If there’s one thing you should put on before leaving the house, it’s mascara. A few layers can instantly make you look more awake and ready to go. And mascara paired with a fierce lipstick is even better! Seriously though, lashes are a prominent part of your face. They frame your eyeballs, which hopefully is where people are looking. Not everyone has lengthy or full lashes, but that’s okay! Mascara is your friend.

Even though I have really long eyelashes, I still use mascara otherwise my look feels unfinished. It’s just one of those things I gotta have, and it should be in your beauty bag too. But before you go crazy and buy the world’s most expensive tube, watch this video. While I love my Dior mascaras, $24.50 is definitely a splurge especially when I’d rather spend on high end skin care. Drug store mascaras are awesome, so don’t ignore them! Maybelline Falsies and Covergirl Lashblast are two great ones that have my CC Beauty Live Seal of Approval!

Now, go ahead and watch for some tips!

On my face: Smashbox Anti-Shine, Make Up For Ever Primer (Green), Maybelline FIT Powder in 230, MAC Wonder Woman Mighty Aphrodite blush, Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara

On my nails: Nada! But I am wearing China Glaze Lemon Fizz on my toes

Got something you want me to cover? Post it in the comments below. And don’t forget to follow us on YouTube and check out my other videos right here! And for more beauty related tips, check out my website and follow me on Twitter!

Hey, Kristin: apology NOT accepted!

Lady Gaga…before she got all kinds of crazy.

Back-to-school fashion at its finest.

Oh you know. Rihanna looking fabu as always.

Now THOSE are some lashes.

Wear your perfume. Literally.

I’m here to show you how easy it can be to apply falsies so you can look hotter than ever. Pair lashes with the cat eyes from last week, and you’ll have every guy in the bar picking their jaws up off the floor.

Well, now you can get them WITHOUT MASCARA. Yeah, you heard right.

The FDA has recently approved a new drug called Latisse, brought to you by the same pharmeceutical company that gave us Botox: Allergen Inc. They promise “longer, fuller, and darker lashes” with daily use on the upper eyelids for 16 weeks.

Who wouldn’t want that?

But beware of the caveat manufacturers don’t want you to know about. Possible side effects include a gradual darkening of the iris and a darkening of any portion of the surrounding area where the drug touches your skin. Not to mention the possiblility of looking like Chewbacca if it gets anywhere else on your body, since Latisse is merely a hair-follicle stimulant.

Oh, and if you still want to try it? It’ll make a dent of $120 for a 30-day supply. The effects aren’t permanent either, so your lashes will return back to their genetically-determined length after a few months of discontinued usage.

So, let’s get this straight: black irises and the potential for black and hairy eyelids?

I think I’ll just stick with my $20 mascara for now. I want long lashes just as much as the next girl (or as much as those beauty companies tell me I need them), but I just need to know there’s absolutely no chance of me looking like the girl in the picture before I take my chances with Latisse.

But for the more daring (and possibly wealthier), I want to know: will you try it?

Krispy Kreme is my valentine…

Wanna rock fake eyelashes but just can’t seem to get ‘em on? This’ll help!

The last ‘Girl Next Door’: Bridgette finally has a man… but who is he?

Remember “Animorphs”?!?!

Holy crap, Robert Downey, Jr. is HOT.

Valentine’s Day under $25? Sounds good to me!

Uggs will never go out of style…

Madonna on the cover of W lookin’ mighty fine!

Did they say FREE TUITION?

In this weekly series, actress / model and fabulous CC blogger, Jen, will be using her make-up know how to teach us all how to look flawless in class, out at a party, or grabbing coffee with that cutie from Psych 101.]

Everyone is always talking about long, luxurious lashes, but how do we get em without getting clumps? And do we really have to spend $40 on a tube of mascara to get that sexy lash we covet? This week Jen gives her expert advice on the best mascaras on the market (in all price ranges) that are sure to get you lookin’ like a Cover Girl.

My name is Diana, and I’m a mascara junkie. In addition to touching up my Almay retractable eyeliner numerous times a day, my purse always holds an eyelash curler and a tube of my mascara-of-the-month.

I am not one of those classic Maybelline Great Lash girls. When I shop for a new mascara, I pick up whichever package has the most exciting adjectives (Volum’ Express Turbo Boost!) and lofty promises (“Visibly lengthens by 40% Volumizes up to 4X!).

And yet, despite all my efforts and the naturally thick, dark lashes I start with, I can never quite achieve that flirty, heavy eyelash fringe I was seeking. I don’t envy celebrity bodies—I envy their lashes.

But here’s a secret: there’s no celebrity eyelash gene that gives them those fat lashes with not a trace of mascara gunk in sight. So, what do celebrities have that we don’t? Well, among other things—money to burn. And sometimes, that money goes into eyelash extensions.

Often made of real human hair or silk, eyelash extensions are quickly becoming a staple in salons across the country. And these are hardly the drugstore fakes that you pick up for your sexy librarian/nurse/elf/whatever Halloween costume.

Each individual lash is applied one by one to your real lashes, avoiding that “I have a small spider resting on top of my eyelid” look that fake eyelash strips give you. The lashes come in a variety of lengths, so you can choose to look sex-kittenish or just impossibly fresh-faced.

The initial set will cost at least a few hundred dollars, and touch-ups every two weeks will run you up to $100. And since the fake lashes will fall out naturally over the course of 4-6 weeks, you may be shelling out up to $800 every six weeks—a bit steep if your idea of splurging is blowing $23 on Lancome’s High Definition Mascara.

But really–isn’t that a small price to pay to look refreshed and doe-eyed on your walk of shame, free of mascara smudged down to your chin?

Even though these particular curlers are rated as “the best,” my eyelashes are still flat and wilted after a full day of activity.

Thanks to a recent beauty trend, I can now get a semi-permanent eyelash “perm.” I know, it sounds really weird, but after looking more into it, I have decided it is something I actually might consider (if I had unlimited funds to spend on something vain like this).

The original hint about the procedure came to me via my Daily Candy newsletter delivered to my inbox every morning.

Supposedly it is safe and works on all lashes, no matter what length you have. The total process only takes 30-45 minutes and is done in two steps: first, eyelashes are curled over rubber rollers, then two different solutions are applied.

Seems simple enough right? It can’t be any worse than other things we go through in the name of vanity, aka a brazilian wax. The best part: it lasts three to five weeks.

Currently NYC is one of the only places to offer it — at the new Takashimi Head to Toe salon. But, don’t worry, if this trend catches on, I’m sure it will be available in a salon near you in no time. Until then, I guess we will all have to resort to our trusty metal curlers.