CVS DRUGSTORE HAULING / SHOPPING SPREE

This is my CVS drugstore makeup haul. Normally I don't like to shop at drugstores for the simple fact that you can't test anything. Also, it is really frustrating when you think you have found that perfect shade of lipstick, eyeshadow, or foundation only to find out once you are home that it doesn't look good on you at all. Keeping that in mind I was a little hesitant about shopping at CVS but they had such a great sale on Maybelline, L'Oreal, and Wet and Wild beauty products that I couldn't pass them up. It also helps when you have coupons too because some of the items I scored for free!!!! #LoveMeSomeFreebies

Here's a little peak at some of the items that I purchased...

The first item that I wanted to get at CVS was the Milani Multitasker Face Powder. To be totally honest, the only reason why I bought the face powder was because of the embossed design that is delicately etched on top of the powder. It seemed reminiscent of the illuminating powder from the Chanel Bombay collection or the Chanel 2011 Holiday highlighter. Both have beautiful embossed designs that really set them apart from your ordinary everyday highlight powder or illuminator.

The next two items I threw in my basket at CVS were the Sally Hansen lustre shine nail polishes. I had first seen them at Walgreens but I didn't want to pay almost $9 for them. However, I knew if I could purchase them at CVS I would earn beauty rewards bucks off of future purchases so I waited. At first glance I was hesitant about buying these because the formula seemed rather sheer and I was afraid the polish would look to streak-y on my nails. There were a few streaks when I painted my nails but once I applied a top coat it helped to smooth the polish to a nice shine.

SALLY HANSEN LUSTRE SHINE in LAVA

The L'OREAL COLOR TATTOO eyeshadows have been on my "must try these" list ever since I saw the display at Ulta. They look so much like the MAC paint pots! I currently use MAC Bare Study and Painterly paint pots, which are nice, but if I can find a cheaper alternative, then that's even better. I ended up buying #100 Barely Beige.

Next up on my list were the L'Oreal Infallible eye shadows. One of the things that I liked most about these eyeshadows are how the lids are similar in color to that of the product contained inside of the little pots. No more blindly searching for a certain eyeshadow and it's right under your nose the whole time! Anyway, I wasn't looking for a particular shade or color. I did however want something that would transition seamlessly from the Fall to Winter season. I was also hoping that I might be able to find a few shades that would be perfect for the Holidays as well. I finally settled on #996 Liquid Diamond, #891 Continuous Cocoa, and #899 Endless Pearl.

(L-R) Barely Beige, Continuous Cocoa, Liquid Diamond, and Endless Pearl

One of my favorite MAC eyeshadows is Brule. It is described as a soft creamy vanilla beige color. Anyway, I had heard that Wet and Wild Brulee is an exact dupe for MAC Brule so I thought I would give it a try. I've never worn Wet and Wild products before other than their lipsticks, which have a decent wear time. Wear time for MAC Brule is a solid 8 hours for me with no creasing so I'm hoping I can get the same results with the Wet and Wild eyeshadows. There was a BOGO deal going on with all Wet and Wild products so I bought two of the Brulee eyeshadow.

Revlon makes some really nice lipglosses and their Colorburst glosses are amazing. I have several of them and I find myself reaching for them more so than my more expensive glosses. The colorburst lipgloss formula is non-sticky with a slight vanilla scent. When you first apply the gloss it feels a little thick and has a slightly heavy feeling on the lips but it isn't as noticeable as it might sound. The only drawback to the Revlon Colorburst lipglosses are their color range. They have your typical pink, mauve, peach, etc. lipgloss colors but anything outside of that range is seriously lacking. Overall these are wonderful glosses to have.  

(L to R) ORCHID, CRYSTAL WATER, BORDEAUX

I am currently on the hunt for a wintertime bronzer / highlight face powder. I decided to try the Milani Hermosa Rose Illuminating face powder. Its an ultra-smooth highlighter, bronzer and blush that can be used to give the face a nice warm glow, but not look to over done. I want that kind of glow, the kind that you can get from sitting in front of a lit fireplace. Or the flushed look you get when you come inside from the freezing cold, with cheeks that are bright pink from the wind's force upon your face. Hopefully, this powder will be up to the task.

With November and Thanksgiving just around the corner - holiday parties are fast approaching. That is why I decided to buy the Milani eyeshadow #01 Lily White. It contains just enough sparkle to make this a "Must Have" for any holiday party.

I bought these two eyeliners because I'm trying to find a cheaper alternative. I am currently using Chanel's waterproof eyeliner but after a while it gets quite expensive. So I'm going to try these two in the hopes that one of them will be a good replacement.

REVLON SUMMER ROMANTICS - HOT PINK LIPGLOSS

If you have read my blog lately then you know that for the past couple of days I have been looking for the lip products that were used in a Revlon ad in the latest issue of People Style watch. I thought I had found the lip balm at a CVS by my work, but unfortunately the store was all sold out of the particular color that I had wanted. So today, since I am not one to admit defeat so easily, I went on the hunt again. Only this time I decided to try the local Walgreens by my house.

Here is what I found....

It is the same Jessica Alba picture but the display is totally different than the one that was at the CVS store. The Walgreen's display had the Revlon Colorburst lipglosses with no mention of the new Revlon lip balms that CVS had on theirs. I couldn't believe what I was seeing so I immediately checked to see what lip products were used in this display since I didn't see any of the same Pink Crystal lip balm. What I found was that on the Walgreen's Revlon ad it listed Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Hot Pink as the product used to create the lip look for Jessica Alba instead of the Pink Crystal lip balm that was listed in the mag and on the CVS display. Confused yet, I know I am.

 

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Here are some pictures of the gloss:

 

If I had to choose between the lip balm or the lipgloss, then its lipgloss all the way!
At Walgreens the cost of each lipgloss was $7.49.

REVLON SUMMER ROMANTICS - PEACH CRYSTAL LIP BALM

Yesterday I did a post about the Revlon Summer Romantics collection and how I was searching for the nail and lip products that were used in the Revlon ad. I had looked for them at Walmart but didn't have any success in finding the lip products. So today when I was out running errands during lunch I knew there was a CVS store nearby. I decided to try there in the hopes that they might carry the elusive lip products that I had been searching for.

This is what I found....

When I saw the above display I got really excited because I had finally found it! Struck gold baby! Then my excitement quickly turned to disappointment as I realized the majority of the products have already sold out. Of the lip products that I had been searching for the one in the Revlon ad was the Pink Crystal lip balm which is new to the Revlon line of lip products.Yep, you read it correctly, lip balm. Other than lipstick and lipgloss, I didn't even know that Revlon made lip balm. Needless to say I couldn't find it. I looked on side displays, end of the aisle displays, top shelves, bottom shelves, and everywhere else in between. Nope, couldn't find it. So rather than leave empty handed I purchased the Peach crystal lip balm instead so I could at least try the product and see what I thought of it. The cost for the Revlon lip balm was $8.29.

Here are some pics I took of the lip balm:

REVLON SUMMER ROMANTICS - BLUE LAGOON

I recently picked up the June issue of People Style Watch, which is one of my favorite magazines to read. What I love most about this mag is how they will show a celebrity style & then show the reader a much cheaper alternative for those of us who can't afford the much pricier version. Also, you are sure to find the most up to date / upcoming makeup collections that will be debuting within the next couple of weeks. So if you happen to have a copy of the June issue then turn to page 61 and you will see a Revlon ad featuring Jessica Alba. Now I am not a huge Jessica Alba fan, although hubs seems to love her (Ha Ha!), I really do love this picture of her. Especially the nail polish and the lip color, I WANT IT!!!

Typically most magazine ads don't list the products which are used on the models that are photographed in the ads. However, fortunately for me, this Revlon ad lists the exact colors that were used to create her look. The products are from the Revlon Summer romantics collection and I think they are just so beautiful and perfect for summer; I can't wait to get my hands on them.

So I went out last night to see if I could find the products...

My first stop was Walmart where I immediately found the nail polish - Blue Lagoon.

The nail polish is a light sky blue color with silver micro glitter throughout and when the light hits the polish it actually glistens on the nails. No regrets here ladies it is true love ♥

What made finding it even better...the price. Walmart was selling it for $3.74 a bottle.

Regretfully though I couldn't find any of the lip products so the search continues for them!

FREEBIES: MY TARGET BEAUTY BAG REVIEW

I love a good deal especially when the good deal ends up being a freebie offer. A couple of weeks ago Target was offering a free beauty bag on their website. The only requirement was to fill out a short survey and then sign up for their e-mail alerts which was optional of course. When I first heard about the offer my first thought was this must be a scam. You know, one of those offers where you have to fill out a bunch of surveys and you never receive the gift. So I was pleasantly surprised when this actually turned out to be legit. The items that I received were trial / sample sized items which are typically big enough for you to try but small enough to leave you wanting for more which make these perfect for travel! The only thing that worried me about this offer was on the Target website one of the disclosures stated that due to demand not all beauty bags will have the same items enclosed. Hmmm, interesting! So I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Anyway, I made it a point to share this offer with my co-workers so we could compare our items.

Here is a picture of the items that I received in my Target Beauty bag..

And here is a picture of the items that my co-worker received in her Target Beauty bag...

I have listed the names of the items here for you in no particular order:

• Sonia Kashuk makeup bag
• Nivea Express Hydration Daily Lotion
• Pantene Color Preserve Shine Shampoo
• Fekkai Shea Butter Moisturizing Shampoo
• Fekkai Shea Butter Moisturizing Conditioner
• Neutrogena Naturals lip balm
• Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss
• Coupon booklet with over approx. $25 in savings

After my co-workers and I compared our Beauty bags that we received in the mail from Target we realized that everything was exactly the same - same items and same coupons! Pretty cool!

Final thoughts...

1. I love makeup bags and truly believe you can never have enough of them. They are very useful for holding all sorts of items other than makeup too! The Sonia Kashuk makeup bag that the items were packaged in is very nice. The quality of the bag is exceptional, extra roomy and can hold a lot of stuff.
2. The Nivea lotion however has a slight perfume-y scent which according to the bottle is Sea minerals and Lotus Flower. Although the scent is not strong or overpowering it doesn't add to the quality of the product. It actually would have been nice if a more neutral scent had been used instead. But overall the lotion did make my skin feel soft and smooth.
3. I have my hair colored / dyed on a regular basis and in the past I have found that certain shampoos tend to make the color fade much faster. So I have to be careful when using new products. I have had great success with Pantene's Restore Beautiful lengths conditioner so I wasn't to worried about their shampoo. The Pantene shampoo that was sent has a nice clean fragrance (scent) and manages to really clean my hair. In regards to color fading, I didn't notice any which is always a plus but multiple washes is really needed to truly judge whether or not the product speeds up color fading.
4. Even though you should try to wash your hair every other day, I am one of those people who has to wash their hair everyday due to an oily scalp. So when I saw that I had received a sample of Fekkai shampoo and conditioner I immediately put it in my giveaway pile. I have used this product in the past and did not have good results. For me it enhanced the appearance of an oily scalp and I felt that it didn't wash as well as it should. 
5. I love the Neutrogena Naturals lip balm that was included in this freebie. I had never tried this brand or product before so it was a nice change from what I currently use and love - NIVEA A KISS OF product line. 
6. I am not a fan of the packaging for the Revlon Colorburst lipgloss sample because it is hard to actually use the product without making a mess. I found it was easiest to use a q-tip to swatch the product on my lips and even then there wasn't much product to work with. I guess that is why it is considered a sample...ha ha! I would have preferred that the Revlon Colorburst lipgloss sample had come in a mini lipgloss tube like so many other companies package their lipgloss samples. Anyway, overall the lipgloss itself was really nice and not to sticky.
7. The coupon booklet was an added bonus for me because the coupons don't expire until the end of July and there were some products listed in the coupon booklet that I had never tried before. So this gives me plenty of time to try some of them and at a discount as well.

Here is a list of the coupons that I received in my Beauty bag
• $1 on 1 Revlon item (Custom Eyes mascara or Top Speed Nail color or ColorBurst Lip Gloss) (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 CoverGirl Cosmetics item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Olay Facial Care item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $0.75 off 1 Suave Professionals hair care item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Neutrogena facial care item (excludes cleansing bars and trial/travel size)
• $1 off 1 Nivea Skin Care item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 2 Hair care items: Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, Aussie (excludes trial / travel size)
• $2 off 1 L’Oreal hair color item 
• $5 off 1 John Frieda Precision Foam Colour hair color item
• $3 off 2 John Frieda Full Repair hair care items (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 TRESemme hair color item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Aveeno body care item: Skin or Sun (excludes trial / travel size)
• $3 off 1 Nivea body care itemGood-bye cellulite serum (2.5 oz.)
  Sun-Kissed Beautiful Legs moisturizer (6.7 oz.)
  Good-bye Cellulite gel-cream (6.7 oz.)
  Sun-Kissed Radiant Skin (8.4 oz.)
  Skin Firming Moisturizer (13.5 oz.)

• $1 off 1 Burt’s Bees Lotion (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1.50 off 1 Pond’s facial care item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Neutrogena cosmetics item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Maybelline FitMe cosmetics item (excludes trial / travel size)
• $1 off 1 Sally Hansen nail item: Color or Care (excludes trial / travel size)

So overall this was an excellent promotion from Target. Would I be more likely to shop there in the future for my beauty items? You bet I would! When a store takes the time to get to know their customers and offer them a chance to try brands / products for free it is most definitely a WIN in my book!