Life After MAC

I'm bitter about my job moving me from the King of Prussia area to the airport area of the city. Why? Many reasons, but one major gripe is that I can no longer go to a MAC store on my lunch break. I feel silly ordering online when there are like 4 stores in a 20mi radius. I just never have time. I work an hour from home and rush hour traffic means I'd never get there before closing. That leaves my over-booked weekends. Blah. I'm in desperate need of more Viva Glam VI lipstick. I also want to try out another lipstick -- Viva Glam III. I think it could work. My other reason to go would be that I'll need another Studio Fix Foundation (powder) compact. It's the one foundation I've found that perfectly matched my skin tone in pressed powder form. There are close alternatives, but none in pressed powder. T_T

Anyway, Maybelline has a nudes collection in drugstores. I found two  that look good on me. Rum Riche is a little too coral, or maybe just a little too bright. The other color is probably the most nude nude I've ever tried. It's called Bean There and the brown is a pretty good match for my skin tone. I was amazed. I've never experienced that before. I typically use mauvey colours because pinky brown looks good on my. Now, I have more options. Yay. I'd given up on drugstore brands before, but lately I've been more flexible. Things have improved!

Healthier Relaxed Hair is Possible

Hello world!
I've mentioned my shampoo & conditioner switch before, but now I'm raving again. I've been using the John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo and Conditioners for the past couple/few months now. I must say my hair is happier for it. I had my hair relaxed when I the bangs were cut, and I was really worried about my hair's health. I'm pleased to say this stuff has helped. My hair is still dry, but nowhere near as dry as it used to be. I have much less breakage, but still a little. I'm sure that sounds lackluster, but I can't stress enough that these products have helped a lot. It's amazing. My hair is soft, shiny, and full of body.

Here's a fine example of just how shiny (not greasy) my hair is now.

That crappy photo doesn't do it justice, but at least it was taken with a real camera. My hair was just washed, dried, and curled (by flat iron). Aside from the years when I avoided relaxers and colorants, this is the healthiest it's been in a long time. It's definitely the healthiest it's ever been while relaxed. Yay.

For reference: John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo and Conditioners are available for about $8 each at drugstores, as well as online via Amazon, etc.

As always, no one paid me a single cent for this post, but it'd be nice if they would!

The Case of the $5 Primer

So I've been sick for what feels like ages. Last Monday, I finally went to the doctor because I got conjunctivitis from my sinus infection spreading to my eye. After spending another $60 on prescriptions and nose tissue, I stopped by the make-up aisle. There I came across a display or the Essence of Beauty "Portables" line. I believe EOB is CVS's house brand of make-up and beauty supplies. Anyway, I needed a new face primer so I bought this for $5. It's actually pretty good. It went on like liquid silk. The finish was smooth. When I put on my foundation (MAC StudioFix powder compact) I was thrilled. I used a brush to apply as usual and the coverage was better than I expected. I also ended up using less. So yeah. I'm pleased with this product. Also, the Essence of Beauty line has never let me down.

CVS Mini-Haul

I decided to try a bunch of drug store brands hoping to post a great review full of win. Sorry, that isn't gonna happen.

I was most excited about the Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipcolor. I thought it would be awesome. It is not. The colour shows up well after about 2 gloopy coats. You have to keep your lips parted until it dries because it is a sticky mess. It feels tack as it dries. When it finishes drying, your lips have a matte wash of colour. Some gyaru like that in a nude, but I don't. I had to add gloss. I did not buy any other colours. I was looking for a new nude. This was a disappointment. The major pro is that this lipstick does last a long time. It is pretty frustrating to get off.

The Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain was another semi-dud. It stains the arms, legs, fingers, etc just fine. When used on my lips, it took a lot of patience. There is a stain at one end and a lip conditioner at the other. Once you get it on, it's fine. Cost: $8.99

The Milani Nail Art polish is okay in terms of colour (Black Sketch) but the brush was a bit shabby so the line I painted was a bit splintered. Because of this, I had to add more to fill in the splintered bit, thereby making the line thicker than desired. Hopefully this was just the one bottle I had. I clipped the stray bristles down to match the others and now it's okay. Cost: $3.99

The Essence of Beauty Retractable Kabuki Brush might be limited edition. The only link I can find is for the not so kira kira version. It's an okay brush, but I like more density and shorter bristles. It needs to be a fatter brush. I really think I chose it for the bling. I had a Revlon kabuki a while back but lost it a week later. I should have just repurchased it instead of this beautiful-yet-mediocre brush.  Cost: $13.99

Last we have the Essence of Beauty Extra Gentle Brush Cleaner. It's awesome. It's definitely gentle and doesn't dry my brushes out. I like the fact that I can spray the brushes because it aids in product preservation. I have no complaints. It's great for deep cleansing. The price is right, at only $5.99.

Has anyone had better luck with these products?