Jae Raids the Drugstore: Best and Worst Beauty Buys

Ooh, the holidays weren't not kind to my bank account when it came to purchasing beauty products. I blame it on the fact that I was in stores so often. I tend to shop for myself whilst shopping for others. Like, I budget for it.

I was in Nordstrom buying a gift for my mom, and I bought the same thing for myself and the guy was like "Do you want these gift wrapped?" and I said "Sure... Oh wait just one because the other is for myself. That's how it goes, right? One for you, one for me?" It was my Cara tassel necklace, FYI, which is totally on sale now.

ANYWAY, here's some heroes and losers for beauty products over the last month or so. Some were life changing and the others got a resounding "ehhhhhh" from me.

Redken 05 Wind Blown (About $14)

(here)

This stuff wins the prize for "thing I bought that I love forever and will never stop using until I die" in December. It was a pain to find, since I couldn't find it in any salons, so I had to order it. It seems spendy until you see what it does:

K, so the left is my hair after it has been blow-dried and styled like always. Fine, but the right is after I blasted it with Wind Blown, which is a dry finishing spray with minimum hold. It's more of a volumizer and it just makes your hair look shampoo commercial pretty. I've also tried it with wavy hair and it's pretty fantastic. I just lift up my hair and spray it into little pockets here and there. Seriously. Love this stuff. Ignore the spotty mirror and just bask in the big-hairedness.

BASK IN IT!!!!








Urban Decay Naked Lip Gloss in Sesso ($20) 

(here)

This came in my "On the Run" palette and while I've mostly been wearing the Dior Lip Glow for days, this stuff is fantastic for a classic gloss: Not sticky, gorgeous rose color and just a smidgen of shine. It's been my "going out" gloss. And it looks pretty flawless with the eyeshadow colors in the palette.


Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes ($20)

(here)

You know I have my old favorites when it comes to mascara (Diorshow Iconic Overcurl for department store and L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes for drugstore) but I'm still always trying new ones. And this one is definitely one of the most "buildable" mascaras I've ever tried. You know how sometimes, you go to put on the second coat and all hell breaks loose with clumping and sticking? This stuff layers up to three times and still looks perfect. I think it's because it takes some extra time to dry, so you're not layering over crusted mascara – it's still just a little tacky and comes out uber dramatic.

Doll10 H2Glo Highlighter in Champagne ($8)

(here)

This has been my sneaky secret weapon for the past few months: A really neutral-toned highlighter for the corners of my eyes, brow bones, cheekbones and the bow of my lips. It makes my face look totally awake, which I need after a month of late nights and partying and eating really crappy food. I still often use the ELF Highlighter, but I love how straightforward and simple it is to use the compact here. It comes with me everywhere.

Pacifica Island Vanilla Moisturizing Hand Wipes ($7)

(here)

I grabbed these on Black Friday at Ulta. Pacifica routinely has the most amazing scents (I have the Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter and it's out of this world) and I was like "YES! Why shouldn't I have non-baby wipes in my purse??" and suddenly I'm a grown up. Seriously, I've been buying Burt's Bees Baby Wipes for spills and messes around town for eons, but these smell amazing AND leave your hands feeling crazy soft. Yes, they're pricey when you can get a pack of wipes for $2, but it's the little things, people. It also doesn't hurt that the package is pretty. 

Burt's Bees Almond Milk Hand Creme ($9)

(here)

Speaking of Burt's Bees, I get super dry, cracked skin during the winter and this is the only stuff that can even touch it. Honestly, I put on other hand cream and it actually feels like I'm drying my skin out. This stuff is crazy thick and smells really clean (my husband always comments on how good it smells). I actually keep a jar in my car because for some reason, driving around in the cold is havoc on my hands.

Urban Decay Naked 24/7 Velvet Eyeliner in Stag ($20)

(here)

Holy Hannah, this stuff is smooth. It glides on like you would not believe. I use it for tightlining and it looks super natural because it stays really close to the eyelid. I've also done a cat eye with it and it smudges beautifully and then just like, hangs around for the rest of the day. Also, the Stag color I got is a really, really dark brown, but I also have the black. I find myself using the brown a lot just because it goes with the golds and pinks in the Naked palettes really well. I keep the black for smokey eyes.

City Color Be Matte Lipstick ($7) 

(here, although I don't know why you would ever want to buy this)

This had the consistency of like, those truffles covered in cocoa powder that you get at Christmas, mixed with oil. So it managed to be super drying and unpleasantly greasy at the same time, which is kind of a feat of engineering. I hated it like Kim Kardashian hates subtlety. Ugh. Worst.

Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Agran Oil Hairspray ($8)

(here)

Honestly, I felt like this was as effective as throwing candy sprinkles at my head and hoping it created volume.

ELF HD Blush in Superstar ($3) 

(here)

This, however, I like. For $3 you get a pretty darn pigmented cream blush, so let me warn you: It's potent like woah. As in, I *might* use a dot the size of a grain of couscous, because a little goes a long way. On the bright side, I'll be using the same bottle until I'm 80. It's a great option if you're not into powder blushes – I tend to use cream in the winter because my skin is drier and it needs the extra oomph of a more dimensional blush. I sound like a commercial, don't I?

ELF Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzer ($3)

(here)

So, you guys know I'm hyper loyal to Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer  for contouring cheeks, forehead and chin, but for really precise contouring, I think a cream-base like this one works better. I literally only use it down the sides of my nose, but for $3 it's worth it. Powder works for larger areas because it's buffed out. Cream can be a bit severe, so I use it before I put on foundation and it kind of blends out.

I never use the blush, so I have no idea if it's good or not.


Alright, that's it for my latest and greatest. Have you used anything that you need to talk about in a safe setting? The comments section is ideal. What have you loved and hated for the last few months? Have you tried anything here?