Drugstore Superstars: Blushes

 The whole idea of blush is to mimic a healthy glow.  It all depends on your skin tone, but the right blush can make you look awake, alive and impossibly refreshed... like you just came from a day at the spa.  The problem with many drugstore blushes is that they can come off chalky and unblendable, or they have so little color payoff that it's almost impossible to see.  That's why I'm super impressed with these blushes.  Like the other blog posts in this series, I'm going to divide them up by category, so it's easy to figure out which product meets your needs.

Best Matte Blush: NYX Ombre Blush ($10.00)

Daaaaamn, NYX! Back at it again with the awesome products!  These blushes have only been on the market a few months, but they've shot straight up onto my must-have list.  Not only are they amazingly pigmented and easy to blend (a requirement to be on this list) but I love that the ombre effect actually gives you options for color.  NYX officially wants you to swirl your brush around the whole product to mix the light and dark colors together, but if you want something a bit darker, just dip your brush in the lower portion of the compact and the opposite goes for the higher portion of the compact.  3 blushes in 1!  Who doesn't love that?

Best Luminous Blush: Milani Baked Blush ($8.49)

Ok, this little endorsement comes with a bit of a caveat.   For those of you that don't like the look of a matte blush and prefer a bit of a healthy sheen, I think that SOME of the blushes in this line are fabulous, and others are kind of duds.  Let me explain.  A good luminous blush will quite literally illuminate and wake up your skin.  It should give you a youthful and almost dewy flush of color.  In order to create that illusion, the product needs to have a nice sheen and sparkle, and sometimes instead of putting in a finely milled sort of sparkle, companies will opt for the cheaper option of chunky glitter.  Now don't get me wrong, I love glitter as much as the next drag queen, but I don't want it anywhere near my cheeks - I'm not 13 anymore.  That brings me to the Milani Baked Blushes.  The majority of them have glitter in it.  I don't know why they chose to only make a couple without, but that's definitely the case.  I do have to point out, that even though they do have glitter in them, it's quite easy to buff it away once it's actually on your face, so it's not a complete lost cause.  Having said that, the shade Luminoso is GORGEOUS!  Being an almost exact dupe for the cult-favorite NARS Oragasm, I actually prefer Luminoso to it's much more expensive counterpart.  It has a peachy coral shade that is universally flattering on almost all skintones.  I, in fact, reach for Luminoso almost exclusively when I'm doing other people's makeup.  Since I do have a darker skintone, I do need to layer Luminoso quite a bit in order to get it to show up on me, so I usually end up using either Belissimo Bronze or Terra Sole (they are the darker versions of Luminoso with the least amount of glitter.)

Best Cream Blush: Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick ($9.99)

For those of you that prefer to work with creams, Maybelline has a great cream blush that comes in an easy to use stick.  Just swipe on your cheeks and blend with your fingers or a brush... what could be easier than that?  These have a gorgeous luminosity to them without any glitter and they have a light consistency to them that makes you feel like you're not wearing anything at all!

Best Blush Palette: e.l.f. Powder Blush Palette ($6.00)

I love any kind of makeup palette.  I love them so much that I actually depot the majority of my single makeup products and condense them into a Z Palette.  They're easier to work with, easier to pack up, easier to travel with, easier to mix colors with... they're just easier!  There actually aren't very many drugstore blush palettes on the market, so when I saw that e.l.f. came out with two, I rushed to my nearest Target to check them out.  As with all e.l.f. products, the price point can't be beat - it's already cheaper than the first three blushes on this list!  But what really impressed me was the pigmentation.  I'm not really that big of an e.l.f. fan... I usually feel that even though the price is amazing, there's always something wrong with either the pigmentation or blendability (something that's pretty common for drugstore products.)  But man, they made me eat my words with this one.  There are two different palettes to choose from, Light and Dark, and within those two palettes, there are four different blushes.  I prefer the Dark palette not only because the colors match my skintone better, but I feel like the products are a bit less chalky than those in the Light.  I'm going to tell you right off the bat, that one of the blushes has glitter in it and I hate glitter in blush (see above) so I could do without that shade.  The others, however, pack one heck of a punch!  I'd say start with a light hand, because these babies are PIGMENTED but they glide across the skin beautifully and blend like a dream!

Best Bang For Your Buck: Wet n Wild Color Icon Blush ($2.99)

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the O.G. of the drugstore blush world - the Wet n Wild Color Icon.  These matte blushes were the best on the market for so long, and it's really not that hard to see why.  They're super pigmented, blend beautifully and last all day long.  They were recently reformulated to be softer to the touch, and while I appreciate that, this has increased the product's fallout upon application.  For this reason, NYX has dethroned these blushes as my favorite.  The price, however, still makes it a great option for those looking for a good matte blush.

That's it!  Those are the best drugstore blushes on the market right now!  Which ones are your favorites?  Check out the other posts in this series here.

~Glammie love!
Jaz

Drugstore Superstars: Bronzers

Hey Glammies!  I'm sorry that I've taken so long to continue this series; to be completely honest, it's just that I've really been dreading this particular post.  I've decided that finding a good bronzer at the drugstore is next to impossible.  In an effort to duplicate the glow of freshly tanned skin, most products have glitter in the formula.  While it may look good swatched on your arm, it's not wise to make your face look like a disco ball.  Yes, there are a few matte bronzers, but they unfortunately don't have very much color variety.  As I have tan skin, most don't even show up on me.  I've searched far and wide and came up with this list of bronzers that are "good enough" for me.  I have yet to find my holy grail, but don't worry... I'll keep looking!

Wet n Wild Coloricon Bronzer ($3.99)

Officially, this bronzer comes in 3 shades: Reserve Your Cabana, Bikini Contest, and Take Me to Brazil.  However, I can't imagine who would be pale enough to use Reserve Your Cabana as a bronzer.  It's simply too light (it would be a good highlighter though!).  So, with that in mind, this bronzer really comes in two shades.  Therein lies one of the main problems that I have with drugstore bronzer: there isn't enough shade selection.  The darkest shade, Take Me to Brazil, isn't really dark enough for me to use as a bronzer per se, but when I dust it on my skin, it does provide a nice, luminous, just-got-back-from-the-beach glow.  That brings me to what I love about this product, which is the formula.  As I said before, I feel like it's hard to find illuminating bronzers at the drugstore because they usually have chunky glitter in them.  I was a bit worried when I saw the pan because it looked like there were pieces of glitter, but it doesn't actually translates when you put it on.  The texture is buttery smooth, it applies effortlessly and it has great staying power.  It has a nice sheen to it that mimics a dewy, luminous complexion,  Meanwhile, with SPF15, and checking in at a price point of $3.99 for a larger than standard compact, it's definitely one of the best values around.

NYX Matte Bronzer ($9.00)

As far as drugstore bronzers go, this one is my favorite,  It is very pigmented, easy to apply, blends amazingly and doesn't fade throughout the day.  If I love it so much, why did I say that I have yet to find my holy grail?  Again, it comes down to shade selection.  I realize that it seems a bit silly for women of color to use bronzer, since they're already tanned, but it's actually one of my favorite products to use because a good bronzer has the ability to shape, sculpt and bring definition to a face... who wouldn't want that?  In store, I've only ever seen this particular bronzer in 3 shades: light, medium and deep tan.  Deep tan works as a bronzer for me, but how about the girls who are darker than me?  I'll step off of my soapbox in just a second, but lack of variety for women of color is definitely something that I always get reminded of when I go makeup shopping.  Having said this, I feel like I should mention that, while it seems like I'm crucifying drugstore products, the high-end companies are also guilty.

(I'd like to note that, apparently, this bronzer comes in 5 shades, not 3, as I originally thought.  Unfortunately, the 2 darker shades are only available online at nyxcosmetics.com, and Ulta doesn't even carry them.  This being a blog post about products that you can pick up in store, my point still stands.)

L'Oreal True Match Powder ($10.95)

I know that this powder is technically not a bronzer, but I would be amiss if I left off the product that I use the most for contouring.  If you've read my post about drugstore foundations, you've already heard me sing this powder's praises.  (If not, check it out here.)  The great thing about using a face powder as a bronzer is that there are a ton of colors from which to choose, and you can even pick the undertone.  If you would like to use the bronzer just around the perimeter of your face, in order to warm up your complexion, you can pick a shade with a warm undertone.  If you would like to use it to contour, you can pick a shade with a cool undertone, which can mimic shadows on your face.  The key is to get a shade just a couple shades darker than yours, and you'll be able to sculpt out your cheekbones and define your other features in no time.

So, there you have it!  My drugstore bronzer superstars!  If you want to check out the other blog posts from this series, click here.  Stay tuned for the next installment: Blushes!

Glammie Love!
~Jaz

Drugstore Superstars: Primers

For me, it's absolutely essential to put on a face primer before applying makeup.  You wouldn't paint a wall without putting down a primer first, and the same concept applies to your face.  There are primers that help with oil control, some that minimize pores and some that even out skin tone, but the main reason for using a primer is to provide a barrier between your skin and your foundation.  In other words, it evens out the texture of your skin, your makeup goes on more smoothly and the wear is prolonged.  There are some primers that have a very thick, almost whipped consistency, and then, there are some that are thinner and go on your face more easily.  It's all a matter of preference as to which one you prefer.  I have great products for each option, which you can find below.

Face Primers

NYX Angel Veil Primer ($16.00)

This is my all-time favorite drugstore primer!  It mattifies my face, blurs my larger pores and leaves my skin feeling silky smooth.  The formulation reminds me of a mix of the silky finish of the Mineral Veil Primer by Hourglass and the consistency of the Primed and Poreless Primer from Too Faced.  Some other bloggers have complained that the primer was runny and thin, but I never found that to be the case with mine.  I'm not sure if NYX has changed the formulation slightly or if I'm just lucky, but make sure to give the tube a nice shake before applying the product, just in case.  One thing that I did notice, however, is that it can leave a slightly white finish on the skin.  This can actually be a positive for people with fair to medium skin tones because it causes a brightening effect, but for darker skin tones like mine, it can create a bit of a white cast on your face.  Nevertheless, it doesn't affect the color of your foundation, so I didn't feel like it was a truly serious drawback.

Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer ($9.99)

When you pump this primer out, it almost feels like it has too thick of a consistency.  However, it effortlessly blends into your skin and feels surprisingly lightweight.  This primer is best for blurring fine lines and minimizing pores.  A little bit goes a long way with this, so just one pump is more than enough to cover your entire face.

Maybelline Master Prime Primers ($7.94)

For those of you who don't really need help in blurring fine lines or large pores (first of all, you go, Glen Coco!), the two primers that I mentioned above might be too thick for you.  In that case, the Master Prime would be a better fit.  There are three different variations of this primer: Blur + Smooth, Blur + Redness Control and Blur + Illuminate.  All three have the same basic formulation, just with a couple minor differences that I'll mention in a second.  First of all, I don't really understand why the word "blur" is in the name because I didn't notice it doing anything of the sort.  What the lightweight primer does do, however, is hydrate and even out the texture of your skin so that foundation application is smooth and easy.  I would recommend this primer for people with dry to normal skin because of the hydration aspect.  On the other hand, since it doesn't mattify your face, people with oily skin might want to look elsewhere.  The Blur + Redness Control has a slightly green tinge to it, so it helps neutralize the skin color of anyone that struggles with redness, without being overpowering.  The Blur + Illuminate has a pinky, pearl-like finish, giving the skin a luminous and dewy look, which is great for people with dry skin.

Eyelid Primer

Wet 'n' Wild Take on the Day Eyeshadow Primer ($4.99)

For someone with oily skin, I've never found my eyelids to be all that oily. Because of that, eyeshadow creasing hasn't been a big problem for me.  My fellow glammie, Bex, does have that problem, so putting on an eyeshadow primer is an absolute must.  We found that this product is the best drugstore product of its kind to prolong your eyeshadow's wear, and to make sure that the color doesn't fade or crease on your eyelids.  You do, however, have to use this product sparingly.  If you put too much on, the opposite effect will happen and your shadow will crease almost immediately.  The trick is to put a little bit on your lid, blend it well, and make sure you let it dry and set before you put anything on top of it.  It doesn't exactly make your shadow look more vibrant, so that's why I would recommend using it in conjunction with one of the following eyeshadow bases. 

Eyeshadow Bases

Eyeshadow bases are not to be confused with primers.  Primers are made to prep your eye for shadow, and bases are designed to make the colors of your eyeshadow more vibrant.  I have a couple of favorite bases from the drugstore. 

Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Gel Eyeshadow ($5.29 - $5.99)

These come in a variety of colors, but my favorites are the "leather" series because they're matte. They are almost an exact dupe for my favorite base of all time: the MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot.  They are super creamy, easy to blend, quick to dry and will stay on your lids all day long.  These also don't crease on my eyelids, but it doesn't exactly block oil; so, if you have oily lids, use an eyeshadow primer first.  The best part is that it isn't super sticky on the lid, like most other bases, so you can actually just use it by itself, without shadow.   

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil ($4.50)

For those of you who prefer pencils to cream pots, there's the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil. These eye pencils have a bit of a cult following in the beauty blogger world because they really do intensify any eyeshadow color.  I actually feel like it does a better job than the Maybelline Color Tattoos, but the reason why they're lower on my list is because I feel like it's harder to blend and quite a bit stickier, meaning that you can't wear it on its own.  I'm all about the multi-functional products!

TLDNR

OK, I know I can be really long-winded, so here's a little chart to help all you super busy people figure out which primer is best for you.

Face

	Blurs Pores and Fine Lines	Mattifies Face	Smoothes Skin Texture	Brightens	Moisturizes	Light-weight	Neutralizes Redness
Angel Veil	X	X	X	X
Photoready	X	X	X
Blur + Smooth			X		X	X
Blur + Redness Control					X	X	X
Blur + Illuminate				X	X	X

Eyes

	Prevents Creasing	Prolongs Wear	Blocks Oil	Prevents Fading	Intensifies Color
Wet N’ Wild	X	X	X	X
Color Tattoo	X	X		X	X
Jumbo Eye Pencil		X		X	X

So, there you have it, the best drugstore primers on the market!  Which ones are your favorites?  Stay tuned for the next part of the series: Foundations.  Happy shopping!

Glammie love!

Jaz