Drugstore Beauty Finds

The EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush: A $30 Brush in $12 Clothing

February 1st, 2010 by Karen 47 Comments

Bargain hunting brush fanatics, lend me your ear. A $12 brush swept me off my feet today, and they call it the Ecotools Bamboo Bronzer Brush.

Compared to department store brushes costing $20 and up, it’s a bargain superhero — affordable, with dense, super-soft bristles that deposit just the right amount of color on my skin.

Not only that, but it’s quite the multitasker, too, moonlighting as a face powder/blush brush. All told, it’s like getting three brushes for the price of one.

WARNING: The following videos featuring Ecotools brushes (my favorite’s the cat eye tutorial) are like potato chips… You can’t stop after just one. 🙂

Create a cunning cat eye

Flawless face tips

Get sultry smoky eyes

Day-to-night makeup 101

If your brushes take a beating like mine do, you’ll appreciate how solid the bamboo handle feels in your hand. Really, the brush feels sturdy from head to handle; even the synthetic taklon bristles feel tough. I’ve washed the brush head several times already, and the bristles haven’t shed one iota.

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Some of Stef’s Favorite Exfoliators and Cleansers with Kick!

December 22nd, 2009 by Karen 23 Comments

Written by Stef

Today Stef of the fantastical We Heart This (a little bit of everything, a whole lot of love) shares five of her favorite exfoliators.

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When my face flakes
When my skin’s dull
When I’m feeling sad….

Gather ’round, children. I’d like to tell you about a few of my favorite scrubs (and I promise not to make your play clothes out of curtains!). That’s right — a good exfoliator can send me spinning on a mountaintop like a modern day Julie Andrews.

But first, why should you exfoliate? Because your skin is constantly shedding dead cells to make way for new ones. The old cells dull your skin, making it uneven and sometimes even dry. So you want them gone, pronto. Exfoliating moves this process along faster. With a good product, your skin will look fresher, you’ll have a smoother surface for makeup application and you’ll get more out of your other skin care products because they will penetrate the skin’s surface better.

Here are my current top five favorites:

1. Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains ($40)

Multi-taskers, listen up. This little time saver cuts two-product facial cleansing/exfoliating down to a single easy step. Bobbi Brown’s Buffing Grains are made of Japanese Adzuki bean powder, gentle yet powerful little granules that you can mix into your favorite cleanser to make it an exfoliator too.

And for bargain hunters, Angel Face Botanicals makes a version with 4 times as much product at half the price.

TIP: You can buy the bean powder from many health food stores for practically free. DIYers can even buy Adzuki beans whole and grind them at home!

2. Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub ($7.50)

Want another time saver? Check out Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub, my drugstore scrub of choice. I really consider this to be more of a cleanser with a kick, as it’s not quite the exfoliating powerhouse as some of my other favorites. But here’s why I like it…
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Yes, Clairol Herbal Essences, You May Tousle Me Softly

December 16th, 2009 by Karen 46 Comments

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Since my haircut a few weeks ago, I’ve been on a kick to try new hair products and different styles, like the messy, sexy hair look (controlled chaos) common on Victoria’s Secret runways.

Hoping for hot-mama hair of my own, I started using the shampoo, conditioner and spray gel from the new Clairol Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Line ($4 each).

ryan-reynolds-gonna-tousle-you-softly
The answer, Ry-Ry, would be “yes.”

I honestly didn’t think anyone would notice, but you gals have such a good eye! After I put up this face of the day, a few of you asked in the comments what I’d done differently with my ‘do.

holiday party makeup tips urban decay book of shadows 2

The Tousle Me Softly shampoo, conditioner and spray gel are part of a six-piece line of cleansers, conditioners and styling products made to work together for soft, sexy, mussed-up hair.

A fine line…

But here’s the thing about the messy hair look: there’s a fine line between “just messy enough to be socially acceptable,” and “plain ol’ jacked-up, busted bed hair.”
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Tuesday Beauty Tips (Not Really): Just Tie a Knot and Hang On!

December 15th, 2009 by Karen 56 Comments

tie-a-knot-and-hang-on

Roadblock.

I hit a bad one this afternoon, ladies, with lots of crying, a debilitating panic attack, hyperventilating, cold sweats and stomach clutching — the whole shebang!

Today started out well. I felt fine this morning, but then I started to think about everything on my to-do list and what I want to finish by Monday (when we head out of town for the holidays), and I death spiraled out of control.

It was NOT one of my better days. 🙁

Makeup to the rescue!

I do feel a little better now that I’ve distracted myself with drugstore beauty…

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CoverGirl Outlast Lipstains, $8 each

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CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain swatches from left to right: Everbloom Kiss, Berry Smooch, Bit of Blossom, Teasing Blush, Flirty Nude ($8 each)
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Olay In-Shower Body Lotion Is Cutting Out the Middle Man

December 2nd, 2009 by Karen 37 Comments

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Thank you, Olay In-Shower Age Defying Body Lotion ($7), for turning me into a well-oiled, lotion-applying machine.

A little beauty backstory

I have alligator skin. Consequently, I spend copious amounts of time applying body lotion. Once, I tried to figure out how much time I’ve spent at it over the course of my life, and it worked out to something like 52 days.

52 DAYS! That’s time I could’ve spent learning how to play the lute or drooling over Ry-Ry. 🙂

ryan-on-table-saying-haaay

Depending on how long I stick with creamy Olay In-Shower Body Lotion (I’m fickle when it comes to lotions), I could save hours over the rest of my life because it basically eliminates the five minutes I’d otherwise spend applying lotion after every shower.

Instead, after washing and rinsing off my regular body wash, I just rub it on (taking in the light apple-floral scent) while the water’s still running. The heat and humidity in the shower activate its moisturizing mojo.

Then, after all of my dry skin areas are sufficiently coated, I rinse and pat down with a towel.
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Carmindy’s New Smoky Eye Kit Makes One Heck of a Stocking Stuffer

December 1st, 2009 by Karen 31 Comments

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Perfect Smokey Eyes box

Leave it to makeup artist Carmindy (of TLC’s What Not To Wear) to make smokey eyes even easier than flipping your hair (well, almost). 🙂

Her new Perfect Smoky Eyes Kit ($23, part of the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy line) comes with three coordinating eye products perfect for creating understated, elegant, just plain pretty smokey eyes.

What ya get

Eye Shadow Palette in Storm: Three shimmery shades in gray, taupe and beige
Lift & Define Mascara in Jet Black: A lengthening, glossy black
Always Perfect Liquid Eye Liner in Black Onyx: A sheer liquid liner

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Perfect Smokey Eyes products

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Perfect Smokey Eyes swatches
Swatches from left to right: shimmery gray eyeshadow, shimmery taupe eyeshadow, shimmery beige eyeshadow, liquid liner, mascara
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Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Makeup: Staying Where It’s Put

November 28th, 2009 by Karen 16 Comments

Written by Khalia Bentson

Today Khalia Bentson of Glamour and Love shares why she hearts Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Foundation.

I’m always on the market for makeup with real deal, all day long, no muss/fuss/budging staying power.

Why? Because my skin seems to absorb everything that touches it. No matter what I use, it doesn’t hang around for long.

Even skin tone is at the top of my makeup agenda, so naturally, it’s extremely frustrating to get home at the end of the day with uneven skin.

One night, perusing the makeup aisle at Walgreens while I waited for a prescription to be filled, I noticed Maybelline SuperStay 24HR Makeup (foundation).

Twenty-four hours?! Doubtful, I thought, but for less than $10, I had to give it a try.

How long does it really last?

I compared my results to the claims on the label: does it withstand heat, sweat and humidity? Yes, yes and yes. How about non-transferable? I think so, another yes.

Even though it doesn’t last a full 24 hours (didn’t expect it to), I have to say, SuperStay 24HR passed my test.

And I’m amazed! This stuff did not budge at all. My biggest pet peeve is makeup that rubs off on anything and everything I touch. To see how well it would fare, I purposefully skipped primer OR setting powder (which I usually use), and it fared well.

As you’ll notice in these comparison pix, the foundation didn’t hold up quite as well in my oily t-zone as it did on the rest of my face, but this was without a setting powder. All things considered, I’d say SuperStay 24HR Makeup performed rather impressively.

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This pic was taken around 10 a.m. First, I washed and moisturized, then waited about 8 minutes before applying the foundation.
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Ash Me About Vaseline Sheer Infusion Body Lotion

November 25th, 2009 by Karen 17 Comments

vaseline sheer infusion botanical blend body lotion

Be warned: When your cat swipes at your shins, he may be trying to warn you about dry skin.

We’re talking ashy ORANGE ALERT, and in my case it was looking exceptionally bad (remember the aliens from the original V?).

Luckily, I think I may have found something to help, and it costs less than $10.

Vaseline’s Sheer Infusion Body Lotion ($8) has been on store shelves for a few months, but I only recently gave it a try.

It contains a complex Vaseline calls Stratys-3, which they claim gets down and dirty to moisturize the deeper layers of skin.
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