Drugstore Faves

Here are a few products that have worked for me AND my budget. Besides MAC, I have always been a fan of Revlon. I find that their foundations work better for my combo/oily skin & since my skin color changes through seasons ( I also go thru phases of tanning), I find it easier on my wallet when I switch foundation colors.



1. Revlon Age Defying Spa Concealer in Light/Medium: $11; works best on blemishes & scars--I don't recommend this for under-eye circles though. Easily blends onto skin w/ my finger
2. Revlon Colorstay Foundation with Softflex for Combo/Oily Skin in Golden Beige:$13; works better than MAC foundations on my skin; better color selection; medium-buildable coverage.
3. Revlon Colorstay Mineral Matte Mousse Foundation in Light/Medium:$14; Best foundation I've ever tried; Blends well, full coverage, matte finish; best applied by fingers.
4. Boots No. 7 Mattifying Make-up Base:$10 (only at Target); works better for me than primers from MAC, Sephora & Laura Mercier; a little goes a long way; you really have to blend it tinto the skin because it goes on very white.


1. L'oreal Colour Riche lipstick in Tawny: $8; a nice nude/pink color; long-lasting & non-drying formula.
2. Rimmel lipstick in Airy Fairy: $5; Great everyday pink color; long-lasting, shiny finish & doesn't have the typical lipstick smell
3. Sally Hansen Prep & Perfect Lip Care: $10; Primer for lips; nuetralizes your own lip color so the true color of the lipstick shows better (I have very pigmented lips); prevents feathering and bleeding of lipstick.


1. Ardell Brow Powder in Taupe $4; really colors in my eyebrows beautifully; applied with MAC's small angled brush
2. Revlon Colorstay liquid eyeliner in Blackest Black:$10; goes on in a fine line or thick line depending on pressure; not runny like most liquid liners; no flaking and it lasts all day
3. (not pictured) L'oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara in Blackest Black $8; hands-down the BEST mascara I've ever owned (better than mac, dior, benefit etc); very black; gives lots of length and volume after one coat; reminds me of MAC's plush lash mascara



L'oreal True Match Super-blendable blush in Tender Rose: $11; looks shimmery in the pic but goes on beatifully; blendable; comparable to MAC's Dame blush or Well Dressed; I depotted it but it comes in a small compact with a brush & mirror

MAC Harmony Blush Dupe!

So ever since I got pregnant, I've been feeling like my face just literally puffed up! And after watching so many fascinating & talented beauty gurus on youtube, I learned the secret of contouring. I was so excited to try these tricks.

I love MAC blushes and I was deciding between Harmony and Blunt since those were the more popular contouring colors (besides Emote, which is no where to be found!). But since I was just learning the tricks of contouring, I decided to get something from the drugstore to start off with. I was browsing all the blushes at CVS Pharmacy (my fave drugstore) and I saw that L'oreal was having a buy one, get one free sale on their face cosmetics. None of the blushes looked like Harmony or Blunt. But I decided to look at the True Match foundation powders and I picked up the darkest one available. It's called Cocoa and it's described as "super-blendable" which was good enough for me. It was about $11. Not bad. It contours beautifully on my NC30 skin! And it's definitely blendable.

Well just this week, I was at MAC picking out blushes and thought to myself, why not just buy Harmony too?? So I bought it and when I was putting it into my blush palette, I thought it looked A LOT like the L'oreal Cocoa powder foundation. They are exactly the same! The only difference was the price and size. The MAC one was $15 and in a smaller pan. The L'oreal one was $11 and in a bigger pan (about 1/3 bigger!) I depotted the L'oreal one and made my own custom palette with non-MAC blushes but it originally came in a compact with a mirror and sponge applicator.

Here are some comparison photos!





Both of them contour and blend really well! So if you're not sure on getting Harmony, then I highly recommend getting the L'oreal Cocoa one and trying that one out first! Bring it on, puffy preggo cheeks!!

Love,
Josie