Samantha on the Prairie

I buy new mascara 4-6 times a year, sometimes because of a recent cold, or just when it's that time (old, crusty mascara is awful). I'm not so good at dumping old cosmetics, except for mascara. I will always remember something a friend's older sister told me when I was 13 years old. Mascara needs to be replaced often because it's "germy." Whether or not mascara is truly germy, I follow this advice. Though I buy mascara more frequently than other cosmetics, I'm not satisfied with what is available at most retail stores. Before having cancer, any old mascara would do. My lashes were just fine. They only needed a touch up at the far ends. After cancer, I lost a few lashes that never grew back and a couple that did aren't lining up as nicely as they did in my younger days. I'm on a hunt for a mascara that doesn't cost more than $15 and touches up the color, separates the lashes, and doesn't clump. Most mascaras seem to have some sort of a m

I recently cleared out my stash of nail polish, tossing the very old bottles and reorganizing my manicure box. Many of what remains belong to the Sinful Colors polish collection. With a price under $2 a bottle and dozens of color choices, it's my go-to brand for trying a new shade. Penny has helped build the collection, so I now have a few unusual colors. One of the colors I really like for spring, is the very work-appropriate  Sinful Colors 24/7 , a muted pink that goes on lightly. To achieve strong color, several coats are necessary. While I like the color, it's not exactly long-lasting. Granted I did not use a base or top coat, but even without those, I prefer to get at least 24 hours without chipping or rubbing off. I applied the polish in the morning and by late afternoon, it looked as you can see in the photo of my hand below. With base coat, three color coats, and a top coat, I normally get about three days without chipping, but it's a lot of work. Other Sinfu

I'm a lipstick junkie and I know it. I wear my favorite by No7 just about daily, often when working from home or just picking up my daughter at school. The color just makes me happy. I've been wanting a backup color for spring, something instead of the usual pale red, that I could wear alone or mixed with the No7. Most of my fall and winter shades are a bit drab for a fun, bold spring look. During a visit to the Aveda salon, City Looks , a sample card caught my attention. The model had a sheer reddish-mango shade on her lips and I had to have it. Unfortunately, actually seeing the suggested lipstick left me strongly reconsidering. It was more like a fire engine red and to imitate the model's look, I'd have to buy two products. I'm all about lipstick but spending $40 in one day would probably irritate my husband and bust our "incidentals" budget. Thankfully, my stylist and the makeup artist had another suggestion, Aveda's rehydrating lip glaze in Su