I started this blog as an outlet for myself and a resource for women roughly my age and older who are dealing with issues concerning body image, aging, elderly parents, children , finances, health and beauty. I’m no writer but it’s been a great experience and being the beauty junkie that I am, I absolutely LOVE when I can find an inexpensive product that works. In the beauty industry today, we’re bombarded with messages like “you’re not thin enough, pretty enough, or young enough but if you want to be those things you need to spend $$$$$ on THIS product in order to be worthwhile.” OK, not really those exact words, but with all of the Photo Shopped images in magazines and insanely expensive beauty products out there, things have gotten a little ridiculous.
The other day, I posted a “face of the day” that used all high end products. I love all of those products but the price tag on that entire look was pretty high (I didn’t even add it up---I just know it was “a little much.”). So in the interest of being balanced, today’s post uses all drugstore products and many of them are very inexpensive!
I start out with mascara, because I almost always make a mess that has to be cleaned up. For this look, I used Neutrogena’s Healthy Volume Mascara in Black/Brown. At $7.49, this is an excellent budget pick and makes my lashes longer and thicker (and it doesn’t smudge!!!).
Almay CC Cream in Light
My next step for this look was the application of Almay’s new CC Cream in light. This is a new product and so far I like it as a tinted moisturizer. It costs about $9.99 (give or take) at your nearest drugstore. Wherever I needed “correcting,” I applied Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Spot Concealer + Treatment ($9.99). Then I set my face with Revlon’s Nearly
Pressed Powder ($9.99).
OK. Now back to the eyes where I found some GREAT budget picks! From the lash line to the eyebrow, I applied Wet N Wild’s Color Icon Shadow Single eye shadow in Brulee ($1.99!!!). This eye shadow is SOOOO great and it’s my go-to base shadow for many, many looks. If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was a high end shadow! On the lid I applied NYX’s single shadow in Taupe ($4.99) and Dark Brown ($4.99) in the crease. Surprisingly enough, all three shadows lasted all day without creasing and I didn’t even apply any eyelid primer, which I usually have to wear. Next I lined my upper lids with L’Oreal’s Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner in Black ($8.99). I’m still testing this one out so I’ll let you know if it’s a great product after more testing. On the lower water line, I used Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner in
($4.49). This step is a way to brighten your eyes. Most eyeliners don’t last on my waterline but this one did a reasonably good job, although it does require a touch up after a few hours. Last but not least, I applied some of the mascara to my eyebrows to cover up the white hair!
On my face, I used Revlon’s PhotoReady Bronzer (about $10.50), which is an excellent, matte bronzer that includes four shades. With this product, I contoured my jaw line and cheeks as well as used it on my forehead at the hairline. The last products I used were a real value from Elf. Their powder blush in Tickled Pink ($3.00), paired with the All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade ($1.00), provided a nice flush that lasted most of the day with just a little bit of fading. I also used the All Over Color Stick on my lips.
At just over $68, these products were good budget picks. Most (not the mascara or the all over color stick) will last for 6-12 months, depending on how often they are used so I think that they could be excellent choices for a woman on a budget. But while I’m thinking of it, I’m wondering if it’s possible to do a full face for under $25? Hmmmm….maybe that will be a future subject for a face of the day post!!!
Do you use any of these products? If so, what do you think of them?
Ever since last summer, I’ve been obsessed with Revlon’s Colorburst Lip Butter! These moisturizing color lip balms are sheer but have just enough color to brighten your look. I love that they are shiny and are one of those lip products that you can put on without looking in a mirror (although I think you should!). To me, they are easy and fun. And at roughly $6.50 a pop, they’re an affordable indulgence. I purchased my last one at Target (here) but you can get them at anywhere Revlon products are sold.
Revlon promotes their lip butters as containing mango, shea and coconut butters so that they will boost lip moisture by 156%. I find them very hydrating and while they don’t last more than two hours or so for me, I don’t mind reapplying. For the price, they’re a great multitasking product (lip balm, lip color and I’ve even used them on my cheeks!).
In my experience, Revlon’s lip butters provide sheer color but a couple of the shades I have are pretty pigmented. I’ve swatched my collection so you can see how they work and look with lighter skin tones.
Pink Truffle
A neutral medium pink.
Tutti Frutti
A light coral that has slightly more pigment than some of the other colors when worn on the lips.
Peach Parfait
Light, sheer peach. Looks more pigmented in the tube than it is on the lips.
Juicy Papaya
Sheer coral/peach.
Fig Jam
“
Scary” brown in the tube but sheer on the lips. This one reminds me of Clinique’s Black Honey, which I absolutely love! A great neutral!
Candy Apple
Nicely pigmented warm red.
Red Velvet
Nicely pigmented cooler red. This is a great “starter red” if you like red but are not comfortable with bright, opaque red lip color.
Sorbet
One of the newer shades, this color is a bit more pigmented shade of reddish pink.
Cupcake
Very light, sheer pink.
Berry Smoothie
Sheer berry.
Wild Watermelon
Another newer shade in bright (but sheer) watermelon red.
Sugar Plum
A beautiful plummy/berry color.
Creme Brulee
A very light neutral beige.
Have you tried Revlon’s lip butters? Which are your favorites?
Ages of Beauty rating: *****
My favorite makeup artist, Lisa Eldridge, recently posted a makeup video that she calls “Baby Bardot.” It shows a young model with a beautiful, soft vintage makeup look a la Brigitte Bardot. Lisa also did this look on Kate Winslet for UK Harper’s Bazaar (pictures here). At the time, I thought the look was absolutely lovely and that there is no reason why a woman over 40 couldn’t look just as good!
The high points of this makeup are flawless skin with a matte finish, muted colors and bold, black eyeliner that has been “winged” out to the sides.
The face is flawless and matte so I used Revlon’s Colorstay Makeup (the one for dry skin) and combined two colors: Ivory and Buff. I applied it with a Bobbi Brown flat foundation brush in thin layers. When I was satisfied with the finish, I applied It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye concealer in a combination of Light and Medium under my eyes, around my chin and where ever I had any dark spots. Then I powdered with Revlon’s Nearly *aked pressed powder in Fair.
For Eyes, I happened to have the same eye shadow palette that Lisa uses---Pixi’s Shade Quartette in Shades of *ude (I bought it at Target). The lightest shade was applied on the lid and almost up to the brows. Then I used the brown shade directly opposite the lightest shade in the pan in the crease. I also applied it under my lower lashes. This Pixi quad is lovely and the colors really last.
As Lisa explains in the video, the liner is thicker than the liner of the early 1950s but not as heavy and thick as in the 1960s. I used Bobbi Brown’s Gel Liner in Black with a very fine liner brush to line the eyes and make the “wing.” You can see that the liner is thinner closer to the nose and then in the middle of the eye it begins to thicken to meet the end of the tail, forming a triangular wing. Then I used two coats of Trish McEvoy’s High Volume Mascara in Jet Black. Lisa uses both mascara and individual false lashes in the video but I skipped the lashes. On my brows, I brushed on an Espresso brow gel by Anastasia Beverly Hills to cover the white hair in my eyebrows.
I can see that I didn’t quite get the left eye as even as I wanted but you get the idea! If you’re like me, your eyes may be getting more and more hooded as you age. That’s a really normal part of the aging process (or you may have been born with hooded eyes) and at some point, I may decide to do an eye lift. For now, I adjust my eye makeup by avoiding shiny shadow anywhere near the brow bone and bring my crease color up a little higher to help the area recede. When doing a winged eye liner, I also have to draw the wing a little bit longer to get the same impact. Here’s a better view of my hooded eyes:
You’ll be able to tell if your eyes are hooded when you look straight in the mirror. If you can’t see your eyelids, your eyes are hooded! You can also scroll up to the first picture and see that my eyelids are covered when I’m looking directly at the camera. It’s not a big deal to me and I just adjust what I’m doing to compensate for it.
The rest of my face is dusted with Revlon’s Photo Ready Matte Bronzer in Bronzed & Chic under the cheekbones and then Physician’s Formula Se*y Booster blush in Natural. I also used a Mac lip pencil in Subculture all over the lips and then OCC Cosmetics’ Lip Tar in Ophelia to finish it off. This is a beautiful, soft look that will look great on most people, adjusting for skin tones. At some point, I’ll try it with black/brown mascara and a dark brown eyeliner instead of the black.
Do you have any favorite looks for Spring?
I think I mentioned that I'm currently working remotely from my normal remote office in VA. I'm in Florida with my parents and there are some issues I'm helping them with. It's a bit stressful around here and I missed blogging on Thursday. Let's see if I can get back in the swing of things with a couple of blog entries for Friday!
A couple of months ago, I reviewed Revlon's Nearly Naked foundation here. At the time, I didn't purchase the coordinating powder but I've recently done that and have been wearing it a lot. Click below to find out what I think!
Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup has been around for awhile (a year?) and I've really been meaning to review it since I think it is fairly unique in the beauty market. Revlon promises a long wearing, flawless look. Does it deliver? Click below to find out!
I live and die by my Holy Grail eye shadow primer, Urban Decay's Primer Potion. Since starting this blog, however, I make it a point to find great drugstore products.
There are many wonderful drugstore items that I like as well, or even better than, my favorite high end choices. The one area where I've struggled is with eye primers. Almost all I have tried have allowed my eye shadow to crease within hours.
How does Revlon's PhotoReady Eye Primer + Brightener stand up? Click below to find out!
I've been working for the last few days to get back on track after being away for over a week. Today was the first day that I actually took the time to put on makeup so I thought it would be a good time to do a Face of the Day (FOTD) post.
Every item I used today is from the drugstore. Just about every item I used has not been reviewed yet so you can look forward for more reviews of some quality drugstore products. Click below to see what makes up this look!
Revlon has jumped on the BB Cream bandwagon and launched one of their own---or did they? A big pet peeve of mine is cosmetics companies that try to get in on a good thing (like the BB Cream craze) but then do it in a less than optimal way. Many of the non-Asian brands call themselves BB Creams but they are really tinted moisturizers.
So let's look at what a BB Cream is "supposed" to be about:
- light to medium coverage
- moisturizing (and sometimes oil controlling)
- Built in primer
- decent level of sun protection
- skin benefiting/anti aging ingredients
- either automatically adapts to skin tone or comes in several skin tones to match different depths of pigmentation
- Evens out skin tone
- Lightens skin/reduces discoloration (Asian brands only)
I seem to be fascinated by the differences between drugstore products and high end products. In many cases, I've found makeup in the drugstore that is just as good, or even better than its high end counterparts. Sometimes most of the difference is in the packaging (I'm not big on packaging) and at other times, it's the texture, the staying power or even the depth of the color. Since I love finding a good deal, I'm thrilled when I find similar drugstore products that do a good job.
For this Product Showdown, I'm reviewing two brands of purple gel eyeliner that can be purchased in most drugstores.
Almay CC Cream in Light
