I ♥ Drugstore Tag

I know this is a YouTube tag, but, seeing as I don't make videos, I've decided to do it as a blog post.  (Am I allowed to do that?)  Anyway, I saw this tag on Beauty Broadcast and Emily says it's okay, so here we go.

1. What is your favorite drugstore makeup brand?
I think I use a ton of Revlon because it's so readily available (and I do love me some Revlon), but if it didn't involve a thirty minute drive I'd see myself having a lot more NYX.  Its quality and color selection really are unbeatable.

2. What are your favorite face, cheek and lip products?
Honestly I typically use mid-high end face makeup (because it's the first thing that touches your skin and it can be hard for me to find a good color match in the drugstore), but if I absolutely have to pick a face product I'll say Revlon PhotoReady Concealer.
For cheeks, you really can't beat Milani Baked Blushes, although I also really enjoy the e.l.f. Studio Blushes at $3.
Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect is the end-all, holy grail lip product.  It moisturizes like no other, has spf, and even looks like a gloss on the lips.

3. Least favorite product?
Undoubtedly, EOS Lip Balm (although this easily could've gone as number 8, not worth the hype).  Although these come in cute, colorful little spheres and smell pretty, the balm just kind of sits on top of lips and doesn't deliver any kind of hydration.

4. What is the best makeup bargain?
I would say the e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing powder, if the blush worked better on my skintone, but, since it barely shows up, I have to go with Wet n Wild Color Icon eyeshadow palettes.

5. What is your favorite underdog product? (Something you love that often gets overlooked?)
Revlon PhotoReady 3D Volume Mascara is insane.  I have never seen this kind of volume from a drugstore mascara.  This product deserves way more attention than it seems to receive.

6. A drugstore product that is overpriced?
Has to be nail polish.  OPI and Essie are absolutely ridiculous (Do they count as "drugstore?"), but even Revlon ColorStay costs like $8.

7. Show your best drugstore dupe(s)!!
It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads my blog that I'm going with Boots No7 High Lights Illuminating Lotion.  I didn't quite believe Liz when she first told me this is an exact dupe for Benefit High Beam, but I became a believer at first swipe.  Boots High Lights retails for $12.99 for 1 oz.of product, while High Beam costs $26 for a mere 0.45 oz.  I'm no physicist, but that makes High Lights half the price for (slightly more than) twice the product.  Side by side, High Lights is a bit less watery than High Beam, but they're pretty much identical once blended out.  (High Lights looks really reflective in my picture; I might have inadvertently swatched it a bit thicker than High Beam.)

Benefit High Beam (left) & Boots High Lights (right)

8. Drugstore product that isn't worth the hype?
Revlon PhotoReady Whipped Creme Makeup.  I'll admit the texture feels kind of nice (if a bit heavy), but it's near impossible to guess a color match in those clunky glass jars.  Revlon might be able to change my mind about this product if they'd step up their game and provide testers, but until that happens I have to dub PhotoReady Whipped as vastly overrated.

What do you think of my picks?  Do you agree/disagree with any of my answers?

I tag everyone, but, specifically:

April of April, Maybe

Bre of (Skinny) Arm Wars

Krystal of Beauty By Krystal

lovenailpolish of Addicted to OPI-yum

Rose of One Unique Queen

Sophie of Born to Buy

If you do this tag, please leave your link below so I can read your post.

XOXO, T

Spotted: Fergie for Wet n Wild

It's no secret that I'm a pretty big fan of Wet n Wild Cosmetics, so imagine my excitement when I found this display near the back of the store.  I obvs wanted to grab all of it but only allowed myself to pick up one eye kit and a nail polish.  (The polishes were over with the regular WnW nail polish in my store.)

Glamour-Eyes, Ferga-vicious & Fergie Ferg Fresh Eye Kits

Pretty polishes with names like Glamorous & Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night

What do you think of Fergie's collaboration with Wet n Wild?  Do you have/want anything from this collection?

XOXO, T

Collective Drugstore Haul

In the past two days, I've spent a disgusting amount of money at Walgreens and CVS.  I think what gets me in so much trouble when drugstore shopping is that no one item is very expensive.  This leads to my dropping a million pretty, little sticks and bottles into my basket.  Next thing I know, the cashier is asking for every last penny in my purse, and I don't even understand what happened.  A few of these things I actually needed, but the vast majority of my purchases were completely frivolous nonsense.

From left to right, I got: a Soho Crease Brush, patriotic Glow Bracelets & Necklaces (8 sticks + connectors), a 3 pack of Large Mesh Bath Sponges, a Plan Ahead Journal, Essence of Beauty Facial Cleansing Sponges, a $15 iTunes gift card, 0.7 mm lead, Sinful Colors Professional nail polish in Snow Me White, RevlonRevlon Scented Nail Enamel in Strawberry Cream, Kiss Nail Dress in 2B (leopard), Milani Shadow Eyez Eyeshadow Pencil in Aquatic Style, Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss in Peony, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Cherish, and Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Coral Reef.

A close up of the fun stuff.

What do you think about my haul?

I can't be the only one who compulsively buys tons of drugstore crap.  Can you empathize with my plight?

XOXO, T

Spotted: Sinful Colors' Summer 2012 Nail Polish Collection

Liberty Belle & Make Some Noise Collections

First and foremost, I'm a huge fan of dirt cheap nail polish brands like Sinful Colors, Wet n Wild and Confetti when it comes to super trendy shades, the same way I look to Forever 21 for trendy clothing and accessories, but am willing to spend a bit more on a classic nail polish color or a timeless wear-with-everything handbag. It all comes down to cost per wear, y'all.  (If I spend $1.99 on an insane Sinful Colors neon that I only wear four times or $8 on a wearable OPI greige that I wear sixteen times, both these polishes cost 50¢ per wear.  Get it?)

Wow Pop Collection

Sinful Colors released three separate collections for this summer: Liberty Belle, Make Some Noise and Wow Pop.  I actually Spotted these displays about a week ago in a local Walgreens.  So far, I've only picked up two shades: Snow Me White from the Wow Pop Collection, which I intend to use as a base to make neons really pop, and, speaking of neons, 24/7, an electric flamingo pink.  I definitely have my eyes on the highlighter yellow and purple glitter below.

Make Some Noise Collection

Do you like Sinful Colors nail polish?  Have you picked up any polishes from this collection?  Do any of these shades appeal to you?

XOXO, T