Let’s try this again! As some of you may have heard, all the DrugstorePrincess social media accounts were hacked sometime in the past two weeks - and although I thought I was posting every day, it turns out that nothing actually made it to publication. Everything is back under my control now, thankfully, and so I wanted to make this post (which had already been long-awaited) a first priority! I hope you enjoy my cold weather and holiday inspired favorites and “not-quites”, and have a wonderful season full of joy!
Click through to see what made *which* list!
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipsticks - $5
Normally I’m a totally matte lipstick type of girl - I find that they last longer and look more sophisticated on my lips. But lately I’ve rediscovered the classic delight of a creamy lipstick, and even dabbling in the glossy finish world. Rimmel makes great lipsticks that are incredibly affordable, but I usually stick to my standby matte shades. Recently I’ve extended my horizons to the creamier shades, and I’ve really fallen in love all over again! Even the sheer, glossy shades last several hours before fading, which is more than I can say for most creamy lipsticks, especially ones in the $5 range. My favorite this month has been the shade “Bordeaux”, a beautiful oxblood red that is perfect for the holiday season!
Check out all the shades here!
Marc Jacobs “Honey” Eau de Parfum - $22-$72
Ever since my recent career change, I’ve become a scent snob. Not an actual snob, just an addict, really - I can’t get enough perfume! This one has become a fast favorite. Even though I find the bottle to be a bit tacky (“Dot”, it’s predecessor and not as much my favorite, is similar but Ladybug themed instead of Bumble Bee) the scent of Honey is positively delightful. It’s a sweet floral, the type I love, but it isn’t overwhelming or cheap smelling at all. It’s toned down by notes of, you guessed it, honey, as well as a slight hint of vanilla and woodsiness. I think it’s perfect for all ages, occasions, and seasons, and so far I haven’t met anyone who’s really hated it! Smell it, I’m sure you’ll like it as much as I do!
Check it out here!
BH Cosmetics Creme Luxe Lipsticks - $3.50 each
Yes, more lipsticks… I’m going to make you all love bold lips as much as I do before we’re done! BH Cosmetics is one of my favorite brands, as many of you probably know, because they have fast shipping, good customer service, and always have awesome sales on their products. Currently they’re having a 75% off sale (Cyber Monday extension). These lipsticks have great color payoff and a very creamy, hydrating finish. I was actually very impressed - being so inexpensive, I didn’t think they’d be half as pigmented as they really were. The packaging is very generic, similar to that of NYX Round Lipsticks (which doesn’t surprise me since both brands use wholesale packaging). Although these lipsticks aren’t super longwearing (maybe 3-4 hours without eating), I’d say for the price they’re a great buy! The Creme Luxe lipsticks are available in 12 colors, ranging from unique brights to wearable nudes.
Check them out here!
EM Waterliner Mechanical Eye Pencil - $20
Although most of EM’s products have gotten slightly lack-lustre reviews, the Waterliner, which is a waterproof, highly pigmented eyeliner pencil, stands out as a standout item as of late. Available in a huge variety of unique colors, these pencils are meant to be longwearing even on the difficult waterline (inner rim of the eye). I found these to be surprisingly high performance, although not quite perfect (as no pencil I’ve ever used is). I’m not usually one for retractable pencils, but I found that this one was strong, not crumbly, and I like that hidden beneath the smudger on the opposite end is a small sharpener, to keep the pencil itself sanitary and sharp. I particularly like the light shades - the nude, rose gold, and sparkly champagne shade - because it’s hard to get brightening shades to last usually, and these really stick around. Overall I’d say that these are very comparable to MUFE Aqua Eyes and all of my other top waterproof liners, if not better, and I highly recommend them!
Check out all the shades here!
LORAC Natural Performance Foundation - $36
I wanted to try this foundation simply because it DIDN’T appeal to me… until I looked into it further. The name doesn’t sound like anything I would normally look for in a foundation (I like full coverage and long wear), but after doing some investigation, and a bit of sampling, I discovered that this foundation is actually EXACTLY what I have always wanted in a makeup. This is an oil-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free foundation ideal for people with any skin type (acne-prone, sensitive, oily, dry, normal or combination). It provides medium to full coverage, lasts a full 9 hour day without issue, and doesn’t look like I’m wearing makeup whatsoever. The finish is actually slightly dewy and luminous, but I didn’t experience any greasiness throughout the day, even in my oily T-zone. This foundation comes in a pump bottle, which is convenient, and I find that a little goes a long way. I’m absolutely in love, although I wish it SEEMED more appealing so that more people would be interested.
Check out more here!
Maybelline Color Elixir Lip Glosses - $8
Once again, have a lip product for the win! I have never been a gloss person, although as you have *hopefully* just read above, I’ve been on a bit of a gloss kick. I saw the promos for these and was ecstatic about how they looked (just like liquid lipsticks) and although they’re not quite to that level, they are still very impressive and I’m totally sold by them. They are a bit on the expensive side for a drugstore gloss, but I think they’re worth it so far. They are thicker and most of the shades carry a lot of pigment (I’ve found that some of the lighter shades are slightly more sheer), but aren’t sticky or uncomfortable at all. They don’t last any longer than a normal gloss would in my opinion, but the colors are opaque and really beautiful. My favorites so far are Signature Scarlet, Vision in Violet, and Amethyst Potion, but there are 20 colors in all so I’ve got a lot of testing to do! I’m excited that these are permanent additions to Maybelline’s brand!
Look at all of the colors here!
L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Effect Mascara - $8
L’Oreal is my favorite drugstore brand for mascara, and the Voluminous line almost always pleases me. At first I didn’t like this oddly-shaped brush so much, but it’s really grown on me. This mascara is meant to wing out your lashes at the outer corners to create a fluttering effect, and it does that to an extent - I just like it because it’s a good mascara. The formula is great, the brush separates and coats lashes very evenly and without much effort… it’s just nice. The brush itself takes a bit of getting used to, because it is a-symmetrical and has a “wing” on one side. However the effect it gives my lashes is really lovely, soft, and dramatic which I am totally on board with!
Find it here!
Revlon Lash Potion Mascara - $8
I bought this mascara a few months ago and since then I’ve been trying to force myself to like it. This mascara is another one with an a-symmetrical brush, but this time it is just that the bristles are arranged into three bunches, making an almost flower-like shape. I like using the short bristles to add volume and the longer bristles for lengthening, but it’s the formula that I just can’t get on board with. It’s too wet, and too thick, so it dries very stiff. Because of the odd bristle arrangement on the brush, it’s difficult to prevent clumping as well, so if you have rather sparse lashes to begin with this thick formula will only accentuate that and give you spider lashes. It supposedly contains strengthening proteins to help improve the health of your lashes, which I actually think it DOES do, but not enough for me to give this a really positive rating.
Find it here!
NYX Butter Lip Balm - $4
After the success of NYX’s Butter Glosses, I assumed that these would be really lovely as well! I have seen a lot of people raving about these tinted lip balms but I’m just not seeing it. They are a thicker lip balm that just feels like it sits, waxy, on top of my lips and doesn’t have any true balmy quality whatsoever. I didn’t find them to be particularly pretty on the lips or hydrating at all, which completely defeats the purpose. Even though the scents are really nice, and some of the colors end up being pretty on the lips, they just aren’t my style and I think NYX could have done better!
Find them all here!
Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo - $6
I’m a dry shampoo addict - I don’t wash my hair everyday, because otherwise my hair gets unmanageable and I get late for things (ell oh ell), so touching up with dry shampoo is a must. I’ve had you guys asking me to try NYM products for a very long time, and when I stumbled upon a display at Target I decided to try this. I’m sorry to say that this just didn’t make the mark - it’s not as terrible as some that I’ve tried, but it definitely falls short of my favorites (Batiste and Pssst!) It leaves my hair feeling really gritty and unmanageable at the roots where applied, whereas others make my hair fluffy and soft instead. I won’t be repurchasing, and I’m glad I only purchased the travel size of this!
Find NYM products here!