Tag Archives: Beauty

It is no secret that I am a lover of makeup and all things makeup related.  Always have been.  I started wearing makeup as soon as my mom would let me…..

Okay, so I wasn’t quite that young!  But you get the idea!  I heart makeup!

So, when someone recently asked me to go into a bit more detail on my day-to-day makeup essentials I was pretty stoked!  I mean, who doesn’t like to talk about stuff they love?!  Especially when it means I get to talk about myself as well! 

I am going to share with you my makeup must-haves, from daytime makeup to evening makeup, in a series of posts titled “Makeup Love.”  I want to be thorough, and not skip over anything, which is why I want to do a series of posts, rather than just one large makeup related post.  Makeup is serious business!  I don’t want to rush through this!

Here we go!

Part 1:  Mascara 

Mascara is probably the single most important item in my makeup bag.  I definitely use it more than any other item.  If I have a day where I don’t feel like putting on a full face of makeup (very rare!) I will almost always still put on a few swipes of mascara.   It makes a huge difference in the way my face looks.  And it literally takes, like, two minutes.   Now, when I am putting on makeup for a normal day, I always wear a lot of mascara.  Not so much where I have “tarantula leg lashes” but at least two coats.

I have a weird routine, too.  I know most women put their mascara on last, after the eyeliner and eyeshadow.  Not me!  I put my mascara on first!  I like to wear a lot of the stuff, so I am messy with the first coat.  And when I say messy, I mean I don’t try to not get it on my eyelids.  I want every.single.lash to be completely coated, so I just go crazy!  I swipe and I swipe and I swipe until all my lashes are coated and I don’t have any clumps.  Clumpy, thick lashes=no bueno.  I then take a moist Q-tip and remove the excess that did get on my eyelids and on the skin underneath my bottom lashes.  And yes, I put mascara on both my top and bottom lashes.  Always.    Once I have removed all the excess mascara from my uper and lower eye area, I continue on with the rest of my eye-makeup routine.  Eyelid primer, liner, and shadow.  But I will save that for another post.  Then, I more carefully apply a second coat of mascara once all my other eye makeup is finished.

And also unlike most women (I think!), I don’t always stick to one brand.  When I use up a tube of mascara, I will often buy a different brand to replace it, just for fun.  I like to try out new stuff, to make sure I am not missing out on a hidden gem of a product!  I do have a couple of favorites that I always fall back on, but still, I like to try new brands and styles! 

One thing does always stay the same, though.  The color.  I ALWAYS buy blackest-black, or the darkest shade available, depending on the brand.  I know some makeup experts say that if you are blonde you shouldn’t wear super-black mascara because it doesn’t go well with light-colored hair or whatever.  I say no way!  No way am I wearing brown or even brownish-black mascara!  If you want your eyes to really stand out, you must wear/use/apply dramatic mascara!  IMO, you can really tell a difference between someone who is wearing a few swipes of mascara versus someone who really took the time to apply it properly and took care to cover all their lashes.

Now, onto the good stuff….my favorites!

BADgal Lash Mascara by Benefit

BADgal Lash mascara is seriously amazing!  I always buy the ‘rich black’ shade, although it does come in blue and deep plum, too.  It has an over-sized brush which makes it really easy to coat all of your lashes.  And it really lengthens the lashes, too.  BADgal Lash mascara, if I had to pick just one, would probably be my all-time favorite mascara.  It is not always the most practical though, since it costs $19 a tube.  And because I go through so much mascara, sadly I cannot stick to just BADgal!  I have to mix it up with some cheaper drug-store brands.  In a perfect world I would have an unlimited, lifetime supply of this wonderous mascara! 

DiorShow Mascara by Dior

DiorShow is great because it adds a bit of curl to my lashes.  Similar to BADgal, this mascara also has a fairly large brush, which really helps to make lashes look long, thick and curvy!   DiorShow comes in 3 colors: rich black, warm brown and royal blue.  As I said before, I always stick with black.   DiorShow is probably my second favorite department store mascara, but it comes with a hefty price tag:  $24.50 per tube.  Okay to buy as a treat once in a while, but not something I can purchase on a regular basis.  Unfortunately.   On a side-note:  I initially tried this mascara because I got a mini-tube as a free sample!  As soon as I used it, I was hooked! 

FabuLash Mascara by Revlon

The wand and brush on the FabuLash Mascara is much smaller than the other mascara’s mentioned above.  Oddly enough, though, it is still excellent in making lashes look long and very luscious!  I can’t explain it!  This skinny mascara brush can really give a lot of definition and length to your lashes!  It comes in multiple shades of black (and other shades, too!), but I always go with the blackest black!   It averages about $6.79 a tube, depending on which drug store you go to.  Much more cost-effective!  Revlon’s FabuLash is my favorite drug-store mascara, hands-down.  I always keep a tube of this stuff on hand.  I have tried so many other mascara’s (and will continue to do so!), but I always go back to the FabuLash!  It is a mascara-lovers dream: works wonders and it’s affordable!   

The Max Volume Flash Mascara by Rimmel

I initially purchased this mascara simply because of the pink tube.  No joke.  I was browsing the mascara aisle at Target and ended up buying this Rimmel mascara because I was drawn to the bright pink tube.  True story.  And as ridiculous as that may sound, I have done it before.  Tried a new mascara (or other makeup product) simply because I liked the packaging.  And in this case it paid off.   This Max Volume Flash Mascara by Rimmel is pretty decent.   It has a nice, big brush (which I like!) that makes it super-easy to heavily coat your lashes.  Just watch out for clumps!  With the more inexpensive mascaras, I have found that it is easier to get big clumps.  Thick lashes are good; clumpy, thick lashes are not good.   And depending on where you buy, this mascara also runs in the neighborhood of around $6 to $7 per tube.    And as per usual, I bought the darkest shade possible: extreme black.  I have already gone through my second tube of this mascara, and I will definitely be buying it again.  I need to have several tubes of mascara on-hand at all times!  God forbid I should run out!  Then I couldn’t leave my house!  Just kiddin’….sorta. 

Now that I have shared my mascara must-haves, I would love to hear yours!  What mascara do you cherish?  And have you tried any bombs that I should steer clear of?  I want/need to know!!    I am anxiously awaiting your responses…..

Happy Thursday!!

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