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10 of My Picks for Head of the Class: A+ Makeup and Beauty Drugstore Products of 2011

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Best Drugstore Makeup and Beauty Products of 2011

Going to a drugstore after a long day is one of my favorite ways to unwind. I’ll flip through a few magazines, grab an ice cream cone, and cruise the cosmetics aisle looking for a little something I can get myself as a budget beauty treat.

It’s been a ritual of mine ever since I was a teenager. 🙂

Sure, I do love department store beauty and big brands like Benefit and NARS, but some of my favorite makeup and beauty products don’t reside at stores like Nordstrom, Sephora or MAC, and that’s why I’ll always have a soft spot for drugstores. Not only because they make it possible for gals on a tight budget to look great from head to toe, but because they also make it easy to treat yourself without breaking the bank.

I came across quite a few new drugstore loves this year, and here are 10 of them, each one costing less than $10. If you’re looking for a fun, affordable way to ring in the new year, try one of these A+ drugstore gems.

ELF Nail Polish Remover PadsE.L.F. Eyes Lips Face $1 Nail Polish Remover Pads

EcoTools Bath and Shower GlovesEcoTools $3 Bath & Shower Gloves

Burt's Bees Honey & Shea Conditioning Body BarBurt’s Bees $5 Honey & Shea Body Bar

Sula Beauty Lipstick in Awake Till Sunrise$8 Sula Beauty Lipstick in Awake Till Sunrise

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NARS Unsung Heroes: Cairo Eyeshadow

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nars cairo eyeshadow (3)

So. Majorly. Jealous. You’re so lucky you can pull off every shade of taupe. Not fair!

I love taupe…especially taupe eyeshadows, but for me it can be a tough color to wear. On my warm skin tone, the wrong taupe can leave my lids looking muddy or bruised.

Thank goodness for NARS Cairo ($23) — one of the prettiest, most wearable taupes I’ve found. There it was, sitting like purplish pirate treasure on a shelf during one of Sephora’s Friends & Family sales a while back. I brought it home, and I’ve been reaching for it on a regular basis ever since.

NARS characterizes it as a shimmery champagne rose (isn’t that a pretty description?). I’ve seen it grace a few different lids, and it hasn’t looked the same way twice. I think that’s because it’s complex, and the color varies based on the wearer’s skin temperature (warm/cold) and tone. On one lass it might look like a beige taupe, on another, more of a rosy shade. On me, I think it looks like a violet taupe with a silvery sheen, and sometimes I swear I also see flashes of gold in it.

Super pretty! — and easy to wear, too. It’s one of the products I turn to when I want fresh-looking, dewy eyes.

nars cairo eyeshadow (1)
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10 of My Picks for Head of the Class: A+ Makeup and Beauty Department Store (and Other) Products of 2011

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Best Department Store Makeup and Beauty Products of 2011

2011 was another awesome year for feline and human makeup and beauty. Along with rediscovering/falling in love again with a slew of pulse-pounding permanent products from some of my favorite lines like MAC and NARS, I also bumped into bunches of beautiful products to lurve on drugstore and department store shelves.

If you’re on the market for something special to spend a Christmas gift card on, consider one of the overachieving A+ department store products below. All of them are looking for new homes just like yours and can be found in stores now. 🙂

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush$25 Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush

Chanel Sophisticated Eye Collection Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Vanites$57 Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Vanites

Pacifica Color Quench Lip TintsPacifica $9 Color Quench Lip Tints

MAC 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush$24.50 MAC 226 Small Tapered Blending Brush

Kerastase Chroma Sensitive Cleansing Balm$42 Kerastase Cleansing Hair Balm

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Upgrade Your Options in Color With This Quick Travel Makeup Tip

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Over my four-day Christmas trip up and down Northern California to visit with my parents and in-laws, I relied on one particular makeup trick a little more than the others. I’m just about to hit the road back home to Novato, but first, if you like to wear different looks often but don’t usually have a lot of room to spare in your travel makeup bag, here’s one quick and easy way to increase your color options.


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Two Ways to Win MAC Eye Kohl Pencil Liner in Smolder

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  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Melissa! Congratulations, Melissa! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

MAC Smolder Eye Kohl

If you’re a card-carrying member of Club “Smokey Eye Till I Die,” you won’t want to miss a chance to win this morning’s giveaway prize.

MAC Smolder Eye Kohl, an uber-creamy, jet black pencil liner, lines, defines and shades eyes with rich color and a silky-smooth, matte/pearl finish. A go-to color for many MAC-aholics, it has been a member of the permanent line for years.

For quick smokey eye looks with it, I’ll line my lash and water lines, lightly smear whatever happens to migrate onto my lids and below my lash lines with a pencil brush, and then layer a powder eyeshadow in a shimmery gold, silver, plum, green or blue right on top.

Get ready to smolder! — because this giveaway starts in 3-2-1… 🙂

A Makeup and Beauty Blog Giveaway!

Win MAC Smolder Eye Kohl

One lucky lady will win…

  • One (1) MAC Eye Kohl Pencil Liner in Smolder (a $15 value)

  • There are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, a comment about anything at all, like, have you ever tried tinted contact lenses? What color are your eyes? How often do you wear eyeliner? Name a song with the words “eye” or “eyes” in the title. Which type of liner do you prefer (cream, liquid or pencil) and why? — you get the idea.
  • Second, you can enter by following me on twitter Twitter @karenmbb and retweeting (RT) the following message:
    • Follow @karenmbb and RT to Win MAC Eye Kohl Pencil Liner in Smolder http://bit.ly/snsKAV

  • The deadline to enter is Wednesday, December 28 (tomorrow), 2011 at 11:59PM (PT).
  • Entrants must enter using a valid email address and/or Twitter account to win.
  • A maximum of two (2) entries per person — one within the comments at the bottom of this post, and a second entry via Twitter addressed to me @karenmbb.
  • Contest is open to individuals of any country who have reached the age of majority according to their local laws (18 in the United States with these exceptions: Alabama and Nebraska, 19; Mississippi, 21).
  • Tabs and I (heretofore referred to as “T-Money and K-Dawg”) will select one (1) winner at random from the entries either left in the comments at the bottom of this blog post or addressed to @karenmbb on Twitter.
  • The winner will be announced here within 48 hours of the deadline.
  • Void where prohibited by law.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

  • WINNER: The giveaway is closed now, and the winner is Melissa! Congratulations, Melissa! If you entered but didn’t win this time around, keep trying, and click here to enter any ongoing giveaways before you jet. 🙂

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