the LASHelorette

I'm excited to present my blog's first ever guest post! The guest author is someone I've shared a lot with, and I'm glad to add this to our list of shared experiences. She was my trial team partner in law school, my date to last year's Kansas City Fashion Week, and the genius who introduced me to Beauty Brands. I think it's fitting, then, that she wanted to post about the thing I miss most about the Midwest beauty retailer--their annual mascara sale. (Even if you're not in the Midwest, you can still shop the sale online this week!) So without further ado, I present the following from my BFF, Jen!

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It’s the end of summer, and while that means pool, barbeque, and highly addictive reality TV seasons are coming to an end, it also means that it’s time for the Beauty Brands annual $10.99 Lash Bash mascara sale. One of the best parts of being a makeup lover in the Midwest is the existence of Beauty Brands stores. While I love Sephora and Ulta as much as the next girl, Beauty Brands has my heart. Their rewards program and coupons are always great, and their salon is the only place I trust to do my brows. But the best part is their Lash Bash event. It’s a great way to try a lot of premium brand mascaras for not a lot of money. This year I decided to put myself in the shoes of The Bachelorette and attempt to find my perfect mascara at the sale. While matches made on reality television may not last, the perfect mascara is a partner for life. Wendy was kind enough to let me share my journey here, in my first ever guest blog post!

Too Faced – Better than Sex Mascara

This has been my go-to mascara ever since Wendy gifted it to me on my birthday (yes, she is an amazing friend!). I love this mascara. It rarely clumps, and it lengthens and volumizes incredibly well. Unfortunately, it is not part of the $10.99 sale. However, Beauty Brands is offering a value set during the Lash Bash event where you get the full sized (0.27 oz) Better than Sex Mascara as well as a deluxe sized (0.17 oz) Better than Sex Waterproof Mascara for the price of one ($23). For me, this isn’t a great deal as I don’t like waterproof mascaras. I rarely cry or have watery eyes, so I don’t really need the waterproof, and I hate how hard it is to remove. I have heard that some users of this brand have issues with smudging, so using the waterproof might be a good fix for that issue. If you like waterproof mascaras, I’d say this is a great deal and a great time to get my favorite mascara on a bargain. 

Smashbox – Full Exposure

I had heard amazing things about this mascara, both from this blog and from other sources, and I was very excited to try it. Unfortunately, this mascara did not live up to the hype. I found that it failed to lengthen or volumize, and resulted in clumps. The mascara just felt thin, especially compared to the explosion of volume from the Too Faced brand. I also noted that the shape this mascara created was off, it didn’t curl my lashes as the other brands did. On the bright side, I was able to return the mascara, Beauty Brands was very understanding and gave me some other brand recommendations I may check out next time.

Tarte – Lights, Camera, Lashes!

This is a good mascara. It creates good length, volume, and curl and it’s something I’m happy wearing most days.  And, bonus, it is part of the $10.99 sale. The thing is though: it’s not the Too Faced mascara. This mascara is like the guy you almost ended up with. It’s nice enough, the two of you could have been happy together, and if you’d never met the one, you’d never know what you missed.  But, I met my one true match and it’s Better than Sex by Too Faced.

About the Guest Author:  My name is Jen and I am a wife and mother living in Kansas City, Missouri.  Like Wendy, I am an attorney, with a practice in employment and business litigation. And, if you couldn't tell, reality television is one of my guilty pleasures.