5 women share the beauty products that marked a moment in their lives

Beauty products get a bit of a bad rap for being ‘vain’. But as anyone who’s ever experienced the confidence hit that a bright lip, great blowout or statement scent can offer, they’re actually anything but.

In fact, beauty products hold the power to mark moments that you look back on for the rest of your life. Certain textures, aromas and visuals can transport you back to particular places, eras and experiences in a split second, allowing you to feel just the way you did in that instant. Even photos can’t do that.

Your beauty collection creates a special sense-driven scrapbook of sorts; the foundation you wore to graduation, the first fragrance you ever bought with your own money, the hairspray that smells like your best friend’s wedding. The list goes on and on, and everyone’s list is different.

So to celebrate just how powerful both we (and our beauty products) really are, here are a few of our moment-markers…

Sam, BEAUTYcrew's Editor

Elizabeth Arden White Tea Ginger Lily EDT

@samgmcmeekin

“This year has already been a momentous one for me, and we’re only a third of the way through. I think after having all manner of plans – big, small and inconsequential – thrown out the window in 2020, it’s given me a no hold barred attitude towards life and its unpredictability.

I’ve been feeling more comfortable in my own skin and empowered to make bold choices rather than sitting on the fence or waiting for a ‘sign’. After all, it’s my life and I control it while I’m blessed enough to have it.

I usually switch up my fragrance wardrobe seasonally, and this time I found myself wanting to mark this particular moment in my life with something that would always remind me of the nerve and courage I’ve been feeling.

Traditionally, I’m drawn to a crisp, citrus and floral scent. I’ve always loved the original Elizabeth Arden White Tea EDT, as it reminds me of holidaying as a kid, and the muskiness evokes memories of blissful escape. I wanted something just as memorable and found myself spritzing every juice in the collection, with the vibrant White Tea Mandarin Blossom EDT an instant stand-out as my usual flavour.

However, with this time in my life being not-so-usual and wanting to conjure a powerful sense of self every time I spritzed this new scent, I landed with the slightly bolder, spicy and enchanting floral of White Tea Ginger Lily EDT. It encapsulates the sense of adventure and risk that I’ve come to love in the last few months and it’s a step out of my fragrance comfort-zone.

It’s a braver choice than I’d usually make, and that’s why I don’t think I’ll ever forget it or the time in my life that it represents.”

Delaney, BEAUTYcrew’s Beauty Editor

M.A.C Lipstick in Ruby Woo

@delaneyloane

"Considering my need for lip balm application every 0.3 seconds, bold lipstick is hardly my go-to. But hell, when you’re in New York, and (in your head) playing the part of Blair Waldorf (despite probably standing at a sketchy street dog stand), you obviously need red lippy to make it a moment. And what better red than M.A.C’s infamous Ruby Woo? It’s as cliché-but-legitimately-as-good-as-the-cliché-says-it-is as New York itself.

Not only is it the perfect blue-based blood red hue (which my cheeks soon matched, FYI – December in NY is no joke), but the scent is really something else, too.  It’s tricky to nail down just what it smells like – it’s vanilla-y, but not in a sickly cupcake frosting way. I know this because I’ve had lips coated in both at once (Crumbs Bakery, I miss you dearly) and the difference was clear.

Even though the memories have faded a tad and the pictures are lost in an endless camera roll, the effect of the lippy still stands strong. Every time I snap open a bullet, it smells, looks and feels just like a Broadway theatre on Christmas night, the Rockefeller Centre tree under the first snow of the season, and re-applying in Central Park after the zillionth Starbucks caramel hot chocolate of the day. Endless magical Manhattan memories housed in one tiny tube."

Shimona, SUPERcrew member

Moroccanoil Original Oil Treatment

@makeupbyshimona

“Since I was a young girl, my hair has always been my biggest concern. It was just never as silky or as smooth as my other friends. So once I discovered the benefits of oiling hair and saw the beautiful silky results on mine, I couldn’t go back.

This product changed my lifestyle and I have been applying it weekly every weekend ever since. I leave it in while I read a book or watch a TV show, so it forces me to really take a pause and engage in self-care and some me-time. The fragrance also reminds me of my teenage years, when life was much simpler and Justin Bieber was all the rage!

Moroccanoil helped me to take control of one of my biggest insecurities — my frizzy hair. It also makes me feel special and empowered when I choose to take those few minutes out of my weekend to sit down and really nourish my hair with such a simple act.”

Abeera, SUPERcrew member

Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Curling Mascara

@abeerafarooq11

“I lived in Dubai before coming to Australia six years ago, and back then I didn’t own any high end makeup brands. When Sephora finally opened their first store in Dubai’s mall, the first thing I grabbed was the Roller Lash Mascara from Benefit Cosmetics, and I totally fell in love with it.

Now whenever I use it, I think about the beautiful memories I had in Dubai and how I started playing with makeup. It’s a special product that holds a lot of happy and beautiful memories which I’ll never forget.”

Briar, BEAUTYcrew’s Content Producer

EVO Fabuloso Copper Colour Intensifying Conditioner

@briarclark

"After the hellfire of 2020, I was feeling very drained. I found myself in need of a change and after an admittedly rambunctious New Year’s Eve, I made the decision to spice up my look with some money piece strands.

Initially, I went pink. My friend helped me out and an electric fairy floss hue just happened to be the colour they had in their bathroom cabinet. But it wasn’t quite me… 

Next came a foray into a metallic rose gold finish – still not my vibe. Then, I had the eureka moment. My favourite colour is orange so my hair should obviously be orange. At first I delved into a fluoro shade, but it wasn’t until I gave EVO Fabuloso Copper Colour Intensifying Conditioner a try that I found the hue for me. The shade is everything.

Even on days when I feel less than lacklustre and I’m hankering for a nap, my bright orange strands pep me up almost instantly. Occasionally I’ll get a glimmer of copper colour in my periphery as I’m going about my day, and whether or not it’s a bit of midday colour therapy or a placebo effect, I can legitimately feel my serotonin levels rising. No cap.

And while I’m still very much living (and loving) this look now, when it’s gone one day, I know I’m going to look back on this iteration of myself as a moment of true expression."

Beauty gives you the power to mark moments however you see fit; here's how one BEAUTYcrew writer handles feminism and femininity through a beauty lens...