Drug Store Lips!

Hello Friends!

Over the last few months, I've been exploring different lip glosses and lip sticks. When I first started wearing makeup, I was all about lip gloss, but slowly my focus shifted to the eyes, and i fell in to a lip product rut. That's all changed now! Here's the lip products I've been using lately. Note: My lips tend to be quite dry, and all of these products work well for me.

This is the Covergirl LipPerfection lip color in 325, Spellbound ($5-8). (Note to my UK readers- I'm sure some of you know this, but Covergirl is the US equivalent to MAX Factor) I've been seeing this color a lot, and I thought it was time to give it a try.

 It's so fresh for spring! It's so vibrant and intense. I'm very pleased with the wear and the staying power of this stuff (it's also very moisturizing).  Unfortunately, those factors add up to  lip color that stains any and EVERY thing. Here's what it looks like after it was on my arm for 10 minutes, and removed with makeup remover.

Staining that quickly, you can imagine what can happen when you've worn it for hours. The first time I wore it, I had a few dry patches on my lip, and, even after I did a sugar lip scrub, I had fuchsia patches for two days! *sigh* I also recommend applying with a brush, since it does stain, so any mistakes are hard to hide. Staining aside, I really love this product. I'll be on the lookout for a dupe that doesn't stain, though!

This is Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in 006, Pink Blush ($4.92). I think Rimmel lipsticks are such a great value for your money. They wear very smoothly! I like this shade for spring as well (can you tell it's on my mind? Spring comes slowly in the Pacific North West!)

It's really a lovely petal color. It's an eight hour wear, but I'd think it was closer to 6, which still isn't bad. My only complaint is that if you have any rough spots, it really... clumps up, for lack of a better word. Otherwise, I'm happy with it.

Kate Moss has joined with Rimmel to design a new line lipsticks ($5.19). They're 8-hour long wear (and I think that's actually accurate) and infused with black diamonds to reflect light. I really like that, since it's reflective without being shimmery.

I picked up number 008 (they're not named, as far as I can tell). It looks a lot oranger in the picture, but it's a really nice neutral. My lips are naturally quite pigmented, so it looks really natural on me. I like it!

Now, for my very favorite- L'Oreal Colour Riche Wet Shine Stain ($9.99, but I got mine on a Buy-one-get-one half off sale with a $2 coupon!) I found out recently that L'Oreal owns the YSL makeup line, and according to beauty gurus, it's almost an exact duplicate of their Rouge Por Courture Glossy Stain ($34). It even has the same applicator- almost a heart shape.

 I've been really impressed by this line. I first purchased 184 Rose On and On (the middle shade in the picture above), which I liked so well (and which Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter has also reviewed here), that I went and bought two more, 188 Coral Tattoo (top), and 183 Pink Resistance (bottom). The shades are swatched in the same order below.

This stuff is FABULOUS! The color is intense, but sheer at the same time, if that makes sense. It lasts like a stain, but wears like a non-sticky gloss- perfection. I applied this at 4 pm today, went to dinner, and now, at 11:30 pm, it has just begun to fade, so I'd say it has six solid hours of good color. Also... Remember the one above that stains? This one actually is a stain. This is after... MAYBE five minutes.

Anyway, these are my favorites! What color(s) have been you been loving this spring?

Always,

Nani xx

I (re)Discover Drugstore Makeup!

Hello Friends!

Okay... Confession time:

I am a makeup snob. I never use drugstore makeup.

I don't mean sometimes, occasionally, every once in a while... I mean never.

When I was first allowed to wear makeup, my mom insisted that I only use Clinique, since sensitive skin runs in our family. This did two things. Firstly, it allowed her a high level of control over what makeup I owned, since, at twelve, there was no way I could afford to buy it (good thinking, Mom!). Secondly, it instilled the "you get what you pay for" value very deeply into my soul.

Once we determined that I wasn't allergic to most makeup, I was allowed to buy drugstore brands (still with Mom's supervision, thank goodness... although, there was that hideous electric blue mascara... but I digress). Since at that point, most of my money was from babysitting jobs (and I was a young teen), I gravitated to the cheaper, teen-oriented brands, like NYC and Jane. (the culprits behind the shocking mascara)

I liked the drugstore makeup, but I could feel the difference. The Clinique was smoother, had more pigment, and lasted longer... but the NYC was so much cheaper.

This carried on until I was 15, when we got a mini-Sephora in a larger department store in our mall. There were (in my mind) so many brands, and so many colors.. and they encouraged -or helped (!!)- you to try it out! I was in heaven. Then, a few months later, the mothership landed. We got our very own GIANT Sephora store.

Since then, I have rarely bought makeup anywhere else. It's an addiction. You've had the best, and it cost $39, so how could a $7 product compete?

Well... Here's where it gets real:

I have never found a foundation that I liked for more that a few months. I always find something wrong with it- wrong color, wrong texture, didn't last long enough (I'll never forget coming out of class with a perfect hand print of makeup missing my freshman year... yikes!)- there will be something. When you're paying $20-40 for foundation, switching every few months really adds up!

So when my latest foundation purchase, the new Make Up Forever Pro Finish powder (see my initial review of it here), ended up disappointing me after only a few weeks, I snapped.

I bought drugstore foundation.

And yeah- I only only spent $7 on it. And I LOVE it.

No, it's not the perfect foundation. No, it's not an exact match. But it's pretty darn close. SO. without further ado, I give you my new foundation:

Rimmel London Match Perfection Foundation, in 120 Ivory (about $7 at Target).

After doing some research (read: watching Youtube reviews), I had decided on the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation, but I'm pretty sure we don't have that here in the US, so I settled on this one. 

Application:
The first thing I noticed about the foundation was it's smell- it's fruity, and really pleasant. It's a thin, liquid foundation, which goes on really smoothly with a "precision"/beautyblender type sponge. I haven't tried it with a stipple brush yet, but I'm intrigued to see how that goes.
Like I said, it goes on smoothly, and, maybe because it's so thin, it layers really well. 

Wear:
When it first goes on (at least on oily skin like mine), it's almost... sticky. Not like honey... more... tacky. I really dislike that, but with a light dusting of setting powder, that goes away, and doesn't come back.
It doesn't last very long on it's own, maybe 6 hours, but with powder, and especially with a setting spray, it can last close to 12 hours. 

Removal:
This is my only concern with this foundation. Not that it's hard to take off, but the opposite. If you leave it on for a long time, like I do, then it can kind of disappear into your face, and lull you into complacency with your removal process (it's gotten me twice!). Always, ALWAYS remove your makeup before bed or a shower!


Anyway, I love the foundation, and now that I've broken down my prejudice, I went back for more. Today I went back to Target and picked up three lipsticks for spring! (Review to come!)

All this to say... Don't rule out anything completely.

Always,

Nani <3