Mess Recommends: April 2025

A post-Gala palette cleanser.

Let these Chippendales gentlemen ease you into a new month.

Hiya!

I’m slowly emerging out of the Met Gala content wormhole of my own creation and returning to business as usual. Thanks to all of you who joined me on that endless saga! The YouTube compilation of my thoughts is out now for those who prefer a more succinct audio-visual rundown:

Straight from the Gala to your digital shopping carts, it’s now time for that once a month tradition where, at your request, I yap about a bunch of stuff I bought, read, watched, and loved last month that I think you all might enjoy as well. The full list is behind the paywall, but I’ve provided everyone with a little taste to tide you over until we get back to our regularly scheduled Mess programming (Julia Fox in ass-less tighty-whities) tomorrow.

So let’s get to browsing.

Stuff:

Gap Linen Skort

Paid subs might recall that I made a number of staple wardrobe purchases at Gap several months ago that led to me immediately ranting and raving in your inboxes about my cozy new sweater pants and t-shirt designed for a character on Rocket Power. And now, I’m back to report that there’s a new Gap GOAT in my closet and it is this linen skort. I have already been wearing the hell out of this thing and plan to continue to do so all summer long. I feel like I’m about to invest big time in a new collection of skorts, like why am I even pretending I don’t want a tiny little short built into all of my mini skirts.

Lelet Glossy Bar Barrette

Ok this Lelet barrette is an unusually fancy hair doodad purchase for me, but my mom egged me on and I’m so glad she did. For Christmas, she bought me one of the brand’s Glossy Arch Pony things that I wanted (I’m going through a fancy hair accessory phase if you can’t tell). And because of that she now gets their marketing emails which informed her that if you buy any of this stuff through the Lelet website, you can get it engraved. So I bought this barrette and got “I Heart Mess” etched into it and I’m truly obsessed with it. The best part is you’d have to be about an inch away from my head to even notice that their are words on this thing, so it’s mostly just a fun, little Mess Easter egg for me.

Ilia and Half Magic Eyeshadow Sticks

Full disclosure: these were sent to me not purchased and, unrelatedly, I am terrible at applying/understanding eye makeup. But one of my modest goals for this year is to be 10% better at wearing and applying eyeshadow and both of these have helped me achieve that. I like the creamy texture of the Half Magic stick that makes scribbling it on and mushing it around until it looks halfway decent really easy and the gold sparkle in the “Noir or Never” color makes this regular black liner feel a little more special. Unexpectedly, of all the Ilia eyeshadow colors I’ve been most drawn to this slightly iridescent pastel green called “Vignette.” I still feel like I’m not applying it with maximum artistry, but I like that these sticks have a powdery finish and don’t fade or crease at all on my oily lids.

Vacation Crystal SPF 50 Sunscreen

Also a free sample, but I’ve been loving this Vacation Crystal SPF for my face. Not only is it clear and dries fast, but it also has a bunch of stuff in it like hyaluronic acid, squalene, and aloe vera so it feels super hydrating, makes a great base to put my makeup on top of, and saves me the additional step of having to apply a moisturizer in the morning. And anything that makes my mornings even the tiniest bit easier is a big win in my book.

Lisa Says Gah Jenny Mini Dress

I fell for my first Instagram ad this month. To be honest, I’m kind of impressed with myself for holding out this long. Although I chock that up more to the fact that Instagram is utterly baffled by my personal taste rather than an actual show of any self-restraint. Anyway, I pre-ordered this Lisa Says Gah dress. I’m sure I will hate it once it actually arrives and is on my body, but at the moment it feels like exactly the cute, easy, vaguely French twee girl dress I want to be wearing all summer long. I’ll let you know if the sentiment remains once the garment manifests IRL.

Ok, that’s all the freebies for today. Beyond the paywall, I will share with you the go-to tool I found in my old stylist’s assistant kit this month that will fix all of your clothing problems instantly, my favorite, semi-indestructible hair claw, a revolutionary way to hang up your pants, and my new summer 2025 bikini that I’m obsessed with despite being a full-throated bikini hater.

Plus, I will tell you exactly where you can buy these unbelievable stickers:

Let’s do this thing!