All posts filed under: Drugstore Finds

Drugstore Finds: Maybelline The Hypercurl Mascara*

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Allow me to channel LSP here: “OH. MY. GLOB.” This may sound a little excessive, but holy crap. You have no idea how stubborn my lashes are. They look alright in person. If you were really, really, really, really close to my face. I mean, sure. But they do not hold a curl and no amount of mascara would make much of a difference, especially when my lashes go from “barely there” to “clumpy mess” in a matter of seconds. But this, my friends. This is a pretty great thing right here. The wand is similar to The Falsies, which is another Maybelline mascara that I like. It has a sort of curved shape, a design that is supposed to allow you to apply mascara easier since it “fits” your lashes’ natural shape. Are you ready for the results? LOOK AT THOSE LASHES! Oooh. Aaah. I really can’t believe it. That’s probably nothing to get excited about for you, but for me it is akin to a miracle! Another great thing about it? (What? There’s …

Drugstore Finds: e.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner

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After reading rave reviews on this, I decided to try it out. The e.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner is a pretty straightforward product. It’s a liquid eyeliner, with a fine-tip brush and a pretty opaque formulation. Its brush allows it to draw thin, precise lines. I don’t really have a lot of trouble with this applicator even though it is super thin, which is weird because I am the worst at line control. It draws a pretty solid line, but it creases on my eyelid. The flexibility of the tip also allows you to draw different thicknesses of lines. If you are good at that. I usually just layer the lines over top of each other. 🙂 Here’s a fairly thin one on my upper lash line: I was looking for a cheaper alternative for my K-Palette Liquid Eyeliner, since that is pretty pricey. Though this e.l.f. one performs decently, I still prefer my HG liquid eyeliner. e.l.f. is cruelty-free.

Drugstore Finds: essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow

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This was one of the two items I got during my Makeup No Buy, the other being an elf Liquid Eyeliner. I had points to spend and I was picking up stuff for my sister’s birthday, so I thought, why not? I’ve been meaning to try something from this brand, and I can’t say ‘no’ to cream eyeshadow. The shade I got, Glammy Goes To…, is a cool pale gold, almost like a champagne. The texture is a bit stiff, similar to the Stila Smudgepot, but this is actually a bit more workable because the texture is better. It still has a tendency to make eyelids crepe-y if you pack on too much, but you can just use it as a light wash of color. I find that unlike MAC paint pots, though, I can’t wear these alone. Perhaps it’s the color, which is extremely light, but I suspect it’s the texture as well. It’s not very blendable when it sets, and it does set fairly quickly. Here, I’m wearing it all over the lid, …

Drugstore Finds: Rimmel Apocalips in Nova & Celestial

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I’ve been wanting to get a hold of the Rimmel Apocalips for a long-ass time. When it was finally available for order on the ASOS website, so I jumped at the chance and ordered two shades, Nova and Celestial. Though both are soft shades, bordering on neutral, Nova is the brighter pink shade of the two. Nova is a pinky-brown that reminds me of a girlier version of the Guerlain Rouge L’Extrait in Avarice. The formula is pretty nice; it doesn’t really feel heavy and sticky on the lips as some of the other cream/liquid lip products that I’ve tried so far. These are pretty comparable to Guerlain and Shiseido, at least in terms of consistency, where as the Revlon Liquid Lipsticks dry down to a tacky sort of finish that is not comfortable in any universe. Celestial on the left, Nova on the right. Not much of a marked difference, though I do still prefer Celestial, as it’s an easier pink for me to wear since it has a lot more brown in it. …

Drugstore Finds: Maybelline Color Whispers

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I was going to put these Maybelline Color Whispers as an “overhyped product,” but I realized that I really liked them. I just felt guilty because these were the first non-CF items I got after I made my cruelty-free pledge. Though I didn’t commit to completely eliminated non-CF products, I still said I would try to minimize my consumption of animal tested products. So these felt like a failure. But they are good products, so I can’t, in good conscience, put them in the “overhyped products” post, out of guilt. Anyway, I got three colors: Mocha Muse, Lust for Blush, Petal Pusher. The one I really wanted but couldn’t get a hold of was Coral Ambition, I think. These were really hard to get photos of, because they were so glossy-shiny. L-R: Mocha Muse, Lust for Blush, Petal Pusher. They are also incredibly sheer and somewhat milky-looking. It’s a similar effect to some of the Korres Lip Butters, Jasmine in particular. I’m not sure if these are marketed as an alternative to those, but they …

Drugstore Finds: KATE Matte Black Gel Liner

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Here’s a little gem I dismissed when I first got it, as ‘nothing special.’ The KATE Matte Black Gel Eyeliner is one of the things I got from my Japanese drugstore explorations, because of many wonderful reviews online. I tried it and didn’t really care much for it, until I tried it with another brush. The line it draws is very black and opaque. It’s rather creamy, though it’s not especially creamy, if that makes sense. It’s a little hard to glide it onto your eyelids, so I usually either pack my brush with a lot of product, or double-dip (lol) after doing half the length of the eye. The great thing about it, though, is that it stays put pretty well. This is after I smudged it off with a makeup remover wipe. Impressive, yes? I think this would be particularly awesome for humid climates like the Philippines! While it comes with a brush, similar to the Maybelline gel liner and the MAC 211, I find that I had the easiest time and best …

RealTechniques Duo Fiber Brush Collection

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I only have a small collection of Real Techniques, even though I truthfully want them all. Even though I love my travel set and my Expert Face brush, I wanted to get one more set and I thought that this set would give me the most mileage. I have here the RealTechniques Duo Fiber Brush Collection, which has three brushes: the face brush, the contour brush, and the eye brush. I wanted to get the Core Collection, but I am a sucker for all-in-one type of sets. I don’t know why, but that’s how I ended up with this instead of the Core Collection. The RealTechniques Duo Fiber Brush Collection is a limited edition collection that’s going to be sold all throughout the year, if I’m not mistaken. It is comprised of three duo-fiber brushes for buildable color and texture. What sets these apart from most brushes is their being “true multitaskers.” Duo Fiber brushes work well with cream, powder, and liquid products, making these kind of all-around products. RealTechniques brushes are also made of …