Here's something you might be interested in.
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
Survey of Mascara Users
“Some waterproof mascaras aren’t waterproof at all,” lamented my mother-in-law after a session in the pool with her grandkids.
“I used to use Max Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumping Waterproof Mascara, and I never got a smudge under my eye. But I can’t find it anywhere now.”
I poked around online and found that it was available at certain Walmarts or on eBay for $24.99. I also asked my friends what they were using during these wet summer months.
My blonde friend Betty doesn’t even fight the battle. “I specifically look for mascara that washes off easily. That way, when I get it wet, I don’t worry about streaking or raccoon eyes — it just all washes off. That’s why I like Cover Girl mascaras the best [$4 to $10, available at most drug stores]. I don’t need makeup remover to take them off, just soap and water. And if I go swimming, it just washes off.”
Fellow blonde Melanie told me, “I use Neutrogena Healthy Lengths Waterproof in black or brown. It’s around $9 at Rite Aid, and it has the best staying power. If I sleep in my makeup — which I often do, because who stays awake long enough these days to wash their face? — it doesn’t end up in black rings under my eyes, and so I don’t look even older and more tired than I am. And, bonus: my makeup is already on for taking the kids to school! Seriously, though, I’ve tried a lot of mascaras, and this Neutrogena is good and it’s cheap.”
Cherie, who is sometimes blonde and sometimes brunette, chooses L’Oreal Double Extend Waterproof Lash-Fortifier and Extender ($10 at Walmart). “It’s kind of a two-in-one,” she said. “First you apply the conditioning treatment, which also thickens and lengthens the lash. Then you apply the actual mascara. You get the effect of two coats but without looking like you’re wearing lots of thick black goop.”
Laurie, a brunette buddy, goes for Clinique Lash Power Mascara ($15 at Clinique counters). “I love mascara — couldn’t live without it. The Clinique is not technically waterproof, but it lasts through rain, sweat, humidity, and tears. I have never had it smudge or run. One tube lasts me three to five months.”
Sophie, a slightly darker brunette, told me she started using waterproof mascara all the time because, “I’m an emotional-type person. I figure the motto ‘Be prepared’ applies to makeup emergencies. Usually I’m a drugstore-makeup kind of gal, but I found this product in a magazine: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Genius. It’s a clear coating; when you apply it to regular mascara, it renders it waterproof.” Julie at Sephora in Fashion Valley (619-220-0771; sephora.com) told me she carried it for $21.
I tried a few more stores. Louis at MAC Cosmetics in Fashion Valley (619-296-9955; maccosmetics.com) offered “Zoom Waterfast Lash and Splashproof Lash [both $15]. The Zoom is new. It lengthens the lash as well as waterproofing. You need an oil-based makeup remover to take it off. When you use it, your lashes are not super soft, but they’re still flexible.”
My redheaded friend Mary Ann had a different approach. “I gave up on waterproof mascara because it bugged my contact lenses. Instead, I get my eyelashes tinted in the summer.” Lisa Getz, owner at Original Skin & Body Care Boutique in Normal Heights (619-295-7313; originalskinboutique.com) explained the process: “Eyelash tinting is just coloring the lashes with a permanent hair color. The product we use, Refectocil, sets very fast — normal hair dye takes about 40 minutes, but this takes only 20 minutes. Most people get black, but there are other colors: brown, chestnut, or blue-black.”
Getz continued, “We place an anti-wrinkle patch under the eye to protect the skin.” Even so, there may be some mild stinging. “The tint is applied with a little paintbrush. I usually do the top lashes, but if the person can keep still with her eyes open, I can do the bottom lashes as well.” The coloring lasts “for the life of the lash. The lifespan of a lash is 90 days, but by the time it’s full length and we’re tinting it, it’s about 45 days old. The cost is $20.”
Tinting is also available for $28 at Lounge Esthetique in El Cajon (619-592-4800; loungeesthetique.com).
Here's something you might be interested in.
Survey of Mascara Users
Survey of Mascara Users
“Some waterproof mascaras aren’t waterproof at all,” lamented my mother-in-law after a session in the pool with her grandkids.
“I used to use Max Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumping Waterproof Mascara, and I never got a smudge under my eye. But I can’t find it anywhere now.”
I poked around online and found that it was available at certain Walmarts or on eBay for $24.99. I also asked my friends what they were using during these wet summer months.
My blonde friend Betty doesn’t even fight the battle. “I specifically look for mascara that washes off easily. That way, when I get it wet, I don’t worry about streaking or raccoon eyes — it just all washes off. That’s why I like Cover Girl mascaras the best [$4 to $10, available at most drug stores]. I don’t need makeup remover to take them off, just soap and water. And if I go swimming, it just washes off.”
Fellow blonde Melanie told me, “I use Neutrogena Healthy Lengths Waterproof in black or brown. It’s around $9 at Rite Aid, and it has the best staying power. If I sleep in my makeup — which I often do, because who stays awake long enough these days to wash their face? — it doesn’t end up in black rings under my eyes, and so I don’t look even older and more tired than I am. And, bonus: my makeup is already on for taking the kids to school! Seriously, though, I’ve tried a lot of mascaras, and this Neutrogena is good and it’s cheap.”
Cherie, who is sometimes blonde and sometimes brunette, chooses L’Oreal Double Extend Waterproof Lash-Fortifier and Extender ($10 at Walmart). “It’s kind of a two-in-one,” she said. “First you apply the conditioning treatment, which also thickens and lengthens the lash. Then you apply the actual mascara. You get the effect of two coats but without looking like you’re wearing lots of thick black goop.”
Laurie, a brunette buddy, goes for Clinique Lash Power Mascara ($15 at Clinique counters). “I love mascara — couldn’t live without it. The Clinique is not technically waterproof, but it lasts through rain, sweat, humidity, and tears. I have never had it smudge or run. One tube lasts me three to five months.”
Sophie, a slightly darker brunette, told me she started using waterproof mascara all the time because, “I’m an emotional-type person. I figure the motto ‘Be prepared’ applies to makeup emergencies. Usually I’m a drugstore-makeup kind of gal, but I found this product in a magazine: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Genius. It’s a clear coating; when you apply it to regular mascara, it renders it waterproof.” Julie at Sephora in Fashion Valley (619-220-0771; sephora.com) told me she carried it for $21.
I tried a few more stores. Louis at MAC Cosmetics in Fashion Valley (619-296-9955; maccosmetics.com) offered “Zoom Waterfast Lash and Splashproof Lash [both $15]. The Zoom is new. It lengthens the lash as well as waterproofing. You need an oil-based makeup remover to take it off. When you use it, your lashes are not super soft, but they’re still flexible.”
My redheaded friend Mary Ann had a different approach. “I gave up on waterproof mascara because it bugged my contact lenses. Instead, I get my eyelashes tinted in the summer.” Lisa Getz, owner at Original Skin & Body Care Boutique in Normal Heights (619-295-7313; originalskinboutique.com) explained the process: “Eyelash tinting is just coloring the lashes with a permanent hair color. The product we use, Refectocil, sets very fast — normal hair dye takes about 40 minutes, but this takes only 20 minutes. Most people get black, but there are other colors: brown, chestnut, or blue-black.”
Getz continued, “We place an anti-wrinkle patch under the eye to protect the skin.” Even so, there may be some mild stinging. “The tint is applied with a little paintbrush. I usually do the top lashes, but if the person can keep still with her eyes open, I can do the bottom lashes as well.” The coloring lasts “for the life of the lash. The lifespan of a lash is 90 days, but by the time it’s full length and we’re tinting it, it’s about 45 days old. The cost is $20.”
Tinting is also available for $28 at Lounge Esthetique in El Cajon (619-592-4800; loungeesthetique.com).
Comments