Five Things - Drugstore Face Powders

Today I decided to write about something I use pretty well everyday, sometimes multiple times a day, both with and without foundation, and all year round - powders!

They're essential for many reasons - setting your foundation, brightening up your complexion, stopping those pesky oils from appearing, and giving you a quick and simple way to get a little touch of coverage on days when your not looking to use anything too heavy. 

I've gathered up my five drugstore (low end) favorites to show you all. They're great if you don't have a big budget, or you just want something cheap to throw in your travel makeup bag so you don't have to worry about your $50 powder shattering while you're on the go. 

1. Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - I have actually heard through the grape vine they are discontinuing this (say it ain't so!), but if you can still find it try to get your hands on it. Its finely milled and provides a great matte finish without looking chalky. This one specifically I love using on its own with a little concealer for a light makeup day. 

2. Covergirl Clean Pressed Powder - This powder range comes in several different varieties, based on your skin type, I have the 'normal skin' variety even though I'm much more on the combo/oily side. I love this because it feels light and breathable, while still doing what it's supposed to be doing. The only complaint I have about this is the scent, which reminds me somewhat of a face wash I once used in my younger days (oxy clean maybe?). It's not enough to really bother me all that much, and doesn't last long once applied, but I could see how this could possibly bother others who are more sensitive to scented products, especially ones that are going directly on your face. 

3. Rimmel Stay Matte - This is, like for many out there, a holy grail product that I must always have a back up of. It is cheap (about $5 CAD), but does what most high end powders only wish they could do. It claims up to 5 hours natural shine control, and in my experience it does the job! I can't say enough good things about this product. If you haven't tried it, do it! You wont regret it, especially if you have combo/oily skin like me. 

4. Maybelline Fit Me - Yes, two Maybelline powders in the same post! But let me say, they know how to make good products, and this powder is certainly up there with their dream matte as well. It doesn't have as much of a mattefying result as the dream matte, but it provides a lovely, soft, barely there look to your skin once applied both alone or over foundation. 

5. Elf Studio Pressed Powder - This is most affordable of the 5 powders I'm mentioning ($3 CAD) so it can be expected that it is a little more loosely packed, which only means you just need to use a little more caution not to over do it so that you don't look chalky or caky. It maintains a matte finish for several hours before touch up is required, so for being so affordable it is well worth the purchase to have on hand in your beach bag or where ever else your nice products don't really belong. 

Top 5 Blushes of the Moment & Swatches

These 5 blushes I have chosen are what I have not been able to keep my hands off for this Spring season, and also plan on using well into the summer months ahead. 

If you would like to see the video on these picks, including a more detailed description of why I love them so much, click here!

(Left to Right) Elf 'Peachy Keen', Hard Candy Fox in a Box 'Smooth Talker', Rimmel 'Pink Sorbet'

MAC 'Melba', MAC 'Subtle Breeze'

(Left to Right)

Elf 'Peachy Keen'

Hard Candy Fox in a Box 'Smooth Talker

Rimmel 'Pink Sorbet'

MAC 'Melba'

MAC 'Subtle Breeze'

Peachy Keen;

This blush is not only one of my favorite affordable blushes, it is one of my favorite blushes of all time, hands down. It's the perfect peachy shade, with a slight hint of golden shimmer. I believe this is one of those colors that would flatter pretty much any skin tone. How can you say no for $3 after all? The pigmentation is also very impressive (not just on this shade, but all shades I have sampled from their studio blush line). 

Smooth Talker; 

This blush is a mix of four separate shades (although you could technically attempt at using each color individually, I really don't believe it's worth the struggle). It includes a peach, a lilac-esk shade, a coral and a basic pink. When mixed together they form a light peachy color. As you can see from the swatch, it is similar to Peachy Keen, but just on the lighter side. All the shades are matte finish. For darker skin tones this could really be used as more of a highlight. I love it if I'm not looking for a ton of color, but just a nice glow, without my cheeks being frosty or shimmery.

Pink Sorbet;

I actually have an entire separate blog post on this blush, so I will try not to bore you with the details of this product again (see my entire post here). To make it short and sweet, it is a light pinky peach (more pink I would say though) which comes off with a slightly frosty finish. Again this is a lighter shade, which for my skin tone adds a lovely pinky glow. This is the blush I tend to grab when I have a darker eye look and am unsure of what blush to reach for. 

Melba;

This is a blush I also recently acquired, which is shocking because it is right up my alley, and if you have ever heard anyone speak of MAC blushes, you've probably heard Melba come up. I have a full post of this blush as well, which can be found here. It is the best natural matte peach shade - very pigmented - it can be used with a light hand to give a subtle wash of color, or can very easily be applied for a bolder statement. 

Subtle Breeze;

Unlike Melba, this is a mineralize blush, which is slightly less pigmented than the original MAC powder blush line, but still very workable - I am always happy with the color pay off, although it may not be impressive enough for some. This appears much more of a pinky mauve in the container than it actually comes out to be - turning out more of a pink than mauve (as seen in the swatches). This blush is especially great for people that are starting out in makeup and are intimidated by heavily pigmented products that require some practice to apply and blend. This color is also very wearable for all skin tones. 

What are some of your favorite blushes? Have you ever tried any of the ones I mentioned? If so, which ones? And if not, would you be interested? 

Until next time! 

xo, Hannah 

Top 5 Lip Glosses at the Moment

(From Left to Right) 

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Fashion Whim

Loreal Colou Juice Lip Gloss in Bubble Gum 

ELF Super Glossy Lip Shine in Pink Kiss

Covergirl Wetslicks Amazemint Gloss in Slaphappy

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Fashion Icon

1. Fashion Whim - This lip gloss has several reasons why I am such a huge fan of it. First, it has a Cremesheen finish. If any of you have read some of my other posts you are already familiar with my love for MAC Cremesheen Lipsticks. Second, it is a gorgeous peachy nude, something which most of you would also know I love. I also always enjoy MAC glosses because of the lovely vanilla scent. It has decent staying power and I have found many of my lipsticks look amazing when paired with this gloss. 

2. Bubble Gum - This gloss has been said to be an amazing dupe for MACs Lip Glass in Underage. It is such a lovely, soft baby pink color which I find pigmented enough to wear simply on its own. It has a lovely fruity scent and relatively good staying power as well. It does come in a tube form however, which I am honestly not the biggest fan of, but it does create convenience and portability, and is easy to toss in your purse. 

3. Pink Kiss - This is by far the most affordable gloss of the 5, you can pick this up from eyeslipsface.com for a mere dollar. I am honestly constantly surprised by these elf glosses, proven by my picking up of one and being so impressed I simply had to pick up another two in different colors. As it is only one dollar the staying power is alright, you will be needing to apply more frequently than say with the Cremesheen though. The scent, like the Loreal gloss, is lovely and fruity, and also has the convenience factor of a tube gloss. 

4. Slaphappy - Let me first say I am really not a big fan of the name of this gloss. However I do love this line of glosses (this is my second from the line). It is nicely pigmented and works very well over several of my nude lipsticks to provide an extra pop of pinky-coral (perfect for this time of year). The other thing I do really love about these glosses is the minty sweet scent it provides. 

5. Fashion Icon - This gloss I actually bought fairly recently from my local drugstore, I noticed they were a new line of Rimmel glosses, and they were also on sale so I simply couldn't pass it up. This gloss has an amazing pigmentation, probably one of the best going in terms of drugstore lip glosses I have ever tried. Unlike the others I have mentioned this one has no real specific scent to it, which is fine by me and I also really enjoy the packaging of this. The color is an amazing coral, but don't be scared, I have found you can also tone it down if you are not into such vibrant colors. 

(In order from left to right same as above) 

My Top 5 Neutral Lipsticks

Today, I decided to take a look into my collection and pull out my top picks for neutral lipsticks. I am a very big fan of neutrals in general (as I am sure I have mentioned before), and my lips are no exception to that either. Although I do own many bright colors that I also have a huge love for, I decided today to focus on my favorite neutrals/nudes. 

Left to Right;

Revlon Just Enough Buff

Revlon Soft Nude

MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 

MAC High Tea

Loreal Nude

(swatched in same order as above)

1. Revlon Just Enough Buff I believe was one of my very first Revlon lipstick purchases. Obviously I chose well because I am now on my third tube. This one is from their Super Lustrous line which provides amazing moisture to your lips - just perfect for everyday wear. It is also simple to lightly sweep on, or build up for a more defined look. 

2. Revlon Soft Nude has been raved about by many, and in my opinion, for good reason. This is such an amazing peachy nude shade which can be pulled off by pretty much everyone. It is, like I also said about the other Revlon lipstick, very moisturizing. This one however is from their Colorburst line. This lipstick also provides an amazing base from which to apply a brighter lipgloss. 

3. MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 has also been a highly raved about lipstick. I am for one, a huge fan of all MAC Amplified finishes - they are amazingly pigmented but still very creamy. The shade lovely because it is very adaptable to many skin tones, and personally does not wash me out at all. 

4. MAC High Tea is the newest of the bunch. I have come to really enjoy it as we move through spring. It is a Lustre finish, which basically means it provides a nice sheen and almost glossy finish.

5. Last but certainly not least is Loreal Nude which is another repurchase of mine. I heard about this lipstick through a guru on YouTube, and after picking it up for myself, fell in love. It is very creamy and has lovely pigmentation. I think it's the perfect color for everyday wear, but has a slight bit more pop then your run of the mill nude color. This one happens to be a particular favorite of the fall months as well. 

Tell me some of your favorite nude lipsticks