Beauty on a Budget

Who doesn't love Yves Saint Laurent. To die for fashion, luscious scents and heavenly makeup.

But you know what I don't love......their price tag.

Sure, there is the saying you get what you pay for, but I got to hand it to Drug Store makeup because the past two years they have really stepped up their game (and the price...oopps)

This weeks item on hand:

Brightening under-eye concealer

High end pick of choice: Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat ($39). This pen like packaging allows for easy application, the formula is smooth and light so there is little need for over blending or warming the product.

Drug Store Dupe:

Milani HD Advance Concealer($6.99-$7.99 I have seen this brand primarily at Ulta, CVS and occasionally in CUB): Milani must have been purposely marketing their product to be comparable to YSL, the packaging is the same gold, the same applicator, and from what I could tell the same formula.

Admitting that I am not an owner of the YSL concealer I do have my own HD concealer from Milani. I have tried the YSL in department stores, but from first reactions they do seem very similar. I have also read reviews from Beauty Guru's who have both these product, and they agree that Milani is very comparable.

So there you have it....$39 vs $7

Take your pick.

J'adore Dior

Commitment....

So here it is....I have commitment issues. No, not with my boyfriend, with my blog. Due in part because of my latest family obligations and finals approaching my posts have become infrequent and very much lacking.

Starting now...NOW (pinky swear through cyber space) I will commit to doing a minimum of one post every other day. I do enjoy blogging, and I hope that in some way you may enjoy reading them, and maybe just maybe learn a new trick or find a new product.

Thank you for reading.

Here's to the upcoming posts, may they be bigger and better than my last!

You put WHAT on you face?

My latest makeup must have for the month of April is Milk of Magnesia. Thats right, you heard me correct, Milk of Magnesia.

Every morning after moisturizing my face and applying my eye cream, I follow up with a thin layer of this stomach taming tonic. I learned about this from another makeup guru who suffers from extremely oily skin. I my self have combination skin, my T-Zone could probably support the Exxon fuel market, but my cheeks and orbital area is surprisingly dry. To keep my makeup looking fresh and to last all day, also to reduce the oil shine, I apply the milk of magnesia where I feel I need added coverage.

When doing this you must let the product fully dry, you may notice some white patches that need to be smoothed and erased with your finger or a brush. After doing this you can continue with your foundation routine. I will admit that this product does cause a slight drying effect, if using liquid foundation this will be easily relieved, but if you have a mineral or powder foundation you may need to apply an addition product after completing your makeup look. I suggest Fix plus, Evian aerosol water spray, or if your on a budget follow my D.I.Y. fix plus spray recipe.

I swear by Milk of Magnesia. My eyeshadow, foundation and blush lasts a minimum of 7 hours, which is pretty damn good considering this product retails at roughly $4 in comparison to other foundation primers which can cost upwardly $20.

Note: Do not use this if you have extremely dry skin, and avoid areas with wrinkles and fine lines.

MAC Love Lace = Love MAC

I knew the Egyptians Were Ahead of the Game

This months Obsession:

EGYPTIAN MAGIC

I have yet to buy this product, but have been obsessed with researching it and reading reviews. I will be purchasing it for my mom, and hopefully I can steal a little to give it a try myself.

Egyptian Magic is a multipurpose balm. It has 6 main ingredients, all of which are natural. This can be used as a heavy duty hand cream, hair mask, lip balm and also as a night-time face cream. It is very moisturizing and has anti-agin properties. This is a great pick for those who are going green and want something free of harmful chemicals.

Retail Price $40.00, a little spendy but you get 4 oz. which is a TON of product and could probably last at least one year. This product is only retailed in Whole Foods stores and a few other Co-op chains.

(You can find better prices online, some even offer deals with free shipping, check out Amazon.com)

D.I.Y. Fix Plus

Do you wear mineral power foundation? Do you feel powders can get cakie and feel drying or heavy?

If so I got a 'do it yourself' project just for you. This is a little something I learned by fusing together some of the research I found when trying to do my own replication of the M.A.C. fix plus spray. This is a great product for refreshing the skin with or without product, using it to set power foundations so that it bonds better to the skin, rather just sitting like a thick layer on top of the skin, and can also be used as a mixing medium for pigments, loose eyeshadows, creating eyeliner from dry shadows or to use with tricky products like shimmer or glitter.

You Need:

Glycerine: Which can be found at any drug store, just ask the pharmacist

1 Cucumber

1/2 Lemon or substitute with Lemon oil extract.

Distilled water

Tea Trea oil

Rose Water or Rose oil

1 green tea tea-bag

First boil 2 cups of distilled water, when it reaches the boiling point turn off heat and add the green tea. Let sit. Then cut one whole cucumber(medium size-or 1 cup when cut). Add the cut cucumber into the hot water-tea combination. In a different glass add 2 Tablespoons of Glycerine and 4 Tablespoons of distilled water. Stir well. Add 4 drops of Tea Tree Oil to the Glycerine-Water combination, one drop of lemon oil (or one teaspoon of lemon juice), one Drop of Rose oil (or one Tablespoon of Rose water), and then for fragerance you can add any kind of oil you wish (Lavender, Jasmine, Sage, and Rosemary-any or all but only use one drop). Take the Cucumber-Tea Tree mixture and drain into a bowl, you can use a coffee filter to strain out the cucumber and seeds. From this mixture take 4 Tablespoons and mix it into the Glycerine-Water-Oil combination. Stir Well. Put into any spray bottle, and Voila! You have a cheep version of Fix plus, and all those ingredients can be used to make SEVERAL batches of it. Make sure to date the spray with a label, this has a shelf life of about 6-8 weeks. Whenever using fresh foods as ingredients you have to make sure it doesn't spoil quickly, which is why we added the lemon. The Tea Tree oil is good for the skin as is the Rose oil. The cucumber is moisturizing, and the caffeine from the Tea is invigorating for the skin. You can add Vitamin E oil as well, but go light, you don't want the mixture to get too oily, otherwise with will not work over makeup. This spray is also great as a moisturizer, a toner, and an aftershave.

Good Luck and Have Fun!

(I know I did)

Revlon Photoready Foundation Review

The time has come. I have been using my latest foundation, Revlon Photoready, for over two weeks now. What had been my obsession, watching youtube videos and reviews covering peoples opinion of this latest drugstore foundation craze, I have come to my own conclusion of its success and failures.

What I LOVE:

I love that this foundation is less cakie than the Revlon Colorstay foundation, which offers great coverage, but is heavy and often dries too fast to thoroughly blend.

I love the medium coverage, which can be buildable to a high coverage foundation.

I love the overall finish, which is dewy with a slight subtle use of shimmer, so that your best features glow and create a high cheekbone and brow.

I love that this bottle has a pump, therefore the bottle doesn't get gross with extra product around the lid and I can conserve how much I use.

What I could DO WITHOUT:

I have to agree with some beauty bloggers that this foundation does creates a white cast, and I do not think it is as photographable as it has been hyped up to be. I would say Relvon Photoready is a close dupe for an HD foundation, but doesn't achieve it completely.

I don't like how it can exaggerate the look of pores. In natural light you can easily notice how the shimmers within the foundation sit within the pores, and for those like me who have very large pores in my T-Zone, this is not super flattering.

I have a love hate relationship with the hydrating consistency. I love that it is moisturizing enough that it does not sit in my fine lines and exaggerate dry areas, yet I still have to set this foundation with a powder so that it won't slid right off my face. A translucent powder is great at making the foundation last longer, yet it changes the dewy affect of the finish, which ultimately was the most appealing aspect of the makeup (for me atleast).

Overall I would say that I am glad I gave this new foundation a try, and I will continue to use the rest of the product, but I do not think I will re purchase it. My next try will probably be the Coastal Scents HD foundation which retails at about $16.50 online while the Revlon Photoready is any where between $10.50 and $13.50 depending on store specials.

For those who are interested in this product, or currently have it and and are experiencing some of the same problems I am as far as its staying power and exaggeration of pores, here are some tips you can try which have worked for me:

-First to combat my oily skin and to keep the foundation from slipping off my face I use a thin coat of Milk of Magnesia ($2-$4 at any drugstore) on my T-Zone, yes I know that sounds weird but it helps my skin from getting oily all day and acts as an adhesive for the foundation so that I can get the dewy look without having to use powder to set it, this will keep your makeup on all day.

-Second, to stop the large pore look, I use the Revlon Color Stay foundation only on my nose, I get full coverage, lasts all day and hides my largest pores, then I use the more sheer and flattering Photoready on the rest of my face.

Thats my opinion and I'm stickin to it!

April Showers bring......lots of wine. Thats right, wine.

One Bottle

Two Glasses

and a crap ton of make up=

One GORGEOUS lady!

Here is my April pic of the month staring the one, the only, McKenzie Michelle.

Put a little SPRING in your step!

Steal your boyfriends......what?

As I was browsing through the April issue of Cosmo, and yes you guessed right I only bought it because Gagaloo was on the cover, I came across a quick tip to help get the best bang for your buck when it comes to body scents. Heres the trick.....steal your boyfriends, or in my case I stole my dads. I started wearing mens cologne months ago, after my friend McKenzie told me she had snagged her dad's Aqua Digio and had been using it as a new fall scent, let me tell you she smelt like a dream, and not a bit masculine. There must be something about the chemical make-up of females, because so far almost every male scent I have tried for myself has been a success....well except for Old Spice, that been chemically created to remind everyone of old man aftershave no matter what gender you are. My personal favorite is Very Sexy for Him by Victoria Secrets, it lasts all day, and most men's cologne is much cheeper in comparison to high end perfume.

So next time you find your favorite parfume is meeting its end, save yourself some money and stress, grab your husbands, boyfriends, fathers or brothers.....it just may be your signature scent!

Out with the Old in with the New

As I have previously posted on my top-ten favorite products, my go-to foundation for the past few years has been Revlon Colorstay. Its got great coverage, controls my oils and most importantly it has my shade. But lately I have been flirting with the idea of trying the much raved about Revlon Photo Ready. Many bloggers and vloggers have had great reviews, so lastnight....I gave it. Even with 4 almost full variations of foundation sitting in my drawers at home, I decided I needed to try one more, just one. I have yet to decide exactly how I feel about it since I have only applied it one, but so far so good. I will be sure to update with a full response and review soon.

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