Shine On (A VERY Cheap Thrill)

you know how there's some days when you've done your whole hair routine and you're getting ready to walk out the door but your hair just looks bleh? it might be kinda fuzzy or poufy, or the ends are looking parched, or it could just be lacking sleekness and shine. well my dear readers, i have the perfect inexpensive product to solve all these hair dilemmas. L'oreal Studio Line Shine Seeker Glass Shine Spray, $3.99 (at Ulta), is the perfect final touch to hair that's not quite behaving. it's your typical silicone-based shine spray, but what's different about Shine Seeker is the fact that it's super light weight and doesn't weigh down your hair in the least bit. a lot of shine sprays can give you that greasy, heavy-feeling hair that looks like it hasn't been washed for days and leaves you with comb tracks after brushing. gross! not the look i'm ever going for. Shine Seeker just gives weightless gloss, smooths flyaways and gives a sleek look to fried ends that are in desperate need of a trim (i should know, it's been almost 6 months since my last cut! don't worry, i have an appointment on Saturday). just to be extra careful that i don't overload on any particular section of hair, i spray two spritzes in my palm, rub my hands together, and then smooth my hands over my locks, starting around my ears and going down, concentrating the bulk of the product on the last 2 inches of my hair. it always gives my hair a little sleekness, and you just can't beat the price! i've had the bottle i'm using now for atleast 3 months and haven't even put a dent in it. you could always use a high-end shine product and spend 6 times more, but why do that when L'oreal's is holy grail material? this is a definite must-have for any beauty queen, whether you're a straight girl or a curly girl (when my hair was long and i air-dryed it loose and wavy, this gave me great shine, which can be hard to get on curly hair). an easily awarded 10/10 from this Kitty!

L'oreal Studio Shine Seeker Shine Spray can be purchased at most grocery stores, Target-type stores, and Ulta, where i've found it's the cheapest. enjoy!

Cheap Thrills

lately i have been extremely interested in body washes, scrubs, and other shower goodies which is odd because i've been a strictly Dove soap girl forever! it was the Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castille Soap that i bought a while ago that sparked this latest fixation and ever since then i've been sniffing around for other interesting bathing products. this little gem pictured above is from a line available at Target called Soap and Glory. it was actually created by Marcia Kilgore, the genius behind Bliss products, but Soap and Glory comes at a more affordable price for those of us who can't pass up a good bargain...like...ME!!!

the Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel, $9.99, is a fantastic bargain at under ten dollars for a whopping 16.2 fluid ounces! the 'gel' itself isn't actually a gel at all; it's more of a rich, moisturizing shower cream that foams up to produce satisfyingly fluffy lather! it cleanses your skin thoroughly without stripping it and leaves it fairly hydrated once you've dried off, even without using an additional moisturizer post shower (quite a feat for my very dry skin!). to my nose it smells pretty but some reviews i've read said that it's floral fragrance can compete with your perfume, so sniff before you buy if you're sensitive to that kind of thing. the 2 ounce travel size bottle i bought was only $3 so if you're not sure, pick up that size and test it out. i'm definitely planning on buying the regular size! not that it really matters, but even their packaging is adorable in a retro, 50's housewife, Benefit sort of way! it would definitely look adorable sitting in your bathroom. besides the shower gel, i'd also like to try some of Soap and Glory's other products, like their Righteous Butter Body Lotion, $9.99. even better yet? pick up the Scrub Triangle Mini Gift Set, $9.99, to get mini bottles of the shower gel, body butter and their body scrub! it would make a great gift for any of your girlfriends...or if you're me, for yourself! ;D

the next time you're at Target, stop by the cosmetics department and check out their whole line of products, which includes a much applauded lip plumper called Sexy Motherpucker! yes readers, shocking 'sex' marketing sells, much to the dismay of little old ladies at Target's nationwide! meow!

Cheap Thrills: A Series Event!

today i was thinking about a recent post i did entitled "Cheap Thrills" where i wrote about two inexpensive drugstore mascaras that i adore, and decided to make "Cheap Thrills" an ongoing series where i can share the amazing products that i discover at even more amazing prices. i mean, who doesn't love finding something that works great for dirt cheap?! i even know that mega-rich celebs love a bargain because they constantly blab about it any chance they get, probably to make us feel like "Wow, they're people just like us!" in that whole US Magazine-esque way. so if you're a tightwad and you know it, clap your hands (and read on)!

last week when i was wandering around at the grocery store i came upon the Wet'n'Wild display, which seems to be getting more fancy and updated each time i see it. what i will never understand is why in God's name they're introducing all these new products but no longer stocking their very best product ever, All Over Shimmer 832D (the most amazing highlighter i've ever used, check out my feelings on it here). anyways, as i was looking over all the goodies i happened to notice their Kohl Brow-Eyeliner Pencil in Taupe 648, $.99, and what a perfect color it seemed to be to match my own dark blonde brows. the problem with having (nearly invisible) blonde brows of any shade is that to have them look fierce you need to fill them in, but most pencils or powders for blondes are usually too warm and too auburn looking against pale skin. even if the product is amazing, if it's too warm-toned then your brows are left screaming out "Look at me! i'm wearing brow pencil!" and that's never the look i'm going for. even a lot of high-end brow products (e.g. Benefit Brow Zings) are too warm in their lightest shade, so i certainly wasn't expecting Wet'n'Wild to get it so right, especially for the price of $.99! this pencil is a steal for under a dollar, and the color is so perfect i can't help but wonder why the high-end cosmetic companies can't take notice and get it right?!? the texture of the pencil is very soft, so it takes a light touch to get a natural look, but filling in my brows with it couldn't have been easier. i just penciled in my thin sections and then brushed through my brows with a browbrush to blend, and voila! perfectly defined yet still natural looking brows. and it's lasted all day, as well! now i'm not certain that this pencil would last through hot, humid, grueling long days but at this price, having to touch up is not a problem. this pencil would suit any girls from the lightest blonde end of the spectrum to medium brown, grey, and auburn (my current color). pick one up and try it out today, what have you got to lose except the spare change jingling around at the bottom of your purse?

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.