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Our Favorite Mascaras: Luxe and Less

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Sometimes we have a lot of money to spend, sometimes we don’t. When it comes to mascara, we know some of the best can only be found in a department store or specialty boutique. We also know that some of the best can be found in the drugstore for less than $10.

These are our favorites, suitable for every budget.

Our Top 3 Picks– LUXE:

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Givenchy Phenomen’EyesThis odd brush gives our lashes the most amazing look: lengthened, separated and strengthened thanks to panthenol in the formula. After a little practice, we are now able to create a gorgeous lash look that we love. $28, sephora.com

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Dior DiorShow Iconic

With its soft, oblique cut brush to wrap its mascara formula around each lash and give an extra curling effect, Iconic is one every woman should own, or at least try. This also provides a surprising amount of fantastic volume and contains a silk extract that is normally found in hair conditioners. $27, saks.com

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Shiseido The Makeup Lasting Lift Mascara

We love this mascara for providing our lashes with definition, length and fabulous volume. Air Volume Powder in the formula offers curl enhancement and a light-weight feel. Waterproof and sweat-proof. $22, nordstrom.com

Our Top 3 Picks– LESS:

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Maybelline Lash Discovery
For lashes that are practically invisible, this makes them appear virtually out of nowhere. Even those of us with thick lashes love this for its ability to get to every last lash. $6.59, drugstore.com

cg_pro_all_in_one_wp.jpgCoverGirl Professional Waterproof All In One
This mascara does it all– volumizes, lengthens, separates, is water-proof and won’t flake or bother your eyes if you wear contacts. If there’s a club for over-achieving mascaras, this one is a member. $4.99, drugstore.com

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Rimmel London Glam Eyes Mascara Don’t let the skinny, flexible wand fool you– this mascara means business. Short bristles work to add volume and length and the longer ones keep lashes from clumping. It takes a few coats to get to serious volume, but trust us, it’s completely worth the effort. $7.49, walgreens.com

From our friends at StyleBakery

Get Wired and Stay at the Pod Hotel in New York City @ $99/night

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When I travel, I either like to stay at a hostel that costs less than a meal or in a swanky suite with a view. I realized that at the end of the day, a room is just a place to sleep in and to store all my purchases! Nonetheless, when I do travel on the cheap, that means I’m sacrificing modern comforts like free wifi and flat screen televisions. That’s not the case if I ever want to go to New York City on a budget. The Pod Hotel is located conveniently in Midtown Manhattan and has everything you need to stay in comfort without breaking the bank. Choose from a townhouse studio or share bunk beds with a friend, all rooms have free wifi, LCD televisions, and an iPod dock. Some rooms have shared bathrooms, but that could be a great way to meet people from around the world. The Pod Hotel even has their own forum page where you can ask questions and find people to hang out with during your stay. Check out my slideshow to see what living in a pod would look like starting at $99 a night!

From our friends at Stylehive

jcaroline-Bold and Affordable Home Designs

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Have you recently decided to spruce up your living space?  Are you tired of the play room looking like the land that style forgot?  If so,check out jcaroline’s home line.  From pillows and ottomans to slipcovers and colorful fabrics jcaroline has bit of penache that will brighten up a drab room and completely make it over.

The home design pieces in the collection are so affordable that many of the slipcovers can be used on Ikea furniture.  Even the most budget-conscious person can obtain a unique look to an otherwise humdrum chair.  The decorative throw or floor pillows are child magnets too.  The fabrics on jcaroline products are sturdy and come in a variety of bright, fun colors that will enhance any play room, nursery or child’s room for an easy on the wallet price.

Budget Beauty Buy of the Week – Pixi Cosmetics

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Pixi cosmetics are a fantastic find – great, easy-to-use, multi-purpose products that don’t break the bank – and are available at Target!

Petra Strand, the creator of Pixi, launched the line with her two sisters 10 years ago. Since then she has opened several Pixi stores in cities like London and Dubai. Pixi’s colors and products are great when you want a fresh, natural look with a little enhancement.

Here are some of my favorite products from the line:
Flawless Beauty Primer (pictured, above)
This is a wonderful primer because it blended so effortlessly into my skin and the illuminating glow is subtle, but my skin immediately looked “perkier”. The formula is a light gel/cream and the shade will work well with all skin tones. I also found that it was an excelled base on which to add makeup as it really enhanced the effects of products like my blush and bronzer. It provided the perfect amount of moisture while not adding any oily/greasy finish on my more oily t zone. It didn’t clog my pores or irritate my skin.
Energy Blush
I loved the mint green packaging and the innovative compact which fit both a fairly-nice sized mirror and a comparment for a cute brush, which is also included.
The blush provides a sheer wash of color, but it also gives a nice healthy glow. I really liked the shade Golden Energy, which is a combination of a peachy gold highlighter color and a neutral, light brown color. I used it by sweeping both colors together on either my main blush brush or the brush included (which acutally has very good, high quality bristles), and then using a bit of the lighter, highligter color on my cheekbones. The result was really pretty! Please note, because this gives a light, subtle color effect, these blushes will work best up to a Gabrielle Union shade only. The blush also contains ingredients that are good for your skin (yay!).

Eye Zone Brightener
This is an interesting product in that one might expect that it should be used directly on the skin to brighten dark circles, but what I found is that it was perfect for mixing with my actual concealer to get the perfect amount of coverage as well as a flattering light reflecting effect. The cream is silky, light and very hydrating. The best results for me came by clicking a bit of the cream from the pen applicator, brushing it into the palm of my hand and then mixing with my concealer. I could see the difference immediately. The whole eye area brightened more than with my concealer alone. In addition, the cream itself was soothing and felt really nice on my skin. The multi-purpose aspect of this product is that it can also be used as an overall skin illuminator as well. I used just a touch on the inner corners of my eyes, on my brow bone and on my cheekbones as well. It provided a subtle, but really effecting highlighting effect that blended into my skin effortlessly and naturally. – RLB

Go–> Pixi Products available at Target.com in the US and Pixibeauty.com

From our friends at Palancinka Beauty

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