Wet n Wild is one of my very favorite cosmetic brands—is anyone else with me? And it's not just because their products are so awesomely inexpensive: The makeup is excellent quality, particularly the eye shadows (both powder and cream) and any of their several face-luminizing products. Right now I’m into the Ultimate Expressions Eyeshadow Palette in Sand Castle, which is a set of 8 incredible neutrals—they're sort of all you need, right? So fantastic for day, obviously, but night-time too: lately I’ve been doing a chocolate-y, dark brown smoky eye instead of my usual black (speaking of which, this $4 liner from last week would complete the look perfectly, no?).
My summer-sunscreen advice has always been to get the biggest, highest-end tube of sunscreen for the beach/pool you can find: The bigness and the fanciness both conspire to get you to apply more, more frequently. Here is my summer-of-budgetary-concern/green-awareness edition: The new Burt’s Bees big fat tube of SPF 30. It looks fantastic despite its relative-to-department-store-brands low cost. And it’s green and it’s big. And yes, you do need a new tube of sunscreen, even if you are in the sodden Northeast like me. 
too). Why? They're awesome. They glide on beautifully but don't smudge easily, and the pigments are rich and intense--especially the dark colors, which go on DARK-dark and stay that way. The 'Black/Brown' pencil is my favorite: it's an inky-espresso that's super-sultry, but warmer and more skin-flattering than stark black.
I've been carrying my nighttime makeup in quart-sized Ziplocs for five vaguely humiliating months, ever since I lost my cosmetics bag during a move. 
So when Emily wrote about this cool coin purse on her Shop Girl blog last week, I immediately checked for a cosmetics pouch-sized version. Alas, there isn't one, but I was inspired to go on Etsy and find some other cool, recession-friendly options.
This hand-dyed pink-with-blue-poppies zip pouch is a little piece of art in itself for $15. I also like this cheerful, kelly green elephant-print one for $21, this "toadstools" pouch for $12, and this skull-covered version for $20. 
But my favorite of all is this vintage Star Trek-fabric drawstring bag for $10, which the artist says is designed not only for cosmetics, but also for all of my "geeky needs," like magic cards and dice. HOT!***
—Cat Marnell, associate beauty editor
*** I'm totally not being sarcastic. I have a robot collection. Sometimes I make the wind-up ones battle each other. So. Now that's on the internet.
My father spends basically every waking hour of his life on psych wards making rounds, so he's not exactly whom I turn to for product recommendations. But, alas! Like many hard-on-their-parents daughters, I've underestimated him. He introduced me to this Biotene mouthwash, which specifically (and brilliantly) treats dry mouth (fancy term: Xerostomia) caused by (amongst other things) certain medications, psychiatric or otherwise.A It's also good for coffee-guzzling editors who stress out a lot (another cause of cottonmouth), smokers, or just anyone who can't force themselves to drink water constantly. Accordingly, it's super-breath-freshening, but mild-tasting and gentle.A I bought it at the drugstore (by the pharmacy counter, natch), but you can get it on Amazon.com for a mere $6.
—Cat Marnell, associate beauty editor
Jennifer Romolini's eBay Obsessed blog constantly inspires me to hunt the site for cool, quirky stuff—especially when I'm undertaking really uninspiring projects like decorating my totally boring bathroom. Trolling the site, I was psyched to find these amazing vintage Chanel No. 5 print ads: there are tons of hugely glamorous options—almost all of them cost about $10—and I only have room for two favorites: this hot pumps-and-stockings shot from 1984, and this awesome 1974 ad starring Catherine Deneuve in a killer tuxedo—all I need now are two cheap frames!A I think "Romolini"—as she's known at Lucky H.Q.—would be proud.
—Cat Marnell, associate beauty editor
