5 Beauty Products to Try Out

For anyone who knows me, I am a Sephora addict.  I am absolutely mesmerized by the polished, sleek and magnificent store.  Of course, being a student means I have a limited income to spending money on the high-end products sold by this make-up megastore.  Therefore, I do a significant amount of research when I am interested in making a splurge on a product.  Here is my latest list of 5 products I am dying to get my hands on, both from Sephora and the more inexspensive drugstore:

1. Glam Glow's Super Mud Clearing Treatment Mask:

This is a highly raved skin treatment that has been on the market for about a year.  Super-Mud has been raved about by MEN and women from YouTube vloggers to editors at Cosmo as the best. mask. ever.  That seems to be a lot of pressure for some "mud".  So I looked into the ingredients and what other aspects of the magic mud GlamGlow boasts about.  A few notes that truly stuck out was that the mask can absorb up to 500 times its own mass and that it contains new ACNECIDIC-6 4.4%.  This is a blend of all the acids known to clear skin, unclog pores and keep them clean!  ACNECIDIC-6 includes glycolic, salicylic, lactic, mandelic, pyruvic and azelaic.  Some of those names, while they sound scary, are found in common drug strore face washes and treatments.  However this combination is concentrated enough to remove the grime from skin yet refrain from irritating it.  Once I get my hands on this charcoal mask, I will give you my thoughts on its effectiveness!  If you are already interested, Sephora offers the 1.2 oz product for a hefty $69.00 with free shipping, and I have found it on Amazon for about $40, the same amount of product, with free shipping for Amazon Prime members.

2. Too Faced 3 - Way Lash Lining Tool

Eyeliner? Mascara? This 3 - Way Lash tool is used mainly to fill in the spaces on your upper and lower lash line to make the area look thicker and more lush.  Too Faced also boasts of its ability to enhance your tightlining and cat eye skills.  I would most likely use it for fill in spots between lashes.  This is a great tool for creating a "no make-up" with make-up look.  I remain hesitant at its $22.00 price tag.  "No make-up" looks are supposed to be cheap!

3. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 - Oil Free

This has been a raved about moisturizer by beauty magazines for a few years.  While I struggle to see the difference between this product and BB Cream, other than a new marketing strategy, this product clearly has set a name for itself.  What I love about this product is its SPF 20 to protect skin at all times and that users still find it gives them a healthy, natural glow.  This product would be a splurge considering its $43.00 for only 1.7 oz, and I can pick up a tinted moisturizer at the drugstore for $12 or $13.

4. Maybelline Color Elixir by Color Sensational

These new hybrid gloss/lipsticks have received the attention of beauty gurus due to their bright, pigmented colors and unique formulas.  Maybelline offers 20 shades in their hyper-saturated color, glassy formula.  Temptalia has been posting reviews of the product in groups of about three shades until she works through the entire collection.  I have been a loyal fan of Maybelline, especially their Color Sensational lip collections.  Perhaps I will try shades Breathtaking Apricot and Captivating Carnation.  They can be purchased at Ulta for $8.99.

5. Boar Bristled Round Brush

Recently, I have been teaching myself how to blow dry my hair using a round brush, blowout style.  It is a very difficult process, my friends.  In the past, I was afraid to test the technique because my hair is so long and thick that it would take forever, and to make matters worse, I have never been a coordinated individual...  But the time old cliché is true, practice makes perfect.  Through my test runs and various research, I have found that using a brush with both boar bristles and plastic bristles will create the most shine and produce the best results.  I have a traditional round brush that just has plastic bristles, so I want to try out the boar bristles for a go.  The brush pictured is by Revlon and can be purchased from Ulta for $9.

Do you have similar picks on your list?

My Staple Eyeliners

Today I thought I would share with you my most reached for eye liners and a few of my favorites.  Although I do love the quality of high-end products, being a college student on a budget keeps me away from spending $20+ on an eye-liner that I can pick up at Ulta or Target for $6 or $7...
 First let's talk about gel/cream eye-liners.

These types of eye-liners can be very intimidating because you have to use a brush to apply them.  However, I find that these have better staying power and pigmentation.
My most used liner is the Maybelline New York Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in brown.
Maybelline sells this product in Blackest Black, Brown, Charcoal, and Eggplant.

I love this shade because it is a dark brown that is neutral yet doesn't overwhelm my light complexion.  It enhances rather than make a bold statement.  For $9.99 check out Ulta, they always have a BOGO type deal with drugstore brands.

This next liner is the L'Oreal Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner 24 Hour in the shade Navy.  This too can be purchased at Ulta for $9.99.

I know it doesn't look too navy in the picture, however once applied there is a clear navy hue.  I was looking for a navy liner for quite some time, however everything I found was too blue.  This shade by L'Oreal is neutral enough that it adds a spark of blue but isn't in your face.

This eyeliner is Sephora's Waterproof Smokey Cream Liner in Bewitch Me, for $12.  

Bewitch Me is described as a metallic, deep violet.  My favorite part about this liner is the rich pigment it produces.  However, to get to the "deep violet" you have to go over the initial line you drew once it dries.  This shade is complementary to blue eyes, which is why I purchased it!  The Waterproof Smokey Cream Liner comes in 8 different shades ranging from neutrals to fun, brights!

Now, onto my pencil and liquid liners!

My favorite liner to create a defined, bold line (and a cat eye which I recently mastered!) is the L'Oreal Lineur Intense Brush Tip Liquid Eyeliner in Carbon Black. The tip of the brush is narrow and flexible enough that I can achieve a line of any thickness.

The next brush on the list is probably my most favorite eye-liners of all times.  Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil can be purchased from Urban Decay or Sephora for $19 a pencil.  While they are very expsensive, they are so worth the price.  I first purchased a 24/7 pencil from Urban Decay in 7th grade, in the shade Gunmetal which is so old its not even sold anymore.  However, I do believe the replacement shade is called "Uzi".  Anyways, these are every beauty guru's favorite pencil because of the cream texture with brilliant pigment and staying power.  Everyone is sometimes afraid to branch to the gel liners, so I would recommend the 24/7 pencils as a substitute.  

These are so popular, Urban Decay is selling The Vault, 40 full-sized pencils for a low price of $300... 

Please sense my sarcasm.  This item was released about a month ago, and is already sold out.  Catch a review on Musings of a Muse.

My final pencil is your basic black liner.  Because I don't use it often, I didn't feel the need to splurge on one from UD.  Instead I went for the $1.99 NYC Kohl Eyebrow/Eyeliner Pencil that can be purchased from any drugstore.  I think its important to have a cheap, basic liner that will always be a staple.

Eyeliners and mascaras have always been my favorite make-up products.  What are yours?