In Like Lion, Out Like "Meh."

March is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, but that never seems to happen. It usually comes in like lion, teases us with a couple of lamby days, catches us off guard with freezing temps because we refuse wear our big down coat anymore, and then goes out like whatever. Cold and gray, like today. And tomorrow, it seriously might snow. SNOW! I am absolutely dying for some lamb days, so today I’m writing about one of the most useful fleecy white things in the beauty world, the humble cotton swab.

A regular drugstore swab has about a million uses aside from the most common ear-cleaning purpose, which every doctor says you shouldn’t be doing anyway. Clearing the dust from between the keys of your laptop. Removing stray polish after a DIY manicure. Basically, whenever you want to wipe something into or out of a tiny place, Q-Tip is your guy.

My primary use for cotton swabs is fixing makeup: Cat eye gone astray, smoky eye with too much smoke, liner that’s too line-y, etc. They are great for softening hard edges and cleaning up mistakes. But sometimes the fluffy tips are just too big and puffy. Enter: The Specialty Swab!

If you look, you can find cotton swabs in all different shapes and sizes (and prices!) I love these from Muji. You get 200 swabs in a little plastic case for just $3.50. The heads are about 1/4 or 1/3 the diameter of a regular Q-tip, with much less fluff. I also have skinny pointed ones from Ricky’s, the Mattese Elite Qtips-Mini Point, that are like the tip of a sharpened pencil. But it’s $5 for 50 of them, so I only use them when I need serious precision. Most beauty supply stores and good drug stores will have some options. I even found these that have a point on one end and a regular tip on the other. Two, Two, Two tips in one!

This is the kind of thing that’s good to have around and will undoubtedly save your butt on numerous occasions, especially if you wear eyeliner. (Everyone should wear eyeliner!) It might even make you more willing to experiment, since you’ll have the power to easily fix your mistakes. $5 or less for a new sense of adventure? Definitely worth a try! It's spriiiiing! The perfect time for a fresh new look.

So, with hopes of fluffy white clouds, blue skies, plenty of warm sunshine, and some new spring clothes, I bid a less-than-fond farewell to March. Dear March, If you can’t get out like a lamb, just GET OUT.