Drugstore Beauty Finds

Drugstore Needs and Nopes, Vol. 3

June 2nd, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

1. Yes To Liquid Hand Soap ($3.99 each)

I’m the weirdo who washes her hands about, oh, let’s see… 20 times a day? I’m so not kidding, either. And I’m REALLY picky about my hand soaps, but I thoroughly plan to love the dickens out of this bottle of Yes to Liquid Hand Soap because it doesn’t dry out my skin, even when I wash my hands hella times.

Also, the Marula Oil Mango var-eh-TAY smells like marvelous mangoes, but here’s the thing: it doesn’t smell fake, which is important if you wash your hands as much as I do, because, as you know, it’s nice to have a yummy fragrance waft up into yo’ nose.

It removes dirt, oils and all manner of baby goo, and it easily rinses off and doesn’t leave behind an annoying residue.

VERDICT: Need!

Yes To Liquid Hand Soap ingredients
Water (Aqua), Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Glycerin, Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil, Mangivera Indica (Mango) Fruit Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Chloride, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal Linalool

2. E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette ($6)

elf illuminating palette — E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette ($6)

The four-pan E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette is darned-near perfect for the price. The finely milled powders look really expensive and natural.

The highlighters are on the neutral- and cool-toned sides, which is a cool surprise (haha, bad pun) because of how many highlighter palettes skew warm.

The shimmer in these shades is also low-key — which again makes them seem higher end than they are.

Heck, I’d go so far as to call these drugstore Hourglass Ambient powders.

VERDICT: Need!

E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Palette ingredients
Talc, Mica, Magnesium Stearate, Dimethicone, Silica, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Boron Nitride, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Ve), Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742)

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Drugstore Needs and Nopes, Vol. 2

May 26th, 2017 by Karen 16 Comments

I like kickin’ it at the drugstore because I can “ooh” and “ah” over eye palettes and shampoo without my wallet raising hell.

Here are some drugstore gems that caught my fancy this week, along with a few misses.

1. Revlon Kiss Balm Lip Balms ($4.99 each)

If I were eight years old and spotted these Revlon Kiss Balms at CVS, I would BEG my mom to get me one or two or three. (“Pretty please, Mommy!”)

They’re so cute! These moderately moisturizing twist-up balms contain fab fruit oils and SPF 20, but they’re super sheer, so I can’t really tell the difference between them. Juicy Peach and Fresh Strawberry look pretty much the same, but that’s OK, because they’re just TOO CUTE.

They’re just basic balms, but oh, yeah — they taste and smell like gummy ? bears, too.

BOOM. 🙂

VERDICT: Need!

Revlon Kiss Balm Lip Balms ingredients
Avobenzone 2.0%, Octinoxate 7.5%, Oxybenzone 3.0%. Other Ingredients: Polybutene, Diisostearyl Malate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Polyethylene, Ozokerite, Diisopropyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Cera Alba ((Beeswax) Cire D Abeille), Parfum (Fragrance), Flavor, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Cetyl Palmitate, Benzoic Acid, Oxidized Polyethylene, BHT, Silica, Sodium Saccharin, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Benzyl Alcohol, Citral, Amyl Cinnamal, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Linalool

2. Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Volume Arabica Coffee Fruit Shampoo and Conditioner ($5.99 each)

herbal essences volume arabica coffee fruit — Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Volume Arabica Coffee Fruit Shampoo and Conditioner ($5.99 each)

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Drugstore Needs and Nopes, Vol. 1

May 4th, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

I don’t go to regular drugstores as much as I used to, mostly because of Ulta and Target, which is basically a drugstore, only a million times bigger, but ever since I was a kid cruising the makeup aisles at Thrifty (of course, I had to get a Thrifty ice cream cone while I did this), I’ve been a drugstore beauty addict.

And over the past few years, drugstore makeup has gotten MUCH better — like next level sh*t. You can be a woman of color now and find a foundation that actually matches your skin tone, and within those foundation families, you’ve got dewy finishes, matte finishes and satins. Nowadays you can also find good drugstore cream shadows, where once you could only get those at department stores.

As for drugstores colors, you aren’t just limited to a narrow neutral range anymore. Now you can find all sorts of drugstore color craziness. It’s an exciting time for affordable makeup! That’s for sure.

Here are five drugstore products I tried this week, and whether I think they’re “needs” or “nopes.”

1. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Royal Blue

maybelline great lash royal blue — Maybelline Great Lash in Royal Blue

If you were a fan of Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Royal Blue back in the day, it’s back for a limited time exclusively at Walmart for $6.40. It had been discontinued some time ago.

Honestly, I’ve never quite understood the Great Lash Mascara love out there. For me…it’s just OK. Decent lift and separation, but with regard to Royal Blue, I can barely see the blue color on my lashes. I have to pile it on and look in a magnifying mirror.

If you have lighter lashes than I do, I’m sure the blue will pop more.

THE VERDICT: Nope! For me, this is a nope, but I know there are lots of Great Lash fans out there.

maybelline great lash royal blue ingredients — Maybelline Great Lash Royal Blue ingredients

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: The $5 Ardell Baby Demi Wispies False Lashes

April 27th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

The long-running Unsung Heroes series here on Makeup and Beauty Blog features some of our all-time favorite permanent collection products.

Oh, lawd, when I see super dramatic lashes now at Ulta or Sephora I always think, “Those would make me look completely insane.”

Mind you, I’ve rocked big, real-deal false lashes many times before, and they’re fun, and some are more comfortable than others are, but at this stage in my life, after having not worn falsies very often for months, I feel like the big, flashy falsies make me look nuts, and that’s where these Ardell Baby Demi Wispies come in.

Girl, these are SO GOOD! And they’re only $5.

ardell baby demi wispies — Wearing the Ardell Baby Demi Wispies

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Revlon ColorStay™ Crème Eye Shadow Kicked Me Into #makeuphoarders Mode

April 26th, 2017 by Karen 12 Comments

revlon colorstay creme eye shadow — Revlon Colorstay™ Crème Eye Shadow

Girl, the struggle is so real. These Revlon ColorStay™ Crème Eyeshadows kicked me into #makeuphoarders mode real quick because they look, feel and blend A LOT like MAC Paint Pots. On my lids (which are dry), they last all day long, too. And they’re only $7.99, WHAT?!

Revlon even hid a brush in the cap, which I really don’t use…but I like that it’s there. It’s very James Bond.

revlon colorstay creme eye shadow 2 — From the top: 705, 710, 740, 755 and 760

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DRUGSTORE GEM ALERT! Revlon Colorstay 2 in 1 Angled Kajal Eyeliner

April 21st, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

This new Revlon angled eyeliner pencil could totally pass for a brow pencil, amiright?

Observe the angled tip. If I hadn’t been paying attention (which happens ~~sometimes~~ often when I’m applying makeup early in the morning), I would’ve put the shade I’m wearing here (Fig) in my brows.

Purple brows. Hmm… Thinking about it now, that would’ve been kind of cool.

These Revlon ColorStay 2 in 1 Angled Kajal Eyeliners are so bomb! They’re smooth, pigmented, and the angled tip hugs my lid curves. The waterproof formula fabulously flows along my lash and water lines, too. Drawing neat lines is a snap.

Oh, and it absolutely does not move!

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These NYX Faux Whites White Eyeliners Have a Hint of Exquisite Color

April 12th, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

White eyeliner is not your foe; it’s your friend!

Well…in the case of NYX’s Faux Whites tinted eyeliners, it is your faux, but it’s spelled f-a-u-x, not f-o-e, as in your sworn mortal mean girl enemy.

Semantics. 🙂

These soft $7.99 pencil liners are available now in eight lightly tinted pastel shades made for brightening your eyes. You can line your lids with them, or wear them along your lower water line or in the inner corners (or all three ways if you’re feeling sassy).

nyx faux whites swatches — From the top: Mintcream, Vanilla and Honeydew

The colors aren’t incredibly distinct, and they aren’t immediately easy to tell apart. Like, I can’t even tell if I’m wearing the mint, baby blue or the yellow liner unless I look very closely, but the hint of tint does make them a little little less stark than a pure white liner.

And their primary purpose, after all, is brightening, not adding color.

Ingredients
(Linen)

Isododecane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Polyethylene, Synthetic Wax, Dimethicone, Polybutene, Silica, Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Alumina, Propylene Carbonate, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate / Polyhydroxystearate / Sebacate. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140)

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The Massively Moisturizing Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Lip Shines

February 27th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

Sorry, guys, these new Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shines will do absolutely nothing to keep your socks dry during a torrential downpour.

That’s unfortunate because, as you know, wet socks are the worst!

These Lip Shines can, however, help you in a myriad of other ways. For instance, they can help you stop sounding like a broken record, because if you use them, you won’t have to keep telling people that your lips are perpetually dry… Plus, they can help your ponytail stop getting stuck in your gloss, since they aren’t sticky. And they can even help your lips remain glossy after you have a cup of coffee.

Basically, they’re helpful like that.

Neutrogena recently added these super shiny lippies to their permanent collection, along with the Hydro Boost Tints, which are FANTASTIC, and their Hydro Boost Concealers, which I think are just meh… Thankfully, like the terrific Tints, these are total hits.

Hydration elation

They come in eight shades for $8.99, so they don’t cost an arm and a leg. I really like that they tick the top box on my dry lip lady list, which is hydration.

Normally, I wouldn’t reach for a gloss when my dry lips are like crispy bacon, but I’ll grab these quicker than a tabby can twitch a whisker because they’re mega moisturizing.

Ingredients
Polybutene, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Octyldodecanol, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Tribehenin, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, BHT. May Also Contain: Red 7 Lake, Iron Oxides, Blue 1 Lake, Red 22, Yellow 5 Lake, Titanium Dioxide, Red 6, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 28 Lake, Blue 1 Lake

neutrogena hydro boost lip shine 60-vibrant-raspberry — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in Vibrant Raspberry 60

Look at that pigment payoff!

Especially among the brighter and darker colors like Flushed Coral 30, Vibrant Raspberry 60, Velvet Wine 70 and Deep Cherry 80.

The lighter shades, though — Soft Blush 10, Berry Brown 20 and Pink Sorbet 40 — look pretty similar on my lips, but I’m not hating them. They still apply incredibly smoothly and moisturize like a mofo. Plus, it’s not easy to find light lip glosses that aren’t milky, don’t settle into lip lines, and don’t look weird. And these don’t.

neutrogena hydro boost lip shine 70-velvet-wine — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in Velvet Wine 70

Are they a Chanel dupe?

If you’re a devotee of House Chanel, these might remind you of the Glossimers. They have a similarly smooth, shiny, non-sticky formula, and I swear, they seem more expensive than they are.

neutrogena hydro boost lip shine 50-flushed-coral — Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lip Shine in Flushed Coral 30

Work those biceps!

The only thing I don’t like is the applicator…

The bulky tear-dropped shaped paddle is great in some ways (it covers a large area), but sometimes it’s hard to get it and out of the tube… It’s just plain awkward, but it’s more of a minor aggravation than a major quibble.

The final verdict

These are definitely a DO! For $8.99, I think they’re fabulous. Most of them are potently pigmented, and all of them are comfortable, shiny and smooth. If you happen to want three or four of them, then you, my friend, are my lipgloss spirit animal.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

karen