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

Makeup Brush Faves Part II

Hey guys!!! I so loved Mary's post from last week!! Honestly, what is an artist without their tools?! I just had to add my own favorites, as there are so many awesome, inexpensive makeup brushes out there.

I thought it might be fun to do a breakdown or a mini review of each makeup brush, where I like to use it, and demonstrate how I use it day to day. So here it is, my video of top makeup tools!! Enjoy!!

5 Brushes That Will Change Your Life (You Can Thank Me Later)

Hey dearest readers!

After attempting 3 different videos, I realized my technical difficulties have reached Biblical curse-level, so you'll just be getting text posts from me for the time being. I'm sorry! I really do exist and do things! Luckily, sweet Elizabeth is an endless fount of ideas and brilliant videos, so keep checking out our Youtube channel!

Today, I wanted to share with you 5 makeup brushes that I find necessary for my makeup kit--I use them daily! They help with application, make your makeup appear more professional, and best of all they're AFFORDABLE. I, like every makeup junkie, wish I had an arsenal of MAC brushes. But alas, on a small income, you do what you can with what you have and luckily, the makeup industry has caught on and offers good quality products for a very fair price!

1. Handled kabuki brush. 

These are great brushes, not only for applying any kind of powder foundation or setting powder, but for BLENDING in your makeup. Usually I'll apply liquid foundation with my fingers, but afterwards, I like to take one of these guys and use small, circular sweeps to blend it all in, especially around the corners of my nose, into my hairline, and down my chin (to avoid "the line." You know what I mean!). The handles make them easy to use, and I love the dense, soft bristles. Mine are Sonia Kashuk (the pink one was a special edition for breast cancer...look for it again in October!) and EcoTools. My only complaint with the Sonia Kashuk is minor bristle fallout. If that's a major pet peeve, try the EcoTools one! It's much softer, too. 

2. Blush brush.

This is a must. You must have one. You simply must. Especially if you're using drugstore blushes, because the brushes they come with look like this:

You know the ones. They're about as big as a quarter, made of cheap plastic and terrible fibers? And HOW are you supposed to get any product onto your face without looking like a bunch of little pink lines? This is why you need a good, fluffy blush brush. The bristles should be full for good application, but not too firm or they'll move around the foundation underneath. My favorite is another of Sonia Kashuk's, but again my issue is with bristle fallout (though it's not so bad on this brush). ELF has a whole slew of makeup brushes (in the $1-$5 range!), and I have ZERO complaints with any of the ELF brushes I own. Definitely worth checking out. 

3. Eye shadow brush. 

You need this for the same reason you need the blush brush:

"This is a great idea!" said no one EVER. 

 If you get no other brushes, at least get the blush and the eyeshadow brushes! A good shadow brush will make your application SO much smoother. You can really get the whole lid, or just angle it so you get the outer corners, or use it for highlighting. I use one brush for my light colors and one for my darker ones (because I'm obsessive like that), and those two do just fine for me! Mine are from an El Cheapo brand called  Studio Tools, and they work just fine. I think I have a couple from ELF, too, and I love them just as well! 

4. Blender.

Blending your eye makeup makes such a difference, omg. I wish I could make people understand this. I think there's a common misconception that you're somehow going to rub off all your makeup if you blend, and that's just not true. It's not going anywhere. Besides, it's always easier to layer on some more product than it is to take it off! So for the love of Pete, just get a blender brush. Use it when you do more than one color on your eyelid, and be amazed. It'll make your eye makeup look so much smoother and more professional. Just do it. A decent blender brush is anything with a more conical shape and fuller bristles. Mine is from Sonia Kashuk, and I love it.

5. Smudger.

I lost my smudger once and almost cried. It was like the world had just stopped spinning because I had no idea how I was supposed to do my eyeliner anymore (I got it back though! It had fallen behind my dresser!). A smudger is basically a brush handle with a little cone-shaped sponge at the end, and you can use it to blend out your eyeliner. I LOVE this because I, unlike media-portrayed "perfect" models and celebs, can't always get my eyeliner straight on the first try. Or when I do a smokey eye, I like to have smokier eyeliner. Or when I line my bottom lashline, I don't like a Robert Smith look (no offense, man. I love you, Robert Smith, but your makeup skills leave a lot to be desired.).  I especially love this to blend out my bottom lashline, giving it a smokier look. Anyway, I can't live without mine. This one is originally from Studio Tools but I can't find it online! ELF has one for $1 though! 

So there you have it. I realize the Sonia Kashuk brushes can be a little pricier, but honestly, I probably wouldn't repurchase any of them now that I've discovered ELF's brushes! They're a fraction of the cost and as I said, I don't have any of the dreaded bristle fallout. You don't have to pay a fortune to improve the quality of your makeup application. Even if you slowly start replacing your tools, one week at a time, you'll end up with things that will make your makeup process so much easier and your looks that much more professional looking! 

Until next time, bodacious brushing!

-Mary

Wet 'N' Wild Wonder

Hello all! I hope that you guys are having a somewhat okay Monday (it is Monday after all ; ) At the start of this lovely April week, I wanted to take a minute and think back on all the awesome products I've used in my tutorials/blog posts.

Specifically, in thinking back on many of my awesome purchases, I have really been BOWLED OVER by the amazingness that IS Wet 'N' Wild products. In the past, I was seriously missing out. This brand was just something I just didn't pay much attention to as I continually proceeded to pay $10 plus for products that weren't half as good.

Thankfully, though with age comes wisdom. I recently made the switch to Wet N Wild products and I don't think there is any going back. I mean they are just so awesome. The price point is great, the quality is awesome, and even the packaging looks nice!

I really had to think hard about what my favorite products were to make the video below. It was a hard choice and now I own so much stuff from them : ) But, nevertheless, hard choices had to be made because it's our duty, as always, to make sure our readers keep on saving and loving their discount purchases.

With no further ado, I share with you my Wet N Wild faves (to date.)