bargain

Drugstore Lipgloss Nirvana for Less Than $3 with the NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshines

May 9th, 2011 by Karen 76 Comments

NYC New York Color Lipshine in Midtown Mulberry

Today El Hub found out about my affair. 🙁

It had been going on since way back in 2006. That’s when I met the Sally Hansen Diamond 12-Hour Lip Treatments while cruising the aisles at Walgreens one afternoon for a pick-me-up after a really tough day.

There they were, non-sticky and pigmented, with a wear time that lasted for hours and hours…

What can I say? It just happened. When I saw they were a mere $6, I was willing to throw everything away. They were the closest thing to drugstore lipgloss nirvana I had ever seen.

But I’m not going to say I would have done it all again. No way. What I should have done is hold out for the NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshines I met last week. 🙂

Like the Sally Lip Treaments, they’re light and non-sticky with lots of rich color, but they’re an even more incredible bargain at $2.49 a pop!

Since the last experience I had with an NYC gloss was less than stellar, I expected Brighton Beach Peach (a shimmery golden peach), Midtown Mulberry (a creamy berry) and Big Apple Spice (a pearly bronze) to let me down. They’re the three Lipshine shades I recently tried (out of the 10 available).

Thankfully, it didn’t work out that way at all.

From top to bottom: Midtown Mulberry, Brighton Beach Peach and Big Apple Spice

Wands from the left: Brighton Beach Peach, Big Apple Spice and Midtown Mulberry

Swatches from the left: Brighton Beach Peach, Big Apple Spice and Midtown Mulberry
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The Sonia Kashuk Lip Quad in Bronzey Corals and I Are Drugstore BFF’s

March 24th, 2011 by Karen 17 Comments

Happy almost-Friday! 🙂 Thought you might like to take a quick look at the new Sonia Kashuk Lip Quad in Bronzey Corals ($12.99), the second of three new SK lip quads launched for spring (Beautiful Berries is one of the others).

Bronzey Corals

Sonia Kashuk Lip Quads
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I Fell for Sonia Kashuk’s New Makeup Set in the Blink of an Eye

March 23rd, 2011 by Karen 45 Comments

sonia kashuk blink of an eye

Sometimes it’s fun to go buck wild with an eye look — you know, the kind that take 30 minutes minimum, require six different shadows and five brushes to do. But most of the time when I finish one, I usually end up just sitting on the couch like a bedazzled bump on a log, waiting for my pumpkin to turn into a carriage.

When I don’t have an appetite for multi-step eye looks, I turn my menu of fast makeup treats — treats like Sonia Kashuk’s new Blink of an Eye Set ($12.99).

sonia kashuk blink of an eye pencils

The newly released three-piece pencil set comes with two chubby Shimmering Creme Shadows in gold and silver and a Metallic Eye Definer (haha! I almost typed “Metallica”) in shimmery bronze.

If you dug the Urban Decay Glide-On Shadow Pencils that came out earlier this spring, you might REALLY like these two Shimmering Creme Shadow sticks, which are kinda like metallic drugstore equivalents.

Apply them to lids or lash lines just like regular shadows, blending out the edges and waiting a minute or so to let them set. And once they’re set, they don’t budge for nothin’! I’ve rubbed at ’em, splashed water on them, licked the swatch on the back of my hand and then scratched at it with my gnarly chipped nail — basically, they don’t move until they’re introduced to a heavy duty makeup remover. I like. 🙂

sonia kashuk blink of an eye

sonia shimmering creme shadow
Shimmering Creme Shadows in Gold (left) and Silver (right)
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The Sonia Kashuk Beautiful Berries Lip Quad Is a Drugstore Myrrh-acle

March 23rd, 2011 by Karen 44 Comments

sonia kashuk beautiful berries lip quad

G’morning and happy Wednesday, cutie. 🙂 We’re almost over the hump! If you’re in the mood for a mid-week drugstore splurge/reward, what do ya think of Sonia Kashuk’s new Beautiful Berries Lip Quad ($12.99)? It’s one of three in SK’s new spring collection, and it looks like a perfect pick-me-up to me.

The pigmented colors and sleek packaging first caught my eye — so cute, right? — but the interesting ingredients sealed the deal. Sonia added myrrh resin extract to supposedly reduce the signs of aging and the depth of wrinkles, and antioxidant-rich pomegranate fruit sterols to moisturize and protect against environmental damage (the juice has been shown to be good for the heart, so there may actually be some real benefits to its use here).

sonia kashuk beautiful berries lip quad in hand

sonia kashuk beautiful berries lip quad
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Suave Says Their $3 Dry Shampoo Works As Well As $24 Rene Furterer

March 22nd, 2011 by Karen 69 Comments

Hair model Tabs the Cat…

I’ve been wearing my normally wavy hair straight lately and waiting a few days between washes to extend the life of my blowouts. To prevent my scalp from getting too funky with excess oil, I’ve been reaching for Rene Furterer Naturia Dry Shampoo, my fave dry shampoo, which also gives my roots a nice lift.

The problem: Naturia costs $24.

Ouch! Time to find a less expensive alternative…

And maybe I have. Suave Professional Dry Shampoo refreshes hair “as well as Rene Furterer” — at least that’s what it says on the side of the bottle. 🙂

Not even considering the fact that it only costs $3 (compared to $24?), the stuff is pretty good. Then when you DO consider the price, it’s downright amazing! First, there’s how fast it works. Some dry shampoos leave a white cast on my dark hair, particularly around the roots, and take forever to work in and brush out. Suave Pro deposits what looks like a bit of white powder on my roots when it’s applied, but after a few swipes with my brush the white powder disappears. Because it works so fast, the product has been saving me a a few minutes every time I use it instead of Naturia.

Suave says mineral clay helps the product absorb oil AND odor. Now, I wouldn’t want to wait so long between washes that I could smell my hair, but I guess it’s nice to know that Suave’s got my back.

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The Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Limited Edition Flat Top Blush/Powder Brush Is Dressed for Success

March 18th, 2011 by Karen 26 Comments

Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Flat Top Multipurpose Blush Powder Brush

Oh, just gazing at this brush makes me happy. 🙂 Isn’t the tile print on Sonia Kashuk’s new Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Flat Top Multipurpose Blush/Powder Brush ($11) adorable? It’s going to look so cute sitting on my vanity.

But good looks aren’t the only thing this limited edition brush has going for it. It also flawlessly applies loose powders, bronzers, and cream and powder blushes, too, just like Sonia’s legendary Synthetic Flat Top Brush. The big difference between the two is just that these bristles are made of natural fibers (I’m not sure what kind).
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I Feel Like I’m Repeating Myself Because I Keep Saying Yes to Carrots Pampering Conditioner

March 15th, 2011 by Karen 51 Comments

Yes To Carrots Pampering Conditioner

If you’re ever looking for cheap entertainment on a Friday night, Target is THE PLACE to go. I’m only half kidding, too. I stopped by last Friday around 9:30ish to satisfy a craving for Power C Vitamin Water, and the store was hoppin’!

People buy some weird sh*t in the middle of the night, LOL! Like Vitamin Waters. I spent more time people watching than actually shopping.

But I did swing by the beauty aisles; I picked up this bottle of Yes To Carrots Pampering Conditioner for Normal to Dry Hair ($8) on a whim.

Like their Yes to Cucumbers Conditioner (SO GOOD!), this one is also free of petroleum products, SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), paraben and silicones. At the same time, it’s cruelty-free and 99.8% natural, made with minerals, the company says, that were collected from the Dead Sea, as well as other cool stuff like carrot seed oil and honey. It’s a very diverse group of mostly natural ingredients.

Yes To Carrots Pampering Conditioner
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These $7 Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balms Are The Bee’s Knees

February 25th, 2011 by Karen 64 Comments

Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Pink Blossom on lips

Burt sure keeps his bees busy! Their latest creation, a concoction of 100% natural ingredients, gives a soothing sheer tint to lips.

Available in six sheer shades ranging from pink to red to neutral, these Tinted Lip Balms ($7 each) moisturize and nourish lips with soft flower waxes, shea butter and added vitamin E.

What the Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balms DON’T contain: phthalates, parabens and sodium lauryl sulfate

The ones I’ve been wearing lately are peachy Tiger Lily and Pink Blossom. Both feel smooth, light and non-sticky on my lips, and I dig their light, sweet raspberry flavor and scent.

Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balms packaging

Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balms tiger lily pink blossom
Pink Blossom (left) and Tiger Lily (right)
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