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Beauty Tips

11 Great Makeup Wipes and Cleansers

October 18th, 2008 by Karen 26 Comments

A few days ago I reviewed L’Oreal Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Towelettes with BHA. A few of you gals then offered up your fave makeup removing wipes and cleansers in the comments. Here’s a list featuring your recommendations and why you love ’em!

1. MAC Wipes

$24.50 for 100 wipes
Super duper. They’re a great cleanser and come in a resealable bag (that actually works) to keep them moist and fresh until you need ’em.

2. Korres Wipes

$12 for 25 wipes
Sticker trubs. Great wipes, but the package closes with a sticker instead of a Ziplock and doesn’t always form a tight seal. If you’re not careful, the wipes can dry out soon after the package has been opened.

3. EveryDayMinerals Cleansing Wipes

$3.75; I don’t know the package size
Great scent. People seem to really like the mild lavender and grapefruit fragrance. These wipes are all-natural, but aren’t considered among the softest wipes on the market.

4. Garnier Nutritioniste Nutri-Pure Wet Cleansing Towelettes

$6 for 25 wipes
Soft and clean. These are said to be softer than most other moist cleansing towelettes and remove makeup well. They have a fresh scent, don’t leave behind a sticky residue, but the pack tends to dry out if you’re not careful.

5. Olay Daily Facials Express: Sensitive Skin

$6 for 30 wipes
Velvety soft. These wet cleansing cloths contain aloe and vitamin E, making them extremely soft and moisturizing. They great makeup cleansers, too, even removing waterproof mascara with ease.

6. Boots No7 Quick-Thinking 4-in-1 Wipes

$7 for 30 wipes
Handy dandy. With Boots now carried in Target stores nationwide, these are easy to find (and sometimes on sale). They remove makeup well, even mascara, but they can be a little bit drying.

7. L’Oreal Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Towelettes

$8 for 25 wipes
Acne fighter. These extremely soft wipes have a nice honeysuckle/rose scent and contain BHA (beta hydroxy acid) to help treat mild acne.

8. Comodynes Dermatological Cleansing Towelettes for Acne and Problem Skin

$4 for 20 wipes
Bargain Basement. I’ve never tried ’em before, but if rumors that Trader Joe’s carries them are true, sign me up. I love Trader Joe’s!

9. MAC Cleanse Off Oil

$21 per bottle
Fan favorite. A gentle, cleanser for oil-based makeup; 100% mineral-oil free, even removes waterproof mascara.

10. Shu Uemura Skin Purifier High Performance Cleansing Oil

$28 per bottle
Super moisture. Similar to MAC’s Cleanse Off Oil but doesn’t smell as good; said to be more moisturizing, though, and ya gotta love Shu.

11. L’Oreal Skin Genesis Pore Minimizing Gel Cleanser

$8 per bottle
Deep cleaner. Also contains BHA, like the Skin Genesis cleansing towelettes, and considered a good cleanser, able to even remove eye makeup.

So tell me… How do you remove your makeup? Do you use a liquid cleanser, a wipe or a combination of both?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 26 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Makeup Tips/How To

5 Makeup Storage Idea Starters

October 17th, 2008 by Karen 24 Comments

Sometimes I feel like a disorganized mess, especially when it comes to my makeup. I think some of it has to do with the process I like to use when I plan my looks in the mornings, how I like to set products out on the bathroom counter, contemplate each one, feel around through different eyeshadows and lipglosses until a combination strikes my fancy.

But some of it has to do with makeup storage choices. If you’re like me and struggle to stay organized, here are a few simple makeup storage ideas.

  • More Makeup Storage Solution Ideas
    “The quest to rein in my makeup continues. At some point, I fear I’ll end up like those peeps you see on 60 Minutes who’ve trapped themselves in their homes behind stacks of boxes and crap. They end up living like sardines in a tin can. I’ve told myself I can’t get my Christmas tree until I clear out the corner where most of the makeup is sitting, boo hoo.”
  • Take Back Your Sanity! Lipstick Storage Only $1.79 Away
    “Try as I might, I can’t avoid the siren call of The Container Store. Sure, it irks me that a store can survive on the premise of selling you new crap to store all your present crap, but desperate times call for desperate measures!”
  • Looking for Cheap, Stylish Ways to Organize Your Makeup?
    “Your local art store may have just the thing you need to keep your growing makeup stash organized. Most arts and crafts stores stock unvarnished wooden boxes in assorted shapes and sizes. They make perfect (and affordable) makeup storage containers. I spied these boxes, each ranging from a whopping $1.50 to a staggering $3, at my local Ben Franklin Craft Store this afternoon. They’re perfect for storing eye shadows, blushes, glosses or whatever your makeup-lurving heart desires.”
  • Makeup Storage Solution Idea #1, Sears Craftsman
    “For the past few months I’ve been storing stuff in Sterilite plastic craft drawers located in different rooms at home. I like that the drawers are cheap and easy to clean, but I’d still like to be able to keep it all in one central place. I was cruising Sears a few weeks ago, ’cause I had to buy some vacuum bags, and found a possible solution to the ever-increasing makeup madness: a Craftsman rolling tool chest! It’s tall, has several long, shallow drawers (perfect for eye shadow pans and palettes) and has enough storage room to hold everything.”
  • Makeup Storage for Traveling and Vacation; Makeup and Beauty Blog’s Travel Makeup List
    “Ziplocs aren’t sexy, I know. I go on trips a few times a year, and at the airport I always see at least one cute girl hauling a sleek, heavy-looking train case full of makeup to her gate — and I’m always glad it’s not me.”

How do you store your makeup? 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. If you’re new here, thank you for visiting. Makeup and Beauty Blog is a makeup blog with daily product reviews, beauty tips, giveaways and the random shenanigans of a crazy cat lady/makeup enthusiast named Karen (that’s me!). 🙂

There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Just For Fun

Deep Discounts on Stila Cosmetics with Beautycrunch.com

September 13th, 2008 by Karen 22 Comments

Do you remember the Stila fall chocolate eye shadow palette ($40) I was drooling over a few weeks ago? Well, I was surfing the web last night and stumbled upon a slightly stripped down version of it on sale at Beautycrunch.com for $12.80.

Where the heck has Beautycrunch been all my life? Is it new, or have I just been sleeping under a rock?

As far as I can tell (saw numerous references to it on Makeup Alley and YouTube), the company’s selling legitimate products, but I admit the low prices made me wonder.

Their version of the chocolate palette doesn’t include the Lip Glaze ($22 if purchased separately) or Major Lash Mascara ($8.50 if purchased separately), which accompany the original $40 Stila palette, but if what you really want are the palette’s blush and the three eye shadows ($18 per pan if purchased separately), you can skip the stuff you wouldn’t use anyway and walk away with 4 products for $20.75 (after $7.95 shipping and handling).

And Beautycrunch has lots of other fab Stila stuff, among other brands, at 50-70% off. Needless to say, I stayed up late e-window shopping and filling my cart. 🙂
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There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Makeup, News

Miss Oops Mishap Tape Prevents Wardrobe Mishaps

September 2nd, 2008 by Karen 33 Comments

Carrie Bradshaw can get away with flashing her bra straps on Sex and the City, but I never got behind the fashionably visible undergarments trend. Some girls can pull it off, but when my bra straps show, I feel exposed. When I’m wearing a loose-fitting dress or top, I reach for Miss Oops Mishap Tape ($7).

Made from a hypo-allergenic adhesive, Mishap Tape is transparent, super sticky, stretchy and double-sided. I apply it directly to my bra straps, clothes and skin. A single $7 box contains 36 strips, which can be cut or torn down to fit the job at hand.

Unlike double-sided office tapes used to mount paintings and seal envelopes, Mishap Tape easily adheres to skin and clothing, is hypo-allergenic, won’t stain fabrics and the tape itself stretches to move with your body.

Perfect for hiding bra straps, Mishap Tape also works to close gaps on button-up shirts, to keep strapless tops or dresses from falling, to fix loose hems or to keep “the girls” from peeking out of a low-cut top.

I keep a few strips of it in my wallet because cause ya never know when a hem will come loose. They’re also easy to use. I wore an orange dress to the art store the other day, and my bra straps kept trying to to make an appearance.

I applied Mishap Tape directly to the straps, pressing the dress against the tape to keep it in place.

It took about a minute to do and lasted the entire day.


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There are 33 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Product Reviews

Share Your Philosophy on Beauty [WIN A PRIZE]

August 25th, 2008 by Karen 90 Comments

UPDATE 8/27/08: The giveaway is closed. Congrats to Kristina! She won the Philosophy gift set.

I’ve been bad about my diet this week, so this morning I put myself on a no junk food regimen, which means no chips or soda (boo!). Thank gawd for Philosophy’s The Soda Fountain ($30), a fun trio of soda-scented body washes. The Root Beer, Cherry Cola and Fruit Punch scents smell just like fountain soda, yum! Each gets my body squeaky clean and, no joke, even curbs my carbonated cravings … sorta. They even work as shampoos or bubble baths.

And take a look at this limited edition Soda Fountain Lip Shine Trio, featuring three soda-fountain scented lipglosses for $28.

Philosophy Giveaway

Enter today’s Share Your Philosophy on Beauty giveaway!

The Prize

A gift set containing the following Philosophy products: Amazing Grace Perfumed Shave Gel (7 oz.), Perfumed Buffing Wash (16 oz.) and Perfumed Body Spritz (8 oz.), and a 3-pack of Philosophy’s new Soda Foundation lip shines (colors: Root Beer, Cherry Cola and Fruit Punch); $94 value.

How to Enter

To qualify, leave a comment below with your philosophy on beauty. What makes someone beautiful? It can be as brief or as long as you like (up to a maximum of 250 words), and there are no right or wrong answers. 🙂 I’ll choose the winner at random from among the people who enter by 11PM PST on Tuesday. Be sure to use a valid email address when you comment so I can reach you if you win.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

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There are 90 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Just For Fun

How Would You Describe Your Signature Makeup Look?

August 24th, 2008 by Karen 45 Comments

My signature makeup look is a simple, subtle smokey eye. I call it signature because I wear it all the time, LOL! It takes no more than 15 minutes to do, and I think it’s appropriate both for work or a night on the town.

How would you describe your signature makeup look? If you have a picture of it hosted online (I recommend flickr or photobucket), post a link to it in the comments, or send it to me in an email. I’ll put ’em together in a fun future post with all of our signature looks! Who knows? Maybe Tabs will make an appearance in his slimming stripes. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 45 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Just For Fun

Did You Know Vitamin Shoppe Carries Beauty Products?

August 10th, 2008 by Karen 17 Comments


Hi, ladies! Pardon the late post and the poor pics (sent from my phone), but I had to take Tabs to the vet, and things took longer than expected. Most importantly, Tabs is fine — clean bill of health.

I had to run to Vitamin Shoppe to pick up some vitamin C and wanted to mention their surprisingly large beauty section. There’s lots of organic (but not exclusively) body and hair stuff and some pretty good prices overall. Definitely worth a visit.

I found several silicone-free deep conditioners for around $7. Seriously, they have a big selection. I liked one conditioner by Giovanni because it smelled like sweet oranges!

Giovanni Hair Care Direct Leave-In Conditioner, $7.15


Ingredients: Aqueous (water) extracts of rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis) oil, nettle (urtica dioica oil, thyme (thymus vulgaris) oil, birch leaf (butela alba) oil, chamomile (anthemis nobilus flower) oil, clary (salvia sclarea), lavender (lavandula angustifolia), coltsfoor leaf (tussilago farfara), yarrow (achillea millefolium) oil, mallow (malva sylvestris), horsetail (equistetum arvense) oil, soybean protein (glycine soja), cetyl alcohol (plant derived), tocopherol (vitamin E), trace minerals, citric acid (corn), sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, grapefruit seed (citrus derived).

Hope you’re having a nice Sunday.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 17 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, News

Tuesday Beauty Tips: Be Good to Yourself

July 29th, 2008 by Karen 40 Comments

Be Good to Yourself

Grab your drink of choice (mine is coffee), sit beneath a shady tree and listen to the leaves move in the wind.

Take a picture of yourself after a really fantastic workout. Limit your prepping — comb your hair and wipe away the perspiration from your face. Capture a shot that conveys how strong and proud you feel at that moment.

Later, on days when you don’t feel like exercising, look at the photo you took of yourself and try to remember how good you felt at the time it was taken.

Write with a cat on your lap.

Keep a Quote Journal

Keep a lined journal at hand for quotes. When you hear or read something that moves you, write it down or cut it out and paste it in your book — journal sentences, song lyrics, poems, speeches from people you admire, lines from movies and things you hear in everyday life from friends and strangers.

  • Oprah Winfrey: “God has bigger plans for you than you could ever imagine for yourself.”
  • 15-year old cashier at Target whose cash register broke while 10 people stood waiting in his checkout line: “Ahhh, uhhh. Ohhhhh…” (Yup, I’ve been there, kid.)
  • NY Times article on female spiders that eat their mates: “Cannibalize. Copulate. Whatever.”

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There are 40 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Beauty Tips, Just For Fun

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