Dollar Store Beauty Haul Part 2!

One of my local dollar stores had a bunch of cosmetics on sale that were from Rite Aid (most had Rite Aid price stickers on them). I was there the day they were initially putting all the products out, but since I had to be quick and take off to pick up my boyfriend since I was late to pick him up. I wanted to head back to the store that afternoon, but was busy with a bunch of things and since the store closes earlier than other stores; I decided to go back the following day. When I walked in and headed to the bins I noticed they were considerably empty in comparison to the day before. All the mascaras and eyeliners were gone, almost all the foundations and powders were gone.  Basically they had a few foundations, a ton of nail polish, a ton of lip glosses, some lipsticks and a few other beauty products here and there.

I admit I went a little grab crazy … but I mean for $1, why not buy stuff to try out?

Here are the products I was able to pick up:

• Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 320
• Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 325
• Maybelline DreamLumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Beige
• NYC Big Bold Plumping Lip Gloss in Big is Beautiful
• Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Atomic Pink
• L.A. Girl 3D Effects Hologram Nail Polish in Black Illusion
• Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish in Mocha
• Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish in Aquamarine
• Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish in Gold
• Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish in Tanzanite
• Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish in Topaz

Dollar Store Beauty Haul!

I went to a local Dollar Store yesterday and after browsing the aisles happened to notice a 3-tiered bin that is usually not in the corner. One of the guys that works there had a shopping cart filled with boxes and what immediately caught my attention was “MILANI” printed on the sides of the boxes. Milani … in the dollar store? That sent me into overdrive and I started poking through the display. There were Milani lip glosses, lipsticks, Revlon nail stickers, Sally Hansen gel nail polishes, Maybelline foundation and powder, highlighters, eyeliners, mascaras, etc.

I may have been the first person to start looking at the stuff because the top bin was piled high. It was a bit overwhelming because there was no where to put anything after looking through it but to pile it to one side and begin moving the pile back when done. If I had more time, I would’ve gone through it more thoroughly but since I was already running late on picking up my boyfriend I purchased what I got my hands on and left.

Here’s what I picked up on my first trip:

• NYC Big Bold Bronzing Powder in 602 Metripolitan
• Maybelline Dreamlumi touch Highlighting Concealer in Radiant
• Maybelline Dreamlumi touch Highlighting Concealer in Honey
• Revlon Chroma-Chamelon nail enamel in Amethyst
• Revlon Chroma-Chamelon nail enamel in Rose Gold
• Revlon Chroma-Chamelon nail enamel in Cobalt
• Revlon Chroma-Chamelon nail enamel in Pink Quartz

QUESTION:

Have you scored any unexpected buys as of late?

Maybelline Electro Baby Lips Haul

I was browsing through the blogs that I follow and stumbled upon a blog post by EmilyNoel83 featuring the new Maybelline Electro Baby Lips and it immediately sent me into motion.  I wasn’t even aware this new collection dropped but seeing the gorgeous pigmentation, I knew I needed to have them.  Emily only had purchased 3 shades so I looked up other blog posts to see swatches of all 6 shades available.  After online browsing for a few days, I decided I was going to stick with the 3 most pigmented shades and leave the other 3 behind even though they’re gorgeous in the packaging.

I do want to point out that these are placed right alongside the Baby Lips, not on a new display or anything.  I have only been able to spot them at Walmart locations – but Targets website states they are sold in stores, but my store did not carry them.

First of all the packaging is super adorable.  It’s a black casing with a clear cover which has bold neon print on the tube.  I like a sleek looking packaging and I have to admit, I like this packaging more than the original packaging for the baby lips.

The 3 shades I picked up are:

Pink Shock

Oh! Orange!

Strike a Rose

QUESTION:

Have you picked up any of the new Baby Lips?

SWATCHES: A Plum Prospect & Berry Ready - Maybelline Color Whispers

These are two of the new Maybelline Color Whispers I had picked up at Target.  The two shades I got are A Plum Prospect and Berry Ready.  Both shades are completely stunning and they are fabulous products.  Then again I am a big Maybelline lover – I think I’d venture into saying they are one of my favorite drug store beauty lines.

In case you aren’t aware the Color Whisper line is Maybelline’s version of a lip butter.  It took Maybelline a while to master a product that can compare to the lip butter rage and I can say from these 2 shades that I own they did quite a good job.  I do like the packaging on these a lot more than the lip butters – they’re just sleek and I love how it has the name in cursive down the front of the cover.  The two shades I picked up compliment my skin tone quite well and I will admit I gaze at the display every time I stumble into a store that has them in-stock.  I’m sure I’ll grace myself with more but for right now I am happy with the two that I own.

A Plum Prospect is a darker pink shade with purple undertones.  Quite beautiful and truly unique.

Berry Ready is a very deep plum/berry shade with a bit of a reddish undertone.  It’s really opaque and attention seeking.  Definitely beautiful!

QUESTION:

Have you purchased any of the Maybelline color Whispers?  If so, what’s your favorite shade so far?

Shannon’s Mini Target Haul

I popped into Target almost two weeks ago and these are the few items I came out with.  I initially went in to check out the clearance section and picked up a bunch of stuff to put away for next year (candy bags, cupcake papers, etc.) but this is the beauty and random items I picked up.  I went through the dollar section at Target and these little electric cord holders were 70% off and I figured the hamburger was adorable – plus I needed something to wrap my iPod earphones around.  Of course when I brought it home and went to wrap my earphones around it, I found the holder isn’t big enough so my earphone cord tends to wrap around the little holder – but nonetheless it’s more “organized” than it was before.  I then picked up 2 of the new Maybelline Color Whispers.  The formulation is pretty great and I really do want a few more of these … the hoarder in me is like “moooooreee!!!”  The two shades I picked up are: Berry Merry and A Plum Prospect.

Shannon's Combined Target & Walmart Haul

This is my combined Target and Walmart haul - which were done separately, at different times but instead of making separate posts, I'm just going to combine them into one.  I currently use the Elf eyebrow gel and have no problems with it (other than product getting stuck in the bottom of the container), but I've heard great things about the Maybelline Great Lash Clear so I decided it was time to give it a shot.  I had scoured Targets high and low for a few weeks and was never able to find the Clear variation -- so while at Walmart one day, getting some OTC medicines I spotted the mascara in the makeup aisle and snagged it.

The foundation is a whole new story.  I was watching YouTube videos and somehow landed on a video (by randomly clicking on the suggested videos) where the girl (apologies but I can't remember who) was talking about how she loves this L'Oreal True Match foundation and she first learned of it because of Kandee Johnson.  So I looked that Kandee Johnson video up (which she contours with a darker shade - which I won't do I rather bronzer) and started looking up different reviews on the product.  I decided it was going to be best for me since my skin is SO hard to match due to the undertones in my skin.  While at Walgreen's one day they had a whole display of every shade with a tester.  I tested a few and found N7 which matched the skin on the back of my hand and wrist absolutely perfectly!  I then went grab it off the shelf to buy it all excitedly .... and they were completely out!  Off to CVS - they carried 7 shades but none in the color combo I needed.  Went to Walmart - completely sold out of the shade I need.  [I now realize a lot of people that live around me are N7's!] Went to the Target closest to me, nope not even an option as they only carried 7 shades.  A few days later I went to the next Target up as I was running errands in the area and popped in and found THE LAST SHADE on the shelf!  I then noticed they had concealers so I grabbed the matching concealer - held on tightly because if I accidentally dropped them I'd be out of luck since these were the last shades in the store in my tone.  I purchased and my hunt was over!

Here's what I picked up:

- Maybelline Great Lash Mascara - Clear
- L'Oreal True Match Super-blendable Makeup - Classic Tan (N7)
- L'Oreal True Match Correcteur - Medium Deep (N 6-7-8)

Big Lots haul!

I popped into Big Lots last week to get some water flavoring packets and of course picked up a few things up.  Browsing the beauty aisle I grabbed the Green Tea cleansing towels that I have seen time and time again but just have never purchased.  I have used these since purchasing and I can say these are pretty stand-up wipes.  I don't usually like face wipes because they tend to leave a "film" on my face, where I feel I have to go and splash water on it, but with these it feels very soft and clean.  As I use them more I'll get a true feeling for how much I like them.  I then grabbed a hair drying cap because I thought it was the wraps -- but I was wrong.  This is literally a cap, that you put your hair in after you've squeezed the water out into a towel and it absorbs excess water.  It's not what I expected it to be and I wished I didn't purchase it because it's just an extra (unnecessary) step.  I then grabbed a mock-Rocawear cologne for my boyfriend.  He drives me crazy leaving the expensive cologne I buy him in the car (he's a smoker) so I told him bring the expensive cologne in the house and if you want to smell decent for strangers, spray on this stuff LOL.  I did smell it before I purchased it, and it does smell pretty good so it's okay in my book.  I then grabbed a Maybelline lipstick in Must Have Mauve (which I think is still in stores?) for $3.  The color wears a lot brighter on my lips than it is when you wipe it off onto a tissue.  Hmph.

Quick Little Walmart Haul!

This here is my quick, little Walmart haul.  An unsuspected one at that because I went in looking for liquid foundation and ended up not finding it, but of course I found a few other goodies!  The same lipstick is priced at $8.99 (plus tax) at CVS and because this is part of the permanent line it's only $5.50 at Walmart.  Craziness!  I really like brown shades because they show up nicely on my lips, but I tend to reserve those for later in the year because they are darker.  This is a few shades darker than my natural lip, but it looks very nice.  I then got some Vitamin C gummies because I've tried taking Vitamin C pills and they have this horrendous smell AND taste that I just can't do it.  So I figured gummies would be the best bet for now.

Here's what I picked up:

- Maybelline Volum'Express mascara in Blackest Black
- Maybelline lipstick in #315 Broadway Bronze
- Vitamin C Gummies

What’s in my purse – Beauty Edition

I tore my handbag apart yesterday afternoon in search of a nail clipper (that I could not find).  I quickly realized how much STUFF I carry around with me on a daily basis just because my purse is a black hole and holds everything but the kitchen sink.  No wonder my shoulder starts to hurt after lugging my bag around for a while.  I sometimes have more this depending upon the situation, but nonetheless this is what I carry around with me daily – minus a stick of deodorant which I forgot to picture.  Yes, I carry deodorant with me … that’s not weird, is it?  I admit I only use 4-5 of these things regularly, other than that they are just taking up space and helping make my right arm stronger than my left.

Here’s all that I carry around:

Olay – Wet Cleansing Clothes
Neosporin To Go Anti-Bacterial Spray
Vitamin Water lip gloss
Blistex – Lip MedEx
Udderly Smooth lotion
EOS Cucumber Melon lotion
Walgreen’s brand SPF 55
Avon – Silicone Glove lotion
Elf – Berry Blush lip gloss
Maybelline Baby Lips – Peach kiss
Atomizer filled with Fancy by Jessica Simpson

Wal-Mart Haul: Polish addiction continues…

 

 

 

 

Seriously? I don’t think I know how to walk into Wal-Mart and get the few things I planned on getting while there (none of which are ever beauty related mind you). I went to Wal-Mart because I needed some vitamins because lets face it, they have the cheapest prices for medication going – far surpassing even Targets pricing for supplements. I got more supplements than just the Biotin pictured, but I didn’t feel like photographing them. I haven’t taken Biotin before – I have been taking Gelatin for my nails, but I was hoping this would help make my hair stronger (I tend to shed a lot of hair since I wash my hair every day – it’s not thinning, I just lose a lot of hair with washing and want aid in stopping that).

Of course while browsing around the beauty aisle, I found this random stash of nail polishes on the top of a display. It was odd that they were all just kind of piled there because (as I was looking for one of the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails polishes there wasn’t a spot for any of them). So I went back to the pile and picked a few shades and scanned them. They were ringing up $1.97 so I paired each of the Sally Hansen polishes up with a $1 off a Sally Hansen polish coupon and paid 97 cents for them. Do take note that my cameras flash is making the coral shade look more red – so I took a photo without flash and you can see the true shades of the 2 Sally Hansen. Then in this massive display of polishes was one Milani polish with a sticker wrapped around the top that said 2 cents I raised a brow, brought it to a scanner and low and behold it was ringing up 2 cents. Since I have a problem I purchased it because … c’mon, 2 cents?!

I then found the Maybelline nail polish display and nothing really jumped out at me except I kept picking up this one polish on every shelf – it was like talking to me. I kept saying “oh that’s pretty” but put it back saying I didn’t need it. I’d pick it up again and put it back and I walked away and on the end cap was another display and THERE the polish was again … so it was an omen, I had to take buy it HAHA.

I really don’t NEED anymore polishes. My two nail polish racks are filled to maximum capacity and I have no self control. Why oh why do they come out with colors I just impulsively buy?

Here’s what I picked up:

* Milani Nail Lacquer – Red to Tango (24)
* Maybelline Color Show – Styled Out (20)
* Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear – Blue Me Away! (130)
* Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear – Crushed (270)
* Biotin 1000mcg

FOTD & OOTD – Anniversary Look!

 

 

This is my face of the day AND my outfit of the day from Monday! It was my anniversary so my boyfriend spent the day together doing whatever that just happened to fall into place. Stress free and entertaining!

For makeup I went with something light with a neutral smoky eye. I grabbed my Wet n Wild Comfort Zone palette and used the left hand side, basically just following the shades in order of how they were listed. I really loved how this look came out.

Products I used:


Face:
- Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer
- Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream
- Milani Minerals Compact Makeup
- Tarte Smooth Operator

Eyes:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- Wet n Wild – Comfort Zone palette (left hand side)
- Milani Easyliner for Eyes - Espresso
- Maybelline Lash Stilettos –Soft Black

Cheeks:
- Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Blush - Cherub

Lips:
- Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter – Pink Truffle
- Elf Hypershine Lip Gloss – Berry Cherry

It’s been SUPER chilly here as of late and since I knew the BF and I would be doing a lot of walking outside and spending the day with one another doing a number of things I wanted to be comfortable. I’m big on comfort, so I went with a pair of flare jeans and one of my flowy tops that I had picked up at Kohl’s. Typically I wear leggings with this top but since it was too chilly for leggings, I paired it with my jeans. Since its so low cut I wore one of my grey tank tops that I had picked up during a recently haul at Big Lots. For shoes I went with my black zipper front flats that I had picked up at K-Mart for a whopping $6 on the clearance shelf!

So there you have it my outfit of the day AND face of the day from Monday!

QUESTION:
Do you have and/or use any of the beauty items mentioned above?
Would you wear the outfit I chose to wear?

Images are mine do not take or use. Thank you.

Review & Swatches: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer

I will be reviewing and showing swatches of Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer.

I purchased this concealer a while back after hearing rave reviews about how fantastic it was. I actually purchased it at Rite Aid when they were having 50% off all Maybelline products, so not only did I get this for half price, I also had a $2 or $3 off any Maybelline product manufacturer coupon, so I paid less than $2 for this product. Quite the steal! I will admit when I purchased this it sat in my bin of new products to try for a few weeks. After using this, I wonder why I waited so long to try out this gem! Please note the price I paid for this in no way reflects my feelings about this product – because once my bottle does run out I will be repurchasing (whether that be full price or otherwise). Now onto my review:

PACKAGING:
The product is packaged in a small sturdy plastic marker shaped container, the very tip of the product having a micro-fiber rounded tip. The tube itself holds 0.2 fl. oz. of product. The plastic top covering the applicator is easily removed by pulling upwards. To get the product out of the container you simply hold the neck (the red part) of the bottle and twist. If it is your first use, you twist and twist and twist but I promise it eventually does come out! After the first use the product comes out with ease, one twist and a swipe and you’re pretty good to go.

PRODUCT:
This is available in a number of different shades: Fair, Light, Medium, Honey, Neutralizer and Brightener. This product applies like a dream under the eye. It’s very smooth to the touch and blends in flawlessly. It does give my eyes a bit of a brightened effect, concealing my dark circles and lightening up the area. I use this under my foundation (mousse or mineral), but it can be used over your foundation if you have a container of Instant Age Rewind that directly matches your skin tone. I have seen guru’s on YouTube use this over their foundation and it looked just fine because the product was a direct match for their skin tone. I do not use the neutralizer or the brightener because my dark circles are not terribly out of control – but Maybelline does suggest using a neutralizer if you have extreme dark circles. You can use the brightener shade based on how the formula applies to your skin tone. Personally, in my case, a brightener would make me look crazy (the product already gives me a sheeny/glow) – so I skip it. It does a very good job at concealing any under eye shadows/circles and does not feel heavy.

PRICE:
This typically retails for $9.99 (Walgreen’s, CVS), but the price can go up or down based on where you shop. Target and Walmart typically sell these for $7.94 in store and online. If you have a coupon or are able to purchase this during a sale at any store you may very well get it a lot cheaper.

OVERALL:
I would highly suggest this to anyone in the market for a good under eye concealer. I have oily to combination skin so I was a little concerned because I really didn’t want my under eye area looking like an oil slick – but I have to say it does not do that! Granted I have been using this product in the fall and winter months, so the weather has not been obnoxiously hot, but I feel this would hold up even when worn in the heat. Maybelline suggests the product be applied using the applicator tip, blending in an outward motion, with the excess wiped off with a tissue. I actually apply the product to my under eye with the applicator and use my fingertip to lightly pat it onto my eye gently smoothing my fingertip over it to the outer corner of my eye and with any excess I bring it down to the lower socket of my eye (gently patting/rubbing) and I have even brought this up to my inner and outer corner. I wear glasses (which tend to showcase dark circles if you have any) and it makes my eye area look flawless.

Have you tried the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind dark circle eraser?
Do you have an under eye dark circle treatment that you use?

Note: I swatched this on my hand and I have a birth mark on it. It does not reflect a dark circle because I would hope no ones dark circles were that dark. But as you can see in the blended photograph it’s muted the appearance of the birth mark.

Images are mine do not take or use. Thank you.