I'M BACK!!!! And ALSO...Drugstore Products I LIKE BETTER than the high end stuffs :)

HELLO ALL!!!

Gosh it feels good to be back on our blog!!!!! I'm so sorry I've been away for awhile, but life has been nuts---as I'm sure you all understand!!

I got to thinking, in my (ahem) not so brief absence, that I have so many friggin products in my makeup bags that are either straight up dupes or BETTER VERSIONS of high enders I own. So I thought I'd do a little video post for you guys and let you see for yourselves. ENJOY!!!!

Skin Winning

Hello, lovelies!

I am a BIG believer that healthy skin = beautiful skin. The better care you take of your skin, the less product you end up needing (of course, there are exceptions: acne, rosacea, etc.)! 

My all time favorite skincare line is Clinique's 3 Step system. 

Remember how Proactiv had the 3 step system, too? Clearly, I think they're on to something. Cleansing first, followed by an astringent/toner to remove any remaining gunk, makeup, dirt, etc., is a great combo for getting squeaky clean skin. Of course, all of this should be followed by a moisturizer so you don't completely strip your skin of oils and moisture. 

The problem with the Clinique thing is that, while it's lovely and nearly-perfect, it's PRICEY. I asked Santa for it, and that's how I get it every year, because if I have to shell out $50-$60 for SKIN SOAP...ain't nobody got time for that!

Luckily, I have a backup plan made entirely of drugstore products that works JUST as well. Behold!

For skincare, I've found that Clean & Clear works better for me than Neutrogena, Cetaphil, or any of the other pricier drugstore brands. They have a TON of different cleansers, so if you have any kind of oily skin, chances are you can find a product that'll work for you. 

Witch hazel is probably my all-time favorite skin product. It's a wonderful, natural astringent and is awesome for all skin types. My father has used it as aftershave for years, I routinely apply it on sunburns (when I get them), and I'll even skip my Clinique toner in favor of witch hazel if I'm having a sensitive skin day. It's absolutely MARVELOUS, and you can find it for about $2-$4. If you don't have any, GO GET SOME. 

And lastly, I've realized that the Garnier Moisture Rescue Gel-Cream is an almost dead-ringer-dupe for the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisture Gel. But it's a fraction of the cost! It has a really nice, cooling feel, and a whipped gel texture, which makes it perfect for hot summer nights (don't even pretend like it's not 87 degrees in the shade, come on now). It's a very lightweight moisturizer, which makes it perfect for people with oily skin. 

All that said, this is what works for MY skin. You could have oily skin like mine, and these products might not work for you, but I just wanted to share my favorite (splurge!) and what works just as well (save!). Also, bear in mind, if you have combination or dry skin you'd want to use different products. Clinique will screen you for your skin type and customize their 3 step system for you and your skin. You should probably do the same thing with drugstore products. Dry skinned people want to AVOID Clean & Clear (or anything with Salicylic acid) and would probably do well to find a heavier moisturizer. Witch hazel will work for EVERYONE, though! 

Here are a few products I use regardless of what skin cleansing system I'm using, just to supplement:

Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub: a great exfoliating scrub that I use a couple times a week.

Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer: I'll use this in the mornings. It's a great base for my makeup, has SPF 30 (!!!) and doesn't have the greasy, heavy feel of sunscreen. Plus, it smells nice! 

Freeman Anti-Stress Dead Sea Minerals Facial Mask: it draws out dirt and crud that's deep in pores, is a fun blue color, and rinses away leaving skin feeling PERFECT. It's pretty affordable, too! I use it about once a week (if I remember). 

And always remember to take off your makeup before bed! Even if you're three sheets to the wind, JUST DO IT. It's so incredibly unhealthy for your skin to sleep in makeup. If you don't believe me, just Google it (and hope to God you don't have a strong gag reflex). 

So, what skin products do you use? Did you find this at all useful/relevant? Let us know if you have any questions or comments! And thanks for stopping by! 

Sensational skincare, 

Mary

Save green on Lumene!

Hey guys!

I'm currently working on a post all about skincare (!!!), but in the meantime, I wanted to share something awesome with you!

Walgreens just released their new Summer Savings coupon booklet, available in stores, and while there are LOADS of incredibly useful coupons on all kinds of products (even everyday stuff like paper goods and groceries...CHECK IT OUT!), my absolute favorite was a $4 OFF coupon for any Lumene product!

Now, if you're unfamiliar, Lumene is a Finnish cosmetics/beauty company that specializes in all-natural, and mostly organic skincare. Their stuff is really nice, and usually a bit costly, but getting $4 off is a great way to splurge and try something! 

Their BB Cream got rave reviews on Makeup Alley, and I tried it. I have to say, I loved the formulation: creamy, silky finish, medium buildable coverage...only the shades SUCKED! It only comes in Light and Medium, and apparently my vampire skin is lighter than Light. Go figure! But other than that, I loved it! So if you're looking to hop aboard the BB cream bandwagon, and have light to medium skin, I definitely recommend it. It's one of the better ones I've tried! 

Anyway, rush yourselves down to your local Walgreens and get one of their coupon books! And if you're not a member of their rewards program, I highly suggest you sign up. They actually GIVE you rewards (unlike other so-called "rewards programs") that can add up to major savings! 

Super savings!

-Mary

E.L.F. lip magic

Hello, dearest readers!

We want to apologize for the lack of regular updates lately. Real life sometimes gets in the way of doing more fun things, like makeup tutorials and product reviews! But as always, we want to thank our readers and followers for your ongoing support. You're the best!

I'm here to review a few products from ELF. ELF (Eyes Lips Face) is one of the leading budget cosmetics companies, with many of their products costing between $1-$5 (!!!) and having widely known distribution places, such as K-Mart, Sears, and Target. 

Now, I've tried and LOVED ELF's brushes and eye shadows, but I had never tried any of their lip products. So on a whim, I ordered 4 fun lip things from ELF's website and I wanted to review them for you!

1. Essential Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick - $2

So, I ordered this product because I've been eyeing the chubby sticks from Clinique for ages but can't justify the price tag. So I figured I'd give this a shot and see what I thought. I got the shade Coco Loco, and I have to be honest: it's almost so sheer that nothing shows up. I apply it with a really heavy hand, and it looks like I have almost no discernible color on my lips apart from a sheer, sparkly gloss. The texture is nice--it's not sticky or thick. I'm not sure if it's just the color I got, or if the color payoff for all of them would be so unimpressive. Overall, I'm glad it only cost $2 and would maybe try one more shade to see if it would make a difference. Otherwise, I wouldn't repurchase. 

2. Mineral Moisturizing Lip Tint - $3

I got this because I am pretty much addicted to tinted balms (see my review on the Revlon Lip Butters!). The shade I ordered was in Guava, and it's a nice peachy-pink color. Is it super moisturizing? No, not really. It goes on, lasts, and has the color payoff that you'd expect from a lower-end tinted balm. The color is pretty, but it lasts such a short time. I do like the packaging, though. It's slim enough to fit nicely into a pocket for on-the-go touch ups. That being said, again, I don't think I was madly impressed with it enough to reorder. I still use my Baby Lips more than this one. 

3 and 4. Essential Lipstick - $1 each

This was my favorite of the three products I ordered. I actually really like the texture of these lipsticks (really silky, not sticky at all), the color payoff is decent considering they're ONE DOLLAR, and they came in a plethora of shades. I ordered the shades Charming (#3) and Fantasy (#4), but as you can see, Charming came broken! I was really disappointed because naturally, in a huge twist of irony, that was my favorite of all the products I ordered. I attempted to fix it using like three different ideas on Pinterest, but none of them worked. So I've just been using it as is with the help of a lip brush. But darn! Because it's the prettiest color! It's a really springy-looking pink, and I don't actually have anything that's similar in my lipstick arsenal. Since it's only $1, I'll definitely reorder. Fantasy is just as nice, but it's too brown for me (it doesn't look so brown on the website!). But this was the one product I think I'll definitely reorder, and try in some more shades--they're only $1 after all! 

Swatches without flash.

Swatches with flash.

Anyway, I'm really glad I tried some of these, and it just goes to show that more expensive products don't necessarily work better than their cheaper colleagues! Have you ever tried ELF's lip products? What's your favorite? Let us know! 

Exciting ELF Endeavors!

-Mary