Let's begin with the Elf Lip Lacquer in Clear. It costs $2.00 and contains 8 fl oz. I picked this up because I thought the packing was nice and minimal, and the plastic looked thick and sturdy. I do quite like clear lip gloss, and this was kind of a careless purchase that I didn't really think much about. After applying it, I was happily surprised. For one, it doesn't have that typical mineral-oil flavor that comes with many cheaper lip glosses. Instead, it has a mild vanilla flavor that disappears. In a word, this lip gloss is comfortable. I have been reaching for it constantly, and have made a large dent in the tube.
Next is The Good Stuff intensive nourishment cream (leave-in conditioner), bought at Target for $8.00 for 7.7 fl oz. The story with this one is that all winter I was using the Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Oil Shampoo and Conditioner. At first, it made my hair really nice, but over time and as the weather got warmer, I felt my hair getting oilier and oilier. So I stopped using conditioner all together, and my hair got very dull. So I was kind of hapless and frustrated when I stumbled across this product- surprised at first by its reasonable price point. Be aware, though, this isn't some salon/indie hair brand with a magically low price point- it's owned by Unilever.
Still, after washing my hair with Head and Shoulders (because I have a dry/itchy scalp), I applied this to my damp hair. I really like how it brought back sheen and softness to my hair, without making me feel greasy. It also has a really nice salon-shampoo scent that definitely lingers throughout the day.
FYI, my hair is medium-thick is naturally kind of inconsistently wavy. *shrug*.
The mascara that I am currently using and would definitely recommend is The Pret a Volume Smoky Mascara in Velvet Black from Catrice. I did not get the Waterproof one because I feel waterproof sticks to closely too my lashes and is too difficult to remove.
It costs $.7.00 and you get .37 oz of product. Snooping around other mascaras from other ranges, this mascara is quite hefty and contains more product than the L'Oreal Lash Paradise (0.28 oz), and the Benefit Roller Lash (0.3 oz).
I have seen some mixed reviews of this mascara online. My own lashes are naturally curled and chaotic at times. I don't really want length out of a mascara, just volume and definition, which this mascara most certainly provides. The formula was a bit creamier and easier to work with when the mascara was newer. Some mascaras get better as they "age," but I felt this one was more potent in the beginning. Still, I am continuing to quite happily use this.
Next is Ponds Rejuveness Anti-Wrinkle Cream. I buy mine at Walmart in the mini, which contains 1.75 oz (50 g) and cost maybe $3.00. I can't find the mini online :(. I would buy it from the travel-friendly section. . It does come in two other sizes, the largest containing 14.1 oz (40 g), and currently on sale for $13.82. This is my second time using up a container of this, and I have definitely mentioned this product on the blog before.
Still, it bears repeating. As someone who uses Retinol 1-2 times a week, this is a great product for those days when I am not applying Retinol. The cream has a strong fragrance, and I usually take a break after using it for a couple of days, to prevent breakouts. If you have sensitive skin or skin that is raw from exfoliation or something else- be aware. Even today because my nose was red and raw from allergies, getting the tiniest speck of this cream on my nose was a bit painful.
Other than that, I really enjoy this cream. It makes my skin feel plump and does minimize lines on the face.
The next one is a newer purchase, the Neutrogena healthy skin anti-aging perfector (whew looong name). Mine is in the shade ivory to fair (10). This one is the priciest item on my list, at $10.59 (Target), for 1 FL oz of product. I have been on the look out for a BB Cream with SPF that is light enough for me. When I saw this, and read that The Muse approved this, I snapped it up.
I was unsure how well it would match me, but I am happy to say that it does a great job of blending into my skin tone:
It don't wear it alone, though, I layer it on top of Australian Gold SPF 50.
Overall, I have found myself pretty open to trying things from Neutrogena, even though some of their offerings are weirdly expensive- like that $15.00 highlighting stick?? If they can scale back the cost of some of their products, I think they would be even in a better spot- because I do like what I have tried from them so far.
And last, we have a brush! The Elf Flawless Concealer brush has been so much more enjoyable to use than my Real Techniques concealer brush. The Elf one costs $3.00, and has a fluffy, outward shaped brush head that is also rounded. I find it to be the perfect shape to blend under my eyes, as well as on my face. The shape of the brush really makes it easy to buff out concealer, rather than patting it or brushing it, which is what I felt the somewhat flat head of the RT brush was doing. I picked mine up at CVS, I believe.
So those are all my recs! Would love to know what you think- have you tried any of these?
Thanks for reading.
*** Redacted Rec: Burt's Bees Intensive Overnight Lip Treatment. Oh hey, if you made it this far down the page, then congrats! I have some bonus content for you- a redacted recommendation. This means that I was going to recommend the Burt's Bees lip mask on the premise that it was cheap, but some simple math has proven me wrong!
I really need to thank one of my fave bloggers, Brutally Honest Beauty. On her instagram stories, she was posting price comparisons of comparable drugstore vs. high-end products according to price per gram or oz, and actually found that in some cases the higher end product was actually the more cost-effective option.
This is true of the BB Lip Mask, which costs $8.68 for .25 oz. This means it costs $34.75/oz.
Let's compare this with a higher end mask- Laniege, a company that is known for its lip masks. Well, theirs costs $20 for .7 oz, or $28.00 for 1 oz. So the Laniege one seems to be the more practical option, especially for a product that does get a lot of use.
In sum, I redacted it because I don't think consumers are exactly getting the best deal. And now I have something to add to my wishlist- I saw that Laniege had a vanilla option!
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