January Favorites

Ok, so I only have four, but these are the products that started my new year off beautifully:



From left to right: Raspberry Pie, Sugar Plum, Berry Smoothie, Pink Truffle, and Cherry Tart. 



1.  Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters--Not quite a lipstick, not quite a lipgloss, these are great for all different occasions.  I have five of them, and some are more pigmented than others, so I've had to designate them into "work appropriate" and "free-time appropriate".  They're all very smooth and creamy, and great for everyday.  You can find these at drugstores for $6-8.00.

2.  MAC eyeshadow in Star Violet--I'd had my eye on this eyeshadow for quite awhile and when I finally purchased it, I used it every day for the next week.  I couldn't get enough of it!  It's a beautiful cranberry/purplish pearl color with a hint of gold reflects; it looks great with gold shadow in the inner corner and Star Violet on the outer half of the eye.  It's available at MAC counters for $15.00. 

 

3.  Essie nailpolishes in Dive Bar and Over The Edge-- Personally, I think Essie nailpolishes are a little overpriced, but when I saw these colors in Target, I had to have them.  They both came out in the most recent collection by Essie, and they are gorgeous.  Dive Bar is a beautiful, dark bluish teal color with purple reflects; it's divine.  Over The Edge is a pretty gunmetal gray with silver reflects in it.  Although I can wear neither of these colors to work, I couldn't put them down; pictures don't do them justice.  I used an O.P.I topcoat over them and they lasted for at least four days with no wearing-away on the edges.  You can get these and other Essie polishes at drugstores and Ulta for $7.75-8.00. 



Left to right: Over The Edge, Dive Bar



4.  Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses in Iced Berry and Wine Shine-- Similar to the Essie nailpolishes, when I saw these two Wetslicks colors, I had to have them.  I was a little hesitant at first because they look super shimmery and I was afraid they would look frosty, but I was so glad to find out that they don't; they just look nice and glossy.  You can get these at drugstores for about $4-6.00. 

Top: Iced Berry
Bottom: Wine Shine



--Shine bright

Awesome Drugstore Products

I was going to call this post "Top 10 Drugstore Products", but there are so many good ones I couldn't pick just 10.  So here are some (not all) of my favorite finds from drugstores:

1.  Covergirl Lashblast Volume Mascara--This is my favorite mascara of all time.  I used to be a slave to Revlon's Fabulash (which is still a really good mascara), until a friend got me this Covergirl one for Christmas two years ago, and it's the only mascara I've used since.  The brush is massive and spiky, which makes for fantastic volume and great separation of lashes.  I can (and do) apply multiple coats of this mascara without it getting clumpy or gross; people always ask me if I'm wearing false lashes, and I can be like, nope, just lots and lots of mascara!  I've found that it's cheapest at Target, for around $6-7.00. 

2.  InColor Fabu-Liner Liquid Eye Liner in 01 Black--This is my holy grail, all-time, best liquid eyeliner in the history of the world.  Yes, it really is that good.  This is the only eyeliner I use when making winged eyeliner; it has a super pointy felt-tip which makes it really easy to make a precise wing shape.  If you're new to liquid eyeliner, I would recommend starting with this one; it's not messy or goopy, and it's just like drawing on your eyelid with a Crayola marker.  And, one eyeliner will last you FOREVER.  I've had the one I'm currently using for over a year (I should probably throw it away, huh?) and it's still just as juicy as when I first bought it.  The best part is the price: I got this at Walgreens for $1.99!

3.  Purpose Dual Treatment Moisture Lotion with SPF 15--I've been using this moisturizer for years now and I'm not interested in trying any others.  It has UVA and UVB sunscreen, it's oil-free, hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, and it won't clog pores (according to the bottle).  This stuff has never broken me out and one bottle will last for a pretty long time.  I mix a few pumps of the lotion with powder mineral makeup to make my own tinted moisturizer.  The UVA and UVB sunscreen is an added bonus.  You can find this at Wal-Mart for about $7-8.00. 

4.  Covergirl blushes--I love these blushes because they're inexpensive, they come in a multitude of colors (including bronzers) and forms (single pan, triple pan, and giant single pan), and they're mostly matte or semi-matte finishes.  The pigmentation is great, and these are the only blushes I go for in drugstores.  Check Wal-Mart or Target; they're between $3-6.00.

5.  Maybelline Dream Matte Powder--I use this as a finishing powder over my tinted moisturizer; it mattifies and smoothes everything out, it evens out my skintone and helps keep my skin matte for hours.  I have very oily skin and usually my skin looks oily two seconds after I apply my tinted moisturizer and powder, but with this powder my skin doesn't look oily for at least a couple of hours.  It comes with a powder puff, but I use a kabuki brush to swirl it on.  I got mine at Target, probably for about $5-7.00. 

6.  Renewal powder brush--I bought this brush from a Rite-Aid while I was on a trip in Washington D.C. (we don't have Rite-Aids where I live....) and it's lovely.  I use it to apply loose powder over my tinted moisturizer; it's so soft, it feels delicious on your skin even though it's made with what I'm assuming are synthetic fibers.  It picks up just the right amount of powder and doesn't shed at all (a HUGE bonus if you ask me!).  It was between $7-8.00 at Rite-Aid. 

7.  Covergirl lipsticks--Not only are there millions of shades of these lipsticks, but the color really does outlast any other lip product I've tried.  Even after the slickness of the lipstick is gone, the color is there all day.  I put this on in the morning when I have a long day of flights and the color is still there at night when I get to the hotel.  It might be semi-permanent.  You can get these at drugstores for about $5-7.00. 

8.  Maybelline eyeshadows--If you're looking for an inexpensive alternative to high-end eyeshadows, I would recommend checking out Maybelline's.  They come in almost every shade imaginable, are well-pigmented, and also come in various single, double, triple, and quadruple pan combinations.  They include metallics, pastels, shimmer, and matte shades, so there's no way you're not going to find what you're looking for.  Depending on what pan combination you purchase, they're between $2-6.00 at drugstores. 

If you're on a budget or are looking for inexpensive alternatives for pricey, name-brand makeup, the drug store is where it's at! 

--Shine bright

So it's been awhile....

     One of my New Year's Resolutions is to work on this blog more; I'll admit I kind of abandoned it last year after awhile due to lack of ambition, holidays, work, and other things, but I vow to get back on track and try to update regularly.  Another one of my New Year's Resolutions was to try to stop buying more make-up; key word there is "try".  I know I'll never be able to completely stop buying make-up all together.  Who am I kidding, it's one of my favorite hobbies.  However, I've recently realized, and I never thought I'd say this, but I have too much make-up.  
     I look through my make-up drawers and find stuff I forgot I had, stuff I haven't used in so long because it just gets pushed to the back to make room for the new stuff I buy, stuff that's perfectly good but neglected because I just keep buying more that takes its place.  My make-up table is crazytown!  Of all the make-up I have collected over the years, I have never hit pan on anything; I've never even used up an entire tube of lipgloss.  I have so many eyeshadows it's hard for me to buy more because I already have a similar color (or five similar colors), I have so many loose powders it's hard for me to decide which one to use that day, same goes for blush, my lip products don't fit in their bin anymore, it's madness! 
     I need to stop.  Or at least cut back.  Which will be good for another one of my New Year's Resolutions, which was to save more money.  I'm going to try to use the stuff I already have, look through my drawers and rediscover old products, and hopefully hit pan on a lot of the stuff I own.  Even though I love to buy new make-up, I'm looking forward to this challenge, and to all the money I'll be able to spend on other things.  Like shopping for things that aren't make-up.  

--Shine Bright