The WORST kind of bags!

I looove purses and bags! I even appreciate the kinds I won't wear. Which girly-girl wouldn't, right? The bags that won't go with anything, in fact make you look worse are the ones under your eyes. Does anyone get enough sleep nowadays? I suppose if you're under the age of 15. Dark circles and lines are the baggage that come along with those bags under your eyes. Beauty companies make zillions of dollars off us because people will do anything and try everything to get rid of them! Here are some products that have worked/not worked for me.

1. Soap and Glory's Eye Moisturizer called "Super Eyes, Super Eyes." It says it has "swift lift technology" (aka caffeine). It runs about $12 at Target. It's a gel that's supposed to minimize bags and brighten your under eye area. I like it. I noticed a difference within a few minutes. Do I still use concealer? Yes.

2. MAC's Fast Response Eye Cream. This was recommended by a make-up artist at work and highly touted (of course) by the chick at the MAC store. Cost? $28. Yeah, it was sooo not worth it. I noticed nothing. Thank goodness I didn't pay full price. I've heard from other friends who've tried it, nada as well.

3. Garnier Eye Roll-On stick. I haven't tried this myself but have a co-worker who really likes it. Also reasonably priced and can find it in any good drug store or Target. I may try this one at some point but am happy with Soap and Glory.

4. Preparation H. Yes, people! The beauty queen secret to puffiness WORKS. For major, major bags, I use this. Was I embarrassed to buy it? Well, it was for the greater good, so I got over it. The trick here is to put it on long before you have to leave the house. Throw down a layer, wait 20 minutes or so. then wipe most of it off. I mean, it's ointment below your eyes...it's shiny and sticky. But it works!

Slave for a Thousand Lashes

We learn what's pretty and flirty at a very young age. If you watch any children's cartoon, most of the female characters have these long, curled eyelashes. I mean, why else was Pepe Le Pew always chasing around his "petite femme skunk"? Did you ever get a load of her lashes? And helloooo - Daphne from Scooby Doo?

Yeah, it made an impression. Sadly for me, I wasn't born with anything close to that feminine ideal. I've always envied those girls who said, "Oh, Maybelline Great Lash Is. THE. BEST. Mascara. It's inexpensive and works so well!" Well excuse me, but I have those short, straight and sparse Asian eyelashes. I'm great at faking though. (You'll soon learn that faking is a very important theme and exercise in this blog.)

I didn't wear mascara until after college. (GASP). I mean, I didn't think it did anything. My lashes were so ridiculously short, I didn't think it'd even make a difference. Boy, was I stupid. Enter the world of TV make-up artists and consultants and wonderful friends who were born with liner brushes in their hands. The first time I ever wore fake eyelashes, I swear I was a different person...like a real WO-man. whoo-hooo! Those little Ardell 110s changed my whole demeanor. I felt Sex-AY! Appearance Coach Patti Shyne (www.pattishyne.com) did the impossible. She taught me how to slap those babies on my eyelids in 5 minutes! The Ardell #110 eyelashes can be found at Target or any drug store (runs about $3.50). The number on the packaging indicates the length and thickness. The 110s are the most natural looking.

My mascara arsenal includes two options:
DIOR Show "Iconic" at a very expensive $27.50 a bottle (Sephora). I wear this at work. Great brush, goes on thick without being clumpy, separates and curls.
My everyday "non-work" mascara is Loreal " Double Extend" (any drug store or grocery store). It's NOT totally cheap at around $14.50 a tube. This comes with the foundation lash base coat on one end, then the actual mascara on the other end. Now, I'll actually spend money on my eyelashes because I truly, truly believe it's what makes my peepers totally pop. Jackie-O knew how to work her features to her best advantage.

So ladies and gents, in an effort to reduce my fak-ery, I just ordered "Rapid Lash" online. It's this serum that's received fabulous reviews for both lengthening and thickening eyelashes. It's pricey at around $40 a bottle but much, much cheaper than Latisse, which requires a doctor's prescription and can run into the hundreds of dollars. So, we'll see - I'll keep you posted. Word is, "Rapid Lash" takes about 4 weeks of daily use to see results.

I'm embarrassed to reveal which celebrity I heard uses this stuff...but she is an older, older (not my style) woman. And hey, if it makes my lashes look a fraction of the way it does hers, then I. AM. SOLD.

Grease and Paint to make your EYES pop?

I bought my first make-up kit in 7th grade.  I was a voracious reader of "Teen Magazine".  Slipped inside the back was a small advertisement for a small, black, plastic case filled with 20+ eye shadow colors - ALL for $1.95!  Hey, I couldn't lose!  So, I carefully filled out my information, sent in my two dollars and waited the mandatory 4-6 weeks.  I was so excited when I saw that package. I ripped it open and oohed and ahhed over all the wonderful colors.  Sparkly, glittery, pinks, greens and purples.  Colors that had NO business being on an asian girl..but perfect for the 80's.  I didn't care.  Let's just say I looked like a freak show for at least the next two years.  :)  The hair did NOT help.

Fast forward a decade or so and I've gotten a little better at choosing more natural, complementary colors for my face.(aka boooring)  Recently, I decided to go back to that shiny time in my life and try again.  I couldn't resist as I saw it all laid out before me at the counter.  Meet MAC's Greasepaint sticks!  They're eyeliners that come in 8 colors.  Mostly basics, but I bought a purple (Charred Mauve) and a blue (Uniformly Blue), along with a gold-ish Brown color (Below Ground).  Oh, and (Brown Now) a reddish-brown and of course, Black.  I couldn't resist!

Here's why they totally rock.  They're super soft, glide on smooth, basically like Kohl...and (wait for it)...you never have to sharpen them!  Just twist.  And the color is intense...all the colors have a hint of glitter in them.  Like GREASE and PAINT, get it? :)  They're also jumbo sized if you can tell at all by the picture.  All of this means that if you don't have a ton of time, just do a couple of swipes, smudge and voila!  Did I mention it's super soft?  It's great for smokey eyes, so if you want a more defined line, this may not be for you.  And if you layer eye shadow on top, it's set.  For the past two weeks, I've been sporting the purple and blue....to work :)  

Each Greasepaint stick will set you back $17.50.  Thank goodness for my MAC discount!  A less expensive alternative, is Rimmel Kohl eyeliner for a fraction of the cost at around 3 bucks.  I love it too, but man, I h-a-t-e sharpening!  You can find Rimmel at Target.

I also use MAC's Fluidline liquid liner, but I'll save that for another day.  Okay, ladies.  Give it up.  Let me know what makes your eyes bright and beautiful!!!