You Go, GIRLS

The teen BFFs of PENIS moonlight as our beauty correspondents

Vanities /Test Drive

You don't need to have been a middle schooler in the era of dial-up internet to understand PEN15, the Hulu comedy that follows two best friends, Anna and Maya, through the awkward odyssey of puberty. The show's pitch-perfect details—AIM chats on circa-2000 desktops, lip gloss over braces—conjure a time of so much change, both bodily and cultural. An animated special lands in late August, a shift in format that recalls a popular series from that period, Daria. The gimmick of PEN15, though, is that its cocreators and stars, Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine, who play teens, are 30-somethings (and new moms) IRL. For these pages, the women step into character specially for V.F., assuming the role of la-di-da magazine writers opining about the latest beauty products: fit for actual grown-ups or those who just want to play the part.

LAURA REGENSDORF

"My old babysitter who loved Madonna would have sold me to someone for it." —ANNA

ABOUT FACE MATTE FIX LIP PENCIL "Basically this is the color of some people's actual lips, so for them it will not even show up. But I would suggest doling out the moola. Let's just say it glides on smooth. My old babysitter who loved Madonna would have sold me to someone for it. The inside of her lips never matched the outline, and this was on purpose. For her, I would most definitely recommend it. Five stars." —Anna ($17; aboutface.com)

HERBIVORE AQUARIUS PORE PURIFYING CREAM "According to astrologers, a Taurus (I'm a Taurus) and Aquarius relationship isn't the best match. But I decided to give this a try. It's baby blue, though it does not make your face blue. I put it on this dry spot that will not go away with my usual moisturizer. My mom thinks it's ringworm, but she's a b*tch, jk. She's just wrong. Anyway, it made the spot less dry and felt warm and sexy. Five stars." —Maya ($44; sephora.com)

TWEEZERMAN MOON DUST SLANT TWEEZER "First impression, love the sparkles. Since I don't have any facial hair, this isn't something I normally need, but if I did have a mustache or hairy brows, the angular points would be really good at grabbing unruly hairs. It actually doesn't hurt, I swear. Not that I tried. Just, like, what I think based on looking at it. Five stars." —Maya ($23; tweezerman.com)

MARC JACOBS PERFECT INTENSE PERFUME "When I asked the perfume woman to try a spray at her counter, she looked at me like I was a child playing house. She didn't think I had the dough or the sensibility for this sophisticated ointment. Joke's on her. I co-own a magazine, girlfriend. The cologne hit me with a smack of citrus, and then I wafted in wicked great flowers and musk. All together it screams cheddar and sex. I'll take it. Charge it to my card. Five stars." —Anna ($105; macys.com)

"After a few more minutes, my lips got bigger like Innas when she wakes up.'' —MAYA

TOWER 28 BRONZINO BRONZER "The case is clear, heavy plastic, and I like how it feels in my fingers. A pale sight like me can use as much sun-kissed shimmer as possible, so I pile it on. I'm blown away because I've applied layer after layer, and it still looks natural. One thing, though: It says 'Bronzino' on the back. Maybe it's a play on words, but my Grammy ordered this from a restaurant once and it turned out to be fish. So. Other than that, I seriously love it and will use it everywhere I can reach. Five stars." —Anna ($20; tower28beauty.com)

MILK MAKEUP ELECTRIC GLOSSY LIP PLUMPER "K, really, really interesting. They said spicy but, like, I didn't feel anything, so I put a hefty dose on my lips. They looked juicy like plump larvae. Soon they started to burn and tingle, but in a way that feels good. After a few more minutes, my lips got bigger like Anna's when she wakes up in the morning. Timing of burning: two minutes. Timing of big lips: I'd say 48 minutes. Timing of looking hot: all day. Five stars." —Maya ($25; sephora.com)

STARFACE XL STARS PIMPLE ETCHES "I've never had a pimple and don't think I ever will in life, but I would def wear these—highlighter-yellow patches that make my face shine bright like a galaxy. To give them a full review, I had to use all my senses. There was zero smell. It tasted like nothing, so I'm almost positive they're just stickers. My stomach is kinda hurting right now cuz I swallowed one by accident. But yeah. Four stars." —Maya ($13; starface.world)

GUCCI EYELINER "I usually do a line of white above and below my lashes for special occasions, like when I married Justin. ('Anna Timberlake' made me feel like a woodsman, so I kept my last name.) The light blue is a good substitute for my usual one, and I love that it says 'Gucci' because it fits in with most things in our house that are also this brand. Five stars. The truth is, the purple brings out my under-eye circles. Instead, we used it around Maya's mouth because we thought it'd be fun drama to make someone think she drank all the grape juice without asking. Despite the shimmer, they got pissed. Three stars." —Anna ($36; sephora.com)