Two Ways to Get Affordable Oval Brushes Without Having to Order Online

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A Subtle, Last-Minute Hint for Your Friends, Family, and Loved Ones...

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New MAC dupe alert!

Here's one you've got to act quickly on if you want to try it for yourself! I just discovered today that Avon's True Color Eyeshadow Single in "Smoky Slate" (on the right in the swatches) is nearly identical to MAC's "Copperplate" matte eyeshadow (on the left in the swatches)! The pics (taken with and without flash) don't really capture how close these two shades are, but they're so close in shade and one is less than half the price of the other! Yay!

If you have been eyeing "Copperplate" you have to act fast to get this Avon e/s because it's no longer available on the website (Avon just changed/updated all of the True Colors shadows and they discontinued a lot of colors...WHY, Avon, do you always do this??). Anyway, I wanted you to know that there are currently two Ebay sellers who have Avon True Color "Smoky Slate" for around $5 and free shipping. So again, if you have been considering getting "Copperplate" I would jump on an Ebay Auction ASAP because I can tell you they're so similar it's crazy.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that the Avon shadow is a teeny bit more finely milled that the MAC shadow and it applies a little bit more smoothly as a consequence. If you're a matte shadow fan you know that it's got to go on smooooth or you might as well toss it.

What's in my bag?

Another month has come and gone and it's time for another installment of "What's in my bag?"

Some items have remained since last month's post, some have been added to the mix, and some of these I've had in my bag forever (and I do mean forever).

Oh and that's my Nine West "The Greatest Find Small Tote" bag in the pic, except that mine is gray, not brown. I don't really like this bag because the opening isn't big enough; I can barely get my wallet out sometimes! But I do like that it's got a single strap so it's easy to sling on my shoulder and it holds a lot without looking like a huge bag.


1) Sally Girl Mini Squeeze Tube Lip Gloss in "Hoopla". I can't live without this thing! Seriously, I've been wearing it so much that it's probably the only lipgloss I can actually say I've used up...ever. (Click the link for my full reviews.)

2) Travel Size Kleenex in a pocket tissue cozy. I don't know about you, but I got so sick of my travel size Kleenex getting destroyed in my purse that I had to find a solution. How many times have you reached for a tissue in your purse only to discover that pieces of lint or a freaking penny have found their way inside of your mangled little packet of Kleenex? I bought a cozy very similar to this one in a cute, retro print for like 3 bucks on Etsy and I LOVE it. It totally works.

3) Suave Advance Therapy Moisturizer. Click the link to read about my love for this lotion. Seriously, I can't be without it. I transferred it to one of these cute bottles so that I don't have to lug that big ol' bottle around with me. Oh, and have you heard about these brilliant little things: Lotion Saver Bottle Couplers. GENIUS! It's basically a little band that takes your favorite bottle of lotion/shampoo/conditioner/soap and makes it super easy to attach to a smaller bottle so that you can get the very last bit of product out of the large bottle and use it up! What a fantastic invention and one that will surely save you money. I hope they make a coupler soon for wide-mouth bottles so I can use one for salad dressing :)

4) Cute Pill Box. I bought one very similar to this one on Ebay for about $5 and I LOVE it for my Advil. Previously I had been lugging around a travel size bottle of Advil and it was embarrassing because you could hear the pills swishing around in my bag and it made me feel like people thought I was some sort of pill junkie. Anyway, now I have this quiet little pill box for my Advil and it gave me an excuse to buy something cute.

5) Pink Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. Where would I be without you, my dear sweet Victorinox?! Honestly, I've owned so many of these things over the years it's hard to keep count. The number one reason I carry one in my bag is because no matter where I am, I seem to ALWAYS need scissors. Second, I know you're going to find this hard to believe, but the tweezers on this knife are the best kept beauty secret around. OK, maybe it's just MY beauty secret, but I'm going to now share it with the world. These tweezers work better for me than Tweezerman tweezers EVER have. They pick up the most fine of hairs with ease and I've been using them on my brows for over 15 years now. I will never, ever be without my Victorinox tweezers, I tell you!

6) Banana Boat Sun Wear Daily Sunblock SPF 50. For years now, my friend and I have been trying to find our holy grail sunblock and I haven't come closer than Banana Boat Sun Wear. I love this because it smells good, it's sheer, it's not sticky, it doesn't leave a white cast and it doesn't ball up. Oh, and it's photostable with high UVA/UVB protection, it's water resistant, it's never broken me out and you can find it just about everywhere.

Until next month, let's try to keep those purses clean, well-organized and useful!

Great nail color for $1.50

The next time you're at your local beauty supply, take a look around for the nail polish brand Ruby Kisses by Kiss Cosmetics. Made for women of color, this line offers deeply pigmented, gorgeous colors for about $1.50 a bottle.

I picked up a bottle of "Baby Blue" a few weeks ago for $1 and MAN is it pretty. In the bottle it appears to be a gorgeous turquoise blue with tons of blue micro glitter. But when applied, it's quite sheer and you end up with only a slight tint of blue plus the blue micro glitter. When I did a burgundy pedicure a few days ago, I layered it with Baby Blue and WOW, it brought my boring burgundy to a whole other level. It enhanced the base color because of the blue sparkles, but because the glitter is so fine, I wasn't left with "WOW, LOOK AT ME" toes. The result was a really pretty, slightly blueish, subtle shimmer that really makes my burgundy nails pop.

If you can't find Ruby Kisses at your local beauty supply, you can always check out the online beauty supply store at the link above. Also there are some sellers on ebay who sell it for about $2.50 a bottle, which is still a good deal considering how well these polishes wear and the selection of interesting, original colors.

Tarts. The wax ones. Not the fattening ones.

Ladies, wax tarts are the Recessionista's home fragrance weakness. In case you've never heard of them (oh, the horror!) they are little wickless wax (beeswax, soy wax, or a hybrid of both) discs that fit into a tart warmer (a cute little ceramic device that warms the tart electrically with a power cord, or holds a tea light at the bottom to melt the tart). Tarts, when melted, can emit 10x (not scientifically proven, just my opinion) the amount of fragrance that your average candle can emit, in about 1/16th the time (again, not scientifically proven but my firm opinion after years of burning tarts).

The best thing about tarts is that you do not have to invest in a $40 candle to have your home smell lovely, and you can change out the tart as often as you change your clothes! Why commit to a pricey candle with a scent you may tire of after a few burns, when you can switch out a wax tart every single day for 40 days for roughly around the same price!

If you have Scent-ADD like me, and you need to smell something yummy, but different, every day, tarts are your answer. The most easily accessible tarts are found at your local Yankee Candle store, but if you open the door to tarts on online, beware because you'll never, ever close that door. I'm warning you. It's a fun, but daaaaaangerous place for tart lovers. The scent selections available on Ebay, Etsy, and etailer websites will absolutely floor you.

I will save my favorite tart sellers for a future post, if you're interested. Leave me a comment if you'd like to know more, plus I will happy to explain, step-by-step how to burn, enjoy, and remove tarts in the best way possible (my opinion after years of research).

Happy sniffing!

Ebay? Ebay!

My love affair with Ebay started a long, long time ago, ladies, and I encourage you to take the plunge. If you don't already use Ebay as a source for high end cosmetics at low prices, what's stopping you? Honestly, the Recessionista would like to know. Is it the idea that the products may not be sanitary? That they may have been tampered with or from old stock? I'm living proof that this not the case. The Recessionista has purchased many a high end product from Ebay sellers with excellent reputations for selling first-rate, quality products at affordable prices.

Now, why would you go to the Bobbi Brown counter and purchase a Kir lipstick (a gorgeous shimmery, medium plum brown shade) for $20 plus tax when you can purchase the exact same product for $10.98 with no tax and FREE shipping from a reputable seller on Ebay?

As long as you do your research, ask questions, and READ the seller's feedback profile, you can walk way with a bonafide STEAL. Go to ebay.com and do a search for one of your high-end staple products or a product you no longer buy because you can't afford the department store price. I think you'll be amazed at what you find.

And don't even get me started on the money you can save on perfumes. The Recessionista does not have time to compose an elaborate love letter on this topic, at least for today. But do stay tuned.