I have resigned myself to this

Or, "Why $18 Mascara is a Bargain." Some of you know that I am a mascara fiend. I have nice blue eyes to draw your attention, and very forgettable lashes to make that attention wander straight to the closest box of detergent, for no other reason than the detergent may be more memorable than my lashes. This has been a battle all my life. My very favorite mascara EVER was Lancome's Stylocils, with a ridiculously tiny brush in a ridiculously small barrel that made my lashes as long and happy as they have ever been. Last year I discovered Maxi-Frange by Bourjois and grew to love it immensely. Well, that's a lie -- it had me at "Goodbye, $18." Funny, because I've never been a fan of primers. I've never found one that really did what I thought it should do (as in, deliver what it promises). But the primer on Maxi-Frange worked really well -- lengthened and volumized without clumping, and, what's this? A sassy little upturn on the end, without the benefit of a pinched eyelid? Yes, it gave my lashes a little curl! Well, I used it to the end and just couldn't bring myself to buy another tube of it. I don't know why. I work. But I just didn't like the idea of it, I suppose.

But now the ugly truth comes out. Since this past fall, I have bought probably no fewer than TEN new mascaras, all costing around $8-10. Some of them didn't get used more than once before they got tossed. Yes, I know you can return some cosmetics at some stores, but honestly, as often as I would be returning mascara, they'd have me on the blacklist before you could say "smudge." So, let's do some math here. Let's say that those mascaras cost $9 each, for average's sake, times 10 purchases (probably conservative). Hmmmm. Do you see, now, why $18 spent every six months is actually SAVING money, in this case?

I splurged -- wait, no, I SAVED!! Right? I SAVED today on a tube of Bourjois Coup de Theatre mascara that I hope I will love as much as the Maxi-Frange. (The Maxi-Frange is designed more for volume, the Coup de Theatre focuses on length, which is my main concern.)

But if I must be known for something, I am not vain enough to want it to be my lashes. I would want it to be for this: "Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you," declares the Lord GOD. -- Ezekiel 16:14