Recent Drugstore Purchases

I accumulated a few of the new products that are out at drugstores right now. I purchased the L’Oreal Voluminous Power Volume Collagen first about two weeks ago. I like this mascara quite a bit. It’s a drier formula that really does build up volume. It can get a little clumpy though; so if that bothers you do not buy this mascara. It has a bristle wand as opposed to a plastic one, which I like especially when I want volume. I just don’t get as much volume from plastic wands.

Mascara on lashes/No other products on eye

Then about a week ago I picked up both the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Charm and the Dream Fresh BB Cream from Maybelline in Light/Medium Sheer Tint. I like the lip balm though this color doesn’t really stain the lips since it’s so light, so I can’t really judge how long the other colors would last on the lips. It’s nice because it isn’t drying at all. That’s so rare for a lip stain. The BB cream was a spur of the moment purchase when I went to the store to buy the lip stain basically because the packaging sucked me in. I like this product because it’s got a light finish that isn’t too dewy and actually provides some nice coverage. It won’t cover up acne all by itself, but it will cover up general unevenness in your skin. It’s also nice that it has an SPF of 30. The light/medium works on me and is even a little light when I’m self-tanning, so you may want to buy a shade darker than you think you need.

I like all of these products, but the BB cream is really the standout product to me. I would recommend you try it if you’re in the market for a product like this. The other products are nice, but not standouts. Though if you want to try a darker/brighter shade in the balm stain I would say it’s definitely worth it. I just don’t feel like I’m getting everything out of this product I could, but that’s my fault. Oh well!

Hope you’re have a good day! I’ll talk to you all later.

Meagan

Travel Essentials

I went on a trip recently to Argentina and Peru. We took three flights to get down there, which took around 16 hours of travel time if I’m remembering correctly. On the way down there I stuffed my “liquids” bag with everything possible because I didn’t know what I was going to need/want on the planes and in the airports with me. Then I didn’t use the majority of the products. So on the way back I picked out just the items I thought I might actually use. A novel idea, I know. So these are the beauty related products I picked out as necessities for air travel.

1) Yes to Cucumber Facial Towelettes: I love these! I bought these a few days before the trip because I had heard so many good things about them. They are gentler on my skin than wipes I have tried in the past and remove the majority of my makeup. I hate the smell of them because I hate artificial cucumber scents, but I can’t really hold that against the product as it’s in the title. Great for removing your makeup when you are somewhere where actually washing your face is not feasible (Not for everyday makeup removal).

      2) Revlon Compact Mirror: I actually bought this recently at the drugstore because I lost my other mirror. Having a mirror to check out your face is nice on a plane and I prefer having a separate mirror that’s not subjected to powder.

      

      3) Maybelline Dream Matte Powder: I have been using this again lately. I like this powder, but it’s not amazing in my opinion. Though now that I think about it how great can a powder be.  

      4) Genteal Eye Drops: My eyes are really dry, so these are nice for the plane especially if you are tired.

      5) Laura Mercier Concealer Pencil: I’m pretty sure this is discontinued, but I have fallen back in love with this product. It’s so great for touching up your makeup especially when you have breakouts. More to come on this (and hopefully another option you can actually get) in another post.

      6) Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment: I have talked about my love of this lip balm in a past post, but any lip balm will do. I actually think I brought the nighttime one on my trip, but you get the idea. Lip balm is a huge necessity with the horrible plane air.

      7) Purell Hand Sanitizer: Since planes are notoriously germ-filled as well as airports while we’re discussing it, hand sanitizer is a must. You can’t be too careful!

      8) Sonia Kashuk Oil Blotting Sheets: Not everyone will need these and I didn’t actually bring these with me; however, I think they are a good addition for people who need to control shine. I bought these after I got home because my skin has been freaking out lately and going back and forth between dry and oily. I have never had oily skin in my entire life, so it’s been interesting trying to adjust. I will say applying makeup on oily skin has been a dream compared to dry skin, but it does feel kind of gross halfway through the day.

      9) Jergens Hand Cream: Great for keeping your hands moisturized through all of the hand washing and hand sanitizing. This particular one is not life altering, but it gets the job done and doesn’t have a strong scent which is nice when it comes to enclosed spaces.

      10) Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair: I actually got this in the duty free on the way to Peru from Argentina. I had wanted to try it so why not save a few bucks right? I have been using this every night and really like it. It’s really nourishing without being heavy and it feels like it’s helping keep my skin in check. I think this is good to travel with (though admittedly not necessary) because it can be applied to a bare face or it can be patted on top of makeup without disrupting it. Yes, I did actually do that in an airport bathroom, so I’m not just making things up. And yes I did wear makeup on the flights because my skin was being particularly atrocious right before my trip and I had many breakouts to cover. I wouldn’t normally recommend it, but sometimes it’s necessary.

That’s it for this post. I hope it helped give y’all some tips on the basic items to bring when traveling, which can be especially hard with air travel because of the liquids rule. If you notice there are only 4 items that need to be in your designated bag. The rest are good to go. I hope to be back soon as I have some ideas for the next few posts I want to do, but life’s been a bit crazy lately.

Meagan

Hair Quick Tip

I have recently rediscovered how amazing coconut oil is. I love it! It is great to use on your body as a moisturizer though it is a little sticky and (surprise, surprise) oily. My favorite way to use it is to put it on the ends of my hair while it is dry for a few hours and then wash it out. You could do this overnight, but it might get a little messy. I typically do it on a weekend when I'm just around the house cleaning or sometimes I'll put it in before I workout. It makes your hair feel so soft and look so shiny. You do need to make sure to wash your hair really well afterwards though. It will definitely weigh your hair down if you don't do a good deep clean afterwards. Don't worry the benefits won't all be washed down the drain as long as you aren't using a crazy strong shampoo. Just thought I would tell y'all about this since I have started doing it again recently. I also went to my hairdresser a week ago to get some highlights and she commented on how nice my hair was. We didn't even trim it. Give it a try if you haven't ever used it. Just make sure you buy virgin coconut oil at the store (I prefer to buy organic too, but that's up to you).

P.S. I will be going on a trip for the next two weeks, so I won't be posting, but I have plans for different travel related posts to put up when I get back. 

Meagan

May Clothing Haul

Hey Everyone!

I went on a bit of a shopping spree this past weekend. I got some really great pieces some that are more long lasting and some that are trendier. I feel that I will get a lot of use out of all of them even if it’s just during the summer for some of them. I’ll start with the items I got from Macy’s. I purchased some Guess Jeans. They are the Brittney Skinny Leg in the Silicone Black Wash in a 27. I got them on sale for $71.20. They have a really nice stretch to them, which makes them more comfortable. I have wanted black skinnies for a while now and just now got around to purchasing them so I’m excited.

Then I got this silk top from Kenzie. It’s multi-colored and almost looks like a vest because it buttons up in the front. It’s nice because it can be worn under a jacket at work or out at night. I got a medium in this top. I paid $58.00.

Lastly I got a pair of flats from Macy’s. I got the Coach Dora Flat in Black. They are patent leather with an elastic band around the edge. I got them in a 6.5 and paid $138.00. I have a grey pair similar to these so I knew I would like them. They are painful at first until you break them in though, but once you break them in they don’t hurt anymore.

Now onto the clothes I got from Express. Everything in the store was buy one get one half off. I’ll let you all know what the retail prices are instead of what I paid for them because of the sale. First, I got two pairs of shorts. Both are in bright neon colors. They are very trendy, but I love them. These were the colors I wanted when I went to Forever 21 a while ago.  I got the pink pair in a 2 and the orange pair in a 4. For some reason I didn’t like the looseness of the pink pair in a 4 and the orange pair in a 2 was just a little too tight. I think it must have been the ones I had because of some kind of difference in manufacturing. The shorts were $49.90 each.

Next, I got two tanks from there. The first was the Striped Ruffled Cami in a medium, which costs $49.90, and the second was the Sexy Stretch Lace-trimmed Bra Cami in a medium in white for $26.90. Sorry the white cami is so wrinkled...I had just washed it and it was still wet when I took the picture.

I also got two dresses. I got a small in both of them. The first one is the Floral Elastic Waist Dress in Ultimate Pink for $59.90. The second one I got is the Crochet Halter Dress in Licorice, which retails for $88.00.

Lastly I got two pairs of jeans. I got the Stella Barely Boot Regular Fit in Medium and the Zelda Barely Boot Slim Fit in Dark. I got both in a 2 Short and they retail for $79.90.

Hopefully some of you like the clothes I bought. They were all bought recently so you can still go get them if you see something you really want. I love all of the items and feel that they are great additions to my wardrobe.

Meagan

Rachel Roy Keedan Shoe

Two weekends ago I bought some amazing heels. I absolutely love them. They are by the Rachel Rachel Roy collection. The shoe is the Keedan style in yellow and I bought it for $99.00. I purchased a 6.5 in this shoe.

I love Rachel Roy’s shoes right now. They are quite innovative in design. My favorite thing is the way the heel is sculpted. It’s so unique. I wore these to work the other day and they were comfortable for the majority of the day, but the second half of my day I was on my feet a lot and they did get a little uncomfortable, but that’s not the shoes fault. The platform really helps to ease some of the pain from the height. I also like the bottom of the shoe. There’s a little piece of fabric built in to help with slipping while you walk. I can’t recommend these shoes enough and if you haven’t looked at Rachel Roy shoes yet, you really should take a look. Here are some pictures of the shoes for your enjoyment. The lighting in the above photo more accurately shows the color than the ones below. 

Meagan

Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara

I had one of those days this past week. I couldn’t seem to do anything right. And it all started first thing that morning. I got to work and went to the restroom. When I was looking at myself in the mirror I felt I looked like I didn’t have much makeup on my eyes. Then it hit me. I had forgotten my mascara. Ugh! One of the most important steps in the makeup process and certainly the step that makes me feel the most “done” and I had forgotten to put it on my lashes. As you can guess I was not thrilled, so when I went on my lunch break I stopped by Walgreens to pick up some new mascara. I decided to try the Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara as I have been mildly intrigued by this for a while now. I got back to work and put it on my eyes. Finally my makeup was done. I honestly wasn’t sure I liked it at first, but I liked it better after applying it the next day. I feel like the difference came from curling my lashes. Also, I was able to spend a little more time applying it correctly.

The wand is a large bristle brush. It really is quite large which does make it a little harder to work with especially if you have short lashes. The formula is quite wet, but I have a feeling it will dry out a little after a few days. I feel like it does volumize and lengthen my lashes, but not as much as some mascaras I’ve owned. You’ll have to excuse this picture, as it’s not a great representation of how the mascara looks. This was at the end of the day after wearing it for at least 6 or 7 hours and after only the quick application in my office bathroom earlier that day. I obviously can’t tell if the mascara has helped condition my lashes or grow any at this point, but I don’t really think it will do anything in that department. Anyways, that’s how my day led to a new mascara purchase to add to the collection. Let me know if you have tried this mascara and your thoughts on it.

Meagan