Bargain Eyeshadow

Revlon CustomEyes Shadow and Liner in Naturally Glamorous

Picked this up at the Walmarts the other day for $7.48 and I'm in love!

I left the pic big so you can enlarge it and see the fabulous texture on each shade- so cool! The four shades on the right are the shadows, and the one on the far left is the liner. I actually used one end of the foam applicator (the pointed end) to apply the liner and I loved the look.

For those of us who have trouble knowing where to put each color, there's a helpful diagram on the back.

This palette was definitely the most neutral of the bunch, but it looks like there are about 5 other choices with some very pretty shades.

I'd definitely recommend this product if you are in the market for some new eye shadows- this is a can't-go-wrong purchase.

Mascara: Giving One Another Chance

Last month I purchased L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes.

Because Eva Longoria (not Parker) told me to. And at $9, it seemed like a good bargain beauty product to try.

I tried it one morning and promptly decided I didn't like it. It didn't seem to do much, and it definitely didn't give me a million voluminous lashes.

But this week I decided to give is just one more try before I trashed it.

And all of the sudden it's fabulous!

I have this memory of my mom leaving her new tubes of Great Lash open on the counter for a few hours, telling me that letting it dry out a bit made it better...... so maybe using it last month and letting some time pass let it thicken up a bit?

At any rate, it's one of my new faves and now in the rotation. Moral of the story: Don't let your first experience with a makeup product decide its fate... give it another shot!

What mascara are you using right now?

Review: L'Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Professional The One Sweep Eye Shadow

Last week I saw a new L'Oreal eye shadow product, Studio Secrets Professional The One Sweep Eye Shadow, and it looked quite interesting, so I picked it up. Since I have blue eyes, I chose the shade "Natural Blue Eyes".

The product comes with an applicator that is designed to be swept across the shadow and then swept across your eyelid, to apply the three colors in one easy motion.


In theory, it's pretty cool. However, the way the three shades are layered in the case gives you a different look than what I am used to -- I typically apply the darkest shade I am using in my crease. With this product, the darkest shade is nearest to your eyelashes.... I just don't like that look on myself.

Still, for a drugstore product, it's pretty cool. MSRP is $10, although I think Walmart had it priced closer to $9.

The Only Eye Shadow Palette You'll Ever Need

Yeah, yeah, we all know this won't be the last eye shadow palette I'll ever buy..... but it is awesome!

I recently purchased the Too Faced Naked Eye Soft & Sexy Eye Shadow Collection from Sephora during their 20% off sale (retail price is $35) and I couldn't be happier with it.

There are nine shadows in the neutral shade family, and I am so happy to see that the color they suggest using as a base color are a little larger size than the accent/contour colors. I always use more of the lightest shade in a palette so this is a fabulous idea.

The set also comes with the cards showing you three separate looks- one for Classic, Day, and Fashion.

Fab Deal on Stila Products

Musings of a Muse had a great post today telling us all about a great deal at Stila today- free shipping if you use code REFILL.

My suggestion: The Travel Girl Palette (four eyeshadow and a convertible color) for $10, and/or the It Girl Palette (three neutral eyeshadows, including my favorite Stila color, Kitten), also only $10.

Happy Shopping!

CoverGirl Blast

Recently I was asked to join the CoverGirl Blast campaign at BzzAgent and being the makeup junkie I am, I of course joined.

I received the ShadowBlast eyeshadow in Silver Sky and it's so pretty in the tube! I do a pretty natural look for work, and it looks like a bit much for me to use on a regular day, so I've been saving it for a night out. I had this grand plan of dressing up, doing a smoky eye, and just looking glamorous!

Guess what? The campaign ends today and that special occasion never materialized! I am so sad about that.... Do you think that means I need to get out more?

But I did find one really neat thing on Covergirl's site that I thought was so cool: a new section called "Find Your Match." You select from 15 different department store brands, narrow your search by category, product name, and shade, and then Covergirl suggests a comparable product in their line. Pretty cool! It's not totally complete yet (they only have one product for Stila listed) but a great idea and they say they'll be adding more.

My New Mascara Combo

I have one million mascaras (practically) yet I still find myself buying more. It's nutty and I can't explain it, but how about if I share some new ones I bought that I really like? Note that I always buy black mascara. At some point my mom probably told me I should get brown so I got black and that's still what I do to this day. My hair's not really blonde you know!

I've been hearing great things about Maybelline Full N' Soft so I picked some up at Target the other day. I'm so glad I did! What a great drugstore mascara! No clumps and it built full, soft, thick lashes just as promised.


Oh, but I didn't stop there. I love long lashes, so I added a coat of Clinique's new offering- High Lengths. Look at that cool brush! I ordered this from Sephora recently and was so excited when it arrived. The curved, fine-toothed comb really grabbed each lash and added some nice length.

I typically don't layer mascaras but I felt quite fancy doing it, and don't we all want to feel fancy?

Disclosure: I actually paid for these out of my own little Coach wallet. Promise.

Convertible Eye Color

Stila Convertible Eye Color ($22 at Sephora)

Recently I ran across this product in Onyx in my makeup bag. I had gotten this in a set I purchased last year. I've never worn black eyeliner before as I typically stick to brown and plum with my blue eyes.

But I went ahead and gave this a try, and although I found the black to be a little dramatic for day wear (and when the hell do I have a night on the town that calls for a dramatic eye?), this made me recall my love for this product.

The next time I placed a Sephora order I ordered this in Stone and I am so glad I did! Basically this is 3 products in one. First, a fabulously soft and smooth eyeliner. On the other end is a smudger, which saves me from using my finger and having to wash my hands. Hidden in the middle is a coordinated eye shadow shade that is perfect for me to use in my crease. I apply Stila Kitten (go enter the giveaway!) as my base color and then use the stone convertible color in the crease and blend with a brush. Fast and easy, and perfect for work.

Don't forget that ebates.com offers 4% back on Sephora orders, and of course, here is the link to see all the official coupon codes for Sephora.

Here's just one of their great deals right now.

FREE Lip Polish! Get a FREE full-sized Bare Escentuals Buxom lip gloss in Charity ($18 value) when you buy a Bare Escentuals Get Started Kit. Enter code BECHARITY at checkout.

Oh No! Max Factor Kisses America Goodbye per WSJ

I'm getting ready to stockpile my HG mascara, Max Factor's Lash Perfection Volume Couture, because I just read in today's WSJ that P&G is removing Max Factor from US shelves in order to concentrate on CoverGirl. (Do you read WSJ? I absolutely love the Marketplace and Personal Journal sections and scour them for product and marketing news first thing at work every day.)

Wah! This is the absolute best mascara ever... It's currently only available in my area at Wal-Mart. I'm heading there this weekend and buying all the have. I'm gonna look like a crazy lady buying 10 mascaras.

Sasha, Sasha Everywhere

I am just all over the 'net these days! Does that mean I spend too much time on here?

On of my favorite bloggers, Another Online Mom, is doing a fun feature this month that is right up my cheap-ass alley. Her series "New Beautiful Frugal You" has been full of great drugstore finds and inexpensive products and beauty tips.

I emailed her about one of my favorite eye makeup remover, and she featured my tip today!

Go check it out and leave her a comment to tell her I sent you!

Ask the Product Junkie: Eye Makeup Remover

Slim asked me the other day about eye makeup remover- she said she wasn't sure that she liked the Too Faced Lash Injection mascara because she was having trouble getting it off at the end of the day.

Turns out, she was using a different remover than me. I have been using the oil-free shake-up removers and they work great. Now, note that I also use a cotton round rather than a ball. Never had good luck with cotton balls.

Laurie (a Mary Kay consultant) left a comment a few weeks ago about her favorite remover, and I agree that it's a great product. I especially like that their bottle has a small opening that allows you to squeeze out just the amount you need rather than the wide opening that most of these type of removers have.

Now, the bargain shopper in me also needs to tell you about a cheaper version that I also like. You can typically find Neutrogena's version packed with two bottles together and sometimes you can even pair this find with a ECB deal at CVS- in fact, this week if you spend $15 on Neutrogena skin care, you get $5 ECB. Although it has the wider opening, I still like this product, especially at the price.

Anyway, using this type of remover will remove the fiber mascaras very well. Now, remember they come off differently. Your cotton round won't have black smeary stuff all over it, and you won't get black smear under your eyes. Instead, these mascaras come off in clumps- little balls of product. It's a much cleaner removal process that I just love.