Recent Essays

Counter Notes

Honest product reviews from a former beauty advisor. Worth-the-money tests, drugstore vs prestige comparisons, and what actually works for real women.

01 Pointed Tip Cotton Swabs (500 Count) Review: The $8 Fix for 8:10 A.M. Makeup Mistakes Counter Notes Oct 13, 2026 → 02 EACHY Lay-Flat Makeup Bag Review: The Desk-Drawer-to-Carry-On Organizer I'd Buy AgainFormer beauty advisor Lucy reviews the EACHY lay-flat makeup bag. This $24 organizer works... Counter Notes Oct 09, 2026 → 03 10 Products I Sold for Years — and Which Ones I’d Still Recommend NowLucy Fairmont revisits 10 products she sold for years behind the beauty counter and honest... Counter Notes Sep 18, 2026 → 04 Drugstore vs. Prestige Mascara: Where the Extra Money Actually MattersLucy Fairmont compares drugstore and prestige mascara from her beauty-counter experience a... Counter Notes Sep 16, 2026 → 05 What I Learned from Shade-Matching Hundreds of Women at a Beauty CounterLucy Fairmont shares what she learned shade-matching hundreds of women at the beauty count... Counter Notes Sep 15, 2026 → 06 The Products Customers Regretted Buying Most Often — and WhyLucy Fairmont shares the products customers most often regretted buying at the beauty coun... Counter Notes Sep 13, 2026 → 07 What a Former Counter Girl Buys at Target Instead of SephoraLucy Fairmont, a former beauty advisor, shares the categories she regularly buys at Target... Counter Notes Sep 11, 2026 →