Holiday Wish List

Happy holidays!  I thought I'd share my wish list for this year.  Here's a sampling of what I'm hoping Santa brings me!

1. The Balm Instain Blush Trio- Only available at Kohls, and sold out online, but I have seen it in stores! This is a super deal at only $34 since just one of these is normally $22.
2. Pottery Barn Delight Light-Up Mirror- A mirror with brush storage?! Such a clever idea.  And yes, I do realize this is from Pottery Barn Teen, but check out their beauty storage section.  They have some really great pieces!
3. E.L.F. Lip Studio Lip Exfoliator- At only $3, this would be a great stocking stuffer, and perfect for dry winter lips.
4. Sigma F80- Confession: I don't own any Sigma brushes.  I'd love to have a whole set, but if I could try just one, it would be the F80.
5. Cate McNabb Lip Gloss in Pink Lady- I was lucky enough to get a mini makeover by this new cosmetics company while at a fashion event in Chicago.  The lip gloss they put on me seemed incredibly moisturizing and long-lasting, so I'm eager to try it again.
6. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Liners in Desperation- I'm always on the quest for the perfect taupe liner.
7. Tarte Lipsurgence gift set- With so many excellent drugstore options, I have yet to try the Tarte jumbo lip pencils.  These usually get rave reviews, and every color looks wearable in this set.
8. The Shine Brush- Made by The Wet Brush company, if this is anywhere near as well as their original brush, I'm going to love it! 

Comment below to let me know what you're hoping for this holiday season!

I smell a deal...

Had to get this post up quickly! In case you missed it, Walgreens is having an awesome sale on Revlon this week!  Pretty much everything is 40% off!  I wanted to let you know about a sweet deal on the new Revlon Parfumerie scented nail polishes that should work with this sale.  I found two different two packs at my local Walgreens for $10 each (see pics below).  At $5 per polish, that's not bad, but take 40% off and that's $3 per polish! But wait, there's also a $1 off Revlon nail polish coupon available in store in Walgreen's November coupon book.  So that's now a total of $5 or just $2.50 per polish!  A big thanks to G. at Nouveau Cheap, without whom I wouldn't have know about the 40% off sale!

Spotted these on a high shelf!

China Flower & Pink Pineapple

Sugar Spun & Bordeaux

Bargain Beauty

Who doesn't love a good deal on a great product? Some of my favorite beauty products are actually super affordable (and often better than their high-price counter parts).  Here's a list of my can't-live-without, must-have picks!

Queen Helene Cocoa Butter Hand and Body Lotion I have a confession to make; I pretty much never wear perfume.  The thing is, I get headaches really easily, and perfumes can trigger them.  Luckily, this lotion has a light, beachy scent that's just perfect to me.  It's a very subtle scent, but it lasts.  As for moisture, this lotion absorbs very quickly and doesn't leave your skin feeling sticky or slick.  Sometimes in the winter I do wish it was a bit more moisturizing, but most of the year, it's just right.  Best of all, you can find it at pretty much any big box or drugstore and a huge bottle of this as cheap as about $3! 

Freeman Facial Charcoal & Black Sugar MaskWhile it may seem a little strange to put black goop on your face, this mask is awesome.  I've never used anything that makes my skin feel so soft immediately.  I don't find this to be overly drying, and the sugar in it isn't too rough of an exfoliant.  I've even used this as more of a face scrub when I didn't have time to use it as a mask.  Either way my skin comes out super smooth.  This can be a bit difficult to find in store.  I paid $3.50 for a large tube of it at Bed Bath & Beyond (with an extended beauty section), and I think I've also seen it at Christmas Tree Shop, but I haven't been able to find anywhere else, other than online.  If you see it, grab it!

Turbie Twist 

If you have long hair, these towels are a must! I have the microfiber version, but I assume the cotton ones also work well.  These are so much more comfortable than wrapping a bulky towel around your hair after getting out of the shower.  They really help absorb a lot of water and definitely speed drying time.  Mine have held up well to repeated washings, and I find that they dry pretty quickly after each use.  I even bring one with me when I travel since it's so small.  You can find these in any drugstore or on Amazon for $5-7 a piece or sometimes even less! 

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

Yes, another Queen Helene product.  But, it's hard to beat a huge tube of this super effective mask for less than $4.  In fact, I've had the same tube of this stuff for years and it's still going strong.  It hasn't even dried out at all.  Speaking of drying, I use this when I feel like my pores are getting clogged and it does a good job of clearing them.  I have normal to dry skin, and have no problem tolerating it.  If you have super dry skin, this may be a bit too strong for you.  This is another easy product to find at pretty much any big box or drugstore.

The Wet Brush

Usually you're told that brushing your hair while it's wet is a big no-no, but this brush is made exactly for that purpose.  It really does detangle my hair, even if it's dry.  My mother has fine, fragile hair and had always sworn by combs.  After a decent amount of coaxing, she finally gave this brush a try.  I think her combs have been retired.  At about $8 this is the most expensive item my list, but if you buy it at Ulta, you can use one of their frequent $3.50 off coupons on it!  I haven't seen this at drugstores, but if you live near a Christmas Tree Shop, they also carry them.  You can also order one online at Amazon or thewetbrush.com.

Mix & Match

As I've previously mentioned, I love lip products.  For years, I've layered and mixing different lip products on top of one another to make just the right shade.  Recently I've been experimenting with layering eyeliners as well.  I find that this works particularly well with colorful liners, allowing you to both tone down a bright color, as well as blend and create new shades.  In the swatches below, I've used three NYX eyeliners to come up with four blended liner looks.  Two of the NYX liners are the retractable style, and they are great.  The other one is their traditional eye/eyebrow pencil (all pictured below) and that formula is just okay, FYI.

NYX Retractable eye liners in Deep Purple & Gypsy Blue, NYX eye/eyebrow pencil in Black Brown

(From L-R) First Row: Deep Purple, blue over purple, purple over blue, Gypsy Blue

Second Row: Black Brown, blue over black brown, Gypsy Blue

Third Row: Black Brown, purple over black brown, Deep Purple

I'm wearing the combination in the second row today, and it's a great way to tone down that teal color.  I'm also loving the electric blue color that the purple over blue made. Do you ever mix your eyeliners together to create new looks?  Any favorites or recommendations?

Top Taupe

Since moving back to Massachusetts this summer, I've found myself trying to tone down my everyday makeup look at bit.  The Bay State just doesn't seem to embrace a daytime smokey eye the way the Windy City did.  In order to achieve a more natural eye look while still getting use out of some of my more colorful shadows, I've been pairing many looks with taupe eyeliner.  Here are the three drugstore taupes that I've been working with.  Each has it's pluses and minuses.

• Maybelline Master Drama in Taupe Takeover is the best formula out of the three I have.  It goes on smoothly and lasts really well.  Bonus points for not having to sharpen it! This is a limited edition shade from spring or summer, but I'm still seeing it around.  My only complaints are that the color can look a little red or purple, especially on the lower lash line, and I'd prefer if it was matte.
• Wet N Wild Coloricon liner in Taupe can actually be used as a liner or a brow pencil.  While it's too dark for my brows, I like that it's totally matte, and the shade is really ideal for what I'm looking for in a taupe liner.  Unfortunately, this doesn't go on that smoothly and the lasting power isn't great.  I really have to press firmly when applying this, and even then it tends to skip.  But for 99 cents, it isn't awful.

  

  L to R: Maybelline, Wet N Wild, Rimmel

• Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in taupe claims to be waterproof.  It lasts pretty well, but maybe not quite as long as the Maybelline one.  The formula is super creamy and smooth.  Application is simple.  I do think that this wears down quickly and I find myself sharpening it often.  Not a huge deal, though I prefer an automatic pencil.  This is the liner that I've been reaching for the most of the three.  I hesitated to pick this up for quite a while, since the ones in the drugstore or Ulta didn't have safety seals on them and often looked like they'd been tested.  On a recent trip to Chicago though, I found them individually packaged and priced at $3.99 in Target.  I think they are priced a bit higher in CVS.  So if you're interested in any of the Rimmel liners,  I suggest heading to Tarjay.

Do you have a favorite taupe?  Please comment below if there's one I need to try!

Least-favorite Lip Products

Okay, I admit it: I'm a lipstick addict.

I may not have purchased my first eyeliner until the age of 17, but I've always LOVED lipstick, or gloss, or balm, or stain, or any other lip product you can think of.  So it's fair to say that I've tried a lot of what's out there.  Unfortunately, they haven't all been winners.  Here's my list of my top (or bottom) five lip products that I currently own.

5.  L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain- 

I know I'm going to take some flack for this one, as many people like these and consider them to be a dupe for a much-loved YSL product, but I just can't get past the smell.  Admittedly the packaging is beautiful, and I don't mind the shape of the applicator at all, but the overly powerful, bad perfume scent is so strong that you feel like you are inhaling it and can taste it when you apply this stain.  My other major complaint is that these feel like water going on.  They eventually "dry" and end up feeling more like a heavy balm, which would be fine except that I find it to be a bit sticky.  I can't speak to the staining power as I only have the shade Pink Resistance, which is way too light to realistically expect any staining effect.  

4.  NYX Round Lipstick in Gala-

This is more of a shade-specific complaint, but I believe it applies to any of the round lipsticks with shimmer.  This shade feels dry going on, and the glitter feels gritty to me.  I have these in other colors without glitter, and they are decent lipsticks, but I will definitely avoid purchasing any more shades with glitter in them, despite the fact that the glitter isn't overly visible on the lips.  Overall, I think you are better off trying a Revlon Super Lusterous Lipstick if you're looking for a nice drugstore option with a range of colors and finishes.  

3.  NYX Aqua Luxe Glam Lip Gloss-

Poor NYX, I swear I do like some of their lip products! It may be that my distaste for glitter is partly in play here, but I just don't enjoy these glosses.  Like the Round Lipstick in Gala, I can feel the glitter in this gloss on my lips when I apply it.  Other than that, the formula is nice, and I think in limited doses maybe in the center of your lips over a lipstick, these are usable, but I pretty much never reach for this, and won't buy any more.

2.  Milani Lip Flash- Star Flash

I love a good jumbo lip pencil, and Milani has some great glosses and lipsticks, so I thought this would be nice.  Nope.  Unlike the NYX products, this has very fine glitter/shimmer that you can't feel on the lips.  BUT, the color is so weird and unflattering that I can't figure out how they thought this was a good idea.  I've tried using this to highlight the center of my lips, but the super shimmery formula just changes the color too drastically.  It truly does "flash," and is a horribly unflattering shade on its own.

1.  Wet N Wild Megalast Liquid Lip Color

My absolute LEAST favorite, worst-ever lip product is by one of my favorite bargain brands.  This lip (gloss? liquid lipstick?) thing, is simply awful.  It is the most drying, uncomfortable product ever.  While it's certainly long lasting, that's not a good thing in this case, as you are going to want to take it off immediately upon application.  I've tried putting a lip balm on before applying, and topping it with a gloss, but nothing helps.  It completely dries out your lips and yet is also incredibly sticky.  Literally the worst lip product that I've ever used. Avoid this at all costs!

What's your biggest lip product fail of all time?

New vs Old... The Revlon Balms

If you're a fan of drugstore makeup like I am, then you've no doubt discovered that Revlon makes some of the best lip products around!  Honestly, I often find Revlon lipsticks and glosses to be superior to high end options.  A while back, Revlon released a line of jumbo lip crayons called the "Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains."  Aside from the obnoxiously long name, I'm a HUGE fan of these.

New Lacquer Balm on top, older Just Bitten Balms below

I've tried other brands like Jordana and Neutrogena's similar offerings, but for me, none compare to my Revlon ones.  So you can imagine my excitement when I heard Revlon was releasing matte and lacquer versions of their jumbo lip pencils!  As luck would have it, my local CVS already has them in.  I picked up one of the new "Colorburst Lacquer Balms" last week and have been testing and comparing it to my "Just Bitten" stains.  (I skipped the matte option for the time being.)

Lacquer Balm in Coquette (left), Just Bitten Balm in Cherish (right)

So how do these new ones compare to the old?  Well, while I love the shinny, metallic packaging, it seems that the new Colorburst Lacquer Balms contain glitter/shimmer, whereas the Just Bitten ones do not.  Ugh.  Gotta say that my days of glittery or frosty lip shades are over.  Upon initial application, the Lacquer Balm feels great, is nice and shiny, and has the same minty scent as the original balms, and as the picture above shows, it isn't noticeably glittery.  But as the glossiness begins to fade, the glitter becomes more obvious.

Sheered out a bit, the glitter begins to show in the left swatch.

It's not that they are unwearable, but I don't like the idea of adding more glitter with each reapplication throughout the day.  I also think this formula is maybe a little bit sheerer than the originals, though it does seem to stain.  

Swatches of the Lacquer Balm on left, and Just Bitten Balm on right sheered out to demonstrate wear. 

While this new formula isn't a complete fail, I definitely prefer the original formula.  If you don't mind some glitter, you'll probably enjoy these.  Now let's see how long I can resist picking up a matte one...

Welcome to Mass Makeup!

Thank you for finding Mass Makeup, the blog dedicated to bringing makeup reviews to the masses, from Mass.  After years of following other beauty blogs and YouTubers, I was inspired to finally start my own project.  I hope to bring makeup and beauty reviews, recommendations, and advice to anyone and everyone who needs it.  Whether you're 13 or 30, 25 or 75, we all want to look and feel our best.  Mass Makeup will be dedicated to gathering a wealth of opinions on products from all price points.  I look forward to hearing from you and making this blog a collaborative effort with anyone in the online beauty community who wants to participate!

Justine