I get asked at least once a week to recommend a great eye-makeup remover that easily takes off even the most stubborn waterproof mascara without irritating sensitive peepers or contact lenses.  My response is always the same: Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover is the bomb.  It’s won, like a bajillion awards, but for good reason–unlike some other perpetually-recommended products (cough, Maybelline Great Lash), it actually works.  My eyes are always flaring up and I’ve had numerous infections (apparently absentmindedly changing your contacts every four weeks instead of the two advised by Acuvue is bad or something), yet Bi-Facil never irritates my eyes or leaves that gross film.  It’s a little pricey ($24), but truly is worth every penny.  (Can’t justify that much on a random product?  Try Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover, which is the best drugstore offering.)

Many of my beauty blogging brethren went to New York City this weekend for Fashion Week.  Rather than schlep my ass all the way out there to spend five minutes interviewing various harried, sweating makeup artists as they paint foundation on girls named Natalia and Agyness, I flew to San Francisco for the first stop on my college book tour!  (Don’t worry, my fearless interns Traci and Bess are backstage digging dirt, for those of you who are into that thing.)  The event–at UC Berkeley–was a bit nervewracking, as I was speaking to eighty fiercely intelligent young women who also seemed more than a little well-versed on the ins-and-outs of how to be gorgeous.  (”What if they hate me?” I fretted to my friend R.  “And then my mind will go blank, and I’ll begin sweating, and then of course I won’t be able to stop stuttering, and before I know it, they’ll be whispering and jeering and throwing tomatoes at me!”  “I doubt they’ll have tomatoes,” was her reassuring response.)  Thankfully, the event went off without a hitch, and the ladies in the audience seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.  After explaining who the hell I was—and why the hell I was qualified to be speaking about beauty!—I read several pages from Beauty Confidential, and then answered their questions.  Here, a few of their queries:

“What’s your favorite mascara?” (Answer: Lancome Definicils, although I also sang the praises of Max Factor Lash Perfection)
“Can you recommend a good eye makeup remover?” (Answer: Lancome, once again!  Their Bifacil is tops.  I mentioned that Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover is a good drugstore alternative)
“Do eyelash curlers really make a difference?” (Answer: Absolutely, as long as you pick a good one.  Eyelash curlers are one category where you do very much get what you pay for.  If it’s not Shu Uemura or Shiseido, don’t bother) 
“What’s your favorite foundation?” (Answer: No surprise here–Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals, of course.  With SPF15, weightless, flawless coverage…you know the drill by now, don’t you?) 
“How often do you wash your hair?” (Answer: Twice a week.  Gross!  No…not really.  Yes, I obviously bathe daily, but unless you have extremely oily hair or are a fitness nut, you can get away with washing your hair every other day…or even every two days.  My schedule: wash ‘n wear days 1&2, then pigtails days 3&4.  In the interim, hair powder works wonders, and keeps your ends from getting dried out!  For you gym rats, wash and shampoo as normal on day 1, then simply rinse with water on day 2)