Can't Live Without Mascara? Then Why Do Formulas Suddenly Dry Out Quickly?

We've admitted this before.....We are a mascara freak. We LOVE mascara and CAN'T live without it.

But we have noticed over the years + years we have been adorning our lashes with mascara, that a single tube doesn't seem to last long anymore.

Are we alone in this thought?

What's going on?

Apparently, they don't make mascara like they used to?

The formulas all seem to DRY OUT within a month.
At the moment, we have 4 mascaras in our makeup stash.

Yes...they are all drugstore brand, and no....We are not ashamed of using cheaper end mascara for the most part:

1. Dried out Maybelline Great Lash.
2. Dried out L'Oreal Voluminous.
3. Dried out L'Oreal Voluminous.
4 New Wet 'n Wild.

We have enjoyed Dior, Lancome and other pricier mascaras, but still end up with minimal product from a single tube.

Makeup experts advise us to TOSS OUT mascara after 2-3 months anyway, no matter how cheap or expensive the label is.

Remember...There's bacteria being passed back + forth to the tube. And whatever bacteria is being collected, is now thriving in the tube. So---to avoid infections like pink eye and so forth...just SPLURGE on new mascara EVERY 2-3 months.

In our case...maybe EVERY month now we will buy a new tube.

There is a way to REVIVE dried out mascara. We've seen the demos on YouTube. You add a couple of drops of contact lens solution to your tube of mascara. Shake it around. Then add a couple of drops of 100% glycerin to the tube. Shake it up---and mascara is like new, again.

Check out the video here.

Statement Necklaces Still Hot For Summer: But Sometimes Simple Is Better!

Statement necklaces seem to be EVERYWHERE these days. And some of these ornate pieces are a bit much. TOO excessive. Over-the-top. Too clunky, even.

 So, today we are looking at a simple necklace.

We're talking minimalism at its best and least expensive.

We found this elegant, simple beauty at Lulus.com. The price is simple, too. Insanely simple.

ONLY $10!!

The Beat Drop Gold Necklace features a thin gold chain + chevron accent shaping a Y-necklace. It's got a  drop chain above a dainty bar charm. The drop chain measures 9". Charm measures 1.25" talll. Necklace measures 18" around + 3" extender chain. Lobster clasp closure.

We like this minimal necklace look.

Would you wear this?

Consumer Reports Names The BEST + WORST Sunscreen For 2014!

Consumer Reports is a highly respected publication---one that tests the good, the bad + the ugly when it comes expert, unbiased ratings of more than 5,000 products.

And when it comes to sunscreen, Consumer Reports  does all the heavy digging.

So here we go!!

Consumer Reports' TOP SUNSCREENS for 2014:

• Banana Boat's Ultra Defense Max Skin Protect SPF 110 spray, at $1.75 an ounce. 
Walgreens ($10.49).
• BullFrog Water Armor Sport InstaCool SPF 50+ spray, at $1.67 an ounce. This was one of the two screens that lived up to its SPF claim.
• Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50, at $1.38 an ounce.
• Neutrogena Ultimate Sport SPF 70+ lotion, at $2.75 an ounce.
• Target's Up & Up Spray Sport SPF 50 spray, at $0.80 an ounce. 
• Walgreens' Well Sport SPF 50 spray, at $1.58 an ounce
• Walmart's Equate Ultra Protection SPF 50, at $0.56 an ounce.

Consumer Reports' WORST SUNSCREENS for 2014:

These 13 did not earn recommended ratings:

• Alba Botanica Very Emollient Sport SPF 45, at $2.75 an ounce.
• Banana Boat Kids SPF 50, at $1.25 an ounce.
• Banana Boat Sport Performance CoolZone SPF 30 spray, at $1.42 an ounce.
• Beyond Coastal Natural SPF 30, at $4 an ounce.
• California Baby Super Sensitive SPF 30+, at $6.90 an ounce.
• Coppertone Sensitive Skin SPF 50, at $1.67 an ounce. This sunscreen lived up to its SPF claim, but only earned a “fair” rating for UVA protection.  
• Coppertone Sport High Performance SPF 30 spray, at $1.67 an ounce.
• Coppertone Water Babies Pure & Simple SPF 50, at $1.31 an ounce.
• CVS Sheer Mist SPF 30 spray, at $1.80 an ounce.
• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist SPF 30 spray, at $1.90 an ounce.
• No-Ad Sport SPF 50, at $0.63 an ounce.
• Target's Up & Up Kids SPF 50, at $0.64 an ounce.
• Walgreens' Well Baby SPF 50, at $0.80 an ounce.

Copy Olivia Munn's Sexy Ankle Strap Heels For Much Less! Only $28!!

Olivia Munn has great style, and she even has super cute feet!

She's been photographed in her favorite Giuseppe Zanotti ankle strap heels quite frequently and we can see why. That's a great, sexy sandal!!

Those are NOT the cheapest heels around, at the original price of $595, marked down to $298. By the way....these sexy heels are currently SOLD OUT!.

 But...you CAN still copy cutie Olivia Munn's polished look by getting a cheaper pair of ankle strap heels. And we found a good imitation at Lulus.com.

This one's called the LA Najana Black Ankle Strap Heels. And yeah, these babies are STILL sexy and ONLY $28!

Did You Know About Estee Lauder's Cheaper Skin Care Line---Grassroots?

We are rather curious why giant beauty company Estee Lauder keeps their cheaper skin care line on the HUSH-HUSH.

Did you know that Estee Lauder owns the Grassroots Research Labs skin care line?

And that the company sells it at Kohl's department store?

This is the company's newest product----Grape Seed Overnight repair Cream ($35.50).

The cream is formulated to do this:

"This advanced overnight treatment instantly hydrates + intensifies the nightly cycle of natural repair. Visibly reduces lines + wrinkles, promotes natural collagen + elastin production so that skin feels smoother + looks firmer." 

It's a good, affordable collection of skin care items and shoppers seem to LOVE Grassroots Research Labs. So why doesn't Estee lauder tell the world about their cheaper line and advertise it?

Strange, because if more shoppers knew about the Estee Lauder connection, we believe the Grassroots beauty label would really start flying off the cosmetic counters at Kohl's.

Grassroots also sells a wonderful Vitamin C cream. Here at Beauty Tip Today, we wrote about the product back in 2009. See the post here.

It also sells for $35.50.

Plus...Grassroots also features a firming cream, firming eye cream, anti-wrinkle cream, and more. Check out the line.

 We don't believe Estee Lauder would put their behinds behind a cheaper skin care line if it weren't any good.

 We just believe EL ought to do better public relations.

Celebrities Love The Faux Bob Hairstyle For Spring 2014

The faux bob. Lately,we have seen this classic hairstyle on lots of celebrities with past shoulder length hair.

Look at Reese Witherspoon bobbin' it at the recent Met Gala. Sophisticated + sexy! Then there's Selena doing the fake bob and Allison Williams wearing the longer, asymmetrical bob.

Why not just cut your hair into a bob, then?

Well, as women, we all LOVE options. Just like temporary clip-in bangs, the faux bob lets you change it up and go with the trends.

We are all thumbs when it comes to twisting our long hair into ANY kind of bun. So it looks impossible to create. BUT----there are short-cuts.

We don't have a personal stylist at our beckon call.

But you can FAKE a bob with simply a few hairpins. 8 hairpins, to be exact.

We found a good demo here at Elle.com.

Now, if you still cannot fashion your tresses into a glam, faux bob, you could head to your neighborhood store and pick up a cheating hair tool.

 The Perfect Bob by Conair. Check out this How-To Video. We found one for $3.99 at Target.

Looks like a hair lasso of sorts.

Spring 2014 Means Long, Messy, Romantic Braids Like Kim's And Eva's

You're probably going to LOVE this Spring hair trend or HATE it altogether.

We're talking about the long, messy, romantic braids  that were spotted on the runways---at Rachel Zoe, Giles, and several others.

Rachel Zoe

And now the HOT hair trend is popping up all over France with celebrities like Kim Kardashian strolling through romantic Paris, and Eva Longoria doing the red carpet in picturesque Cannes.

Giles

If you already have super long , straight hair, then the messy, romantic braid isn't that difficult to create.

 Here, Kim Kardashian is most likely wearing hair extensions. And the same for Eva Longoria.
We like the hair trend on both women. Eva's is more of a messy, fishtail braid, while Kim's features a regular, classic braid. Both wore theirs side-braided.

If you fudge up part of the braid trying to copy the look--- don't worry. The beauty of this hairstyle is in its casualness and just rolled out of bed sexiness.