My Beauty Routine: Drugstore Edition

Make me up please.

I have a seriously basic daily makeup routine. Since I like a natural "look", my routine consists of about 5 products and takes about 5 minutes to apply (and in summer I do even less thanks to the natural color my love of the sun provides!) That said, my simple beauty routine is still important to me feeling confident each day (for better or worse) and I know I look best when I take a few minutes in the morning to put myself together. Which is why when I recently found myself without my makeup case for a week (and not wanting to plunk down $$$ for unnecessary duplicates of my favorite brand name products) I ventured to CVS to try to get my beauty routine essentials on a budget. And since I was super happy with the products I purchased, I thought I'd share!

Under-Eye Concealer: L'Oreal Paris Visible Lift CC Eye Concealer

I selected this product for a few reasons. First, it is meant to be applied by rolling it on and then blending it with your finger. No brush needed = score 1 point for team simple! I  also liked that I had just 3 color options: light, medium and dark. I went with medium and hoped for the best.

Review: I really like the light consistency of this product.  It doesn't look cakey or gather in the creases of my eye. The roll-on application is great because you don't have to worry about squirting too much out of the bottle (happens all the time with my usual MAC concealer). Though the all-day wear wasn't as good as my usual concealer, the lightness of this product was so great that it seemed like a fair trade.

Blush/Bronzer: L'Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator

I have always been intrigued by creme/liquid blushes so I figured an inexpensive brand was the perfect way to try one out (plus, more points for no brushes required!!) I was once again attracted to the limited number of color tones to choose from (just 3) and how easy it would be to apply a light coating if I didn't love the tone I selected.

Review: I still love my Sun Bunny Natural Bronzer by Too Faced, but this product was a great alternative. Lumi has a slight shimmer which creates a beautiful summer glow and my skin didn't feel greasy to the touch once I rubbed it in (which was my fear when considering a liquid). I actually loved the product even more as the day went on and it became even more "natural" looking. My only criticism is that with Sun Bunny I use my brush to lightly dab color in places beyond just my cheekbones (neckline, blend with under eye concealer, etc) and with Lumi that isn't easily done (though I think this would be true of any liquid vs. powder).

Eyeliner: CoverGirl Ink It! (in black ink)

CoverGirl was my go-to eyeliner brand until Sis gifted me an amazing Urban Decay set of pencils which converted me to their products. This was the fastest "new product" selection  I made at CVS because I just grabbed one that looked like what I'd used before.

Review: I think I'm switching back! I LOVE not needing a sharpener (this product twists to "refill") and the thin tip of Ink It!'s pencil allows you to get a smooth, thin line every time, not just after a fresh sharpen. There's no more getting stabbed by the wood of the pencil when the point gets low (something that seemed to happen weekly with Urban Decay 24/7) and I think the longevity of each application is only marginally shorter with the drugstore brand (and since I apply the product in my eye on the lower lid, my expectations for longevity aren't high to begin with). Ringing up at $6 vs. $20, CoverGirl is the clear winner here.

Mascara: CoverGirl LashBlast Volume

If you do not use this product, throw away whatever you're using and go get yourself a tube of LashBlast RIGHT NOW. This was the easiest product from my standard arsenal to replace because it is part of my standard arsenal! CoverGirl's LashBlast Volume mascara applies without clumps and immediately makes your eyes pop wide open! The thin brush helps separate and elongate lashes so they look striking, but not overly done or fake. Ranging in price from about $5-8 depending on where you buy it, there's no deal in beauty better than this mascara. 

New Product Alert!

Complexion Rescue to the rescue!

I'm baaaaaack! After more than a few days off to focus on work and take a little blogging creative breather I am BACK and I've got a whole iPhone note's worth of post topics to start sending your way!! I hope you're ready because I've missed having a place to share my funny stories, random thoughts and new discoveries. Speaking of which...

NEW PRODUCT ALERT! I have found the greatest makeup product EVER. Seriously. Allow me to explain: Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a makeup person. My typical makeup routine involves less than 5 minutes of mostly applied-by-fingers products. This is the result of a few things (laziness and a fear of people getting so used to my made-up face that my plain-old face starts to seem less palatable being the dominant two!) and when I do want to "turn it up" I've got a single set of bareMinerals powders I like to use. But then I saw a tv commercial for a new bareMinerals product that promised to make my skin light and radiant and have all the benefits of a tinted moisturizer, BB and CC cream (I have no idea what those things are, but I know from reading fancy magazines that I should be using them on my skin.) So off I went to my local bareMinerals store (on Prince St. in NYC, though their products are also at most Sephoras) and had my makeup done using "the product from tv" which the girl in the store quickly identified as Complexion Rescue. 

My new, unstoppable combo!

You guys... this product is FOR REAL. Not only do I absolutely love how it makes my skin look, but it is so easy to apply and doesn't make your face look "made-up", just WAY better! With 2-3 tiny dots onto the brush (I bought Complexion Rescue and this brush) and about 60 seconds more time than my old makeup routine, my skin looks smoother, genuinely more radiant and overall more even and lovely. Don't believe me!? Well, I had someone see a picture of me recently and ask if I'd had my makeup done (nope! just my new Complexion Rescue doin its thang!) and my mom gave me an unsolicited "you look good" compliment over brunch last weekend. If that's not proof that this product is the real deal, I don't know what is!

My recommendation - go get this product, but take the time to have it tried out for you in-store. The pros will match your skin tone to the right shade and show you how to apply it (plus who doesn't like having their makeup done by a pro!?) So now go forth and get your complexion rescued!!

Au Naturale.

Makeup free and still stunning

Yesterday I was naked all day. Not naked as in "get some clothes on woman!" but naked as in 100% makeup free. You see, I start every Wednesday with a workout (at least once per week, as promised!) and I shower and head straight to work afterwards. Occasionally,  I forget to pack all the essentials in my gym bag and yesterday it was my makeup (for the record, the time I forgot a bra was way worse!) 

Now, I have a far from comprehensive daily makeup routine. Some under eye concealer and brightener, followed by a quick swipe of bronzer, blush and eyeliner are pretty much it, but without those few products, I felt exposed and certainly less put together. Nevertheless, as the day wore on and my un-lined, grey circled eyes seemed even more noticeable, there was something kind of refreshing about going au naturale. My skin looked like my skin and I felt less oily and day-old-makeupy. Sure my "flaws" were hanging out for all to see (and I would have made an emergency trip to Sephora for a face of tester makeup if I'd had plans to go out after work!), but for "just another Wednesday" I think I sported "natural beauty" fairly well (I wonder what my co-workers thought!!) 

Next time you have a chance, consider giving your face a day off from painted on perfection - you may not have the flawless look you're accustomed to, but I'm guessing that fresh faced natural you is pretty beautiful too!

A little makeup might do the dudes good...

Just a simple 18 step process gentlemen (note: NOT my actual makeup routine!)

Last night, as Dr. H plodded off to bed while I remained in the bathroom washing makeup off my face, I got to thinking about the fact that men don't wear makeup. Now I wasn't facewash-daydreaming about this concept in a gender norms, political/feministy way; I was literally just wondering "why don't men bother to use products that enhance their features and mask things that make them feel self-conscious!?" Because you have to admit, even though makeup can be a biotch to apply and remove, when properly utilized, the impact of makeup is pret-ty fantastic (goodbye blemish, hello gently flushed cheeks and long dark lashes!) 

As I moved on to patting dry and applying moisturizer (I told you I have a ridiculous bedtime routine) I actually started to feel a little bad for men, who, because of social norms, don't really get to enjoy the benefits of dark-circle concealers or face brightening lip glosses. Though I imagine most men don't want all (or any!) of these things complicating their  lives, as a lady, it's funny to imagine how much better dudes might look if they took some notes from those helpful folks over at Sephora. Seriously. Because as my mom once said, "make-up is such a pain in the ass, but man does it make ya look good!!"

Hump Day Distractions

"How will we survive another 2.5 days?" asked the adorable baby walrus....

Hallelujah! Hump Day is HERE!! Somehow I'm still suffering from an awesome weekend hangover (celebrating your niece's second birthday with her and your fabulous fam will do that to you) and my upcoming weekend plans (GWU alum returning to her stomping grounds for 2 nights only!) still seem a million years away. So along with basking in the warm winter sun (I will shake you if it kills me Winter Blahs!) here are a few distractions to make the day go just a little faster. Happy Humping!

* Legos are just so damn cool.
* In case you were wondering, THIS is the definition of fierce.
* Fashion meets function, of the winter warmth variety (gots to get me one!)

* This link contains words like "triple cream" "cheese" and "bacon". Click at your own risk.
* I'm still learning how to apply everyday makeup (great tips HERE) but it sounds like it's worth the effort.

* Beware, jumping gay walrus.

* Perfect for that "Spring has Sprung" cocktail party I've been thinking of hosting.

* These parents are my heroes. When I grow up, I want to be just like THEM.