I know this should be a Freedom Haiku or something, but...

I had an alternative in mind.

My quest for beauty

ended with ninety-five bucks

at the MAC counter.

What did I get for

this sum? Three eyeshadows and

two brushes. Oy vey!

It's a good thing that

I do the bills, because my

hubs would sh*t his pants.

I should go back to

Bonne Bell/Wet 'n Wild-

At least it was cheap.

So seriously? Instead of asking how much the make-up brushes cost before purchasing, I decided to just ride it out. Obviously, that was a biiiiiig mistake. Now I'm searching for cheaper brushes online so I can take the MAC ones back to Macy's, which will give me $50 back. And why did I spend this kind of money at a make-up counter? Because I haven't bothered with much more than powder and mascara since I gave birth 3.25 years ago. I wanted advice on creating smoky eyes for the wedding I am attending next month (which my daughter and husband are in, but I am not). I chose the MAC counter since it is usually frequented by the younger crowd, rather than the retired, Florida wintering age ladies at the Clinique and Estee Lauder counters. Where is the I-am-30-something, can-you-make-me-look-slightly-younger- than-my-age-but-still-appropriate counter? Um, that seems to be M.I.A.

I really do miss the days of being able to use the cheapest make-up. And wasn't Bonne Bell stuff the bomb? I used to use plain old Noxema (mmm, the smell of clean) to wash with, and whatever was advertised in Seventeen on my face. Now? Well, I discovered Origins shortly before I turned 30 and haven't been able to go back since. I recently tried to choose a less expensive option for facial cleansing - Oil of Olay something or other - in place of my beloved and extremely awesome Checks & Balances. And...it was a big bomb. I gave it a couple of weeks, but the OoO just doesn't cut it for making my face feel clean. C&B makes my face feel clean but not all dried out. What do they put in it...crack (for your) pores? (Ha - GET IT?!) So I suck it up and pay $12 more for the good stuff. And I use it sparingly. Same with the Perfect World stuff, which I initially picked up to stave off the wrinkles and pock marks that were certain to invade my generally good skin once I turned the big 3-0. Keeps away free radicals! Smells good! Made with White Tea! I still faithfully use and love it. My mom gets me the big vat of skin guardian at Christmas, I make it last as long as humanly possible. My one thing I can use that's cheap is Cover Girl Lash Blast...and I completely agree with Bossy that the "best buy" mascara (which I saw in a 4 pack at Costco today...why not Lash Blast, dammit?) may be a good buy, but ain't a good mascara.

What the hell was my point? I guess the cost of cosmetics, and the tactics they use to suck you in. They make you dependent on them (hi Origins!) so that you can never, ever go back to Wet 'n Wild (honestly though, who would want to? Am I going to get gross Google searches now because I've used the phrase Wet 'n Wild? Nah, pervs probably can't spell that well.)

What are your favorite, tried-and-true products?

And Happy 4th! Hopefully I'll get a chance to read everyone's stuff when I get home tonight...