Night vision // RITUEL DE FILLE

When I was 13, I only wanted one thing in the world (as much as I wanted a puppy). 

I wanted to be a witch. 

I bought books on the magic of Wicca from Borders (remember Borders?!). I went to crystal shops and coveted talismans. I bought Ouija boards and carried small pouches filled with Lavender. I watched really fantastic, well-made films like Practical Magic. I even had, for a short time, a tiny pet lizard named Merlin that I got from the Renaissance Faire (convinced he might one day sprout into a magnificent dragon). I assume this is not atypical of most 13 year-old girls. 

I wanted to be a witch. But, I was a nerd.

Though the witch itch left me long ago (and lord knows where those Wicca books are now), I still sometimes get the urge to show up to work with a dark lip and a twinge of smoked eye that says, "I was up late last night casting spells." And then, I found a brand that would actually help me do it. Their tag line is, "A new vision for beauty inspired by the magical side of natural ingredients, where pigment is elemental, ceremonial and powerful." 

Rituel De Fille is the closest to real magic I'll ever get. There's no other way to describe their products except that they feel very special. They have been carefully created like small-batch potions through 3 sister's love of alchemy. Their colors are vibrant and unique, but they can also be applied with a super subtle, minimal makeup finish. The ingredients are all natural, and they use as few of them as possible to make the end product pure and clean. Everything they create is beautiful, inside and out. 

A long time ago I bought their Lovers Collection, and it's still one of the best beauty purchases I ever made. The colors complement each other perfectly and the textures help make your skin look flawless. The Lip sheers are great for a lighter touch, but definitely still pack a color punch, while the Forbidden Lipsticks give the bold pigmented look you might be craving. The Eye Soots can seem challenging at first to work with, but they really allow you to go from the lightest wash of color to full-on drama if you layer them. I prefer to use them softly for more of a "lived in" shadow look. The Inner Glow Cream Blushes (though mostly sold out at the moment I am writing this) are an amazing combo of perfectly pigmented and uniquely textured to last longer than you would expect from a cream blush.

I love it all (as if it's not already obvious). I love how their products feel to apply, I love their strange and daring color choices. And I love the magical world they seem to live within. They have a vision of the night, and both 13 year-old Ivy and 30 year-old Ivy are super into it.

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Website // ritueldefille.com
Price Point // $21-$38
Best For // full moon feast, lunar eclipse, witchy evening out, & magical nights with friends
Claims // products are 99% natural, made without parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes or synthetic fragrances. No animal testing, and raw materials sourced from companies that are also 100% cruelty free.