MAKEUP DE-CLUTTER WEEK #3 : BB/CC CREAMS

Hey guys!

So, I missed last week’s installment of my ‘de-clutter series’ because my house was basically ripped apart by a cleaning crew (furnace issues, soot everywhere, couldn’t function or get to anything for weeks), but now that things are getting back to normal, I can finally get back on schedule. I’ll post another one on Friday for you!

So today, I’ve decided to declutter my BB and CC creams! Last summer, I was on a BB/CC cream kick; I wanted to try them all, find the best, so on and so forth. Naturally, I acquired a rather large number of them, and since they’re either old, or expired, or I just plain don’t use them, it’s time to get rid of some.

So let’s get started!

MY BB/CC CREAM COLLECTION

That’s definitely a lot. Too much. Let’s see what I’m getting rid of, what I’m keeping, and why!

LEFT TO RIGHT :

Physician’s Formula Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil BB Cream in Light & Light/Medium – This was tough because I really love the formula, though some people complained about the scent (it didn’t bother me) but what drove me nuts is the limited shade selection. The light is more like a medium, and the light medium is more of a tan shade; oh, how I wish PF would cater more to the ‘pale faced club’!
Flower Beauty BB Cream in BB2 – Again, not an issue with the formula, but the shade; the formula itself has great coverage, stays in place, and keeps me matte, but I got the second lightest shade and it’s very yellow, and then oxidized to an unflattering pumpkin hue….no bueno, yo.
L’oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream in Fair – Again, it’s a shade issue for me. This one turned pink on my fair but warm skin. Can’t do it. Just can’t.
Revlon PhotoReady BB Cream in Medium – I picked this up in the summer for a few different reasons; I heard it was a great dupe for the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream (which I never got to try), and because I needed something with decent coverage and staying power to match my darker summer skin. This stayed really tacky though, which combined with heat and humidity was a total turn-off for me.

 

TOP ROW :

Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream in Light/Medium Sheer Tint – I also have this in ‘Light Sheer Tint’ (not pictured), and I’m keeping that as well. It contains salicylic acid, keeps me matte, has really good coverage for a BB, and I just love it. 
Maybelline Dream BB Cream in Light Sheer Tint – This is the original formula, prior to the release of the ‘Dream Pure’ one, and it’s great for my drier days; you know, when I want the lightweight coverage and hydration, but don’t want to be bother with a full face of heavy, suffocating foundation. It works.
Pond’s Luminous Finish BB+ Cream – I actually think this one may be discontinued. I found a bunch on clearance, and bought as many as I could! Good coverage, neutral in tone, and so many skin benefits, including lightening of dark spots (buh-bye old acne scarring!). 
Aveeno Positively Radiant CC Cream in Fair/Light – This one offers sheer to light coverage, buildable (which I appreciate) to a light/medium, and leaves a beautiful finish on the skin. It’s also very comfortable to wear; a lot of BB creams can feel heavy despite their claims of being lightweight, and this one (and the next) are super light!
Aveeno Clear Complexion BB Cream in Fair/Light – While I never used it exclusively enough to attest to it’s claims of a ‘clear complexion’, and to my knowledge it doesn’t contain anything like salicylic acid, but again, like it’s cousin mentioned above, it’s lightweight and really comfortable with decent coverage. Aveeno is known for it’s skin benefits, and since I’m not getting any younger (insert sad face here), perhaps it’s time to focus on products that incorporate more skin care ingredients. 

BOTTOM ROW : 

Rimmel BB Cream Matte – I actually really like these, though the shades are a little deceiving, the ‘darker one’ seemingly lighter than the ‘lighter one’. But they have a great formula that keeps me matte without clinging to dry patches or settling into my pores and lines. 
NYC Smooth Skin BB Creme Bronzed Radiance in Light – I love this for cream bronzing, or when my face doesn’t quite match the rest of my body. Believe it or not, for such an inexpensive product (I didn’t expect much in the way of performance or lasting power) this stuff stays on really well, doesn’t streak or get patchy, and if I remember correctly, the last time I used it, it stained my neck so it looked like a light coat of sunless tanner! I really do quite enjoy this stuff! I have the shade ‘Medium’ as well, but I keep that with my bronzers because it is darker. 

TOSS TOTAL : 5
KEEP TOTAL : 8

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Ok, so usually when I do this, I end up getting rid of more products than I keep. But hey, there’s a first for everything!
Now I’ll be going through my ‘keep’ pile, and re-trying everything to see what I’ll toss from there! 

Have you guys ever done a makeup de-clutter? What kind of things did you toss or keep? Have you tried any of these BB or CC creams? Leave me a comment and let me know!

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And feel free to reblog this post and share my social media with your friends! Your support means so much!

LOTS OF LOVE!!

DISAPPOINTING BEAUTY PRODUCTS

 I feel like I’m forever writing about rave-worthy products; but let’s be real, there are more than enough disappointing beauty products on the market, and we’ve all had our fair share.

So today I thought I’d share with you some of my most disappointing purchases! Let’s get started!

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H&M GOSSAMER LIP STAINS ($9.99/hm.com)

 

 I have a whole review on these (click here to read) but the long and short of it is that, while they swatch well on the back of the hand, once they hit your lips, they settle into the slightest lines or dryness, giving you ‘butt hole lips’ (you know what I’m talking about!) and then before you know it, they’re gone! The swatch lasted two days on my hand, but it was gone in a matter of moments on my lips!
And beware, H&M does not accept returns on beauty items (which if I had known prior to purchasing, I wouldn’t have – that’s kind of a red flag to me) so save yourself the aggravation, and just skip on down to ULTA for worry free shopping!

MAYBELLINE FACESTUDIO MASTER PRIME ($9.99/drugstores)

 

 These primers come in three varieties; Smoothing, Redness Control, and Illuminating. And none of them do what they claim. Not one. They’re almost like glorified face lotions repackaged with false promises. If you’re looking for a good drugstore primer, click here. But I honestly recommend you don’t waste your hard earned money on these.

SMASHBOX PHOTO FINISH PRIMER WATER ($32/Sephora)

 

 While we’re on the topic of primers, here is another one that I was severely disappointed by. This is nothing by glorified, $32 water. I was actually really excited to try this, too, because it’s been super hyped up all over the internet, and some of my favorite YouTubers swear by it – but it did absolutely nothing for me. If you want to know more, I have a whole review on it here.

URBAN DECAY DE-SLICK MAKEUP SETTING SPRAY ($30/ULTA)

 

 I bought this for the same reason everyone else does – oil control. While I did like that, just like the other Urban Decay setting sprays, it does spray in an even, fine mist better than any other brand I’ve ever tried, it did absolutely nothing in terms of controlling my oil and keeping my makeup matte or in place. In fact, I get better results from the Chill Makeup Setting Spray over a mattifying foundation than I ever got from this product. Within an hour, it seemed I was oilier than ever! I exchanged it for the All-Nighter spray, and I’m much happier!

COVERGIRL LASHBLAST PLUMPIFY MASCARA ($11.99/drugstores)

 

 I love every mascara from the ‘LashBlast’ line – except this one. The wand is awkwardly huge, scratchy, and twisted, making it impossible for me to get my lashes anything but clumpy. And unlike the typical not-too-wet, not-too-dry ‘LashBlast’ formula, this one seemed unusually wet, which made it even harder to apply. I returned this within like, 8 hours, I hated it so much. It wasn’t even worth keeping and tossing into my mascara drawer and waiting for it to dry out some; there was just no making this work for me.

NYC SMOOTH SKIN BRONZING POWDER ‘SUNNY’ ($4/Target)

 

 This has been called a dupe for the Benefit Hoola Bronzer – I don’t own it, so I can’t speak to that. It’s also been said to be the number one matte drugstore bronzer that everyone loves to contour with. That it’s natural looking, never fake or orange, and works for everyone. Yeah, if everyone had warm undertones. My skin ranges from ‘printer paper white’ in the winter all the way up to a solid golden bronze in the summer, and nowhere along that color spectrum could I make this shade work for me. Nowhere. However, if you’re looking for a good drugstore bronzer, check out my post here, and if you’re in the market for a drugstore contour shade, try here.

KEVYN AUCOIN THE SENSUAL SKIN ENHANCER ($48/Sephora)

 

 I think this is quite possibly the most expensive beauty item I’ve ever purchased. But suffering from a case of #youtubemademebuyit, I did my research, watched reviews and tutorials, and placed my order. This is a super duper, teeny tiny tube of concentrated cream based pigment, that can be used incredibly sparingly as a heavy duty concealer, or sheered out with your favorite mixing medium (i.e. a moisturizer or face oil) for a flawless finish foundation. Maybe on someone else. For me, no matter what I did (and I’m aware of the extreme learning curve with this product) I just couldn’t make it work. It clung to dryness, it sank into my pores, it settled in fine lines – and it angered a minor blemish that I tried to cover with it to nearly double it’s original size. As much as I genuinely wanted to love it, I ended up returning it. I don’t have like, a burning hatred for it; it just simply wasn’t for me, and for what I paid, I couldn’t justify keeping it around to not use it.

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Have you guys tried any of these products? What are some of your disappointing beauty buys? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Come follow me around social media!
Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram : @dlynnesposito
Facebook : Affordable Gorgeous
Snapchat : dlynnesposito

And feel free to reblog this post and share my social media with your friends! Your support means so much!

LOTS OF LOVE!!

BEST DRUGSTORE BRONZERS FOR FAIR SKIN

Even though (for most of us) we’re in the middle of winter, that doesn’t mean you have to spend the next 3-4 months looking ghostly and lifeless.

Let’s face it – we all want that healthy glow, all year round, but for us pale chicas, that can be hard to obtain without looking like – well – Snooki.
So I’ve compiled some of my favorite bronzers that are perfectly appropriate for the fairest of the fair to wear year round, but especially in the winter, to keep you look like you’re suffering from like, the flu.

Here we go!

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NYX HD BLUSH in NUDE’TUDE

While not technically a bronzer, it’s still pretty much the perfect shade for bring life and warmth back to pale skin. It’s a matte, slightly warm, honey hued powder that has an almost creamy consistency, is highly pigmented (use with a light hand!) and blends like a dream. No patches or streaking of any sort!

RIMMEL NATURAL BRONZER in SUN LIGHT

This bronzer is awesome – not only do you get a lot for your money (it takes FOR-EV-ER to hit pan!) but it’s totally matte, waterproof, and it has SPF in it, so it’s perfect all year round! This one is not quite as pigmented though, so you do have to build it up a little bit, but if you’re a beginner, this will be perfect for you – there’s really no chance of overdoing it!

PHYSICIANS FORMULA ARGAN WEAR ULTRA NOURISHING ARGAN OIL BRONZER

Whew! What a mouthful! But you know something? It’s totally worth it! This bronzer is infused with 100% argan oil, which we all know is fantastic for your skin, and its hypoallergenic, gluten free, paraben free, non-comedogenic, and dermatologist approved – Physician’s Formula is known for using like, the highest quality ingredients in the drugstore makeup game – which is why they’re more expensive than most. But if you have sensitive, reactive skin, this is the best brand to try from the drugstore. I will say that when you first open this product, it’s got a very chunky, gold glitter overspray – but you can easily wipe it away with a cotton round like I did – it comes right off!

MAYBELLINE FIT ME PRESSED POWDER in #325 CREAM BEIGE

 

 Maybelline really knows what they’re doing when it comes to their ‘Fit Me’ line – and this product is no exception – while not your standard bronzer (it’s actually a skin toned pressed powder) you’re still getting a natural looking tan color that rivals that of a high end bronzer that’s known for it’s gorgeous finish on fair skin. It’s warm and bronzy without being orangey, because well, we just can’t pull off that look…

NYC SMOOTH SKIN BB CREME BRONZED RADIANCE in LIGHT

 

 So this would obviously fall under the category of cream bronzers, and well, they can be scary – patchy, orangey, prone to oxidizing. This BB cream in the shade ‘Light’ is like a barely there bronze – it’s just enough to warm up your skin, and if you’re really unsure, use it BEFORE you apply your foundation, and then highlight on top of it – you’ll look lit from within!

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There you go, my fellow fair skinned gals! Have you guys tried any of these products? What are some of your favorite bronzers?! Leave me a comment and let me know!

And please take a moment to go follow me on Twitter and Instagram @dlynnesposito, and give a like to the Affordable Gorgeous page on Facebook!

LOTS OF LOVE!!

DRUGSTORE FOUNDATION ROUTINE

 

A national study, commissioned by Neutrogena, has suggested that American women expect their cosmetics to deliver flawless skin and sun protection, over fashion-forward colors. Read the whole article here.

I must be one of the women that falls into that category, because I would totally choose flawless skin over anything else, any day of the week. If I could have it naturally, that would be wonderful. But since I don’t, I fake it with foundation, concealer, powder, etc., as do many of us.
So today, that’s exactly what we’re doing! This is going to be a simple tutorial, just on how I achieve the base of my face – no eyes, lips, brows, nothing like that. This is simply foundation, concealer, powder, and maybe I’ll throw in a little natural contouring.

So let’s get started!

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First things first, I typically start with a primer. Depending on my needs, I use different products to prime. If I’m oily, I reach for the Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer – if I’m dry and dull, I tend to go for my L’Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer – which is what I’m using today. After cleansing and moisturizing (super important if you want your makeup to look F-L-A-W-L-E-S-S!) I apply my primer and give it a few minutes to really absorb into my skin.

 

 Next, you want your ride or die foundation – something that you know is your perfect color match, the coverage that you want and/or need. On days that I need really full coverage, I grab my Revlon ColorStay Liquid Foundation – this stuff with cover EVERYTHING. But today, since I really just want a nice, light to medium coverage, I’ll be using the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation, and I am in the shade 110 Porcelain. I’ll be applying it first with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, and then going over my dry spots (cheeks, sides of my nose, forehead) with a damp sponge, just to make sure that the foundation isn’t clinging to any dry patches, and really just infuse as much hydration as possible.

 

 Now, for concealer – I’ve been super dry under my eyes lately, and I’m also battling a hormonal breakout (thanks a lot, Aunt Flo!) so I’m using two different shades of the same concealer. Under the eyes, I’m using the Maybelline Face Studio Master Conceal in the shade ‘Light’ because it has a slightly yellow undertone to it, which is great for my dark circles, and the shade ‘Fair’ for concealing blemishes and highlighting. This concealer is super creamy, which means it will crease if not blended and set properly, so I’ll blend it out with a damp beauty blender and set it with my NYC Smooth Skin Loose Powder in Translucent, using my Morphe M438 brush. Be careful not to get any powder on your cheeks or forehead for the next step.

 

 Next we’ll do a little cream contouring. I like cream contouring (especially on dry skin) because it looks so incredibly natural. All you need is a foundation or concealer a few shades darker than your skin tone, so I’m using the Maybelline Fit Me Stick Foundation in the shade 355 Coconut – it’s the darkest shade they offer, but also the most neutral/least warm. I simply draw a line from the top of my ear diagonally down toward the corner of my mouth, but going no further than the tail of  my brow, and a few lines on either side of my forehead right above the brow, and start blending – since it’s so dark, I blended it out with my foundation brush, but with no additional product on the brush – I only used the leftover to blend it seamlessly into my skin.

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From here, you can go ahead and finish your makeup the way you normally would! I just added a little blush, mascara, filled in my brows (if you want to read my brow tutorial, click here) and added a lipstick/gloss.

What are your favorite foundations and concealers? Leave me a comment and let me know!

And please take a moment to go follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest @dlynnesposito, and like the Affordable Gorgeous page on Facebook!

LOTS OF LOVE!!

TOP 10 BEAUTY BUYS UNDER $10

  I love a bargain – that’s no secret.

O.K. – I’m cheap. I like a lot of bang for my buck, but I don’t like to spend a lot of bucks to get all the aforementioned bang.

I’ve been working on this for awhile, because you guys should know by now that I will NEVER recommend products that I don’t 110% believe in. So today I bring you my top 10 beauty products under $10!

Let’s get started!

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 MAYBELLINE FIT ME CONCEALER – $6.99 at ULTA

 

  I think you guys already know how much I love this concealer – it’s my Holy Grail, my ride or die. I have high expectations when it comes to concealer, because ideally I want one product that works on my dark circles, my blemishes, as a primer for my eyeshadow, everything. And this concealer delivers 100 times over!

It’s creamy, lightweight, blendable, neutral in tone, doesn’t oxidize, and is a solid medium to medium/full coverage. It comes in 6 shades, which are not only great for concealing, but cream contour and highlighting! It’s easy to blend out with your fingers, a brush, or a damp sponge. It just does it all.

NYX COSMETICS DARK CIRCLE CONCEALER – $5.99 at ULTA

 

  As I mentioned above, I generally don’t like to have to use multiple concealers, mainly because when I toss one in my bag for the day, I’d like it to be just ONE. But sometimes, like it or not, we all need a little color correction under the eyes. I’ve actually totally ditched my usual yellow stick concealer for this stuff! This is creamy, peachy toned, and it hides dark circles so well you can’t even tell that it’s there. Be sure to set it with some sort of powder though, because it’s so creamy it WILL crease! This comes in 4 shades, fair, light, medium, and deep.

NYC SMOOCH PROOF LIQUID LIP STAIN in ON EVERYONE’S LIPS – $3.49 on AMAZON

 

 For a long time I was on a lip stain kick – I wanted to find that perfect, neutral rosy shade that mimicked the color of those lucky women with naturally very pigmented lips, since mine are by nature, super pale. After watching a review by Emily Eddington (emilynoel83 on YouTube) I went and found this in my local Walmart (unfortunately I haven’t seen them since). Looking back I’m glad I bought like 4 of them! This shade is a beautiful mauvey rosy brown, and while it looks super pigmented in the tube, it sheers out really nicely on the lips, and it’s buildable. It doesn’t apply patchy or thick, it’s actually got quite a bit of slip in the formula, and it dries quickly. If you can find these in a Walmart, Target, or CVS, grab one! You’re gonna love it!

MAYBELLINE VOLUM’ EXPRESS THE FALSIES MASCARA – $6.99 at ULTA

 

 I have tons of drugstore mascara. I even have a few of those deluxe samples of higher end mascara. And this is my go-to lately, hands down. Some mascaras claim some pretty spectacular things but never really deliver – THIS STUFF DELIVERS! I love the natural bristle brush, I love that it’s tightly packed, I love that it’s curved, and I love that the formula isn’t too wet like the typical Maybelline formula – this hits that nice balance between ‘too wet‘ and ‘starting to dry out‘. It really does make you look like you’re wearing false lashes, but without all that time spent glueing them on and nearly sealing your eye shut tighter than King Tut’s tomb. Obsessed.

REAL TECHNIQUES ORIGINAL COLLECTION BRUSHES – $9.99 or less / realtechniques.com

 

 I have many, many makeup brushes – Real Techniques, Soho, Posh, e.l.f., Morphe,and some no name brushes. My Real Techniques brushes are without a doubt my most reached-for brushes on a daily basis. Their ‘Bold Metal Collection‘ is a bit too pricey for my blood, but their ‘Original Collection‘ is pretty amazing! They’ve got you covered with sponges, face brushes, eye brushes, you name it. Though I will say that the eye brushes are a little on the rough side. I don’t like them for my eyes, but I do love them for spot concealing! These can be found all over now – I’ve seen them in Walmart, Walgreens, some Targets, and at ULTA. If you’re just starting out and you want some inexpensive, professional quality brushes, these are AMAZING.

NYX COSMETICS MICRO BROW PENCIL – $9.99 at ULTA

 

 For a long time I struggled with the best way to fill in my sparse brows. I tried powders, pomades, pencils, tinted mascaras, everything. Pencils were never my favorite, but I realized that was because I never found a pencil that I really liked. Then Anastasia Beverly Hills dropped the Brow Wiz, and while everyone swears by it, it’s just too expensive to use every day and have to repurchase so frequently. But NYX has totally duped it with this product! It’s a slim, slightly dry pencil with a spoolie on the opposite end just like the Brow Wiz, but for half the price! And ULTA often has them for ‘Buy 1 Get 1 50% off‘ so you can stock up!

REVLON COLORSTAY SHADOWLINKS EYESHADOW – $2.84 ea at drugstore.com

 

 These little things are pretty cool! They’re individual eyeshadows, but they interlock together, so you can build your own personal eyeshadow palette! Available in 30 shades and 4 different finishes, the looks are endless! Revlon shadows are great quality and super blendable, so they’re easy to work with and create looks for both day and night!

NYX COSMETICS HD BLUSHES – $6.99 at ULTA

 

 I don’t think I’ve ever loved a powder blush more than I love these – you can read my review on 2 of my favorites here. These are incredibly versatile, they compliment every single skin tone, and a few of the shades can even be used as a light bronzer for fair skin, or to contour! They’re so smooth and buttery and they blend out beautifully, and because they’re HD blushes they obviously photograph like a dream! They have great pigmentation and staying power – I just can’t say enough good things about this product!

HARD CANDY SO BAKED BRONZER in TIKI – $9 at WALMART

 

 Are you guys getting sick of reading about this yet? Ha ha! #sorrynotsorry! I love this stuff! Like I’ve said in the past, this is the furthest thing from a bronzer – it’s a beautiful, champagne-y highlight! It’s very pigmented, so a little goes a long way. I usually use a fluffy crease brush to dust this on the top of my cheekbones, the cupids bow, the tip of the nose, the inner corner of the eye, and I even love to use this on the eyelid to just catch the light and open up the eyes on those super tired mornings where I just can’t seem to look awake no matter what I do! It’s great on all skin tones too! Light to dark, anyone can wear this! And it lasts forever because you need so little!

MAYBELLINE LASTING DRAMA GEL LINER in BLACKEST BLACK – $7.94 at WALMART

 

 I was never someone who really wore liner. Like ever. I still only bust it out for special occasions. But I could never find a good gel liner that was smooth and creamy, and truly BLACK. Then on a whim (and a recommendation by Jaclyn Hill) I decided to try this out. I’m glad I did. This truly is the blackest of the black gel liners you will find anywhere! And it’s nice and thick so you don’t need multiple layers to get a good, matte black line, but not so thick that it drags on the lids making it impossible to work with. I will say, however, that I absolutely H-A-T-E the brush that comes with it – it’s useless. I prefer to use a nice teeny, tiny angled liner brush, like the Morphe M160 1/8 ($2.99) for a nice clean, crisp, cut-a-bitch sharp line!

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Alright guys, that’s it! My top 10 under $10! What do you guys think? Have you tried any of these products? What are some of your favorites? Leave me a comment and let me know!

And don’t forget to go follow me on Twitter and Instagram @dlynnesposito, and go like the Affordable Gorgeous page on Facebook!

I WILL BE DOING A GIVEAWAY SOON AND YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS IT!

LOTS OF LOVE!

 

TOP 5 UNDER-RATED BEAUTY PRODUCTS

 There are a lot of beauty products out there on the market. I mean A LOT. And when you’re standing in front of a seemingly endless array of them in your local drugstore or Walmart or Target or ULTA or Sephora, it can be insanely overwhelming.

My personal little trick is to make a list of what I’m looking for ahead of time, otherwise I’ll either leave with NOTHING but anxiety, or a whole mess of stuff I probably didn’t want or need in the first place.

But there are some products that tend to be overlooked, or highly under-rated. So I’m here today to bring you some of MY favorite under-rated beauty products!  Let’s go!

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GARNIER NUTRITIONISTE SKIN RENEW ANTI-DARK CIRCLE EYE ROLLER ($13)

 For my 27th birthday my sister made me a bag of anti-aging products (wise ass). This product was in there, and at first glance I was like ‘I’m only 27, I don’t need this stuff!‘. Well hold on a minute. This isn’t your typically eye roller. It’s tinted, so if you fall into the fair to light category, it’s basically a really nice, sheer concealer that can not only be used on the under eye area, but for that hormonal redness on either side of your nose, or to tone down a blemish that reared its ugly head in the overnight hours. If you’re more light to medium, it’s a great, subtle, every day under eye highlight, because it’s just enough to brighten that area without being all WHOA! It contains lemon essence, caffeine, and mineral pigments, which help to depuff and brighten the under eye area while nicely concealing any darkness.

VASELINE COCOA BUTTER LIP THERAPY ($4)

 You might be thinking ‘this is under-rated? I’ve been using this forever!’, but hear me out. I have a bunch of these – when I saw they were making little ones, I ran out and bought one of each – the original, the cocoa butter, the creme brûlée, and the rose tint one. But lately I’ve been using the cocoa butter one at night ON MY LASHES! Now I’m still testing this one out, but it’s been about 2 and a half weeks, maybe 3 weeks now, and I’ve noticed my lashes are growing longer and thicker, and I’ve had no more lash breakage and shedding like I had been seeing for quite some time. I’ve also been removing my mascara with coconut oil, so I’m sure that helps too. I’m going to give it another couple of weeks and then I will most certainly be updating you on whether or not it’s working for sure! I just take a very small amount (like what you apply to your lips) and warm it up on the back of my hand, and work it into my lashes right before bed. So far, so good!

WET N WILD ICON COLLECTION BRONZER in RESERVE YOUR CABANA ($3)

This is actually NOT a bronzer. It has no bronze pigment whatsoever. But it IS an absolutely beautiful HIGHLIGHTER. I’ve seen it swatched next to theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighting Powder and to be quite honest I can’t tell the difference. For $3 you get a GENEROUS amount of product. For how little you really need to use, it will take you a very long time to hit pan. I’m a die hard fan of Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in Tiki ($9) for highlighting, but lately I’ve been reaching for the Wet n Wild more. It’s not too white, not too gold, it’s somewhere in between, and it’s great for every day use.

NYC SMOOTH SKIN LOOSE FACE POWDER in TRANSLUCENT ($3)

 This is for sure used for more than just setting your makeup or keeping shine at bay. By now I’m sure we’ve all heard of the terms ‘baking‘ and ‘cooking‘ when it comes to our makeup. It’s far from a new thing – it’s been around for years in the drag community. But if you’re familiar with highlighting and contouring at all, then let’s just refer to it as highlighting on steroids. Basically what you do is take a translucent loose powder like the NYC brand (you DO NOT need anything super expensive for this) and a damp makeup sponge like the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge ($6), and apply a thick layer under the eyes, down the center of your nose, or under your contour (along the top of your jawbone), to set, highlight, sharpen, and seriously define those areas to make them POP! Just let it sit for about 5 minutes, and sweep it away carefully with a fluffy brush. Done!

L’OREAL PARIS INFALLIBLE THE SUPER SLIM LIQUID EYELINER ($9)

 I’m not generally one for eyeliner. I may whip it out for special occasions, but that’s pretty much it. Maybe it’s because I’ve always struggled with applying it so I didn’t look ridiculous. And I’ve tried them all – pencil, kohl, liquid, gel, everything. This is pretty much the only one, out of the 40 some odd eyeliners I own that I actually enjoy using. And I NEVER see or hear it talked about on Pinterest, YouTube, other blogs, anywhere. It’s a liquid liner in pen form, with a super slim (duh) fine point applicator. It’s blacker than black, dries matte, stays put, and SOOOO easy to use! Thick lines, thin lines, barely there wing, full blown cat eye, this little liner has you covered! If I can do it, ANYONE can do it!

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Have you guys tried any of these? Or do you have some under-rated favorites of your own that you could recommend? Leave me a comment below!

And as always, go follow me on Twitter and Instagram @dlynnesposito. There’s some exciting stuff coming that you won’t want to miss out on!

LOTS OF LOVE!!

XOXO – DONNA