Sunday, December 5, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
SHOP SMARTER: Makeup Shopping for the Shopping Impaired
Smart(er) Makeup Shopping
In these EXTREMELY difficult economic times, we all have to be much smarter about spending our hard-earned money. Cosmetics are one thing that are not usually hurt too badly during a recession (ie: Who can't afford a new lipstick?? I crave a new lipstick! I DESERVE a new lipstick!)........
Yes, we can go buy an item or two of Department Store makeup for what seems like only a few dollars more, but my recommendation is that we instead go to buy more items for the same amount of money at the drugstore. DUPES!
Yahoo in an article about saving money agreed that a great way to do so is to use drugstore cosmetics. Yahoo said that most of it is made in the same factories, with the same ingredients as prestige brands, implying that it is the same thing.
Well, here's a news flash for us, it's not! Does that mean it is inferior?
Does L'oreal own Lancome (OR VICE VERSA?)? Yes!
Do they share product information? Yes !
Do they share certain common ingredients? Yes !
Are you paying twice as much at the department store for Lancome when you could be getting the same thing at CVS for mere pennies? YES??? NO???
Here's why...drugstore brand makeup is now getting so much more pigmented, you DO NOT need more of it to get the same look.
You're NOT using more, so there are big savings there!!
Secondly, re: skincare...yes, drugstore brands can claim fancy sounding ingredients all they want, but the fact is that they are cheaper because there are generally less of the active ingredient(s) in it. READ THE LABELS!!!
You really are paying for what you get, and you should really ONLY get what you NEED.
So, check out the OLAY Pro X and some of the newer lines that contain ingredients such as coffeeberry, etc.
We may have to use more to get the same effect, (or NOT) and with skincare, it could take longer to see similar results and the results will, most likely, be more subtle than if you were paying for that really expensive prestige brand.
I'm not telling you to go in to buy the $300 moisturizer vs. the $70 prestige one, vs. the $40 DS one....you can decide what you need and what you can afford yourself :)
Yes, we can go buy an item or two of Department Store makeup for what seems like only a few dollars more, but my recommendation is that we instead go to buy more items for the same amount of money at the drugstore. DUPES!
THEY ARE EVERYWHERE,
and WE CAN ALL HELP EACH OTHER FIND THEM!
Yahoo in an article about saving money agreed that a great way to do so is to use drugstore cosmetics. Yahoo said that most of it is made in the same factories, with the same ingredients as prestige brands, implying that it is the same thing.
Well, here's a news flash for us, it's not! Does that mean it is inferior?
NO WAY !
Let's look at Lancome and L'Oreal. Does L'oreal own Lancome (OR VICE VERSA?)? Yes!
Do they share product information? Yes !
Do they share certain common ingredients? Yes !
Are you paying twice as much at the department store for Lancome when you could be getting the same thing at CVS for mere pennies? YES??? NO???
The correct answer, my lovelies, is SOMETIMES !!!
Here's why...drugstore brand makeup is now getting so much more pigmented, you DO NOT need more of it to get the same look.
You're NOT using more, so there are big savings there!!
Secondly, re: skincare...yes, drugstore brands can claim fancy sounding ingredients all they want, but the fact is that they are cheaper because there are generally less of the active ingredient(s) in it. READ THE LABELS!!!
SOMETIMES THAT DOES NOT MATTER!
So, check out the OLAY Pro X and some of the newer lines that contain ingredients such as coffeeberry, etc.
We may have to use more to get the same effect, (or NOT) and with skincare, it could take longer to see similar results and the results will, most likely, be more subtle than if you were paying for that really expensive prestige brand.
I'm not telling you to go in to buy the $300 moisturizer vs. the $70 prestige one, vs. the $40 DS one....you can decide what you need and what you can afford yourself :)
Friday, November 5, 2010
Saving money with GWP's
Best GWP's Going On Now
www.macys.com (online only) - Laura Mercier 5 piece gift with any $75 LM purchase
Check for your stores - Lancome GWP with any $32.50 Lancome purchase. This one is fun because you can choose between two sets of products for your gift, one focusing on skincare and the other on makeup! Which ever gift you choose you are walking away with 6 or 7 pieces...SCORE!
Nordstrom and www.nordstrom.com - interestingly, Lancome is having a gift at two stores at once. With this gift too you get to choose between two gifts with any $35 Lancome purchase. I love free gifts!! Also, if you spend $65 you also get a three piece travel brush set!
www.beauty.com - with any $40 Pop Beauty purchase you get a precious three drawer make-up cabinet with 12 eye shadows, 6 lip colors, and 4 cheek colors. Plus, the box is pink, I think we will all be getting this one:). In even better news from beauty.com, spend $100 and get an adorable train case filled with deluxe free samples and free shipping!!! I was going to be pissed when I figured this one out because I just spent a small fortune on Shiseido and the best I could do was order from Sephora for a few freebies. However, I also just figured out that beauty.com doesn't carry any of the products that I ordered to, whew!
www.ecosmeticworld.com - Clinique bonus with any $21.50 Clinique purchase. Pretty standard Clinique gift but it definitely beats going to your local counter and getting no extras:) ENDS MARCH 21. Also in the Clinique world, GWP at www.boscovs.com. This one is kind of cool in that is contains two bronzing items, yum. Again, if you need two Clinique items, order one from each place for twice the fun!! This is the same bonus that Dillard's is having right now...ending the 22nd.
Several of these are ending on the 21st or the 22nd so you better go on it!!
Even if you don't want all of the items in your free gift I have found that these pieces can serve as deal makers on Makeup Alley and/or Ebay!
Check for your stores - Lancome GWP with any $32.50 Lancome purchase. This one is fun because you can choose between two sets of products for your gift, one focusing on skincare and the other on makeup! Which ever gift you choose you are walking away with 6 or 7 pieces...SCORE!
Nordstrom and www.nordstrom.com - interestingly, Lancome is having a gift at two stores at once. With this gift too you get to choose between two gifts with any $35 Lancome purchase. I love free gifts!! Also, if you spend $65 you also get a three piece travel brush set!
www.beauty.com - with any $40 Pop Beauty purchase you get a precious three drawer make-up cabinet with 12 eye shadows, 6 lip colors, and 4 cheek colors. Plus, the box is pink, I think we will all be getting this one:). In even better news from beauty.com, spend $100 and get an adorable train case filled with deluxe free samples and free shipping!!! I was going to be pissed when I figured this one out because I just spent a small fortune on Shiseido and the best I could do was order from Sephora for a few freebies. However, I also just figured out that beauty.com doesn't carry any of the products that I ordered to, whew!
www.ecosmeticworld.com - Clinique bonus with any $21.50 Clinique purchase. Pretty standard Clinique gift but it definitely beats going to your local counter and getting no extras:) ENDS MARCH 21. Also in the Clinique world, GWP at www.boscovs.com. This one is kind of cool in that is contains two bronzing items, yum. Again, if you need two Clinique items, order one from each place for twice the fun!! This is the same bonus that Dillard's is having right now...ending the 22nd.
Several of these are ending on the 21st or the 22nd so you better go on it!!
Even if you don't want all of the items in your free gift I have found that these pieces can serve as deal makers on Makeup Alley and/or Ebay!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Red Faced No More!!
Well, the exfoliation results are finally in....and I have to say that the St. Ives. Apricot beat out the Clinique 7 Day by just a bit. The St. Ives side of my face feels and looks slightly smoother, with slightly smaller pores.
THAT BEING SAID, I was reminded, when I read this at Marie Claire, that peels might be a better choice for many of us.
Skip the granular exfoliants in favor of peels. "Acids like lactic and glycolic-typically in at-home peels-stimulate collagen production, plump up skin with moisture, and smooth its surface," says NYC dermatologist Dr. Virgil Hatcher. "You want to slough off the dead skin cells that trap pimple-producing oil." A series of in-office peels, stronger than the at-home versions, deliver antiaging and antiacne power in one punch. Prescription retinoids (Retin-A, Tazorac, Differin, and Renova) are another more aggressive option.
Do It Yourself: L'Oreal Paris AcneResponse Intensive Adult Acne Peel Kit has it all: a gentle cleanser that preps skin for a 2 percent salicylic acid peel and a neutralizing moisturizer with soothing botanicals to deter redness. (From Marie Claire http://www.marieclaire.com/hair-beauty/skin-care-how-to/skin-exfoliation)
So my next experiment will be with with salicylic and glycolic L'Oreal Dermo-Expertise ReNoviste Anti-Aging Glycolic Peel Kit
peels. Stay tuned for the results!
THAT BEING SAID, I was reminded, when I read this at Marie Claire, that peels might be a better choice for many of us.
Skip the granular exfoliants in favor of peels. "Acids like lactic and glycolic-typically in at-home peels-stimulate collagen production, plump up skin with moisture, and smooth its surface," says NYC dermatologist Dr. Virgil Hatcher. "You want to slough off the dead skin cells that trap pimple-producing oil." A series of in-office peels, stronger than the at-home versions, deliver antiaging and antiacne power in one punch. Prescription retinoids (Retin-A, Tazorac, Differin, and Renova) are another more aggressive option.
Do It Yourself: L'Oreal Paris AcneResponse Intensive Adult Acne Peel Kit has it all: a gentle cleanser that preps skin for a 2 percent salicylic acid peel and a neutralizing moisturizer with soothing botanicals to deter redness. (From Marie Claire http://www.marieclaire.com/hair-beauty/skin-care-how-to/skin-exfoliation)
So my next experiment will be with with salicylic and glycolic L'Oreal Dermo-Expertise ReNoviste Anti-Aging Glycolic Peel Kit
peels. Stay tuned for the results!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Okay...my blog ATE my last post!
Today. I will be adding this post in Verdana. Maybe that will stop the BLOG from eating my posts!!
In any case, if it turns up or regurgitates, I'll be sure to add it back in.
Meanwhile, I have a very bad case of red face today. Not because the blog ate my post or anything; I was sampling and comparing facial scrubs.
This is not for the paleface, weak of skin. Or, thin of skin??
Today I sampled my old drugstore favorite, St. Ives Apricot Scrub, but this time I only used it on one side of my face. On the other side of my face, I used Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream.
Exfoliation should be done on a more regular basis than "when you remember to do it". And, it also should not be "scrubbed" in...
I promise that I will let you know my results as soon as my redness calms down.
In any case, if it turns up or regurgitates, I'll be sure to add it back in.
Meanwhile, I have a very bad case of red face today. Not because the blog ate my post or anything; I was sampling and comparing facial scrubs.
This is not for the paleface, weak of skin. Or, thin of skin??
Today I sampled my old drugstore favorite, St. Ives Apricot Scrub, but this time I only used it on one side of my face. On the other side of my face, I used Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream.
Exfoliation should be done on a more regular basis than "when you remember to do it". And, it also should not be "scrubbed" in...
I promise that I will let you know my results as soon as my redness calms down.
Friday, September 3, 2010
My First Day of Blogging: Drugstore Beauty
Hello, my name is Sherry,
and I am a
Drug Store Beauty Whore.
(No, this is not a twelve step program, but I do hear some applause).
If you are like me, you read magazines such as ALLURE or ELLE and other articles, drool over Sephora catalogs, cruise web sites for reviews, and everything else you can possibly get your hands on about beauty products and makeup, as well as tricks and hints about their application.
Do you cruise department store cosmetic counters, trying this color and that, smelling this and that fragrance, and come out looking and smelling very "colorful" ? Do you sometimes, often or always buy the products that you try or the samples that you are given?
Inevitably, I break down and buy too many products, and usually spend way over my budget.
I do believe that many of these products are well worth what we pay, but there ARE often drugstore formulas and colors that can or do work equally well.
To that end, I propose that if we collaborate, and review the products that we buy, as well as their drug store counterparts, we will be able to save SOME of our hard earned cash.
I know that there are many of you, my friends and fellow addicts, out there who will be contributing a myriad of suggestions of products for all to try, and this is the place to come and to do exactly that.
I will always welcome guest posters, and/or any and all opinions on any products that we discuss, if you have tried them.
Au revoir for now, but I hope that I will be hearing from you soon!
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