Hey y'all!!!

I know- I stepped out for a bit. Too was in the wild, wild west for a little bit and let me tell you, they do not appreciate the beauty products out there like they do in my neck of the woods. Hair product? Anyone?

I digress. My newest find for you all is another fantastic, affordable find. Maybelline's Volum Express The Falsies. Holy smokes. I put this stuff to the test, let me assure you. This stuff is out of this world! It lasted all day and it does exactly what it claims. My lashes were huge and long and glorious. One coat makes a statement. Two coats will brush against your sunglasses. I have yet to try 3 coats. I'm a little afraid...

An open letter...

Dear Eyes Lips Face (hereafter known as e.l.f.),

I'm sorry, but I am horribly confused. I consider myself kind of a mascara expert. A virtuoso as it were. I've pretty much tried them all. Yep, I mean even the $30+ ones. I've applied every type, color, shade, and variety of mascara out there to these lashes.

So, imagine my befuddlement when I threw absolute caution to the wind and spent a whopping dollar (that's one U.S. dollar) on your Regular and Waterproof Mascara Duo only to be knocked on my rear end at its awesomeness!!!! Surely a mascara that costs $1 doesn't offer smooth, even coverage with absolutely no clumps. You must be joking that I can add coat on top of coat and the color is uniform and smooth. And it's absolutely ridiculous to tell me that I can do a coat of the regular mascara topped with a layer of the waterproof for all day staying power.

I don't know what you're trying to pull e.l.f., but I plan on stocking up on this mascara because I'm sure at some point, you'll realize how amazing it is and will price it around $100 a tube.

Thank you,

A truly devoted fan of your mascara work

One coat or two? And what order???

For those of you who wear mascara, there's always that age old question- when I'm applying my second coat, do I wait until the first coat is dry or go ahead and do 2 coats in a row??

The answer is- it depends on what kind of mascara you are putting on. If you are using waterproof mascara, letting the first coat dry can cause clumps when putting on a second coat. So, you're going to want to go ahead and do your 2 coats in a row. If you are wearing non-waterproof mascara, you can let the first coat dry before applying the second coat. i.e.- one coat on your right eye, then one on your left, then back to the right.

Does this help?

Not too shabby

My eternal quest for the perfect mascara (followed closely by my quest for the perfect lip gloss, of course) has brought me to L'Oreal's Waterproof Telescopic Explosion. As you can see, it has a completely different brush. It's looks like a teeny tiny torture device. You know what I'm talking about- you see them in all the medieval movies.

Anywho, this brush is outstanding at getting every single lash. Even the hard to reach ones in the corners. The color is pitch black, an absolute must for me. And I gotta tell you, it's got some pretty impressive staying power. I can wear it all day with zero under eye smudges!! It's very reasonably priced and can be found anywhere. So, if you're on the hunt like me, give this a try. I was really pleasantly surprised and I think you will be, too.

Is it possible?

Have I found a potential replacement for my beloved Max Factor 2000 Calorie Waterproof Mascara?? I have been trying other waterproof mascaras and they have ALL come up short. Sadly, sadly short. They flaked. They clumped. I looked like a raccoon by the end of the day.

But then, I discovered Neutrogena's Healthy Volume Waterproof Mascara. This stuff uses olive extract (not a chemical) to create volume- how cool is that? The best part? It's tres affordable and available anywhere! I got mine at Target and I think I might be in luuurrvvvve...

So, if you are looking for a new mascara for the dog days of spring and summer when most mascaras are just going to pool under your eyes, give this stuff a try. I think you'll like it.

Ahhhh, Saturday.

First and foremost, a big congrats to the winner of the spring lip kit, Cristin K! Cristin, send me your address to toobeautylicious@yahoo.com so I can pop it in the mail for you.

Secondly, your tip for the day- if you are someone who absolutely HATES clumps in your mascara or you are perfectly happy with the width of your lashes and just want some length. Then, you need to look for a mascara that has a comb for application instead of a brush! Why? Well, the comb actually pulls the mascara through the lashes as opposed to a brush which deposits the mascara onto lashes. So, you're going to get a very natural look as opposed to a thicker/more artificial look.

Some mascaras that have combs:
Clinique's High Lengths Mascara
Clinique High Definition Lashes
Bare Escentuals Big Tease Mascara
Lorac Visual Effects
Lancome Fatale Exceptional Volume

The flip side

So, there you are, putting on your mascara. Everything is going well. You're almost done when AAAAHHHHH! Either, you've globbed on too much out of nowhere. Or, you have a giant clump. Or, there's that wonky lash near the end that looks funny and doesn't have the same amount of mascara as the other lashes. WHAT DO YOU DO!!!!!????

Easy. Take the wand and instead of trying to fix the problem from the underside of the lashes (where you normally apply your mascara), try fixing it from the topside. What I usually do is take the wand and place it on top of my lashes. Then, I GENTLY rotate the wand through my lashes. You might feel a slight tug as you're doing this. That's ok. It's normal. This may take some practice. Have a q-tip handy in case you get some mascara on your eyelid.

If you do this correctly, it should remove any clumps, pull out the glob, or even out the product on your lashes. It has always worked for me. Yep, I said ALWAYS.

Lash Out

So, another friend was asking me about mascara and eyelash curlers and all that jazz. She was having an issue with the fact that her lashes weren't staying curled when she put her mascara on. She commented that it looked like I wasn't having that problem. I told her there were just a few simple steps to make sure this wasn't an issue for her anymore.

First- make sure you have the RIGHT eyelash curler. Does your eyeslash curler have curved pads? Or does it have a right angle on it anywhere? If your curler pad has a hard angle on it anywhere, throw it out immediately! Then, go forth and purchase one with a more natural, rounded pad on it. My 2 favorites are the Tweezerman Classic Lash Curler: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?skuId=2064729&productId=xlsImpprod560324&navAction=push&navCount=1&categoryId=cat970001
This would be the curler for the cost conscious. If, however, you are flush with cash in this recession, the Rolls Royce of eyelash curlers would be the Shu Uemura one: http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P8119&categoryId=C17300
Both have the rounded pads I was talking about and are gentle on the lashes.

Second- when you curl your lashes, start at the base and give a really good, big ol' squeeze. Then, the real trick is to slide the curler up the lash and squeeze again gently at varying points until you get to the tip. This creates a fantastic curve all the way up the lash, making the curl look more realistic and less created. Plus, I find that this helps maintain the curved shape better.

Finally- when you are ready to apply your mascara, the first coat is crucial. If you just slap on a coat, it tends to be too heavy and can weigh the lashes down. Hence, ruining any fabulous curl you've just created. So, the solution is to pull the mascara wand out and wipe off a pretty good bit of the product. I tend to wipe it off right on the opening of the mascara tube. That way I can push it back in with the wand and none gets wasted. Your first coat of mascara should be a light one so that it goes on smoothly and clump free. Another idea would be to wipe off only one side of the mascara brush, use that side for your first coat and then just turn the brush over and use the side with more product for your second coat. So, you kind of end up with a coat and a half on.

Give these tricks a try and see if you don't like the way your lashes look a little better. You'll be the envy of all your clumpy, straight lashed friends!!