Do you really need to spend a lot of money on make-up – The Savings Experiment

I saw this video and just had to share it because it speaks to my philosophy about make-up.  I love make-up, but I don’t love spending a lot of money on it, nor do I like being made to feel that if I don’t then I won’t have the best look.  Don’t get me wrong I will splurge for higher end products from time to time but I do it because I see something that I want to try or that I think is unique.  Not because I won’t look beautiful if I don’t spend the money. 

Make-up should be fun, it should be pretty and it should be within your budget.  Take a look at this video and decide for yourself if the price of beauty makes a difference. 

I’m off for the weekend...literally, heading to a family function for a few days.  I’ve packed a bag, two garment bags and five pairs of shoes.  Ridiculous I know.  Have a great weekend everyone!     

Last week to get your free gift with purchase at Clinique

Who doesn’t love a free gift?  

Just a reminder that its the Bay’s Clinique bonus time until October 2^nd.  In order to qualify for your free gift valued at $70.00, you have to spend a minimum of $26.50. 

I went and got mine today. I’m really excited to try the All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage.  It’s supposed to instantly refresh & reduce puffy eyes on contact.  There are a lot of positive reviews about this product.  People report that it’s very soothing and they can instantly see less puffiness and under eye swelling.  Um, yes please.

I’m also looking forward to trying the High Impact mascara.  I’ve tried the Clinique Lash Doubling mascara before and I really like it.  I find it doesn’t clump, really defines my lashes and is easy to apply.  It also doesn’t flake or transfer to my skin. 

The eye shadows are a beautiful combination of violet colors, both matte and shimmer.  The shimmer is very subtle and I think they will be beautiful very wearable colors. 

The lip color is a very bright deep pink, which really lets everyone know you’re wearing lipstick.  It’s a flattering color, but I’ll have to be in a brave lipstick mood to wear it, as I tend towards more muted colors.

The jury is still out for me on the 7 Day Scrub Cream.  This is meant as a gentle exfoliating scrub and has very fine, non-gritty particles in it.  I think it’s more of a blend of a scrub and facial cleanser rather than just a scrub, which is a good thing.  I just don’t know if my skin is too sensitive for it or not as it did seem to cause more redness to my skin, but I’ll give it another try. 

The Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion is such a popular one for Clinique but my skin does NOT love it.  Free gift or not I’ll be giving this away, as it immediately irritates my skin and leaves it red & blotchy. 

In order to qualify I bought some Almost make-up in 03 medium. The Almost make-up is a favorite of mine, it’s a little more coverage than a tinted moisturizer but less than a full foundation.  It’s not heavy on my face & I don’t feel like I’m wearing make-up when I have it on.  It has an SPF 15 in it as well, which is a bonus.  It wears beautifully and has good staying power as well.

This was only $25.00 so I also decided to try the Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadow in Rock Violet.

I had read positive reviews that this shadow was a pretty silver lilac color and that it could be worn on it’s own or as a base for other shadows.  I am always a little worried about creasing with any cream shadow, but people report that his doesn’t do that & stays put all day.  I also think it will go well with the lilac shadows that came with my free gift.

I’ll report back on these products, once I give them all a try.   Hurry and go get your Clinique free gift with purchase today!  

Could this be one of the best hair sprays – L’Oreal Elnett satin hair spray

Reason I purchased this hair spray:

A lot of buzz online that this was one of the best hair sprays for a ‘natural look’

Reviews said that this hair spray would leave your hair shiny and would also allow you to brush through your hair yet still retain the style & hold

I may or may not have seen a picture of a Kardashian sister loading bottles of this hair spray into her shopping basket

About my hair:

Color treated and fine but lots of it

Just beyond shoulder length

Tends to get a little dry and frizzy

Was this one of the best hair sprays I’ve used:

Can’t say it was.

After spraying I let it dry and it looked like I had hair spray in my hair, didn’t appear natural looking to me, hair appeared fairly stiff

When I tried to brush through it, it felt like I was pulling out some of my hair, spray caused little knots to form

Spray left my floor quite shiny but not necessarily my hair

The scent isn’t appealing to me, slightly old fashioned smelling hair spray

I found it at my local drugstore for $14.99 Canadian, which is expensive for a drug store hair spray as I can buy a salon hair spray from my stylist for around $18

Don’t think I’ll be re-purchasing this anytime soon.  I’m going to stay with my personal favorite Sebastian Shaper Plus, which for my money is still one of the best hair sprays ever.  

It has a fine mist, is not sticky, doesn’t cause a helmet to form on your head, hair is still brushable after you spray it and it has a lovely fresh scent.  Why did I ever stray?

My new favorite thing - St. Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter lotion

If you know me you’d know that when I find a product I love, I often say ‘it’s my new favorite thing’.  In order to qualify as a new favorite thing it has to be something I’ve used or tried with success several times, and have decided I don’t want to live without.  I know, slightly dramatic isn’t it?  I thought that it might be fun to share these ‘must have’ products with you, as I discover them. 

My new favorite thing…is St. Ives Soothing Oatmeal & Shea Butter lotion.

 

This lotion reminds me of the beach.  Have you ever had a scent that you associated with a holiday?  My sister and I save certain scents to use while on a beach somewhere, so that when we come home that scent will forever remind us of that place. This lotion smells tropical with hints of coconut and vanilla.  When I put it on I can’t stop sniffing my arm, hand, etc.  I just love it.  Not to mention, St. Ives has some of the best lotions for dry skin, which is critical where I live.  It makes my skin feel like silk and dries without that tacky, sticky feeling.  St. Ives is easy to find at most drug stores or anywhere you can purchase lotions.  Love it!  Now if only I was going on a beach holiday.

Product Description

Wrap your skin in soothing hydration with this award-winning St. Ives Soothing Oatmeal & Shea Lotion. Natural ingredients help deliver long-lasting relief from itchy, dry skin. This formula, with oatmeal and naturally rich shea butter nourishes and intensely hydrates the skin for immediate relief, while it works to restore your skin back to health.

A quest for the best mascara - L'Oreal Voluminous

Did anyone else think that Maybelline Great Lash mascara was the best mascara ever?  No, just me?  This is the well recognizable mascara in the green and pink tube that has been touted in most magazines as one of the best mascaras, well loved by celebrity make-up artists.  I read that years ago and decided right then that it was for me…and didn’t re-evaluate my choice for years.  I haven’t been getting the long luscious lashes I was looking for but I was reluctant to let it go for some reason.

Well those days are over.  I dipped my toe into the world of finding a new and wonderful mascara and now I think I’m hooked on the search.  I will post my findings as I go, so you too can perhaps find your perfect mascara. 

The first attempt to find a new mascara was with L’Oreal Voluminous.

I had read so much about this mascara online and in magazines.  People raved that it was the perfect mascara that offered a blend of thickening & lengthening, so I had to try it.  I bought it in black/brown because I thought that would be a more wearable daytime color, rather than just black.  After two swipes of this mascara I sat back & admired how awesome my lashes looked.  They were longer and fuller than I had seen them in years, and I was in love. 

However, like any relationship I started to see a few flaws after a bit of use.  I find that there is often too much product on the brush and you may need to run the wand along the edge of the container in order to clean it off.  If you didn’t do this you’d likely end up with fairly clumpy eyelashes, which probably isn’t what you’re going for.  I didn’t have any problems with flaking and found it stayed put all day. I did find it a bit much on my lower lashes & had to be really careful not to over do it, unless you want your lashes to scream, I’M WEARING MASCARA.  This is a drugstore mascara, readily available and definitely not expensive, especially if you watch for sales.  I would absolutely buy this again.

Stay tuned for future search results.

This could be the start of something good.

I thought it might be fitting that my first post is an introduction of sorts.  Beyond what my ‘About me’ section tells you, this will give a little more insight into why I’m doing this.  I love product, always have.  If it involves hair, make-up or skin care, I'm all about it.  While it’s true that I’ve always been a little beauty product obsessed, for some reason in the last few years that interest waned.  Recently I’ve re-discovered my love of all things beauty and have been scouring any source of information for new and exciting beauty product information.  Turns out, there is a lot I have been missing. 

What I have also found is a lot of information, in fact a little too much information; it’s all slightly overwhelming.  Who has the time or energy to read all this stuff?  Turns out, I kinda do.  While I don’t have any formal training and often don’t know what’s hot & what’s not, what I do have is an obsessive slant towards research, and that’s where this blog comes in.  I will share here what I’m learning.  My trials along with my successes, and often just as fun, my failures.  I am the friend who will tell you, ‘you have to try this’ or ‘this isn’t worth the hype’.  You can take my findings for what they are worth, as they are just my opinion.  My hope is that it’s as fun for you as it is for me.  But honestly, I hope it’s more fun for me. 

Here goes nothing.