My Favorite Mascara and Eyeliner

I've stopped searching for the perfect mascara... because I found it a few years ago. I admit to curiosity when I see other bloggers talk about *their* favorite, and have used others in desperation when I ran out of mine, but I was quickly reminded why this is my favorite.

It's Lash Power Mascara from Clinique. It's about $15 and is worth every penny. It doesn't smudge, doesn't flake, will not offset on to my lid, and it washes off with regular facial soap and water. Basically, it's perfect.

Literally every other mascara I've tried has smudged or offset to my lid. Every. One. Except this. The other thing I absolute love about it is the wand. It's small and detailed and never clumps. It defines and goes on smooth. I can't recommend it enough.

A new favorite is this liquid eyeliner from NYC. I bought it at Target for less than $3 and it's great. The whole liquid eyeliner thing takes some getting used to, and I admit to loving the felt tip marker type, but once you get the hang of the brush, it is perfection. It's waterproof, does not smudge, offset or otherwise act weird. It's easy to correct a mistake when you apply it just by *lightly* wetting a q-tip and running it over the offending area. (I just lick the q-tip rather than mess with water = truth.)

It's an incredible value and I love the way it looks. I have very hooded lids and worried that black liner would close my eyes in. It doesn't I think it adds depth to the lash line and actually makes my eyes look better. I love a smallish winged look with the liner because it almost makes my lashes look longer and does help with opening up my eyes a bit.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert, but I know what I like. I might someday try a different liner, but I can promise you that I will never try another mascara. If Clinique ever decides to discontinue Lash Power mascara, I'll 1) cry buckets, 2) write nasty/pleading letters 3) buy as much of it as I can get my grubby hands on.

The end.

Quick Photography Tip - Avoiding Shadows

I'm not even remotely a pro and honestly feel slightly weird giving photography advice, but I do know this. Where the light is coming from makes a huge difference in your photos. Here's a quick tip for avoiding unwanted shadows in direct sun.

Remember my trip to the corn maze? It was a very sunny day. Which is both good and bad when it comes to photography. Harsh shadows are almost a given in direct sun, especially for someone like me that ISN'T an expert (and relies on Aperture Priority a tad more than I probably should).

I took this picture as we reached the center of the maze. This was direction we entered so I just said, "Stand in front of the flag" and I snapped the shot. Fortunately, I immediately saw my problem.

The sun was at their backs, which meant their faces are all in shadow. Look at the shadows on the ground. You can see how the light is hitting them. I'm also getting a weird lens flare in the left midground (see the green blob?) and the sky is all blown out because the meter is compensating for the shadows.

Easy fix - I moved so that the sun was at my back. You risk squinty faces with subjects looking into the sun, but it worked out here. They are no longer all in shadow. I could compensate for this in post-production because I shoot in RAW, but it's easier to get it right at the time. Plus there are no weird lens flares or blown out clouds.

In photography, light is everything. Use it to your advantage!


p.s. photos are pretty much straight out of the camera, so no post processing with these (sharpening, straightening, contrast, cropping, etc.).

Quick Tip – Making Use of Expired Herbs

I tend to go a bit nuts when I order from Penzeys. It's easy to do! I put in an epic order usually once a year (just received one this week, as a matter of fact) but I still had some bulk basil from nearly 2 years ago. It's still usable but not ideal, so after I filled my jar, I still had some left but hated the idea of tossing it out.

*lightbulb*

When you find yourself with old herbs, here's a quick tip.

Put them in a small sauce pan with about a cup of water and simmer gently for as long as they are fragrant. Add water as needed. Your whole house will smell wonderful in just minutes. Combine spices as appropriate and toss in some orange peels or lemon peels if those scents will go together. An easy and natural whole house air freshener.

My house smells like basil now. Mmmm...

Quick Tip: How I Freeze Hamburger

This isn't earth shattering or going to cause world peace, but it's something I find helpful. Maybe you will, too.

I discovered, mostly by accident, that the best way to divide and freeze hamburger is to put it in a quart-size freezer bag, press it flat – to about 1/2" thickness or so – to the edges of the bag.

This is really convenient for a couple of reasons.

1. A quart size bag holds a pound of meat perfectly.

2. They stack —compact storage, saving freezer space.

3. They thaw SO much more quickly when only 1/2" thick. OR if you want to save even more time, you don't have to thaw it. Just open or cut the bag, pop into a pan. Cook over low heat to start, and you'll be browning in no time.

Hey, it works for me. I hope it works for you, too!

Quick Tip — The Versatile Band-Aid

I think we've all had our own "MacGyver" moments. You've got a problem and all you have to work with is a paper clip, a rubber band and piece of discarded gum you found wadded up in a wrapper on your car floor.

Or maybe that's just me.

ANYway. I've become rather proficient at turning the ubiquitous adhesive bandage—A.K.A. the Band-Aid—into a multi-functional powerhouse. I got in the habit of keeping band-aids with me because certain shoes would slip and slide off my heels, giving me at best, a blister and at worst, a bloody mess. Charming. Aside from first aid uses, though, I also carry them for other purposes.


Here's a run down of some of the uses I've found for these handy, portable miracle workers.

I have a pair of jeans that have a tag in the back that drives me nuts. If I don't have a shirt tucked in, the tag is scratchy and irritating. (It's not the kind of tag I can remove.) So I cover it with a band-aid—literally apply the band-aid to the jeans, not to me. That way when the jeans move, the solution moves with it.

Same principle goes for shirts I've had with an irritating seam. Sometimes I'll attach the band-aid directly to the shirt. OR I'll just stick it to my skin at the site.

This is especially helpful with bras. I've had some where one edge, usually at the wire, will irritate my skin. Easy solution—apply a band-aid to that spot on my skin. Or if the strap is a problem, either at a seam or the if slider is scratchy, just wrap a band-aid around the irritating section of strap and problem is solved.

I've even used a band-aid to fix a hem on my pants. Worked like a charm.

What about you? What kinds of MacGyver tricks do you have, either with band-aids or some other object? Share your tips in the comments!

Quick Tip — Cheap & Effective All-Purpose Cleaner

I reused an old Bath & Body Works bottle, but this is just plain, old anti-bacterial soap
that you can buy by the jug for just a few dollars.

First, a disclaimer of sorts. I hate cleaning. I have too little free time as it is, and cleaning is about the last thing I want to do with said time. That's why I pay my mother to clean my house once a week. I've been doing it for years and it's the greatest. thing. ever.

Sometimes I have to do a quick once over, either because my mom wasn't able to clean that week, or just need to do a touch up. It was during one of these forced cleanings that I made a rather advantageous discovery — regular old anti-bacterial hand soap is a great all-purpose cleaner.

In fact, it's perfect for cleaning the toilet. We have hard water and a water softener, and some combination of chemical factors means that we end up with a blue ring in the toilet. My mom tried all kinds of toilet bowl cleaners but couldn't quite get it. Guess what? The bright orange generic antibacterial soap cleaned it right up!

But that's not all. Just about any liquid soap works great, including shampoo and shower gel. Seriously. Need to clean your bathroom in 2 minutes? Grab a wash cloth and whatever soap you have handy and clean away. Quick, easy and cheap—and definitely less harsh than most toilet bowl cleaners!

Quick Tip — Hulling Strawberries

The other day, I was reading through the comments for Pioneer Woman's Strawberry Shortcake Cake recipe and discovered a fun and effective way of hulling strawberries.

Use a straw!

You push a straw into the bottom of the strawberry...

and out through the top.


Ta Da!

It's not perfect every time, especially on really large berries, but did a great job overall. Try it sometime!

Here's my attempt at PW's Strawberry Shortcake Cake. It was very good, but VERY sweet, especially the icing. A small slice of this goes a long way!