Drugstore Beauty Finds

Desperately Seeking Persistent Polish: 7 Days With Sally Hansen Color Therapy Bronze Reflection

October 26th, 2018 by Karen 15 Comments

sally hansen bronze reflection — Sally Hansen Color Therapy in Bronze Reflection ($7.99)

In the Desperately Seeking Persistent Polish series, I wear a different nail polish for seven days, and take before and after pics to document the condition of my paws over the course of the week!

I keep thinking that I’m going to run into a dud one of these days from Sally Hansen Color Therapy, because, hello! — when do you EVER find a nail polish line where every. single. polish. you try consistently delivers the goods?

This week was definitely NOT that week, because Bronze Reflection was one of the best-performing shades I’ve tried from Color Therapy so far. I feel like I say that every week about Color Therapy these days (hey, Karen broken record much?), but when something’s worth raving about, I’m gonna rave about it!

Bronze Reflection, which lists for $7.99, is all the things I’d expect to find in a Chanel cult nail color (except for price, of course). It has finer-than-fine micro-glitter, and it’s startlingly complex. Just like *that*, it shifts from pinkish bronze to a cranberry tinged with rose gold to a buttery yellow brass. It’s like all of the colors of autumn leaves squeezed into a bottle. And to top it off, you can wear it sheer — and it’ll look purposefully sheer, and not patchy or poorly pigmented — or you can go completely opaque like I did in these pics. It’s SO flexible.

Here’s how it held up throughout the week:

Day 1

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Desperately Seeking Persistent Polish: 7 Days With Sally Hansen Color Therapy Pink and Harmony

October 15th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

sally hansen pink and harmony — Sally Hansen Color Therapy in Pink and Harmony ($7.99) is music to my nails.

Desperately Seeking Persistent Polish is a series where I wear a nail polish for seven days and take before and after pics to document the condition of my paws over the course of the week!

You know, there’s one thing that working for a top kitty supermodel over the past decade has prepared me for, and that’s the wrath of a toddler. If you don’t know, now you know. Demanding diva cats are just as, if not more than, temperamental than two-year-olds, and it’s a miracle this Sally Hansen Color Therapy Pink and Harmony manicure even made it through seven days on my nails, because I had to open this Doc McStuffins mini doctors’ bag at least 50 times every day!

Allegedly, it’s a toy for children, but they had me fooled based on how hard it is to open…

(Side note: Connor uses it to store the free stickers she gets from the cashiers at Trader Joe’s. She uses them as Band-Aids for Tabs whenever she “treats him.” It’s cute but kinda gross at the same time because the backs of the stickers are covered in tabby hair when she takes them off.)

Pink and Harmony is pure awesomeness, BTW, and it lasted just as long as Falling Deep, the last Sally Hansen Color Therapy shade I wore. At the end of the seventh day, there were absolutely no major chips around the base of my nails. That’s something that’s happened, um…never with a different formula before?!

And considering how I spent most of my waking hours last week prying open that plastic Doc McStuffins toy with my nails, I’m shocked there were only a few tiny dents at the tips.

I also love the wide brush and the fairly quick-drying formula (takes about 5 minutes).

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Desperately Seeking Persistent Polish: 7 Days With Sally Hansen Color Therapy Falling Deep

September 27th, 2018 by Karen 13 Comments

Desperately Seeking Persistent Polish is a series where I wear a nail polish for seven days and take before and after pics to document the condition of my paws over the course of the week!

I recognize that I talk a lot lately about Smith & Cult, but I have reasons! They last, and they’re super saturated, and they also have lots of colors I don’t see anyplace else, like grayish green Bitter Buddhist, an oldie but a goodie that still knocks the cat lady socks off my feet.

Problem is…Smith & Cult is well aware of their fabulousness, and they charge you like they mean it.

$18 a bottle.

But relative to Chanel ($28, wha!?) and Tom Ford ($37, OMG!), that’s a steal…except that it’s not, so what is else is out there?

Here’s something comparable that costs less than half (!) as much: I swear on Jeremy Renner’s makeup brushes that Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Polish is just as good as Smith & Cult.

There, I said it.

I’ve been wearing one of their new fall shades — a rich, dark reddish brown with bronze microglitter called Falling Deep.

I’ve been wearing it for the past seven days and, quite frankly, I am shocked by how well it held up. It withstood a family plague of three consecutive colds (first El Hub, then Connor and now me), typing 2,000 words in less than 48 hours, and it made it through a moms group get-together that I went to last night in which I awkwardly pretended to be an event photographer (more on this is a second).

“Sally Hansen’s Color Therapy Nail Polish gives you color that cares while you wear! Intensive nourishment for healthy looking nails and up to 10 days fade-proof, chip-resistant Wear. 9 out of 10 women experienced a noticeable improvement in their natural nails.”

— ulta.com

Falling Deep looks like a Smith & Cult or even a Chanel polish, but it’s only $7.99! And right now at Ulta the entire Color Therapy line is marked down to $4.79, which makes them a steal.

I sandwiched two layers of Falling Deep between the same Smith & Cult base coat and top coat I’ve been using throughout the “Desperately Seeking” series, and after seven days it still looks pretty good.

Day 1

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[The Shower Files] Gel Cream Dreams! The New Neutrogena Hydro Boost Body Gel Cream, Body Balm and Hand Gel

September 27th, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

A few times… Alright, alright, alright, more than a few times, I’ve stared at the shelf in my bathroom where I keep all of ‘ze body lotions and thought to myself, “K, there’s only so much skin real estate on your person, so you don’t really need another bottle of lotion.” Then I come to my senses and realize that I totally do. Ha ha ha!

I’ve had dry shins for 43 years (had to stop there for a second to remember my age, OY VEY), so it’s not like I’m never NOT going to need to moisturize… It’s exactly like my glam granny always says, “Boys come and go, but dry skin is forever.” (OK, she really didn’t say that, but I bet she would!)

Anyway, Neutrogena launched a new line of pretty good gel cream body lotions, but first…what the heck is a gel cream?

Gel creams are water-based moisturizers with a formula sort of halfway between a watery lotion and a thick cream. Most of the time, they’re slippery, jiggly and translucent, and their main selling point is how quickly they absorb into your skin. You won’t have to spend forever and day working them in. They’re also usually packed with humectants, which are capable of holding many times their own weight in water, like hyaluronic acid in the case of the Hydro Boost line, and silicone, for that signature slippery feeling.

Hydro Boost Body Gel Cream ($8.99)

Hydro Boost Body Gel Cream comes with a pump in a scented and a fragrance-free version that both quench thirsty heels and shins equally well (I swear, my legs go “Ahhh!” when I put it on), but I’m all about the scented one, which smells like lemons and freshly folded warm laundry to me. If you’ve worn any of the CLEAN fragrances, you’ll love it, as will anyone who smells you, and I have proof!

The other night after I showered and lotion-ed, I walked downstairs and plopped next to El Hub on the couch to watch the season finale of American Ninja Warrior. As he was falling asleep (at 8 p.m., ha ha ha! He works for a finance company and gets up before the chickens, so it’s a miracle whenever he stays up past 7:30), he sleep-mumbled, “You smell really good.”

This is a moisturizing CHAMP! My skin is dry, dry, dry, and it feels happy, happy, happy when I use it. It should be sufficient for fall and winters here in the Bay Area, and I bet it would even handle more extreme weather. #TeamLizard

❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4 out of 5 hearts.

Ingredients, original scent:
Water, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Petrolatum, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Cetearyl Olivate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Carbomer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide

Ingredients, fragrance-free version:
Water, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Petrolatum, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Cetearyl Olivate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Fragrance, Carbomer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Blue 1

Hydro Boost Whipped Body Balm ($5.99)

Body balms are usually the big guns of the moisturizing world, but this one doesn’t work anyway near as well as the Body Gel Cream does for me.

Weird, I know!

It’s sightly thicker and heavier than the Gel Cream, which I thought would mean more moisture, but the Body Balm never completely sinks into my skin… It just sits on top like a layer of frosting. I’m not the biggest fan, but if you like a thick, silicone-y layer (and I know some people do), it’s worth a try.

❤️❤️ 2 out of 5 hearts.

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Latest Drugstore Loves! —> Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Micellar Cleansing Water and Micellar Cleansing Towelettes

September 14th, 2018 by Karen 10 Comments

If you’ve ever donned a smoky eye to go get Baked Cheetos at 10 in the morning, or if you’ve ever “needed” to bust out three tubes of mascara to simply continue living your life, you already know that whatever makeup goes on, must come off, and that’s when micellar cleansers like these two new ones from Neutrogena are handy.

For the uninitiated, micellar cleansers are a type of liquid makeup remover comprised of tiny balls of cleansing oil molecules suspended in soft water, and they’re designed to remove makeup, grit, grime — basically everything, even the hard-to-remove stuff like waterproof mascara. Also key: they work without heavy scrubbing, so they’re gentle.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Micellar Cleansing Towelettes ($6.99) and Micellar Cleansing Water ($11.99)

Neutrogena’s micellar cleansers work quickly and well. I can completely remove a full face of makeup with one swipe, and I’m talking about a look with all teh things — multiple layers of mascara, highlighter, bronzer, foundation, concealer — and they don’t irritate my skin or my eyes.

They’re so much better than the last drugstore micellar wipes I tried (*ahem* Garnier).

“Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Micellar Cleansing Towelettes effectively remove makeup while gently cleansing and purifying skin. These gentle, ultra-soft face wipes provide a deep clean by targeting 100% of impurities, leaving skin feeling soft and refreshed. The pre-moistened cleansing towelettes purify and revitalize skin. The formula is powered by Triple Micellar Technology which combines three gentle cleansers that work together to help remove even the toughest makeup, effectively cleanse, and purify skin without being harsh. Neutrogena Deep Clean Purifying Micellar Cleansing Towelettes require no rinsing and are non-comedogenic and oil- and alcohol-free.”

— neutrogena.com

Although…I’d still exercise caution if you’re thinking about removing the eyeliner on your water line with one of the wipes because IMO they’re kinda scratchy for such a delicate area. Instead, I soak a soft cotton pad (I highly recommend the ones from Shiseido) with the Micellar Water, which removes my eye makeup just as well (even waterproof mascara, liquid and gel liners, and other long-lasting stuff).

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COVERGIRL Flourish by Lash Blast Mascara: New and Less Than $10

August 29th, 2018 by Karen 16 Comments

Two layers of COVERGIRL Flourish on my upper and lower lashes

I haven’t surfed warm waters in five years, babes. FIVE. That’s a minor tragedy when you’re a water baby at heart. Still, I’m not salty about the mermaid vibes emanating from this teal tube of Covergirl mascara, even though looking at it makes me wish I was paddling out in Diamond Head’s shadow at Waikiki Beach instead of googling gluten-free Pop Tart recipes at my desk in Novato…

COVERGIRL Flourish by Lash Blast Mascara ($9.49)

Now, the actual mascara, which has one of those all-around formulas for a “boosted but natural” lash look, inside the tube isn’t teal (it comes in Black, Brown and Very Black), so if your lash situation can currently be described as long and full, cool. You might like this because it doesn’t flake, doesn’t feel stiff or heavy, and it’s also easy to remove (and it’s less than $10).

However, as you probably already know because I’ve only said it about a million times, I crave all the mascara bells and whistles to the extreme! — so I want/need my mascara to deliver enough drama to rival a Real Housewives season finale.

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The New $12 Maybelline Super Stay Multi-Use Foundation Sticks (and Connor’s First Day of School!)

August 23rd, 2018 by Karen 30 Comments

maybelline super stay stick foundation review — A new foundation by Maybelline

You know Hourglass Vanish Stick Foundation? Well, I’d hoped that Maybelline’s new cream-to-powder foundation stick would be a drugstore dupe for it because it’s only $11.99…which is a lot less than $46.

Both feel velvety and satiny smooth, but one costs A LOT less than the other.

Maybelline Super Stay Multi-Use Foundation Stick ($11.99, 16 shades)

Just like you do with Vanish, you swipe the stick wherever you want coverage, then blend it out with your fingers. Or, you can use the attached sponge, but I think it’s kind of dumb, since you can’t remove it from the tube to clean it…

From the Ulta website:

“Whether you’re looking for a cream foundation or a contour foundation, this multi-tasking Super Stay Multi-Use Foundation Stick is a must-have essential that conceals, contours, highlights, and covers. Maybelline’s 1st all-in-one foundation stick features a cream-to-matte foundation and a precision pointed blender sponge that is perfect for applying cream foundation at home or touching up your look on-the-go.”

Benefits:

Maybelline New York’s first multi-use foundation stick

All-in-one foundation stick for up to 24HR wear

Cover, Conceal, and touch-up anywhere, anytime

Features a precision pointed tip blender sponge

Unlike Vanish, which you can easily push to full coverage, Superstay lives in the sheer-to-medium coverage lane, and to keep it fully locked down, you’ll reeeallly need to dust a fair amount of setting powder on top; otherwise, it’ll stay creamy and keep moving around.

This step is non-negotiable, unfortunately, and if you skip it, most of the product will have disappeared by midday.

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What’s a Drugstore Beauty Product You Swear By?

July 12th, 2018 by Karen 23 Comments

cetaphil gentle skin cleanser — An oldie but goodie!

Who doesn’t love a beauty bargain? Seriously: crazy people! I asked this recently in the Monday Poll, and I got so many good ideas from you that a followup post was necessary. ? Connor starts preschool in August, and hot dayum!

It’s expensive. So I’m game to save a little moola.

Anywho… I mentioned this one in the poll, but I’m a die-hard Cetaphil fan. It’s just a creamy face wash. No bells and whistles. But it never dries out my skin or gives me breakouts, and it’s only $7 at Target.

After washing my face with it and wiping it off with a wet washcloth, my skin’s clean but NOT dry or tight. Sometimes I use it to wash my hands and body, too!

For the record, it isn’t a superstar when it comes to removing makeup all by itself, though, so at night I remove my foundation and eye makeup before I do Cetaphil.

Other drugstore products I swear by…

Aveeno Body Lotion — The Skin Relief 24H Moisturizing and the Daily Moisturizing Lotion are my faves.
Herbal Essences bio:renew Micellar Water & Blue Ginger Shampoo, Conditioner and Foam Conditioner — Doesn’t strip my hair or weigh it down, and it’s so affordable.
Neutrogena Dry Touch Sunscreens — They feel light on my skin, aren’t super greasy, and I like how they layer underneath makeup.

What’s a drugstore beauty product you swear by? Feel free to list as many you can/want!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen