Ihappened upon Lancôme' s mascara about 4 years ago through a friend of mine who works at a Lancôme counter at the Goldsmith's Department Store in Memphis. Believe it or not, she actually called me on the very same day that I'd either misplaced or lost the mascara that I was trying out for that month, which was L'Oréal Voluminous (Curved Brush) in Black. I was also in the market of rediscovering myself by going through a 'drugstore-only' phase, and totally not interested in any products from any makeup counters in the malls; so I honestly didn't even consider asking her for any advise.However, she gave it to me anyway. "Penna get with it! Everyone in the world knows that Lancôme makes the very best mascara!" I said to her, "Whatever!" and we both let out the biggest laugh. Actually, her comment was all it took because I suddenly found myself heading to Neiman Marcus to the Lancôme counter, and after spending about 20 minutes asking every question imaginable, I finally left with a tube of Definicils High Definition Mascara Waterproof Black/Noir. Result: Fantastic! I used Lancôme's mascara non-stop for two more years! Another one of Lancôme' s mascara that became my favorite is Hypnôse.

I went to New York earlier this month with a guy friend of mine. While we were there, I dropped into Lord & Taylor to pick up Hypnôse by Lancôme- because I loved the results I'd previously received from Lancôme's Définicils. Anyway, Colin and I only stayed a week, but what a week it was! I received compliments on my lashes non-stop! Everyone would stop me to ask if I had eyelash enhancement, or eyelash extensions, or if I was wearing false lashes. I have never received so many compliments on my lashes in my life!  $24.00 a tube is definitely worth the compliments...

I was feeling a bit down and drained today, and needed a pick me up before I went to sewing class -- (yes, Princesses, I do take sewing classes- go figure!:-). Anyway, I stopped into Neiman Marcus (one of my favorite places to shop!) for the new AQUALUMIÈRE GLOSS High-Shine Sheer Concentrate by- non other than da best of da best ... CHANEL. I'd been wishing after this gloss ever since I received a sample of it from my last beauty visit to the counter. After about an hour I decided on NEW IRONIC TONIC. Why? Because not only does it put the provocative in pretty with a combination of bold shine and stunning colour, but it also redefines the look of gloss. I'm a total fan of lipgloss, and this innovative piece of art is ultra-lightweight in feel- and brushes on for sheer coverage with maximum brilliance. Huh, you can't beat that for only $26.00 a gloss!

Ultra Shiny Lip Gloss

This is a must have for me if I want to glam up for a late afternoon lunch date. The great thing about this lip gloss is that it adds a faint hint of glimmer that's never overbearing and is totally appropriate for day (despite the name!). If my date and I decide to grab a movie later in the evening, I sometimes pair my gloss with a matte berry lipstick, like Apocalypse by Urban Decay. What I've noticed is that layering my lipstick underneath helps the gloss to stay on much longer, even while I'm eating; and it also helps to bring out the color and a more brilliant shine in the gloss. Instead of calling my lips "sparkling night", I renamed them "sparkling day" because I become pretty lucky during the day. Ya know what I mean :-)

The result: The sexiest most irresistibly kissable lips ever! Muah!

---Penna