Third Time's the Charm: Part Two

In which I try desperately to fulfill my need for thick glorious lashes at the drugstore.

My new office building has a CVS in it.

I'll let that soak in for a second.

Yup, so that means that on my way into the office, out of the office, to grab lunch, to go to a meeting, coming back from a meeting (you get the point) I can stop into the drugstore and browse the new mascaras, eyeliners, shampoos, etc.

It's very dangerous.  Especially since I jones for new mascara like Heidi must jones for synthetic fillers.

So, on one of these trips, I noticed that Maybelline mascaras were two for one!  I picked up a tube of my current love of the moment, the XXL and was struck by a fat yellow tube labeled COLOSSAL.

Since I didn't have the foresight to have someone lash (no pun intended) to the mast of a ship or something, I could not resist the siren song of the promise of thick glossy lashes.

So imagine the let down when I busted open the tube and discovered a similar wet formula like the Lash Blast.  Seriously....are these the same?  The Colossal was distinguished by an uber funky smell.

That was special.

I tried once or twice to use it again but was put off by the smell.

And into the trash it went.

to be continued....

No joke, as I was writing this post and watching The Hills (that's right, I multitask) the commercial for this mascara came on.  No mention of funk smell.  Call the FTC.

photo courtesy of drugstore.com

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Ahhh, back in the warmth.


Seriously, who knew that Southern California could get so blisteringly cold in May? Apparently anyone who reads the weather report and doesn't think that it is simply lying.


Even though it got down to the frigid mid 60s during the day, it was quite a weekend out in LA.


I have no inside dirt on the Lohan Curbside Terry Stop, but I did run into David Hasslehoff browsing the men's department at the Barney's Co-Op in The Grove. I managed to totally OD on avocado and Iced Blendeds and managed to get a sunburn within an hour of arriving.


Productive, no?



On the beauty front, I took a spin around Fred Segal in Santa Monica to quell my beauty jones. While the draconian TSA rules prevented me from picking up too many fun toys, my friend snagged the 100% Pure Organic Dark Chocolate Mocha Body Cream for her mom who was on a quest for chocolate scented body lotion. I recommended checking it out after my positive experiences with the Strawberry Body Scrub from the same line. The lotion is very chocolately smelling, but not overpowering or mercifully lacks the candy sweet smell that so many lotions have these days.







While it was being wrapped up, I became intrigued by the Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara sitting idly at the counter. It looked impressively dark and sooty (that's how I like it!) and the brush looked like it could really give good lash for a night out in a dark club that serves degenerate underage starlets. Unfortunately, I walked away, remembering exactly how many mascaras currently line my dresser. But it did not go unnoticed that Sephora has a mini version available for purchase...

So...did anyone else have any fun beauty adventures over the holiday weekend? Can anyone give me the scoop on the Too Faced Mascara? And, does anyone know where I could get an Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf fix on the East Coast???

photos courtesy of sephora.com and bathandbodyworks.com

Singin' the Blues

Wow, there were so many cheesy and cliche titles I could have come up with for this post.

As previously mentioned about a gajillion times on my blog, I'm kind of a sucker for the Next Hot Thing.

My name is Capitol Hill Barbie, and I'm a trend whore.

All together now, "Hi Barbie."

Sometimes this pans out, other times, not so much. So when I recently hightailed it to Sephora to try out the latest rage, blue mascara, I was anticipating a minor disaster. More George Bush referring to the web as the "internets," less Britney exiting a car on a Saturday night.

I was surprised with the result that it looked kind of cool. I sampled Benefit BadGal Blue, which is apparently EXCLUSIVE to Sephora. I noticed that it made my eyes a little brighter and whiter. I layered it over the existing mascara, so the look was subtle, meaning that my fiance looked at me like I was an escapee from St. Elizabeth's when I asked him how it looks.

Whatever! He was wearing sandals with socks when I met him!

So I was pleasantly pleased with the results. However, I had a little sticker shock when I checked the price tag. So I scoured Sephora for some other options, and found that their house brand (which I've been hot and bothered about lately. seriously, it's like Wet n' Wild for the yippie set.) makes a few options like the Triple Action Mascara and the Mascara Fantastic Color for a much more reasonable cost.

While I liked the effects of the blue mascara, I considered carefully that it doesn't really fit into my (working in a ridonculously untrendy environment) lifestyle, and I passed it up. And then I think I bought my 30th pink lipgloss.

Hi, my name is Capitol Hill Barbie and I'm a lip gloss-a-holic.

Once more, and with feeling..."Hi, Barbie."

photo courtesy of sephora.com

It's a Lash-Off!

About a week ago, while perusing my local CVS, I noticed a fire sale on mascaras. I instantly snagged a tube of the Cover Girl Volume Exact as I thoroughly enjoyed the tube of the Lash Exact that I reviewed last year, and the endless takes of the Top Model girls flubbing their lines.



But the more time I spent in the cosmetic aisle, the more I wanted a competitor. The new plastic porcupine applicators are all the rage, and I wanted to see if they were all the same. After checking out the Maybelline version (and seeing that it wasn't on sale) I picked up L'Oreal's Telescopic. Perhaps I was just intrigued by Penelope Cruz's accent.




And the Cosmetics Deathmatch was born.



First up, the Volume Exact. And let's just say I was unimpressed. Clumps, clumps, some smearing on my eyelid, and barely noticeable lashes. That sums up the experience. I threw it back in the makeup bag.



Next, the Telescopic. Better darkening, but again with the clumping! I ended up having like three big lashes. I looked like a knock-off anime character. But, it seemed better than the Volume Exact, so I kept using it.



A day or so later, my annoyance with the Telescopic reached a fever pitch. Much like my annoyance with Penelope Cruz's dismal acting in American movies. The mascara is so wet. Although I heard once that wetness is the essence of beauty. And clump-inducing. And difficult to wash off.



I reached again for the Volume Exact. This time, I was careful when applying so as not to smear and ended up with decent lashes. Not that voluminous, but I could actually tell that I had more than four lashes between my two eyes. As I continued to use the Volume Exact, I found that my lashes looked natural and pretty, but lacked something at night.



With that in mind, I tried out the Telescopic again. For the last time. I just don't like it. This time, my lashes were actually spiky, instead of soft and flexible.



And we have a winner! Kind-of.




I can't really recommend either, so I would advise everyone to keep moving, and pick a more traditional time-tested variety, like L'Oreal's Voluminous or Cover Girl's Lash Exact (for some reason better than the Volume Exact. Go figure.)


I'm still searching for a new mascara to love, so if you know of a good candidate, let me know! Also, has anyone tried the Maybelline version?

photos courtesy of walgreens.com and covergirl.com