Affordable Makeup

Bumpits & Hair EXPO Magazine

2009-08-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

SO! Now that I've got some free time this weekend as promised, I get to update you on some really cool new stuff that I've got this weekend! First of all, I've just bought a box of BUMPITS! =) In case you're not familiar with what Bumpits are, they're these marvelous inventions by Big Happie Hair, Inc. that takes limp, FLAT hair to fabulous, big, floofy hair! I just love mine! =) GO TO BUMPITS WEBSITE TO SEE MORE INFO!

If you buy in store, you only get 3 bumpits: Hollywood (XL), Regular (M), and Small (XS). If you buy online or through TV, you get the image above. I purchased mine at Walgreens and paid $9.99 and with tax about $11.19. They are totally worth it! I use mine every day and create BIG hairdos!!! =)

And in other news, me and the bestie Erin went out shopping and lo and be hold we end up at Wal*Mart magazine shoppin' LOL and I found a fabulous hair styles book by Hair Expo. I paid $7.99 for it, and I'm happy with it. It has lots of fabulous hair styles and how to do them all, along with some really great, easy to follow hair style pictures as well. I couldn't find a website, so I had to scan my copy. Sorry for the quality! It's been laying around my room for a while so the edges are a lil' wrinkled! =)

College Resumed... AGAIN

2009-08-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

So, I just wanted to say sorry to everyone for not being around lately. College resumed and it's been SO busy lately! I've still managed to keep up with cute makeup products and fashions lately, just not on my blog, unfortunately. I do have some really cute pix I have to post and some new products to tell you about, however I don't have the time to do so right now! Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to sit down and hangout with my computer again! Oh, for the days of summer again.....

XO~
Sara! =)

Herbal Essences Sweepstakes! =)

2009-08-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already, go ahead and sign up for the Tousel Me Softly Sweepstakes from Herbal Essences! You could win prizes and goodies just for playing their online match play game! =) I've already entered, but didn't instant win on the match play game. Oh well, good thing you can enter everyday! =) Click the picture on the left to go there now, or use the widget! =) GOOD LUCK! =)

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2009-08-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

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Touchup Brush Set for $1.97!

2009-08-02T16:19:00.001-07:00

If you're needing a makeup applicator package for on the go useage, say in your purse, in your over night travel kit, or just need to restock your basic bits and brushes for everyday makeup use, then I suggest the N.Y.C touchup package. Granted, it's not the best touchup package that you'll ever find, but for on the go useage, especially if you don't wanna lug your expensive brushes and applicators in your purse or carry on, this is just the thing to take care of that problem.

The package comes with 6 pieces of everyday grooming items- Blush brush, eye brush, lip brush, lip brush XS, eye shadow applicator, and brow comb and brush. Of course, as you can see, you get a handly lil' plastic carry all for throwing this on the go set into your purse or carry on bag.

The pros for this product is that it's disposable. If it gets too dirty (because you don't want fungus growing in your brushes and applicators), you can throw it away and not be out anything by means of money, value, ect. This set would also be great for little girls who like to try on makeup as well.

The cons for this product is that it iswhat it is- cheap, small, disposable. The brushes are on small, short handles, HOWEVER, it will get the job done for touchups. I don't want to discredit the tiny package just yet. I tried it out- it does do a great job of touching up for on the go moments. I've tried it out in between college classes in the bathroom, as well as in the car, or in restaurants... works well for what it's made for.

Where: Wal*Mart, N.Y.C. Colors - VIEW PRODUCT HERE
How Much: $1.97
Rating: 3 Stars - It's OKAY.
Manufacturer: N.Y.C - New York Colors, A registered trademark of Coty US, LLC.

Extra Info: Great for on the go useage. Not intended for everyday makeup routines.

Dollar General Eye Shadow STEAL!

2009-08-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

So, ladies. I just happened to be shopping the plaza and decided to peak in every store in Tiger Plaza. Among the goodie shops of frequent visitation, are Sharpe's, Stage, Maurices, May's Drug Warehouse, Dollar General, and other places like Hibbet Sports which I have never been into. I'm not a sports junkie, so I don't have a need.

Anyways.. I was shopping the plaza, and on my trip into
Dollar General, I picked up two pallets of eyeshadow for an unbelieveable STEAL!

I know everyone's like "Dollar General?!" but COME ON... it's a steal, and it's definately worth it!!! The products are just as good as those you would find in a local drugstore, and quite frankly, I can't believe I found these products at Dollar General!!! At first, I thought I'd try them out and see if they were worth what little I paid for them, and turns out, I can't wait to go back and buy more and experiment with other colors!!!

The colors that I picked up are called TEASE and DARLING. As you guessed, the Tease pallet is the brightly colored eyeshadows that come in yellow, orange, pink, blue and green, and the Darling pallet is the one that is in metallic white, baby pink, dusky mango, brown, and dark brown. They each come with a double ended applicator and cute, stackable, storable pallet boxes.

Price, already. I know, I know. I just want you to get the gravity of the situation- These came from DOLLAR GENERAL!!!
It IS possible to find awesome goodies at a great price if you shop around! =)

Where: Dollar General, L.A. Girl (formerly Beauty 21)
How Much: $1.50 EACH!
Rating: 5 Stars
Manufacturer: Beauty 21 Cosmetics, Inc. Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

Extra Info: Why aren't you shopping Dollar General?! ;)

Avon Island Glow Powder Bronzer

2009-08-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

On your MARK. Get set. GO! Okay, okay, so there's this little makeup company called Avon... I'm sure nobody's heard of it... ;) Mark., one of Avon's designer lines of makeup presents fabulous, affordable makeup for everyone's taste and style. I just happened to of picked up their bronzer for quite a devishly good price.

Island Glow Bronzer from Mark is the absolute best for blending with your favorite blush, especially if it's Summer time. You can see me wearing it in my picture below on the lower potion of cheek bones just below my blush. Once you put it on, it gives you a "tanned" appearance and together with your favorite blush give you a fabulous look. I can definately tell that this is going to be a major staple in my back to college look as well as for the rest of the Summer.

And the price? You're gonna love this one, it's under $5. No wait. It's totally under $3. So how much is it really? I'll make you wait until you scroll down to the end of my post to find out! It's a real steal. And did I mention it has a cute lil' hawaiian flower cut out in the powder itself?! How cute is that?! I totally love it! And now for the demo pic..

It really does a great job of "bronzing" and playing up those chipmonk cheeks! LOL. From my point of view, it does give your face a glow. I LOVE it! =)

Where: Your Avon Representative, or AVON.COM
How Much: $2.99
Rating: 5 Stars
Manufacturer: AVON PRODUCTS, INC., NY, NY 10020

Extra Info: You have to contact your local Avon Rep. or buy this product online.

Nexxus Styling Gel Pure Control Stylizer

2009-08-02T14:06:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I have to admit, this product is a little on the high end of the price spectrum, but it is definately worth it. I personally didn't pay the denoted price for this product due to a friend giving me her product because she didn't like the smell, so I'm not so sure if I'd actually go out and buy this product on my own. I know it's definately worth it if I ever decided to invest my money in a great Nexxus product, but let's face it- this Makeup Blog is about bang for your buck, so here goes. Let the review start! =)

I personally LOVE this product because you can apply this product to your just washed/damp hair, blow dry, brush and style. I have extreamly thin hair. If I part my hair on the side, you can see a portion of my scalp in the back because my hair is so thin. Apparently, it runs in the family because my mom is the exact same way. We're both jelouse of my little sister because she has so much hair she could donate to both of us and you could never tell!! Anyways...

When you apply the gel to your hair, you can immediately tell the gel is volumizing your hair because you hair just feels "thick" and "fluffy" especially after you blow dry your hair.

According to the bottle, the product has "NexxusSphere Technology with Time Released Nutrients.. that deliver time released nutrients and UV protectors throughout the day to continually nourish and protect hair from damaging heat, sunlight, prollution and the elements." Also on the bottle, the products provides "Volume, shine and a long lasting flexible hold that bounces back into place after combing or brushing."

I would definately say this product does exactly what it says it does. The price, however, is another thing. If you can get lucky and find this product on sale at your local drugstore or supercenter, it is a sure thing bargain to snatch up. I reserached the price online, and it's a fair statement to say that $12-$14 is the average price of this product, although I've seen many others selling for $18-$26 depending on product size. A 13.5 oz bottle is around $12-$14, and a 36 oz bottle is easily the upwards pricing of $26 and beyond.

As for the smell, think "salon products" because this product definately doesn't have a super friendly smell. It doesn't smell great, however it certainly doesn't smell bad either. Once you get it on your hair, it blends nicely with whatever shampoo scent you used on your hair. I've never once actually "smelled" this product on my hair, just in the bottle, which as stated before isn't good, isn't bad.

Overall final words? It's worth the price, if you're willing to invest. I haven't seen a Nexxus product that couldn't deliver, so in the end you can't go wrong.

Where: Wal*Mart, Walgreens, May's Drug Warehouse, Online Shopping
How Much: $12-$14 Average, $26 & Upwards Depending on Product Size
Ratings: 5 Stars
Manufacturer: NEXXUS PRODUCTS COMPANY, Santa Barbara, CA 93116

Extra Info: Expensive for the average shopper.

L'Oreal Dermo Expertise Skin Genesis

2009-08-02T13:00:00.001-07:00

I originally tried this product because I was needing something to keep my face clean, pretty, and help me remove makeup. First, I tried the product on the left: Skin Genesis Deep Purifying Foam Scrub Cream Cleanser. The bottle said it was for "Daily Cellular Renewal for Smoother, Brighter, Fresher Skin" and since I'd been wearing alot of makeup this summer I figured why not.

I used this product for about two months; you can easily get 2 months worth of use out of this product if you use a regular daily amount, twice a day. I used it once when I got up, and once in the evening to remove my makeup.

Later, when I was running low and I need to buy more, I then saw the product on the right: Skin Genesis Pore Minimizing Gel Cleanser. The bottle said it would "Effectively & gently remove eye makeup" and was "Opthalmologist Tested." Since they seemed to be a "group line" of products I decided to use them in combination of each other, such as first the scrub and then the gel. As you can tell from the picture, I still have a pretty good amount of gel cleanser even though I've been using it for about a month now. I use it twice a day just like the scrub cream, and personally, I like using them together versus just the scrub cream. The scrub cream makes your face feel fresh and clean and when used in conjunction with the gel, you get a nice "relaxing" feeling after the scrub. I even the gel product around and on my eyelids* to get eyeshadow off, and I've never had any problems with it. It's a very safe product for and around the eyes since it's OP tested. The only negetive thing that I have to report is that about 2 months into my using the scrub cream I started noticing dry skin around my nose so I didn't put as much on my face in that area and about 4 days later all my dry skin was gone. I'm still using the products just as before, except I'm being careful not to put globs of it around my nose, which was what I was doing before. This was the first time I had used such a product, so my skin had to get used to having daily facial treatments.

Overall, I'd definately recommend this product to anyone who is interested in twice a day daily facial cleansing just as a wake-up routine, or as a makeup removing product. I'd definately, and I am, going to buy this product again. The price is kinds high, but for the average person needing a specialty, I say go for it! =)

Where: Wal*Mart
How Much: $6.97 Each
Ratings: 5 Stars
Manufacturer: L'Oreal USA, Inc., New York, NY 10017

Extra Info: You may or may not want to use the gel on or around your eyes or eyelids. *

Body Luxuries: Love Struck Lotion

2009-08-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a lotion that smells fabulous and doesn't break the bank, then I suggest the awesomely wonderful lotion by Body Luxuries called Love Struck. The smell is absolutely wonderful! Think "sweet orange tropical" despite the lilac image on the bottle. The lotion is a bit of a lilac color, but the scent is definately NOTHING to do with lilac. I'm personally not a big fan of lilac, so I was thrilled when I found out it was a tropical smell and was definately worth the cost. I would recomend this product to anybody who likes tropical scents as well as fresh "summery" scents as well. This lotion is definately a new favorite! =)

Where: Walgreens
How Much: $4.00, On Sale for $2.99
Ratings: 5 Stars
Manufacturer: Enchante Accessories, Inc., NY, NY 10016

Extra Info: Not Tested On Animals =)