#drugstoreweek

I figured the best way to say farewell to Drugstore Week is to share with you what I’m currently loving from the drugstore, so here we are. While my collection is, I feel, a great blend of both high end and drugstore products, there are definitely a few things that were affordable and blew my mind at the same time.

So, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get into my current drugstore favorites!

image via ulta.com

Right now, the main drugstore concealer that I’ve been reaching for is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind, $8.99. I just love it. It gives me a good amount of coverage without getting cakey or making my under eyes look super dry. I do have to go in with a light second layer to get the exact amount of coverage that I prefer, but by no means does that imply that this concealer gives minimal coverage. I just have hereditary dark circles, so they need a little extra concealer from time to time. I definitely recommend this to anyone that has dark circles for sure.

When it comes to eyeshadow palettes at the drugstore, these palettes from Milani are pretty much the best out there. If you’ve been looking for a new all matte palette for your collection, I’d highly recommend the Milani Most Loved Mattes palette, $15-$20 depending on where you buy it. The shadows are pigmented without being TOO pigmented, so they’re easy to blend as well as easy to build up. We all love our super pigmented shadows that give you the level of saturation you want with one swipe in the pan, but there’s something to be said for eyeshadows that are pigmented yet buildable. If you’re on the hunt for a complete palette with great mattes and shimmers, I’d suggest the Milani Bold Obsessions palette, $15-$20 depending on where you purchase it.

When it comes to tools, I definitely lean towards the drugstore for the majority of my brushes and sponges. As I’ve said before, I simply refuse to pay $20 for a Beauty Blender when the drugstore has bomb sponges for half of that price. Here’s the list of my current favorite drugstore tools:

Real Techniques Brush Crush 305 Shadow Brush

Flower Beauty Ultimate 3-in-1 Blending Sponge

Flower Beauty Ultimate Blush & Contour Brush

elf Beautifully Precise Powder Brush

image via milanicosmetics.com

For highlighters, my current favorite drugstore item is the Milani Strobelight Instant Glow Powder, $9.99, in the shade Glowing. It gives me a subtle enough glow to wear to work, but can be built up to be pretty intense if that’s what you’re into. It does all of this without over emphasizing my pores and texture. I’m into it for sure.

You guys already saw this coming. My favorite brow pencil at the drugstore right now is the Maybelline Total Temptation Brow Definer, $7.99, in Deep Brown. I’ve raved about this countless times, so I won’t bore you with another rave review. Just know that, if you’re into pencils for your brows, this is a great one to pick up and try.

Another product from the drugstore that I haven’t been able to put down recently is the NYX Worth the Hype Mascara, $7.99. I feel like I’ve talked about this a bunch as well, and for good reason. It gives me length AND volume without flaking off all over my face. Plus, my lashes stay lifted and long all day long.

Alright Beauties, those are all of my current drugstore favorites. Let me know in the comments below what yours are.

Until next time!! xoxo

DISCLAIMER: All product links included in this post are affiliate links via MagicLinks. If you purchase through the links provided, I may make a small commission on your purchase, depending on the retailer. By purchasing through my affiliate link, you are helping me maintain the blog and purchase products to review for you. I appreciate the support, whether you click the link or not. xoxo

Let’s Talk About It: What’s Missing at the Drugstore #drugstoreweek

Hey there, Beauties! I hope you’re having a great day (or night, depending on when you’re reading this) so far. For Day 3 of Drugstore Week, I wanted to discuss with you guys what I think is missing from the drugstore when it comes to products being released. If you’re interested in reading my thoughts on this, just keep on reading.  (more…)

Some products are worth the splurge, and some just aren’t. Certain things I just won’t spend a ton of money on, whether it’s because the item is something I go through quickly or something I just found works better than the high end version. Let me know in the comments what products you make it your business to get at the drugstore instead of buying the more expensive version.

Enough beating around the bush, let’s get into it!

The first things I buy exclusively at the drugstore are beauty sponges. I’ve never owned an official Beauty Blender. The thought of paying $20 for something that I’m just going to have to replace in a few months just makes zero sense to me. Thankfully, the drugstore has some amazing options for a fraction of the price of a Beauty Blender. My favorites are the Flower Beauty Blending Sponge, L’Oreal Foundation Blender, and the Maybelline FaceStudio Blender. These sponges are all fantastic and way cheaper than the Beauty Blender.

image via walmart.com

image via lorealparis.ca

Another thing I mainly buy at the drugstore are eyeliner pencils. I’ve tried a few high end eyeliner pencils here and there, but I find that the drugstore ones I have perform just as well, in some cases better, than the few high end ones I have. The nude pencil shown, the Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Definer in the shade In the Nude is legit my favorite nude pencil for the waterline. It doesn’t move around or fade throughout the day and isn’t too light so it looks natural as it brightens the eyes. The L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof Pencil Liner is such a great black liner. It’s matte and lasts forever without smudging. It’s actually almost difficult to remove at the end of the night.

While I definitely have one or two high end mascaras that I adore, 95% of my ‘can’t live without’ mascaras are from the drugstore and I am always picking up backups so I never have to go without them. Since mascara is something you replace every 3-6 months (depending on use, of course), it’s not exactly cost effective to limit yourself to only higher end options. Plus, I have found that more drugstore mascaras impress me than a majority of the high end ones I’ve tried. A few of my favorites include the Essence Lash Princess False Effect, Maybelline Total Temptation and the L’Oreal Lash Paradise (not shown).

image via ulta.com

The final thing that I will only buy at the drugstore is facial cleanser. I go through so much so quickly that spending more than $20 on a cleanser would just make no sense for me. Plus, in my opinion anyway, cleanser is cleanser. The name on the bottle doesn’t really impress me. For other skincare items, like serums and such, I’ll spend the higher coins, but not for the soap I just use to wash my makeup off, you know? My current favorite cleanser is the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin. It is great for cleansing my face after I use my makeup removing balms and oils, but also is great on no makeup days. It cleanses the skin without drying it out. I have the hydrating version of this that I’m going to try as soon as I run out of the foaming one.

Those are the main things that I simply refuse to spend high amounts of money on that I feel perform just as well, if not better, than higher end products that cost way more money. Let me know in the comments below what items you prefer to buy at the drugstore.

Until next time, Beauties!! xoxo

DISCLAIMER: All product links included in this post are affiliate links via MagicLinks. If you purchase through the links provided, I may make a small commission on your purchase.

Maybelline is the first drugstore brand that I remember purchasing from. Even now, they are the first brand I look to for certain products when I’m in the drugstore. Most of my favorite drugstore foundations are Maybelline, as you’ll see shortly. Last year when we did Drugstore Week, I did a post about some of my favorite Maybelline products that you can check out here. Some of the items I mentioned in that post I still swear by, and I’ve added a couple of things since then.

Oh, before I forget. Right now at Ulta, Maybelline is Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off, so if you see something you like, I definitely suggest stocking up while you can get a good deal.

Enough talking, let’s get into my favorite Maybelline products!

For years, I’ve used and recommended the Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless Foundation, $7.99, to my friends. It really is a great foundation for those of you with oily skin. Now that my skin is more normal to dry, I haven’t used this as much. However, I’m going to break it out in the summer when my skin tends to be more oily. The Fit Me lasts great on the skin without looking cakey or breaking up throughout the day.

A new foundation from Maybelline that I’ve grown to love is the Super Stay Full Coverage Foundation, $11.99. It provides full coverage without feeling heavy on the skin. There are only 16 shades in this range, which is a little disappointing. That’s why I haven’t done a review of it. If you guys want me to review it, let me know in the comments.

When it comes to drugstore concealer, no brand beats Maybelline for me. Whether it’s the Fit Me Concealer, $6.99, or the Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer, $8.99, I know I can’t go wrong when I use them. The Fit Me Concealer is a little more liquidy than the Instant Age Rewind, but they’re both easy to blend and last great under the eye. The Age Rewind range just got some shades added to it, and I couldn’t be happier. You really can’t go wrong with either one of these in your collection.

image via ulta.com

The Maybelline Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder, $7.99, is the best loose powder at the drugstore, hands down. It comes in 8 shades, which you don’t even find in a lot of high end brands. It sets the face, including the under eye, without getting cakey or looking desert-dry. You get great results whether you use a brush or a sponge to apply it.

The Maybelline FaceStudio Blender, $5.99, is one of the best beauty sponges I’ve tried. It’s squishy and soft and blends out foundation and concealer quickly. Like most sponges, it does absorb some of your product, but nothing too crazy. I love that it comes to a nice point at the top. It makes it super easy to blend your product in the little nooks and crannies of the face.

For me, any product that makes it easier to do my brows is a winner. The Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil, $7.99, changed my mind completely about drugstore brow pencils. The formula of the pencil is just right, not too waxy, not too dry. The tiny spoolie takes some getting used to, but it actually isn’t bad for brushing the brows if you have more thin brows like I do. The angular shape of the tip allows you to create small strokes as well as fill in the whole brow quickly.

Mascara is my jam. When I find a great mascara that gives me volume and length without being all flakey and excessively clumpy, I stick with it. The Colossal Big Shot, $7.99, has been a favorite of mine for years now. I don’t currently have it in my collection because I’m working through literally five open mascaras right now, including the other one we’re going to talk about. However, I will definitely be picking up another tube when I’m done with these open ones.

The Total Temptation Mascara, $9.49, is fairly new, but I love it. My favorite thing about it is that it doesn’t make your lashes crunchy. You know how most mascaras are kind of like hairspray and make your lashes hard? Well, the Total Temptation makes your lashes feel as soft as they do when you’re not wearing anything. Just like the Colossal Big Shot, I find that the Total Temptation gives my lashes volume and length that lasts throughout the day and is a mascara that you can build and build without it flaking and transfering.

  ColorSensational Creamy Matte Lipstick, $7.49 (Burgandy Blush)

Lastly, I couldn’t do a post about Maybelline without discussing the ColorSensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks, $7.49. They come in so many different colors and are the most comfortable matte bullet lipsticks on the market, high end or drugstore. I have so many of these in my collection that I could probably do an entire post about just these. They came out with some liquid lipsticks a while back, but I don’t really like them as much as the traditional lipsticks from Maybelline.

Alright, my loves, those are all of the products that I think are worth your coins from Maybelline. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite Maybelline products are.

Until next time, Beauties!! xoxo

DISCLAIMER: All product links included in this post are affiliate links via MagicLinks. If you purchase through the links provided, I may make a small commision on your purchase.