New drugstore product haul

There have been loads of new products popping up in the drugstore so I decided to pick a few up. The first that I really wanted to try was the Revlon Nearly Naked line, which I will do a full review on later. It claims to look like you have no makeup on and melts into skin. The first thing that needs to be noted is that they don't have very many shades. The only light cool color was way too light for my skin. They need a shade or two darker cool tones. So I got the liquid foundation and the powder, I don't usually use powder but I thought I'd try it out.

The L'oreal true match super blendable crayon concealer is another new face product that claims to blend seamlessly into skin. I found that it's good for undereye use, though it does crease so blend well and use powder. Other than that it's just a basic concealer, there's nothing exciting about it.

Now the product everyone is freaking out about, the L'oreal colour riche caresse wet shine stain (long name) ,which is supposed to be a dupe for ysl glossy stain. I got this in the shade pink resistance (183) which is a nude pink color. This shade is the exact color of my lips so maybe that was a bad color decision, but I will do a full review on these.

Next is a hair product, the L'oreal advanced color vibrancy dual protect spray. It claims to be a heat protectant, nutrient spray and color protector in one. Now I have only really used it for one purpose so far and that's the nutrient spray. I feel like this wouldn't heat protect very well, but it does soften the hair and smells nice. As far as color protection goes, I'm not sure yet, but I am closer to my natural color so I might not be able to notice at all.

Last is not a new product, but it is my first NYX product so I included it. I got the jumbo eye pencil in iced mocha (617) and I love it already. It's great to use on the outer corners and smudge to give a little smokey look to a natural makeup day and it's perfect for lining the lashes. It stays on forever and blends easily, so this will be a new everyday staple.

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My Hair Care Routine

Todays post will be my hair care routine including cleansing/conditioning, treatments, and styling products. I'll start with shampoos. The one I use every time I wash my hair is Redken All Soft, which is my favorite shampoo because the ends of my hair are dry since I have naturally blonde hair and have to dye it a lot. This leaves my hair super soft and shiny and never weighs it down. Along with that right now I also use the Dove nourishing oil care shampoo because I'm trying to use it up. It is actually a really good drugstore dupe for the Redken shampoo. 

The conditioners I use once a week are the L'oreal excellence cream conditioners that comes with that brand of hair dye. I just save up all the little ones from boxed dyes because they work really well on dry ends or as a kind of moisturizing mask. Every time I wash my hair I use the Herbal essences honey I'm strong conditioner which is just a great hydrating conditioner that smells really good. While I have the conditioner in my hair I layer on the Garnier Sleek & Shine argan oil treatment and let those sit for 5 minutes. I just recently started doing this, and my hair has never looked better.

Last is the Redken all soft heavy cream, which I use once a week. You put it on after you've washed your hair and it is still damp, leave it on for 5 minutes (or longer if you want) and then rinse off. It leaves your hair super soft and kind of seals split ends.

Styling/Treatment products

Garnier sleek & shine anti humidity hairspray-This is one of the best hairsprays I have used because it doesn't leave your hair crunchy, works very well on rainy or humid days, and doesn't smell bad. I rely on this when it rains and I don't even have to worry that my hair will get frizzy.

John Frieda luxurious volume dry shampoo (volume refresher)-This actually has been used more than my Suave dry shampoo mentioned below, but they are both great for different reasons. This one is the kind that leaves a grey tint though. I spray this on my roots, leave it on for about 5 minutes, depending on how oily my hair is, and then ruffle my hair with my fingers and then brush it out. 

Suave dry shampoo-This was one of the first I tried because I hated the Tresemme one (it smelled so bad it made me cough). This is good for quick touch ups, as it doesn't leave a grey tint and absorbs quickly. It does smell kind of strong, but it's not necessarily a bad smell, unless you are sensitive to smell.

Tresemme 24 hour body mousse-The only mousse I have ever liked. I usually find that mousse makes my hair crunchy, or just never really does what its supposed to. This one makes your hair super big (this is the kind of stuff you can get huge Texas hair with) and doesn't make hair crunchy. 

Redken smooth lock heat glide (heat protectant)-I just recently picked this up when my hair dresser used it on me. I usually don't like heat protectant sprays, I guess because I've never found a good one. I like this idea more than a spray because it adds shine to your hair and softens it all while protecting it. 

John Frieda straight answer straightening spray-I have naturally wavy hair, so I have to use a spray like this when I blow dry my hair. You just spray it throughout your hair, comb it through, and blow dry. My hair actually stays straight for two days when I blow dry with this stuff. It also stands up to humidity and rain well. Even if you have straight hair, this is still a great product just to make your hair smooth when you blow dry.

Garnier triple nutrition nutrient spray-This is actually the first hair product that I have used the whole bottle of, that's how much I love it. I used the it's a 10 spray before but it was super expensive ($16 for a tiny bottle that ran out fast). So I tried the drugstore counterpart, and it's even better! I use this when my hair is damp and I just spray it on the ends and ruffle my fingers through to distribute it; or I use it on the ends of my hair when I put it up in a bun at bedtime, so I wake up with nice smooth waves.

Well that was a huge post, but those are my favorite hair products. Let me know what your's are in the comment section :)

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Favorite Lip Products

Today I'm going to post about my favorite lip products. These are all products that I use on an everyday makeup looks, so no bold lipsticks or anything like that, just basic colors and glosses. 

The first is the Benefit ultra shines lip gloss in life on the a list, a nude pinky color. Benefit says "drench your lips in brilliant shine and a burst of juicy color that's never sticky," which I whole heatedly agree with. This gloss is never sticky and stays on for quite a while, while giving a good dose of color, especially for a nude shade. 

Next is a new favorite which is the NP Set (target) lip balm in baja, a pinky red color. This basically a tinted lip balm in a tin instead of tube. It has a great texture and buildable coverage, so you can do a little tint of red, or a full on red lip. This is also great to put over/under other red lipsticks to give them staying power. It has no shimmer and lasts for a couple hours. 

Revlon color stay mineralize lip glazes in perennial pink (538) and timeless nude (512), are great long lasting glazes. They go on smooth, aren't drying and last forever. They lasted through a whole night from about 5pm to 1am, when I asked a friend if my lipstick was still on she said it still looked perfect, and it did! They have a bit of a shimmer to them, but its not noticeable except to give more shine. Perennial pink is a great natural but still a little bold pink and Timeless nude is a perfect natural lip color nude. 

Two Nivea products are my favorites which are the Kiss of Shine lip gloss and Kiss of mint & minerals lip balm. The Kiss of shine lip gloss is a perfect everyday or "no makeup" look. It isn't sticky, lasts for a while and adds just a little bit of nude color and gloss. I have used it in place of lip balms if I forget them and it works just as good if not better at moisturizing. The Kiss of mint & minerals lip balm is verily new and I have already used up 4 of them in the last couple of months, that's how great they are. I have one in my purse, one in my makeup drawer and others scattered around and I always use them. Definitely a great basic lip balm and I will continue to buy it. 

Last but not least is Revlon super lustrous lipstick in just enough buff (613). A perfect "your lips but better" lipstick. These lipsticks have great staying power, coverage and are super moisturizing. As you can see in the swatch below it is a basic nude with no shimmer. It matches almost every natural lip color or within a shade, but even if its not the right tone nude for you, it's still a great lipstick in general. 

Swatches from left to right:

Benefit lip gloss in life on the a list, NP set lip balm in baja, Revlon colorstay mineral lipglazes in timeless nude and perennial pink, Nivea kiss of shine lip gloss, and Revlon super lustrous lipstick in just enough buff

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New skincare products

My skin tends to go a bit crazy in the winter, so I decided to try out some new products. I'd been meaning to get the Clarins stuff for a while and just never got around to it and the others were just on a whim purchases.
First off with the Mario Badescu hydrating moisturizer, I got a sample of this when I bought the glycolic acid toner and loved it, so I bought full size. This is a good morning moisturizer because it's not very heavy but still hydrates your skin.
The next moisturizer is the Avene hydrance optimale riche creme moisturizer, which I got as a night cream because my skin had been very dry. I was worried this might be a little too heavy, but it's perfect. It's not a very big bottle for the price ($28) but you don't need a lot and it works so well, so I think it's worth it.
The Clarins Pure Melt cleansing gel, this is a raved about product and I figured I'd try it since I've only been using the Philosophy purity wash and wanted to try something new. I'm really excited to try this and hope it's as great as it seems.
Next up is the Clarins lotus face treatment oil. I'd been meaning to buy a face oil for a while now and decided on this one because I heard it helps calm your skin and helps with breakouts, which I tend to get in the winter.
Now on to the little samples I got! With my Mario Badescu order I got the Carnation Eye makeup remover oil, which is a great product. I used it the first night I got it and I don't think i'll be going back to my old Almay remover. This got everything off, even waterproof mascara, in two seconds. It's not greasy and doesn't leave a film, and is very moisturizing. I got some other little samples but haven't had a chance to test them out yet.
With my Clarins order I got the Bright Plus intensive brightening smoothing serum, multi active day early wrinkle correction cream, and UV plus day screen high protection. I haven't tried these out but when I do I'll post a review.

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Everyday Makeup (eyes)

As continuation of a previous post about everyday makeup, here is my top eye products that I reach for everyday.
First up is the Urban Decay Naked Palette, obviously this has a huge following and for good reason! It has every neutral shade you could need, matte and shimmer. I mix Virgin and Sin as a base color and add either Toasted or Smog to my lash line/crease, I'll do a tutorial on this later.
Another eyeshadow palette is the Maybelline eye studio eye palette in copper chic (70) which has similar colors to the naked palette but they have more red tones in them. They are very shimmery but it's not an intense shimmer, just a pretty one. The first color is a great highlight under the brows or in the corner of the eyes, or you can mix it with one of the others to make a great base.
The mascaras I have been reaching for are the Lancome Definicils, which is a sample but I fell in love with it and am planning on getting full size. It gives great dramatic coverage and curls lashes very well, doesn't smudge and stays all day.
Maybelline falsies, which was in my drugstore favorites, is a great dramatic drugstore mascara. I would say it is very similar to the Lancome one, but is a little bit more clumpy so you have to work with it.
Almay get up and grow waterproof is a great natural mascara. It holds curl, gives natural coverage that lasts all day and doesn't clump.
The eyeshadow primer I swear by is the Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion. It makes eyeshadow look so much better and keeps it on all day so it is a must in my routine.
The eyeliner that I have recently fallen in love with is the Pixi endless silky eye pen. I finally caved and got this while I was at Target and I regret not buying it sooner. It goes on so smooth and is easily blendable. I don't really like harsh liner or graphic liners so I tend to put a little on and smudge it into my lash line. This liner is a bit heavily pigmented so use a light hand and smudge it in and it will look great!

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Makeup Expiration

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Here's going to be a little rant post about expired makeup. So we all know makeup will have little symbols that say something like 6M. 12M, 26M, etc telling you when that product is good until. Now cosmetic companies are required now to let you know how long a product is good for after you open it but they make it difficult. Most people don't really pay attention to when they should throw out makeup, either they lose track or think that it really doesn't matter. Hint: It does matter! Things like liquid foundation or concealer don't last as long as powder formulations and also carry more germs because you may be using your fingers to put them on. Mascara and eye products should be thrown out if you ever get an eye infection (pink eye or something else), also most eye products are only good for 6-12 months, especially mascara, which dries out very quickly. There are little batch codes on the bottom or side of most products which are the equivalent of an expiration date because they tell you when the product was manufactured. You could go into a store and buy an expired product that looks new but has been sitting around for forever. The website checkcosmetic.net is a great place to check if your makeup is expired. I've been trying to clean out my stash because I have had a lot of stuff for a while. I checked on this website and lo and behold the stuff I was planning on throwing out because the formulation had changed or it just wasn't applying the same, were expired! Expired makeup can make you break out or even cause infections, so get on it girls and check your makeup!

Here's the link again: www.checkcosmetic.net

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Everyday Face (Base + Cheeks)

I haven't been able to post in a while thanks to being extremely busy during the holidays. Our house is getting remodeled and I've been trying to keep up with wrapping presents and cards and all that stuff, but I finally got some free time!
These are the products I use basically everyday, not including eye makeup and the sort.
First off is Garnier skin renew bb cream, I mentioned this in my last post and said it was a least favorite of mine but since then I have changed my mind a bit and have realized that it works better as a base/primer which makes it possible to use less foundation. I'm trying to use it up but it is growing on me.
Next is foundation if I feel I need more coverage, Neutrogena healthy skin liquid foundation is a holy grail one for me, it isn't heavy but provides enough coverage so skin looks flawless, and it also lasts all day!
Maybelline super stay 24 hour concealer was mentioned in my last post as a dupe for MAC pro longwear and it does its job.
If I'm looking a little pale I'll use MAC powder blush in harmony as a bronzer all over my face. It's light enough so you can dust it all over and you won't look to dark, or you can use it on your cheeks and it looks like blush. It brightens your face significantly so it's great for "no makeup" days.
The blush I use almost everyday, that I'm about to hit pan on is Josie Maran blush in passion. It is a super natural buildable blush that lasts all day and is highly pigmented.
Last but not least is MAC pressed blot powder to use on areas where foundation or concealer might wear off easier. The shades for these powders really don't match the names because I got matched to medium dark and I was like "oh wow that sounds really dark" but its the second lightest one they have. So I recommend you buy these in the store because the shades are deceiving! This powder isn't cakey or heavy and doesn't dry your skin out, which most powders do on me.

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Revlon lip butters

These were so raved about when they came out that I bought almost every color, but these are my top three.
The Revlon lip butters are more like a lipstick than a lip balm as they are marketed as. They have great pigmentation, a wide range of colors, and never feel dry or cake off. Some people complain that they don't last very long, but on me they last a long while and it's even tough to get them off with makeup remover. I don't really lick my lips a lot and I always use a straw when I drink, so that could be why.

From left to right: Sweet tart, tutti frutti, candy apple

I tried the new L'oreal caress lip butters after I tried these and the Revlon ones just top every other tinted balm I have used. Sweet tart looks like a hot pink in the tube, but when you put it on it is a little bit darker than normal lip color and just adds a perfect pop of color. Tutti frutti is good for warmer months when skin is darker, I also find that it looked better on me when I had blonde hair versus my light brown hair now. Candy apple is a cherry red that would look gorgeous on any skin tone/hair color. All in all these are great lip butters and everyone should own some, especially if you don't usually go for lipstick because it's either drying or doesn't last.

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