Review: Concealers

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a while, I have been slaving away at university. I decided I would take the time to do a concealer review, but then I had a better idea! This is a review and comparison of EVERY CONCEALER I OWN!

The concealers I'm going to talk about are CoverGirl TrueMatch, CoverGirl + Olay concealer stick, Revlon Photoready concealer, Maybelline Age Rewind, L'Oreal Perfect Match, Benefit's Lemon Aid, and Vichy solid concealer. I have only tried the lightest shade in all of these products.

CoverGirl TrueMatch: This is a liquid concealer with low-medium coverage. I really like this one, and I used to use it a lot because it's not too thick. It matches my skin tone really well, and doesn't feel heavy! I often pair it with the CoverGirl foundation from the same line.

CoverGirl + Olay: This is a concealer stick that I've heard a lot of good things about. Personally, I find it a bit dry for my skin type. However, it does give you decent medium coverage, and is not overly drying for a concealer stick. It's just not my favourite.

Revlon Photoready: This is my favourite concealer stick! Feels less dry than the CoverGirl + Olay, and it matches my skin tone really well. Provides medium coverage, and doesn't feel to heavy on your skin! If you're going for slightly more coverage than a liquid concealer, this does the job!

Maybelline Age Rewind: This is a dark circle eraser, which means it's a light concealer with illuminating properties, and it helps cancel out red and purple tones under the eyes. Personally, I love this concealer. So much that I use it all over my face! It's really light and provides just enough coverage to get rid of minor red areas or small pimples. For someone with no acne problems, this concealer works great for the whole face, and really helps wake up the eyes.

L'Oreal Perfect Match: To be honest, I was really disappointed. This is a liquid concealer that has a brush dispenser. The idea of it sounds really convenient, but the concealer dries up on the brush. This concealer is very drying, and has an orange tone. It got chunky and gross from staying on the brush, and it wouldn't come out evenly. I wouldn't recommend this product to anyone.

Benefit Lemon Aid: This is a yellow concealer made for covering dark under eye circles. For the price, I don't really think it's worth it, but it does help cancel out purple tones really well if you have bad under eye circles. The texture is really nice, and it goes on well.

Vichy concealer: This stuff is very drying, but extremely high coverage. If you have really bad acne, acne scars, or any injury (cut, bruise, etc.), this stuff will cover all of it. The lightest shade is still a bit too dark for me, but I put some normal concealer on top and it looks fine. I use this for the rare moments I have bad acne. I also used it when I hit my head and got a massive bruise, and it hid everything! A high coverage concealer like this is worth having for those moments.

If you have questions or comments about these products, let me know! Tweet me @PennilessBlog or email me at pennilessbeauty@gmail.com

5 Maybelline Products Worth Buying

Hi everyone! I got so many positive responses from my post "5 CoverGirl Products Worth Buying" that I decided to make a series out of it! So here's the second post in the 5 Products Worth Buying series. Hope you enjoy!

The reason I chose to do Maybelline is because it is (along with CoverGirl) a brand that I use almost every single day. That means I'm very familiar with these products, and I truly believe that they are worth the money!

From left to right: Color Whisper in Pin Up Peach, Baby Lips in Cherry Me, Line Stiletto in Blackest Black, Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in Fair, and Great Lash in Clear.


Color Whisper lipstick in Pin Up Peach: Gorgeous coral colour, more of a pink coral than orange. I love how comfortable this is on the lips! I keep forgetting to buy more, but they are definitely worth having. They feel very similar to the Revlon Lip Butters, but not as thick. This particular colour is so beautiful, and it's very easy to wear because it's not an intense colour. Great for people who are just beginning to use lipstick, and also great for everyone in general!

Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me: I can't even begin to explain how much I love these! I have another one in Peach Kiss, and they are the most comfortable and nicely pigmented tinted lip balm I have ever used. The packaging is really cute, and they can look like a lip balm, or a lipstick if you really layer on the colour. I always bring one of these with me so that after work (I work at a swimming pool), I can just put some on and I'm ready to go shopping or to a movie. It makes a makeup-free face look a little more put together and distracts people from uneven skin tone or breakouts. Definitely a must-have!

Line Stiletto Ultimate Precision Liquid Eyeliner in Blackest Black: I've always hated liquid eyeliner, I found that it was impossible to apply, the line would always be too thick, and the formula would smudge really easily. This is the ONLY liquid eyeliner that I actually like, and I love it! It's really easy to apply because of the super thin felt tip, and the formula is not overly thin so it doesn't smudge easily, and dries fast. If you are scared of trying liquid eyeliner, this is a great starter product because it is as easy as a pencil.

Great Lash mascara in Clear: I love this stuff, but not as a mascara. I actually use this as a brow gel because is works as well as any high end gel, and costs less than $10! I got this idea from Tiffany D (check out her YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrKdCadbo4eN_toHMa4-FSA ) because she swears by it, and I agree! The clear formula keeps you brow hairs from messing up the shape of your brow, and the transparency allows you to apply as much as you want without making your brows look darker (and mine are black, so I really can't afford to have darker ones with my blonde hair).

Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in Fair: This is a treatment concealer for the eye area, made with goji berries and haloxyl. Goji berries are a natural anti-inflammatory which reduces the puffiness of undereye circles, and haloxyl reduces the signs of redness in your eye area. I bought this product also because of Tiffany D, and I really like it! The formula is thinner than a normal concealer, so it won't cake up. It also makes your eyes feel really refreshed! My only problem with this, is that I have really bad undereye circles, and this product doesn't provide enough coverage on bad days. I often have to pair it with Benefit Lemon Aid undereye corrector to really cover all of the purple tones under my eyes. However, this product always work great on my eyelids (which always look red).

If you have any comments, questions, or requests, Tweet @PennilessBlog or email me at pennilessbeauty@gmail.com .

Lawtons Drugstore Haul

Another haul from Lawtons Drugs! I decided to splurge a little and get a few new makeup products. I was a little disappointed by the lack of sales at Lawtons today, so my total was $74.12 for 7 products.

1. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable balm stain in Honey. $9.95. The colour is darker than I expected, and a little more purple-y, but the colour still looks nice and I've heard that these feel great on the lips!

2. CoverGirl Lip Perfection jumbo gloss blam in Blush Twist. $7.19. Has a bit of shimmer, and the colour is exactly the same as the cap, so there's no mistaking the colour! I've heard so many good things about these pencil-style balms that I had to get a few of my own.

3. Milani eyeshadow primer in Nude. $9.99. This is my first eyeshadow primer, and I'm not entirely sure why I haven't bought one in the past! It says it works on all skin tones, so that sounds pretty good to me.

4. CoverGirl + Olay concealer balm in Fair. $7.99. I really like my Revlon PhotoReady concealer stick, and I've heard this one is just as good or better. I guess I'll have to find out!

5. Garnier Moisture Rescue cleasing cloths for dry and sensitive skin. $8.49. I'm currently using the oil-free Neutrogena cleansing cloths, and I am not a fan at all. Hopefully these will be better! I'll be doing a makeup removing cloth review and comparison soon!

6. Maybelline Line Stiletto liquid eyeliner in Blackest Black. $9.99. I've tried the CoverGirl felt-tip liquid liner, and I was extremely disappointed. This one claims to have really good precision, so hopefully this product will make me like liquid eyeliner. So far, I'm a pencil girl only.

7. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind dark circle eraser in Fair. $11.99. I've heard so many good things about this product! I've been dying to try it for a while now, so I finally bought one, and I just tried it out... I actually quite impressed! It's like a liquid concealer, but it doesn't feel dry or thick, and it actually kind of feels refreshing! The coverage is good for people with some darkness around their eyes, but mine are really bad so I might have to layer it on. I was actually a bit worried when I started twisting the collar and nothing was coming out. It took a while to get the product to the surface, but I still think it's worth it!


If you have tried any of these products, let me know what you thought of them! You can reach me by email at pennilessbeauty@gmail.com or Twitter @PennilessBlog


Have a lovely day!

My First Z Palette!

Hello again! I'm on vacation at the beach right now, but I figured I should still do a little post about the new Z Palette I bought! This one is the green Cherry Blossom (Limited Edition) in large. I bought it from Makeup Geek who delivered earlier than the estimated delivery date, and even sent a little hand-written message on my receipt! I was really impressed by their service. The Z palette cost me about $40, but that included taxes, international shipping, and an extra bag of round magnets. I still think it's a great price!

I had originally intended to fill this palette with my eyeshadows. I started depotting my shadows, which wasn't too hard (though I accidentally cut myself with a pair of nail scissors, which I had been using to depot). Once I had depotted everything I wanted, I realized that the round magnets were way too big for my shadows. I had seen a tutorial saying you can cut them, but cutting the magnets makes them bend at the cut area, and also makes them very sharp. I ended up really hurting my hands trying to put magnets on my eyeshadow pans.

 

Eventually, I gave up. My hands were hurting a lot, and the pans weren't staying flat on the palette. I ended up having to put all of my depotted shadows into a plastic bucket, and then depotted blushes, bronzers, powders, and some larger eyeshadows (the Annabelle singles are the exact same size as the round magnets). This is what I had the time to do so far, I can post a finished palette once my hands have healed (sigh). Not a great first experience, but it looks awesome when it's done!

 

 

If you know of any products that are already magnetized, or have a better solution to my magnet cutting problem, please let me know! You can tweet me @PennilessBlog or email me at pennilessbeauty@gmail.com

 



Lawtons Drugs and Shoppers Drug Mart Haul (Canadian Drug Stores)

Hi again, we're having very dreary weather here, so I thought this would be the perfect time for another blog post! Today, I went to Lawtons Drugs and Shoppers Drug Mart to look at some products that I had been doing a bit of research on. I'll start with my Shoppers haul:

I only bought 4 things, and the total came to $27.10, which isn't too bad considering the quality of Quo products.

1. Quo Blending Sponge $5.00 (Similar to a Beauty Blender, but cheaper!) Quo is a Canadian company that sells makeup products, makeup brushes and tools, nail tools, and nail polish... Basically everything beauty-oriented.

2. Quo Brow and Lash Definer $4.00 (Great for travel, bought it for my upcoming TRAVEL POST!)

3. Off! Deep Woods insect repellent $5.99 (Also great size for travel, and will be featured in my upcoming TRAVEL POST!)

4. Annabelle Perfect Bronze bronzing pressed powder in Sun Kissed $8.99 (Now, I need to say a few things about this brand because it has REALLY impressed me! Annabelle cosmetics is a Canadian brand - based in Montreal - that makes hypoallergenic, paraben-free, and perfume-free products. Whether or not you live in Canada, I would definitely advise checking out this brand in any Canadian drug store or online. This line of cosmetics is absolutely perfect for sensitive skin!)

Now for my Lawtons Drugs haul! I was extremely impressed by some of their sales, especially their Maybelline mascara sale and their Revlon lip product sale. I always get really good deals at Lawtons.

The total for these 4 products came to $20.18, which is amazing considering the lipsticks and mascara should usually be about $10 each.

1. EOS lip balm in Strawberry Sorbet $3.39 (I actually just put some on while I was writing this, and it smells just like strawberry ice cream... YUM)

2. Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes mascara in Glam Black $4.49 (It claims to leave no clumps, and give you a cat eye look. The brush has the same shape as the CoverGirl Clump Crusher - which I love - so I figured it's worth a try! Especially for the price... WOW!)

3. Revlon Lip Butter in Creamsicle $4.99 (I LOVE the Revlon Lip Butters! This shade looks really bright, I think it will be a nice summer colour)

4. Revlon Super Lustrous Matte lipstick in Nude Attitude $4.99 (I swatched this nude shade, and I find it goes really well with my skin tone. Can't wait to try it out!)


If you have tried any of these products, let me know if you liked them or not! You can tweet me @PennilessBlog or email me at pennilessbeauty@gmail.com ! Once I've tried all of my new products, I'll post a review. I'm definitely thinking of doing a brand review for Annabelle cosmetics... So many blog post ideas!

ALSO, keep checking this blog for my new TRAVELLING CARRY-ON post! It will be up before this Saturday, and I can't wait! Packing and organizing have always been my thing, and I have some really cool tips and tricks to share with you all!

Until next time,
Penniless Blogger

Walmart Haul

Hello everyone! So today I decided to browse Walmart for some drawer organizers... Instead, I ended leaving with only makeup products. Anyway, I decided to do a haul to show what I bought for ONLY $33.87! I was actually kind of impressed.

So these are the 6 items I purchased. I have heard great things about all of these products, and I have tried them before. I'll do a review once I've tried them all!

1. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Silver City Pink $6.97 (Definitely cheaper than drugstores)

2. NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny $2.97 (Such a good price, really hard to find one that hadn't been opened)

3. Maybelline Define-a-Brow in Dark Brown $7.46 (Hopefully this will be dark enough for my black eyebrows... Why can't my eyebrows be blonde like my hair? Ugh)

4. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Clear/Transparent $4.96 (I've heard this works great on brows)

5. Wet n' Wild Coloricon trio in Walking on Eggshells $2.97 (Awesome price, and gorgeous nude shades)

6. Wet n' Wild Coloricon eyeshadow collection in Petal Pusher $4.64 (Another awesome price, and has the most beautiful shades of purple... I think I'm going to enjoy this one!)


If you have tried any of these before, let me know what you thought! Tweet me @PennilessBlog or email me at pennilessbeauty@gmail.com . You can also Facebook me at www.facebook.com/PennilessBeauty

Have a lovely day!