Excitement evaded me, and everything I read online promoting it was greeted with a yawn from yours truly. I just wasn’t excited about it. On the Sephora website, I looked at a picture of it when they were “pre-ordering” it, and none of the shades stood out to me. The packaging either. I resigned to the fact I wouldn’t be purchasing it, and I was totally cool with it.



Until I wasn’t.



Everyone in the online beauty community was working themselves up into a frenzy over it. I was inundated with photos, comments and information about it. These girls were PUMPED. It was then that the “Jealousy Fairy” started to pay a visit to me almost nightly. There was just NO WAY someone else was going to have something cool that I didn’t already have. After yet another sleepless night of stress and worry over it (“What if they’re all gone? What if they aren’t making anymore, ever?” “Is this me starting to ‘lose my edge’ with the cool kids?”) I drove like a bat out of hell towards the Shoppers Drug Mart that carries Urban Decay closest to me. As I pulled into the parking lot, visions of the Beauty Advisors pointing and laughing at me as I entered the store filled my head. After I Patrick-Swayze-In-Roadhouse kicked in the front door and sprinted towards the Urban Decay section, I lunged towards the nearest Beauty Advisor.



“Excuse me miss, do you happen to have any of the Gwen Stefani eyeshadow palettes in stock?” was what I meant to say. Instead I merely pointed to the Urban Decay section and started grunting, wheezing and saying things like “Me. Is. Eyeshadow.” All while bending over to catch my breath, sweating profusely and hacking up a lung. Somehow the poor girl understood what I was attempting to say and put one of the palettes in my outstretched hands. I was PUMPED. The colours Gwen chose were all totally wearable and all totally beautiful. The packaging was chic and felt luxurious. And the best part? It came with four samples of her upcoming lipstick collection. I was thrilled with my decision to purchase the palette.

About two months went by and she not only launched her lipstick collab, but a blush palette containing six of her must-have shades. You’d think that I would have a different mindset about these next products as I was quite happy with the eyeshadow palette and you’d think I would want to be the first in line to try anything else.



You thought wrong.



This was another “Oh, I don’t know if I’m really bothered” moment for Bri. It wasn’t until I was, yet again, completely bombarded with information and excitement from other girls over the blush palette that I was, yet again, consumed with jealousy over it. Upon a sporadic trip to Sephora one random Sunday to exchange something, I decided to check the blush palette out in person. You know, just to see. I FLEW out of the store and into my car, careening down the highway towards SDM with only one thing on my mind.



GET THE PALETTE.

The same poor girl happened to be working that day and history repeated itself as she gingerly placed the gorgeous blush palette into my waiting arms. I also chose two lipsticks, both Gwen’s signature red shade, to accompany the blush. I am so happy with everything and am actually looking forward to her next product she launches.


Which, I’m sure, I “won’t be too bothered with”.