{Loving Lately} Beauty Steals!

In my years following college, I had the pleasure of working for some of the biggest names in the beauty industry, and with that privilege came the exposure to many lines of cosmetics, mostly all high-end. With the immersion into the culture of department store beauty, you would think I would have developed a slight preference for the finer things for the face--- not hardly! While I certainly regard some cosmetics as investments, (i.e. designer eye shadows are always richer, smoother and longer lasting--- the same can be said for designer lipsticks) I am pretty much up to try almost anything from a drug store. My most recent and most coveted find came from the checkout lane at where else ... The place we all loathe: Wal-Mart.

How amazing is this??? I have struggled for years with my angled brush and shadow to create the perfect brow--- but I never seemed to have to knack for it. I can remember when I worked for Lancôme, my mentor put an emphasis on brows. She described them as essential--- especially for older women, she boasted proper brows could take ten years off the face. That is a big claim but I will agree that brows are a staple for a put-together look. This kit contains four different variations of brow structures and little plastic cut-outs that you can press up against your brow and actually "color" the shape onto your brow. It sounds too good to be true because it is. And guess what, this kit was $1.
ONE DOLLAR!!!!!

Next up is an attempt at highlighting and contouring without the pricy kits and tools that you see advertised on television and online. I made a $6 investment in the following cosmetic and I was so thrilled with the outcome.

Shown above is Hard Candy Cheek Contour in Island Glow. I applied this to my face using no tools, just straight onto the face via the tube.

Lovely, huh? Apply the light tint to all the places on your face that reflect light. And apply the dark tint to the sides of the nose, forehead, cheekbones and along the rim of your face. Use a sponge and blend, blend, blend!!!

Not too shabby for a $6 investment! There is a large amount of shimmer to the stick though, if it is too much for you, just gently dust some pressed powder on and it will neutralize the shimmer. I think it looks fabulous and provides the perfect sun-kissed look just in time for summer.

 

 

Hope you enjoyed my steals! See you tomorrow on Winedown Wednesday... if that's any indication what's coming up ;)