Lash Glue? Trimming the edges of the falsies to fit your natural eyelashes? Making sure one is not lifting? Who has the time or patience to wear False Eyelashes on a day to basis? Certainly not me! Of course, it’s good to add the extra “Uummmppffff” on those special occasions, but on a day to day basis? It’s just not realistic, nor is it good for your lashes. What am I getting at? If you don’t want to wear False Eyelashes 365 days a year, you need to invest in a good mascara. A wise person once told me, “A good mascara can make or break a face!” Which, of course, I totally agree with!

I’ve been looking for a really good drugstore brand mascara for a LONNNNNNNGGGG time, some work for me, some don’t. It’s all trial and error. Tons of ladies rave about Cover Girl’s Lashblast mascara and I absolutely hated it, it didn’t do anything for my lashes.. some say Maybelline’s Colossal Mascara didn’t work for them, I loved it!

Sooo, with that being said.. I grabbed a couple mascaras and tried them out. Gotta love late night trips to Wal-Mart or CVS.. I never seem to leave without buying some sort of beauty product. I really need rehab or something. ;)

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara


What it claims: Uniquely formulated to resist clumping, soften lashes, and build lashes to five times their natural thickness. Patented Volume Maximizing Brush™ thickens lashes evenly and smoothly, leaving them soft with virtually no flakes, smudges, or clumps.





Neutrogena Healthy Volume Waterproof






Conditioning waterproof formula with a touch of olive plumps lashes from the inside out. Supersized Visible Volume brush quickly coats each lash with rich, volume-building color. No clumps, smudges or flakes.

Before/After

Excuse my sad excuse for lashes mascara-free.. (After seeing these pictures.. Lilash is looking like a GREAT option. I just haven't been able to justify the price. LOL)



Left to right: Neutrogena, Voluminous, Bare Lashes.


My thoughts? I can see CLEARLY which one pops out to me, and it's definitely the Neutrogena.. it makes my sparse eyelashes look like I actually have some. The application is not messy or too wet.. I've come across mascaras that are super-dooper messy and by the time you've applied it, your eyeshadow is messed up because it has smeared. Voluminous? I liked it, but I'm not 100% in love with it, it tends to clump a bit.. but it definitely lengthens and adds a bit of volume. :-)

I will definitely repurchase the Neutrogena mascara!

Your thoughts? Have you purchased one of these mascaras? If so, what was your opinion on them?

Wow! March is here already? Where the heck did the time go? I'm not complaining, I LOVE Spring! ;) Anyway, here are my February Favorites! (In no particular order)



Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask


This stuff is Ah-Mazing! As I've said in my recent post, my hair is faaaaarrrrr from perfect, so I need any help that I can get.. and for roughly $7.00, this stuff is a steal! It is not heavy at all, so it does not weigh down your hair.. As far as the scent? It definitely has a hint of cherry in it, not cough medicine cherry.. don't worry! ;) (Who likes COUGH medicine cherry? Blech!) You apply it to your hair after you've shampooed.. focusing more so on the ends as thats where you'll have more damage. You should leave it on for a good 5-10 minutes. Save this process for when you're about to shave your legs.. Multi-task ladies! (If you aren't big on Cherry scented things you can try L'Oreal's EverPure Moisture Deep Restorative masque.. basically the same thing but has a Mint scent.) (To read more reviews about Neutrogena's mask visit: http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Neutrogena_Triple_Moisture_Deep_Recovery_Hair_Mask


Lush - Love Lettuce Mask



Let me just say I'm OBSESSED with Lush! I recently became acquainted with Lush products after watching TONS of YouTube videos about their Bath Bombs, Bubble Bars, Massage Bars, etc.. (www.lush.com) What girl does NOT like bath/shower products? I know I sure do.. So, after taking many trips to Lush and purchasing a few (A LOT) of products, I decided to give their facial line a try, and I'm SO glad I did! I had to try out all of their masks to figure out which one worked best for my skin type. (Keep in mind, these masks are made with no preservatives so you have to keep them in your fridge. Average "Shelf life" is roughly 2 weeks from when it was made.)

Website Ingredients: Love Lettuce is a wonderful lavender scented, rich green exfoliating mask for normal to oily skins. We make it with an infusion of nutritious agar seaweed, balancing lavender oil and chlorophyll to control your skin's oil production and china clay to penetrate the skin and absorb the dirt you've picked up from the atmosphere. As you wash it off, the ground almonds and almond shells gently remove dead skin cells to give you a fresh-from-the-market-garden look (and scent).

I use this mask probably 2x a week as it has an expiration date, and you want to use the product and not waste it. I apply it to a clean face and then followed by normal cleanse/tone/moisturize process. It definitely has made my face a lot smoother as the ground almonds/shells exfoliate my skin. I highly recommend this product!

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser




I've been on the hunt for THE perfect facial cleanser and I finally found one that does not irritate my skin. After doing some research online I found that tons of dermatologists recommend this facial cleanser to their patients because it doesn't have any fragrance and it's extremely gentle on the skin. (Also, it has been featured in Allure's best beauty buys several times.) When I first applied it I was shocked that it didn't lather like normal cleansers do, but it still did the trick.. my face felt fresh afterwards!

MAC Humid Eyeshadow


I'm obsessed with green eyeshadows and this has to be my favorite EVER! It's not too light, not too dark.. and really makes my brown eyes pop! It's a Frost finish with green/gold shimmer. I like to pair this with MAC Goldmine in the inner tear duct, MAC Sumptuous Olive Eyeshadow all over the lid, and Humid in my crease.. I blend the colors together with MAC Cork. If I want to intensify the color I will add MAC Espresso/Carbon in the crease/outer V to give dimension.)

MAC 217 Blending Brush



This brush is wonderful! You can use it for so many things.. applying a Paint Pot, Primers, or what it was intended for.. Blending! This brush smooths out any harsh lines.. It's a must have!

Urban Decay Primer Potion



This eyeshadow primer is a gift from up above.. Nothing is worse than spending a ton of time on your eye makeup only to go out and have it fade.. THIS stuff will prevent that and keep your eyeshadows looking vibrant all.day.long! -- The only downside about this product is the packaging.. granted, it's cute.. but just not realistic! When you think there isn't anymore product in it, you're sadly mistaken. The way the tube is designed there is product you don't even get to. Thanks to tons of YouTube videos you can now depot your UDPP. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=depot+urban+decay+primer+potion&search_type=&aq=0&oq=depot+urban+

MAC Creme D'Nude Lipstick



Perfect nude color! Looks great when you have a Smokey eye and you want color on your lips, but not overdone..

OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender
http://www.lookfantastic.com/nailcare/opi-nailcare/nail-lacquers/opi-purples/opi-lucky-lucky-lavender-nail-lacquer-15ml.html

This color is beautiful! Vibrant light purple.. perfect for Spring! You may need 2 coats to make the color stand out and not streaky.



Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray
If you're going to flat iron/curl your hair you should always use a heat protectant.. this stuff is super cheap, does the job and smells great!

So, how many times have you gotten up in the morning and your hair looked like it had enough oil to fry some Mickey D fries? Ok, so it’s not the most pleasant thought, but I’m sure some of yall know what I’m talking about, right? Lets face it, it happens! Now, who washes your hair every.single.day? *Raises hand* I’m guilty as charged, if I didn’t (or so I thought) wash my hair every day my hair would look a hot mess!

What type of hair do I have? Well, I have color-treated my hair since I was 15, and I washed my hair basically every single day until recently.. so, I’d say my hair is less than perfect. (Very fine/damaged, however I am working on it.)

Let’s fast forward.. there are products on the market to help give your tresses a break.. What might that be? Dry Shampoo! (Which can get pretty pricey, they range from about $15.00-$30.00) it comes in a powder form which then is applied at the roots of your hair and sparingly. I’m sure TONS of you tried the Baby Powder trick back in the day, only to look like you walked into a box of Powdered Sugar donuts.

If you aren’t looking to spend your extra pennies on dry shampoo, and you want to save your locks.. take a look in your pantry! If you have plain Cocoa Powder/Cornstarch you can mix it together in some form of a salt shaker/saucer and apply at the roots of your hair. I know what you’re thinking.. Cocoa Powder? (A little goes a looooong way!) Trust me, it wont be sticky, and the smell of chocolate will go away shortly thereafter. If you’re a blonde, you may use Cornstarch only, it will do just the same.

It’s so important to give your hair a break from time to time, and I think this is a perfect option for those of you that are on-the-go and can’t wash your hair every morning!