Drugstore Beauty Finds

Save Money (and Precious Brain Power) with $3 Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio Eyeshadows

August 9th, 2010 by Karen 39 Comments

Wet n Wild’s been setting drugstore aisles on fire lately! If you liked their Icon Eyeshadow Singles (I thought they were the bee’s knees), take a look at these $3 Color Icon Eyeshadow Trios.

They’re available in six palettes of three matching shadows each — enough to use a different shade on the eyelid, in the crease and along your brow bone.

Because Wet n Wild did the color matching for us, these should help make tough mornings a little easier to bear.

I’ve been using two of the trios lately — Cool as a Cucumber and On Cloud Nine — and despite their diminutive size, I’m still finding a lot to love…
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Have You Tried $3 Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color Lipstick?

August 3rd, 2010 by Karen 55 Comments

wet n wild mega last lip color review

These Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color lipsticks sure take me back…

The year: 1991. I’m a sophomore in high school. Kids are wearing tacky acid-washed overalls, and Color Me Badd reigns supreme.

Oh, no you di’int!

My good friend Jen and I shared a lab table in biology class, and we’d start and end every class the same way, by applying our favorite Wet n Wild lippies.

Those first generation WNW lipsticks weren’t the greatest (my tummy churns just thinking about that faux rose scent and plastic flavor), but they were hella cheap, which was why we always had at least one tube stuffed into our Liz Claiborne bags.

That was a long time ago… A lot’s changed since then, but some things remain the same. Jen and I still wax philosophic about makeup and beauty (although now we do it by blog, e-mail or text), and Wet n Wild is still a viable drugstore makeup option for ladies looking to save a few bucks.

Another thing that’s changed? Wet n Wild. The brand recently reinvented itself, ramping up the quality of their products by several notches, and the improvements are obvious in their long-wearing Mega Last Lip Color lipstick line.

Available in 20 shades, ranging from subtle nudes to electrifying hot pinks and reds, these matte, long-wearing lippies are still affordable, costing just $3 each, but the formula now contains moisturizing and smoothing ingredients like Coenzyme Q10, a vitamin-like substance used to boost skin’s natural ability to repair and regenerate cells.

Based on the colors I’ve tried — Think Pink (a baby pink), Rose Bud (a medium rose) and Mauve Outta Here (a cool blueish mauve) — Wet n Wild’s come a long way, baby. 🙂

They’re highly pigmented, unflavored, unscented and last a solid three to four hours on the lips.

Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color lipsticks from left: Think Pink, Rose Bud, Mauve Outta Here
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Kickin’ It with Boots Makeup on a Monday Afternoon

August 2nd, 2010 by Karen 47 Comments

They say you learn something new every day (learning is fundamental, yo!). Among my Monday epiphanies…

Butter pecan ice cream eaten straight from the carton dulls the symptoms of monster PMS.
Tabs knows how to smile with his eyes.
Boots killed it with their Botanics Eye Colour Duo in Velvet Pansy ($7) and Lip Glace in Marshmallow ($10).

Before my PMS-fueled junk food fest/impromptu photo session with Tabs earlier today, I tried on both of the aforementioned tidbits from Boots.

One of six Eye Colour duos in the Boots Botanics makeup line, Velvet Pansy’s shimmery purple and pink shades caress my skin with color, but they don’t feel quite as fine as the Boots Stay Perfect Shadow single I recently tried in Khaki. Not a problem, though, as both of the shadows in the duo blend together like they were cut from the same cloth.

Lip Glace in Marshmallow, a sheer and shimmery pink gloss, gets gold stars from me for its thin, non-sticky texture, even though it only lasts about two hours (which isn’t entirely unusual for a thin gloss), but its strong fruit punch flavor and scent might be a turnoff for some.

Boots Botanics Eye Colour Duo in Velvet Pansy

Boots No7 Lip Glace in Marshmallow
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I’m Straight Trippin’ over $5 TRESemme Heat Tamer Spray

July 29th, 2010 by Karen 83 Comments

tresemme heat tamer spray review

Seriously, where would we be without our friends to show us the beauty light? I imagine we’d bumble our way through the beauty-sphere, eventually finding the best stuff on our own, but isn’t it nice when a buddy offers a heads up about something truly great (and cheap!)?

To wit: my pal Marisol recently turned me on to TRESemme Heat Tamer Spray ($5), and HELLO! — talk about bomb-@ss drugstore beauty finds.

I’d been seeing it on shelves for months but wasn’t compelled to give it a try until Marisol’s recommendation.

TRESemme designed the spray mist to protect hair from heat damage, to tame frizz and to add shine.
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Would You Slather Your Face with Snail Gel in the Name of Beauty?

July 28th, 2010 by Karen 51 Comments

Gross and ewww! Add this to the weird beauty product files — De Tuinen Snail Gel, a skincare product made from the slime of Chilean snails (!), supposedly softens, smooths and supports skin elasticity for a more youthful-looking you.

Apparently, these snails ooze a slime high in allantoin, a compound found naturally in most mammals (but not in humans). It’s an active ingredient in many over-the-counter beauty products for its purported moisturizing and exfoliating properties (it’s said to help loosen and shed the outer layers of skin).

Chilean snail farmers (now there’s a phrase you don’t hear often) first discovered the moisturizing power of the slime, and clinical tests have shown that snail secretions high in allantoin can, in fact, plump the skin.

For a mere Â£20.45 (about $32 US dollars), Britain’s Holland and Barrett, specialists in natural supplements and herbs, will send you your very own jar of snail goo. 🙂

Sorry, US babes — at least for the now, the company only ships to countries in Europe.

For the record, I am totally grossed out by snails, slugs and other slimy things, but I’d probably try almost anything in the name of beauty science.

Well, I don’t know about that. I keep picturing snail butts…

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Stay Awhile, Boots No7 Cheek Tint (Pretty Please?)

July 28th, 2010 by Karen 44 Comments

Boots No7 makeup review

Snooki from MTV’s The Jersey Shore is probably the last person I want to be quoting, but girlfriend’s signature catchphrase perfectly describes my feelings for Boots No7 Cheek Tint in Peach Silk ($10).

“WAAAH!”

My heart gave itself over to Peach Silk from the very first swipe. One of three Boots cream blush colors, it had me at hello, but ’twas a love not meant to be (more on that in a sec). So easy to blend and effortless to apply, it’s a matte peach that I think makes me look like I’m actually blushing, and I’d hoped we’d have many great makeup adventures together.

But trouble started brewing a couple of hours into our first date…
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Wet n Wild Color Icon Singles, Hot Firemen and Wednesday Shenanigans

July 28th, 2010 by Karen 40 Comments

Wet n Wild Color Icon Singles clockwise from left: Lagoon, Envy, Kitten

Daily Moment of Mortification

07/28/10

A cute fireman came to my door today!

This being a hilly area surrounded by dry brush, the town’s fire dudes occasionally visit residents to warn/inform them about brush fires.

Right before the doorbell rang, I was swatching and ~~knee~~ face deep in Wet n Wild’s $2 Color Icon Eyeshadow Singles, with Lagoon (a bright, shimmery blue) on my right eye and Envy (a shimmery jade) on my left.

NOTE TO SELF: Next time you’re doing something cray cray with your makeup…just assume someone (perhaps a hot fireman) is going to come to the door.

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Body Hair Has Reason to Fear EOS Evolution of Smooth Shave Cream

July 27th, 2010 by Karen 116 Comments

eos evolution of smooth shave cream review

My bad luck in the crap shoot that is genetics = totally your gain. Why else would the powers that be bestow upon me a dense thicket of body hair if not to serve as a guinea pig for all of (hairy) womankind?

Peep the latest episode in the epic struggle between Karen and all forms of hair removal technology — this bottle of EOS Evolution of Smooth Pomegranate Raspberry Shave Cream.

I picked it up at Tar-ghay last week when the cute pink bottle caught my eye (it was also on sale for $2, down from the regular $5).

The Pomegranate Raspberry version is one of seven scents in the line. EOS dipped into their garden for these paraben-free bad boys, adding aloe, oat and shea butter to moisturize parched skin.
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Drugstore Beauty Finds

Would you slather your face with snail gel in the name of beauty?

Daily Moment of Mortification