Drugstore Beauty Finds

Maybelline Dream Cushion Fresh Face Liquid Foundation Is a Sweet Drugstore Dream

December 22nd, 2016 by Karen 13 Comments

maybelline dream cushion review — New for spring 2017: Maybelline Dream Cushion

I can’t remember the last time I had a makeup-related dream.

Or a dream where I even realized I was wearing makeup.

Can you? Have you ever had a dream where you’re putting on your makeup? I wish I did. Dream makeup… I think I’d like that.

New Maybelline Dream Cushion Fresh Face Liquid Foundation, which is coming in January in eight shades that are $16 each, has the word “dream” right in the name.

maybelline dream cushion swatches — Maybelline Dream Cushion swatches (seven of eight shades): 10 Porcelain, 15 Ivory, 20 Classic Ivory, 30 Warm Nude, 45 Medium Beige, 55 Caramel, 60 Cocoa

maybelline dream cushion 45 Medium Beige — I wear shade 45 Medium Beige

Cushion compacts like this one have been over the place lately! When you open the compact, instead of there being a pan of cream or powder, there’s a sponge pre-soaked with liquid foundation. You take a puff applicator, a Beauty Blender or a brush, dab it on the sponge, and then apply that to your face.

I haven’t tried many of them yet, but MAC Matchmaster Shade Intelligence Compact is my cushion compact holy grail at the moment. It’s $38 though. It’s lightweight, medium coverage, and it beautifully blurs my pores. And it doesn’t budge on my skin.

But I like Maybelline Dream Cushion as well.

maybelline dream cushion before after — Before (left) and after (right), wearing shade 45 Medium Beige

[Continue reading…]

The Hunt for the Frida Kahlo Nail Polishes and Lipsticks Was a Success!

December 15th, 2016 by Karen 16 Comments

I love the smell of two coats of Frida Kahlo Nail Polish in the morning (not really tho). It smells like…victory!!

Yeah, I found ’em. 🙂 Last night. They were in these random bins on the outer edge of the beauty section near the registers, of all places, at the Novato CVS!

It wasn’t a big display. It was actually semi-hidden among tiny bottles of hand sanitizer and travel-sized tins of Bag Balm (which is udder-ly fantastic, bah-dumdum!).

tiny bag balm tins — The tiniest tins of Bag Balm that I ever did see…

Thank you, girls, for helping me track these down. Your suggestion to check the availability feature on the CVS website worked like a charm. 😉 That’s definitely a tip to file away for future reference.

The store didn’t have all the colors — only four of the nail polishes and five of the lippies — and they were $8.49 each instead of $7.99 like it says on the website, but I grabbed the blue, the hot pink and the coral nail polishes and a few of the lipsticks. And because I have #noselfcontrol as it pertains to these things, I painted my fingers with two coats of the blue shade as quickly as humanly possible (although I did make it home first).

frida kahlo lipsticks — The Frida Kahlo Lipsticks!

frida kahlo nail polishes in bin — They were practically hidden in this bin

I blazed through my mani with these in my living room last night, and the room was kinda dark, so I couldn’t really see what I was doing. I also only gave my nails about 15 minutes to dry before I started doing things, so I expected my polish to look significantly worse for wear when I got up this morning, but noooo! It still looked smoother than a tabby’s tum and opaque — like a pro did them at a salon, instead of me, in my dark living room. Sweet!

Found the Frida Kahlo polishes and lipsticks at @cvspharmacy, yay! #republicnail #fridakahlo #nailpolish #bluenails #nailswatches #cvsbeauty

A video posted by Karen | Makeup and Beauty Blog (@karenmbb) on Dec 15, 2016 at 3:27pm PST

frida kahlo lipsticks in the bin — Strewn about like makeup detritus… They deserve better than this!

[Continue reading…]

ChapStick Total Hydration Moisture + Tint Is Giving Me ChapStick Nostalgia

October 26th, 2016 by Karen 20 Comments

When I was in elementary school, I wasn’t one of the cool girls. I didn’t have Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers or anything fancy like that. I had a tube of ChapStick, but believe me, for a while, that ChapStick was my most coveted possession in the whole wide world. I loved it to bits because it was as close as I was allowed to get to wearing makeup, and these new $4.99 ChapStick Total Hydration Moisture + Tints kinda make me feel the same way.

I mean, they’re totally different, but eight-year-old me probably would have passed out if I’d been given one of these, feeling like, “Oh, forbidden lipstick!”

There are three shades — Merlot, Coral Blush and Rose Petal — and they’re billed as 100% natural. I see lots of oils and butters in the ingredient list, like sunflower oil and jojoba, and I like that they’re all the way up at the top.

I wear these to work out, which is nothing compared to the glamorous ladies who go to my exercise class. They wear full-on jewelry with a full face of makeup and their hair done. I just put on a little bit of ChapStick, but it’s enough to make me not feel like death warmed over when I see myself in the mirror. 🙂

They’re very similar to Burt’s Bees, so if you like Burt’s, you might like these too.

[Continue reading…]

It’s a New Nuance Makeup Line: Nuance by Salma Hayek Revamped

September 17th, 2016 by Karen 7 Comments

nuance salma hayek — Nuance by Salma Hayek

Get up, sleepy head! It’s Caturday morning! 🙂

There’s a time to be nuanced, and there’s a time to…talk about Nuance, as in Salma Hayek’s CVS-exclusive Nuance makeup line.

If you’ve been kickin’ it at CVS lately, you may have noticed that Salma Hayek’s Nuance makeup products have a new look to them.

Nuance debuted in 2011 (remember the alien egg eyeshadow packaging?), but the color products sort of drifted away for a while… But they’re back now with new products, formulas and packaging.

The brand is all about ingredients, and some of them are exotic, especially for a drugstore brand. Salma says that the women in her family have used some of them for generations, like monoi butter (in the lipstick); cotton blossom (in the mascara and brow gel); soothing tepezchuite extract (in the night cream, anti-aging cream and skin cleanser); blue agave, a naturally moisturizing humectant (the Blue Agave hair line); mamey fruit sapote to condition hair; jojoba oil and raw honey.

The entire color line has been reformulated (but they kept the original foundation) and includes eye shadows, a cream concealer, moisturizing lipstick, brow pencil, cream illuminators and shadow sticks.

nuance salma hayek eyeshadow swatches — Endless Eye Effects Shadow Collection in Neutral Expressions 800

[Continue reading…]

Getting Fancy With the Wearable Glitter in the Sonia Kashuk Eye on Textured Nudes 4 Eye Couture Palette

May 17th, 2016 by Adia Goss 13 Comments

sonia kashuk eye on textured nudes eyeshadow palette — Wearing the Sonia Kashuk Eye on Textured Nudes 4 Eye Couture eyeshadow palette ($19.99, available at Target)

The Sonia Kashuk Eye on Textured Nudes 4 Eye Couture palette just screams “fancy night out” to me. It has a nice variety of nude colors, including four really pretty glittery shades.

The matte and satin shades have been great for everyday, but I knew that I wanted to save the glittery colors for a special event.

Like…

My mom is on the board of the Alameda Health System Foundation, which raises funds for the public hospitals and clinics in Alameda County (go, Mom!). I was going to attend the annual gala at a winery (fancy, right?), and I knew that the Sonia Kashuk Eye on Textured Nudes would be perfect.

sonia kashuk eyeshadow palette — This Sonia Kashuk Eye on Textured Nudes 4 Eye Couture palette has all of the nudes!

Nude palettes aren’t exactly uncommon, but I like how this one has three different textures. There are the matte shades for everyday blending; the satin shades are nice for easy washes of color, and the glitter shades are perfect for when you want a bit more drama.

The shadows don’t have names, but here are swatches. These are according to finish, and from bottom to top in the picture above.

[Continue reading…]

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Makeup Forever Smoky Extravagant Mascara and Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder

May 13th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 10 Comments

Makeup Forever Smoky Extravagant Mascara in Black — Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara in Black ($12)

The long-running Unsung Heroes series here on Makeup and Beauty Blog features some of our all-time favorite permanent collection products.

Price and ease of use: two of the main, biggest things I factor into my makeup buying decisions. If something is way too complicated or doesn’t apply well, I’m not going to use it. And if it’s overly pricey or not worth investing in, I’m not going to buy it, which is why I love both of the two products I’m showing you here.

I first encountered Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara a year (maybe two?) ago when it was the birthday gift at Sephora. It came in a mini version with a nude lipstick, the shade of which I can’t remember now, unfortunately. I’ve since finished the lipstick, and I’m almost done with that particular mascara, but I also have a second one that I keep in my purse.

This mascara has served me SO well. The mini one has been perfect for my purse (and, let’s be honest, I kind of love the mini versions of most things). It’s great daytime and nighttime looks.

The wand is also a perfect shape, in my opinion. Wider at one end, it tapers down to a really nice point that gives me lovely, fanned out lashes every time. It also deposits just the right amount of product.

And the color is another factor for me. It’s a gorgeous inky black. If you like brown mascaras, you’re out of luck, because this one only comes in black, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it released some other colors.

Bonus: It doesn't make my lashes push up against my glasses! — Bonus: It doesn’t make my lashes push up against my glasses!

[Continue reading…]

How I Wear Nude Lipstick (A Collaboration With Anna)

May 12th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 11 Comments

From the top, clockwise: Wet n Wild Velvet Matte Lip Color in Hickory Smoked ($3.49), Colourpop Lippie Stix in Lumiere ($5), and Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in Nude Thrill ($6.99)

When I first started wearing lipstick, I was a sucker for a red lip, particularly matte red lips, and I still am. If I had to wear the same lip color for the rest of my life, it would probably be something red.

But my tastes have grown over the years to include many other colors, including nudes. A change of pace is nice sometimes, and some nudes are just too good to pass up.

I tend to go for the bolder nudes, like pink nudes, or a nude with brownish red undertones.

To go along with Anna’s favorite nude lippies, here are three of my favorite nudes that I’ve been wearing on the regular (when I’m not going for my signature red).

The first one is one of the Maybelline Vivid Mattes, and Adia did an amazing review of these a little while back, so I’m not going to spend too much time on the particulars. I will say that it’s one of my favorite everyday liquid lipsticks for a few reasons. The color lasts, it’s not overly drying, and it’s truly a universally flattering shade.

Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in Nude Thrill

It can easily be worn with just a bit of mascara for a daytime look or something like a smoky eye for night.

My second favorite nude is my go-to pink for when I feel like wearing something other than red, but don’t want to wear anything particularly bright. It’s Colourpop Lippie Stix in Lumiere, a dusty mauve.

[Continue reading…]

Sonia Kashuk Satin Luxe Lip Colour in Fig and Shine Luxe Lip Colour in Sheer Delicate Nude, New for Spring 2016

May 11th, 2016 by Adia Goss 20 Comments

new sonia kashuk lipstick — New lipstick shades from Sonia Kashuk and another gorgeous Sonia K makeup bag!

Sonia Kashuk’s Shine Luxe Sheer Lip Colour and Satin Luxe Lip Colour lipsticks are sooo good!

I’d never tried Sonia Kashuk lipsticks before, and now I’m kicking myself for waiting so long. They’re super pigmented and beyond comfortable (which is actually a hard combo to come by, and from a drugstore brand, no less). After trying these shades, both of which are new for spring, now I want the rest of the range!

The first new shade here is called Sheer Delicate Nude, and it’s part of the Shine Luxe Sheer Lip Colour collection. It’s soft, creamy and has a really pretty gloss to it, and even though it’s semi-sheer, it has a heavier finish, almost like a lip balm, so it’s also highly hydrating.

The texture reminds me a lot of the Palladio lip balms that I mentioned in my post about my makeup bag essentials.

It’s just a really pretty nude. Plus, it’s incredibly comfortable. When I wear it I feel like I’m pampering my lips.

Sometimes with lipsticks I have to layer a lip balm under them (like the Murad lip treatment I reviewed a while ago) to add extra moisture, and I don’t mind doing that, but it is an extra step… With the Shine Luxe Sheer Lip Colours, though, they’re so moisturizing that I can happily wear them alone, which is really impressive. I’m always down for anything that will save me a little time in the morning.

Sheer Delicate Nude and the other eight Shine Luxe Sheer Lip Colours are available now at Target for $11 each.

[Continue reading…]