Special Anniversary Reader Interview Series: Get To Know Heidi

In honor of the five year anniversary of Nouveau Cheap, I'm interviewing fifteen readers in this very special series, as my way of saying thanks for your support (to read more about this interview series, including how the readers were selected, click here).

All of the readers who were interviewed for this series were given the same ten questions, and they were asked to submit a picture of themselves, their pet, their makeup stash, or anything else they felt like sharing.

The ninth interview in this series is with reader Heidi. Take it away, Heidi!

Heidi's cats, Baldrick and Frida

G: How long have you been a fan of drugstore beauty products?

Heidi: Probably ever since I walked into a drugstore for the first time. I always remember being fascinated by all the makeup and creams and potions I saw in stores.

G: What was the first beauty product that you remember purchasing?

Heidi: If it's on a 1980s makeup Pinterest board, I probably bought it or begged my dad to buy it for me. I remember buying some Wet n Wild polishes when I was about 10 years old, back in the early to mid-1980s. I remember one was a shimmery-pearly jade green and I was so excited to wear it. I also was thrilled to get a couple Avon lip balms, the cherry and strawberry flavored ones, as well as the Lip Lickers sliding balm tins, Maybelline's Kissing Koolers and the Kissing Potion roller glosses. (No wonder I never had any allowance saved!) [Oh how I miss those Kissing Koolers and Kissing Potion glosses! --G.]

G: What are your five can't-live-without drugstore beauty products?

Heidi: I rarely buy the same thing twice, probably because I often thrill to finding something new, but here are a few I've made repeat purchases of or would buy again.

NYC City Curls Mascara
NYC In a New York Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish in Grand Central Station
Revlon's now-discontinued In the Red (I bought a backup on Amazon.com)
Physicians Formula Conceal RX concealer (in both Fair Light and Natural Light)
Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil for the face (I'm still using the first vial, but will definitely buy more)

G: Tell us your best "drugstore score" story (something you got for a great deal on clearance and/or with coupons, store rewards, etc.).

Heidi: I'm always trolling for deals and checking clearance bins. Recently I picked up about $45 worth of stuff at Ulta for $15, by choosing clearance and sale items and pairing them with a coupon — all drugstore brand items, save for a $5 bottle of Zoya.

G: What's your go-to shade of lip color?

Heidi: My favorites are a good brick red (Revlon's now-discontinued In the Red is my ideal red.) I also love Revlon's Just Kissable Balm Stains in Romantic, Adore and Honey, which covers my obsessions with brick reds, vivid reds and pinky nude shades.

G: What's the one movie you can always re-watch, no matter how many times you've seen it?

Heidi: Like cats and potato chips, I can't answer just one: The ones I've seen the most and never get tired of are probably Blade Runner, Zoolander, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Desperately Seeking Susan.

G: What's your current favorite TV show?

Heidi:  That's a hard one to answer. I do love Justified and Mad Men. I love warped humor so I love It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

G: What was the last book you read?

Heidi: Amy Greene's Long Man and Nick Pizzolatto's Galveston. (I finished the latter most recently but wanted to mention Greene, as I loved her two novels so much.)

G: If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?

Heidi: I'd probably love to work in the makeup industry, something tied to the naming of products and colors. It think it'd be a lot of fun to come up with crazy names, or to have a part in contributing somehow to naming of collections, whether it's going to be summer neons or dirty pastels or whatever.

G: Tell us a bit about your hobbies, what you like to do in your spare time, or anything you're very passionate about!

Heidi: I read a lot. The goal is to write more, in particular a couple book ideas I have notes but no narrative. I love to putter in the yard, growing more herbs than anything, and I love to study their health benefits (both real and alleged). I love art and history so I am always happy to visit a cool historical house or spend a day at an art museum. Shopping for makeup probably should be mentioned in there, too, since I spend a lot of time reading blogs and nosing around drugstores for new treasures.

Thanks so much for allowing me to interview you as part of this series, Heidi! I absolutely loved getting to know you a bit better, and I hope other readers feel like they know you a bit better now as well!