Contributing Editor Cologne Schmidt writes:

I die over YSL make-up. Back in my Bendel days, when high-end luxury make-up was my life—I would melt over the glass case of endless YSL shades and gloss. Never straying from the cutting edge of beauty, the renowned couture label dares to develop wearable make-up without playing it safe. Yves Saint Laurent make-up is as enticing as it is distinctive. There’s something glamorous about pulling out Touche Éclat in the ladies room and having all the girlies ooh and ahh over it. What’s even more glamorous is having “It’s Touche Éclat” roll off your tongue as if you’d spent every summer in Paris since you were born. And that is why I love YSL so.

Now, obviously this love comes with a designer price—YSL speaks to opulence, not value—but there are several items worth the investment (or splurge), including their brand new mascara (!) and holiday goodies. While YSL’s original mascara was amazing, this new one is simply divine. Dubbed Mascara Singulier, the new multi-effect formula and spiral injection brush are designed for dramatic volume, length, and curl. Singulier covers 360 degrees of the lashes, contains microfibers that extend beyond the tip, and features a special curling wax to give a girl bewitching eyes. It kicks my beloved Maybelline Great Lash to the curb. But at the rate I go through mascara, can I afford to dress in $30 lashes? Get me some scratch-offs, I’m gonna try…. (more…)