Category: Personal Care
Colorful Lips on a Budget
Sometimes it is hard being addicted to cosmetics on a budget – but then again, sometimes it’s not. With Revlon’s Super Lustrous lipstick, I can have all the colors of the rainbow without breaking the bank.
Like most lipsticks, I always put on a base balm to ensure the best coverage as well as length duration. But as we all know, it’s hard being a lipstick addict when there are great things such as food and drinks around.
This lipstick holds up better than some of the $20+ tubes I have bought in the past while allowing me to purchase all the colors I need to match with my mood, outfit, or season. You can find this lipstick at just about any major retailer, drug store, or beauty shop. Colors for all skin tones and preferences. I just switched over from reds to red-brownish.
Let’s just say, I own over half the collection.
Fullest Coverage Around
I have looked high and low for something that matches my skin, let alone successfully hides whatever I’m looking to keep from the world. No matter what I tried, nothing was exactly what I was looking for; there was always some type of flaw on my skin, whether it was me or the makeup.
But I have found it – I have found my skin’s savior, and it’s Dermablend.
I had heard from some friends that this stuff was the real deal – the industrial concealer made to cover tattoos. It got me thinking that if this brand can cover ink, what can it not do?
Thanks to help from some friendly folks at Ulta, we went through the different Dermablend products and shades and found which one was the best for me. Due to me rockin’ on a budget as well, I went with the concealer stick. One year later – and I still have a little under half of it left.
The real secret is that this product needs to be used with a makeup sponge. Not only does that save you over-using your concealer, but it ensures that you get the best coverage possible with the best product currently on the shelves.
I have tried everything from powders to liquids to mattes, and I can safely say that I will never own another concealer that does not bear the trademark of Dermablend.
If my word isn’t enough, check out the Dermablend confessions for yourself.
Smooth to the Touch
We’re all on a search for the right lotion – one that doesn’t leave a greasy residue once, even after spending 10 minutes trying to work it into your skin. While I still haven’t found the right lotion for the rest of my skin, I have found that nothing is quite like AVEDA’s hand relief lotion.
Last year, I was gifted a three pack of this amazing hand moisturizer, and it’s been all I can do to keep people from swiping it in the office or at home. One dab of this miracle moisturizer, as I like to call it, is all you need to make your hands feel renewed and soft. Best of all, it doesn’t leave an annoying grease residue on my hands as well as my things.
While the price to size ratio is a bit out of my budget, its healing powers have justified the money spent. I’ll cross my fingers that I’ll receive it as another present this year, but if not – it will be in my medicine cabinet, office space, and purse all the same.
Let’s Go to the Beach
There’s nothing quite like having those wavy locks after spending the day in the sun and sand – and there are few ways to successfully get the beach look without actually going to the beach. While Sun-In is a popular way to make your hair lighter, like you’ve been in the sun and at the beach all summer – nothing quite compares to the waves you get from Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray.
To preface this post, my hair is naturally wavy – but not in the ways I would like. It poofs. It frizzes. And it’s anything but the waves I would get when I used to live by the beach. So, in my mission to regain those salty locks that I love so dearly, I have been on a mission to find the best texturizing spray possible – and I believe I have found it.
Spraying the sea salt spray into damp hair on it’s own will naturally give you those waves like you’ve just come from the ocean, if you’re naturally wavy like me that is. If your hair is of a more straight nature, you will have to work the product in more in a crimping like fashion. Regardless, this spray will take your hair from winter to full blown beach-tastic summer.
I Like My Eyes in the Nude
This is yet another product of Urban Decay Cosmetics that I will not leave my home without – the Naked2 Eyeshadow Palette.
This palette offers everything that I need to take my look from day to night and everything in between. Want something simple? Done. Want a more complex, smokey-eye? Done. All of this in a compact case, equipped with a double-sided brush and wide mirror.
While I could do without the palette being so wide, making it more easily concealable for night out touch-ups (hint hint, Urban Decay), it has become a staple in my routine for every-day makeup routine.
The Naked3 palette has been released, as well, and is flying off shelves. Since I have not had this product for more than three months, I can not review it to the fullest extent – but all I can say is in nine more months I will have even more praise for this knock-out company.
Look Like a Superstar
I had spent months – nay, years – looking for the perfect leave-in conditioner for my hair. Some left too much of a residue while others made my hair even heavier than it is normally. But then, one Christmas, my mother gave me arguably one of the best stocking-stuffers I have ever received: Bed Head’s Superstar.
There are a multitude of reasons why I love this product. First off, it comes in a spray form, so there’s no getting any excess product on your hands – leaving you with that sticky feeling. Second, it not only protects my hair, but de-tangles it. As someone who likes to keep their hair long but is also burdened by thickness, I cannot overstate how great it is just to spray this product and not worry about chunks of hair coming out when I brush.
This product leaves nothing behind and protects your hair the way a conditioner should, leaving you with nothing but a silky smooth feeling and confidences that you look like a Superstar.
A Liner for Any Occasion
My biggest gripe with eyeliner pencils? Stabbing my eye out because some eyeliners are about functional as using a colored pencil on your eyelid. Thanks, but no thanks.
That was until one of my good friends introduced me to Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide on Pencils.
While the price point per pencil is a bit more than my budget will allow on a consistent basis, Urban Decay must have heard my cries because they now have double ended pencils of their fabulous liner for a more understandable price.
These liners not only glide on with the ease of a liquid liner, but they give you the control of a true pencil. Not to mention their colors are fabulous. While my favorite color is Corrupt – a mix of purple and brown tones – Urban Decay also features the classics of brown, black, and white. If a bright, vibrant vibe is what you’re looking for, then pick up one of their blues, pinks, or yellows.
I can say for certain that I do not plan on using any other type of eyeliner pencil for the rest of my life. Unless someone can one-up Urban, that is. But I don’t see that happening any time soon.
Colorful Nails for Days
Ever since I was a little girl, sleepovers were spent by painting nails, watching Mary Kate & Ashley films, and raiding my mother’s makeup. Now that I’m older, girls nights in are spent a little differently. Wine has replaced my mother’s makeup drawer and gossip has taken over the loveable Olsen twins. Yet one thing has stayed the same – my friends and I still do our nails.
And nine times out of ten my polish of choice will be Sinful Colors.
While cheaper polish brands struggle with producing a product that has poor consistency and duration compared to expensive brands, such as Essie or OPI, one thing will always remain true: they all chip eventually.
So why spend eight dollars for a polish when you can get the same color and quality for two?
My nail polish collection ranges from dollar finds to the more expensive brands, but for the past two years I have given my loyalty to Sinful Colors. While their assortment of colors isn’t that of more prominent brands, each season brings a new array of hues accompanied with the classics.
As a person who isn’t able to go get manicures on a weekly basis, I rely on Sinful Colors to help me look as polished and vibrant as I feel. While I do like color selection the expensive brands have to offer, I would rather use that eight dollars to buy myself some variety. I’m just not a one-color-polish type of personality.
So if you’re looking for quality and variety in your polish collection, give Sinful Colors a try. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Tip: No nail polish, which ever you choose to buy, will stay well if you do not invest in a good top coat. My favorite? Sally Hansen’s Hard As Nails Strengthening Top Coat.
Keep My Face Smooth
My face is important to me. Looking for the best way to care for it has become a major line item in my shopping budget. I have used various and vast numbers of products they over the last 5 plus years. While I have liked a lot of them, not everything was worth a second try or sticking with it for over a year. The Daily Microfoliant® was one product that stuck to stick and Dermalogica is a great brand.
I first was exposed to the Daily Microfoliant® product while getting a facial. I have sensitive skin due to a mild case of roscea and allergies. At the same time my skin can dry out easily and have lots of light flaking. Fortunately I ran into an esthetician that recognized my issues and chose the Microfoliant® instead of a harsher exfoliate as part of the facial she was giving me. The end results were more than good. It smoothed my face and neck and thus made my skin look brighter.
You have to love products where you can see the results and the results meet your expectations. This product is easy to use. You can apply it wet with your fingers or with a cloth. Fingers are my applicator of choice. It rinses off easily, leaving softer, smoother skin. I use it weekly more often in the winter if needed.
Like most products of this type it has a large professional following. You can buy it through an esthetician, on line or at better beauty supply stores. What this also means is that it never goes on sale and is exempt from most store coupon discounts. It appears that Dermalogica is so proud of it that the word microfoliant® is a registered trademark. I do not think you would confuse this product for any other. I guess the trademark makes it a little more exclusive looking. I would buy it with or without the trademark.
What you will like about it is the results, what you may not like about it is the fact it comes as a powder that you have to mix in your palm but do not let that stop you from giving it a try.
Lines are Gone!
I have been through so many face creams that I am uncertain of which products I haven’t tired. During your search for the perfect face cream, I readily admit that you should try items recommended in magazine and websites; that is how I found the No.7 cosmetic line. Low and behold it has worked out really well for me.
I first read about No7’s beauty serum in a much worn copy of Good Housekeeping at the doctor’s office. The review was so compelling that I stopped at Target on my way home to pick up a bottle.
My neck was the first place I tested this serum because it was showing deepening lines. After two weeks I saw a difference and after a month I saw a significant change. We all know that there are no products that can turn back time and no product can really make the lines go away. However, there are products that can decrease the appearance of lines and No7 delivers. For best results, I recommend that you use it with your favorite face cream. After you do that, write me and let me know what that cream is, because I am still looking for one that I like.
I use it both in the morning and at night with other beauty products. I have recommended this product to just about anyone who will listen and I keep two bottles in the house at all times. Like a lot of good products, it seldom goes on sale. It is sold exclusively at Target (supposedly) but I have found it at ULTA once before.
You will like everything about it; the only downside is that it doesn’t come in a bigger bottle.