Makeup Starter Kit: Drugstore Holy Grail Products

I haven't really experimented with makeup for very long but I do have a few products that I would consider the creme de la creme of the drugstore makeup world. I am creating this rough guide for those newbies to the makeup world (myself included) that need just a few essentials to get by in the beginning stages. This is a great guide for anyone just starting to play with makeup and the plethora of drugstore products seems a bit overwhelming. This is the bare bones of what I think every gal needs in their makeup routine.

1. Foundation/BB cream/tinted moisturizer

I'm not starting with concealer or primer because I haven't found a drugstore one that is actually good. Less is more these days in terms of makeup. You never want to look like the stuff is caked on (which I'm guilty of more often than not). I currently have 2 different ones that I would recommend. The first being the Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream (SPF 15). I've used this since it first came out since I had a coupon for it and although it costs around $15, it comes in a 2.5 fl oz bottle and I've used it almost daily and I haven't ran out. My second pick is something I picked up recently so I've only used it for a month or so. It's the Maybelline Dream Pure BB 8-in-1 Beauty Balm Skin Clearing Perfector with 2% Salicylic Acid. One of the reasons I decided to go with 2 different BB creams is one has SPF (and even though its a measley 15 it's still important) and the other doesn't and also the salicylic acid factor. Everyone's skin is different and not everyone will react well to salicylic acid. In the world of acne, you have salicylic acid people or benzoyl peroxide people (or neither or both). I happen to be a salicylic acid person so if you are too, then this will work great for you. I have oily skin and when you first put these on, you'll be a little oily but that's what the setting powder is for.

2. Setting Powder

So when I first got into makeup I had no idea what this setting powder business was. I would just use the tinted moisturizer, eyeliner and some lip gloss. There was absolutely no staying power to the makeup that I had put on. That was until I discovered the setting powder! My all time favorite is still the original one I picked up: Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder in Translucent. Great for oily skin and great for keeping it in your purse just for touch ups. 

3. Bronzer

When I first started watching YouTube I pretty much only watched Holly from Hollyannaeree and she absolutely loved this bronzer. It's the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in 720A Sunny. It's not too dark and it's great for contouring as well. It's very buildable as well but don't get too crazy lol. 

4. Blush

The problem with a lot of the drugstore blushes is that they are very sparkly and if you have not-so-good skin (like myself) it really highlights the imperfections. My favorite blush from the drugstore is the Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso. It does have some shimmer to it but it's not too bad. I think it's a great subtle color that will just give some color to your cheeks without making it look like you put on a ton of blush. The more you use it, the less shimmer you'll have because most of the shimmer is on the top layer. 

5. Eyeliner

 I am a huge fan of dark smoked out eyes and one of the first makeup items I used was eyeliner. Through the years I have tried many eyeliners and these two are the best I've found at the drugstore. I'm one lazy person and it pains me to have to go with an eyeliner that requires sharpening but I have to go with Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil in 01 Black. The formulation is so great. Super creamy and goes on super black. The smearing is a bit of a problem for my lower lash line (I always get that lower lash-line crease :/). If anyone has any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below. I love trying new eyeliners! The second eyeliner is the Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner in Blackest Black. I would say this is comparable to the Bobbi Brown Gel Liner (but the Bobbi Brown one is definitely softer and creamier) and is a fraction of the cost. Would highly recommend trying the Maybelline one first if you're debating whether or not to start using gel liner. I happen to love the look that gel liners give but I hate that I can't use it to tight line. 

6. Mascara

So I think it was this last year when Sephora was giving away the Benefit They're Real mascara for their birthday gift and I was pretty obsessed with that for awhile. The only problem with that one is it tends to clump with itself and it gives that "spider" look. I was looking for something less intense that I could use for everyday. That's when I came across Maybelline's The Rocket Volum' Express. I remember when I first found out about Estee from Essiebutton, she talked about this mascara in one of her favorites videos. She was saying how when she tried it out it was just ok and that she didn't really like it and then when she stopped using it and tried other mascaras she kept going back to this one. It's true though. I kinda went through the same process. The Rocket Volum' Express mascara is like a toned down version of the Benefit They're Real. Both formulations are very watery. Give it a chance to dry before you judge it.

7. Lips

I'm not a huge fan of lipsticks. They always have this weird scent to them and my lips are very dry and they always look very chalky on me. So my lip recommendations will be mostly items that are extremely moisturizing. First off, I stick to more neutral colors so I feel weird recommending anything different. However, if you are more adventurous and want to venture out of the neutral shades, I would highly recommend the formulation of the Revlon Lip Butters. Great color payoff as well as a super moisturizing formula. I pretty much own every color and the only reason I haven't purchased any more is because whenever I'm at the drugstore, I purchase one and then come home to find that I already have it! #beautyhoardersproblem. Next up, NYX Butter Glosses. I really love the formulation and they all have different scents so if you end up hating one, you might be interested in another color/scent. My favorite is probably Creme Brulee. A great neutral for everyday. A recent a favorite of mine has been the Maybelline Colorsensational "The Elixer" Glosses in 055 Glistening Amber. I have about 4 different shades and the formulation is extremely moisturizing. I use this everyday. I have the dark purple shade and it actually doesn't look too crazy on me. The staying power of these is about 4-5 hrs so you will need to reapply, especially if you are using the darker shades

8. Brushes

These 3 brushes are basically all I use daily. To apply my foundation/BB creams, I use the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. If you want to spend a little more on one thing, invest in the Real Techniques brushes. They are the softest brushes and they've lasted a long time. Find these brushes at Walmart or Ulta and don't forget those Ulta coupons! Another Real Techniques brush that I use daily is the Multi Task Brush. I use this brush for applying my setting powder. The last brush I'll mention the e.l.f Blush Brush. This blush is great for, you guessed it, apply blush. Applies the blush right to the cheeks and blends it nicely into your contour. 

Cost:

1. Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream - $10.99 
2. Maybelline Dream Pure BB - $5.09
3. Rimmel Stay Matte - $3.99
4. NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer - $2.99
5. Milani Baked Blush - $7.99
6. Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner - $9.99
7. Milani Liquid Eye Liner Pencil - $6.99
8. Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express - $7.49
9. Revlon Lip Butters - $8.49
10. NYX Butter Glosses - $4.99
11. Maybelline Color Sensational Elixer - $8.99
12. Real Techniques Buffing Brush - $8.79
13. Real Techniques Travel Essentials Set - $14.79 (I'm not sure if you can purchase the Multi Task Brush outside of this set :/
14. e.l.f. Blush Brush - $3.04

Thanks for reading and if you have any drugstore recommendations, please leave them below! 

I'm always looking to try more drugstore products!

Nordstrom Triple Points Event - Beauty Wish-List

So I've been accumulating a list of random products (mostly beauty) that I'm waiting to purchase when Nordstrom has their Triple Points Event (which is actually going on right now! March 19th-23rd). I have a problem with buying things immediately because most of the time when I want something, I want to use it for an immediate problem. However, this is mostly a list of "YouTube made me do it" products that I've heard so much about but because they are high end, I can't bring myself to drop a few benjamins to try them out.

1. Chrisian Dior - Creme de Rose ($27.00)

2. Bobbi Brown - Blush in Apricot

3. Bobbi Brown - Sheer Lip Color in Rosy ($25.00)

4. Dior - 'Addict Lip Glow' Color Reviver Balm ($32.00)

5. NARS - Creamy Concealer ($29.00)

6. The Balm - Mary Lou-minizer ($24.00), Blush in Frat Boy ($21.00)

7. M.A.C. 217 Blending Brush ($24.00)

8. M.A.C. Mineralized Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle ($30.00)


Also, if you purchase these items online with your Nordstrom card, you can go through Ebates and get 3% cash back! No fees. You just click on a link on the Ebates website and go about your purchasing as usual. Ebates will track whether you purchase anything and 3% cash back of your final purchase goes back into you pockets in the form of a check! Please use my referral link below if you check them out! I've been using them for years and every few months I get a check in the mail for $10-$20 and I rarely purchase anything online so for those of you who shop online a lot, you'll be making bank!



Extra: So thanks to Holly who posted about this on Instagram, I totally want this California Dogeared Necklace. I have the one from Jewelmint but this one is daintier and who doesn't love dainty lol. 

Beauty Haul!

It's quarterly ExtraBucks printing time and a great week for a Beauty Haul!

Face:

• Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream in Light to Medium ($14.49)
• 6 skin perfecting Benefits: Refreshes, Brightens, Evens Tone, Hydrates, Smoothes, Protects
• Revlon Photoready Foundation in 005 Natural Beige ($14.99, spend $15 on Revlon products, get $7 ExtraBucks)
• Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in 825 Buff Beige ($8.99, BOGO 50% off Covergirl Products)
• Milani Baked Blush in Coralina ($9.79)

Hair:

• Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy Volumizing Root Boost Nourishing Shampoo ($4.99)
• Panteen Pro-V Fine Hair Solutions Volume Silicone Free Shampoo (2 for $6)
• Panteen Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Strengthening Shampoo (2 fot $6)
• Vidal Sassoon Pro Series VS Volume Shampoo Boost and Lift ($4.99)

Nails:

• Seche Vite - dry fast top coat ($9.99 not on sale)

Eyes:

• Almay Intense i-color Eye Liner in Black Pearl ($5.99 on sale with $3.00 ExtraBucks Rewards)
• Covergirl Clump Crusher by Lashblast in 825 Very Black ($11.99, BOGO 50% off Covergirl Products)

Lips:

• Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Lemonade (new), Sugar Frosting, and Wild Watermelon (new) ($8.49 ea, spend $15 on Revlon products, get $7 ExtraBucks)

I had a few coupons, in combinations with all the ExtraBucks, the entire purchase came out to be $54.26. I'll be super stocked up for a long time!

The other two items I got were from TJMaxx. The blue item is the Pure Moroccan Argan Oil Moisturizing Body Lotion in Fig Apricot. Smells soooo good! Love the smell of apricots. The other item was the Yes to Cucumbers Calming Facial Mask. I'm actually using it right now. I didn't think it was going to be a clay mask which I have plenty of. I thought it was going to be more of the moisturizing masks but oh well. 

Anti-Aging Agents Mini-Haul

Happy New Year friends! Super tardy to the party on that one lol but life has been super duper busy. January is a crazy month in the pharmacy and it's even crazier at this volume that we do but we are surviving. It's Sunday so the man is watching football (and I'm half watching) so that means I get to do a little blogging.

I had to work on New Year's Day so we didn't end up doing anything too crazy on NYE. We spent it with some close friends at Tony's grandmother's house. Super fun night and we ended up watching the countdown at home. After celebrating the New Year, I spent the next 10 days working. It was absolutely crazy and I was feeling super burnt out. Thankfully I had the next 3 weekends off to catch up on some r&r. 

For the first 3-day weekend I had, I spent most of my Friday at the mall. After a stressful 10-days of work, I was seriously stressing out about wrinkles! I know, I know what you're thinking, but prevention is key. After hearing about all the warnings from my co-workers about showing me before and after pictures of my old manager, I definitely wanted to make sure to purchase all the anti-aging stuff I could. I started the trip off at Sephora. I got to talking to a representative from GLAMGLOW. They have two masks and I ended up getting the SUPERMUD and the representative ended giving me a couple of samples of the YOUTHMUD.

   

[Sephora: SUPERMUD; YOUTHMUD]

Both use a ton of natural ingredients and the thing I liked about the SUPERMUD is that it even contains something for acne. I was breaking out a ton because it was that time of the month and also from the stress so I definitely wanted something to target both acne and aging. So far the I really like the SUPERMUD. It seriously rejuvenates my skin. I keep in in the shower and I've been trying to use it twice a week.


I also ended up getting a daily anti-aging cream/gel(?) at Sephora. I got the Origins, A Perfect World Age-defense skin guardian with White Tea.

I really love the texture of this. It goes on very satin smooth almost like a primer so I feel like it evens out my skin. According to the guy at Sephora, this should go on prior to your regular moisturizer. I've been using the Clinique Dramatically Different Lotion but the weather has been super dry in San Diego so I decided to get a new moisturizer as well. I meant to get the Josie Maran Argan Oil Serum but I ended up getting the Daily Moisturizer Lotion instead because it was much cheaper. The Argan Oil Serum was like $48 and the Daily Moisturizer was $12 for the travel size in the checkout area. For both the Origins and the Josie Maran products, I love the pump feature. Very sanitary.

After getting those items, I was getting a tad thirsty and decided to try Nordstrom Ebar since I've been having Starbucks pretty much every day. I ended up getting the Honey Almond Latte. Soooo good! I think that's my new favorite drink. It's very light and I love the taste of almond drinks. If you like almond milk tea, you'll love this drink.

While I was at Nordstrom, I thought I'd stop by and take a look at their cosmetics and skin care area. I was still looking for an eye cream to get rid of my under eye circles. I ended up getting this new (to me) brand called Rodial. The cream is called GlamTox Eye with SPF 15.

I feel like it instantly brightens up my eye area. One of the most impressive things about this eye cream to me is that it actually contains arnica. Apparently, according to the lady that was helping me, arnica is actually recommended by plastic surgeons to help with bruising. She was telling me how dark under eye circles are due to the fact that the blood vessels under the eyes are tiny and so it's not getting enough circulation. Arnica happens to increase circulation so it really helps with under eye darkness. So far, I've really liked it. I love how it feels on the skin and it also comes in a pump form! I've just been on a pump purchasing spree.


Another pump product I got was the Rodial Dragon's Blood Cleansing Water.

I actually have this right on my bedside table so that when I'm too lazy to remove my eye makeup, I just use a cotton ball and wha-la, all gone. It feels super nice and refreshing but I'm sure you can just put cold water on your face or any other makeup remover on and it would feel just as refreshing. I've been using the Aveeno makeup remover wipes but I feel like it's still sting-y around the eyes even though it says it's "sensitive". This cleansing water actually doesn't sting at all.


So far I've been loving everything I've gotten and I've really felt a change in my skin for the better but I'm not sure if it's just because I'm starting to take care of it or if it's the products I've been using. Hopefully I can give ya'lls an update after a month of using them and we can see how it goes! Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I shall be posting a food blog soon. We went to a couple of places for San Diego Restaurant Week so that's the next post I'll be working on.

Happy MLK Weekend and have a great week!