Pretty Cheap: Liz Taylor Lashes & Brows For Less

Friends of mine know that I have always been meticulous (one might say OCD) about plucking and shaping my own brows. It wasn't a matter of budget, just something I started doing at an early age and  took a lot of pride in doing myself. A few years ago, however; against my better judgment, an old friend took me to a butcher, I mean, a brow bar for a simple shaping and waxing, and I walked away with 1.5 eyebrows. For serious.

Ever since (and with desperation leading up to my fall 2009 wedding, to no avail), I've been trying to bulk up my brows, but like all the other hairs on my head, they're fine and well, there ain't much. Another friend, beauty contributor & makeup artist Carissa Passerella of HookedOnBeauty.com, recommended the RapidLash or Anastasia Brow Enhancing Serum treatments (both available at Sephora), but I was skeptical about giving up a Grant for a tube of tincture before knowing whether or not it would deliver.

Behold, my excitement when God's longtime gift to bargain beauty, the research & development team Wet 'n' Wild, came out with its own version, MegaLash Clinical Serum, for just $7. (Squeal!)

Reviews on the beauty forum MakeupAlley claim that the (yes, cruelty free) brand employs "Castor Oil, Panthenol, Wheat and Soy Proteins as well as different oils from certain flowers [that] are widely known to help lashes grow and stay moisturized."

Here's hoping that by the next issue of Shoestring, my lashes and brows are as lush as the late Elizabeth Taylor's signature punctuation.

Until then, I'll continue my regime of painting and filling with my N.Y.C "Browser" brush-on brow kit (just $3.99, compared to my former solution, a bit pricier (listed below).

SHOP: LASHES & BROWS FOR LESS

Wet 'n' Wild MegaLash Clinical Serum ($6.99, Walgreens)

RapidLash Enhancing Serum ($49.95, Beauty.com)

N.Y.C "Browser" Brush-On Brow Kit ($3.99, NewYorkColor.com)

"Smokin' Eyes" Brow Makeover Kit ($36, Benefit Cosmetics)