CHEAP THRILL ALERT!

Hey, now, dirty birdies. Get that mind out of the gutter. I’m not talking ’bout that kind of nasty…

Or this kind for that matter…

I’m talking about the affordably awesome Yes to Carrots C Me Shine Lip Glosses ($6.50 each and available in six shades).

If it weren’t for their faint mint flavor and fragrance (which dissipates quickly), they’d almost be knockoffs of the MAC Lipgelles, which cost twice as much ($14). They have a similar smooth and shiny, non-stick texture and also broadcast seriously intense color.

And with six shades to choose from — Playful Nude, Rose Bliss, Flirty Pink, Carrot Kiss, Red Hot and Cocoa Loco — there’s a decent degree of variety within the line.

I’ve tried three of the colors:

Red Hot

Cocoa Loco

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Just a quick note to say hi, ladies. I fell behind this afternoon, but I still wanted to tell you about Yes to Carrots’ line of pigmented C Me Blush Lip Tints.

Sunset Pink

They cost a mere $4.50 each (that’s my mid-morning latte, yo!) but have a super smooth, buttery texture that makes ‘em feel a lot more expensive than that.

Ready Red

Texture-wise they remind me of the $22 Guava lipsticks by Korres. That’s how slick and creamy they feel.

Chocolate Kiss

My favorite thing about them? — how pigmented they are (for lip tints). These puppies pack *lots* of color, applying with semi-sheer to medium coverage.

The resulting lip’s a casual look that I can see myself wearing a lot on weekends or to the gym.

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I’ve been on a drugstore beauty kick lately, and here are some of my favorite gems of the summer so far.

• A Brown Girl’s Guide to Self-Tanning
  “As someone with a built-in tan, I’ve never had a reason to venture into the world of self-tanners … until now. I’d like to smooth out my skin tone and make everything a similar shade, so I put together some research to aid my cause.”
• Vaseline Aloe Fresh Protecting Lotion with SPF 15 and Sunny Tiburon Afternoons
  “It definitely feels moisturizing (not sticky or greasy) without leaving a film, and I love the fact that it doesn’t smell like sunscreen; instead, I think it smells just like it should (like fresh cut aloe Vera). On top of everything else, it’s priced right, costing a third less than Aveeno ($8 vs. $12).”
• CoverGirl Exact Eyelights Eye Brightening Liner Keeps Going and Going…
  “I’ve been wearing Exact Eyelights all weekend long, and if you don’t throw one in your basket on your next trip to Walgreens, I may have to come over to wherever you are and shake you silly. ”
• Do $8 Sonia Kashuk Velvety Shine Lip Crayons Give the $22 Bobbi Brown Lip Crayons a Run for Their Money?
  “I’m totally in love with Pale Pink; it’s almost twins with Bobbi Brown’s Posey, which I wore a few days ago in my look for Ivy League. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A-to-the-PLUS!”
• Are the New Sonia Kashuk Ultra Shine Sheer Lip Glosses Dupes for Chanel Aqualumiere Glossimers?
  “If somebody blindfolded me, slicked the new Sonia Kashuk Ultra Shine Sheer Formula Lip Gloss ($9) on my pucker and then asked me to guess which gloss I was wearing, I would guess an expensive Glossimer from Chanel.”
• Mad Moisture Meets Sun Protection: Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion with Sunscreen
  “…Active Naturals feels much more moisturizing to me than usual for a drugstore lotion with SPF. With most of them my skin starts looking scaly and feeling tight within a few hours, but when I apply it in the morning before work, Active Naturals keeps my skin soft well into the evening.”
• Diamond 12-Hour Lip Treatment: Drugstore Lipgloss Therapy
  “These glosses are like non-stick, vanilla-scented (but no taste) drugstore versions of MAC Lipglass. Each tube packs may-jah color and shine, delivering added moisture as well, and they last for hours on my lips without budging one bit.”

I’m a little bummed the weekend’s almost over, girls. They never seem long enough, ya know?

Did you do anything fun? I had a pretty good day. I went to dance class early this morning, spent a couple hours working and then went to see The Time Traveler’s Wife.

I loved the book and wanted to see the film even though it got kinda panned by critics (Rottentomatoes 36%). I’m glad I did, too, because I think it absolutely does justice to the book — both sad and happy at the same time.

Enjoy the last few hours of the weekend. Have a great night (are you watching True Blood?).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

“Child,” Mom would always tell me, “put some lotion on those ashy legs!”

“No,” I’d calmly reply. “I hate lotion. It burns.”

Of course, Mom was right, and by the time I’d hit my late teens I was applying lotion like it was a job, religiously, with all the seriousness it deserved.

Unfortunately, I’ve gotten kinda lax about body lotion lately. Busy days have left me with barely enough energy to shower, much less full-body moisturize.

Thank goodness for Vaseline Aloe Fresh Moisturizing Daily Body Gel ($6), aka my tired (and dry) booty’s BFF.

I’ve been using this lightweight moisturizer a lot this week, and I’m flat-out obsessed, which is admittedly something that happens to me a lot, ha!

Not only do I love how well it works, as in how fast it absorbs and all that, but I love the summery aloe Vera scent.

A little goes a long way (something that took me about a day to figure out), and when I was using too much, it was leaving my skin a little sticky.

Vaseline Aloe Fresh Gel is fast AND cheap (but not in a sleazy way), and quite possibly my new summer skin staple. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

District 9

T-minus one hour till the weekend!

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Today the original CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara has a *major* reputation; millions of ladies love it with almost cult-like devotion!

I, unfortunately, am not one of them.

Not that I hate it (because I don’t). I’ve just always thought it was only okay (it clumps a little on me).

That said, I can appreciate die-hard beauty fanaticism, and with LashBlast’s reputation in mind, I was looking forward to trying CoverGirl’s new LashBlast Length Mascara ($7).

New for fall

The full-scale deployment begins in September, with the little yellow tubes invading stores by the truckload, but if you can’t wait that long, mark your calendar for August 17… That’s when CoverGirl will pre-sell a limited number of tubes through CoverGirl.com before the big September launch.

Some marketing background

CoverGirl is claiming their newest member of the LashBlast family lengthens lashes by up to 80%. Wow, right?

They say that’s made possible by nylon fibers in the mix and a new ultra-long brush with more than 450 bristles (for precise, clump-free application).

Colorwise, the product will be available in four shades — Very Black, Black, Brown Black and Brown — and I tried Black.

First, the good stuff

Staying power — it’s no joke. There’s absolutely no smudging or flaking (yay!) even after a full day with it on.

Bare lashes

Yet at the end of the day, it’s still easy to remove, thoroughly washing out with my regular cleanser and a few splashes of water to rinse.

One layer of LashBlast Length

Up to and including two layers, I like the way it makes my lashes look. I feel like they’re smoother, thicker and noticeably longer, too, but when I go beyond two layers, things get kinda sketchy, with my lashes beginning to look bumpy and fibrous, ew.

Two layers of LashBlast Length

How well does it lengthen?

Pretty well, in that it does appear to add some length to my lashes.

How much?

Not quite 80%. I’d say the difference is more like 40% on me, but that’s a 40% I’ll happily take.

Changes I’d like to see

If I could, I’d make a couple tweaks to the product.

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