Brush Cleaning!

Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while! I haven't has as much time to myself lately, but that will not stop me. 

Anyway, here's my recepie for an easy DIY brush cleaner and how I clean my brushes. 

      All you'll need:

• Dish soap
• Olive oil 
• Plate 
• Paper towel 
• Dirty brushes

1. Pour the soap and the olive oil onto the plate, about equal amounts. 
2. Wet your brush
3. Dip it into the mixture
4. Swirl it around on the plate until you can see the makeup on the plate 
5. Rinse off your brush making sure you get all the soap off 
6. Squeeze the brushes into the towel and lay flat to dry 

Depending on how many brushes you have and how dirty they are, you will have to remake the mixture on the plate a few times because your plate will be dirty.

The method behind the madness: 

The dish soap is antibacterial, so it removes all of the makeup and germs from the brushes, but can also strip your brushes. The olive oil acts as a conditioner to keep the brushes soft. Just think of it as your hair, it's the same concept. 

CVS Haul!

While checking quickly through the Sunday paper, I found some REALLY good coupons to CVS, so I decided to take advantage of that and pick up a few things over the weekend. 

#1: Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Pencil in 005 Nude

$4.49 - CVS

I had heard a few good things about this eyeliner so I had to test it out for myself. Never trying a nude eyeliner before, I thought this would be great for highlighting and lining my waterline. This is a regular pencil liner, I wish it would be automatic, but that's just my preference.

Regardless, this is the BEST drugstore liner I've ever used. This is so creamy and glides and so smooth without having to apply pressure. It dries pretty quickly and does not smudge for anything. Also, this is very waterproof, so you don't have to worry about that. 

#2: Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in 255 Jam Twist

$8.99 - CVS

Being a lover of these moisturizing, pigmented balms, I had to get another. This is my third one of these and I wanted to get a deeper color that is more acceptable for the fall time. (Besides my 3 coupons for Covergirl it was also buy 1 get 1 50% off soooo...) But, expecting this to be the deep oxblood/ purple color that it showed on the packaging, 

I was disappointed when it was a dark fuchsia and pretty sheer. It's still an ok color and I'll still wear it, I was just expecting a bit more color.

#3: Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Perfume

$12.99 - CVS

A LOT of people love this perfume and when I saw it at CVS for my "Pick 3" I was astonished. I didn't even know CVS sold high end perfume.... Am I late on this? I mean I've spent about half of my life in that store, but I guess it was never really what I was looking for, so I was always indifferent about it. This perfume smells sweet, with a little bit of flowery, and a tiny hint of musky. It. Smells. So. Amazing. After my 5ml sample is done, I may have to find a way to buy the $90 full size... Anyway, I love this and the scent lingers all day. The scent description form the website is "With top notes of wild berries and juicy mandarin, gently tempered with honeysuckle, gardenia, and jasmine. Underlying it are all warm tones of amber, caramel, vanilla, sandalwood, and praline." If thats not enough to win you over, the packaging is so cute and girly. 

#4: Covergirl Lipslicks Smoochies Lip Balm in 210 #c u l8r

$5.99 - CVS

When looking at these prior to this visit to the store, I always just cringed and walked away. Nothing ever attracted me to them or made me want to get them. After heearing countless good reviews about these, I just gave in and decided to try something new. (I also needed another Covergirl product to get my 50% off so there was really nothing to lose.) This lip balm is super moisturizing, which is a big plus. This color is very pearly and glowy; it can be sheer, or built up to an opaque-ish pearly mauve- pink. Also, this smells like Jolly Ranchers, lollipops and all things sweet and sugary. I'm so so happy I tried this out, Covergirl is really impressing me lately! 

Drugstore Pick 3 & Reviews: August

I thought it would be nice to try out a fun little series on my blog, and what's more fun than makeup shopping? For this post, I went to the drugstore, not knowing exactly what to get, picked up three products and reviewed them. I'm thinking of doing these once a month. 

Rimmel- Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipstick in #11
$5.49 - CVS
✰✰✰

I've recently been looking at the Kate Moss lipsticks for a while, never being able  to find a color I particularly liked. When I saw this color at a quick run to the drugstore a few days ago, I was very drawn to it.

When looking at the actual lipstick, it looks like a dark red/ burgundy color which I really enjoy for the fall season. When swatted, it remains pretty true to the actual color. The color in the picture is a little off (It's actually much darker). The finish is shiny and glossy and the lipstick glides on very smoothly. The color is pretty buildable; when worn over a balm, it comes out pretty sheer but with enough swipes of this, you can get a really dark and pretty burgundy color. Its also pretty moisturizing, but I would still recommend wearing a bit of lip balm underneath it so your lips don't dry out.

One more thing... as soon as I opened this I noticed that this lipstick had a particular scent, which smells pretty strongly like artificial berries and a little bit like medicine, which is gross. The smell ruined a great possible product for me. Because of this, I will not use this lipstick. I'm not sure I can get past this. By the way, I asked other people to smell it, so its not just me.

Besides the smell, this is a pretty good product. I would definitely recommend smelling it in the store before spending your money on this.

Hi again! I'm trying this lipstick on the next day, and it doesn't smell bad once you put it on. Still berry sweet, but no medicine. I'm raising it to three stars because it really is a gorgeous cool toned red velvet color. Another downside to this is that is gets everywhere! It some how managed to make its way onto my hands and computer screen. I probably will end up giving this another shot.
~xo   

NYC- Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny
$2.79 - CVS
✰✰✰✰
I had been looking for a good bronzer for a contour and decided on this one after my last drugstore bronzer which was a huge failure. I had heard many good things about this bronzer prior to buying it today.

This bronzer is completely matte and is amazing to contour. When I first opened, looked, and swatched it I was really upset because I thought it would be too light on my olivey skin tone. When I attempted to swatch this on my hand, it blended right in to my skin, hence the lack of swatch. When I took my brush and contoured my face with this, it was subtle, but looked amazing! I am so impressed with this. This bronzer would work for olive skin and anything lighter. You can use this as an allover tan or as a contour. Especially for the fall time, I tend to shy away from shimmer on the face and go for a more matte look, so this is great for that. 

This is a great product for the fall time, or any time you need a little bronzing. I will get a lot of use out of this product for sure, and the price is great. 

Physician's Formula Organic Wear Fake Out Mascara
$8.79 - Target
✰✰✰✰
One of the reasons I picked up this product was because Physician's Formula is not normally a brand that I search if I'm popping into the drugstore. The other is that there was a great deal on it. If you happen to be at CVS, all Physician's Formula is buy $10 and get $6 extrabucks. You're welcome ;) This product is a bit more on the expensive side, which is why I was never really looking to get it but since I was getting something out of it, I thought, "Why not?" 

This mascara is organic as it says in the name. It helps if you have easily irritated eyes or skin. This mascara will probably be my go to during Spring allergy season. This mascara is  worked really well from the first application. It lengthened and curled my lashes adding volume and definition. i had to comb them out a little, but that didn't bother me too much. I think this mascara would be great for layering with others because it doesn't make your lashes crispy and hard. 

Overall, I really like this product because it applies beautifully and gives my lashes an amazing affect and doesn't make them clumpy. 

Drugstore Dupe: Stila Smudge Pot & Maybelline Color Tattoo

When shopping for makeup, some people think, "The more expensive, the better it is, right?" 

Not necessarily! Despite what people may believe, you can find some real gems at the drugstore. 

        Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten & Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige                                                    

$20 - Stila                                 $5.94 - Target

Let's take a closer look at these two  cream eyeshadows. The packaging is the same, with different labels, placed in thick glass jars with black lids. They have the same amount of product in each jar (.14 oz/ 4g). Both are also made in the USA. When touched and swatched, both have a creamy, easy glide on formulation. The Stila Smudge Pot feels more densely packed and the Maybelline color tattoo, more plush. 

When swatched, the two look very similar. The Maybelline Color Tattoo is more glowy and shiny, but the Stila smudge pot is more sparkly. Because of the slightly different formulation, the Maybelline Color Tattoo applies a little thicker. I left the swatches on my hand for the rest of the day, and they have the exact same staying power.

The Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige is a great dupe for the Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten. The packaging, color, and formulation are very similar, and is almost as good of quality.

Disclaimer: These are in fact my pictures, I recently changed the name of my blog.

Review: L'oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara

 $4.67- Sears
 ✰✰✰

This is a product that I had been curious about for ages, but couldn't find it when I looked for it at the drugstore. I was extremely interested in its unique wand shape and wanted to know if this would work for me. I found this product at Five Below, but I can't guarantee that they have it because it is not on the website.  

• When first taken out of the tube, there is extra product on the wand which you should wipe off to prevent clumps and mascara getting on your face.
• The application is standard, combing the wand through your lashes and separating any clumps that are produced. I would have to say this mascara clumps a little, but most can be separated easily. 
• The shape of this wand is great for reaching stubborn inner and outer lashes that refuse to be touched by other mascaras. This mascara also curls your lashes quite a bit. 
• When applying this, some product did get on my eyelid, but was easily removed using just a tissue.     

  

This mascara lengthened my lashes a great deal. My lashes were very curled and I did not use an eyelash curler. It reached my short inner lashes, and my outer lashes, which I can never get product on. They are slightly clumpy, but  that can be easily fixed with a lash comb.

Overall, I do like and would recommend this product. The only downsides would be the excess product when the mascara is opened and small bit of clumping. Otherwise, this is a great product and I may add it to my mascara routine! 
 

Top 5 Lip Balms and Moisturizers

When your lips are dry, chapped, and in need of some severe assistance, these are five of my go to lip products that will help you out. 

#5: Maybelline - Baby Lips
These lip balms give your lips the hydrated feel that they crave. If you're looking for a tinted lip balm, or a clear glossy stick, both of those are accomplished with this line. The sweet, fresh smell and sheer wash of color are the perfect combination, along with soft lips.
Pictured: Cherry Me, Peppermint (spf 20), Grapevine, Quenched (spf 20), Peach Kiss, Pink Punch
$2.99 - Target 

#4: Sun Bum - SPF 30 Lip Balm
Besides the fact that these are SPF 30, which is always a plus for the warmer months, these ultra moisturizing balms smell and taste amazing. This may just be me, but I hate the taste of lip balms with sunscreen in them and although they have a very high spf they have no traces of sunscreen taste.
Pictured: Mango and Coconut
$3.99 - Sunbum

#3: EOS - Smooth Sphere Lip Balm
One of the reasons so many people love these is their packaging, but that is definitely not all that you are getting from the cute lip balms. The smooth formula, easy application and incredible moisture forces you to buy every flavor.
Pictured- Summer Fruit, Medicated Tangerine, Lemon Drop (spf 15) , Passion Fruit, Strawberry Sorbet
$2.99 - Target

#2: Nivea - Lip Butter
Not knowing much about the brand, I was reluctant to purchase this, but I'm so happy that the curiosity dragged me in. The creamy formula actually does feel like what its called... butter. This is amazing for chapped lips or overnight repair. If the idea of smooth lips alone won't get you to use this, the smell and taste of it will.
Pictured: Caramel Cream Kiss
$3.99- CVS

#1: MAC - Lip Conditioner
This product may be considered a bit of a splurge for some, but it is worth is without a doubt. The product smells sweet and gets its job done quickly. With a non greasy petroleum based formula, this glides on and sinks into the lips leaving them feeling supple and silky.
$15- MAC