Prescriptives chose to call their new limited-edition Kohl Eye Pencil Blue Grotto ($18.50), but I can think of a few other names that would have suited it quite nicely, like Kohl Pencil So Fabulous, Better than Revenge On Your Ex or Beeyotch, Step Away From My Blue Eye Kohl!

If I’d worked with Prescriptives on the product naming committee, I might have just chosen to call it AWESOMENESS because it truly is one of the best liners I’ve used in months.

What sets Blue Grotto apart from most other pencils on the market? One word: smooOOoove. Applying color to delicate parts of the eye, like around the waterline, usually takes me a lot of effort. I end up having to run the pencil back and forth several times to deposit enough color, and then my eyes start watering and everything goes downhill from there. With Blue Grotto, though, there’s no tugging or the feeling of a hard pencil edge against my skin; just a soft, creamy formula that deposits rich color in just a few easy swipes.

And the color! Oh, the color… It reminds me of pictures of the Mediterranean, or a bottle of rich, dark blue ink. It’s a gorgeous blue and unlike any other in my current eye pencil collection.

The other thing I noticed was how it holds. On the waterline, the pencil’s long-wearing, water-resistant formula just lasts and lasts and lasts… The first swatch of the shade I did on the back of my hand was still visible after two days, during which time I showered twice. It finally came off with Lancome Bi-Facil makeup remover, whew!

This past Saturday I wore Blue Grotto on my eyelid (the upper lash line). I drew a line, smudged it a bit with a MAC 219 pencil brush and then braved the heatwave to run some errands. After a full day of running around covered in sweat (it was HOT, yo), the liner still looked just as perfectly smudgy as it did when I left the house (Sidenote: Did you know the average person sweats about four cups of water per day?).

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Victoria’s Secret Beauty is having a downright fantastic clearance sale on several high-end makeup brands, some as much as 75 percent off! My little black heart fluttered when I spotted all the products by Anna Sui.

The sale lasts until items run out of stock; when I checked a minute ago there were still lots of different product colors available.

Exercise your right to haul!

Anna Sui Eye Color, $5.99 (originally $12) – I’ve been a bit more adventurous with my powder eyeshadow colors lately. I might pick up a few bold shades.

Very Sexy Makeup Long-Wear Eye Cream, $5.99 (originally $12) – I like layering cream eyeshadows beneath powder shadows to amplify color and add dimension. The shade I’ve really got my eye on is Stay Up, a turquoise blue.

Vincent Longo La Dolce Vita Lash Tips, $5.99 (originally $14) – One of my goals this summer is to get better at applying false lashes. I love that these look glamorous without going over the top.

The Balm Stainiac, $5.99 (originally $14) – This multitasking, water-based gel doubles as a light cheek and lip stain. Beauty Queen, a bright hot pink, has my name written all over it.

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Have we met before, Rumor lipgloss?? I feel like we have — perhaps at a party, or a makeup counter, or a party at a makeup counter?

The words “Very Sexy” appear stamped upon your sleek black cap. They tell me you belong to Victoria’s Secret Beauty’s lipgloss line, but, Rumor, I feel like I know you from someplace else…

Where, Rumor…? Where have I seen you before?

I know!

Chanel Candy Glow, right? You’re her long lost twin!

When I first held both Victoria’s Secret Rumor lipgloss and Chanel’s Candy Glow together in my hand, I thought I was seeing double. From a short distance away, both coral pink shades look almost identical, but up close I can see that Candy Glow has just a bit more gold sparkle than her twin does.

And the similarities don’t stop at the colors. Rumor even feels, tastes and wears liked Candy Glow does on my lips — same shiny finish, same non-gooey feel and same two-hour staying power.

Of course, there is one huge difference between the two: *price*. At $12, Victoria’s Secret Beauty’s lipglosses cost less than half as much as Chanel’s Aqualumiere glosses do ($25)!

If you’ve been lusting after a tube of Aqualumiere but haven’t wanted to throw down those dolla-dolla-bills-ya’ll, then check out Victoria’s Secret Beauty’s Very Sexy lipglosses. They have “great bargain” written all over them.

Very Sexy comes in 20 shades. Look at all the pink!

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Here’s how you know you have a problem with makeup: when you get home really late, exhausted and ready to pass out, and the first thing you want to do is play with your new teal mascara. Yup, I finally got my multi-colored mitts on a tube of Clarins Wonder Mint Waterproof mascara ($23.50). You remember — I first spotted it at the mall a couple nights ago but came home empty handed because it was out of stock.

As luck would have it, my local Nordstrom DID have it in stock, and I brought it home with me yesterday. As tired as I was after work, blogging, shopping and dinner last night (I got home around midnight), I found the strength to hold that mascara wand steady enough to apply two coats.

That’s when the magic happened.

BAM!

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Hiya, friends! I am at a mall with *two* Clarins counters hunting for a tube of Wonder Mint mascara. The first counter didn’t have it, so, if it’s MIA at the second counter, then I’m still SOL as far as the teal terror is concerned.

Anyhoo, while cruising the other makeup counters I spied these four limited edition palettes from Prescriptives. New for summer, the collection is called Limited Edition Palettes for Eyes and Cheeks. Each $55 palette comes packed with four full-sized eyeshadows and two blushes, and the Prescriptives artists here tell me that it would cost $97.50 to buy all the products in each palette separately. I loves me a good deal, but I must stay focused! I’m off to Clarins counter numero dos. Wish me mascara luck!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen