I am a mascara addict. If there is one thing I will not leave the house without, it is a quick coat of mascara on my lashes. I’m fine with nothing else on my face. So I am always happy to be given the chance to try out any new mascara that comes onto the market and was therefore excited when I received a tube of Boots 17′s Falsifeye mascara, having heard good things about the product itself and already loving the brand anyway.

Falsifeye claims to ”create ‘wow’ effect eyelashes.”

I gave the mascara its first real outing for brunch with my girlfriends. Wearing nothing else on my face, just a lick of blackest black mascara. The brush is pretty big and looks like a mass of unruly bristles when covered in mascara but I wasn’t deterred and I was pleasantly surprised by the look it created: My lashes were left defined and curled* right to my little lashes at either side.

For a mascara that comes in at under a tenner I’d say I’ll be buying it again! Which is your go-to budget mascara? Or are you only a top dollar girl when it comes to your lashes?

Thank you to Shannon for letting me loose on her blog again!

You can find my beauty blog at http://the-eyeofthebeholder.tumblr.com and my fashion and lifestyle blog here http://sugar-and-spice.com.

*I should add, I do use a curler too as my lashes are flat, flat, flat!

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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First of all, a big thank you to Shannon for asking me to write this post and to review the brand new mascara from my favourite mascara make-up brand : No7′s Lash Adapt.

Lash Adapt claims to allow you to apply up to six coats of mascara with no clumping and thereby take your look from office to bar in one – or six (!) – easy steps.

I decided to try out the theory when going out for dinner with some girlfriends. I wore one coat of the mascara for the day at work. The brush is thick, which I like, but the bristles are well defined with helps to separate the lashes and define them.

After work I added an extra coat of mascara and was pleased to find that it didn’t clump and in fact made a real difference to the look of my eye make-up. I really did make my lashes look longer and fuller and opened my eyes up more than ever.

To be honest, after seeing the result after two coats, I’m tempted to go for two coats on a normal work day.

In the pictures, I’m also wearing No 7′s Limited Edition for Autumn Double Ended Pencil in Dark Brown-Ivory and their Stay Perfect Eye Shadow in Mink which I find great for giving a base of colour for my every day work look.

You can find my beauty blog at http://the-eyeofthebeholder.tumblr.com and my fashion and lifestyle blog here http://sugar-and-spice.com.

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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Other than having a day off for Labor Day, there are plenty of reasons to dread the month of September. Going back to school, chilly fall weather, the end of carefree summer beach days, etc. However, renowned photography, filmmaker, and all-around bad-ass artist Cindy Sherman, along with MAC Cosmetics, may turn your autumn blues around!

The Cindy Sherman for MAC collection hits shelves September 29th and draws inspiration from three kooky characters or “faces,” each of which has their own color story with corresponding lipsticks, shadows, and pigments to match. With such an impressive variety of colors and finishes, from pastels to neons and mattes to ultra-shimmers, this collection hopes to inspire makeup collectors to create their own larger-than-life looks while still leaving plenty of room for your own imagination as the artist! I love the sensible-yet-chic khaki green and navy pigments as well as the color-rich fuchsias and oranges, but I’ll have to see the collection in person before I decide if they’re worth the splurge! One thing’s for sure — this much-anticipated collection won’t last long!

- Alex Gambardella

Guest beauty post for A Girl’s Gotta Spa! from my friends at TheFind.com.

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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We’re now in the throes of summer (I’m sure Back to School commercials will begin playing any day now…) and that means dry heat, humid weather, finding a way to make your makeup last from day until night. I recently asked Mai Quynh, mark Celebrity Makeup Artist, if she could pass along 3 summer makeup tips (which would include mark makeup of course!) Read on…

Summer makeup should be easy and effortless. Definitely wear sunscreen all year round, not just in summer.  Try mark Get a Tint Tinted Moisturizer, it has a built in SPF 15 and it has light coverage which is great for evening out the skin. Lightly dust, mark Matte-Nificent Oil-Absorbing Powder on the t-zone to set.

For the eyes, stick to waterproof formulas  This will help keep your makeup on longer and it will stay put.  I love mark Keep It Going Long Wear Eyeliner and Eye Shadow Duos. They come in plenty of colors and they do not budge! They seriously last all day.

My other favorite product for summer are the mark No Place To Run Eyeliner pencils. They are very creamy eyeliners and they go on smoothly, but they also don’t budge. They stay on for many hours.  Also, use mark Lash Splash Waterproof Mascara. This will guarantee that you won’t have smudges or runs from hot, humid weather. Lastly, my other summertime fave are the new mark Lip Click Color Shine Lipsticks. They are sheer but give a hint of color and they have an SPF 15.

So there you have it! (Most important tip here for me is lip gloss with SPF!) Have you used any of mark’s products?

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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This past February I attended Lucky Magazine‘s FABB conference where Revlon was there in full force with makeup artists on hand to touch up our makeup before a photo shoot and on camera interview to discuss our power color. (Did I mention I met Joan Rivers?) If you saw my recent Travel Beauty post, it had a few of the Revlon items I picked up and fell in love with while at the conference.

I’m only in the video for 5 seconds, but I essentially said my power color is black. To me black is bold, sexy, powerful, strong, slimming and alluring. The product I grab in this power color is mascara. Always. Mascara makes your eyes stand out and draws attention to them. Your eyes speak volumes–joy, sadness, flirtiness…

What’s your power color and which product do you reach for in it?

Here’s Joan Rivers and I!

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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This past weekend I had the opportunity to head up to one of my favorite local spas, The Lodge at Woodloch, to meet up with makeup artist Christopher Drummond for a 1:1 consultation. Christopher Drummond Beauty is now being sold in The Lodge at Woodloch’s spa boutique and I am so excited that Northeast PA gets to experience this spectacular vegan makeup collection.

I’ve known Christopher for about 4 years now, but this was the first time we actually had the chance to meet in person. Like a mother hen, I am so proud of him because I knew him when he was just launching his line with only 1 product at the time: Saude Pele Radiance Booster. When I walked into the spa boutique, Christopher was working with another customer so I had a chance to talk with The Lodge at Woodloch staff, my favorite being Stephanie who was so personable and funny, I was ready to give her my phone number so that we could hang out some time. There’s nothing better than being able to feel at ease in a spa where the atmosphere is inviting versus some that are so pretentious with their noses in the air (do you know what I mean?)

When Christopher told me I had to arrive without any makeup on, I was ready to put a paper bag over my head with holes cut out for the eyes. My skin just happens to be breaking out and I feel like a new age spot is debuting on my face every day. Christopher promised that the products he would be using from his line would conceal the flaws and highlight my natural beauty. (Chris and I were laughing hysterically before the picture on the right was taken. This is our “trying to be serious” shot.)

Here is the before and after shot (i.e. before shot was at 10:30am sans coffee):

The biggest thing I notice between the two pictures is how much my eyes pop. Christopher used Alluring Apricot Sateen Blush on my eyes, Soft Black cream to powder eyeliner and his mascara. On my face he used Concealer in Light, Veludo Velvet Foundation in Luz/Light, Finale Finishing Powder in Branca/White, Alluring Apricot Sateen Blush and Bronzing Powder. Lastly, on my lips he used Coral Reef Lip Stain (LOVE.)

If there is anything that I can say about this makeup, it’s that it feels as light as air on your skin. With the concealer, it is creamy with great coverage without feeling thick or cakey. And the best part is that you only need tiny dabs of it on your skin, so a little goes a long way! The Veludo Velvet Foundation is AMAZING–velvet, indeed!

You can find all of these products online at www.ChristopherDrummondBeauty.com or if you are local here in Northeast PA, stop by The Lodge at Woodloch‘s spa boutique to see them in person (and book an out of this world spa treatment while you are there! I know that their Lotus Salon and I will have a date for a pedicure soon enough!)

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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Do you know the number one reason why I don’t typically apply mascara to my bottom lashes? The applicators are usually too big and over sized mascara wands + clumsy = disaster! (If this applies to you too, raise your hand!)

Clinique‘s new Bottom Lash Mascara solves that problem while keeping it completely affordable as well! Available in February, but I found it already available on Sephora.com ($10). Check out my new video review and let me know what you think! 

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Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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Last weekend I returned to my home state of Rhode Island for a family event. As always I snapped a quick shot of the beauty products that came along for the ride.

From left to right: Navitas Naturals Cacao Power lip balm (Yum chocolate), Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Hi-Definition Hydrating Mineral Perfecting Powder and Kabuki brush, Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Ultimate Concealer, MAC Cosmetics SuperSlick Liquid Eye Liner, MAC Cosmetics makeup brush 190SE, MAC Cosmetics Burmese Beauty Eye Shadow Quad (LOVE), MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix Lash mascara, Anastasia Brow Pen, Vis-a-Vis Cosmetics blush, Sigma Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki brush, Exuviance Age Reverse (both day & night creams), Crest 3D White Vivid Toothpaste, Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Facial Towelettes, L’Oreal Texture Expert Infinium 4 hair spray. (Not pictured, because I forgot, ARROJO Gentle Shampoo & Conditioner.)

Do you have any of the beauty products mentioned above in your makeup bag?

Shannon Nelson

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I received the same makeup question from two readers recently:

“Can you recommend a mascara that doesn’t smudge or flake?” Audrey in NJ and Jessica in PA.

I knew the perfect person to ask, none other than celebrity makeup artist, Roberto Morelli. You may remember Roberto worked with celebrity hairstylist Davide Torchio to give me my makeover this past February (summary: it was awesome.)

Roberto’s answer? 

“My favorite mascara is Lancome Definicils, high definition mascara. Great volume, doesn’t clump and doesn’t flake! I’ve tried all mascaras for years , but I always go back to this one!”

There you have it. Pictured are my lashes from my Encyclopedia of Mascaras using Definicils. Have you used this mascara? What do you think of it?

If you have a beauty question, feel free to email me and I will tap one of my beauty expert friends to answer for you.

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Shannon Nelson

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In this beauty video review I’m dishing on Avon’s MagiX Cashmere Finish Foundation and superExtend mascara. MagiX Cashmere Finish Foundation is a weightless liquid mousse that creates a smooth, luminious finish. It’s as close to air brushing as makeup can get! superExtend mascara is a creamy formula (available in 4 shades) that claims to build long, sleek, separated lashes that create the look of lash extensions. But did they? Watch the video and find out! 

~Britt

Other mascara reviews on A Girl’s Gotta Spa! (sm):

• Maybelline Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara
• Rimmel London Sexy Curves Mascara
• Rimmel Glam’Eyes Lash Flirt Mascara
• L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara
• CoverGirl LashBlast Length Mascara
• Purple Lab Lashionista Modelista
• AVON superEXTEND Mascara

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Brittany

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