Beauty Products that actually WORK!

Seche Vite- This is the best top coat I've ever used.  I know that's a bold statement, but nail polish and I go way back... I've tried soooo many top coats and none of them have locked in my color like this one.  It also leaves a very shiny almost "salon-like" finish.  I bought mine at Sally's Beauty Supply, but I've also seen this product at CVS. 

Wet Brush- One of my most dreaded beauty rituals is brushing my hair after showering.  It doesn't matter how well it was brushed before I got in the shower or how much conditioner I use, I get tangles like WHOA (my sister can feel me on this one).  Something that has dramatically helped the dreaded process is my Wet Brush from Sally's Beauty Supply (also sold at Bed Bath and Beyond).  The bristles are little miracle workers that rake through the mess without a lot of tear.  I'm in love with this brush.

got2b POWDER'ful volumizing styling powder- I stumbled on this product by accident...essentially I needed to purchase a got2b product from CVS to earn a huge Extra Bucks reward and this was the one I randomly selected.  Lucky for me, this product ROCKS.  Need a little volume at the roots?  Massaging a little bit of this powder into your scalp will give you just that! Promise :) 

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer- Face primer isn't crucial if you have an oily complexion, however if you have a dry complexion like mine this primer will rock your socks.  It absolutely does the job that it claims! I feel like is smoothes my skin, minimizes my pores, and makes your foundation look fresh for hours and hours.  

Tangle Teezer- I love me some BIG hair.  In fact, for years I haven't worn my hair has big and poofy as I would like because I'm always afraid of creating a ratted, tangled mess.  With this product I'm now able to get as crazy as I want with the teasing because it gently and miraculous smooths out even the gnarliest of teases.  It's totally a one of a kind product and I'm lost without it!  I got mine at Sally's, but I've also seen them at Walgreens. 

Real Techniques Lash/Brow Groomer-  The picture above does not do justice to the sharp little bristles on this tool.  I first saw this product at Ulta while randomly browsing and I just had a feeling that this tool would be amazing at combing through clumpy, mascara coated eyelashes.  Sure enough, I can't live without this product anymore. I find myself combing my lashes before and after mascara application because I just feel like it makes the lashes look that much longer and natural.  

Revlon ColorStay Pressed Powder- There are a lot of great pressed powders out there, but this one is currently my favorite.  Primarily because it not only locks my foundation and concealer into place, it leaves my face shine free ALL DAY LONG.  This is the most impressive Revlon product I've ever used, and it just so happens that I'm a huge Revlon fan so that says a lot :)

Aquaphor Healing Ointment-  The purchase of this product followed a long line of other products I've tried over the years in a desperate effort to eliminate the dry cracked skin that forms around my nose as soon as the weather starts getting chilly.  I very skeptically picked this product up feeling certain that it would not help with my dry nose issue.  Man, did it feel good to be wrong :)  FINALLY there is a solution to my problem, and I highly highly HIGHLY suggest this product for extremely dry, cracked, annoying patches of skin.  End rant.  

Palladio Pencil Sharpener- Until about 3 months ago, I didn't own a single makeup product in pencil form.  Gradually different kinds of eyeshadow and eye liner pencils started popping up in my collection and becoming a part of my makeup routine.  It didn't dawn on me until several of my pencils were dull that I needed to invest in a quality sharpener (side note-->I ruined a few pencils trying to sharpen them with the cheap sharpeners that often come included.  My advice is to spare your pencils and just buy a good one).  I picked this one up at Sally's Beauty and it works like a dream!  It only takes a few rotations to get your pencil looking like new again, it has 2 blades (one for jumbo pencils and one for standard pencils), AND it has a nice clear case that keeps all the shavings contained.  Hallelujah! 

Isn't it awesome when products actually live up to their claims???  It makes me giddy :)

Drugstore Deals of the Week!

 There are some AMAZING deals going on at the Drugstore this week!

 Let's start with Walgreens...

Earlier this week I picked up TWO of these bad boys (both in the scent "lavendar jasmine") at Walgreens for $6! In addition, I received $3 is store credit toward my next purchase.  This is an outstanding shave cream!

I'm planning to make one more trip to Walgreens this week to redeem my $3 reward and to take advantage of a Covergirl sale that's going on (Buy one get one 50% off).  I know from experience that the outlast nail polish is really something special, in addition, I have a manufacturer's coupon for $1.50 off any 2 Covergirl outlast nail polishes.  That being said, with these 3 discounts it will take my total from $11.98 to $4.49!! 

Moving on to Rite Aid...

 Currently, Rite Aid has a Physicians Formula deal going on where you get $10 in store credit for every $15 you spend on Physicians Formula products.  What makes the deal even sweeter is that you can take advantage of this offer TWICE!  Therefore, I took the opportunity to purchase the Eye Booster Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum, 2-in-1, Medium Black for $7.67 and the Shadow & Liner, Custom Eye Enhancing, Nude Eyes palette for $8.37.  With the $10 in rewards that I earned I'm planning to purchase... 

Physicians Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls, All Skin Tones, Translucent Pearl

Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Bronzer, Pressed, Glow-Boosting

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips, Riviera Strips/Sand Bronzer

I plan to take my first $10 in rewards and apply it to a second purchase of $15 or more in Physician's Formula makeup.  This will earn me a second $10 in rewards in which I will make a 3rd and final purchase.  The 3 products above are the ones I'm targeting for my next 2 Rite Aid transactions, however I'm slightly torn because CVS is also having a an awesome sale on Physicians Formula this week.

Which leads me to my next purchase...

ALL Physicians Formula cosmetics are 40% off at CVS this week!  I popped in there the other day to redeem a $2 extra buck reward I had that was about to expire.  I came out with just one item, the Physicians Formula Organic Wear Jumbo Lash Mascara, Ultra Black.  First of all, I had hoped to include this product in my Rite Aid purchase, but they didn't have it.  Second of all, I may or may not go back to CVS and purchase some more Physician's Formula items that I've been interested in trying.  40% is a pretty awesome deal.  We shall see... 

Anyways, as if spending $3.99 (40% off + $2 extra bucks) on a mascara that retails for $9.99 is not awesome enough, the formula is OUT OF THIS WORLD!! 

This was a recommendation from one of my favorite youtubers of all time: GlamLifeGuru.  This is her "holy grail" mascara and I totally understand why.  The packaging is a little goofy in my opinion and the brush is slightly larger than I would prefer, but the formula makes those drawbacks totally worth it! 

Hopefully this post inspires you to take advantage of some of the great deals going on this week! :)

 

NYX Cosmetics: Haul, Review & Sale Details

I've had an ongoing list of NYX cosmetics that I've been interested in trying for quite some time.  The opportunity to purchase them all presented itself last week when Ulta had a 40% off sale on ALL NYX products.  

As soon as I got the email I knew I was going to take advantage of the sale.  I originally planned on going to the store as opposed to placing an online order because I was so anxious to get the products! Fortunately, I remembered that the last time I visited my local Ulta all of the NYX cosmetics were really picked over and they didn't have a lot of the products I was looking for.  

Ultimately, I realized it was worth it to wait a few days for an online order to arrive to ensure I could get all the products I wanted at 40% off, so this was the route I ended up taking.  I managed to score a few more discounts as well: 

• Typically Ulta requires you to spend $50 in order to get free shipping, but I searched through my email and found a promo code that allowed me to get free shipping by spending $35.  
• I also found a promo code on the homepage that allowed $3.50 off of a purchase of $10 or more. 
• Lastly, I redeemed $3.00 in reward cash that I earned for previous purchases. 

When it was all said and done,  I spent about $35 for about $68 worth of products.  Not too shabby :)

Matte Body Bronzer by Nyx Cosmetics Light

I've been wanting to try this bronzer for awhile now and the quality did not disappoint!  It's 100% matte just like it advertises and the light shade is perfect for my fair-ish skin tone.  The packaging is quite nice and convenient too...I really appreciate a good ole' round compact with a mirror!

Powder Blush by Nyx Cosmetics Mocha

I've heard so many great things about this particular shade, "Mocha."  It's much peachier in real life than the image appears.  I really like it, but it's highly pigmented and not the easiest to blend so it's important to use a really light hand when applying it.

Powder Blush by Nyx Cosmetics Summer Peach

 The summer peach shade is essentially the same color as mocha, however this one has some shimmer in it.  I'm not a big fan of shimmery blushes, I prefer to apply my own shimmer (highlight) after my bronzer and blush go on. 

Jumbo Eye Pencil by Nyx Cosmetics Iced Mocha

Jumbo Eye Pencil by Nyx Cosmetics Cottage Cheese

 I own the NYX jumbo pencil in "Milk," and I LOVE it! So I took this opportunity to snag a few more colors... iced mocha and cottage cheese (awesome names, right?).   The pencils are awesome for adding a little color under your lash line or using as a primer/base.  I also tend to reach for these when I'm in a rush because you can just rub a little on your eye lid, blend it with your finger, and you're good to go!

Lip Gloss w/ Mega Shine by Nyx Cosmetics Chandelier

Lip Gloss w/ Mega Shine by Nyx Cosmetics La La

Lip Gloss w/ Mega Shine by Nyx Cosmetics Nude Peach

The Mega Shine lip glosses... probably one of the most iconic products NYX has to offer!  I owned 2 prior to this purchase and narrowing down the shades I wanted was probably the most challenging part of this haul.  Ultimately, I learned an important lesson... the way the colors appear online is not at all accurate!  Chandelier for example (the biggest disappointment in the bunch)...see how it appears to be a baby pink? In reality, it's a very shimmery maroon color.  I'm not a huge fan.  La La and Nude Peach are nice, but in reality they are almost the exact same color!  Ultimately, I still really like these lip glosses and will continue to use them but if I could do it over I would pick different shades. 

Eye Shadow Base by Nyx Cosmetics Skin Tone

I knew I would like the skin tone eye base because I have the white one and it's been a total game changer for me.  Sure enough, it's amazing! My eye primers are practically going extinct because these NYX bases are all I seem to reach for these days :)

Nude Matte Eyeshadow by Nyx Cosmetics Birthday Suit

This eyeshadow was such a disappointment! It's chalky, thin, and has very little pigmentation.  I was really looking forward to having a light pink shadow in my collection, but unfortunately this was not what I was expecting.

Single Eye Shadow by Nyx Cosmetics Irises

This was a pretty out of the box purchase for me.  I'm trying to branch out and experiment with different eye shadow colors and this one just called to me.  I haven't worn it a ton, but I definitely find the formula to be better than the matte shadow I mentioned above.  

Butter Gloss by Nyx Cosmetics Éclair

Butter Gloss by Nyx Cosmetics Merengue

I am in LOVE with these butter glosses! While it appears they are the same color, they're actually not.  Eclair is a pretty sheer, soft pink and Merengue is a thicker more opaque bright pink.  I've been wearing these constantly because they're so cute, so creamy, and so girly! 

So there you have it! My NYX haul and product impressions.  My favorite products from this purchase are definitely the bronzer, the eye base, and the butter creams.  My not so favorite products are the mega shine lip glosses and the matte eye shadow. 

If you're interested in trying out some NYX cosmetics, I suggest checking out: 

cherryculture.com

makeupgeek.com

ulta.com

I've also seen the line at Meijer! Hope that helps :) 

CVS Sale Alert: Physican's Formula!

This past Saturday, I reviewed the upcoming CVS weekly ad just like I always do.  With 0 extra bucks rewards in my wallet, and sales that didn't particularly strike my fancy, I sort of told myself that I would take the week off from CVS bargain hunting.  

Fast forward to Wednesday morning... CVS emails me an $8 Extra Bucks reward (quarterly reward) followed shortly after by a $5 Extra Bucks reward (beauty club reward).  I swear, either CVS has a sixth sense or they are just the best drugstore in the world.  Either way, here is the killer deal I scored: 

Physican's Formula Mineral Wear Talc Free Pressed Powder (my color is Beige), retails for $13.99.  It was no coincidence that I went for this particular product, I've been watching it closely for awhile and waiting for the right opportunity to present itself...

Wednesday evening I stroll into CVS, pick up just this one item and head for the check out.  The cashier asks me if I want to use the $13 Extra Bucks that were previously sent to my card.  Of course my answer is "YES," bringing my total to $1.05.  That's not the best part...

CVS has a deal going on this week where if you spend $10 on any Physican's Formula products you get $6 Extra Bucks toward your next purchase.  Sure enough, my $6 reward printed with my receipt.

In essence, CVS gave me $5 in store credit just to come pick up this product.  Isn't that awesome??!!

What's even better is that this product totally ROCKS.  It's almost like a powder foundation.  Super smooth, super blend-able,  excellent coverage, no caking!

I'm in heaven! :)

Top 3 Under $3

 

N.Y.C. Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm $2.99

Words cannot express how much I love these lip balms.  Currently I own 4 of them, but eventually I'd like to own every shade that is offered in the line.  They are rich with moisture, subtle in pigment, and delicious smelling and tasting! 

Wet N Wild Megalast Salon Nail Color $1.99

As a former nail polish prude, I used to use OPI and Essie nail polishes exclusively.  When I heard that these polishes were just as good (if not better) I was skeptical, but for $1.99 a piece I figured it was worth a try.  Sure enough, I'm hooked on this nail polish now! It goes on so smoothly, the colors are thick and creamy, and it takes several days before any chipping starts to happen.  Plus, you can get 4 bottles of this stuff for the price of just ONE Essie or OPI polish!

e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer, Blush $3.00

I recently took advantage of an e.l.f. studio 50% off online sale, and I ordered a ridiculous amount of products.  I am actually planning to post some reviews on the massive e.l.f. haul soon because the experience really helped me sort out the hidden gems and duds of the e.l.f. makeup line.  It was also nice to be able to purchase all the products I've been wanting to try from the line in one complete transaction.  I feel like I'm never able to find everything I'm looking for in stores.  That being said, the e.l.f. mineral eyeshadow primer in the shade "blush" is most certainly a hidden gem.  I'm pretty picky about primer and I don't particularly LOVE the standard elf primer,  but the unique color of this one is what really caught my eye.  It's sort of a mauve color with some very light shimmer, and I'm really a big fan of this stuff.  This is a very unique product, I love the concept of a colored primer.  I've even worn this primer alone on my lids a few times because it's just that awesome! 

That's a wrap on this little series!  If you end up deciding to try any of the products mentioned, I hope you get as much satisfaction from the quality and savings as I did.  :)

Top 5 Under $5

Wet N Wild Eyeshadow Collection Comfort Zone, $4.99

 This palette is often compared to Urban Decay's Naked palette and I must say, that's a pretty accurate comparison.  True to all Wet N Wild eye shadows, the formula is amazing!  Especially considering the unbeatable price tag.  I've been having a blast with this palette... Isn't it perfect for fall?!

Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner Nude, $4.49

Wearing neutral tones on my lower waterlines is new to me.  For years and years I wore black liner on my lower lids almost daily.  Finally I realized that wearing black under my eyes every-single-day was a bit harsh.  Plus, wearing a natural skin color on my waterlines makes my eyes look bigger and makes me look more awake and less "emo."  Not sure if I would agree with the waterproof description, but nonethless this pencil rocks and I use it frequently.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder, $4.99

I can't tell you how many face powders I've tried in an effort to get the effect that this one so seamlessly gives.  I was ready to shell out big bucks for a matte powder that would get rid of my shininess once and for all, but fortunately I found this one first.  I swear by this product, and I definitely foresee myself repurchasing it again in the future.

Nyx Cosmetics Automatic Eyebrow Pencil, $4.99

I definitely don't use this brow pencil on a daily basis, but it is a great brow solution when you're traveling, in a rush, or when you simply need to get your makeup done on the run.  I tried this on my mom (who typically does not fill in her brows) and she loved it. 

Covergirl - Eye Enhancers, Shimmering Sands, $4.99

This is an oldie, but a goody.  It's just a standard neutral palette, but again... it's one of those products I typically reach for when I'm in a rush, doing my makeup in the car, or just trying to save room in my suitcase.  It's a good staple to have in your collection and you can't beat the price!

What are your favorite products under $5?





(Top 3 under $3 coming to a blog near you!)