Summer Beauty on the Cheap

It's been a long time since I have shopped for makeup at CVS. Between products that are sent for me to review and my Sephora addiction, my needs are generally well covered.

Last week I misplaced my recently edited  thank God makeup case.  Have you ever lost one that is full to the brim and had to go out and replace every item??? It's a costly bit of business.

Still determined to successfully retrace my footsteps and find it, there were a few dire things that needed replacing.  With this hope in mind, I went to CVS to replace my MAC brow pencil and lipstick and Josie Moran Coconut Water Color Cheek Gelee in Pink Escape.   I was particularly perturbed to be out the Josie Moran blush, since it was two days old.

Maybelline Define-A-Brow
$6.99

What immediately attracted me to Maybelline's Define-A-Brow was that it looks exactly like my MAC brow pencil, with it's teeny tiny tip, that self sharpens and offers complete control of shaping, feathering filling.  Added bonus??? The adorable little comb.

It's available allegedly in 4 shades, but as a racked the rack in a deep plie, all I could come up with was the Light Brown.  I took it anyway...It's a hair lighter than my hairs would like, but the texture was perfect and it pretty much did the job perfectly.  It's a keeper and if I ever do find the Medium Brown, I might just buy it and combine the two.  I would still come out ahead of my MAC purchase from a dollar and sense point of view, as well as not having to make a special trip to Bloomingdale's to purchase it.

Next I was looking for a beautiful summer pink that would look neither too pale or too contrived for daily use. I stopped in my tracks as soon as I spotted Rimmel London's Moisture Renew Lipstick in Picadilly Pink:

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick
$6.99

I have long been a Rimmel fan and I am almost never disappointed with their products.

Moisture Renew, ding ding ding, is a total winner.  Infused with Polypeptides, Hyaluronic Acid and natural collagen, this beautifully pigmented lipstick glides on and then stays there.

My last desperate need was a brighter summer blush. I have been shying from powders lately but have no objection to the, "cream to powder" genre, so when I spotted L'Oreal's new Visible Lift blush in Pink Lift/Rose,  I looked no further:

L'Oreal Visible Lift Blush
$12.99

It has a spongy quality that reminds me of Maybelline's Dream Mousse, which is not displeasing.  The color is a beautiful pop on, and the crushed "tourmaline pearls in this shade added just the right amount of glow (the Rose Gold looked pretty in the package but might be a bit garish on.) It also lasts beautifully, all day.

3 for 3, keepers all.

Did my makeup case surface?  Naturally, (which is a good thing since there were other treasures in their that would also have needed replacing.)

I'm still using my new finds and I'm happy to be reacquainted with the drugstore aisle. The gang at CVS might just throw be a Welcome Home party...

xox,
DD