Recent Repurchases

This is a legacy post that has been given a facelift and some 2018 updates! Enjoy.


When it comes to finding products that really work for you, you tend to sift through a lot of BS:

  • overpromising, underdelivering products;
  • overhyped (by the community) products;
  • or things that just, through by no fault of anyone, don’t work for you.

Trying new things can be fun, too, but when you find products that REALLY work for you, you tend to cling to them. I do, anyway. Here are my recent repurchases.

Recent Repurchases
Recent Repurchases
1. Eucerin Daily Replenishing Body Lotion, $10 / 2. Urban Decay All Nighter, $30 or $39 for 2
3. L’Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black Mascara, $8 / 4.  Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil, $16

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Three Unbelievably Great Drugstore Brands

Over the last decade, drugstore cosmetics have made some major strides in competing with prestige performance. Some think this is due to the ownership structure in the beauty industry and the fact that many drugstore AND prestige brands share parent companies; others think it is due to the natural effects of trying to maintain a competitive edge. I know that it is both – but I’m not here to debate the why. I just want to talk about some great drugstore brands!

Maybelline & L’Oreal

…are owned by the same parent company, so I’m lumping them together especially since I’m talking about the same types of products. I’ve reviewed and REALLY liked both of their gel liners before (I do prefer Maybelline’s gel a bit more). Their cream and pressed-pigment shadows are jaw-droppingly good, especially if you can snag them with a coupon.

Although there are other concealers that undoubtedly outperform Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind concealer., , they all take more work to apply and blend. I use it at least three days a week. The intersection of price, performance, and convenience is just right for me.

They haven’t made me a cult fan of other products yet, but I’ve been an adherent to L’Oreal Telescopic Carbon black for years now – and I’ve enjoyed other formulas from them too (like Million Lashes Excess).

Wet n Wild

Photo definitely not mine! It is from from BedlamBeauty.com, go show her some love.

My first memory of painting my nails as a kid isn’t accompanied by a color, but a brand. I remember clutching a Wet n Wild polish bottle not unlike the one pictured above by Nichole from Bedlam Beauty. Lacking dexterity, I tried and repeatedly failed to neatly paint my digits perched precariously over an old, tattered towel freckled with drops of dried polish. Better that than the floor, right?

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Maybelline and Manny

Maybelline and Manny

A couple months ago, Maybelline, purveyors of my favorite (and therefore most-purchased and most-used) drugstore concealer, announced that MannyMUA as a new, “face,” of Maybelline.

What This Post is Not

This post is not commentary on the presence of men in the beauty community. It doesn’t bother me that some gentlemen enjoy cosmetics. That just means we have something in common. Manny Fans: If you’re reading, this isn’t a Roast of MannyMUA, but there is critical content. Keep the comments classy, thanks.

What This Post Is

The aim of this post is instead to comment on the judgment and business decision-making. The partnership between Maybelline and Manny was surprising to me. Although MannyMUA is a popular beauty YouTube personality, he has been embroiled in several incidents in the fairly-recent past.

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Recent Repurchases – Fall/Winter 2016

Us beauty bloggers talk a LOT about new things we’ve tried, or NEW(ish in my case!) favorites, but I think we collectively do a poor job of talking about what we loved enough to repurchase. I might really enjoy a product for a few months, but by the time I get to the end of the bottle or hit pan, things may have changed.

Here’s are my recent repurchases as of last week.

 

Recent Repuchases - Million Dollar Tan Cabana TanMillion Dollar Tan Cabana Tan

Some of my hunt for a more cost-effective sunless tanner has been chronicled. I’m not unhappy with Million Dollar Tan in the slightest, but accessibility and cost are key items that factor in my buying choices. St Tropez is more accessible didn’t blow my mind. Vita Liberata is more accessible, but also more costly. Many drugstore options are hit-or-miss. On Thanksgiving, Million Dollar Tan featured a 40% off discount – so I snagged the already-discounted 2-pack of Cabana Tan for only $30 TOTAL with the 40% code and free shipping. Normally $32 EACH (I’ve never paid full price, but still) this is a solid deal. With my usage, it takes me forever to get through the product, so it will be about two years before I need to replenish.

For those who would prefer to order through a retailer, Nordstrom carries it now too.

 

2016 Holiday Gift Guide - Big Sexy Hair Volumizing SetBig Sexy Hair Root Pump

I’m utterly helpless when it comes to hair, but I’ve figured out how to be presentable for work. One of the consequences of insisting on having long hair is that long locks tend to weigh down roots, so I need help in that department. I’ve bought a few travel-sized bottles of Big Sexy Hair Root Pump before, too gun-shy to shell out for the a full-sized can. This gift set from JcPenney (fluctuates between $22-25) finally got me to bite the bullet with some promo code and rewards cash for ultra-cheap.

Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki

Sigma F80

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2015 Favorites

I’m approaching my annual favorites post a little differently than I did last year. Instead of breaking it down by section, I’m just going to slap all my 2015 Favorites together. I liked plenty of things, but these are what I liked most.

2015 Favorites

Naked2 Basics - Social

Naked2 Basics, $29 – has been my lifesaver. Even when I first swatched it and decided I required it, I didn’t imagine I’d come to use it as much or as often as I did and do. Personally, I think it is superior to its predecessor…but I don’t own its predecessor, so I haven’t run it through the gauntlet, yet.

elftickledpink

e.l.f. Studio Blush in Tickled Pink, $3 – is a very subtle, pleasant peachy-pink hue. I wear it the most of all the blush I own; it’s hard to overdo, and isn’t too much for work.

cremeinyourcoffee_bullet

MAC Creme in Your Coffee, $17 – Such a nice MLBB, it stays and wears away well. Reapplies easily, and has that lovely signature MAC lipstick scent. I will repurchase a billion of these.

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