My favorite mascara EVER was actually Maybelline’s Illegal Lengths mascara with a curved brush, but for some (*gasp*) unknown reason to me, Maybelline discontinued it. To make it up to me Thanks to my role as one of Walmart’s ElevenMoms, I was able to try out Maybelline Pulse Perfection (their new vibrating mascara) before it ever even hit shelves (can you tell I felt kinda cool?) According to Maybelline, Pulse Perfection delivers 7,000 vibrations per minute in 7 synchronized actions so lashes are transformed to perfection. Ok, so I know what you’re thinking “… hmm … why do I need vibrating mascara?”. My friend, you have come to the right place, because I have my own personal opinion on the matter! You see, I was taught to apply mascara starting at the base of my lashes, wiggling the brush back and forth until I reach the tips of my lashes. This helps distribute the product at the base (which gives your eyes a much more defined look) and just gives you better distribution of the mascara all around. Pulse Perfection takes the wiggling work out of your mascara routine for you!

Ok, so for the big question…does it work? My answer is YES! I plan to make you a video to show you how much I actually really like it, but alas, I have pink eye, and that video? Well, it would be not-so-hot. So, when I’m looking a little less…erm…pink around the eyes…I’ll make a video to show you why I like this product. However, in the meantime, here is my take on it! The vibrating takes a little getting used to for first time users (or the klutzy variety, as in my case) but it allows the mascara to go on quickly and nice and thick. Quick is definitely a plus for those 5 minute beauty routines! It elongates and thickens my lashes without a doubt, and I really like the way it looks. My only caveat: apply your second coat of this mascara before the first one is completely dry. I waited for them to dry the first time around and ended up with spider lashes. And as my friend Jillian would say, “nobody likes spider lashes!”. However, when you apply both coats after the other, the result is among the best I’ve gotten from any mascara on the market.

This product is not out in stores yet (this is, again, where I feel really cool for getting a sneak preview), but you can find it nationwide starting on May 28th for $14.95. Until then, you can purchase it exclusively from Walmart.com for $12.95. Honestly, I know that $15 for Maybelline mascara seems like a lot, but when you consider that other brands cost up to 3 times as much, plus you can grab it for $13 online? Well, I think it’s really a heck of a deal.

Would you like a chance to try out Maybelline Pulse Perfection Mascara before the masses as well? Thanks to Maybelline I have two tubes of it to giveaway to two very lucky Chic Shopper Chick readers! To enter to win, leave a comment here telling me what beauty product you just cannot live without! After your initial comment, every other (pertinent) comment left on this site on other posts from now through May 28th will count as an extra entry each. You don’t need to come back to this post and tell me you commented on another post, I can stalk track you via your email/IP address. As usual, the following extra entries are also available: blog this contest with a link back to this contest, stumbling Chic Shopper Chick (leave your stumble name), subscribing to my site, tweeting about this contest, following me on Twitter. That’s a ton of ways to win, so good luck! http://bit.ly/12IiYz

US and Canadian entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here, please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contest ends at 11:59 pm CST on May 28th, 2009.

Read the original Wiggle It, Just a Little Bit! {Giveaway CLOSED} on Chic Shopper Chick.

Read the original Get a Free Mini-Facial at Origins on Chic Shopper Chick.

Long luxurious lashes rock, and I was so excited to be given the opportunity to try LashFood – a natural eyelash conditioner that comes with a guarantee — longer fuller lashes or your money back! Of course, the process takes 2-4 weeks, but that is totally worth it! I’ve only been using it for a week, so I can’t yet attest to it’s performance, but I can already tell you what I like about it. It’s an all-natural product that is unscented and doesn’t irritate my eyes. It is super easy to apply – it has a little brush on the end of a wand, and you apply the liquid 2 times a day to your eyelashes just like you would liquid eyeliner. It doesn’t interfere with my makeup – I just put in on in the morning before my makeup and at night after I wash it off.

Want stronger fuller eyebrows? LashFood works for that too! Of course, beauty is hard work and sometimes expensive. LashFood will run you $130 for a tube, but for people with brittle or short lashes, it sounds entirely worth it!

I’ll be sure and let you know how my experiment with LashFood goes, but for now I wanted to give you a chance to win a tube of it for yourself!

Win it! To enter, just leave a comment on this post with a question you’d like to see Jillian, our in-house beauty expert, answer on this site. It can be anything beauty, skin, or makeup related. If you can’t think of one, I’ll take any comment related to why you want to win, so long as it includes some effort. After that, every other (pertinent) comment left on this site on other posts from now through March 7th will count as an extra entry each. You don’t need to come back to this post and tell me you commented on another post, I can stalk track you via your email/IP address. As usual, extra entries are also available for stumbling Chic Shopper Chick (leave your stumble name), subscribing to my site, following me on Twitter, and blogging about this giveaway with a link back here. That’s it, so good luck!

US entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here, please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contest ends at 11:59 pm CST on March 7th, 2009.

Read the original A Low Calorie Snack For Your Eyelashes! {A Giveaway!} on Chic Shopper Chick.

When Erika asked if I’d start contributing to CSC I was incredibly flattered, super excited and also a little bit nervous. I know I’ve been doing the make-up thing for a while now, and I’m definitely a bon-a-fide hustler making my name in my own scene, but its always slightly intimidating to be the new girl. Especially when you’re the new girl on a website maintained by a really fabulous young woman who seems to have this blogging thing down a lot more than I do in my own little corner of the internet.

I do my best on my own site, constantly trying to strike a balance between personal and professional, and product reviews and beauty tips. Trying to find the appropriate balance on my own site can be tough though, and it often means that I don’t get to let my readers in on as many great products and how-to’s as I might like. So when Erika asked if I’d share my tips with you, I couldn’t resist the opportunity! Here on CSC I’ll be able to give you all the tips I have, even the ones that might not have a home on my own blog because I’m busy blogging about a photoshoot or recent work.

I thought for my first post I would share my must have mascara’s and the best way to apply them. It is one of Erika’s make-up obsessions, and it is also one of mine…And I think it’s the perfect way to get things started. If you too share our passion for luscious lashes, then you will love the following two mascara’s: Benefit BADgal and Maybelline Great Lash.

Benefit BADgal is my favorite! It creates thick and full lashes that look incredibly sexy on any woman! However, some of my clients and friends have complained that the brush on this mascara is too big and they aren’t comfortable handling it. My suggestion is to bend the tip of the wand. You don’t have to bend it a lot – Just a slight bend will allow you greater control over the brush because you’ll be able to twist and turn it in more directions than if you leave the wand straight.

If BADgal doesn’t work for you, there is always Maybelline Great Lash! There’s a reason that this mascara has a cult following: It does not disappoint! It’s virtually fool proof, and in my opinion is one of the most consistent mascara’s on the market. When applying this mascara, I recommend TWO coats applied one right after the other. You don’t want this mascara to dry before applying a second coat otherwise you’ll end up with spider lashes; And seriously, who wants spider lashes?

Note: If you’re already devoted to a specific mascara, you can still try my tip for bending the tip of the mascara wand. No matter what mascara you use, you will get optimal control if you bend the tip which means you’ll be able to cover every inch of lash! Trust me, maneuvering the wand will be easy breezy with this trick!

That’s all for this week, but please let me know what you might be interested in reading! I’m really excited to have a new network of girlfriends with a love of beauty, and I hope that you’ll share your own tips in the comment section and also leave questions there about anything beauty related that you might want to see covered in my posts.

You are also welcome to visit my blog – Your feedback is appreciated there as well!

I look forward to writing, and sharing my tips with all of you!

Read the original Mascara is My Must Have. What’s Yours? on Chic Shopper Chick.

Well, thanks to Lisa, the owner of Cactus & Ivy, now you have the same opportunity! She has graciously offered one lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader the chance to work with her to create and design the Valentine’s Day Line from Cactus & Ivy. Apart from bragging rights, you will also get the chance to take home some of your fab new products. But, before I get too ahead of myself, let’s talk a bit about Cactus & Ivy. Read on to discover more about these awesome products!

All products in the Cactus & Ivy line are natural, never tested on animals, and completely cruelty-free and vegan – meaning no animal by-products – not even beeswax or honey! This is so important to me as a consumer because 60% of what you apply to your skin is absorbed, and I like to take care of my body so that it gets me through the long haul! Not only that, but Cactus & Ivy products are formulated to improve the quality of your skin and to restore it’s natural balance by using essential oils that are high in vitamins and minerals.

The product selections are so plentiful that they are almost overwhelming – so I asked Lisa for some guidance. She shared that her favorite all-time product is the Peppermint Tree Foot Balm, and I personally think I would love the Soy Indulgence line.

So how about it? Are you ready to design the new Valentine’s Day Line for Cactus & Ivy? The winner will receive an 18 oz. body scrub, 8 oz. Bath Grains, and 2.5 oz of Body Balm of their new creation, and will work hand-in-hand with Lisa to make it perfect by choosing essential and carrier oils for the products. Then, the line that you designed will launch the week of January 19th on the Cactus & Ivy website as their new Valentine’s Day Line.

To enter, just follow the easy-peasy rules below:

• Visit Cactus & Ivy and come back here and ell me if there was something you could change about the Cactus & Ivy website or blog, what would it be?
  
• Earn extra credit! You may do these for extra entries.
• • Blog about this giveaway and link back here and to Cactus & Ivy. Tell me about it in a separate comment.
  • Follow me on Twitter and follow Lisa from Cactus & Ivy on Twitter. Tell me about it in a separate comment.
  • Subscribe to the Cactus & Ivy Blog, then tell me about it in a separate comment.
  • Subscribe to my RSS feed via email or in a reader and tell me about it in a separate comment.
  • Stumble my main webpage (www.chicshopperchick.com) and leave me your Stumble Upon name in a separate comment.

That’s it! Good luck! Oh, and the official rules and legal jargon are below. (Please read it because it is a little different for this special opportunity!)

US entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here, but please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contest ends at 11:59 pm CST on January 6th, 2009. The winner will be required to sign a release form saying that the creation of the above products are property of Cactus & Ivy and the winner has no legal claims to their ownership or development.

Read the original Cactus & Ivy: Design their Valentine’s Day Line! (A Contest & Giveaway!) on Chic Shopper Chick.