Makeup report

Cake mascara is back, and it's better than ever courtesy of Paula Dorf, available at Sephora, I'm happy to say.

I fell in love with cake mascara many years ago when I bought some from Maybelline. It's a total throwback to the 50s, but it's much better than that hideous paste... I mean regular tube mascara.

The problem with tube mascara is that the paste is wet, and bacteria tends to grow in it, so the shelf-life is very short. Despite that fact (and it is a fact) cosmetics companies persist in selling us huge tubes of mascara that only Tammy Faye could use up in their allotted time.

When you use cake mascara, you add a little bit of water to the brush, then you run the brush over the pigment and apply to your lashes. Repeat until you have enough thickness.

Now, it's not going to look like ordinary mascara, instead it's going to look like you have the most amazing lashes ever. They'll be dark and thick, and if you curl them, they'll be charmingly curvy. Supposedly the PD product is flake-resistant, but I will report back on the wearability at a later date. Perhaps I will even share pictures of me wearing the fabulous mascara. It comes in black ("raven") and brown ("foxy") with a fantastic little brush. $20, but the compact should last you a year. How much would you spend on tube mascara in a year? More than that, even if you shop at CVS.

Have I mentioned that Paula Dorf brushes rock my world? They do. I really like this line and I was so happy to see it at my local Sephora.

I also snagged a Nars lipstick in Zanzibar sheer. It's a nice sheer burgundy red with a slighly shiny finish and decent staying power. I mean, it's not up to my very favorite litpstick ever, but I'm almost out of Poppy Sheer Vanity (a deep sheer burgundy matte with incredible staying power. It's a treat to wear) but I like it pretty well.

Anyway, makeup for me is pretty simple these days: I like to present flawless skin with sheer, dark lips, pale eyes (sheer white matte, Too Faced Purrrr most days) dark brows and I'll be adding the cake mascara. No blush most days, but just a little bit of Shu Uemura Luminizer in Pearl on my cheekbones and forehead. (Pearl matches the color of my skin better than anything. I really am that pale.)

before - after