Special Anniversary Reader Interview Series: Get To Know Carol G.

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 tenth interview in this series is with reader Carol G. Take it away, Carol G.!

Carol G. with the legendary Billy Dee Williams!

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

Carol G.: I've been a fan of drugstore makeup since I was a kid and could start wearing makeup!  I didn't work in high school and my Mom gave me $10 a week allowance so really that was my only option. (Although for Christmas, we always got the big Estee Lauder Blockbuster kits and boy was that a treat!)

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

Carol G.: I remember being in fifth grade and walking up to our local Ontarios (it was like a Wal-Mart) and buying a shimmery brown Maybelline eyeshadow. Now mind you, I wasn't allowed to wear makeup to school or anything, but I bought it because I was mesmerized by it. (Funny how much I still love a pretty brown shadow).

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

Carol G.: 

My five can't-live-without products are:

Cover Girl 3-in-1 Outlast Foundation (G, you got me hooked on that one)
Fergie WNW Take on the Day Primer
Cover Girl Lash Blast Orange Tube
Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser
Ulta Raincoat Waterproof Topcoat

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

Carol G.: My latest drugstore score was just a day ago at Kmart. After reading some of the comments here about other people's Kmart's clearance was ringing half off the clearance price, I decided to check it out. Boy, did I score!  Got Essie Apricot cuticle oil for $2, Essie strengthening basecoat for $2, a WNW eyeshadow trio for $.80, NYC lipgloss for $.50, NYC polish for $.50, ELF Blush for $.50. It was crazy!  I also drove to the other side of town with my friend and got more. All in all, it was a major score. The Essies alone were worth it. [Carol G. submitted her interview questions at the end of March, but this clearance may still be going on in your area. --G.]

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

Carol G.: My go-to shade is always a lipgloss with shimmer. Usually a pink or mauve color. I sort of stopped wearing lipstick about 10 years ago and went to gloss and now I can't go back. Also, I never wear matte or cream shades. I have to have some sort of shimmer in it!

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

Carol G.: Ok, so I am completely, totally obsessed with Star Wars. I've see Episode 4 (that's the original Star Wars movie from 1977) so many times that I have the entire movie memorized. Whenever it comes on, I know my kids cringe because I will sit there and recite every line. I realize this is most likely annoying, but I can't help it, it just comes out of my mouth!  You can imagine my excitement upon meeting Billy Dee Williams, but I also met Peter Mayhew who plays Chewbacca. Talk about a childhood dream coming true!

G: What's your current favorite TV show?

Carol G.:  Currently, it is Mad Men. (Pretty much everything else has ended, RIP Breaking Bad!) [I'm thrilled to see yet another "Mad Men" response to this question! I'm happy to know that so many of us share this in common! --G.]

G: What was the last book you read?

Carol G.: The last book I read was an oldie, but goodie, The Catcher in the Rye. It is my all-time favorite book and I always re-read every few years because I just love it.  (And no, I don't have that one memorized -- yet!)

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

Carol G.: If I could have any job in the world, it would probably be an actor. I have no skills to do that whatsoever, but it just looks like it would be a cool, fun job.

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

Carol G.: My hobbies are mostly exercising (walking, biking, swimming), reading, gardening in the summer, hanging with my BFF from seventh grade and going to any and every hard rock/heavy metal concert/festival that comes through out town. My son and I are huge metalheads and we love being in the front row of the show. We are less than two months away from the big rock festival in Columbus, OH called Rock on the Range. (Any Rangers out there?)

Thanks so much for allowing me to interview you as part of this series, Carol G.! 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!