I’ve never been into buying expensive make-up. But in the past year or so, I’ve taken more of an interest in buying make-up that you can’t buy at Target or Walgreen’s – mostly stuff sold at Sephora. I like perusing the Sephora website because of the reviews and comments. Granted, for every positive review, there’s a negative review, and that can make it hard to make accurate judgments about products based on reviews, but I still find it’s helpful.

But enough about Sephora. The point of this post is eyelash primer. Eyelash primer, people! Get excited!

I have to go back to Sephora for a second though. Last year I took the plunge and because of the glowing reviews, I splurged on mascara: Dior mascara at $24. It pains me a little to say that I spent that much on mascara, but I viewed it as an investment. My eyelashes are sparse and short, and I really wanted to find something that would help them stand out.

While I liked the way the Dior mascara looked on my eyelashes and its scent (who knew make-up didn’t have to smell gross?), there was a problem. After a few hours, it would flake off – and that’s not very attractive. But I still really liked it, so I settled for only wearing the Dior when I was going out at night for just a few hours – before the mascara had a chance to flake off.

While the Dior flaked off faster than other mascaras, the flaking issue wasn’t isolated to Dior. Most mascara I tried flaked off after several hours, so I never bothered to wear it during the day. I decided that this needed to change. I’d heard about mascara primers but never bothered to try it. My eyes are really prone to getting styes, so I assumed that anything extra I added to my lashes would cause immediate styes. However, I eventually decided to just give it a shot.

I hesitantly purchased Clinique Lash Building Primer, and boy am I glad I did! It adds length, thickness, and curl to my lashes (without even having to use an eyelash curler), and it makes the Dior mascara stick all day and all night. It’s $13 well spent! You just put it on your lashes (it’s white, which I find to be a fun novelty), and then you wait a few minutes for it to dry and then you put on your mascara like usual. And it hasn’t caused my eyes to develop styes either. It’s pretty awesome.

I’ve been using the eyelash primer for a month and a half now, and I love it! There are probably cheaper brands of eyelash primer too – I just haven’t looked into them. I’m happy with the Clinique, and I think it’s going to last a long time, so I don’t view $13 as too expensive.

I also picked up Bare Escentuals bareVitamins Prime Time Eyelid Primer ($16) because my eye shadow tends to crease at the end of the night due to oily skin. This stuff also works great, but I would caution that if you’re not good at putting on eye make-up, this primer can be a problem because if you put on eye liner and you do a shoddy job (which I always do), it’s really hard to wipe off. But that also means that it helps your make-up stick! Just make sure you do it right the first time.

If you enjoy shopping at Ulta, check this out. You can get $5 off a $10 purchase by using the coupon code 31877. The deal expires Dec. 31.

(Thanks, Hard Times Newsletter)

(Thanks, Freebies 4 Mom)

I love fred flare and their collection of cute yet mostly affordable things. This is a great time of year to check FF out, especially if you’re looking for an unusual secret santa or white elephant gift.

I have this shower curtain. It makes me happy.

Cute!

For your favorite "too cool for Christmas" friend?

(Thanks, Seattle Moms Deal Finder)

Speaking of Sephora, I went in there recently because I was curious about Bare Escentuals, and the saleswoman gave me a demo. While she was doing it, she was raving (a million words a minute) about how great it looked on me. When she was finished, she had me look in the mirror and said very enthusiastically “Can’t you see the difference?”

And I smiled and nodded and said yes. But, really, I couldn’t see a difference. As nice as she was, I just wanted her to stop talking, so I agreed with whatever she said.

I didn’t dislike it; I’m just not sure I want to pay that much for make-up, but I keep thinking about all those reviews on Sephora about how great it is, and I wonder if I committed to it, would I love it too?

Anyone have strong feelings about this product?

(Thanks, Seattle Moms Deal Finder)

At Ulta.com: $5 off any $10 Purchase + 3 FREE Samples of your choice + Free Shipping on $25 or More

Coupon code: 23126, Exp: 10/24/09

Coupon code: 39915, Exp: 10/10/09
(Free Shipping on $25 or More)

Click on “free samples” link on top of the page and select your choice of 3 free samples and add to cart.

FREE Smashbox mascara with EVERY order – no code needed
FREE 10-day bareMinerals Sample With Any bareMinerals Purchase

Etsy is where people who handmake things (jewelry, crafts, clothes, housewares, pretty much anything else you can think of) can create their own little store – all on one big ol’ website. When you purchase from Etsy stores, not only are you supporting individuals in their creative endeavors, you’re also not buying from sweatshops or paying retail mark-ups. And what I enjoy most of all: You get unique stuff.

I have this thing about purses – I really really don’t like it when I see other people with my same purse. When it comes to clothes, I’m not fond of seeing duplicate outfits, but it doesn’t bother me too much. But when it comes to bags that you carry every day - that are part of your every day look – I want it to be unique. I want people to notice it and ask where I got it. I like compliments!

That is why I try to only buy bags on Etsy. Today I’d like to highlight the bag I’ve been using pretty much every day for several months now. The seller is fromnancy, and this is the bag:

I wanted a bag with a long strap and a considerable amount of room, but I didn’t want a messenger bag. And this bag is perfect! There are no zippers or buttons or anything to mess with. The top of it just folds over, and there are 3 internal pockets – for my sunglasses, cell phone, and iPod. Check, check, and check.

And it was only $35. Yes, that might be more than you’d pay for a bag at Target, but I think it’s worth it to support Etsy sellers. And they tend to keep their shipping prices low, unlike a lot of sellers on Ebay and other websites.

Here’s another fun thing about Etsy. As a shopper, you can create a profile (which you have to do if you want to purchase anything), and you can browse shops and tag items as your Favorites. Then when Christmas or a birthday or some other gift-giving holiday rolls around, you can give people the link to your list of Etsy favorite things and pray they buy something off it.  Here’s mine (it’s short because I’ve been avoiding Etsy, thanks to my underemployment).

Blistex Deep Renewal! For less than $3, you get a product that feels like putting butter – excuse me, butta – on your lips. I’ve never been much of a lip balm fan, but this stuff is awesome. It feels so much better than ChapStick.

So goodbye, Cherry ChapStick. We’ve been friends since I was little, but you’ve been outdone. At least you still have Katy Perry.

Free sample of eos lip balm in sweet mint. The web site has some annoying stuff after you sign up, but you can click the skip buttons.

(Thanks to freebies4mom)

Anyway… two items that work well for travel:

• Click here to sign up for a free sample of Crest Pro-Health toothpaste (click the button in the top left corner). The sample-size tubes are handy for traveling. Or when you run out of your regular toothpaste and are too lazy or cheap to go to the store and buy more. (Totally not doing that the last few days….)
• Also, here’s a coupon for a free Signature Collection travel size item at Bath & Body Works. You have to buy something else in order to use the coupon, but there’s no limit on price, so you can get something super cheap and still use the coupon for the travel size item. It’s good for in-store or online.

(Tips courtesy of Money Saving Mom)

Bath & Body Works seems to always have sales, so I’m not sure if this is exactly news, but I’m a sucker for Coconut Lime Verbena, so I’ll mention it anyway:

• Signature Collection: Buy 3 Get 3 Free
• $3 Anti-Bacterial
• $5 Anti-Bacterial hand wipes
• $5 4 oz. candles
• $6 Wallflowers (starters & refills)