Drugstore Beauty Finds

Pair It Up: Kick Your Summer Makeup Repertoire Into High Gear With Matching Lips and Tips

June 13th, 2013 by Karen 27 Comments

Five of summer’s must-have lip and tip combos

This summer inspiration is brought to you by Target. Find more fun and surprises all season long on Target’s #SummerUp Pinterest board.

Lounging languidly beside any pools this summer? Planning any barbecues at the beach? Don’t forget those all-important warm-weather essentials like your swimsuit, big floppy hat, sunscreen, cooler filled with drinks and snacks, and of course, your matching lips and tips. 🙂

Some among us may argue that those last two items aren’t summer fun essentials. Either way, I sure do love bright nails and lips this time of year, especially when they match!

Gotta get that quick burst of color from your fingers as you write your name in the sand, or blow kisses into your camera phone as you snap a quick selfie to send to your sweetie (“Wish you were here, boo!”).

I searched high and low for a few fun, affordable combinations to wear this summer and combed through countless contenders (a tough job, but someone had to do it) to come up with the following five trendsetting color combos.

You don’t have to pay Dolce & Gabbana prices to look fashionable and fab. These five lip and tip pairings are available now at Target stores and online at target.com.

Look 1: Fruit salad

L’OREAL Colour Riche Le Gloss in Peach Fuzz ($5.99) and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Color in Lickety-Split Lime ($3.80); Xhilaration Neon Floppy Hat ($14.99)

This juicy combo with lime green nails and lush peach lips begs to be worn with umbrella drinks and on lazy days by the pool.

Look 2: Playful purple

Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in Sugar Violet ($5.99) and COVERGIRL Outlast Saty Brilliant Glosstini in Purple Freeze ($2.99); Mossimo Purple Fedora ($14.99)

Nothing says “fun in the sun” quite like shiny purple tips and shimmery violet lips.

Look 3: Think hot pink

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in No. 1 Unique Pink ($16) and Pixi Nail Colour in Summer Pink ($8); Merona White Floppy Hat ($14.99)

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The Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Palette Spreads Enlightenment One Shadow at a Time

May 29th, 2013 by Karen 27 Comments

Wearing the new $12 Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow on my eyes

“Brighten up, buttercup!”

Sometimes when I think of Tabs taking that long walk across the rainbow bridge one day in the hopefully distant, distant future and my lower lip starts trembling, that’s what I say to myself.

“Brighten up, buttercup!”

It’s also what I said the first time I wore Pacifica’s Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette.

It sucked me in ever before I tried it, with a $12 price tag and promises to brighten my eyes (oh, hellz yeah!).

The fun and summery coral, gold, beige and purple shades come in a mix of satin and iridescent finishes. All of them seem pretty neutral to me, with the exception of the golden child, which warms my NC 42 skin.

What else?

The coverage varies from sheer-to-medium when applied dry, to fully opaque when applied wet
The mineral-based formula is infused with coconut water for a cream-like finish
Made without sulfates, petroleum products, parabens, SLS or phthalates
Vegan and cruelty-free

So, MEGA points for wear time. I’ve worn these shadows both wet and dry, on top of bare, and also atop primed lids, and they just barely crease and fade over the course of an eight-hour day.

That’s good.

Pacifica Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette 3 — Skinnydip (left) and Coral Sand (right)

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The Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in No. 6 True Teal Must Have Been Made With a Magic Potion of Smoothness

May 28th, 2013 by Karen 20 Comments

Could nixies, fairies and sprites be responsible for Pixi True Teal’s enchantingly smooth formula, which flitters across skin like butterfly wings?

Are nymphs gathered around a tiny table somewhere behind a magical dimension door in the back of a nondescript Chinese restaurant somewhere, plotting ways to lure more beauty lovers into falling in love with True Teal’s supernatural pigments?

Or have I simply endured one too many conversations with El Hub about Dungeons & Dragons?

Either way, I’ve been looking for a new teal liner to wear this summer, and Pixi’s $15 Endless Silky Eye Pen in No. 6 True Teal is the frontrunner.

Just look at that color! And it’s so smooth and pigmented…

It has some of the same fairy magic that Chanel Azure does in the way it appears to change color from teal to a dark ocean blue in the light.

More magic…

It’s waterproof, and therefore mermaid approved
Wasn’t tested on animals
It doesn’t contain any parabens or mineral oils
It’s one of 10 shades in Pixi’s Endless Silky Eye Pencil line
Dries in about a minute, so you better work quickly if you want to smudge

One swish along my lash lines, and I’m set for the day. The formula doesn’t even find its way into my creases, which I really appreciate. 🙂

It performs fantastically on lash lines, but I don’t think it likes the water as much as Bobbi Brown Jet. I like the job Jet does better along my water lines.

True Teal along my lower lash lines; for a full breakdown of this look, check out Brighten Up: 3 Bold Summer Makeup Looks, Step-By-Step

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I’m Going Coco-Nutty for Pacifica’s Purify Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes!

May 28th, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

These Pacifica Purify Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes? You need to get on these, babe. They popped up at Target a couple months ago. I think they’re pretty new to the beauty scene, but dang! — they’re great.

Each pack comes with 30 biodegradable, moistened cleansing towelettes, perfect for removing makeup, among other things.

I’m lovin’ the groovy blue and yellow packaging, the practical button closure (because it really sucks when your face wipes dry out, right?) and the appetizing coconut scent, which is making me crave a big piece of Hawaiian haupia (coconut pudding).

Mmm… Coconut water.

Oops! Had a little bit of drool there. 🙂

I’ve had some bomb-@ss coconut water in my day. The BEST was on a visit to the Philippines, just me and my mom, when I was 21. We stayed with family in Manila but drove out to the countryside one day to visit other relatives.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Dr. Bronner’s All-One Hemp Lavender Magic Soap

May 27th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

Uh oh, it’s magic…

That Dr. Bronner’s All-One Magic Soap. It’s magic. It has the power of mind control. It magically makes every single checker at Target stop mid scan to read the label, inquisitively raise an eyebrow, and sniff the bar no matter how long the line is.

This always happens. I’m not sure why, but it does.

The last time the checker was a 20-something-year-old dude who seemed totally at home talking shop about beauty, and it went a little something like this…

ME: It’s lavender. Doesn’t it smell good?

CHECKER DUDE: Yeah, but I can’t use soap because it dries out my skin. I use shower gels instead. Kiehl’s, usually.

ME: Well aren’t you in-the-know! I’m still trying to break my husband of his habit of using shampoo for body wash, and it’s been 10 years. I bet you use lotion and sunscreen, too. How about conditioner?

CHECKER DUDE: Yup, I do. So is this soap any good?

ME: I like it. It gets all the gunk off.

CHECKER DUDE: Um…what exactly are you doing to get all gunked up?

ME: Well, I mainly use it for washing makeup brushes, but it’s also good for, you know, when you’re all gross and sweaty and covered in dirt, like after a workout or cleaning the house, and you just want to feel really, really clean. It’s good for that.

CHECKER DUDE: And it doesn’t dry out your skin?

ME: Nope, not at all.

Ah, yes. Talking beauty with random people at Target. These are the days of my life… 🙂

I was using Burt’s Bees bar soaps to clean my brushes for a while, and I was happy with them, but the bars had been getting harder to find out here for some reason.

Then up in Redding a few weeks ago I wanted to clean the couple brushes I had with me. I didn’t have the Burt’s Bees bar or anything else, so I used a bar of Dr. Bronner’s All-One that my mom-in-law had, and it worked great.

The lather breaks up all manner of makeup and rinses clean. It’s quick and takes care of all the gunk from even hard-to-clean, dried up concealer, foundation, cream shadow and gel liners.

Oh, and if you have a skunk brush stained by a bright pink or red blush, Dr. Bronner’s will have the white parts sparkling again in no time.

The bars are also easy to find out here. I always see them on the shelves at Target, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, which is another reason I like it. The availability, and the fact that the bars are only $5 each.

I like it as a regular body soap, too — smells great and it’s not drying — but I think it’s an epic overachiever as a makeup brush cleanser.

The list of ingredients is short and sweet. It’s a vegan product, too.

I’m curious about one of the ingredients on the label… Please help me out if you know what unscented baby-mild is? 🙂
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Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude, a Drugstore Beauty Baller

May 27th, 2013 by Karen 21 Comments

Drugstore baller!

For a minute there I thought I saw Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner in 005 Nude walk by wearing a bunch of gold chains and carrying a pimp cup…

Because it’s that good.

Creamy like polenta, hella pigmented and softer than the center of a hot grilled cheese sammich…

Mmm… Cheesy.

Yes, if you can’t tell, I’m currently hungry.

It’s a rock star pencil liner! — and its favorite venues are lash and water lines. This neutral, matte peachy beige never skips or pulls at my skin, and it sticks around a good, long while once applied.

It’s in my regular rotation of products. I wear it a lot to highlight my brows, right up under the arches, where it gives ’em a little lift.

I really like the way the color works with my NC42 skin because it’s not too overloaded with pink pigment, so it doesn’t contrast with my natural skin tone too much.
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Crank Up Colors Along Your Lash Lines With This Easy Eye Makeup Trick

May 24th, 2013 by Karen 7 Comments

How to get super bright lash lines — Super bright lash lines are just a swipe away

Something about a super bright swoosh of color along my lower lash lines just says “summer” to me.

Have you ever lined your lower (or upper, for that matter) lash lines with a bright eyeliner or shadow and have it not turn out as bright or eye-catching as you expected it to be?

Um…me too.

One trick I use to wind up the wattage along my lash lines is to line them with a creamy white eye shadow stick first.

It intensifies colors and brings out more of the brightness of whatever you layer on top, making greens look greener, blues look bluer and teals…well, more teal. And it does the same thing for other colors.

Rimmel’s Whitness White Scandal Eyes Eyeshadow Stick kicks arse with this trick, and it costs less than $5! It’s so pigmented that it’s almost opaque, and once it sets, it’s not going anywhere (has a waterproof and smudge-proof formula).

Plus, it doesn’t tug at my skin. It glides… (And have I mentioned that it’s less than $5?) 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Brighten Up: 3 Bold Summer Makeup Looks, Step-By-Step

May 24th, 2013 by Karen 63 Comments

Brighten your lids, your look and your summer days with these three bold summer makeup looks

This summer inspiration is brought to you by Target. Find more fun and surprises all season long on Target’s #SummerUp Pinterest board.

“No fear!”

I think we should make that our summer makeup motto… After all, it’s only makeup, right? Nothing to be afraid of (we can always wash it off).

And summer is a perfect time to shine. The longer days, the warmer nights, flip-flops and loose-fitting clothing.

Why be daunted by daring, dynamic duos and multidimensional eye looks? In the spirit of adventure! — let’s kick off the season and face our fears right now. 🙂

Flashes of teal, shimmery oceans of blues, gleaming golds and juicy pinks and corals crank up the heat and fun-factor in these three bright, bold makeup looks.

Everything I’m wearing on my eyes, cheeks and lips in these looks comes from Target, so it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Your beauty assignment today: nothing! And you will not be graded.

We only have one goal here: no fear! Just have fun.

Purple, Teal and Fuchsia

A look featuring purple lids, with shimmering teal on your lower lash lines, bronze cheeks and hot pink lips. This one’s for fearless felines unafraid of color. In other words, you.

Begin by applying a shimmery beige cream shadow, like Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Metal in Barely Branded ($6), all over your lids and along your lower lash lines.
Next, sweep a matte brown eye shadow in a shade close to your natural skin tone into your crease. I ended up mixing two shades from the Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral Palette ($20) to create a custom color (just for the heck of it).
Then, sweep a shimmery coral shadow just above your matte brown. If you’re stuck for ideas, try Pacifica’s Coral Sand from the company’s new Enlighten Eye Brightening Shadow Palette ($12). I’m lovin’ it so far.
Pat a dark black matte shadow, like the black matte from Sonia Kashuk’s Eye on Neutral Palette, into the outer corners of your eyes, and then blend away any harsh lines you see.
Blend a gray matte shadow directly on top of that to create a soft gradient of color by dragging the gray into the middle of your lids. I used Sonia Kashuk’s Eye on Neutral Palette again here. 🙂
Now, wet a flat eye shadow brush with water or a makeup setting spray, and use it to pat a bright purple shadow in the center and at the inside of your lids (the side closer to your nose). Aim for blending the purple into the black and gray gradient from the previous two steps. I used Urchin, the purple shade from the Pacifica Enlighten Palette in step 3.
Next, line your upper lash lines with a black gel liner, like L’Oreal’s Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black ($7).
Then line your lower water lines with a vibrant teal blue pencil, like Pixi No. 6 True Teal Endless Silky Eye Pen ($15).
To intensify the effect, sweep a bright teal shadow along your lower lash lines. I like L’Oreal’s 24HR Infallible Eye Shadow in Endless Sea ($7) for this…
Lift your brows a bit by drawing a line beneath them using a flesh-toned matte liner like Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 005 Nude ($5), and blend.
Buff a beige shadow just beneath the arch of each brow to appear to lift them even more. I chose Skinnydip, a shimmery beige from the Pacifica Enlighten Shadow Palette.
Finish your eyes with a couple coats of black mascara. I’m using COVERGIRL LashBlast Clump Crusher Mascara ($7) here.
Now for your cheeks and lips! Blend a shimmery bronze blush, like Bronzed from Pacifica’s Radiant Shimmer Coconut Multiples Palette ($12), on the apples of your cheeks, and tie a ribbon around the entire look with a bright fuchsia gloss like Physicians’ Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain in Hot Pink ($9).

Cat lady says “meow!” to these white cat eye sunglasses, which are only $12 at Target

Blue, Teal and Pink

Mermaid eyes! A blue and teal gradient will dance across your lids like dolphins dancing across a beautiful blue lagoon, while coral and pink serenade your cheeks and lips.

Begin by blending a shimmery peachy pink cream shadow like Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen in Shell Sheen ($18) all over your lids.
Next, darken the outer corners of your lids with a matte black shadow pencil. I used Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes Eye Shadow Stick in Blackmail ($5) here.
Deepen your outer corners by patting a black eye shadow, like the black shade from Maybelline’s Eye Studio Palette in Sapphire Siren, directly on top of the black shadow pencil.
Pat a shimmery blue in the center of your lids and at the inner corners, and then drag a small amount of it into your crease to connect the two areas.
Then, creating a gradient with the blue from step 4, pat a shimmery bright teal in the center of your lids. I used a teal from Maybelline’s Sapphire Siren Palette.
Soften the edges of the blue and teal on your lids by sweeping a matte brown shadow, like the lid shade from the ELF Beautiful Browns Flawless Eyeshadow quad ($2), into your crease.
Now, give your brows a lift by lining the arches with a flesh-toned matte liner like Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 005 Nude ($5), and blend.
Dust a beige on top of that, like the pearly base shade from ELF Beautiful Browns.
Line your water lines with a black liner (can’t go wrong with L’Oreal’s $7 Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Black, a true black without any blue or green undertones), and give it some depth by lining the outer third of your lower lash lines with the same pencil.
Line your lower lash lines with the same shimmery blue shadow you used on your lids (layering it directly on top of the black liner from the previous step).
Make your eyes the focal point of the look by lining the inner corners along your lower lash lines with the teal shadow you used a moment ago on your lids.
Coat your upper and lower lashes with a good black mascara like COVERGIRL LashBlast Clump Crusher Mascara ($7).
Now, get cheeky by blending a bronzer just below your cheekbones for definition, and then buff a coral blush on the apples of each cheek for color. I used Sonia Kashuk’s Chic Luminosity Bronzer/Blush Duo in Glisten ($13).
At this stage, I was going to say, “Don’t gloss over your lips,” but that’s exactly what we want. Slick a pink gloss like Sonia Kashuk’s Ultra Luxe Lip Gloss Prettiest Pink ($9) on your lips to wrap things up. 🙂

Mint green glasses! These are the Gelato Sunglasses in Mint ($12), available now at Target stores and target.com

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