spruced by marlene

Today’s style column is about – you’ll never guess! – Mascara.

Sometimes when I look at my beauty shelf in our bathroom, I wonder who the woman is that’s bought all that stuff. My guess is: a drugstore executive. During my last tidy-up I discovered ten bottles of Mascara. Ten. I briefly imagined how I’d explain this to James: But darling, they’re all TOTALLY different!

Then he’d shake his head and suggest I try rehab. And he’d be right.

Because there is no logical explanation why one person should own that much Mascara. The closest I can come to a justification is that I use it every day, no exceptions. Even when I’m wearing no other make-up, even when I’m working out, even when I’m hungover (in which case I’ll just wear the previous day’s Mascara. Tadaaa!). Without it I don’t quite recognise myself. Without it I feel a little less dressed. Besides, I have blonde eyelashes, which means that without a bit of help I look like a bad passport picture of myself.

I’ve tried them all. Mascara as expensive as a pair of shoes. Mascara for 5,99. By Rimmel and from Chanel. I fell in love which each one. Until I discovered the next one. But now I think I’ve found the one that might make me break up with all the others: Lash Power from Clinique. Because the brush is small enough so that I don’t colour half my eyelid when applying the paint (or is that a problem only I’ve got?). Because it actually lengthens my lashes. Because it doesn’t clump. And because a woman wearing fake lashes asked me if mine were real. THAT’s good mascara.

Now, of course I want to know what your perfect Mascara is (even though I don’t want to start cheating on mine quite yet, no, no). But I also want to know: which beauty product do you have more of than can be reasonably explained?