Drug Store Beauty Products

I love quality beauty products at drug store prices. I have a few products that I absolutely love, and because you can get them at the drug store, they are extra affordable! I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you.

1. Revlon Color Stay Just Bitten Balm Stain - LOVE THESE. I have at least 5 of these because they work so well. I love having some color on my lip but I hate having to reapply. If I have to reapply a lipstick, you can count me out. Most lip stains I've tried are either super sticky or super drying, or both. This lip stain is amazing. It goes on like chapstick and has a slight minty flavor. I can wear it all day at work or out to dinner and it stays right where it needs to be! My favorite colors are "honey", "cherish", and "romantic".

2. CoverGirl LashBlast Volume Mascara - I swear by this mascara and have been using it for Y-E-A-R-S. No other mascara compares. I am really picky about mascara because I want something that is lengthening AND volumizing. Basically, I want to look like I have false eyelashes on, without the pain of false eyelashes! This stuff really works, I regularly have strangers tell me that my eyelashes are "flawless" (no joke!!). It definitely takes a few coats but it does the trick. I usually use the color "blackest black".

3. CoverGirl Classic Color Blush - If I'm feeling like a minimal-make up kind of day, I usually just put a little bit of this blush on my cheeks and voila I look 2x more lively. This blush is really great for sensitive skin and has a slight shimmer but no glitter, so it's definitely professional.

4. Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Nail Polish - I've already gone on about how much I love Revlon nail polishes here but they're just a fun thing to buy at the drug store. Definitely not a necessity but painting your nails a fun new color is definitely a pick-me-up (and cheaper than a mani!)!

5. St. Ive's Fresh Skin Apricot - This is a treat yo self kind of product. This stuff smells amazing, even my guy friends secretly like using it! Just lather on, wait a few minutes, and rinse. It feels (and smells!) like you just got a professional facial!

Do you use any of these products? Do you have any drug store beauty recommendations?

Thanks for reading!

"Jackpot" Gold and Shimmery Nails

I love painting my nails. Looking down at my hands and seeing a pop of color always makes me smile. Buying new nail polish is definitely a treat for me (treat yo self). So when I found this gorgeous color at the grocery store, I jumped right on it. I have another Revlon Colorstay nail polish and it lasts for the longest time (longer than OPI or Essie in my opinion! Any other Revlon Colorstay fans out there?!). I didn't realize this color was meant to be used with a gel topcoat until I got home (woops...!). Instead, I used a normal top coat and it's still been really long-lasting. Can we take a minute to talk about this color?! It's so gorgeous and shimmery, it looks like liquid gold!

For application I just applied 1 coat of the "Jackpot" Revlon Colorstay nail polish and once I finished every nail, I went back and applied a second coat. Then I let them dry for a few minutes and applied a clear topcoat from OPI (I've had it for years and topcoats make everything stay longer and make them more glossy, instead of more matte-looking.)

Do you have a favorite nail polish brand? Do you have a favorite metallic nail color? Comment below, I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for reading!!

Scarves and Sweets

PS I love this Stay Focused Pouch. It's so cute and inspirational and the back is glossy and mint. What's not to love?!

Curls That Last All Day and the Next Day!

I have very thick, straight hair. Growing up, I always loved trying different ways to curl my hair: crimping, sleeping with wet braids, using hot gel wands, hot rollers, curling irons, you name it (thanks mom!). I'd even buy shampoos with promises to curl my hair and borrow gel from my friends who had beautiful, curly hair. If a curling method miraculously worked to create curls in my thick hair, it would last for a few hours and then go back to being pin straight. I've grown to love my easy, minimum-maintenance straight hair, but there are times I like switching it up with some curls. Over the last few months I've tried tons of hair products, read lots of advice online, and talked to my hair stylist and I've found the remedy: an amazing routine for curls that last all day, and (bonus!) they last the next day too!

 

1.  "Dirty" hair - If you just washed your hair that day or the night before, your hair is clean and therefore slick. Curls need grease or a little grit to help them stay in place or they will just fall out. There are two options: curl your hair a day or two post-shampooing OR put some dry shampoo in the roots to create more volume or "grit" so your hair is less slick/slippery. Side note: I LOVE Batiste Dry Shampoo because it is pretty cheap and works great!

2.  Heat protection - A heat protector keeps your hair healthy and undamaged, so your hair doesn't have tons of split ends and look matte. You wouldn't take a cupcake pan out of the oven without mitts, so don't curl your hair without a heat protector! The heat protector also adds a little extra grit to help keep the curls in place.

3. Curling - I section my hair into 3 main parts: top, middle, and bottom. I start with the top and middle sections in a hair clip and leave the bottom section down. I brush through the bottom section and then divide it off into about 6-7 pieces and curl them individually, twisting each piece in the direction away from my face. Once I'm done with the bottom section, I move to the middle section, and then finally finish with the top section. I use a Hot Tools 1" curling iron (on sale now!) set to about 400 degrees. The older your curling iron gets (mine is 6 years old), the hotter it'll need to be, but 350 degrees should be plenty for a new iron.

4. Hairspray and cooling - As soon as I'm done curling all my hair, I spray hairspray all around the curls. I 1000% recommend Redken Control Addict 28 (on sale at Ulta, and even cheaper on Amazon) if you have straight, thick hair. It's by far the best hairspray I've ever used! Then I let my hair cool for about 10 minutes.

5. One last spray - Once my hair has cooled down, I run my fingers through my hair to make more natural waves and then spray is again. This time I'll flip my hair over and spray the underside and all over. Go flaunt your gorgeous curls :)

The proof is in the curls! After 6 hours my curls were still going STRONG! The next day I just slept normally and when I woke up, put a little more hairspray in my hair. The second day curls are looser with a more natural-looking waves.  Curls that last 2 days with budget products?! Count me in, am I right?!

I've been eyeing this beauty but haven't pulled the trigger because of the price. Do you have any curling tips or favorite products? Comment below!

PS If you're not an Ulta Rewards member, you need to join! You don't need to pay or do anything special to join, it's just a rewards program. If you're part of the program, they send you monthly catalogs of new or on sale products and it always has a $3.50 coupon attached. If you use it every time you buy a beauty product (includes make-up remover, shampoo, blush, mascara, etc), that's $42 in savings a year. Cha-ching money back in you're wallet :)

Thanks for reading!