Review: Bare Naturale Luminous Lengthening Mascara

I wholeheartedly agree with one of my favorite bloggers, the oh-so-classy PCD of The Pretty Circle. You simply can’t have enough mascara. That’s why, despite having at least a dozen tubes, I didn’t think twice about tossing L’oreal’s Bare Naturale Luminous Lengthening Mascara into my shopping cart at Target the other day.

Like a lot of mascaras, this one promises noticeably longer, luminous lashes smudgeproof, flakeproof blah, blah, blah. In other words, nothing we haven’t all heard before.

What makes this one different? It also boasts shine infusing minerals, conditioning vitamins and is both fiber and paraben-free!

Cool, huh?

Well, it would be if this mascara weren’t a bit too natural. Two coats and it looked as if I hadn’t bothered putting any on. The lengthening effect was minimal, and it didn’t hold my eyelash curl. To make matters worse, an hour after application it smudged.

So while I still believe you can never have enough mascaras, I won’t be adding this one to my collection. If you do, I paid $7.50 for it at Target.

Instant Refreshers

Stayed up late watching the Olympics again, and now you’re paying the price?

Or maybe your job is just plain boring.

Either way, you can barely keep your eyes open, and your head is about to slam against your desk.

Here are a few pick-me-ups I use to keep awake during slow days in my home office. I believe they’ll also help you make it until quitting time. After all, your job does keep you in eye shadow and lip gloss.

Evian Mineral Water Spray – I keep a 1.7 ounce bottle of this trusty spray in my purse at all times. A quick spritz of this fine mist, not only wakes me up, it revitalizes my early morning make-up. I buy mine in a 3-pack at Sephora for $16.50.


Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller – I initially bought product for its claims to decongest puffiness and diminish dark circles under my eyes. Does it work? Hmmm… not really. Still, I love it! This serum applied with a rollerball pen is cooling and oh-so-refreshing. Caffeine is touted on the box as an ingredient. Maybe that’s why one swipe is as delightful and stimulating as a cup of afternoon java. You can find this at any drug or discount store, but I bought one at Walgreens for $12.99.


Stride Sugarfree Gum in Sweet Peppermint – WOW! What a blast of peppermint. The super strong taste of mint in this long-lasting gum is like a smack in the face. It’s totally worth the $1.20 I paid for it at Walgreens.

Well, those are my top three revivers. Anybody else?

Review: Tweezerman After Tweeze Soothing Cream

Patients bounce back from open heart surgery quicker than I recover from getting my eyebrows done.

From heat-to-ice-to-Anbesol-to-aspirin, I’ve tried just about all of the pain easing tips. Waxing and plucking still hurt like hell! Not just for the agonizing moments of having hairs ripped out of my face by the root, but for the rest of the day.

Yeah, I know. Pretty isn’t always easy. Put on your big girl undies and deal with it. And I do… after I look in the mirror and discover I’ve damn near grown a unibrow.

Fortunately, the folks at Tweezerman have come up with a product to put a quick end to the agonizing pain (and my endless whining about it). After my last torturous brow wax, I immediately whipped out my tube of After Tweeze Soothing Cream and swiped it on.

Ahhhh, sweet relief.

It not only immediately soothed the sting, it eliminated hours worth of the redness and swelling.

I picked up this lifesaver at Sephora for $12.

Don’t Just Watch the Athletes – Be One!

Wheaties may be the breakfast of Olympic champions, but when I’m banging out a story on deadline it’s Hershey bars dipped in Diet Coke and pizza delivery that keep the words flowing.

It’s a diet my fickle muse thrives on. My expanding ass doesn’t.

So if I want to fit into any of the cute fall clothes hitting the stores, it’s time for me to stop making excuses and start making tracks. Since I love gadgets almost as much as I adore beauty products, here are a few things I’m using to motivate myself back into a regular walking routine.

LOW TECH: Accusplit AE120XL Pedometer – I’ve had a few pedometers, but this lean, mean step-counting machine is my favorite.

It’s small, accurate and clips comfortably onto my waistband. Counting your steps is addictive, and this baby will have you looking for ways to get more in. I shoot for 12,500 steps a day. I got mine at Amazon.com for $13.88.

MEDIUM TECH: Polar F4 Heart Rate Monitor – Initially, I thought heart rate monitors weren’t worth the hassle.

Boy was I wrong!First, input your info (age, sex, height, weight) into the watch, then strap on the accompanying chest strap. During your workout you’ll be able to continuously monitor not only your heart rate, but how many calories you’re burning. Your workout history is stored for seven days. Again, this motivates me to work out a bit longer just to hike up the calorie burn. I’ve seen these at Target, but I ordered mine from Amazon.com for about $80.

HIGH TECH: Nike + iPod Sport Kit and Nike Sports band - This is new gadget for me.

A few weeks ago, I ordered a pair of Nike sneakers after seeing a photo of them on Brown Girl Gumbo's blog (I swear, BGG’s gonna put me in the poor house!).

Anyhoo, when the shoes arrived I saw they were Nike+ ready. I already had the required iPod Nano, so I picked a Nike+ iPod Sport Kit for $29 and a Nike Sport Arm band for an additional $29 at the Apple Store. (*NOTE: This is a nano gadget only. It won’t work with your regular iPod or iPhone).

The kit includes a wireless sensor that goes into built-in pocket inside Nike+ ready shoes and a transmitter that pops into the end of your nano.

Follow some simple instructions on your nano before a workout, and you’re off. This gadget provides instant details on your walk or run like time, distance, pace, and calories burned than can be downloaded to your computer. Yep, it works with your playlists! There's even a very polite built-in voice that will give you a verbal summary of your walk or run at the touch of a button.

Keep in mind, I don’t use all three of these things at the same time. Nor are they necessities. However, they might just motivate you into gold medal shape!

P.S. Thanks for all the good wishes and support during my deadline crunch. I wish I could take you all out for new lipglosses!