Cheap Thrills (AKA The Anti-Wiggle Post)

hey all! so in case you're wondering why this isn't a knock-down, drag-out review of everything i loved and hated about SATC: The Movie, i'm just a bit SATC'd out at the moment, i'm going to really get into it in a day or so here so check back. if you're sick to death of the SATC obsessing, then here's some makeup obsessing to fill the void ;D

i might as well have just called this blog "One Woman's Obsessive Compulsive Journey Through a Thousand Tubes of Mascara" because there is quite a bit of time focused on lash-worthy products! i promise i'll branch out, but i'm just eager to share the things i've learned with all of you, my lovely readers, and since i never stop buying mascara, it seems that a good portion of my knowledge lies there... anyways, i know that a lot of readers (myself included) don't always have $25 to spend on a tube of mascara that only lasts a few months, so i want you to know that there are really, really good buys waiting for you at the drugstore! you can look like a real-life Betty Boop with a mascara that costs less than $10, i swear! i have tested tons, and two of my all-time favorites are...

1. Cover Girl Volume Exact Mascara, $5.99. this was the first rubber bristle brush mascara that ever worked for me, and i have really grown to love it! you know how people always describe certain mascaras as giving 'false lash' results? well they are usually talking about an ultra volumizing, super dramatic and most of the time clumpy mascara. if you actually look at a pair of false lashes, they don't look a thing like that! they are very long, wispy, feathery, and defined looking. each lash is perfectly separated and curled. CG Volume Exact mascara will actually give you 'false lash' results! this mascara coats each lash and gets right down to the root, something especially important if, like myself, you have naturally blonde lashes. it never clumps, and your lashes don't get fused together as long as you take your time applying and use a light touch, something invaluable in mascara application. we're always taught through magazines and makeup artists advice that the way to apply mascara is to wedge the brush into your lash base and then wiggle it up and out through our lashes, right? well i used to always apply my mascara this way and could never understand why my lashes clumped, couldn't hold a curl, and just generally looked like crap. let me tell you why: applying mascara that way overloads your lashes with product and does NOT give you your best result. maybe if you have really long, thick lashes to begin with the wiggle method works well for you, but for those of us not blessed with naturally thick lashes, it's not the magic method! if you've been applying your mascara using the wiggle method forever and think i'm crazy, do me a favor and just try this out one time: curl your lashes, grab your mascara wand and *LIGHTLY* brush through your lashes without wiggling at all. just wedge the bristles into your lash base and sweep straight up, being very careful to only gently touch the bristles to your lashes as you sweep. repeat a few times until you're happy with your results. this will put on the perfect amount of mascara on your lashes so that they don't stick together and they stay curled perfectly. anyhow, back to CG Volume Exact-- this mascara holds a curl so well it makes me want to jump up and down! to me, one of the most important qualities a mascara can possess is being able to really lock in the curl i spend 5 minutes pressing into my lashes. this one does not dissapoint. as a matter of fact, for the last week straight i've ignored every other mascara and only used this one, quite a feat for a person who usually uses a different one each day. Volume Exact is cheap, doesn't dry out quickly whatsoever, and works brilliantly. it's very black and doesn't flake or smudge at all, yet easily melts off with soap and water at the end of the day. pretty much perfection by my standards! next up, another mascara that deserves a 10 out of 10...

2. Rimmel Lycra Lash Extender Mascara, $6.49. another mascara that gives you a real 'false lash' look, this slim black tube houses a powerful lash glamorizer! after reading countless gushing reviews on MUA, i decided to pick up this mascara and try it out for myself. at the time i was on a very narrow-minded path with mascaras as i was only interested in super volumizing formulas, so getting a mascara that was specifically marketed for lengthening lashes was a stretch (no pun intended) for me. let's just say i was not the least bit disappointed! this mascara actually has lycra in it to help stretch and lengthen your lashes, and boasts the ability to hold your curl for 14 hours, which it lives up to! the swirling-shaped tube feels very substantial in your hand as you're applying and the thickly bristled brush sweeps the formula through lashes perfectly with no clumps in sight! the only time i've had any smearing or flaking with this mascara is when i fall asleep in it, and even then it's nothing a moistened Q-tip can't handle. the results you get when using this mascara are long, separated, defined, fluttery lashes that stay curled until you decide to wash your face. it is truly a phenomenal drugstore find! i've even gotten my mom attached to this mascara and she is a no-muss, no-fuss kind of gal who would never put up with a mascara that required too much effort!

so if you're finding yourself in desperate need of a new tube of mascara but with insufficient funds for a trip to Sephora, never fear! the Pretty Kitty is here to help you find your way!

what are your favorite cheap thrills? let me know in the comments!

Cover Girl Volume Exact mascara and Rimmel Lycra Lash mascara are both available at drugstores everywhere and their respective websites, which are linked above.

private (smoky) eyes, are watching youuuu.....

hey all! a post tonight on an obsession/phobia i've cured once and for all...the simple smoky eye! this is a look i've coveted since i was about 10 years old when i hurriedly paged, wide-eyed and breathless, through Sassy magazine (which i loved and MISS so much, oh why can't Sassy please come back?!). however, i was born with a cruel affliction known to the general public as BLONDE EYELASHES! eeeeeek! if you're familiar with this curse or suffer from it yourself, you know you look like hermit crab without mascara and that it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to wear black eyeliner because you can always see your blonde lash roots peeking forth and it completely ruins the look! try and try again as you might, you'll never conquer this annoying lash-root-visibility until you have the proper tools...


1. a flat, STIFF, eyeliner brush! my personal favorite (pictured here, the Japonesque Travel Sized Flat Eyeliner Brush, around $8) is the most IMPORTANT tool i can urge you to purchase for this mission, ladies! sometimes referred to as a 'push' brush, this badboy will take those blonde eyelashes and make them wish they were born dark! the way you'll use this wonderful little brush is by taking some dark pigment (such as powder, cake, pencil or gel eyeliner) and actually 'pushing' it into your lashline, right between your eyelash roots. this masks fair eyelash roots and makes your lashline blend into your eyeliner line just like it's supposed to! also i should mention along with this first tool is how essential an eyelash curler is to helping this look come together. if you curl your lashes sky-high before you attempt to use the push brush, it will help to open up the area and give you easy access to those between-the-lashes spots. next up in order of essentialness...


2. your choice of black eyeliner! i come from the 'black is best' side of the fence, whether it comes to mascara or eyeliner, i feel that EVERYONE looks best in black. that's not to say that you might not want to rock a rich brown or shimmery purple (as i sometimes do, also) but since we're discussing the simple smoky eye, i figure we'll stick with basic black. my pick for eyeliner for this task is MAC's Fluidline in Blacktrack, $15. this, my friends, is perfection and LIFESAVER in a pot! Blacktrack is a soft gel eyeliner with the blackest black pigment and the BEST staying power, EVER! it applies smoothly and evenly in the first stroke of your brush, no retracing needed, and the economically priced pot will last you AGES. what i like to do when going for the simple smoky eye is first trace a line of this on my top lashline with MAC's 209 Eyeliner Brush, $17, and after letting it dry for a minute or so, i curl my lashes and then whip out my handy Japonesque push brush and get to darkening those lash roots! i do this by gently tapping the tips of the bristles into the Blacktrack and then wiggling them into my lashline. easy as 1,2,3 and works like a charm!

3. personalize your look! this is where you get to flex your creative muscles. you can add some black eyeliner to your bottom lashline and waterline or just go for the dark look on your top eyelid. you can smudge or leave your lines sharp! for a softer looking, pencil eyeliner for your bottom lashline, i am LOVING Rimmel's Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Jet Black, $3.19 (at Drugstore.com), which is so soft and sooty and black! it goes on without a bit of tugging and lasts fairly well for a pencil so soft and smudge-able. i wore this the other night on my bottom waterline and it did need a few touch-ups but for the look it gives you at the cut-rate price it comes at, no problem for me! when i'm doing a smoky eye, i like my lashes to be as over the top as i can get them, and Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara, $19.50, is my personal FAVORITE PICK for ultra lush volume and length. this mascara, another in the tube variety like Imju's Fiberwig, gives you amazing volume, holds a curl like CEMENT and never flakes or smudges. this is the mascara you will want to use for your best look at me lashes!

well i hope i've helped just one of the lash challenged girls who i used to belong to. rock your smoky eyes with all the gusto you can muster up, ladies! it doesn't have to be hard, as long as you get the basic elements of the look down pat, you can run with it! meow!