Monday, September 1, 2014

Beauty Flash! Lots o' Lash for Little Cash

When better than Labor Day weekend to share a little bit of beauty advice? I know it has been an awful long time since my last post, but that's only because when I post I want it to be meaningful. And of course, what is more meaningful to us ladies than how to get long, voluminous lashes??? (Okay, there is plenty more meaningful things in the world but for the purpose of this post, let's just pretend for the moment, mmkay?)

Now, I am not going to lie and say that I don't already have long lashes, because, well, I do. But, they are blonde, sparse, and certainly lacking volume. And, because we're all being honest here, I will admit to being a biiiiit of a mascara whore (good for recommendations, bad for my wallet). Since I started wearing makeup in middle school, I would pretty much try a different brand and/or formula when a tube's three months were up. I had tried almost all the top reviewed mascaras, both high end and low, and for awhile refused to admit the possibility of finding the perfect formula at the drugstore. For years I swore by YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils and Armani Eyes to Kill, but after some formula changes, I set out on a quest for the best drugstore mascara to satisfy my specific needs.

After some intense online research inclusive of watching countless YouTube videos (this one became my obsession), I realized that not only can the perfect lash be achieved with drugstore mascara, it must be achieved by layering. So after much trial and error, I have finally--to your benefit--perfected the look of ultra-dramatic, super intense, mistaken for falsies, lashes. Behold:

Mascaras used: L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly, CoverGirl LashBlast Volume



Step 1: Apply one coat of Voluminous Butterfly to upper lashes using the short end of the wand. Flip to the curved edge to cover bottom lashes and finish off what is left of the product on your upper lashes. 
Step 2 (Optional): Remove any excess clumps with a spoolie brush.
Step 3: Use LashBlast as your second coat, covering your upper and lower lashes, focusing most of the mascara at the base of your upper lashes until you have used up all the product on the brush. If you need to go back with the spoolie, do as you wish and ta-da! You're done!

User beware: someone in line behind you at Starbucks will ask you what mascara you are wearing. It happened to me today, true story.