I’m finally back! March was quite the busy, tiring month, but now that I am on Spring break for a week I am excited to start posting again and also getting things ready for future posts.
I also wanted to post a video to my YouTube channel so I filmed a haul that I really did a while ago. I just rounded everything that I bought back up again so I could show you! Most of the stuff (especially the clothes) were on sale and I’ve already worn and tried most items.
Enjoy the video!
In my recent post (here) I asked for suggestions for new foundation, concealer, and powder. I ended up using a foundation I already had, but I needed new concealer and powder. Some of these products I have already tried out, but not all. A video will be coming next week of me trying all of these on!
Maybelline Fit Me! Powder in 05 Fair
EcoTools Perfecting Cushion Blender
No Filter Concealer in Fair Neutral 10
Kathleen Lights Aquarius Lip Gloss
Times Infinity Set Super Shock Shadow
Let me know if you already own any of these products and what you think of them!
Here is my latest YouTube video (a day late, sorry!!) going into detail about my favorite drugstore brushes and makeup tools. Let me know what your favorite brushes are from the drugstore!
‘Tis the season where everyone wants to be showing off their toned and tanned selves. For those of us who look like we’ve been hiding in a cave all winter, self-tanner is the way to go. In this post, I go over how I self-tan. I’ve tried a few different products to self-tan and I’ll be reviewing them. All of these I’ve found at the drugstore so they are pretty inexpensive!
I tan by rubbing the product evenly (or as evenly as I can) on my legs, feet, stomach, back, arms, and chest. The areas that don’t need as much product I do last, such as my feet, knees, elbows, and hands. For my face, I mix the self-tanner with a little bit of my usual face moisturizer and apply it all over my face and neck. I do this because I think that self-tanner can be a little drying on my face without at least a little bit of the moisturizer mixed in.
I try to tan at least once a week, if not two. I’ll prepare by getting in the shower, shaving, and exfoliating my entire body with a loofah. I used to exfoliate by rubbing sea salt all over my body, but now I only do that when I get a spray tan. Every day after I self-tan I moisturize my entire body, to keep the tan as long as I can.
The first, essential, self-tanning product is a tanning mitt. I found mine on amazon and ever since I got it, my tan has been much more even and flawless than when I was using my hands. I also find that it is easier to reach my whole back with the mitt on. I use it on my whole body, except I use my hands to rub in the self-tanner on my face. Once my tan has set (a few hours), I’ll wash off the mitt with soap and water so it is ready to use next time! The product will never all come out, but it’s not completely dirty.
The first self-tanning product is Self-Tanning Towelettes from L’Oreal. A box comes with 6 single-use towelettes individually wrapped. I have mine in the shade medium bronze. Overall, I like these towelettes. They give a great, natural bronze color that is not too orange. They are also perfect for travelling because you can just throw one towelette in your bag instead of lugging around a whole bottle of self-tanner. However, because there is no bronzer in the towelette, you can’t see where you are rubbing the product. This can make your tan a bit streaky if you miss places or go over a place too much with the towelette. Definitely worth trying out if you travel a lot and can remember where you already wiped the towelette!
The second tanning product is this LA Tan Sunless Mousse. There is a lot of product in this bottle for a pretty low price. This is my least favorite of the tanning products that I own. When I rub this on my body it comes out as a dirty brown color. Also no matter how hard I try to rub it on evenly, it always leaves streaks. They come off next time you shower, but then there is little to no tan color left. Basically, a lot of effort for very few results.
The final tanning product is the first one I ever bought, and still my favorite! It is the Banana Boat Summer Color Self-Tanning Lotion. I have mine in the shade light/medium. This is always the tanner that I use on my face. The color is perfect for me, and I very rarely get streaks if I use the mitt to apply it. I am interested in trying the darker shade of tan, but for now I am very pleased with this product!
Let me know what your favorite tanning products are, I am always looking for new ones to try!
Recently I’ve been on a Wet n Wild kick. Their prices are so good and they’re an easy to find brand! I even found their products at Rite Aid for 40% off their already cheap prices. The products that I have picked up recently have been such high quality and I’ve really been impressed! Here is what I have picked up and what I have thought of the products so far.
The first item I got online on their website. It’s a contour duo that includes a contour shade and a highlight shade. I got mine in the shade Dulce de Leche. Unfortunately there are only two shade versions of the contour duo. This shade works very well on my skin tone and the powder is so fine that it is easy to blend out. I use the highlight shade to set my under eye concealer and the contour shade as a face contour. I would definitely recommend this product if you can find a shade that works for you!
Find it here: Contour Palette
I originally went into the store to get a new Maybelline FitMe concealer but I couldn’t find my shade. I still wanted a concealer so I picked up the one from Wet n Wild. It’s called their coverall concealer. The formula is very thick so if you are looking for a full coverage concealer this would be good. However, it dried so fast once I put it on my face so I had to rush to blend it in with a wet sponge. It also creased slightly throughout the day. Overall, I’m not impressed with this concealer.
Find it here: Concealer
The lipsticks were so cheap that I couldn’t resist. At Rite Aid they were 99c and then there was 40% off of that! I got mine in the shade A Short Affair and it was a silk finish lipstick. Out of all the products this was my least favorite. There was such little color payoff on my lips and hand and the product didn’t last long at all. Perhaps it would have been better with a darker shade. If you have one of these lipsticks in a darker shade, let me know!
Find it here: Lipstick
My favorite product is the Coloricon Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana. This is not a bronzer as the name implies, but in fact it is a highlight. It’s a subtle and understated highlight shade and I think it is BEAUTIFUL. It’s more of a gold highlight but there is no glitter and it just gives you a nice glow. I also think it could work well on lots of different skin tones since it is a buildable shade. Definitely recommend!
Find it here: Highlight
The last thing that I ordered was five brushes from the website. Only four were sent to me since one of them went out of stock. These brushes were so affordable, the most I paid for one was $2.99 and the eye brushes were only 99c! I loved all the ones that I purchased. I’ve already washed them and they don’t seem to be shedding. I plan on ordering the rest of them eventually!
Find them here: Brushes
The age-old debate: is high end makeup actually better than drugstore makeup? Does a more expensive price tag make a product a better buy?
There are a few things you are paying for when you buy high end makeup. You are paying for the brand, the packaging, fragrance, and (sometimes) pigmentation. These are definitely things to consider when purchasing products, but they are not the end-all-be-all.
Being a master’s student, I tend to lean more on the drugstore side of makeup. I can buy lots of products but not spend lots of money. Obviously this is the dream, especially if the quality of the product is not sacrificed. I personally think that there are lots of great products that you can find at the drugstore. Some of these products are even considered “dupes” for much more expensive makeup. You can even buy inexpensive makeup at the grocery store! Of course, not all drugstore products are great and some should be avoided, but even if you buy something awful at least you didn’t spend a huge amount of money.
Things to look for when considering purchasing a product (drugstore or high end):
Now I’m not saying that I don’t own any expensive high end products. I am a sucker for Sephora and I spend too much money there at times. However, I like to be smart about my purchases of high end products. Reviews are my best friend. Watching YouTube reviews of products can be very helpful, especially if the YouTuber has similar skin/hair to you. Allure gives reviews of both high end and drugstore products. Blogs are another place to find reviews from real people!
Let me know what your favorite high end or drugstore products are. Letting each other know what works and what doesn’t, helps everyone!
