Times are tough.  Economically, anyway.  And that means that the holidays are going to be low-budget for a lot of people this year.

That doesn’t mean that you have to avoid buying presents for people, though.  There are all sorts of makeup and beauty items that are inexpensive and still great.

Here are the top 5 beauty presents you can find, all for under $15.

1. Mr. Butterball Bath Bomb by Lush, $3.95
   Got a friend that just needs to relax?  Get her the Mr. Butterball Bath Bomb.  This fizzing bath treat in the shape of a snowman smells of rich vanilla.  As it fizzes away, balls of cocoa butter soften up the bath water, smoothing out her skin.
2. Shimmer Pots by Sephora, $8.00
   Nothing beats a little shimmer on your lids.  These Sephora Shimmer Pots come in three different colors: copper (pictured), white and black.  They also have an eye primer pot for the same price.  Your friend can dust this over her regular eye shadow to bring her look from day to night.
3. The Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara by Maybelline, ~$5.99
   Honestly, nothing beats The Colossal.  It’s the best mascara I’ve tried and your beauty pal will surely love it.  This mascara comes in two shades of black: Glam Black and Classic Black.  Now she’s ready for a night on the town!



4. Play ‘Til Midnight Nail Polish by OPI, ~$8.50
   
   Dark nail polish has been the trend for years, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up.  Play ‘Til Midnight is a great shimmery dark blue nail color.  With OPI, you know you’re giving high quality polish for the holidays.
5. I Taste Like Sugar Mini Lip Gloss Set by Sugar Cosmetics, ~$14.00
   Nice glossy finish?  Check.  Yummy sugar cookie flavoring?  Check.  Loads of options?  Check.  The I Taste Like Sugar gloss set comes with 12 different glosses in many different colors.  Sets like these make great gifts because your friend is bound to like at least one of the glosses.

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Now’s the season for vacations.  Even though the economy sucks and people are saving their money, vacations and trips are still happening.

Even if you’re headed for a weekend trip to a nearby hot springs, you’ll still want to bring some of your beauty items.  What you bring and how you bring it depends on the length of your stay and how you plan to get there.

Beauty Tips for Road Trips

Road trips are best because you have a lot more room to carry your makeup.  You could bring a large travel makeup case with no real consequences.

How much you bring with you depends on the length of stay.  If it’s just a day or two, you can get by with a small eye shadow compact, mascara and liner, in addition to some of your daily face makeup.

A longer stay may mean bringing a larger portion of makeup.

Here are some things you should definitely have in your makeup case when going on a road trip: (more…)

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(This marks my 100th post!)

So, you’ve got a date.  Good for you!  I don’t, so you’ve got one up on me.

What I can do is help you look perfect for that date, at least where your makeup is concerned.

Dinner Dates are special because they have romance and intimacy.  Different from a regular date, your goal for a dinner date should be to wow, impress and entice.

While there are many different configurations for the perfect dinner date makeup, here are some rules to live by: (more…)

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There are so many reasons to wear lipstick, it’s a surprise that I don’t wear it every day.

But with this list, I just might!

Read on to learn many cool reasons to wear lipstick!
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It’s August 11th and summer is almost over.  How depressing is that?  But you don’t have to sulk off.  Enjoy the rest of it!

Here are some ways that you can totally rock the rest of the summer.
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Let’s say, it’s Monday and you’re at work.  When you got ready in the morning, you put on your regular dull appropriate makeup.

But now some coworkers invited you out to a bar or club after work.  You don’t want to go back home to get snazzed up for the event, so what do you do?

There are actually super easy ways to bring your day makeup into some nighttime activities.  Just by making these easy changes, you’ll look much more appropriate for the event.

These tips work best if you have an emergency makeup bag in your desk at work.  Really, there’s no reason not to have one.
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When you start to really get into makeup, you’ll likely want to carry some around with you during the day.  But what do you choose?  What can’t you live without?

I like to carry a complete makeup kit with me in my purse wherever I go.  So, if I forget to put makeup on (the horror!) I can do up my face with what I’ve got in my bag.
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For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is just about on us.  What does that mean for us?  Fun in the sun!  Heat!  Sweat!  (Wait, I shouldn’t be excited about that last one.)

Proper makeup and beauty is actually different in the summer compared to the other months.  If you want to do this right, then follow the steps below.

• Use suncreen! Be sure to slather on that suntan lotion as best you can.  If you don’t, you can get sunburned and raise your chance of skin cancer.  Nothing ruins your cuteness like cancer.  Remember to: Use at least SPF 30, Reapply Often, Put it on whenever you go outside, even if it’s foggy.
• Keep those sunglasses on! Not only will you avoid any squint-related headaches, you’ll be protecting your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun.
• Less is more with face makeup! The more you layer on the heavy foundation and powder, the more you’re going to sweat.  It’ll also clog your pores up something fierce, causing acne.  You’ll feel (and look) a lot better if you get lighter face makeup, or avoid it completely.

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For the longest time, all I ever used was liquid eyeliner. I guess I was just partial to the sharp line it gave. Up until recently, it was the only thing I used (until I fell in love with Loreal Pencil Perfect Eyeliner, that is.)

After talking with many people about makeup, I realized that so many are actually afraid of using liquid eyeliner. I got a lot of:

I tried it once and couldn’t figure it out, so I stopped trying.

-and-

I don’t know…it looks too hard.

While it does take some getting used to, and a little practice, it’s actually worth learning how to use liquid eyeliner. Here, I’m going to give you some tips and tricks for just that. Read on!
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In your quest for the perfect eyeliner, you’ve no doubt come across the white variety of this makeup necessity. And, judging by the overall popularity of white eyeliner, you probably passed it up. Most people don’t realize just how great white eyeliner can be. There are some tricks that you can do in order to come up with some amazing looks.

Sure, you could use it just like you would any other eyeliner. The problem is that most people are just too afraid to sport such a bold look.

There are other ways you can use this makeup that will look interesting and cool.

For the techniques listed below, I’m using Jane One Liners in Snowline. (more…)

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