Who Are You, Anyway?

plus, when a rose is a rose is a... flattering lipcolor

Welcome readers, old and new!

Please hit the ❤️ above to send a reminder to all non-paying HNTFUYF Lovers that our Flash Sale ends tomorrow, after which the $30/year subscription rate will revert back to $40/year. Get on it!

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By the time you read this, I’ll once again be flapping my way to Tokyo, where (for the newbies here) I live around four months out of the year to spend time with my son, daughter-in-law, and my—as she refers to herself—precious granddaughter. There’s always an adjustment period as I try to remember how to work the appliances in my palm-sized apartment and slip into Tokyo time. So there may be a bit of a lag in my responses to you, Dear Readers, for a few days.

Speaking of you, I want to know you better.

A few weeks ago a reader unsubscribed because of what she called the “politics” here at HNTFUYF. Politics? It struck me as a little odd, because though I do have strong feelings about our current political state and have made them (subtly I hope) known, I try to avoid sounding off. I figure you, like me, have other places to go for shared commiseration (or, I guess, delight) or calls to action. For as long as it’s possible—meaning till I feel it would be inappropriate—my goal will be to offer you respite rather than reform. But I want to know how you feel about this. Would you be kind enough to answer a few questions about yourself in the comments?

• How old are you?

• Where do you live?

• What’s your current or former work?

• Why are you here? (A few of you will tackle this question from an existential POV; fine with me.)

• Finally, how can I help you? What would you like to see more or less of?

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In the mood for a lagniappe? If you can remember as far back as the Oscars, you might be entertained by this post I wrote for Allure about a pervasive notion that 25-year-old Mikey Madison, the Best Actress winner for her miraculous performance in Anora, stole the award from 62-year-old Demi Moore in The Substance. Though ageism is everywhere, I don’t think it played a starring role in this case.

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A reader frustrated by her hunt for a perfect lip color mouths off about her lack of success. Help is on the way! Find it behind the paywall.

HNTFUYF is a payola-free, reader-supported zone. I get no cut from sales when I mention a product. My recommendations are offered without obligation, making HNTFUYF one of the very few places where you can get unadulterated beauty advice.

This post’s Q&A sits quivering with excitement behind a paywall. For full access to all posts and the extensive archives, please become a paid subscriber at the current Flash Sale rate of $30/year (ends tomorrow, March 12th). Can’t afford a subscription? Write to me at valeriemonroe@substack.com and I’ll give you a comp. 🙏