Walgreens Mini Haul

Hello my Fellow Beautiful Makeup Addicts!

I know this is my second haul in a week or two, but I have done some serious makeup shopping since I came back to college. If you remember from my last post, I went to Ulta looking for a new foundation and concealer. I had purchased the Maybelline FIT ME foundation in the color 315: Soft Honey, and found it to be a bit too dark for my skin. It would be perfect for the summer, but since I am losing my tan, I need a lighter foundation shade. So instead of going back to Ulta, I decided to visit my local Walgreens. There I picked up:

• Rimmel London Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder in 005: Silky Beige
• Loreal Paris Colour Riche Balm in 818: Nourishing Nude
• Maybelline FIT ME Foundation Stick in 310: Sun Beige
• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in 60: Brightener

At Walgreens Maybelline was having a buy one, get the other half off, which to me was a good deal. I have been using these products for the past week, and I love them all. I do not have oily skin, but sometimes my foundation feels a bit wet after I apply it. The Rimmel Stay Matte powder makes sure that the foundation does not move around and looks nice and matte. The only issue I have is around my nose as for some reason it keeps getting really oily. I might need to do a face mask in order to fix that problem. What face masks do you recommend?

Swatch

With the colder weather approaching (especially in New England where the weather changes every hour), a nourishing lip balm is needed. I am a sucker for nude lip products but have a hard time finding one that does not make my lips or face look washed out. This Loreal lip balm in Nourishing Nude is a beautiful sheer color that makes my lips feel very moisturized and does not give my face that "washed out" look.

Swatch

Since I first saw this foundation on YouTube, I knew I needed to have it. I have never tried a stick foundation so i was curious how it would turn out. The Sun Beige color fits my skin tone a lot better than the Soft Honey one, even though it makes my face look a little lighter (nothing bronzer cannot fix). If you have dry skin, I definitely would not recommend this product to you as your dry patches will show. However, if you have normal to oily combination skin, try this product out as it is amazing. I am excited to see what other products Maybelline brings out.

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For me, concealer is my holy grail product. When I first started wearing makeup, I swore by high end concealers because to me they were the best. However, over the past couple of years, drugstore brands have been stepping it up. In their video DiamondsonDeck76 talk about the best and worst drugstore concealers. Their number one drugstore concealer was the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in Brightener. I have heard many gurus praise this concealer, but I was a bit skeptical. I had previously purchased the Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hour concealer, and was not to impressed. However, the Instant Age Rewind in Brightener is amazing. It is light, but conceals. I love the sponge applicator and I never feel like it settles in my fine lines. This product is definitely a favorite and I will repurchase after this one finishes.

 

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Blended Swatch

What new makeup products have you purchased? Are you loving the new fall collections coming out? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time my lovely makeup addicts. XOXOXO

First Ulta Haul

Hello my Fellow Beautiful Makeup Addicts!

I know it has been more than a month since my last post and I apologize for that. The past few weeks have been so hectic from moving back to college to my senior year classes. With that, I will try to post at least once a week.

If you love makeup, then you must know about Ulta. If you do not, then just think about Ulta as a Sephora mixed with a CVS/Walgreens. Yesterday was my first time in that store, and I almost went crazy. On one side of the store was high end brands such as Urban Decay and Stila, but on the other side, they had Maybelline, Revlon, NYX, and Almay. I wanted to buy it all, but as a college student, $80 worth of makeup products is a bit too steep, especially with graduate school applications and GRE test preps. Although I could not buy everything I wanted (i.e. Real Technique brushes at buy one get one half off), I did get some products that I have been eyeing for a while.

The products I got:

• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Istanbul ($5.99)
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Tokyo ($5.99) 
• NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee ($4.99)
• Revlon Photoready Concealer in Light Medium ($9.99)
• Maybelline FIT ME Foundation in 315: Soft Honey ($7.99 - $2 = $5.99)
• Maybelline FIT ME Pressed Powder in 315: Soft Honey ($7.99 - $2 = $5.99)

I won't review them now, but I can tell you this. I am obsessed with the NYX products. If you love nude colors, whether it is a pinky nude or more of a brownish nude, you will love these colors. I tried the Revlon concealer under my eyes, and noticed that it would settle into my fine lines. Hopefully I learn how to use it better since it was expensive. I love Maybelline products and I love the foundation. The color might be a bit dark but blending can take care of that. Overall, I fell in love with Ulta and definitely will be returning to that store, especially for those Real Technique brushes.

                                Picture: (From left to right: Istanbul, Creme Brulee, & Tokyo)

Disclaimer: I purchased these products with my own money. I am not being endorsed for my review.

Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream in Light to Medium Review

As I said in my earlier blog, I was able to try out the Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream in Light to Medium through a box subscription known as Influenster. If you do not know what Influenster is, it is a box subscription service that sends out products to selected individuals to try and review. Every participant is sent these items for free and are not paid.

Disclaimer: I am not being paid for this review.

This is my first product review, which makes me very nervous. Hm...maybe I should start with the pros v. cons.

Pros

1. Floral Smell: Most foundations/BB creams/tinted moisturizers tend to smell like strong "paint" almost. Not really paint but not pleasant either. I actually enjoy the smell.
2. Coverage: For me, this BB cream gives me enough coverage especially in this humid, disgusting weather in NYC. If you like a full coverage foundation, then I would not recommend this BB cream to you. It is VERY sheer, however, it looks very natural and if you do not have many imperfections on your face (i.e. acne or scars), people will compliment you on your skin. I find it perfect for my skin, as I barely have imperfections, and whatever imperfections I do have (i.e. dark circles), I can hide them with my concealer.
3. Packaging: The packaging is very cool and sleek. While it does not have a pump, I am able to control the amount of product that I want.
4. One thing I love about this foundation is that it is not too watery unlike some foundations or other tinted moisturizers.
5. SPF: While this product has a low SPF (only 15), there is SPF, which is helpful when you are going out in the city to do some errands.

Cons

1. Dewy: I am not sure if it is because New York is hotter than a kangaroo's pouch, but this BB creams is extremely dewy, and not in a good way. Even with a setting powder, this BB cream felt sticky when I touched my face, and to me, it started to feel like it was sweating down my face. I will keep trying it with different setting powders.
2. Color: I received the light to medium but I find it a bit to light for me skin. Nothing bronzer cannot fix, but as the summer goes by, I am afraid I will be too tan to use it.

On the box, this BB creams claims to have 6 Skin Perfecting Benefits, such as, refreshes, brightens, evens tone, hydrates, smooths, protects, and is an "All-in-one" solution for instantly brighter-looking, smoother feeling, more even skin tone.*

From my experience, I can say that I relatively like this BB cream. However, to say that I will buy it again, I am not sure. I might try other BB creams. What are some good suggestions, both drugstore and high-end? 

Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream in Light to Medium

                                                          Swatches

*This quote belongs to Olay and any of its manufacturers.