Makeup Wars: Drugstore Cruelty Free Beauty Picks

Product Sent for Review I Bought It


Today for Makeup Wars we're sharing our favorite cruelty free beauty products! I recently shared some great cruelty free beauty buys over on Babble, some of which are products I use a lot, some are ones I like or that my friends recommended. I decided that today I'd share my favorite, products that I really use, from drugstore brands.

For reference, I use the list of cruelty free beauty brands from My Beauty Bunny as my ultimate CF or not CF list. It's somehow always controversial whether a brand is (or isn't) CF, and I trust Jen to sort through information for me!


1. Alba Botanica Very Emollient Body Lotion: I love that this lightweight moisturizer also has alpha hydroxy acids in the formula to help keep my skin smooth.

2. Orly Cuticle Therapy Creme: I go through a jar of this every 2 months or so. One of the last things I do before bed every night is apply this to my cuticles.

3. Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask: This classic green mud mask is great at pulling things out of pores. And yes, there is always a bonus of 33% more free.

4. Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Liner: This is a well pigmented liquid liner that applies very easily from a felt tipped pen.

5. Hard Candy Take It Off: Are you tired of me mentioning this eye makeup remover yet? I should find another one to mention, but this is the one I use all the time! I buy 2 or 3 at a time, I live in fear of running out.

6. Avalon Organics Tea Tree Shampoo: I have eczema and, yeah me, I have a few areas that flare in my scalp when the weather gets bad. I can usually keep it in control with a zinc or tea tree shampoo. If not, I need to resort to cortisone cream, not fun!

7. Wet N Wild Nutty Eye Shadow: This is my go-to crease eye shadow! I've heard that it is a near dupe for MAC Satin Taupe. I finally bought Satin Taupe about 2 months ago, but haven't even opened it yet! Instead whenever I'm doing my makeup I swear I finish, think something isn't quite right, and a little Nutty in the crease makes it all soooo much better! The $2 for a pan that lasts forever doesn't hurt either.










Product Sent for Review I Bought It

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Makeup Wars: Oils! The Best of Derma-e

Product Sent for Review

Today for Makeup Wars we've decided to look at oils. Which I admit seems a bit strange to me. I spent years avoiding anything and all oils. It was oil free everything while I was a teen, and I admit that carried over well into my late twenties. I've only recently started embracing oils, and I admit that what really started the ball rolling was Moroccan Oil. Which is probably the case for many others. Since then I've used other oils such as the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Oil and the Redken Diamond Oil I keep mentioning here and on Babble but haven't yet actually reviewed...

I thought that today was a great time to mention a trio of oils that I've been really loving but haven't mentioned yet, the oils that Derma-e recently sent me. There is seriously an oil for everyone in that trio!


All three oils are based on Argan Oil, which means that all three are pretty hydrating. And while only one of them says hair and nails, I've used all of them on my hair and nails and there weren't any issues (though that hair and nail one was better on my hair than the other 2!)

• Soothing Facial Treatment Oil: This is the oil that I've been reaching for on days that my rosacea is a bit more irritated and my skin needs a little pampering. This oil is a little lighter in color than the others, and also is a little less viscous. It has a very subtle, herbal scent. Once I apply it on to my face it sinks in within a few minutes but there is some residue left on my skin. To me, this is a great night treatment, not something I'd use during the day. When I wake up in the morning, everything is sunken into my skin and I'm definitely more hydrated and glowy! I do think it has helped when my skin is irritated, calming everything down.

• Hydrating Facial Treatment Oil: I've turned to this oil when my skin is more dehydrated, and one night I even did half Hydrating and half Soothing oils. The Hydrating is more hydrating than the Soothing oil, though not by much. The Hydrating oil is a bit thicker and a deeper yellow than the Soothing oil, and has a citrus scent.

• Skin, Hair and Nail Oil: If you're going to buy just one of the oils, this is the one to get. It works well on my face to provide hydration, though it isn't as hydrating as the Hydrating Facial Treatment Oil. This is the one that with a few drops to my hair did the best job of adding shine and smoothing any frizz. When used on my hands it sinks into the skin the fastest and does the best job of hydrating my cuticles as well.


Have you used an oil lately? What's been working well for you?





Derma-e
Product Sent for Review

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Makeup Wars: My Favorite Hair Tools

Product Sent for Review


1. Goody TangleFix Brush: I don't use this for my hair, it's actually the brush we use most often on my 2 year old daughter. This this is amazing! It detangles everything without pulling, even if she's brushing her own hair (which you know means she isn't starting gently at the bottom of her hair). Perfect for toddlers!

2. Goody QuikStyle Round Brush: I love using this to dry my hair. I noticed a big difference with this brush when my hair was longer (drying was faster with better results) and now that I have my long bob the half round shape is the perfect curve for the ends of my hair.

3. HANAair Professional Hair Dryer: I've been using this blow dryer since I first reviewed it, and I love how easy it is to use. Having a button to toggle, rather than slide, is a big deal for me when my hands are wet! My only regret is that the nozzle doesn't seem to want to stay on currently, I haven't started researching a new nozzle yet (I'm hoping to purchase a nozzle rather than a new dryer).

4. ghd Classic 1 Inch Flat Iron (like this one): I love that it heats up quickly, the heat stays consistent across the plates and there's a nicely rounded edge. I've been using this a lot to gently guide the ends of my long bob under, since when they flip out too much I feel like a 1950's housewife!



Product Sent for Review

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Makeup Wars: Color War! Making Teal Wearable for Work

Product Sent for Review

This week for Makeup Wars we've decided to hold a color war! We've all picked a color to show off somehow, and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to show off the Fall 2013 products that NARS sent me a few weeks ago. I've been dying to use that blueish-teal color!

NARS sent me a few products to try out.

• Yamal: This is a very basic, matte color that pretty much everyone needs. Really.
• Bavaria: Insanely, insanely pretty! It has a little bit of shimmer.
• Brow Perfectors: Yes, the image of the pencils at the end is way too bright, though you get a good idea of their shape and you can see the colors in the swatch. It comes in 4 shades and that shape does help it to give a more natural look when you fill in your brow. I've been using mostly Caucase, though Salzbourg also works for me.
• Paimpol: This is a matte lip pencil, which does sound a bit strange, and the color is a bit translucent, but it seems to help create a great light lip. I can't show it really in a swatch (it really blends in), and in pics on my lips it doesn't show up either. In person it's pretty great, you'll have to take my word on it!



This was my makeup look at work on Sunday. I took pics with my cell in the parking lot before driving home, so it isn't perfect, but you get the idea! I first applied Yamal to my entire lid, up over the crease. I put Bavaria on the outer half of my lid, a bit darker at the very outer corner than the middle. I put black liner into my lash line, then using a smudge brush I picked up a bit of the Bavaria and smudged out the liner some. I loved the way the Bavaria blended with the black liner. I finished up with lots of mascara, the Paimpol lippie (See? Can't really see it) and a little bit of blush (Lillium Stila Convertible Color).

I loved this look, it was more interesting than my more neutral looks that I usually wear to work.

(Also, pro blogging tip: be sure to take a selfie with your phone in the car, after you've been at work for most of the day. The indents in your nose from your glasses will make the pic post worthy!)








NARS Cosmetics
Product Sent for Review

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Makeup Wars: My Favorite Purple Polish

I Bought it Myself


(ok, actually more like 5%)
I own a lot of nail polish (don't tell my husband, but I'm probably up around 2000 bottles). One of my favorite shades has always been purple. Light purple, dark purple, creams and shimmers and glitters... If it is a purple polish, chances are that I'll want to own it!

Despite how many purples I own, I admit that there is one shade I go back to over and over. It was already long discontinued (and hard to find) when I unearthered 2 bottles of Essie's VIP polish at the back of a polish rack in a nail supply shop about 5 years ago. I think I paid $2 per bottle for this shade, though I know in the past it has gone for much more on eBay. And yes, I've already finished one bottle, so now I save the second for "special" occasions. Because every special occasion deserves purple nail polish.

What's your favorite purple polish?

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Makeup Wars: My Favorite Go-To Summer Complexion Fixer

I Bought It Myself


Today for Makeup Wars we're sharing our favorite summer complexion fixers. We all switch up our makeup routine once the warm weather hits (especially once it becomes hot and humid!) and not all Tinted Moisturizers, BB Creams, CC Creams, DD Creams (are we up to NN Creams yet?).... they're not all created equal. Like me, all of the bloggers in Makeup Wars have tried countless foundations, tinted moisturizers, you name it. And we all have our own favorites for the summer.

This summer, I've found myself repeatedly mixing about 4 parts Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm to 1 part Amazing Cosmetics Concealer (I'm light golden, in case you were wondering). The combination is more coverage than most BB Creams, but has a similar lightweight feel and blends perfectly into my skin. It stays perfect looking all day! I think I'll probably be using this trick well after summer is over!

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Makeup Wars: My Summer Go-To Polish Shade of 2013

Product Sent for Review


Today for Makeup Wars we're sharing our favorite nail polish of the summer. I have to admit that I can't stop wearing this color! It is on my toes or my fingers all the time. I love that it is both pink and coral at the same time.






Product Sent for Review

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