Drugstore Favorites Part 1

     I have come to a realization:  Not everyone loves makeup as much as me.
I'm sure some of you would rather rub a cherry popsicle across your lips than buy a $25 lipstick.
And I don't blame you, popsicle-lipstick-wearer.  There's a lot of things I wouldn't want to spend a ton of money on either.
And why should good makeup have to be expensive?  Expressing the look you want shouldn't be a luxury.
So, I've compiled my own personal beauty awards for my favorite products in the drugstore world.


My personal award winners:




Best Liquid Foundation:

Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Liquid Foundation




Why? Great coverage, blends easily, doesn't feel heavy, 16 shades to choose from, and it's mineral based!  So its better for your skin.




Best Powder Foundation:

Mineral Wear Talc Free Mineral Illuminating Powder Duo


Why? There's two different shades of powder in one...so as your skin tone changes with the seasons (or the amount of fake tanner you apply) you can adjust the mixture to match your color.  And, it has SPF 16!






Best Waterproof Mascara:

Covergirl Lashblast Volume Blasting Waterproof Mascara


Why? The brush on this mascara is awesome!  It provides great lash separation, and since it's waterproof,  it will hold a curl and withstand tears or a water gun fight.




Best Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara

Maybelline XXL Pro Extensions Washables


Why?  The base gives your lashes a coating to make your lashes look lush and lengthen them.  Then the mascara gives you additional length and volume. Poifect!




Best Liner

Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner


Why? This liner is "mmm, creamy" (I hope you all caught the Old Greg reference there). It's super blendable, and it's rich in pigment.  Everything I love in a liner!




Best Liquid Liner

Wet 'N' Wild MegaLiner Liquid Eyeliner


Why? It's the best liquid liner I've ever tried, and for the price, you should buy one in every color!  Won't come off until you use makeup remover.  The felt tip is also great for applying a line as thick or as thin as you'd like.




More drugstore favorites to come soon!


Has anyone else already broken their New Year's Resolution?

I see a light at the end of the tunnel!

I'm sure many of you share this feeling with me right now:

It's that glorious time of year!  Finals week! Yay sleep deprivation.

And with sleep deprivation comes the dreaded under eye circles (dun dun dun).  

So here's the thing.  They make great concealor for that!  When I was in Sephora the other day I was playing around with Makeup Forever (which is a cosmetic line that was originally designed for performers, so it's made to withstand heat, sweat, etc) and came across their Full Cover Concealor.

This stuff is awesome. 

I had a scratch on my hand.  Covered that.  I had a third eye on my face. Covered that. Not to mention my under eye circles. In the product description, it even says you can use it to cover up hyperpigmentation, burns, or tattoos. 

 It's a bit pricey, ($30) but from what I experienced, a little bit goes a looong way. Definitely buying it next time I'm in Sephora.

Good luck on finals everyone, may you make it out alive (just picture yourself mowing down on Christmas cookies in a week, that's my motivator at least)!

Need a Little Pick Me Up?

It's almost the end of the semester (YAY).

Which means we all have so much to get done and to study for before the semester ends and we can go home, recuperate, and begin our classes once again in January (hopefully making our return with some enthusiasm- I think everyone should look forward to at least one of their classes next semester-we don't pay to go to college to be miserable).

Not to mention the element of trying to find the perfect gift for everyone on your Christmas List (which is actually really fun for me, but I know not everyone shares this opinion).

So what can you do to make yourself not look like the living dead during the craaazy time of year?

You could spend two hours watching Elf to feel rejuvenated  

or

Listen to one of these songs:

Mr. Blue Sky

Kids

Bennie and the Jets

Pursuit of Happiness

Dance in the Dark

These 5 songs just so happen to be around 5 minutes, meaning that while you're listening, you can do a super quick 5 minute face!

I can't think of a better person to model this look on than my sister, Brianna.

She's a senior at Notre Dame with a double major in Environmental Science and French, holds three jobs, and takes 21 credit hours a semester for "fun".  She also somehow finds time to do great things for other people, and krump dance like a boss.

So, needless to say, Brianna is too busy saving the world and being an awesome person to spend too much time on her makeup.

I had her try to execute this look in 5 minutes or less, and she was successful (her song of choice was kids, in case anyone was curious)!




All you need:


-Powder Brush (Bare Escentuals Flawless Face Brush is really soft, and great for applying face powder or blush.)


-Eyelash curler


-Mascara (Bri used Korres Deep Color Mascara, which is a pigment rich and light mascara.  It gives a very natural look, and is perfect for an everyday look.)


-Concealor/liquid foundation with good coverage (Brianna used Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting  Liquid Foundation- which covers up even my under eye circles, which is definitely saying something.)


-Translucent powder/mineral veil (Bri used Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil. This stuff gives you a great matte finish.)


-Blush (Brianna used Nars Blush in Orgasm, which is a peachy-pink with a little bit of golden shimmer, and flattering on just about everyone.)


A tip about blush:  Look at the color your cheeks naturally turn whenever you are flushed.  Then, if you look for a color similar to this while searching for a blush, you are guaranteed that it will look fantastico on you since your body naturally produces that shade.

1. Start off by applying your concealor/liquid foundation with your fingers or a sponge (I just prefer using my fingers because I feel like the warmth of them helps the product melt into your skin, making it appear more natural) on areas that are particularly discolored, such as under eye circles or pimples.

2. Next, apply the mineral veil/translucent powder to your whole face, just to matt-ify your face and achieve a more even all over skin tone.

I'm happy to report that's not a sillee band on her wrist.

3. Now time to move onto the eyes.  Curl your eyelashes and then apply one coat of mascara.

4. The final step- apply some blush to the apples of your cheeks!  When you smile, the chubalub part of your cheek that sticks out is known as the apple.  

-You could also sweep on some berry lipgloss like this one on your way out the door to add a little more somethin somethin.

A few minutes out of your day to do a simple makeup look can make a very noticeable difference.  As my sister put it, "Before, I looked like hell. Now, I only look like purgatory."