Girly Mom

A few years ago, I took a girls-only trip to New York with my mom and sister.  It was in that fantastical city that I found Sephora, now my most favoritest place to buy makeup.  I love that I can try all the products before buying them.  Plus I have access to skilled makeup pros who are ready to answer questions or perform quick makeovers.

It was on this visit to the Holy Hall of Makeup that I discovered a powerful secret that would change my life.

After I wandered around the store a while, a saleswoman offered to help me find a few products for my baby blues.  She led me and my droopy little eyes over to a chair and began to work her magic.  She applied some beautiful eye-shadow colors and the best mascara ever to my drab eyes.

Then she pulled out a nondescript little pencil called Cargo Reverse Lipliner.  She told me I could use this pencil two different ways.  First, she outlined my lips to highlight their shape and keep the lipstick from spreading all over my face.

This lip liner is a light ivory color (they make a darker one for dark skin).  She told me it would add definition and fullness to my lips, which it did.  Although the color was different from other liners that I’ve used, it still was just a lip liner.

But my favorite — the really eye-opening new thing to do with this liner — is what my personal Makeup Maven did next.  She used this pencil to line the inside of my lower eyes, just above my lower lashes.

No!  I am not kidding.  This beauty trick actually made my eyes look brighter.  I looked rested even though I’d been up late every night of our trip.

This seventh wonder of my makeup world is now on my Can’t Live Without It list.  I am totally devoted to this mini miracle stick.  I mean, who wouldn’t love to look rested and bright-eyed every day?

You know, it just occurred to me that perhaps more women know about this liner than I realize.  You know all those moms at school that do everything and look good doing it and make the rest of us feel like shlumpadinkas?  Maybe they know this little trick.   Maybe they run around in a sleep-deprived state like the rest of us.  They just line their eyelids with this stuff and fool us all.

Well, at least I’m in on their little secret now.