Jae Raids the Drugstore! Best (and Worst!) Beauty Buys

So my vanity drawer is overflowing with stuff I've bought in the last little while, so that definitely means it's time for beauty reviews: The good, the bad, and the "why did I ever spend money on that?"

Let's just go for it because we're headed out for the weekend and I have mucho stuff to do!

BellaPierre Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Pencil ($14.99)

This was a sleeper hit for me. Usually an eyeliner is an eyeliner, but this gel-based one is super soft so I've been using it for tightlining (where you line the waterline of your eye). And seriously, once it's on it doesn't budge until you use soap, so it's a major winner. I'll be rebuying this when it's done -- I feel like it'll be genius in the summer when we're in and out of water all day. 

Glycolix Elite Ultra Gentle Cleanser ($15)

I've used Glycolix stuff in the past and have always been happy, so I started looking for a daily treatment option. This cleanser is supafantastic because it has all the glycolic acid goodness, but it's not irritating like the pads are (seriously I love them but they burn like the dickens). I've used this every night for like, two months and am super happy. Really great if you have the dreaded combo skin like me where you break out if anything is too moisturizing but turn in to the motherfudging (sorry I've been mainlining Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix) Sahara when it's not hydrating enough.


Si by Giorgio Armani ($28) 

YOU GUYS. I know for a fact that someone here recommended this fragrance back around Christmas, but I can't remember who. But if it was you, you're a beautiful angel from heaven because this stuff is so good. If you're into vanilla scents (which I very much am) this is such an excellent balance between vanilla and a little bit of musk so it's not too sweet. My husband got me the rollerball (I throw them in my purse and take them everywhere) and I've worn it on the daily ever since.

Cils D'enfer Maxi Lash So Volume! ($30)

In my neverending quest to try every mascara ever made (and seriously don't try and tell me about lash extensions. One of my friends just had a reaction to hers and it was so bad it literally caused her eyelashes to pop out of her skin. It's not my bag.) I tried this super FRAWNCH mascara and it was only OK. It's more lengthening than it is volumizing and my eyelashes are pretty long already so it leaned on the spidery side. For $30 I'd expect more. Something has yet to topple Dior Iconic Overcurl and L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes as my top faves.

Revlon Parfumerie in Spun Sugar ($3.29)

I picked this up on a grocery store run while my husband drove me around looking for cheese bagels. My usual store was out and that is not acceptable. I really like cheese bagels, you guys. Anyway, this stuff swears that it smells like sugar but I don't really smell anything. I love the color though, and it was almost opaque after one coat. I've also had it on my toes for two weeks and I think it'll probably last through the Armageddon, so that's nice.

Benefit High Brow Glow ($22)

Aaaaand massive disappointment of the month goes to: This stupid $22 shimmer stick I bought the last time I was at Sephora! I was looking for something to help define my brows because they are crazy and unwieldy. And somehow I got talked into this (seriously are the women who work at Sephora hypnotists? Because this is not what I wanted AT ALL) and when I got home realized that I'd spent way too much on something that wasn't as good as the next product for like, a third of the price.

It's OK. Just... OK. I don't see why it would ever need to be $22 though.

e.l.f. Shimmer Palette ($8)

Look guys, I'm not even trying to be dramatic, I just want to be buried with this palette when I die. Seriously, I use it every day without fail. I love that the shimmer comes in different shades, so you can add some without looking like you're ready for Elsa cosplay. I use the pink on the Cupid's bow above my lips and on my cheekbones, and then use the champagne one for my brow bones and inner eyes NO THANKS TO YOU, $22 BENEFIT PENCIL. A little goes a looooooong way. Like, for my cheeks I literally just tap the shimmer lightly and then brush my fingers across my cheekbones and all of a sudden, it's like you're a dewy ballerina-type. Such a fan.

Palladio Herbal Gel Crayon in In the Buff ($6)

So THIS is what I wanted when I went into Sephora looking for brow help. I actually wanted a matte color that was a shade lighter than my own skin that I could use on the tops of my brows to define them. I didn't want shimmer, jerks. And I love that this fat little pencil does exactly what I ask. I'll be buying it again. I clean up my brows, fill 'em in, and then use a swipe of this on top (and blend) to make them look even more defined. Thanks, you adorable little $6 crayon, you.

Anastasia Clear Brow Gel ($22)

If you know what "on fleek" means and you want your brows to go to there, this is the gold standard, folks. And yes, I was on a mission to tame my brows this month. Deal.

Anyway, I use  this after I've filled in my brows with my trusty pencil. I know that might make some brow people weep, but I use it after on purpose because I feel like it helps to smooth out any harshness and kind of airbrush my pencil work. Some people use  brow powder but my crazy brows need boundaries.

This is light, totally unnoticeable (I've had brow gel flake on me before and it's not pretty) and it stays put. That's really all you can ask. It's spendy, but it makes a big enough difference that I can justify the cost.

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Plumper ($12)

No bueno, you guys, This said it was a "custom color" that conforms to your lips' natural coloring, so I was like, oh great, so it's like my beloved Dior Lip Glow (which I use nonstop), but with plumping. Awesome.

No. No that was not true. In Victoria's Secret land, apparently your "custom color" is like, a garish hot pink that causes you to catch your reflection in your car's rearview mirror and say "WHAT THE HECK" out loud and then frantically wipe it on your sleeves, which may or may not be a real thing that happened. Maybe others have had better luck with their custom color, but my custom color was a jerk and the plumping effect was uber-minimal (I still love this the best for plumping lip colors in Peachy Flush).

Just, yeah. Yikes.


Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging ($24)

I've used this stuff for two years and swear by it, but this time I bought the "anti-aging" kind because, you know, I'm 30. And it's baaaasically worthless. Like, it's fine as a primer, but as far as I can tell the only difference is that this one has a little shimmer in it? Is that what's supposed to stop you from aging? Does Urban Decay think we're all idiots?

Just buy the regular stuff.

Batiste Dry Shampoo - Cherry ($8) 

I try out dry shampoo like I do mascara and I'm really picky about scent. I swear, some smell like the inside of an apartment building lobby where I grew up. Like, kind of like someone smoked in there once and the smell never went away, but by golly, they tried.

I don't think this smells particularly like cherries, but it does smell fresh and it does its job. On a related note, I tried a "tinted" dry shampoo and it made my hair banana yellow. White is fine. Even if you're brunette, you can use white dry shampoo. Just spray it, work it in like real shampoo, and then throw your hair into a loose bun while you hop in the shower or do your makeup and it'll absorb. You can also put it in before bed and sleep in a loose bun and it'll do the same.

And that, my friends, was a tangent.

Pacifica Hand Cream in Tuscan Blood Orange ($8) 

I love Pacifica scents -- they're impactful without being cloying and that might have been the most annoying sentence I've ever typed. But seriously. Their vanilla is another one of my favorite perfumes and I loooove their Indian Coconut stuff. I grabbed this Blood Orange and it's no exception. Seriously Pacifica, you win at scents forever and you're so reasonably priced.

This hand cream goes in my purse and is super light but doesn't skimp on the moisturizing part. Plus, the little tube is adorable and I'm forever handing it out to my friends to use.

Garnier Fructis Marvelous Oil ($4.50) 

I feel like calling this stuff Marvelous Oil was setting it up for failure. Because, I mean, it's pretty good, but it would have to cause my head to sprout mermaid-like gold-plated tresses overnight for it to be Marvelous.

It's a hair oil made with brazilnuts and I guess that's good? I don't know, I can't tell a difference between this and my usual agran oil -- both just get combed through my ends when they're looking rough and that's about it.

Maybelline Color Elixir in Caramel Infused $8.99

So I took Urban Decay's new High Color Lip Gloss (in Failbait) for a test drive. I was immediately obsessed with the color, but I haaaaated the formula. After about 10 minutes of wear, it became unbearably sticky. So, after much drugstore-searching, I found that Maybelline's Color Elixir in Caramel Infused was an almost-perfect match, and the formula is creamy (ugh I hate that word) instead of sticky. This has been my new go-to color for the last two weeks. The only caveat is that the applicator sucks but I can deal.

So, while I'm super disappointed in Urban Decay, it's kind of like meeting your cute husband through his douchey best friend. Like, he's a jerk and you hate the way he laughs but you're still grateful.


Aaaaand that concludes my world record of longest post ever, during which I looked at the clock and realized the bus was rumbling up the street and had to physically push my kids out the door. So, you know, mom stuff.

It's been a slice!

Deep Thoughts on Jamberry Nails

Since I was confined to my bed with a sore throat and super stiff neck yesterday, I decided to pull out some Jamberry nails that super awesome reader Lindsay sent me.

It was actually really funny, because a couple of weeks ago, I was hanging out with some friends. We ordered in Thai food (pumpkin curry get in my belly) and everyone brought their Jamberry stuff to do nails while we ate and gossiped. And I'm always in for food and gossip, but I've never even bothered with Jamberry nails because I actually have no nails. Like, I have the hands of a small growth-stunted child. It's ridiculous. Also, I bite my nails when I drive, so there's that too.

So I told the girls that I'd come and eat and opt out of the nail stuff. And everyone was like "You should totally get some" and I was like "Guys, remember how I'm a child and can't be trusted with fancy things like nail wraps?" And I went home. Nailess.

But lo and behold, the very next day there was a big package of Jamberry nail stuff at my door and oh, the irony! Lindsay sent me the works: A few sheets of wraps, a heater, the manicure set, etc. And I decided I would try them, but I had to let my nails grow for a week.

So, fast-forward to yesterday, where I was working from my bed and binge-watching Scandal and feeling sorry for myself when I realized that my nails were probably long enough to bust out the Jamberry stuff. Here's what I started with:

I definitely had to YouTube an application video because I have tried to use nail stickers before and they SUCKED. Or maybe I SUCKED. 

Sally Hansen in 2013. Never forget.

But these are not the same. So, here's the gist: You push down your cuticles, try and find a good match from the nail sticker sheet and then peel it up. Then, you use a heat source (I had the fancy dancy heater) to warm up the wraps before you stick 'em on your nails.

There's a lot of rubbing.

That's what she said.

It took one episode of Scandal for me to do both hands, but I was going super slow so as not to screw the entire process up and make Lindsay disappointed in my abilities. 

Here's the finished product: 

Ignore my sleep-legging bedecked thigh in the background there. I can see the spots in this pic where I screwed up, but they're passable and I know what not to do next time. 

Some tips I learned from my hour-long foray into Jamberry nails:

• The video I watched said err on the side of smaller when you're choosing the wrap size and I wish I had listened. Instead I was like "Gurl whatchyou talkin' bout" and went too big and sure enough, those were the ones with ripples in them. Like my pointer finger up there. 
• Heating helps, so don't be bashful. I the wraps before I put them on, as soon as I got them on, and again while I was smoothing them out to make sure they really got the point. 
• I kind of wish I had chosen a non French tip pattern. These look cool, but because my nails are so disproportionate and weird, a couple of nails had a smaller strip of silver than the others and it drives. me. crazy. Next time I'll just buy a random pattern. I'm eyeing these right now. 
• They were really hard at first, but by the time I got to my right hand, the process was easy. Plus, Scandal was on so it was actually kind of enjoyable. I felt like a real, live girl who does her nails and watches dishy dramas with hot presidents (I don't know what's wrong with me, I've had a massive crush on Tony Goldwyn since he was the bad guy in Ghost and spent like, every casual scene just wandering around without a shirt on and he awakened feelings in my 14-year-old self I didn't know existed. 
• I'm super glad Lindsay sent me the whole manicure set, because the scissors and cuticle pusher backer thingy were lifesavers. I know you could probably skip the heater if you wanted, because all my friends used blowdryers. But I still thought the heater was super handy to have. 
• I really have no earthly idea how long they'll stay on. It's been 24 hours and I've clipped a few shorter to get rid of some excess but so far, so good. They stay on for two weeks, according to Jamberry, but I'm really hard on my hands so we'll see. I'll keep you updated. 
• Also, if you have creepy baby hands like myself, the kids' wraps will fit. Lindsay sent me these babies for Addison and I'm not gonna lie, I'm probably going to steal some for myself. 
• Each sheet is $15, but I only used the four smallest on the sheet (and probably shouldn't have used the big one on my pointer finger ugh) so I still have enough for two more applications. If you were really handy with the scissors you could totally cut up the big toe ones and use them on your fingers if you were so inclined. 

Aw baby mustaches and bows, you will be mine. 

All in all, my friends will probably say "I told you so" when I see them tonight. Because I was so against them and now I'm like "OK, I can see where these would be handy." 

Really, my only complaints would be 1) That I'm an idiot and didn't choose smaller wraps when I should have and 2) They're a little shinier than I would normally choose for my nails. I think using them only for a feature nail here or there would make more sense for someone like me.  But that's fairly subjective and coming from someone who maybe does her nails like, twice a year. 

If these stay on for longer than a week, I might have to reevaluate my choices in life. 

Therefore, if you're interested in these and don't want to do the whole home party scene (which gives me like, heart palpitations because sales pressure makes me very nervous), you can buy from my girl Lindsay. She will not give you heart palpitations. Unless the nail wrap you choose is named Heart Palpitations. But I checked and there's none named that, so it's a moot point.

This is how I actually talk, guys. I'm SO bad at staying on topic. Ask my husband: It took me 10 minutes to tell him my friend's husband is a cop, because I spent most of the time retracing my entire history with said friend and that she used to have an above-ground pool and lived near the grocery store in my hometown, you know the grocery store that has the lobsters? 

So sorry. Moral of the story, my experience with Jamberry was mostly positive and you absolutely will see me with mustaches on my nails in the near future. 

Review: RevelationsRX Masks!

Blaaaaaargh the last few weeks have been bananas. Working in marketing means that in January, every client renews their budgets and suddenly needs all sorts of writing, which means I've been glued to my phone and computer like woah. Yesterday, I was quietly trying to chew through a turkey burger while on an hour-long conference and I was hungry and it was torturous.

The struggle.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, RevelationsRX sent me some of their super-cool new products to take for a test drive. At first, I was like AGHHH I'm too busy to do a product review. But it ended up being a really good thing.

Here's why: When stuff gets crazy, I go go go from morning until night. So I need to physically be made to stop, and these face masks MADE ME STOP. At least, for two 45-minute stints each week. And that was enough for me to stop, recharge, and do something that was good for me.

After the kids were in bed, natch. I cannot relax when they are buzzing around.

Anyway, RevelationsRX sent me the kits for two of their products: The Deep Hydrating Mask and Serum, and the Tired Eyes, Puffiness, and Dark Circles kit (IT'S LIKE THEY KNOW ME).

It's pretty straightforward: Each kit comes with four masks, along with a rollerball serum for use throughout the week.

Now, I've used cloth masks that stay in one piece before and I freaking hated them. Mostly because they were stiff and they never stay on, and you have to scare your children because you 100 percent look like Rubberface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

So I was super happy to find that while the masks were on that cloth stuff, they're actually made of coconut fibers and really actually conform to your face. Like, you put it on, let it conform and peel off the backing. The mask is super thin and it just glues itself down. So I looked like I had a plastic face, but not a scary murder face. I appreciate that.

No pictures exist of such face. You wear them for 45 minutes and I used that time to have a bath and read. Shockingly, I don't snap a lot of naked bathtime reading pics. I'm not Courtney Stoddard and I'm scared of the Cloud.

My favorite of the two was definitely the puffy eye patches. They work in  the same way: Glue themselves down and you wear 'em for 45 minutes. I've also been keeping the rollerball serum next to my bed. It's part of my morning and night routine now. You can't take that away from me.


I get pretty dry winter skin and these forced me to slow down and take care of it. You use them once a week, and I've gone through two of each of the masks and feel like my skin is super soft.

I've always struggled with dark circles under my eyes, so I've been pretty happy to see the puffiness go down and my eyes lighten up a bit. Seriously, I'm very vain about looking younger than I am (as referenced by this post-patch picture of me in a cheerleader ponytail and hoodie). Dark circles make me actually look my age. That's not cool, man.

While I'd file the full face mask under "Great to have but not completely necessary," the eye patches are definitely keepers. I've tried eye patches before and didn't really see a difference, but these definitely made me feel like my eyes were brighter for the rest of the day. The serum is also loaded with caffeine and it's COLD so I felt like that really helped with puffy, tired eyes first thing in the morning.

The RevelationsRX line can be pricey, but I was super happy with the results. Luckily, they are offering free shipping and $15 off their products through this link. There, don't say I never do anything for you.

In the meantime, let's all be thankful for beauty products that force you to stop, do something nice for yourself, and read a good book simultaneously.

(This post was sponsored by RevelationsRX obviously, but the opinions are mine. I wouldn't steer you wrong.)

Beauty Review: Younique Moonstruck 3D Fiber Lashes

A lot of my friends have permanent eyelash extensions. And they all look amazing, but I've never been able to commit to them for a bunch of reasons. First is that I just don't have the time: Fills take a few hours every couple of weeks and seriously, there's no way I could do that. Another issue is that I know that they can be damaging and I'm hyper-vain about my eyelashes. I love them. I would never do anything to jeopardize the deep and lasting relationship we have.

Also, the idea of sitting in a chair for a couple of hours, talking to a stranger who is poking at my eyes is actually horrifying to me. Social anxiety FTW!

So when reader Janica offered to send me some of Younique's 3D Fiber Lashes, I was super excited to try 'em on. I'd seen them around before, read some reviews, but never pulled the trigger.

But, I can officially tell you that I'm kind of a convert now.

It's a two-step product. After putting on your usual mascara (I wear this) you put on a sealant, then the fibers (which are made from green tea) and then the sealant again. All in all, it's about a one-minute process and I did get some killer results. Here are some before and afters (and some obscenely close shots of my face because you know, THAT'S what you want to see at 9am on a Wednesday):

 The first shot is without anything. The second, with mascara only and the third, with the fiber lashes. RIGHT!? Right.

Moral of the story: I heart these forever and I'm not just saying that because someone gifted them to me.

When I read reviews, most were positive, but a couple had some issues. After a couple of days of trial and error, I have some tips for people trying fiber lashes.

1) Don't wait forever for your mascara to dry before you put them on. The instructions say it should be dry, but I had better results when it was just *barely* dried. Like, a minute after putting it on.

2) DO NOT try and put on more than one coat of fibers at a time. The first time I put them on, I did the blinky thing I do when putting on regular mascara and I think it deposited too many fibers and they were prone to clumping flake-age. The next time, I did one sweep and that was it. And it was perfect.

I think both clumping and flaking was a concern with online reviews, but I'm pretty convinced people are putting them on too thick when they flake off. Think thin, people!

3) If you want another layer of fibers, you still need to put on the sealant, wait for it to dry AND THEN add another (singular) coat of fibers. These pics are just one coat though, so I really think one is plenty.

4) My only complaint with these bad boys is the fact that if you were, by chance, a day napper (uh, not that I am or anything) that waking up with these after falling asleep in front of Say Yes to the Dress at 3pm, they might be a little sticky.

But that's like, just a theory and stuff.

5) If you're an eyelash curler (like, someone who curls your eyelashes and not an actual eyelash curler because what are you doing on the Internet, beauty tool?) do so carefully. I found that any creases or missed spots were magnified after I put the fibers on.

Anyway, I can't remember the last time I had so much fun with a product. I'm a mascara junkie anyhow, so it was fun to play around with something that made such a huge difference.

Seriously check these babies out.

 Here they are in natural, non-crappy bathroom lighting and with a hat that I bought that I'm not very sure about just yet.

Anyway, if I were rating these, I'd probably give them like, an 8.5. I found them to be extremely effective, but there is a learning curve to using them.

If you're interested in giving them a shot, you can buy the Moonstruck 3D Fiber Lashes here. 

Yay for Minnie Mouse eyelashes and fun products! 

Jae Raids the Drugstore: Best (and Worst) Beauty Buys

Yay it's time for another beauty review post! Also, I have to tell you guys that I was at the mall on Monday, because -- you know -- Disney Store, and my family and I were in the food court gorging on Chick-Fil-A when a very, very, very badly dressed woman showed up and had someone taking pictures of her. I assume it was a fashion blogger of some sort because she was arranging and showing off what seemed to be really short bellbottoms and that fabric vest thing I had when I was 12. They even asked some poor guy to get out of the way for the pictures and I was DYING.

See also: Why I will never take outfit pics in public.

See also, also: Why I hate fashion bloggers.

I thought you'd enjoy that scenario. Because we're friends.

Anyway, on to the reviews! Here's what I've bought lately!

Maybelline Volum' Express The Mega Plush Mascara

Ughhhh this stuff is the worrrrrst. First of all, it's spelled volume, you can't just throw an accent in there and change the spelling. I bought this because I love things that say volume on them, or volum',as it were, and I thought this would be a good buy. IT SAYS MEGA. Instead, I got a brush that has the rigidity of cooked spaghetti and smeared EVERYWHERE. Like seriously. Sucks so bad. I even tried another brush to see if it made a difference and the formula was still crappy.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

I knew I was going to ask my husband for a Naked palette for Christmas, but I didn't want to do it until Naked 3 came out so I could compare all three. In the end, I went with the first palette. The second was too light for me and the third just didn't seem to have enough must-have colors. I mean, I'll still probably buy it, but this was a better place to start.

The colors are CRAZY amazing and soooo soft. Like, I want to say buttery, if it didn't make me actually crave butter. I've worn these every day since Christmas and the looks are always a little different. The highlighter shade is ah-mazing. Also, these colors don't crease, which is fantastic. I have the biggest eye creases ever. It's like the Grand Canyon up in there.

Also, if you have the chance to get the primer with this, do it. The color payoff it SO much better with the base and it lasts for forever. My husband was wise and got me two tubes of the stuff, so I"m set.

Yes, it's pricey. But for someone who goes through eyeshadow palettes like Miley Cyrus goes through flesh-colored bodysuits, it's worth the money.

VS Makeup VS PRO Magic FX Hypergloss Eye Shimmer

This stuff is magical, people. MAGICAL. It's a highlighter with a little bit of sparkle -- like, slightly chunkier than you'd get in a regular highlighter. I've been wearing it with the lightest Naked shade and just in the corner of my eyes and it's just enough to pop without looking like a stripper. And you know I'm all about not looking like a stripper.

e.l.f. Studio Conditioning Lip Balm SPF 15

I'm not even gonna lie, I threw this in my last ELF order because I had to get to $25 for free shipping. So I was pretty surprised when it became my hands down favorite product in the bunch. It's just a little tinted color, which is great with like, a smokey eye. I got a few more to stash around my bag and my husband's Jeep. And come on, it's like $3. I got some at Target, so you don't have to order to get more.

Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue Lip Balm

YOU GUYS. Baby Lips, my fave lip balm of all time, has come out with a medicated version. I was so excited that when I found it I ran home and announced it to my friends on Facebook because sharing is caring.

I bought the coral color and I have no idea of the medicated stuff does anything, but it's kind of minty and enjoyable and I wear it nonstop all day. It's glossy and not sticky at all, with just a little color. I have like, six of these now. They're my precious...es.

Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies Mascara - Black Drama

OK, so this didn't suck as hard as the Mega Plush, but it's still pretty sucky. Maybe I should stop buying things that say volum' on them. WHEN WILL I LEARN. Anyway, this brush felt slightly less like it needed Viagra, but it's still not great. I found it to be clumpy and flaky after a few hours. Live and learn, folks.

L'Oreal Paris Ideal Clean Foaming Gel Cleanser for All Skin Types

I'm suuuuuper picky about face washes and I usually use Clean and Clear, but it wasn't taking my makeup off very well -- especially after I switched to using the Urban Decay eyeshadow primer. So I swapped it out for this stuff, which is gel based and banishes every trace of makeup at night. And! It doesn't make my skin feel tight which is a crappy feeling. So it gets a thumbs up from me and my poor eyelids, which were scrubbed within an inch of their lives.

Haha eyelids don't have thumbs that's silly.

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Washable Mascara

Nope, I didn't learn. After hating the first two volum' mascaras, I BOUGHT ANOTHER. WTH? But! I was pleasantly surprised by this one, so there. It gives tones of volum(e) and doesn't clump up, which I like. I also bought it in waterproof and it sticks around all day, so that was a major plus as well. Is it as good as by beloved Diorshow? Heck no. In fact, I'm running to the department store in a few minutes to replenish my stock. BUT! It's a solid backup and one from Maybelline that I didn't want to kill with fire. Win.


OK, that's all the products I could see littering my vanity at this time. What about you? Have any hits or misses to share?

Jae Raids the Drugstore: Best (and Worst) Beauty Buys Under $10

Since my family has literally been sick since November, I've had the opportunity to reacquaint myself with a very strange place: the drugstore. You see, when I was a teenager living at home, the closest place for me to buy makeup and hair stuff was the drugstore that was two blocks away from my house. I spent all of my tiny paycheques on massive amounts of eyeshadow and butterfly hair clips and whatever else was cool in 2001. Seriously, I loved that place. I would take hours to pick stuff out and then I'd rush home and try it all on like a demented beauty queen.

Since I've become oh so more mature in my old age (you guys, I was playing in the snow with my kids the other day and I fell and I've been complaining like a granny ever since) I started buying more of my makeup and hair stuff at beauty specialty stores, department stores and online. Honestly, I hadn't been in a drugstore in forever because usually we use a Walmart pharmacy and I'm picking up milk and Pullups with my prescription, not lipstick. But a couple weeks ago, Walmart didn't carry my prescription so I had to head down to Walgreens and since then, all of our stuff has been going there. The result? Hours upon hours of waiting for prescriptions that I have now spent trolling the makeup aisles for new products.

Since I totally understand that not everyone wants to go have their bank account manhandled by the ladies at the Nordstrom makeup counters, I give you some of the best (and worst) products that I've picked up during my drugstore escapades -- proof that you can find totally awesome stuff while you're picking up antibiotics and Advil.



L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes

I know I've reviewed this mascara on here before, but I picked up another tube when my pricey brand was out the other day and I remember how awesome it is. For a $8 mascara, this stuff rocks. It's the closest I've found to Diorshow, which is my all-time fave. My favorite part about it is that you can layer it really well. I hate when I go to put a second coat of mascara on and it's all crispy and gross. With this, I put on a layer, wait two minutes and then add one more for superthick lashes. I was wearing it at Christmas and my sister-in-law thought I falsies on. Score!



Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter.

I am a sucker for new types of lip color, just because I'm not a hardcore lipstick girl. I love gloss, but I feel like the color fades super fast so it's kind of a pain. When I saw this I was excited because it's kind of a mix between lipstick and lip blam. Like, it feels like chapstick going on, but gives awesome color like a lipstick. This would be AWESOME if you're new to lip color or want to try a bolder shade (red please?) I bought this color, which is a bright pink in the tube but is just pretty and rosy on my lips and it lasted forever. I also liked that it was all smooth n' stuff.


(I'm wearing it in this picture. LOVE! PS My son looks like a tiny banker.)



Suave Volumizing Mousse

It makes me really mad when spell check says that "volumizing" isn't a word. Um, shut up. OK, I am a sucker for hair products, especially ones that promise to give me big hair. And I'm kind of a mousse-aholic. But I love this stuff. It dries really soft, even when I do scrunchy curls, so I use it for both curly and straight looks, since my hair is pretty wavy in real life. And i think I paid like, $2 for this, so it was totally worth it. I used a Big Sexy Hair version of the same thing and really can't tell a huge difference, despite the fact that BSH cost $24.



Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

I would literally rather have a root canal than try and mess with these again. I picked up a box because I hate doing my nails only to have them chip and figured this would last longer. It might have if I'd actually been able to put them on. First of all, each strip is encased in roughly 79 pieces of peely plastic, which means they make a HUGE mess. Second, they're pretty much impossible to apply I gave up and put them on my daughter. She loves them but I don't have the heart to tell her that they're slightly crooked. So I won't. Stab me with a spoon these were annoying.



Maybelline Mineral Power Foundation

I ran out of my precious Bare Minerals right before my trip to Canada, so I rushed to the drugstore since I didn't have a chance to get to the mall. I figured that all mineral powders were created equally, and I was close. This is a really great substitute for the real deal. If you want to try mineral foundation but don't want to fork out $25 for the stuff, try this. The coverage was fine, although I don't think it lasted as long as Bare Minerals. Also, you don't get the range of colors that you do with Bare Minerals, so it wasn't the exact match I usually get. But totally worth it to stash in my makeup bag -- I really liked the supersoft brush that came with it too!



Beyond the Zone Rock On Dry Shampoo

K, this is kind of cheating because I didn't buy this myself. But I went to a "Favorite Things" party with my friends and this is what I won. One of my friends (Hi, Tamera!) brought this to share and I'm glad she did, because it was magical. Everyone knows about dry shampoo, right? It's a powder spray that you can use to revive your hairstyle when it's oily or just flat. You might not be able to find this brand at the drugstore, but I've also tried the Suave dry shampoo and liked it a lot too. Definitely a must for time-crunched mornings.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll give a pic of me with dry shampooed hair. BUT I literally took this picture as I rolled out of bed and sat down to work for the day and i am not wearing a stitch of makeup. BEWARE.


But see? My face looks tired but my hair looks like it's actually DONE. I sprayed my roots with dry shampoo and then just fluffed with my fingers and got like 30-second hair right out of bed without doing anything special. It's awesome and one of my secrets to faking like I actually put myself together everyday. Totally doable.

Alright, so now I have divulged my guilty pleasure for low priced cosmetics (hence my insane obsession with buying stuff from e.l.f.). What's your favorite budget beauty buy that you can't live without?

Product Review!: e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner

***Disclaimer: I was not reimbursed for this review. While I think it would be super cool if e.l.f. sent me free stuff all the time, I bought my product on my own and this is all pure honesty. That's how I roll.***

So it's no secret that I'm obsessed with e.l.f. products. Seriously, half the items in my makeup bag are from the brand. It's just that every time I order with them I usually have to meet a certain dollar amount for free stuff, which means I order like, 9 billion products because everything is so dang cheap. You'd think that at a $1 to $3 you'd be getting like, Bonne Bell Lip Smackers and nail files, but all the stuff is awesome.

The last order I did I noticed they had a new cream eyeliner. Have I also told you I'm obsessed with eyeliner? I've been using e.l.f. liquid liner pens forever and had an extra $3 to spare, so I added it to my cart.

Ooooh I am so glad that I did. This stuff is awesome. Now, it's not for the demurely makeuped. If you prefer a super natural (but not supernatural, that's completely different) look, you should know that this makes a very thick line. But if you like a little drama, like me, it's PERFECT.

I bought the plummy purple color because I have blue eyes. As a quick makeup note, if you want your eyes to stand out, wear an eye color that is opposite. Nothing bugs me more than seeing blue eyeshadow on a chick with blue eyes. (OK, fine. Social discrimination bugs me more. But blue eyeshadow is UP THERE.) If you want a quick refresher for eyeliner rules depending on eye color:

Blue eyes: Brown or plum
Green eyes: Brown or red/pink
Brown eyes: Navy blue
Hazel: Brown
All colors: Gray
No one ever: White

Anyway, this cream eyeliner stuff is pretty awesome. I use it to do a heavier cat eye on top when I'm going sans-liner on the bottom. I've also used it to add a little color and definition along the bottom lashes too and I was totally happy with the results. It comes with an adorable little brush that I lose on a near-daily basis, but it's perfect for lining. And I feel like if you have trouble with liquid liner but still want the drama, cream liner is the next best thing. You have way more control over the product so you're not getting liquid liner all over the place. And as a completely unnecessary note, the other day I had one of those massive liquid eyeliner malfunctions where I got it EVERYWHERE and looked like I was in a fight and had to wash my face completely and start over. It was a great day.

Also, this stuff lasts forever. It will not smudge because it dries and then it's on there until you do the scary thing at night when you go from hot mama to pajama-ridden, ponytailed sleep machine.

Anyway, totally worth a try if you have $3 lying around and you want to try something new. And I know you do! It's basically the price of a massive Cherry Limeade from Sonic. I totally stopped and got one at like 10:30 last night. I'm staring at the cup right now. My life is riveting.

EDIT!!


Alright, as per request, here's some pictures of the liner IN ACTION! So, I love me some cat eye, but since it's heavy on top I typically leave the bottom alone to avoid closing in the eye. It's super dramatic and retro and a lot easier to do with cream than it is liner.


Herrrrre's the whole effect. And now you know what my hair looks like in the morning. IGNORE THAT. Focus on the eyes. I've also got a layer of mascara on because I die without mascara. Seriously.

Hopefully that makes more sense! I always hesitate when posting pics of myself on the blog because I don't want everyone to be like OMG JAE STOP BEING SO VAIN. But if you need them, ask away and I shall feel validated.