PAINTED CRUSH: Which Cosmetics To Lust After and Which To Avoid
by Anne Mannal Carpenter
The look from across the bar. Obsessively stalking Facebook and Twitter. Finally seeing each other totally naked.
Then the inevitable discovery of the Harry Potter tattoo, the lovely habit of biting off his toenails instead of cutting them, him sleeping with your skanky, psycho next door neighbor and of course the missing $200 from your wallet. Ah – young love and the classic path of a crush.
The cosmetic counter’s latest offering is no different. We all get crushes on certain products – seeing the pictures in magazine, lusting over their mysterious contents. Hearing how great it works, how it’s totally worth the money, how it will make you look younger, hotter and wealthier. Then of course the ugly comes out and all that’s left is a beauty product that made your face break out and lightened your wallet before the bottle was half empty.
So to avoid the lost money and myriad of other issues caused by going down the wrong beauty path – here’s a primer for those items that are totally worth your passion and those that are just a waste of time. If only every crush came with a warning label.
Don’t waste your time or your money:
Maybelline Great Lash Mascara – $4.99
. If I have to hear one more makeup artist or actress swear that this is their one and only favorite mascara I am going to vomit. This crap is cheap and smudges like a bitch. While some non-waterproof mascaras will survive a tear or two – this stuff runs if you even think about crying. You might as well throw out $5.
Worthy replacement: CoverGirl Lash Exact Mascara – $6
Giant Cosmetic Palettes –$25 and up
Each season the big cosmetic companies unleash giant color palettes and try to convince the consumer they can get all the hot new trends in one easy (and Pucci covered) ensemble.
Avoid these boxes like the plague – you will use about 2 of the 60 colors, what you do use will be gone in about three weeks and you will have spent $75 for a ton of makeup that you will not use – EVER.
Worthy replacement: Too Faced Eye Shadow Collections – $36
Others Worth the crush (and the price tag):
Clarisonic Skincare Brush – $195
Worth every penny and will whip your sad, saggy, dry skin into shape in no time.
Kate Sommerville Quench Hydrating Face Serum – $65
Would make Mickey Rooney look like he hadn’t partied a day in his life.
Diorshow Mascara – $24.50
I don’t believe you need to spend a lot on mascara, but if you are a label whore and must have designer – get this.