Drugstore Haul (plus Sephora)

I'm going to keep this short because you know reviews are coming...

At Sephora I picked up one of the new Tarte Amazonian shimmer blushes. This one is called "Glisten".

At Walgreens I got another Rimmel Glam'Eyes HD Palette in 2 English Oak. I'll either keep it as a backup or for a giveaway. I also got a Wet n' Wild lipgloss in a cherry flavor. There was also a green lipbalm in watermelon but it was green and I didn't know whether it was sheer or pigmented. The cherry has a decent bit of pigment so I'm glad I didn't get the watermelon. It has a very strong cherry scent and slides easily across my lips. More testing necessary. I needed something after finding all the new displays raided. They had a gorgeous Revlon nail display and a L'Oreal nail and L'Oreal magic lumi display but they were out of Revlon Whimsical, the L'Oreal magic lumi primer, most of the L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows, and the more interesting L'Oreal nail polishes.

At CVS, I picked up 2 L'Oreal lipsticks and a white Milani nail polish because it was on sale. I was going to also get a limited edition Project Runway lipstick but I took it off after the order somehow came to around $40. It turns out she had rung me up for the same items multiple times. DO remember to do a mental calculation and DON'T swipe your card until you're sure the total makes sense. And yes, that's a sticker for $11.29 on that lipstick. NYC prices are ridiculous. Thank goodness it was BOGO1/2 off L'Oreal lip. I'm going to test these out in hopes that they'll work out better than the higher end nude lipstick shades I had to return to Sephora.

At Duane Reade, I picked up 2 Sinful Colors nail polishes. I had been hoping to also find the shimmery red I'd seen on a nail polish blog but I was lucky to find anything at all. There's a "new" Duane Reade near me but they only seem to have old stock. They're clearing out now and there are a ton of 50% off stickers on different items. All I really want is for them to finally get Essie "As Gold As It Gets" so I can add it to my tally for the Essie Rewards Club. How am I ever going to get to 8 polishes if they never have anything in stock?

I think the names are adorable. And they kind of go together, don't you think?

REVIEW Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer in 120 "Light"

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Concealer in 120 Light

Pros

• powdery, dry, matte finish
• brightening
• light formula
• light coverage

This dries to look fairly matte which I imagine would be good for oily skin. The color is light enough that it seems to brighten up my eyes. The formula feels very light so I almost forget I'm wearing it. It offers light to medium coverage which is good if you don't want a heavy full face of makeup. If you like it, it would be a good everyday concealer as opposed to some of the heavier cream formulas which are better for formal occasions like weddings or parties.

Cons

• powdery, dry matte finish
• ghostly
• light coverage
• not great for dry skin
• doesn't blend well
• sponge-tip applicator

Some people won't like the dry, matte look. For my dry skin I prefer things that make it look more hydrated and dewy. The brightening effect can also be a bit ghostly. I don't know if I chose the wrong color (very possible) or if it just doesn't blend well but it looks a touch too white over the dark circles under my eyes. The light coverage might not be enough for you if you have very dark circles, a lot of redness and acne, or dark sunspots or age spots. It diminishes the look of my dark circles and the slight redness around my nose but it doesn't do away with it completely. I don't think it's great for dry skin. It makes my skin look drier and it sort of sits on top of my skin instead of blending. I tested it on my hand and instead of blending in, it crept into the edges of my skin cells. I can't imagine this would be good if you have wrinkles or acne scarring. The sponge tip applicator is not very good for blending and is rather unhygenic. Any bacteria or dirt from your face is going to transfer onto the sponge and stay there throughout the life of the product. I would definitely avoid using this directly on blemishes or acne.

CONCLUSION: I don't hate this product, but I can't recommend it for people with dry skin or anyone who needs a medium to heavy concealer.

Close-up of sponge tip applicator

Liberal amount dabbed onto back of hand (not blended in)

Blended in (note dryness)

Close up (notice emphasizes pores/skin cells)

 

REVIEW of Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub

I'd like to sum up my thoughts on this product in a simple statement. I like it but I don't think it does anything. Let me explain.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub is one of many drugstore scrubs that comes packaged attractively and promising something special. The scrub has an almost gel like consistency. It's made up of this blue gel containing very small, white grains and a few larger dark blue particles. When you do as instructed and add water and rub it between your hands it doesn't exactly foam but it forms a little bit of lather...similar to liquid hand soap. When you apply it to your face, you really do get a tingling burst of intensity. It was almost too much the first few times I used it but after I got used to it, I really appreciated the effect. It's great to use for morning showers or if you want to be awakened after you take off your makeup for the day. I don't really know the chemistry behind the product, but the "invigorating" feeling stays until you either dry your face or wash off all the product so I think it might have something to do with a reaction to water.

As for how it operated as a scrub...I wasn't all that impressed. It did not clean out my pores and its debatable whether or not it dried out my skin. I would say, frequent use might dry out your skin so I wouldn't use this everyday. I think 3-4 days a week is fine.

CONCLUSION: This product is kind of a bust. If you like the "invigorating" feel, it's only a few dollars at the drugstore and might be fun to add to your at-home spa experience or to wake you up in the mornings. However, it doesn't really do much to clean or exfoliate my skin so I can't recommend it for that. I think when I use up the container I probably won't repurchase another.

Walgreens HAUL

Now, I don't really put up disclaimers because this is a tiny little blog and I'm going to assume everyone realizes I buy everything I talk about on the blog. No one is sending this stuff to me for free. As for the sales, I sometimes advertise, they're things that I am personally taking advantage of, or would...if I had an unlimited budget. Now, do you remember the Walgreens sale I told you about?
http://smartandsarcasticwithdashesofinsanity.blogspot.com/2012/01/walgreens-and-cvs-sales-january-2012.html

Well, I wasn't about to let you girls have all the fun. Here's my haul of the items I picked up with my 20% discount. Did I mention there was also a BOGO 1/2 off discount on Maybelline and Revlon? Oh, yeah. I did pretty well.

REVIEW of Revlon's Fashionista with SWATCHES (O.P.I. Ski Teal We Drop Comparison)

I picked up Revlon's 471 in an earlier drugstore haul I shared with you. It's a pretty teal color and I was hoping it would be a dupe for O.P.I.'s Ski Teal We Drop considering all the BOGO 1/2 off Revlon nail polish sales at the drugstore, it would be much more affordable. However, I think I'll be sticking with O.P.I. Here is a link to my original review.

http://smartandsarcasticwithdashesofinsanity.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-of-opis-ski-teal-we-drop-with.html

The colors are very similar, with O.P.I.'s Ski Teal We Drop leaning slightly more blue and Revlon's 471 leaning slightly more green. I used the O.P.I. as an accent nail so you could really compare the two. The colors are very similar though. However, I wouldn't recommend the Revlon if you care about the formula. The formula on Fashionista was a huge hassle to work with. It was watery but it also dragged so I had to use thick coats and work quickly to even out streaks and edges. Also, personally I prefer the color of the O.P.I. polish a little more. The Revlon polish picks up smudges really easily despite the top coat it looks dingy after only a few hours of wear. Also, I prefer the blue of the O.P.I. to the green of the Revlon polish.

HERE ARE THE COMPARISON SWATCHES. The O.P.I. Ski Teal We Drop is on my thumb. The camera doesn't really pick up the difference between the polishes.

REVIEW of Essie's Glamour Purse with SWATCHES

I did not like this polish at all. The color is terribly unflattering. It ages my hands and makes them look dry and worn. It's an ugly warm-toned cool color. It just looks wrong on your nails. It's about the color of chocolate milk and a shade darker or lighter depending on the light. I wore it just long enough to take the picture before switching to something else. The formula was horrible. It was watery but streaky. Either the polish was sticky/tacky or it took longer than usual to dry because the brush was dragging over the polish.

I would not recommend this nail polish at all.