Razors
There’s no need to shell out for a spendy new razor cartridge every two weeks. Atlanta’s Clark Howard, cheap-o guru, once used a 17-cent disposable for a whole year by keeping it dry. When listeners replicated his experiment, one ended up with his own cottage industry—RazorPro. While Brokelyn doesn’t recommend shelling out $15 for a mini-fan just for your shaver, there are ways you can keep it sharp without the fancy gear.

Water from the shower and air, combined with salt from your skin, will rust out your blade. To keep it dry, either blot it with a towel (Howard’s technique), blow-dry it or rest it on a vent. From there, suggestions vary from cryogenetic freezing or magnetic holders, to soaking blades in vodka between uses. A Howard listener and engineer recommends either rubbing-alcohol, oils or glycerin (even using glycerin shaving cream). Then, store your razors somewhere dry. Also, try putting less pressure on the blade as you shave—lightly wipe instead of pressing down.

Pharmaceuticals
Surprisingly enough, the cotton balls in pill bottles are more than just cushioning. They help keep the air in the bottle dry, as moisture is a med killer (as is heat). So, ironically, the “medicine” cabinet is an awful place to store them. Every six months, dig through your shelves and toss any pills that are crumbly or discolored. If your prescription needs to be kept cold, keep it in the fridge door to avoid freezing.

As a cost-cutting measure, one in six Americans have started cutting their pills in half. Doctors will even prescribe meds double-strength, intending for patients to take half doses. This doesn’t work for all medicines, of course—only pills that are “scored,” that have the line running down the tablet. And beware the obligatory precautions and warnings.

Cosmetics
The classic enemies: air, heat and moisture all threaten the well-being of your makeup. The first step is keeping everything clean to avoid getting oils, dirt and bacteria into the cosmetics and on to your face. This means washing your hands and face before application and using a clean brush, sponge or applicator. Wash these tools with warm water and mild soap, soak for 30 seconds, rinse and lay flat to dry. Sponges should be cleaned with every application; powder puffs, every week; natural brushes, every month; and synthetic brushes, once every three to four months.

Another way to stop air from getting into your favorite toiletries is investing in a few pump bottles. Less air gets in, so cleansers and moisturizers will last longer than the normal six months. Other cosmetics should be stored in airtight containers. And avoid that temptation to show off a pretty perfume bottle on your vanity. Put it somewhere dark for a longer life.

Stretching your mascara is a no-no

Nail polish, lipstick, and face cream can all go in the fridge—which should make them last longer than the average year. As a general rule, if cosmetics’ texture or smell changes, it’s time to say good-bye. You can, however, coax some life out of clumpy foundation by adding a bit of alcohol-free toner. The one item of makeup that everyone says especially not to stretch is mascara. Replace your tube every three months, and don’t ever “pump” the wand—it just forces more air and bacteria inside.

Under normal circumstances, here are the guidelines for how long cosmetics should last: liquid foundation, three to six months; cream foundation, four to six months; concealor, six to eight months; powder, one year; mascara, three months; lipstick, gloss, one year; pencils one year; facial cleaners, moisturizers, six months; toner, one year; natural cosmetics, six months.

Red lips have been the perennial go-to since Cleopatra. Perhaps that’s because anyone with enough nerve can really rock a true red—it gives contrast to the fair and pop to the dark-skinned. In winter, being swaddled in bulky coats and hiding hat hair becomes a statement with a properly-hued pout. Here, reviews of five lipsticks available at our local Duane Reade, rated with a little help from a crimson-lipped friend. Just go easy on the eyeliner, in the name of all that’s holy!

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Wet ‘n Wild, “514A” ($.99)
An impressive palate selection, shiny color, and lackluster wear (as well as horribly unimaginative color naming system). I picked a scarlet-ish red and was not terribly disappointed for the first hour, mostly because I barely talked, let alone ate. After coffee, I was left with a reddish-pinkish lipliner effect that was hot with slip dresses in the mid-’90s.

Rating:

1 Scarlett
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Wet ‘n Wild MegaLast,”911D” ($2.99)
MegaLast: it promises new, it promises improved. Initially, it was more satisfying. A few hours later, I looked like the Norman Bates of Sephora—pinky red everywhere. What was left on my face delivered embarrassingly clown-like lips. Ouch. Still, not slippery-slick like so many others in its price range and the tip gives you the ’50s style shape that usually requires liner. An improvement worthy of the extra $2, but not one to risk the Big Night Out on.

Rating:

2 Scarletts

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Prestige, “Heartbreak” ($4.50)
This one came out around a neon rose. It took a lot of dabbing and wiping to get the dense, almost sticky, lipstick to achieve critical hue. Once there, the color stayed firm(ish) in the face of food and drink, but wiped off instantly on skin (so careful kissing or coughing). With repeated application, you will be left with a perceptible stain that will last most of the day.

Rating:

3 Scarletts

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NYC, “Retro Red” ($.99)
They got “retro” right. The color was rich enough to stain a glass in a dish-detergent commercial. The shade, though, was off, making me resent NYC for missing when they were so close to the mark.

Rating:

3 Scarletts

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Fran Wilson, Red “Mood Matcher” ($2.99)
A 12-hour, color-changing lipstick whose list of ingredient chemicals went halfway around the tube? I was suspicious. Putting it on, the color was a bright pink. Failed again! But wait- the color changing kicked in, and my lips grew more scarlet. This is the closest to red I’ve found so far, and the longest lasting. A cheap lipstick that’s finally pretending to be a real lipstick.

Rating:

4 Scarletts

Random fashiony photos courtesy of Peachfrog.

Don’t feel bad if Fashion Week has you pining for your own runway moment—for the next week, you don’t have to leave Brooklyn to get glammy. Starting on Saturday, quirky designer discounter  Peachfrog (136 N. 10^th St.), is throwing an all day fashion-show-cum-rock-concert in their Williamsburg boutique. It all starts with free beer and pizza at noon and then gets rolling at 4 p.m. with sets from Canada’s Dinosaur Bones and New York’s own The Fire and Reason, followed by dance troupe Cuban Soul on II. At 7 p.m. is a fashion show featuring Peachfrog customers dolled up in merchandise from the floor by the shop’s in-house stylist. It is Brokelyn policy not to argue with free beer and pizza.

Schedule an appointment for Saturday at Woodley and Bunny salon (96 N. 10^th St.), for a free cosmetic make-over using Smashbox’s new Heartbreaker collection. Get done up before heading over to Peachfrog. That way you can bring a little extra smolder of your own to the scene.

On Sunday you can still catch the tail end of Hayden-Harnett‘s (211 Franklin St.) studio/warehouse spring cleaning sale. On offer are a unique collection of samples, vintage items and “oddities” for up to 80 percent off.

Brooklyn-based clothing label Brooklyn Royalty has big plans for Fashion Week in Brooklyn. These plans include an interactive guide to Williamsburg and a party on Feb. 18 at the label’s new concept boutique Kingdom at 170 N. 4th  St. (between Bedford and Driggs). This unofficial launch party for Kingdom is free and open to the public. Attendees will get to see the new collection of models and view a video installation of the Fall 2010 lookbook. Other amenities include DJs, drink specials and prizes. It’s sure to be a good time, but Brooklyn Royalty designer Bob Bland is also asking that those who feel affected by the passing of Alexander McQueen dress in mourning and share their feelings in a memory book to be sent to McQueen’s office in London.

“We want people to see that fashion week isn’t just about Manhattan and the tents. Brooklyn and Williamsburg is where a lot of the fashion is coming from to begin with,” said Bland of her plans.

If for some reason you’re not sure yet what Bland means, Williamsburg Fashion Weekend, curated by King Gurvy designer Arthur Arbit, will be as good an intro as one could hope for. Entering its fourth year, these two days of avant fashion, art, dance and music (showcasing 12 designers) will take place Saturday February 20 and Sunday February 21 at Glasslands Gallery, 289 Kent Ave. Doors are at 8 both nights. Eight is also the number of dollars required to get in and see the collections of designers like Alisha Trimble and the maniacs behind Ruffeo Hearts Lil’ Snotty. The after-party on Saturday will be DJed by Jonathan Toubin, while the after-party on Sunday will feature fittingly forward-thinking music from future-electro star MDNR and DJ sets from members of These Are Powers and The Pink Stallone.

Have we missed anything? As always, please let us know in the comments.

For some women (not me), getting glammed up for free at a makeup counter is a regular ritual. Most department stores provide the service gratis—along with sales pitches of varying intensity—as a way to move product. And even though I’m the type of gal whose eyes glaze over at the word “foundation” (unless we’re talking philosophy or construction), I also love free stuff—in my vegetarian years, my most painful trial was free samples of salami. So I decided to hit up the Macy’s at Fulton Mall three times, putting my usual undone look aside to find out how three different makeup artists might reimagine me.

Estée Lauder

Up to now, the closest I’d gotten to an actual makeover was while pretending to shop at Sephora.   Every makeup counter operator had a different, very definite, idea of the “one thing” I needed, and here it was concealer under my eyes. The Estée Lauder girl proceeded to slather the stuff on like she was paving a sidewalk. With a solid mask of tan, she gave me the beigish eyeshadow, eyeliner for 80-year-olds, and pink tone makeover that taught me to never say “Well, I don’t really wear makeup, could you show me?” Where she did prove herself especially knowledgeable was in the application tips. Even though I didn’t love the palette, she gave me a crash course in putting on makeup—cheekbone contouring, etc.—that I will continue to refer to long after I rushed home to scrub off her handiwork.

MAC

When I do wear pigment on my face, it’s stage-worthy: green eyeliner, purple eyeshadow, and a lot of it. So when the game saleswoman asked, “So, do you want smoky, colorful…” I interrupted her and said “both.”

After picking a peacocky color-scheme and discussing ideas with me, she went to work. I thoroughly approved of the way she handled my skin—a problematic organ that everyone else caked with various powders and liquids. Not only that, but she was a good enough sport to sneak me around MAC’s policy that a customer is supposed to buy five items in exchange for a full-face makeover, or two products for an eyes-only transformation. Before the faint-hearted palpitate, I should explain that I encouraged the artist the whole time (I saw normally-done-up ladies there, too). I loved the new look and went as long as humanly possible without washing my face.

Chanel

So far, my makeovers had been what I would have expected of the brands: Estée Lauder was, well, dated, and MAC was flamboyant. So what of Chanel? As my makeover purveyor laughingly told me, “Honey, Chanel is Chanel.” Pale silver eyeshadow, upper-lid-only eyeliner, barely-there lipgloss- I did feel very pre-war Parisian (walking through midtown Manhattan suddenly felt very appropriate), but I also felt like the subject of a Seventeen article—something like “Cool and Classy in 10 Easy Steps!”

The woman (the only person I met behind the counter older than 23) took her time giving me skincare pointers, and suddenly the world of toners and moisturizers started to become clear. Though my editor deemed this look the winner, to me the entire experience felt like a cosmetic ritual as old as cold cream—never to go out of style, never to appeal to me much.

So what did I learn from my experiment? If you are actually planning to stop by Macy’s on your way out, don’t leave your face completely in the hands of another. Try guiding them (“Oooh—I like that color! Can we try that?”). If you’re not ready for a whole new look, you might want to try your own hand at the testers. Those are free, too.