Is it just me or is there another “revolutionary” new makeup product introduced every freaking day?! Just walking into Ulta or Sephora (or even Walgreens!) sends many chicas into fits of hysteria, reaching for the nearest brown bag to regulate their breathing. It’s all so overwhelming.

So how can you know which product – among the sea of thousands – is the best? Which does what you need it to do? Which ones are worth the extra money? Let me help. I don’t know every beauty product out there, but I’ve tested a lot of them and I’ll let you know which are worth the money and which are not.

(Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review purposes)

What it is: Tarte Park Ave Princess Matte Waterproof Bronzer

Why this should be in your bag: Like I’ve said before, bronzer is a total pale-face lifesaver. A swipe of bronzer can literally make you go from dull to glowing. I myself use bronzer in my makeup routine every day of the year and enjoy testing out different formulas. Tarte (along with a few others) have developed waterproof bronzers, designed for use on the beach and at the pool, but also for those humid summer days. I’ve definitely experienced makeup meltdown, despite the use of heavy-duty primer, so I would find a waterproof bronzer insanely useful. Read More »

2009 was a huge year for movies. We had the drama of Precious, the awe-inspiring Avatar, the suspense of Inglourious Basterds, and much more. And now, this Sunday, we’re finally going to find out who did it all best at the Academy Awards!

Everyone’s got their own predictions of who’s gonna win (or, more realistically, if anything can beat Avatar), so we thought we’d make things interesting and turn it into a little contest.

The Rules:

You have between now and Sunday, March 7th at 3pm ET to choose who you think will win for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and Best Director. Make your picks (you have to do all 6 or you will not be eligible to win!) and leave them in the comments section below.

We’ll keep a tally as we watch the show (and sip on a delicious Champagne cocktail!) and at the end of the (long, looong) night, we’ll see who got the most correct and send them a $200 gift bag courtesy of Tarte Cosmetics, our absolute favorite makeup line. (Seriously, check out their website. This stuff is awesome.)

If there is a tie, we will take all the top scorers, put their names in a hat (or the empty bowl that was once full of Doritos before we got our hands on it) and draw a winner at random.

The winner will be announced on our Facebook Fan Page and on Twitter on Monday, March 8th at 12 pm ET. (Yes, that means you gotta become our fan or follow us on Twitter to win!)

And that’s it. Check out the nominees below, make your predictions, then watch and see if you’ll be the big winner at the end of the night!

Good luck!

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You already know how I feel about Tarte cosmetics and if you don’t I’ll tell you: I’m obsessed. Their products are high quality and eco-friendly; what more can you ask for?

Well, Tarte has teamed up with Commando underwear to get you covered (from top to [your] bottom) for the upcoming holiday season. They’re giving away up to $750 worth of goodness and all you have to do is enter. And with products like theirs, that is definitely something to be thankful for this season.

Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara is hands down the best mascara I’ve ever tried. Ever. And I’ve tried all of them. Every time a magazine boasted about their favorite mascara, I’d buy it. But they were all the same. I just figured mascara was mascara and started buying whatever was cheapest at Target. But Tarte taught me that there is a difference and not all mascaras are created equal. I honestly don’t know how they do it, but my eyes have never looked better or brighter. Seriously. It’s a miracle product.

Oh, and as long as we’re talking about the best products ever, let me just tell you about The Eraser, a legendary concealer. Not only does this stuff cover up the major black circles under my eyes (tested and approved on a particularly hungover morning), but it has a brush built in so you don’t have to run your greasy fingers across your freshly washed face. Gah! I just love it. Read More »

When your favorite cream blush or powder foundation is empty, do you just toss it in the trash? By recycling your used beauty products, you can help save the planet and get brand new products for free!

Mac’s Back To Mac Program
Return six Mac primary packaging containers to the Mac counter at your local department store or via mail, and you’ll get a free lipstick of your choice! For more information, click here.

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So by now you’ve probably seen the commercials for Latisse, the eyelash enhancing prescription that makes your lashes fuller and longer.  While amazing lashes would be wonderful, the side effects are… umm…scary.  Darkened eyelids and pupils? Potential hair growth wherever this stuff touches?  Yeah, ruining your face is definitely worth some longer, fuller lashes.

Pause.

Not.

And this stuff doesn’t have a long term effect; you have to keep using it to keep your lashes looking good. The pros simply do not outweigh the cons for Latisse.

Luckily there are other things you can do and use to make your lashes looking beautiful that won’t permanently ruin your face. Things like, duh, mascara, false lashes, lash curlers, lash primers, and eyeliner tricks.

The first and easiest option is to curl your lashes using a clamp eyelash curler, like this one from Tarte. (Wait a second, isn’t Tarte on sale through CollegeCandy right now?? Score!) Clamp your lashes down at the base, hold for 3 seconds, repeat in the middle, and then the ends.  It also helps to heat up the curler first for a few seconds with a hairdryer, but do not do this every day, as you will damage your lashes with excessive heat.  It can be helpful to curl your lashes before applying mascara, then clamp once after to add a little extra oomph. Read More »

I have a love/hate relationship with Sephora. I love walking through there and playing with all the makeup, but I hate how there is just so much. How am I supposed to know which brand is best? Which one looks best on my skin? Which mascara is worth $45 and why is that better than my $6 mascara at home?

It’s all quite overwhelming.

And that’s why I choose my friends based on how good their makeup looks. Ok, so that’s not (totally) true, but I do depend on my friends to guide me in the direction of quality products for my face. When they tell me they love a product or brand I trust them, and I haven’t been disappointed yet.

Most recently, a friend of mine started going on and on (and on) about Tarte cosmetics. I knew nothing about them, but after spending an hour with this girl (of which, only 5 minutes were not spent talking about Tarte), I decided to take the brand for a test run myself. I ordered some of their most popular products online (it seems that various beauty editors are quite enamored as well) and tried them out.

And let me just say – I am addicted. Like seriously addicted. Not only are the products super high quality, but they are completely natural, healthy and earth friendly as well! I’m a major recycling dork (I even reuse Ziploc bags….) so that is something that is really important to me.

Anyways, I tried out a bunch of things, but here are my all-time favorite Tarte products: Read More »

Have you heard? CollegeCandy is throwing a party in New York City on July 29th. There’s gonna be free drinks, free food and, of course, all the coolest CollegeCandy writers are gonna be there (well, the ones who are over 21, at least).

Are you?

Sure, you may not be in New York City right now, but there is a thing called an airplane, you know. And, seeing the sick raffle prizes you’ll have an opportunity to win, you may want to hop online to Orbitz and book your ticket ASAP.

Here is just a taste of what we’ll be raffling off come July 29th: Read More »

There are thousands of makeup products out there, but the truth is that most of us fall into a rut and wear pretty much the same thing every day. There are so many fabulous things to try and the holidays are the perfect excuse to try something unique and daring. Parties with friends, family get-togethers, or wild New Year’s all nighters are the perfect time to try something bold and festive!

False Lashes

Oh so fun and glamorous but a little too drag queeny 11 months out of the year, December is the perfect time to have fun with false lashes. Make Up For Ever has dozens of styles to play with. If you want something subtle, try the individual lashes to add a little fullness and fill in sparse areas. If you are feeling extra festive, MUFE has really over-the-top lashes with red or green tips, or even white feathers!

Make Up For Ever Eyelashes – $14 sephora.com Read More »