Photos by Daniel Delaney.

When you’ve only got pocket change to spend on lipstick, which one should you buy? The game glamouristas of Brokelyn set out to put an end to budget makeup confusion by putting five bargain brands through their summer paces. Faces painted with the cheapest concoctions of wax and pigment money can buy, they drank 40 ouncers, snarfed pizza and stuck their faces in an NYC fire hydrant. Read on to find out what we discovered about venerable cosmetic brands Jordana, Wet ‘n’ Wild, NIcka K, NYX and NYC. Here, Alison’s Wet ‘n’ Wild makeup lives up to its name. Mascara ($3.49), liquid liner ($2.89), and lipstick ($0.99), all from Walgreens. (more…)

FRIDAY
7pm: textile arts center’s kimberly hall discusses the appeal of handmade items, followed by a silent auction for scarves crafted by ‘virgin’ knitters. free wine + cheese! gowanus.

9pm (doors): this month’s dig deeper ‘60s soul party at southpaw features syl johnson (his 1967 ‘different strokes‘ has been sampled by wu-tang clan and others) and the sweet divines. southpaw, $15. (more…)

A ShopRite steal

It’s that time of year again, when the subway becomes a moving, underground Petri dish and every headache is just a warm-up for the Flu. If you’re uninsured, you’re probably resigned to the age-old combo of Emergen-C and chicken soup. And you lucky few, the insured, you probably think you’re sitting pretty. (A co-pay’s a co-pay, right?) Well… here’s the dirty little secret of the prescription-filling world: Drugs can cost less without insurance. You could be paying that rock-steady $25 co-pay all for a scrip that’s $4-a-month without your fancy PPO. We were recently hit with this startling fact and wondered just how much pill prices can vary without the insurance card. (more…)