Drugstore Beauty Finds

I just found your new favorite base for no-makeup makeup days. 🙂 And guess what? It’s less than 10 bucks! (Technically, $9.99.)

Say, “Oh, hai,” to Covergirl Clean Fresh Skin Milk, which for the official makeup record is a foundation, but performs like a sheer tinted moisturizing rock star.

Remember the limited edition Hydrating Glow Tints NARS did a couple years ago? Clean Fresh Milk has the same effect (although Covergirl’s is thinner, like a liquid, and not a fluffy cream like the tints from NARS).

It doesn’t cover or disguise freckles or pimples — don’t expect to hide anything — however, the beauty is its subtly. Clean Fresh Milk quietly evens out your complexion as it ever-so-slightly blurs pores. It slightly amplifies your natural complexion, resulting in the look of freshly washed skin that’s dewy, but not shiny. For weekend no-makeup makeup, or for de-zombifying yourself before preschool drop-off in the morning, it’s lovely.

From the official PR:

“Show off fresh, healthy skin with COVERGIRL Clean Fresh Skin Milk Foundation. Formulated without formaldehyde, phthalates, parabens, sulfates and talc, this lightweight nourishing liquid foundation gives your skin the moisture boost it craves with a delicate infusion of coconut milk and soothing aloe. You’ll experience a glowing, dewy finish that lasts all day long, blurring imperfections and creating a more even skin tone. Get Sheer, buildable coverage with 14 expertly designed shade-adaptable formulas to match 99% of the skin tones and all undertones. Pro-tip: Make Skin milk Nourishing Foundation your go-to for no makeup, makeup days.”

And yup, you guessed it. The mom in me loves that it’s so, so easy. I squirt a little bit onto my fingertips and blend it into my combo oily/dry face. I like that I don’t have to buff it in with a brush or blend it with a sponge, because, yay! — it doesn’t streak. Instantly, with a few swipes, I’m done with my base.

Oh, and best part? I don’t feel like it’s sitting on top of my skin. It feels like I’m not wearing anything at all.
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Has anyone, throughout the history of makeup-kind, ever sat around thinking to themselves, “You know what I *really* wish I could have? — flaky, thirsty-as-all-hell chapped lips. That would be so great.”

As a person of the parched pout persuasion, I can 100% assure you that this has never happened.

What exactly are lip oils?

I’ve got enough lip oils to last me into the next century, lady, because unlike many lip balms and glosses that will coat your lips without actually moisturizing ’em, lip oils are designed to seep into the skin, as opposed to sitting on top, which means hydration, BAM! And, of course, soft, pillowy plush lips.

Affordable, with lots of extra benefits

If you live near a CVS (because that’s the only place you can find them), the new lip oils by Covergirl are a pretty affordable drugstore option at $10.49 a pop. Available in six sheer shades (including a transparent option), the oils are vegan and made without parabens, formaldehyde phthalates, parabens, sulfates and talc. Also, they aren’t tested on animals.

The main oils doing the heavy lifting are cranberry seed oil, olive oil and coconut oil, so there’s gooood stuff happening!

But how’s the moisture?

I’m at a place in life where the higher-end lip oils I love, like the $48 Hourglass one, give me pause whenever I sit down and do the math before purchasing one of them. I love them, but I can’t help but think of how many ballet lessons that could fund, so I’m all about Covergirl’s price point.

It’s pretty moisturizing, too. Not the most moisturizing oil I’ve used, like it isn’t as moisturizing as the Hourglass and Clarins Lip oils, but it’s pretty good. It feels like it helps for about an hour.

And even though many of colors look similar on my pigmented lips, I can still see a sheer tint in each one, which I appreciate.

Other items of note…

• Lightweight: Texture-wise, they’re thicker than a MAC Cremesheen Gloss but thinner than a Lipglass.
• Not-goopy: These aren’t sticky at all, so they’re comfy, but they don’t last long on me — an hour at most – so they have a very brief wear time. I reapply often (at least it’s easy with the doe-foot.)
• Fruit punch: All the shades have a faint fruit punch scent and flavor, which lingers for about 15 minutes.

The final word

I think these are good. Now, are they life-changing? Nah, but they’re good enough to keep in your purse with your collection of nude lip products (which, by the way, I’m beginning to carry around in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag! SEND HELP). Bust one out when you want some shine, moisture and a bit o’ color.

From covergirl.com:
Packed with shine and long-lasting moisture, COVERGIRL Clean Fresh Tinted Lip Oil has you covered for comfy, all-day wear. Full of good-for-you ingredients like coconut and pomegranate oils, this tinted lip oil moisturizer also contains vitamin E to keep lips soft, smooth, and conditioned–for up to six hours! It’s available in a variety of bold, beautiful shades, letting you transform your look anytime you want. No apology needed. Pro-tip: Try this lip color as a topcoat over any COVERGIRL Exhibitionist Cream Lipstick for an extra pop of shine.

Ingredients:
COVERGIRL Clean Fresh Tinted Lip Oil, Swipe Ripe POLYBUTENE, OCTYLDODECANOL, DIISOPROPYL DIMER DILINOLEATE, CRAMBE ABYSSINICA SEED OIL, RAPHANUS SATIVUS (RADISH) SEED EXTRACT, C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE, SILICA DIMETHYL SILYLATE, OLIVE OIL DECYL ESTERS, PHENOXYETHANOL, PARFUM/FRAGRANCE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, COCOS NUCIFERA (COCONUT) OIL, PUNICA GRANATUM SEED OIL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, SQUALENE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, BENZYL BENZOATE, ALUMINA, GERANIOL, ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF EXTRACT, TOCOPHEROL, BHT. MAY CONTAIN: IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), D&C RED NO. 27 ALUMINUM LAKE (CI 45410), D&C RED NO.7 CALCIUM LAKE (CI 15850), D&C RED NO. 6 BARIUM LAKE (CI 15850), FD&C YELLOW NO. 5 LAKE (CI 19140), FD&C BLUE NO. 1 ALUMINUM LAKE (CI 42090), D&C RED NO. 21 (CI 45380).

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen