Girl Talk

Okay, you all know by now that I am a shameless product whore. But, alas, I am a whore on a budget. No Diorshow Mascarara for me. No Creme De La Mer. No quilted, pillowy Chanel shadows.

There are a few luxuries that I won't do without: Frederik Fekkai Glossing Cream, Olay Regenerist serum, Bare Minerals Bisque, Burt's Bees Milk and Honey Lotion, OPI polishes, Bath and Body Works Sensual Amber and Warm Vanilla Body Spray...to name a few.

But otherwise, I buy the cheapest I can, without compromising quality.

So I thought I would share with you today, some of my latest beauty bargains.

1. Jane Gel Eyeliner

I've been dying to try this latest trend in eye liner. They're supposed to be amazing; deep, rich color, smooth, tug free application and truly long lasting wear. But, I've been reluctant to purchase because I was afraid they would be fussy and difficult to apply.

Also, they're expensive. Bobbi Brown, Stila, Smashbox, MAC and Prescriptives all carry gel or cream eyeliners, with prices ranging from $16 - $25. Yikes.

The other day I saw the Jane gel eyeliner at Walgreen's on sale B1G1 free. $5.99 for two gel eyeliners? Why the hell not? I chose the plum and the brown because I have green eyes. They also had black and blue, but those are no-no's for me.

In short, they are amazing. I can't compare them to the higher end brands, because I haven't tried any of them. But honestly, I don't feel the need after using this brand. It is not fussy and difficult to apply at all. It's very easy, and the little brush that comes with it is suprisingly functional. While it goes on very rich and creamy, it lasted all day in the blazing Georgia heat without smearing, smudging, or disappearing. And the pigments are simply beautiful.

Sold.

2. Organix Vanilla Silk Shampoo and Conditioner.

I found this at Wal-Mart and to tell the truth, I bought it purely because it smelled de-lish-ous. But after using it I was enormously impressed. It is free of Sulfates, which I guess is a good thing. I know Sodium Laureth Sulfate is supposed to be evil, but I don't really know why. More importantly, it made my hair soft as silk and shiny as glass. The subtle vanilla scent lasted all day, which I really liked.

I will warn you that the shampoo did not produce a lot of lather and that worried me a little bit. But I think that has to do with the absence of sulfates. I believe sulfates are a type of surfactant. Anyway, it certainly did not impact the cleanliness of my hair. In fact, my hair feels even cleaner than it does when with a more richly lathering shampoo.

I was especially impressed with the conditioner. It was so thick and creamy that it stayed where it was put. Nothing irks me more than lying in the bathtub trying to relaxe, or god forbid, tweeze or shave, while conditioner is streaming into my eyes. When I rinsed, I coul tell immediately that it had done wonders for my hair.

At $5.95 for 13 oz., it's not the cheapest of the cheap, but it's a really nice indulgence for not a lot of money.

3. Ulta Brand eye shadow in "Summer"

This eye shadow is DA BOMB. It's a very sheer, neutral shade of....taupe? Sand? Nude? It's hard to describe. But it's the perfect nude-y shade for summer AND, I found, it works really well as a sheer, natural blush and highlighter as well.

I sweep some over my lids and in the crease with a lighter shade just below my brow bone. Then I dust it lightly over my cheekbones, down my nose, on my chin, and a little above each eye brow. It creates a very pretty, fresh, summery look without looking overdone and I think anybody could wear this color without trouble, except maybe those with very dark complexions.

The other day I went back to get like...10 of them, because without fail, products I love end up being discountinued. It was not discontinued, but it was sold out. Apparently, others have discovered the beauty, versatility, and, yes...cost effectiveness of this product.

Ulta shadows are smooth, silky, rich and very wearable. I find them comparable to some of the high end shadows I have used. And for $6.99, you can buy a bunch.

UPDATE: I just went to the site and did not see "Summer" listed, so apparently, it is discontinued. Of course. The shadow pictured here is actually "Antique Gold" and it's very similar. Nevertheless, these are high quality, versatile shadows and you should give them a try. I saw many shades that could do double duty as Summer did.

4. Sally Beauty clickable eye shadows

These are the cutest little shadows and they are only .99! I bought at least 12. They're small, but so densely pigmented and apply so smoothly that they last quite a long time. They slide together to create a pallette, which is nice if you're on the go. You can mix and match and take your favorites with you.

I was skeptical of the quality...we've all had our Wet N' Wild Days, right? But they are very good quality for such an amazing price. My two favorites are "Auburn" and "Brick, and this time, I bought several of each.

You can see all the colors here.

5. Revlon Colorstay Mineral Lipglaze

I like the lightness and sheerness of a gloss, but it usually don't have enough pigment for me. I am very, very fairly complected, and we palefaces don't have a lot of color in our lips. I need a fairly substantial amount of color in a lip product.

Also, glosses just don't seem to last the way I need them to. The first sip, the first careless lip lick, the first kiss...and it's gone.

But this stuff...WOW. It's light and sheer and pretty, but has enough pigment to keep me from looking like a corpse. And it LASTS. I was really, really surprised by that. How could something so pretty and natural looking have such staying power? But it did.

I have now purchased this in three shades: Forever Fig, which is a warm peachy shade, Neverending Nude, which is a neutral nude with just a hint of pink, and Lasting Shimmer, which is really colorless, but has lots of pretty sparkle...GREAT for layering over other lip products. I love them all.

This is not cheap cheap, but when you consider the price of higher end products like MAC Lipglass, it's a steal at $9.99.

5. Hanes Chiffon Modern Brief

This is not a beauty product obviously, but OMG I love these frickin panties.

I've got a big butt. And it's not one of those fat on top with no cheek kind of butts. It's an upside down heart kind of butt, with...er...substantial cheekage.

TMI? Sorry. But you have to understand the cheek issue to comprehend what a find these things are.

Needless to say, it's hard to for me to find a panty that stays where it should. I've tried the expensive brands, the cheap brands, thongs, boy shorts, bikinis, grannie briefs, cotton, microfiber...it doesn't matter, they all end up wrapped around my cocyx eventually.

I've about given up, truthfully, but I'm just not a commando kind of girl.

So the first thing I thought when I took them out of the package was...

"There is no way in hell that this hankie is going to cover my ass."

I honestly thought I had inadvertainly grabbed a package of girls' underpants. But no, they really are that small. But the package assured me.."YES, these panties WILL fit you."

Okay, then.

They did. Not only did they fit, they fit like a glove...an ass glove. No panty lines, no muffin top. And they STAY PUT. Forever. For real.

They are very sheer, and you have to avoid snagging them on your zipper or your wedding ring. They do not have a lined crotch. But that's okay. The fit makes that a non-issue, in my opinion, as does the price. A package of two will cost you $6.99.

So, there's my requisite girly girl post for the...month? Give 'em a whirl, report back.