Be prepared for a long post with lots of pictures! Trust me though its worth it!
Ok any girl who is obsessed with beauty products, makeup, nail polish, etc., and if they watch YouTube videos then its a safe bet that some of them have watched favorites videos. I know I love watching them from all my favorite beauty YouTubers.
So since I don't do the whole YouTube thing, ( yet, I want to start trying, and I am getting a pretty decent camera for my birthday so I might just start.) I thought that I would start doing favorites post for Free For All Beauty Fridays!
And yes this post is going up Saturday night because yesterday I had technical difficulties with posting!
So on to my May Favorites!
First up is eye shadow. I have two drugstore palettes that are super affordable and great for wearing to work or even going out with the girls, or your guy.
Wet 'n' Wild makes some of the most affordable make up in the drugstore, I have used many of their polishes and never really touched the make up but I'm so glad I finally have tested the waters. the "Comfort Zone" Palette is one of WnW eight pan palettes that will run you about $4.99 at your local drugstore.
The first three colors on the left hand side of the palette are the colors I have been reaching for ever since I purchased this palette. The fourth color on the left to the last four on the right are colors I don't always use but have tested the waters with by playing with them n my own home. The very last shade is unique to this palette as it is a duo chrome shade that flashes a rusty brick color to an amazing green. One of the best things about this palette is that the shadows are labeled as to where they should go on your eye, and on the reverse side of the palette there are little guides to help you. The pigmentation of these are also amazing a little goes a very long way.
The second drugstore eye shadow I have is a quad from Maybelline. Its from their Eye studio line. These quads will run you a little more than the Wet 'n' Wild palettes but the color pay off is pretty nice and the color ranges are also good too.
Once again this quad has the ' wear to work' colors, not bright or stand out-ish. I don't really like to wear bright colors unless its on my lips and even then I don't wear too many. I purchased this quad off the recommendation from my absolute favorite YouTuber Emilynoel83. If you don't know who she is I suggest you do if you love all things beauty. She is amazing! She gives great reviews and great how-to videos! This quad was featured in her Color Lovers video featuring rose gold make up products!
The pigmentation on these is about the same for the WNW palette, its small and thin which makes it great for travel and will be finding its way into my make up bag when we go to Florida in two weeks.
Next in makeup, I think I have become obsessed with concealer, I currently have three concealers I use to help conceal my imperfections and under eye circles. This is the newest of the three and currently my favorite.
I chose the Cover Girl-Olay Simply Ageless Concealer not because Ellen endorses it, or the fact that it was on clearance for half off, but for the fact that I have always wanted to try it and don't own many Cover Girl products. I'll be the first to admit Cover Girl is not my most favorite brand of drugstore make up. I have used one of their 'Clean' Foundations in the past but I didn't like it and so hence didn't give anything else a try. This concealer though is amazing!
I am the shade #215 Light/Medium. This concealer is great for under your eyes to conceal those not so flattering dark circles. It comes in a little pot which isn't too hygienic, having to dip your finger in each time but since I am the only one who uses this I don't mind. This concealer is swirled with Olay's Regenerist serum, so it helps with fine lines and doesn't sink into your fine lines either. That is something I noticed, this doesn't sink in to what I call my smile lines under my eyes and they are pretty deep, I have had them since I was a kid.
Next I have a blush that I can't believe I love wearing. When I first started getting into make up I wouldn't be caught dead wearing this bright color.
This is the Revlon Photoready Cream Blush in # 200 Flushed.
My Camera makes the blush slightly brighter than it actually is. Its not really that florescent. It is pretty bright however. A little swirl on my finger gives me the perfect blushed look. Since the color is a bright pink/fuchsia you have to be light handed otherwise you will look like a clown or a doll. This blush is more on the higher priced spectrum at $9.99 I was hesitant on buying it.
Every time I walked past it in Wal-Mart it called out to me and I would pick it up and put it down, then finally one night while just out for some 'me' time I took the plunge and bought it, and I'm so glad I did.
Finally on the makeup front I have a lipstick that I think I have worn everyday since I bought it at CVS. This is the Milani Color Statement Lipstick in #26 Nude Crème.
This lipstick is a-mazing! It is the perfect nude color. It is a pink nude but basically its my lip color but a tad lighter and better. The formula is smooth and goes on nicely, it is a bit drying so I do use a lip balm underneath just so the lipstick doesn't settle into the lines on my lips. I definitely plan on investing in some more color from their collection!
The last four favorites are skin care related and one perfume. So lets get started.
First up is the Simple Skin Care Eye Makeup Remover.
I want to say that this makeup remover is like the famous Bio-derma. Its probably the best eye makeup remover I have found next to baby wipes. You can't tell from the bottle shot but I have already used half the bottle up and will be needing to repurchase it. All I do is moisten a cotton pad, hold it on my eye for ten seconds and swipe away all the makeup on my eye. Its even safe to use on my lashes and my lower lash line. It has Pro-Vitamin B5 to help soothe the skin, restore it and soften. Its oil free which so if you have oily skin this won't make you look like an oil field. The fact that all Simple products have no perfumes or dyes is just one of the benefits, I know in the past using certain makeup wipes my skin actually breaks out if things are too heavily scented. Its fairly affordable at about $7 a bottle. I got mine at Walgreens and it seems to be the only place I will be able to get it, none of the other drugstores carry it.
Next is The Simple Skin Care Protecting Light Moisturizer. I got this after signing up to receive a full size sample via the blog Vampy Varnish, she had done a review on it and had a link that offered the full size product to the first 500 people who signed up.
This moisturizer is pretty awesome, it light weight absorbs into the skin quickly without leaving you feeling sticky or gunky. It has SPF 15 which isn't super high but enough to protect you if you going to be running around doing errands. Put on a regular sunscreen if you are going to be at the beach all day in the sun that has a high SPF. I know that Simple doesn't add perfumes or dye to their products but there is a slight sunscreen smell to this, its not horrible I actually like that kind of smell. I use this under my daily makeup (which already has SPF in it) and my makeup goes on smoother. I'm pretty sure you can find this in the local drugstore for around $9.99.
The final skincare product I'm loving for the month of May is the Clean & Clear Morning Burst Skin Brightening Facial Cleanser.
I have used Clean & Clear products since I was teenager and started having pimple issues. It seems so long ago, actually I haven't been a teen in 7 years (seems forever right? Kidding!) Anyway I picked this up because I wanted a cleanser that was just to make me feel clean, I didn't need anything that had anti aging, or blemish control because I have products for those problems already. I wanted something to just make me feel clean in the morning.
This lathers really well even with only one pump. I also like the fact that the pump locks so you don't accidently hit it in the bathroom and waste product. The smell is very pleasant its lemon and papaya, it also has caffeine in it to help wake your skin up! It is slightly drying but that's okay and it leaves my skin brighter and matte. It also helps control the oil on my face. You can find this in drugstores for about $5.97, I got mine at Wal-Mart.
Finally the last favorite I have for you is a perfume that I'm glad I found. I absolutely love the Victoria Secret PINK body mist. My most used one is Fresh and Clean. It smells like a boys' perfume but for girls. I have had friends tell me it smells like Dolce and Gabbana. So when I was in Five Below last month I always check out their body sprays since they always do their own versions of the high end perfumes.
This is called BE Cool & Clean.
This tiny little flat bottle is great for travel, I have two of these and one of them is in my purse at all times just in case I need to freshen up. Its just about a half ounce of liquid so it probably won't last long but it was only $2 so you get what you pay for. But this perfume smells exactly like my favorite Victoria's Secret scent. So when in comparison its worth it to me. It smells so clean and crisp and I love that kind of smell when I am going to be at work or just not in the mood for a fruit-y scent.
So that s it for my favorites of May! I hope you enjoyed and sorry this post was so long! But if you did get through it than Thank you for reading it!
Until next time! Nicole
