I guess it’s safe to say that we have entered the stage of slim pickings. Because almost nothing happens, exchanges with friends are frequently interrupted with long, silent pauses, followed by “Oh, did you already see this or that on TV?”

The changes have been obvious on the more visual social media feeds – people are flaunting far less stuff than was the case earlier. It is very interesting to see what will be the future of those influencers who do not have an additional profile of doing something, ie. have their own blog with content they produce themselves, or an acting/singing/writing career.

Some smarter bloggers who, pre-Covid, made the majority of their income through Instagram deals, were saying that they would not quit their blogs even though it is not the main money-maker. There’s a simple reason for this: you do not own any of the content posted on Instagram. If the company decides to change whatever terms of use they have, you will have absolutely no say on that.

Blog, on the other hand, is something the blogger owns, and therefore potentially an extremely valuable platform. Blog was supposed to be dead long before I even started mine, so I am hugely curious to see what will happen to this medium, given that sponsored Instagram-influencer deals have already tanked by almost 40%.

I am obviously not gloating over anyone’s misery, economic or otherwise, this is just a personal observation about one phenomenon that was vastly inflated before the pandemic. Will the world have appreciation for different skills and lifestyles post-Covid, and how will this impact the way luxury lifestyles are being marketed to us? Will something like the Kardashians be possible in the future: Amassing stupendous fortunes without being able to really do anything?

Speaking of luxury and economic downturn: when the chips are down, women buy lipstick. So did I. And we shall absolutely see about it, too.

It’s Hermès‘ latest launch of insanely chic lipsticks. Like the good geek that I am, I did about two month’s worth of research on this topic before buying it online – something I almost never do with lipsticks as I firmly believe they must be tested IRL first.

Hermès-lipsticks are supposed to be refillable, although I have not yet figured how the lipstick bullet is supposed to come out of the case should I want to buy another colour. This is probably something that has to be done in a physical shop.

There has been some buzz around refillable lipsticks for some time, so far another French brand La Bouche Rouge do their deluxe version, which I like a lot, too. Their case is heavier than Hermès and is operated by a magnet, so changing lipstick tubes is very easy. La Bouche Rouge cases are covered with leather (various colour-options) and they can be monogrammed.
(I already spotted leather carry-ons for Hermès-lipsticks on their website, so inevitably a full paraphernalia of exclusive merch is already in the making.)

But Hermès of course is Hermès, so. I am told they will introduce new colours (both for lipsticks and colour-ways for the cases) bit by bit, with the occasional limited edition thrown in.

I will spare you from the full-on fetishising that I’ve already gotten my share of online already. In short: It is a very high quality lipstick that comes in stylish, chic colours, either in matte or satin. Mine is 53 Rouge Orange in matte, and it is lovely. It really is quite nice.

It performs no miracles, but I love the colour, and the matte is still very silky and not the kind of pasty, powdery matte we often see with other brands. The orange red is just the right amount of orange, not something I would usually go for, but maybe I had some kind of fantasy lifestyle in mind when I made the purchase.

Will one need such a lipstick? Absolutely not. Come to think of it, I wonder if anyone will be needing any lipstick for some time, given the orders to wear face masks on public places. I do absolutely not want to waste my Hermès on the lining of a face mask, so I use mine (rather liberally) at home, in the faint hope that one day it shall see the light of the day it absolutely deserves.