Put on your best face.

Hi all! 

So, I mentioned a couple posts back that I wanted to review Boots No. 7 Beautifully Matte Foundation. I'm a woman of my word, so here you go! 

That's what it looks like. It comes in a nice bottle with a pump (!!!). I love pump-able products. They just seem way more sanitary than dipping your fingers into the product. 

The formulation is great. It's nice and creamy, but it dries to an almost powder finish. It's light enough to wear in the humidity of summer, too, which I love. It doesn't migrate all over your face, and it has a nice, buildable coverage so you can go as lightweight or matte as you want.

It lasts for a good while. I'm a huge believer in setting your makeup with powder, so I always do this, but it does do a really good job of keeping skin nice and matte looking. 

No flash on left, with flash on right.

This is without any concealer or finishing powder, but it just gives you an idea of how it covers imperfections, etc. 

My only downside is that it is SPF 15, which is great, but it does give a slight white cast when photographed. But I love everything about this foundation, so that doesn't bother me in the least (besides, when you're natural skin tone is "Casper," what's a little more whiteness? Right?). 

Overall, this is an awesome foundation. I'm SO glad I discovered it and I can't recommend it highly enough! 

PS: I found this because I'm a cheapskate. I had gone to the gym, not gotten sweaty, and had errands to run but didn't want to go totally bare-faced. So I ran into Target real quick, grabbed the sampler of this, slapped it on, and fell in love. So basically I'm one of those cheap nasty girls who does her makeup at the sample counter, but IT PAID OFF, okay??

Flawless foundation, 

Mary

Summer Saviors

Hellooooo All!!!

I hope that you are all enjoying a terrific Tuesday afternoon!!! I recently read Mary's post on her Summer makeup/toiletry favorites and thought to myself: WHAT A FANTASTIC IDEA!!!!

 

Especially for our readers in awkward, ridiculous climate types---summer makeup can be tough!! Take Florida for example. During the summer months, we Floridians are likely to wake up to absurdly high temperatures. Then, at the conclusion of our days, we aren't too surprised when an insanely loud and VERY rainy thunderstorm. This happens....oh...I dunno...EVERY...FRIGGIN...DAY. As a result, if you like to doll yourself up during these cer-azzyy months...you have to learn to adjust your makeup techniques accordingly. Which brings me to:

 

MY SUMMER MAKEUP FAVORITES

 

 

FOUNDATION

 

 

I have found the Lumi True Match foundation to be the holy grail of all summer foundations. "Why?" you may ask. I'll tell you why. Because it doesn't make the worst mistake all my other foundations make in the summertime---guaranteed. The Lumi True Match does not attempt to make your skin look perfectly matte.

 

As one Floridian to another, if I see a girl at any type of outdoor, summer event who's face is perfectly matte I'm thinking she either A) did her makeup in the car on the way or B) hasn't been outside for more than five minutes yet.

 

To me, matte foundations are not a good thing for the sweaty, steamy weather that is Florida in summer. It feels way too heavy and eventually yields to looking plain greasy. Ew.

 





On the other hand, the Lumi foundation stays somewhat glossy and gives a more dewey finish. It is so awesome in the summer because it dosnt feel too heavy and it's supposed to look a little shiny. At only $12.50 it's well worth the cost, especially considering Loreal gives out $2.50 coupons all the time :)

BRONZER

 



In summer, I personally forego the blush and go for the bronzer instead. I have naturally pink cheeks, so I just try to provide a little color under the cheekbones for a more defined appearance.

Specifically, the one I love is Goddess from Wet N' Wild. As you can see, it has hints of pink and tan and so it looks really nice for a blush/bronzer. It also provides it's wearers with a touch of a glow---which looks great with the Lumi foundation. At $2.50 for a purchase price, it doesn't get much better than this.

P.S. More ivory-toned ladies (such as myself )may want to use this sparingly, and only in the summer when you are a little more tanned. It comes off a little too dark otherwise!

EYESHADOWS

 

 

It's well-known knowledge around here at budget beauty that I can't get enough of those Wet N Wild eyeshadow pallets. For $5.00 and 8 SHADOWS it's a remarkable buy!

 

But what I really love about these shadows, for summertime, is the shimmery side that looks so much more natural in summer. Just put a little on for day and then add a darker color to the browbone for night. So easy and such beautiful colors. The one pictured above is in "Petal Pusher."

 

So there you have it, just a few of my summer faves. Don't forget to keep the ideas coming about what you want to see next, as Mary and I love our readers :)

 

Until Next Time,

 

Summer Sun-sations

 

Eliz



Duel of the lashes.

Hi everyone! 

I was in Walgreens the other day and noticed they were running a buy 1, get 1 half off special on Covergirl products, so I decided to try a couple of mascaras I've been eyeing. 

So they were the Professional Super Thick Lash Mascara and the Lash Blast Fusion Water Resistant Mascara.  

(I need to gripe for a minute about the absolute stupidity of mascara names. I mean, "Super Thick Lash," "Millionize" and "Volum' Express Turbo Boost?" I mean, wtaf, guys?? Also, mascara commercials are my favorite example of sexism in the advertisement industry, but that's a rant for another day.)

Anyway, I wanted to try the Super Thick Lash because I had read that it was an affordable dupe for Tarte's Lights, Cameras, Lashes, and I'd heard good things about the other one in the beauty blogosphere, so I thought, "let's go for it." 

The Super Thick Lash worked much better in terms of separating the lashes, and it definitely held the curl better over the course of the day. The Lashblast seemed more thickening, but it didn't do much in the way of lengthening or defining.

Ultimately, if these two had a waterproof lovechild, it might be a pretty good mascara. 

Since neither is actually waterproof (the Lashblast is "water resistant"), they both smudged a bit throughout the day. The Super Thick Lash was a bit flaky by afternoon as well. 

As far as formula, the Super Thick Lash is much more liquidy, making it messier to apply. The Lashblast is a drier formula which makes it lot easier to apply, but it works so poorly that it doesn't really matter. Also, I like the traditional bristles on the Super Thick Lash better than the giant rubberized ones on the Lashblast (see pics above).

Overall, if I had to choose one, I'd choose the Super Thick Lash and just wear it on days when I only needed good lashes short term (these are not good mascaras for the 8 hour work days!). Overall though, neither of them blew my mind. 

I will say, however, that the Super Thick Lash does seem to be a good dupe for Tarte's pricier mascara. That being said, this is one of those cases where I think you get what you pay for. Tarte's is still a better mascara...I'm just not willing to shell out $20 for a tube of mascara! 

Have you tried either of these? Do you have one you recommend or would like to see tried? Let us know in the comments!

Luscious lashes, 

Mary

Hot town, summer in the city...

Hello, lovelies! 

So, as you all know, summer is HERE and it's HOT outside! As such, I find myself adjusting my beauty products to the season so my face doesn't absolutely melt off by the end of the day. I wanted to share some of my favorite summer products with you! Read on!

Boots Beautifully Matte Foundation

I'm going to do a more in-depth review of this foundation sometime in the hopefully near future, but for now suffice to say that I love it. It's a much drier formulation than most liquid foundations, which is great when the sweat starts pouring. This has been my go-to foundation since the weather got warm, and I think it'd be great for anyone with oily skin (or people who live in a swamp, like we do!). Highly recommend, you can get it at Target!

Hard Candy Sheer Envy Primer, Monistat Chafing Gel

In the sticky summer heat and humidity, primer becomes a MUST if you're going to wear foundation (or anything on your face, really). Both of these work really well to help keep makeup from sliding off your face as the day goes on, and assist in creating a matte finish. 

NYC Smooth Skin Pressed Powder, E.L.F. Matifying Powder, and Hard Candy Welcome Matte Powder

 I have used all 3 of the pressed powders above, and they all work really well to a) help keep makeup in place, and b) touch up during the day. Any pressed powder will do the job, but it helps during the summer heat to switch to more powdery formulas and save your liquids for when it cools down a bit. 

Hard Candy Blotting Papers

Blotting papers (like primer by Monistat) are one of those beauty things that are actually pretty gross. But they become an essential in the summer to keep oil at bay during the day! I've used a bunch by different brands, but don't really have a preference...I think they generally all work pretty well. But Hard Candy's hot pink packaging (and price point!) sold me! 

Rio Rumberry, "Lucky You," and Victoria's Secret Pink Beach Body Sprays

I find that most actual Eau de Parfums are wayyy too heavy to wear during the summer, so I usually opt for a  clean, floral, or tropical body spray. They're light enough to keep the fragrance from becoming too heady, but just enough to give you a nice fragrance. A lot of perfumes have body spray editions now, too, so definitely check that out if you have a signature scent. 

Dove body wash and deodorant in Cucumber & Green Tea

This is SUCH a cool, light, clean, and refreshing scent for summer! The body wash lathers up really nicely and is perfect at the end of a hot day, and the deodorant works really well, too. The scent is just really nice, and helps combat that stank-nasty "sweaty body" smell that sometimes happens in summer! 

Lush Vanilla Puff Powder

I love Lush's dusting powders, but this one is my all-time favorite. I've re-ordered it quite a few times, and it's something I can't do without during the summer! The vanilla smell is so decadent...a great, calorie-free way to indulge your sweet tooth! And I love that all their powders are talc-free, but they work really well to help absorb oil and sweat throughout the day. I can't recommend it highly enough! 

Vaseline Total Moisture Aloe Fresh Lotion

This is just a really nice, lightweight lotion that still manages to moisturize without being too heavy. I love it for after I shave, and, BONUS, it has aloe too! So if you end up getting too much sun, this feels really nice on scorched skin, too! 

So there you have some Summer Secrets from the Swamp! Do you guys have any beauty products or tips/tricks that you use to beat the heat? Let us know, and thanks for stopping by! 

Stay cool!
-Mary