Shop Miss A Experience and Product Review

Hey Everyone! It has been a VERY long time!!! but, I am happy to be back and I PROMISE I will try my best to keep up with this thing, since I did start it! I love my blog and it's my baby. I think I stuck to my own personal deadlines too much instead of just blogging.
If you have been following me on Instagram, you would know that I am very much alive and still buying stuff LOL!
Speaking of buying stuff, I would like to tell you all about my most recent budget purchase.
I have been hearing about shopmissa.com for a little while, so I finally decided to get a assortment of items to try out. In case you are not familiar with Shop Miss A, everything on that site is $1!! Plus, there is free shipping when you spend $30. I only spent about $13 total including shipping, which was less than $3.
Here is a list of items I bought:
-kleancolor lashes
-kleancolor brow pomade
-kleancolor brow powder
-naisture brightening mask
-2 kleancolor liquid matte lipsticks
-2 santee matte lipsticks
- beauty treats lip scrub
The process was very quick. My order was processed, shipped and arrived within a week.
Now for some reviews of the products.

These are swatches of the lip products I bought.

The top 2 are the liquid lipsticks and the bottom 2 are the regular matte lipsticks.

Brightening Mask
Now I will forever love a natural ingredients. This mask has both chemical and natural ingredients.
Arbutin is the key ingredient. This is accompanied by collagen, hyaluronic acid, allantoin, vitamin e and lactic acid.
How do you use this mask? It is a sheet mask. First you have to wash and dry you face. Then gently unfold and apply the mask to your face. After 15 minutes, you remove the mask, tap in the excess serum and let your skin dry before you apply moisturizer. One thing I liked about the mask was that it actually fit my face. It is too early to tell if the ingredients worked, but I can tell you that my skin felt soft and hydrated. I would use it again and even experiment with different masks of this brand.

Lip scrub
Of course I had to try all the skincare first! The lip scrub I like as well. It says black cherry on the label, but that only means the smell, it has absolutely no taste, which I am OK with. The walnut meal is ground super fine. I used this lip scrub on dry lips. It is very emollient and never dries, so you could be scrubbing forever! PLEASE DON'T!!! Limit it to a few seconds. I was a little weirded out seeing the tiny container, then I thought, " oh well, that's what you get for a $1." When I tried it, I scraped a tiny bit out, ( I will try my best with the measurements, about 1/16 x 1/8 section) and I felt that was too much! After I was done scrubbing, I simply wiped it away with a paper towel. I would purchase this again too!

Liquid Lipsticks
First, they smell fruity which is nice and weird at the same time. But, I'll take that over that cheap cosmetic smell any day. It feels very slick and moisturizing.  The color did not turn out as bright on my lips as it was in the tube, which was a little bit of a bummer. The texture was good though. My lips did not feel tight, dry or sticky. I would say this product is more of a stain gloss than a liquid lipstick. It was matte, I give it that much, and the color did stay on. Even though I could see remnants of the color on my coffee cups, my lips never went without color. Would I buy these again? I am considering it...but for only 1 reason, the staining factor. I would layer these "lipsticks" with an actual lipstick to minimize the need for touch ups. It would be great for clients.

Brow Pomade
I actually had high hopes being that most of the colors were sold out...but the color is just not right. I am usually in the medium brown family when I buy eyebrow products and I was lucky enough that they had it in stock. BUT, the color is just too warm for eyebrows. It looks artificial by itself. Plus the consistency is thin, so you will need a couple layers, which only amps up the fact that this tone of brown is not right. It makes me wonder if the rest of the colors are like this... To solve the issue of the color being too warm, I tried layering it with the brow powder...

Brow Powder
So this powder looks like it should be good...but I'm not sold on it. Its too powdery and upon contact with a brush there is immediate fall out. By itself, this brow powder is too grey. It almost looks like you had your eyebrows tattooed on and it has now faded. Layered on top of the pomade, the color is odd. It was a weird purplish, brown, grey. I don't know what else to call it. No, I would not buy this again.

Lashes
I am OK with these lashes. They are soft, flexible and have an invisible band, which I have a personal preference for. I would probably order more.

Lipstick
The consistency is great!, These lipsticks are soft, and glide on easy...unfortunately they do not last long. The color fades and pigmentation is inconsistent, the peachy one was not as pigmented as the pink one I tried. I seriously doubt I would purchase these again.

AT HOME SPA DAY!

     Hey everyone!!!  As promised, here are some ideas on how to do an at home spa day. You can do them all in the same day or do them piece by piece during the week.
I usually pick Sunday as my spa day, but that only included my face. Now I included body care into the equation as well.

 

Step 1* I recommend for everyone, exfoliation. You have to exfoliate!! Although apricot scrub isn't the worst thing to put on your face, I wouldn't recommend it. I too, use to be an apricot scrub junkie, but I have since moved on leaving me with an overstock of the product that I bought when it was on sale. I used it to exfoliate my body!       Every part but the face. And I only use it once a week. I have excema  on my legs,  I apply lotion twice a day, morning and night, but by the time I get to work, I'm dry and by the time I go to bed I'm dry again. Exfoliating helped my lotion to actually absorb into the skin. It is moisturized and my skin not only feels better, but it looks better too. I also use the scrub on the back of my arms, where the skin is rough and bumpy. I could feel the difference after 1 use. I have also used it on my chest and you can even use the apricot scrub to your hands.
      Exfoliation is great before shaving. I like to do it the day before I shave, just to minimize the "trauma"  I put my skin through in a day.
      Exfoliation is great for dark areas, like the knees and elbows. And when you're done scrubbing just rinse it off in the shower. Be sure to follow with a lotion/cream.
I usually exfoliate my legs before I get in the shower and everything else while I'm in the shower. I also use a moisturizing bodywash.
My faves: Bodywash-Nivea touch of smoothness or St. Ives college elastin Body lotion-Nivea smooth sensation or St. Ives collagen elastin
(These lotions are the only ones that work of me, but use your favorite)
Exfoliators- St. Ives apricot scrub
Or make your own salt/ sugar scrub using sea salt, or table sugar and olive oil, or your favorite oil.

Step 2* At home facial- For this I use several steps
1. Initially I apply oil to my face and remove it with a hot wet towel.  An oil that doesn't clog the pores (coconut oil, olive oil, vitamin e, etc...)
2. Exfoliate (boots botanics microdermabrasion scrub)        
3. Mask- I use one that fits my needs that week, but on a regular basis I use the charcoal mask by origins. 4. Cleanser- again on that fits my needs and you can check my article on cleansers here.
5. Toner- I use boots botanics  shine away toner, for mattifying the skin
6.Treatments/ serums- I use a serum for dark spots and an eye serum/cream.
7. Moisturize- always moisturize using no spf ( boot botanics shine away moisturizing gel cream)
Step3- relax, drink tea, wine or whatever relaxes you and sit back in your face mask and just relax. I take this time to catch up on my shows I missed during the week.

*For spa quality hair care use a deep conditioner or treatment.*
If you really want to fancy, put your hair treatment in, and your face mask on and exfoliate while those other things are working.
We are all about multitasking here at beauty on a budget.
 

This I exactly wet hat I do on my spa day. These simple step will have you looking radiant and beautiful in no time!

Good Luck and Happy Relaxing!!!

BEAUTY NEWS!!!

     OMG I'm back again with more and more sales!
     But first- NYFW and for everyone who doesn't know "New York Fashion Week" I posted the fall trends last week. A good on trend lipstick is "Di-Vinely Chilled"  from the Fergie Wet n Wild Collection. It's a metallic brown, with a little red in it. And don't forget to check out their 4 new fall palettes too!
     This week is a pretty good week, but like I told you last time, it is back to school, which for some reason is "back to sales".

Walgreens/Duane Reade
BOGO 50%- Revlon, Cetaphil, Maybelline, St. Ives, Covergirl face/lip/nail, Neutrogena
20% off Olay
25% Wet n Wild lip/nail

CVS
BOGO 50%- L'Oreal hair color, Eucerin, NYX, Wet n Wild, Olay, Roc, Aquaphor
BOGO FREE Got2B
Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Almay, Clean & Clear

Rite Aid
BOGO 50%-Revlon, Garnier hair care, Neutrogena cosmetics, Covergirl face, Cetaphil, Ponds,
St. Ives, Simple, Noxema, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Aveeno
BOGO FREE- Got2b, Organix, Marc Anthony, Finesse
40% off Almay

Ulta
Ulta is bringing back their 21 Days of Beauty. Everyday until September 27th, Ulta will have a sale on a different item and host an different event each day.
Also there are other deals such as
30% off Hydratone, Kinerase
Buy 2 Get 1 Free Joico, Sexy Hair, Matrix, Sebaastian
It's a 10 promo packs
BOGO 50% - Aveeno, Roc, Nivea, Neutrogena, Boots No. 7, Select Brushes, NYX, Almay, Revlon, Rimmel, Red Carpet

I promise, promise, promise, promise! Come back later on in the week for my at home spa article!
Until then, happy shopping!

BEAUTY NEWS!!!

HELLO EVERYONE!!! How have you been?!, I'm glad you're back for more info and feel free at anytime to ask questions of leave comments and of course follow in INSTAGRAM @ aprilmaykup.
I just wanted to bring you the sales for this week.

Rite Aid
BOGO 50%- Garnier, c.Booth, Revlon, vita K, L'Oreal lip/face, Covergirl face, Almay, St. Ives, Ponds, Noxema, Rimmel
ROC Buy 2 get 1 FREE!
Nivea lip 2/$5

Walgreens
BOGO 50%- Revlon lip/eye, Neutrogena, Cerave, Panoxyl, L'Oreal

CVS
BOGO 50%- Sally Hansen, Garnier, Maybelline face/lip/eye, Tresemme, Dove, Biore, Jergens, Physicians Formula, Covergirl eye/nail, Milani, Rimmel, NYC, St. Ives, Noxema, Simple, Ponds, CVS brand products, Organix, Axe, Neutrogena
Nivea 2/$9
Aveeno Buy 2 get 1 FREE!
BOGO FREE!!! Tony& Guy, Marc Anthony, Salon Grafix

Ulta
FREE $15 Ulta gift bag with any $19.50 purchase of Ulta products
BOGO 50% Revlon, L'Oreal, Sally Hansen, Physicians Formula, Almay, Maybelline, Covergirl eye/lip/face
15% off Cetaphil, Nivea, Neutrogena, L'Oreal

I am currently working on an article for an at home spa day. Check back later when it will be up. I would love to hear your feedback!
Until then HAPPY SHOPPING!!
Feel free to comment with any online sales I may have missed!

BEAUTY NEWS!!! Challenge Update

     I know, I've been MIA for a few weeks, but I'm back!! I'm here to update you on all the results of my challenges and bring you sales for the week.
    

     My first challenge, my self imposed challenge was with the Boots No. 7  Lash Serum. I used it every night for 8 weeks. My brows improved the quickest. The hair thickened from using the serum and of course makes the hair in the area grow faster. I do have to tell you that it will not grow hair in places that hair never existed. Like the slit in my eyebrow, that has always been there, no hair grows in that spot, but this serum makes the separation way less noticeable.

 

the picture on the right is the before and the picture on the left is after 4 weeks

 

     For my lashes, the serum did thicken them at least for the first 6 weeks, and in the last 2 weeks all the growth happened. I even ended up with an extra row of lashes in addition to my lashes being even longer  than they were before. Now with 2 coats of mascara my lashes look fake. I still use it, but only for upkeep. I may pull back and use it every other night instead of every night.
     I also like that fact that I am still on 1 tube of the serum and didn't need a bunch of bottle to make it through the 8 weeks.

  

 Second challenge: "Pink for 30 Days".
     I got so tired of wearing pink. I did as much as I could do with it. I like pink, but not this much. I struggled to complete my face ( lipstick and blush) and I didn't want to wear the same thing everyday. But, it was a good challenge to stretch my creativity.
Would I do this again? Maybe I would do this challenge again, but change the rules, to give me more leeway with the colors. Maybe the look could be pink (of the main color) with an added complimentary color, besides the black, white, silver and gold.
   

SALES!!
CVS
BOGO 50% Tresemme, Revlon, Cetaphil, Nuance, Almay, L'Oreal lip, Olay complete/ age defy/ anti wrinkle, Nexus

Walgreens/Duane Reade
BOGO 50%  L'Oreal skin, sun and cosmetics, Roc
25% off Tresseme

Rite Aid
Sally Hansen 40% off
BOGO FREE Physicians Formula, Renewal Sun care and Banana Boat
BOGO 50% Revlon face/lip/nail, Covergirl face,  select Olay products, Garnier, Renewal bath accessories
L'Oreal sun care 20% off
Almay eye & concealer $5.99
Revlon Colorstay Liners and Mascaras $5.99
Select L'Oreal products $7.99

ULTA
BOGO 50%  Revlon, Prestige, Physicians Formula, Covergirl, Eyelure, NYX, L'Oreal (including sun, skin and hair care), Cerave, Lumene, Yes, Biore, Neutrogena
15% off No.7, Aveeno, Burts Bees
Japonesque brushes BOGO FREE

BEAUTY NEWS!!!

WELCOME BACK!!!!
How are you? I am so happy to see you again.We are back for more sales and more info!!
First up my personal challenge with the Boots No.7 Lash Serum
So after all this time ,I can really see the results of the serum on my lashes. They look so full and fluffy. I am in love! I am also in love with my brows too. After grooming them over the weekend (because they grow fast on their own and 3 times faster with the serum), I am finally happy with the transformation. I was always  happy with the transformation regardless, it was just that my brows were too wild. Now that everything is tameable, I am beyond happy. I thing at this point I moved from the strengthening period to the growing period. So in a couple more weeks the final results will be revealed.
Just to give you an idea of how much my lashes transformed, today a woman thought I was wearing false lashes.

30 Days of Pink Challenge
I am getting so tired of pink LOL. I love pink, but this is enough. I am running out of eyeshadow styles, but every time I go to work I get complimented.
I think I'll be using my pink mascara all this week, just to try something new!
I can't wait until this challenge is over though. After this week I think I'll try more neutral pinks.

SALES!!!
Medusa's Makeup is having a $2 off per item sale. I suggest you stock up! I bought 8 last week and received a FREE eyeshadow brush! The hard part is figuring out which colors to get.

Rite Aid
BOGO 50%  L'Oreal, Covergirl, Wet n' Wild, Maybelline face, Revlon face, lip&eye, Renewal implements and hand and body lotion.
L'Oreal Skincare  $19.99

Walgreens/DR
BOGO 50% Covergirl, Revlon, Garnier skincare
Cetaphil  25% off

CVS
BOGO 50% Maybelline eye&lip, Revlon, Almay, Select Neutrogena products, Dove men+care, CVS brand cotton, removers and tools, Nuance, Covergirl, Eucerin

BEAUTY NEWS!!!

HEY BEAUTIFUL!!! How are you?
     Thanks for returning for another week. I have SOOOO much stuff to tell you and I'm UBER excited!!! I am writing my Best $10 and *GEM* articles right after this because one of them comes with a GREAT story! But first, let's recap of challenge for the month.

CODE NAME: 1 Color, 30 Days
Color chosen: PINK
RULES
1-pick color at random and use that color eyeshadow for the next 30 days.
2-All shades of pink are acceptable-no purple or red
3-shade of pink must be used in 60% of the eyeshadow application (including liners and mascara)
4-black and white may be used in conjunction with the pink(s)
5-at least 1 look for everyday-30 days in total

     I wear a lot of pink eyeshadow. It can almost be used as a neutral, so I don't think this will be much of a challenge at all. The REAL challenge would be NOT getting bored with a limited color palette.
     Today I will be getting all my pink eyeshadows together, just so I'm not tempted to pick up anything else.

ANNOUNCEMENT!!
This week and from now on, I will be at the Duane Reade on the corner of 57th and 6th to talk beauty with everyone from Monday to Thursday 12pm-7pm and Friday from 12pm-4pm. Come and see me!

SALES
Walgreens/Duane Reade
BOGO 50%  Covergirl, Neutrogena, Revlon, Aveeno, L'Oreal skincare
Olay is 20% OFF
Sinful Nail Polish $.99
Boots Botanics & Champneys 20%OFF

Rite Aid
BOGO 50% Covergirl, Revlon, Almay, Olay, Maybelline eyeshadows & liners, Wet n' Wild
Neutrogena lip & eye, Eucerin, Aquaphor
BOGO FREE Physicians Formula
$6.99 select Neutrogena Cleansers
L'Oreal Moisturizers $13.99
Neutrogena Oil Free, Deep Moisture and Sun Care
Maybelline Mascaras $5.99

CVS
BOGO 50% Covergirl, Neutrogena, Revlon, Almay, Nuance, CVS brand removers, Physicians Formula, Simple, Ponds, Dove, Cetaphil, Cerave, Aveeno
2/$10 Olay Complete products

Ulta
BOGO 50% Red Carpet, Revlon, Covergirl, Almay, Physicians Formula and many more!
Also the is a 20% coupon available

UPDATE
     I have been using the Boots No.7 lash serum for a couple weeks. I'm taking pics and trying to get some GOOD ones that show the progress. So far a see a few visible signs.
1-My lashes usually criss cross at the corners, no amount of mascara could correct it. By the end of the first week, my lashes uncrossed and were visible.
2-My lashes look thicker at the root and it looks like there are more lashes than there were before.
3-My brows look great. The hairs look thicker and now my eyebrows are almost the same size. My only complaint is when my brows start to grow out, a hair will stick out of place and no amount of gel will hold it down. The plus side is, that it will only last a day.

BEAUTY NEWS!!!

     HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!! I hope the weather is nice wherever you are and doing whatever you're doing.
     First, I would like to invite you to meet me, if you happen to be in the NYC area! I'll be working at the Duane Reade on the corner of 57th and 6th on Thursday from 12pm-8pm, dishing out beauty advice in real time. Just stop by, and we can check out some great products together.

Let's face it, the  sales last week, weren't what they could be :/, but this week things are a lot better!
At Ulta this is the last week of their sales I listed 2 weeks ago.
NYX is having an up to 40% off sale until the 26th.

Rite Aid
BOGO 50% -Covergirl eye/lip, L'Oreal face/lip, Revlon, Almay eye makeup and removers, Garnier skincare, L'Oreal skincare and suncare.
40% off Physicians Formula
BOGO FREE -Wet n' Wild, Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropics Sunscreen, Thicker Fuller Hair and LA looks gel

Walgreens/Duane Reade
BOGO 50%- L'Oreal, Covergirl, Revlon, Maybelline, Studio 35 beauty
Cetaphil $7.99
BOGO FREE -Banana Boat Sunscreen and Shea Moisture products

CVS
Biore $6.99
BOGO 50% -Revlon, Trim tools, Lumene, Clean&Clear, L'Oreal skincare, CVS Sunscreen

I think I'm going to start a NEW challenge for June. I'm thinking "1Color for 30 Days".
RULES
-in addition to the 1 color, you are allowed to used black and white
-color can be used in variety of finishes and shades
-60% of the chosen color must be present in the look
-groups of colors are used (ex. reds/burgundys, coppers/bronzes/rusts, blues/turquoises, etc)
-liners can be used as the means for showing the chosen color

I'll post further challenge details on Sunday, which is coincidentally June 1st, the first day of challenge month. Also stay tuned for a video tutorial and review.

WEEKLY REVIEW: Eyeshadow

     Out of all the reviews I think this one might be the one a lot of people have been waiting for. To test these eyeshadows, I tried them once, and sometimes twice with a different primer. I used NYX white eye base as the first primer and just to give the makeup a fair chance, I retested the shadows using Urban Decay's primer.
     All shadow will crease, eventually, it's just a matter of how long and what primer will cut down the creasing time and how noticeable the creasing is. I have had some eyeshadows survive overnight, even after a deep sleep...but that's a story for another day :) 
I've had some shadows crease so badly, that they damn near disappeared! I've had others that had such small creases, that it's hardly noticeable.

So where do we start?

Covergirl $3-$6 (drugstores) These shadows don't work AT ALL if you use them dry!!! The brighter colors, like the green and blues work wet, but the pink/purples barely show up wet or dry. The only color that worked dry was the silver. I wouldn't waste time or money on these. I am actually struggling on what to do with mine...I'll probably give them to my niece to play with.


Covergirl Flamed Out Eyeshadows $5 - Now these work! I haven't had to try them wet to 'force' them to work, because they work so well dry. With any primer or alone the colors show up. In the entire collection there are about 12 colors which is a mix of brights and neutrals. I think they should extend this line and totally do away with the regular line. The white was more of a "fairy dust" than an actually white. I still love it as an under brow highlight color though.
There is creasing, (using NYX primer) but it's such small thin creasing, it could be ignored.


Urban Decay $52 (Sephora, ulta, urbandecay.com) - These palettes are 50 bucks a pop for a reason. There are pigment and lasts all day with or without primer and no creasing. When you break it down $52 for 12 eyeshadows
 (not including double ended brush and primer/lipgloss added to the package) it's about $5 a shadow, which is as much as you would pay for a single eyeshadow in a drugstore. Plus, you need so little of the product it will last a long time. My ONLY complaint would be about the inconsistency of the blacks as you cross reference them from palette to palette.


Wet n' Wild $4-$6 (drugstores)- The matte colors crease HORRIBLY and they aren't pigmented. The regular shimmer/ glitter colors are better, but their pigmentation varies. The deeper colors seem to be better and of course silver the is good. Even with primer the colors fade throughout the day.





Victoria Secret $30 (Victoria Secret)- Victoria Secret makes makeup? Who knew?! I went in the store with a $10 off of $30 coupon to buy underwear, but ended up dropping the 'draws' to buy makeup instead. I picked up this palette, because of the colors and it even came with a card showing a couple of  'how to' looks. You could have some real fun with this palette. The pigmentation is great and the shadows last all day. Overall, the Victoria Secret eyeshadows are a quality product and area a good contender to other popular brands
 ( I wouldn't say MAC or UD, but Stila, Smashbox, POP would be a good comparison.)



Physicians Formula $12-$14 (drugstores)-All the colors are light. Light in texture and variety of colors. There are a lot of golds, silvers, metallic in general. PF is meant to be light and buildable. The palettes are great learning or beginner colors. They are not very strong colors, but universally flattering for all color eyes. I would only recommend this palette for adolescents and older adults.

Shades by Gal $46 (shadesbygal.com)-This palette, the colors selections, pigmentation, quality, and combination of the universally flattering satin and matte colors, IMMEDIATELY reminded me of Makeup Designory. Makeup Designory is classic and rivals any brand in quality, Shades By Gal colors can compete with them as well!
The eyeshadows blend very well and are easily buildable. Just a little goes a long way! Naturally, the colors last all day. *this palette is no longer available on the website, but there is a spring palette available as well as individual colors*

ELF $1-$15 (eyeslipsface.com)- ELF is hit or miss, some of the colors are true to their original color, Some are a totally different color once they're on. I recommend primer. The "bright" colors aren't as pigmented as they seem. The browns, metallics and pinks are good. The purples are often hard to tell from the blues, and both are a different color once actually applied. Of course these shadows crease, but with a combination of concealer and primer it can be avoided.
    



 I know this isn't ALL the eyeshadow brands, but I'm slowly and surely getting there. I just wanted to give a mix of price points with this first review. There will be MANY more of these, so let's call this version 1. Plus this review would be entirely too long with 20 brands on 1 page.
Here are brands to come: (please comment with any brands I may miss)
-GOSH                   -Sephora
-Revlon                  -Beauty Gems
-Maybelline           -Cargo
-L'Oreal                 -NYC
-POP                      -Lauren Luke
-NYX                     -Inglot
-Stila                      -Coastal Scents
-H&M                    -BH
-Forever 21            -Hard Candy
-Clinique                -Lisi
-Estee Lauder         -Prestige
-Ofra                       -Micheal Marcus
-Sigma                    -Impulse
-Mac                       -MUFE
-MUD                     -Sugarpill
-No. 7

BEAUTY NEWS!!

     HELLO EVERYONE!!! It  feels go to be back! I missed out on this article last week, I got a little stressed out, but I'm more relaxed...than I was and I'm back and updating you on what's been going on.
     Last Sunday, I attended The Makeup Show. Unfortunately, for me, I have a makeup show curse, where something goes wrong with my bank account preventing me from "being all I can be" at this event. I did get some things for my kit, especially silicon mascara brushes, acrylic cases and beauty blenders. I also got this AMAZING brow gel from Ofra! I'm officially obsessed with my brows now.
     I have a rant to post. I never rant on here, but I have one and can't let it go :/ hopefully you'll still love me after you read it. :)

NOW, SALES!!!

Ofra is having a 40% off sale until May 21st, I would take advantage if I were you.

Ulta
15% off skincare
Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Neutrogena, Revlon
BOGO 50% Physicians Formula, NYX, Maybelline, L'Oreal, Jane, Palladio
Buy 2 Get 2 FREE Ulta cosmetics

Walgreens/Duane Reade
BOGO 50% L'Oreal, Covergirl, Yes, Garnier, Revlon, Boots No. 7

CVS
BOGO 50%  Revlon, Milani, Physicians Formula, Almay, Maybelline, Covergirl, Rimmel, Lumene, cotton products, Biore, Clearasil, St. Ives, Simple, Ponds

Rite Aid
BOGO 50% Revlon lip/face/eye, Ecotools, NYC, Cetaphil, Olay
BOGO FREE cotton products, tools, nail polish removers
20% off L'Oreal skincare

     I have some challenges up my sleeve, I'm just getting things together. Also, later in the year I would like to do another palette for 30 days...and a challenge all about liners...I have a few ideas. PLUS school is ending and I can not wait to have that free time to experiment with more stuff! 

     One last thing, I hope you are following me on instagram @ aprilmaykup. If not, you should...like yesterday! In the meantime come back for my rant and review later in the week and HOPEFULLY a new youtube video or 2.

Weekly Review: Makeup Removers

     Welcome back! I hope you're enjoying the week. The review today is all about eye makeup removers. I do have a favorite as you may know from reading previous articles. It is the Sephora Waterproof Makeup Remover. I don't use it everyday, but only on my 'tough' eye makeup days when I'm wearing everything under the sun.
     To accurately test these removers, I used it how I would use the Sephora remover. You always want to remove your eye makeup gently. My process: wet a cotton round with the remover and hold it on your eye for 10-15 seconds. When you remove the pad, your eye makeup should be completely removed. If there is liner or mascara residue you can use the other side of the pad to wipe that away.
You should never have to scrub (especially the eye area) to get you makeup off.

Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover 3.4oz ($20) sephora, esteelauder.com-ULTRA gentle! Perfect for sensitive eyes. Affective, almost feels like water on the eyes. ophthalmologist tested







Almay Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover 4oz ($6) drugstores- A dupe for the Sephora remover, except it's more gentle. Plus, it's frequently on sale at local drugstores ophthalmologist tested






Family Dollar Makeup Remover 4oz ($3) family dollar-I used this and it removers makeup, BUT you have to use so much of it to remove 1 eye,  that it isn't really a bargain.





ULTA Makeup Remover  3.4oz ($6) ulta-I only use this for spot cleaning, because it isn't the strong. It can remove the stray mascara without destroying your eyeshadow. This stuff is gentle and it removes makeup but, you practically have to scrub it off.

Weekly Review: Concealers

     OH YES!! It's about that time for a  review and this one is all about concealers!
I tried a bunch! an let me tell you, it's no easy task. Concealers act differently when applied to different areas. In the expressive areas of the face, around the corners of the eyes and mouth, we want something that won't crease. We also want something that will last all day, stay matte and something smooth and blendable. We also want something that will cover well, since that is the first and MAIN job of a concealer.

Lets start with the GOOD
IMAN ($13) drugstores, drugstore.com, imancosmetics.com -This is a VERY thick mixture. It was so thick that I tried to use my finger…but when that didn't work I used a brush to dab it on, but I used a beauty blender to blend it in and smooth it out on my face. Cover redness excellently, I had a pimple on my nose and with a small dab it was invisible. I had it on about 8 hours and it seems to get better (by 'better' I mean relaxes on your face and looks seamless) over time. It didn't move or crease. It was also matte the entire day!

Sephora 10 hour Blemish Stick ($17) and 8 Hour Perfect Cover Concealer ($15) sephora.com-goes on smooth, feels kind of thick. Not oily, it's matte and remains matte. Doesn't move or run. Covers well and blends excellently, PLUS there are lots of shades. People have complained about the blemish stick being cakey, but the point of the stick is to NOT make concealer go on cakey. The only way I good see it being cakey is if you, use too much and/or don't blend it.




NYX Full Coverage ($6) ulta, nyxcosmetics.com-  It feels thin, but covers excellently. It doesn't look totally matte, but it's not shiny or oily. It stays on all day. I hope they plan on extending the line to have as many colors as they have for foundation.

NYX Waterproof ($5) ulta, nyxcosmetics.com-smooth application. The packaging is more condusive to spot treatments. Feels smooth but not oily. It covers well, it's long lasting and always matte. The color look natural and seamless.

LA Girl Pro Conceal ($2) some beauty supply stores and ladymoss.com- This little gem has become a MUA favorite around the internet. For concealing? not really. For highlighting and contouring, yes. It's like a thicker liquid foundation. It covers pretty well and since it's thinner than a typical cream, it lays flat and will never look cakey.  

Also good is the Eclipse palette from Coastal Scents. I can't see it working very well for personal use, but it's a great starter for aspiring makeup artists. It has a good amount of shades, a few corrector colors and even a highlighter. The concealer, blends well and covers excellently.

                                          The BAD
ELF concealer ($1) eyeslipsface.com-Oily and way to sheer! Moves around to much to conceal anything.








ELF studio concealer ($6) eyeslipsface.com- This product is still too sheer to conceal much of anything. The formula is a little thicker and way less oily.
  




The UGLY

L'Oreal True Match Crayon ($8-$10) drugstores- very thick, colors are weird. I can only use the shade that's supposed to be my color as an under eye concealer. It blends well, but it will crease or should I say crack and looks dry and chalky on the face. The crayon worked better as a highlighter on the more oily parts of my face, like my t-zone, I guess that's the trick. Personally, I did not like this, but it might work better for people that are oily all over. Also they're color chart is a bit off so going by their warn, neutral, cool chart, will just be more confusing. Find the color that fits you regardless of the label.

The CONFUSED

Hard Candy GLAMOFLAUGE ($6) walmart- I'm confused by this product, because it covers well. When it's sets, it's a matte finish, but it chalky and can look dry. Maybe, it will work well on severely oily skin types, but DO NOT use it under your eyes and find and EXACT match.

BEAUTY NEWS!!!!

Hello again!!
     I had a busy week, some ups, a couple downs, but I'm still here as always, stalking the internet to bring you a week of deals.
     I've been thinking how much I would love to do a challenge in May. But, I have all this new stuff and I just want to use it all!! You can check out my IMATS haul video on YouTube. I wanted to do another video yesterday, but I felt like the stuff under crap. Today I feel above crap, which I consider a vast improvement!

SALES!!
I have to admit that this is the part I wait for every week.

Rite Aid
BOGO 50% Maybelline, L'Oreal, Covergirl, Simple, Ponds
40% off Revlon and Physicians Formula
30% off Neutrogena

Walgreens
BOGO 50% Revlon, St. Ives, Ponds, Yes, Covergirl, Maybelline

CVS
BOGO 50% CVS brand cotton products, makeup applicators and sponges, Revlon, Neutrogena

Duane Reade
BOGO 50% Boots Botanics, Revlon face, lip & eye, Covergirl, Neutrogena, Almay face & eye, Yes, Maybelline, L'Oreal

So it's short as sweet today. I'm putting together reviews on concealers and eye makeup removers, one of which I will have ready for you this week.
Until then, have a great week, see you soon!

Me And My Products!

    It's been a whole year and I realize I haven't updated you on all the products I currently use. I have oily/combination skin. I also have dark spots, which are the bane of my existence! I have learned how to fight my dark spots and live with them as they fade into the background. I've tried several products (it was the basis of starting this blog)

There are 3 things I wanted out of the products that I chose

1. Combat the oil production
2. Fade dark spots
3. Feel clean

Here's a list of EVERYTHING I use and love:

1 - Neutrogena Cream Cleanser- $8 at drugstores
I have been using this forever, honestly I'm glad I ran out, because I'm changing to #2 on my list. Not for any special reason, the Neutrogena is a good product, I just like the other better. daily

2- Biore Combination Skin Cleanser - $8 at drugstores

it's a gel cleanser and it not to strong for daily use, that's why I liked this one and the neutrogena. It helped with my oily skin but didn't dry my face out.  daily  

3- DermaE Microdermabrasion Scrub-$20-$30 available at health food stores and ulta.com

I figured it was time to graduate to a new exfoliator. It's made of natural products, dead sea salt and has smaller, rounder, exfoliating granules. Plus it gets the job done better. 

 few times a week 

4- Murad Rapid Age and Spot Pigment lightener- $60 at ulta and Sephora

(FYI I've never paid full price for this product)

 LOVE.  It really does work quicker than other products I've used. You only need a little. I use one pump and only apply it to the actual problem area, my chin and parts of my cheeks.
Plus, I only need this 1 step and I'm good to go! No more products that need 2 steps to work! daily

5 - Lumene Night Firming Cream -$25 at drugstores

I love it because it's light , hydrating, and not greasy. I had this hijacked from me by my mom so I decided to try #6.  daily

6- Philosophy Hope In a Jar-$15 at Sephora (trail size)

It's suitable for all skin types. It's light,  absorbs quickly. I will be switching back to the lumene only because of the anti aging properties, hope in a jar is still a great moisturizer.

daily

7 - Olé Henricksen Ultimate Life Eye Roller-$28 at sephora

This works for everything,  puffiness, fine lines, firming,  dark circles, all in one tube and you know how much I LOVE multitasking products. daily

8-Cetaphil/Family Dollar Gentle cleanser - $13/$3.50 at drugstores/family dollar

Doesn't matter which one, the have the same exact ingredients. I use it in the morning to get all the pillow dirt off my face. daily

9-Ambi Fade Cream -$6 at drugstores

When I run out of this, I cry! I have been using this a few years because it lightens dark spots,  moisturizes AND contains sunscreen...spf30 to be exact. Another plus is that it's formulated for oily skin. daily

10-Lumene Vitamin C Drops-$25 at drugstores

This contains concentrated vitamin c that helps with healing and brightening of the skin. daily

11 - Origins charcoal mask-$16-$24 at sephora

I have said it before and I will say it again, I love clay masks! Plus it has charcoal in it, which has become trendy! You can thank me for that :)  weekly    

12 - Biore Ice Cleanser- $8 at drugstores

 I used about 5-10 days out of the month because I might have a break out brought on by mother nature's curse. Usually clears up a breakout in 3 days, but I sometimes use it as  a preventative measure. daily for 5-10 days at month

13 - Elf zit stick is used as a spot treatment for pimples. $1 at eyeslipsface.com or NYC store

used as needed

14 - Biore pore strips-$9-$15 at drugstores

Are used on a weekly basis. I don't have black heads, but it cleans out the pores on my nose and makes them appear less visible. weekly 

15-Witchazel-$1-$2 at drugstores

I will sometimes used as a toner after cleansing to remover makeup/dirt from some areas like around the hairline, and nose. As also use it to remove the residue after using the biore strip. used as needed

16 - Olive oil...what? -$2 and up at grocery stores

Yes, I said oil. It's from my homemade skin care regimen. I spread the oil on my face and then lay a warm towel over the area where the oil was applied. This helps to soften the skin. I do this once a week before my scrub. I avoid applying the oil to the t- zone and concentrate on my 'problem' area. Also works with vitamin e oil. weekly

BEST $10 (or less) I EVER SPENT!!

     This months BEST $10 is from Ole Henricksen. I know you're probably gasping at a $10
Ole Henricksen product! Well the original price is $16 and comes with 2 treatments making each treatment $8. This is a 3 step system with an almond microdermabrasion scrub, a lemon, glycolic and lactic acid peel and chamomile mask.
     You only need to use this treatment as often as you would get a professional spa mask or peel, which can be anywhere from every 3 to 6 weeks. I would probably use it about once a month to start off, but it's so effective that maybe I could go longer between treatments.
     This system is actually made of professional spa grade products. It use to be ONLY available in spas, where they probably charged 100's of dollars for it.
     It leaves skin feeling AHH mazing! Skin will feel soft, brighter,  moisturized and smooth after this treatment.
     PLUS where in the world would you get a professional spa treatment for $8?!
This system also comes in a 6 pack for $45, and if we were to break that cost down it would be about $7.50 cents a treatment!

Disclaimer: If you are allergic to almonds or lactose intolerant,

 you may experience some irritation.

     Overall this in one of my TOP facial treatments...I may never need a professional facial again. My skin felt so good, that I didn't want to put on makeup. I didn't even want to wash my face in the morning, in fear that I might ruin the affects of my treatment, but I did anyway...and it still felt FABULOUS!