Top 10 Tuesday: The Best Drugstore Beauty Products

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You may have noticed that I post about a lot of drugstore beauty products. While I definitely make a lot more money than I did as a teen (being a doctor definitely pays better than babysitting!), at heart I'm still that 16 year old wandering the aisles, looking at $6 mascaras and $4 lip balms. I use a lot of drugstore products every day, and with improvements in technology, I swear the quality of drugstore brands has dramatically improved since I started this blog about 7 1/2 years ago.

In the past I've shared a lot of my drugstore favorites! From my favorite drugstore makeup finds, 15 drugstore highlighters, and a few weeks ago, the best drugstore skincare. I had a hard time bringing down the list to 10 of my favorite products, but I went for the products that I've repurchased the most often. Really, I should rename this list The Drugstore Beauty Products I've Bought Over and Over!



1. POND'S Luminous Finish BB+ Cream (review): Are you tired of me continually recommending this BB Cream and mentioning that I use it? No? I use it. Almost every day. It is magical.

2. CoverGirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss (in Leading Lady): These CoverGirl nail polishes are pretty amazing! They come in some amazing shades and finishes, many of them only need 1 coat for full coverage. Also, did I mention the part where these polishes still look perfect on day 7? And they come out with tiny $3 bottles seasonally?

3. CoverGirl Bombshell Volume Mascara: I like to layer my mascaras for added length and volume, and this has 2 mascaras in one, taking the guesswork out of whether 2 mascaras will work well together. There's also a curling version of this mascara, I don't see a big difference between the two. They're both great!

4. CoverGirl Bombshell Intense Eye Liner: One of my favorite liquid liners, this one is really well pigmented and the felt tip pen is great at depositing the liner. It's right up there with much more expensive liquid liners.

5. L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Le Balm (in Nourishing Nude): I frequently have at least 2 of these lightly tinted (and super hydrating) balms in my purse.

6. Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Pink Plum: This is one of those love it or hate it products, and I admit that I really love it! I apply with a small brush, it gives me a great glowy look and lasts all day. It reminds me a lot of Stila's Convertible Color.

7. L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain (in Lilac Ever After): I love that this is a gloss and a stain, Lilac Ever After is really a pretty neutral mauve/nude color just a bit darker than my lips. I think I'm on my 4th tube of the same shade.

8. Mark Hill MiracOILicious Argan Oil: A little bit of this oil goes a long way toward making my hair frizz free and shiny. It has a big margin of error, so it takes a TON to turn yourself into a grease ball. Love that!

9. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deeeeep Conditioner: I keep this in my shower at all times. It is super hydrating, smells good and only takes 3 minutes! The $3.99 price tag is a fraction of other similar deep conditioners.

10. Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash: I stock up on this body wash like you wouldn't believe! I usually have 3 or 4 back up bottles, I buy them at Sam's Club. It is very hydrating, has a great lather and won't leave my skin irritated.

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Skipping Primers: My Beauty Confession

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Ever since I wrote a post over on Babble about primers (There’s a Primer For That), I feel like I'm surrounded by discussion amongst my friends about primers, I get emails about new ones hitting the market, and there are just primers everywhere, they are taking over the world. Seriously.

And I have a confession. I don't always prime before my makeup. (Actually, I prime always before eye shadow. Everything else, not so much.) Why? Because I'm a girl without a lot of time, obviously. Sometimes I just don't have time to let my moisturizer sink in before I need to reach for a primer and get on with it.

Instead, what I usually end up doing to prepare my skin for makeup is to use a good moisturizer and I never skip my eye cream. I like to have everything nicely hydrated and my skin nicely plumped up, it helps my makeup glide on a bit better and prevents any creases. It works pretty well, though obviously having a little more slip from a primer gives better (though slower) results.

This is where the Olay comes in. They sent me 2 products to try out, one of which is made for lazy people like me, the Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex. It is a daily moisturizer with a "micro-filler formula with light-diffusing particles helps to reduce the look of pores and fine lines to instantly smooth the skin’s texture." Basically, it is dual purpose, moisturizer (with lots of anti-aging properties) and primer in one. You had me at "micro-filler." Perfect, it's like it was made for me! They also sent the Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Eye Cream & Lash Serum Duo. I've been using the products for a few weeks now, though not my full 4-6 week period of a typical skin care review. Consider my impressions preliminary, but I'll add an update later if anything changes!


Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex
So, this is micro-filling, light diffusing and pore smoothing daily wonder-cream. It comes in an airless pump and is light a thick lotion, not really a cream. One of the main ingredients is silicone (see the image below with ingredients, it's on the right), similar to most primers. You can feel that there is a little slip when you apply it, but mostly it feels like lotion. It sinks into my skin very quickly and leaves no residue behind. And yes, it is great under my makeup. It is more like a primer than my usual lotion, and foundation definitely looks smoother when this lotion is underneath.

What's great about this lotion is that it isn't just a moisturizer, as part of the Regenerist line, Olay has put a lot of anti-aging ingredients in it.

• Niacinamide: more about how Niacinamide fights aging
• Panthenol: Vitamin B5, it acts as a humectant and emollient. It can also accelerate wound healing and has some anti-inflammatory action

Here's where it stacks up on my anti-aging inventory (remember, this is for an entire routine, not just 1 product).




Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Eye Cream & Lash Serum Duo

This is actually 2 products in one, and I like that they come together. Really, I was mostly using the Micro-Sculpting Eye Cream, and I admit that I haven't really used the Lash Serum yet because I'm in the middle of testing a different serum.

The Eye Cream feels just like a basic eye cream. It is nicely hydrating and is also heavier on the silicones than most other eye creams. Which makes it perfect under makeup! I don't really feel a lot of silicone in the formula, but it does feel smooth. My concealer applies nicely over it, I do think things look a bit smoother than with a regular eye cream so I'll be using this as my "every day" go-to for now on.

Because this eye cream is Regenerist it also has some anti-aging ingredients.
• Niacinamide: more about how Niacinamide fights aging







Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Eye Cream & Lash Serum Duo
Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Olay through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Eye Cream & Lash Serum Duo and Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex, all opinions are my own.

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Makeup Wars: My Travel Beauty Essentials

This week for Makeup Wars we've decided to concentrate on travel beauty. Some of us will show what we pack, what we bring in our 3-1-1 bag, how we keep our skin glowing despite the arid environment of an airplane, etc. I've decided to show a bunch of what I'd be bringing if I left for my next vacation tomorrow. Actually, my next vacation isn't too far off, very soon my husband and I will be taking our 2 year old to Walt Disney World for her first visit! She's proving to be as much of a Disney fan as I am (our current favorite videos are Winnie the Pooh, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Peter Pan), so you can only imagine my excitement! Even better, while we're in Orlando my friend Nancy from Beauty 411 will be at the resort as well, and I'm really looking forward to seeing her!

In all of my Disney preparations for our first visit with a toddler, I've been reading a ton of travel tips, and you can see some of what I've been reading over on my Disney travel tips Pinterest board. I'm planning on doing things like bringing things to occupy my daughter while in line, I have rain parkas for those sudden Orlando showers, even little laundry soap pods for our in room washer and dryer! If you have some Disney World travel tips for toddlers, definitely share them with me! I want everything to go as smoothly as possible.

In the meantime, if I was packing up tonight, here's most of the beauty items that I'd bring with me. I'm not a girl that can pack everything in to a carry on, I am the super over packer. Honestly, I'm not even sure that I can do 1 night with a carry on. I'm trying to be more minimal (for me) on this trip. I still want to feel like myself, but I'm limiting my shadow and lippie options, etc. (Remember, I'm the girl that usually has 20-30 glosses in her purse. Not really on purpose, but that's just the way I roll.)

These are the bags I usually travel with. I previously featured them in my hospital bag post, though I use them all the time when going out of town. The first bag was sent to me by Trina, but I liked it so much that I bought 4 matching bags (not all of them are here, they're spread amongst various suitcases). I love them because they're lined, so if anything spills then the mess is contained. They're the perfects sizes and shapes, and I especially love that the big bag has removable matching clear bags.

1. Olay Body Wash: This is an anti-aging one, though somewhere I have the Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash somewhere here too. I have a smaller shower poof here, but really only because it was in my travel bag. I'll likely swap it out for me Beautisol Exfoliating Mitt.

2. Ummm... yes, shave gel and a razor. Venus and Skintimate.

3. I'm still undecided about body lotion. Here I'm showing Kiehl's Creme de Corps, though I usually use Cetaphil Cream. I haven't decided if the Kiehl's will be enough moisture for me.

I usually travel with whatever skin care I'm testing at that time, though I do try to add in a few "emergency" items to help cope with issues due to travel.

1. Pevonia Hydrating Sunscreen: Obviously I'm a big fan of sunscreen, and since I'm going to Florida I'll need a decent SPF to wear every day. This has SPF 30 and is very light weight.





2. My current regimen from Pevonia Spa Clinica is obviously what I'd pack to come with me.

3. I'm currently pairing my Pevonia C Evolutive Eye Gel with the rest of the PSC. It's great under makeup and to decrease puffiness.

4. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery: I don't travel without my Midnight Recovery! A few drops on my skin before I head to bed and any dryness from a long flight is just... gone. Love that.

More sun protection!

1. Coppertone Kids Wacky Foam: My daughter has become a bit resistant to my slathering of lotion, so I'm hoping that this foam will persuade her! A foam also sounds lighter weight than the usual lotion that we use.

2. Coppertone Lip Balm: I once had a sunburn on my lips, and I swear, never again! This Coppertone Sport also has sun protection.

3. Aveeno Baby Sunblock Lotion: This is my old stand by for my daughter, I'll still be bringing it, but likely it will be my husband and I using it.

1. L'Oreal Advance Haircare Total Repair 5 Shampoo and Conditioner: I'll be decanting my shampoo and conditioner into smaller bottles, but I'm really loving this new line from L'Oreal. Seriously, amazing.

2. DermOrganic Hair Masque: Wow. Seriously, the best hair masque ever. And it only takes a minute. I'm always worried about how my hair will respond to water when I'm out of town, having a few applications of this with me will make me feel a lot better!

3. L'Oreal Advance Haircare Color Vibrancy Dual Protect Spray: It looks like a regular shine spray, but it is so much more. It smells amazing, gives me great shine, and oh yes, it protects my hair. It has some UV protection and protects against heat up to 450 degrees. L'Oreal, please, please, please start making this in a travel sized bottle!

4. Ojon full detox Rub-Out Dry Cleansing Spray: Birchbox sent me a travel size of this great dry shampoo, so it's coming with me! It isn't powdery, doesn't leave a white mess, just soaks up oil and adds great volume. Love that.

5. DermOrganic Leave in Treatment: DermOrganic's version of the hair oil that everyone has. This one has Argan Oil and does a better job than others (**cough, cough, MorrocanOil**) at making my hair soft and shiny. Oh, and it is almost impossible to use too much, my hair seems to just suck this stuff up.

6. DermOrganic Volume Foam: This is a great "mousse" that really is a liquid that foams up with a pump. It adds volume and some hold to my hair without becoming sticky.

7. Sarah Potempa Beach Waver Curling Iron: Yeah, so this is amazing. And I'm still obsessed with it despite frying my hair with it over the summer. My newly dark hair does seem to look better when a few curls have been added (I think it looks a bit harsh when really straight. I'm probably just not used to it), and the curls are WAY better as 2nd day hair. So, Volume Foam for just the right amount of hold, curl, and I'm good for a few days. That sounds like vacation hair to me!

1. Kiehl's Lip Balm #1: I wear it every night. I can't go to sleep without it. I might be addicted.

2. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Concentrate: This product is really interesting. It is kind of hard and feels almost waxy at first, but when you get it out it quickly melts and just sinks into skin, healing everything. It's insane moisture. It's how I'm surviving this winter.

3. Elie Saab Perfume: So, I really need to just fully review this perfume. I'm wearing it every day (my husband loves it), and I've mentioned it a few times. It's made me put all my other perfume testings/reviews on hold because I only want to wear it. Anyways, they just came out with this really great travel atomizer (that's the gold thing), but what is really great is that there are 3 vials of the perfume! So, you can refill it. You simply twist the gold atomizer, and something comes out of the top, you spritz from there. So, it's pretty hard to get it all over the place.

4. Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve: This is the hand lotion I leave in my white coat pocket at the hospital so I tend to travel with it, though it might not make it in the suitcase due to the FAB Ultra Repair Concentrate. We'll see!

5. Rembrandt Deeply White + Peroxide Toothpaste: This is a new minty flavor, and it is wintergreen (!!! Love that!!!) and it doesn't taste like peroxide. I'm doing a lot of tooth whitening stuff with my new hair. They were white before, but with the new hair my skin looks lighter and more porcelain, and somehow white teeth just didn't look quite as white. So, I'm sticking with toothpaste for now, but I have another Rembrandt 2 Hour Whitening Kit already in my bathroom. I might do it, not sure yet.

6. Revitalash: Love this stuff, it's given me amazing eye lashes.

7. Aveeno 1% Hydrocortisone: In case my eczema flares

8. Clindamycin Gel: This is my prescription for my rosacea.

A lot of these are my oldie but goodies, things that I know will work. See below for a few more details.

1. Eyeshadows, primer is my NYX primer, there's a stick shadow from Mally and 2 Urban Decay liners (Zero and Underground).

2. Lippies: I have a nice array of colors here, but the real star is the Mally Beauty Lip Primer. I can't find it alone, but it comes with the perfect red lip kits. It's a white-ish liquid that becomes clear, and creates a slightly sticky base for under lipstick. IT IS AMAZING. Oh wait, did I yell that? Yes. I meant to do that. It makes all lipsticks better, last much longer and not come off when you sip your coffee. Get it.

3. Face Items: CoverGirl TruBlend in my new shade of 410, It Cosmetics Concealer, TruBlend Pressed Powder and my Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray.

4. Mascaras: Obviously, a curler and my CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara and the new Maybelline Rocket Mascara. An amazing combo.

5. Some blushes, a travel Tweezerman and Clean & Clear Oil Control Sheets.

6. Milk of Magnesia Face Primer: Basically, it is 75% MoM and 25% water. I have it in a little Nalgene bottle so it won't spill, and it is definitely coming to Florida!


1. Mally Shadow in Saddle Shimmer: It's kind of a gold. So pretty!

2. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

3. Stila Travel Palette, this one is an old one, "Road to Radiance Across the USA"

4. Watch for a post soon, but this is the PUR Minerals Beautiful Creatures Palette. Amazing. I might need a backup.

1. Stila Convertible Color in Lillium

2. Stila Travel Palette: I don't know the name of it, but the convertible color in this palette is pretty close, I might leave my beloved Lillium at home. And that is a little claw mark in the product, my 2 year old tried to dig it out with her fingers... I guess she liked it too?

3. Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Color in Oleander

1. MAC Baby Sparks
2. MAC En-Chantée
3. L'Oreal in Lilac Ever After and Infinite Fuchsia
4. Fyrinnae in Lollipop-Pop
5. Maybelline in Made It Mauve

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