CVS/Walgreens Drugstore Haul!

I did a bit of prowling around the drugstores this weekend, looking for new Halloween displays, sales, and anything else that seemed exciting! Here's the total damage:

And read on for details and close-up shots!

wet n wild Coloricon Bronzer, Reserve Your Cabana - This is way more of a highlight than a bronzer, but it's one of my absolute favorites....I actually dropped and broke mine a few months ago, and I've been missing it so much that I needed another! Out of everything I purchased, this is the one thing I would 100% recommend, because I've used it before and it is lovely!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color, 660 Indi-glow - It's hard to see in the picture, but this is a pretty purple/indigo jelly polish with green/gold glitter. SO stunning in person!

Maybelline Baby Lips Crystal, Crystal Kiss and Pink Quartz - The Crystal line of Baby Lips is the only line that I haven't tried yet, so I figured I'd give a couple of shades a try! I LOVE the pink glittery packaging!!

wet n wild Eyeshadow Brush and Angled EyeShadow Brush - these were both only $.99! Not sure how great they'll be, but for a buck each, I have no problem giving them a chance, Plus, if nothing else, they'll look cute with my other brushes!

wet n wild Megalast Nail Color, Rouge 66 - This is a matte red shade that I actually used to paint my toes yesterday! I like it a lot, the color was very opaque and the matte texture is extremely pretty! It's not quite as matte as I would have thought, there's still a little shine to it, but a matte topcoat would fix that if you want it as matte as possible.

e.l.f. Snow White "The Fairest of Them All" Eye Collection - I just had to have this set for the cute Snow White themed palette. I think this is a situation where I was suckered in by the packaging, but for just $5, I don't even mind! The palette is completely darling!

e.l.f. Ariel "Under the Sea Eyes" - Again, the cute packaging won me over! That burgundy/purple shade in the bottom duo looked like it would be nice for fall, so I have some high hopes for this one!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color, 770 Copa-Banana - This glitter was just too fun to pass up! I haven't used it yet, but it seems a little sparse, so this may be a polish that requires a lot of effort.....hopefully it's worth it!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color, 930 Mind Your Manors - This chunky glitter is a mix of pink, green, and blue, and looks simply amazing!

wet n wild Fergie Longwearing Eye Pencil, Ex-Stacey and HyperSky - I couldn't pass up a bright pink and blue liner! I love to incorporate color into my eye looks, so these are practically made for me!

wet n wild Megaslicks Balm Stain, 2AM Call Time - I think this product is a part of the Halloween limited edition collection, because it has a "limited edition" sticker on it - don't quote me, though!! Either way, the deep purple shade is great for fall!

e.l.f. Beauty Book, Class of 2014 - I'm not sure if this palette has some sort of official name other than "Class of 2014," but either way, when I saw it at Walgreens I had my heart set on getting it! I just graduated college, so the class of 2014 is very special to me, and I love having little things to commemorate that!

Sinful Shine Nail Polish, Nouveau Purple - I tried a blue shade of these polishes, and the shine was incredible! I thought this shade would be a nice fall color to work with.

Sinful Colors Glow in the Dark Nail Polish - Honestly I'm not sure if this will even work, but I think glowing nails are sooo much fun, so I thought I'd give it a go!

wet n wild Coloricon Palette, Daring Downtown - Again, one of the limited edition items, this palette has five dark and shimmery shades, perfect for Halloween or just a fun smokey eye!

And some closer shots....

Can't wait to review and swatch some of these things for you guys!!

XOXO,

Ally

New MUA Makeup Academy Line at CVS

So I got this little pamphlet in the mail today - CVS sure does know how to get a girl's attention!

Makeup Academy is a new line of lip products, brushes, and lashes, coming to CVS. Though this line uses the same logo/name as the British MUA makeup brand, these products are completely new, formulated just for their release at CVS. They are not the same products sold at Superdrug stores in the UK. You can read more about this new line at Happi.com!

I definitely want to test out some of these new lip products for you guys, so hopefully I can put that $2 coupon to good use! Since these products were newly created for CVS it's hard to know what they'll be like, and the prices for the lip products are around $8 - a little pricey compared to the UK brand!

I'm hoping to spot one of these displays at my local CVS soon! (I'll snap some pics if I do!)

9/15 Update: And here's the display!

The lip products look really interesting, not too sure about the brushes - they were a little on the pricey side but they did seem like nice quality!

XOXO,
Ally

My last haul of 2012!

Dude, it's 2013 already! I seriously can't believe how 2012 flew by...it feels like just yesterday that I was getting 2011 and 2012 confused, and now we have 2013 to throw into the mix!

I wanted to share my last haul of 2012 with you guys - I picked up some things from CVS before visiting some friends for New Years, mostly travel-sized stuff and some CoverGirl products because I had a coupon.

CVS cleansing and makeup removing wipes (travel size, pack of 5) - these worked really well! I love using makeup removing wipes especially for traveling, but I didn't have any at the time so I figured a tiny pack would be perfect for me!

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion - I don't know if this is technically a face moisturizer, but it was the only travel sized lotion that they had...it was definitely too thick for my face, so I'm guessing it's more of a body cream. It was nice, just not for my face.

CoverGirl Liquiline Blast in Violet Voltage - I haven't tried this out yet, but I have swatches coming up!

An exciting toothbrush case in red. Functional and necessary.

CoverGirl LashBlast Clump Crusher Mascara - I haven't tried this either, but I love LashBlast so I have high hopes for this mascara!

And that's all! I hope everyone had a great New Years and I wish you all a happy and healthy 2013!

XOXO, Ally

Lots of Extrabucks = CVS Haul!

Yesterday my hair was feeling pretty greasy and I had no time to shower before my sister's band concert - so I figured it would be the perfect time to invest in a dry shampoo. I ran into CVS and grabbed the Tresemme Freshstart Dry Shampoo, which ended up being on sale (I got it for $3.49 ish and saved $2.99). I also got a ton of coupons at the end of my receipt, so today I stopped into CVS again to spend my $16.50 in extrabucks, along with a few other coupons that I had been saving for a rainy day.

CVS brand skincare was buy one, get one 50% off, and when I scanned my card in the store I got a $1 off two CVS brand skincare products - it was definitely an offer I couldn't pass up. I decided to get the CVS Apricot Scrub, since I'm running out of my other apricot scrub, and the CVS Deep Cleaning Pore Strips. I've used the Biore Pore Strips before but I wanted to see if the CVS brand would work the same, since they were several dollars cheaper. And I picked up the Clean & Clear Blackhead Eraser Scrub - in case you couldn't tell by my other skincare purchases thus far, I have major issues with blackheads and clogged pores, so I like to try anything that promises to help with blackheads. I mean, you never know what might work, right?

Finally, I got two products that I can't wait to try - the L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow in 888 Iced Latte, and Bio-Oil! I've heard amazing things about these L'Oreal eyeshadows, and I love iced lattes so it was pretty obvious which shade to get. And I've been hearing a lot of good things about Bio-Oil, but it's a little pricey (around $12 for the little 2 oz. bottle), so I wanted to wait until I had Extrabucks to use on it. Fingers crossed that it'll work for me!

XOXO, Ally

The Most Wonderful Day of the Year - the CVS Beauty Clearance, of course!

Guys, I'll admit it - I have a bit of a makeup addiction. That euphoria when I come home with a bag full of beauty goodies...it's the best. So obviously the CVS Beauty Clearance is my favorite event of the year, period.

I just hit up my first CVS (I have two or three more to go!) and I grabbed a bunch of 75% off (and a few 50% off) products. I'll try and do actual reviews on some/most of these products later on, but for now, I'll just show off my first haul out of (hopefully) many!

First is the Physician's Formula Bamboo Wear Bambuki Brush. I've never actually used any Physician's Formula brushes, but I do like a lot of their other products so I thought I might give this kabuki brush a try. Plus it's made out of 100% natural hair and fully sustainable bamboo, and having just watched two documentaries on climate change for my international relations class, I'm all for using renewable resources when making beauty products.
Original price: $10.79
Price after 75% off discount: $2.69

Next, I grabbed two nail polishes - mostly because they were already really inexpensive, and the 75% discount just made it too good of a deal to pass up. The first is the Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Nail Color in 05 Diamonds, which is a sheer, sparkly color that's actually a little more yellow-toned then this picture seems to show. I've never tried any polishes from the Diamond Strength line before, but I do think that the little plastic diamond on the bottle is super cute! The second color is the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 14 Plum Power. I have a few other Xtreme Wear polishes and I like them quite a bit, and with the 75% off discount this polish ended up costing about three quarters. That's even cheaper than doing a load of laundry in my dorm...
Diamond Strength Nail Color 
Original price: $5.49
Price after 75% off discount: $1.37
Xtreme Wear Nail Color
Original price: $3.19
Price after 75% off discount: $.79

Since we're talking about nails, the one other nail product that I grabbed was the Sally Hansen Quick Care Growth Treatment. Now, I normally wouldn't spend a lot of money on a product like this, unless I knew for sure that it worked well and would grow my nails. But since it was on clearance, I decided to go for it. After all, if it doesn't work, I only wasted around $2, instead of around $10. I'll let you guys know how it works for me - I tend to bite my nails (even though I'm trying to stop!) so they're perpetually short. Hopefully this treatment will encourage them to grow a bit and I can have nice, long nails!
Original price: $9.99
Price after 75% off discount: $2.49

I didn't get too many face products, except for the Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Correcting Concealer set thing. I've tried green correctors before (my face has some redness issues) but they never seemed to make a noticeable difference. So I figured I might as well give this one a try (I got the green corrector shade, they make one with yellow as well) and if it sucks...well, at least it was 75% off. The packaging is pretty cool - the little containers snap together, which would probably be neat if you had more than one set and wanted to organize them (it reminds me of their Gel CreamLiner sets that also snap together - more about those later, *wink wink*). The set contains a corrector, a concealer, and a highlighter, so it seems like it would be ideal for traveling or on-the-go touch-ups.
Original price: $8.99
Price after 75% off discount: $2.25

I also only picked up one lip product - the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Siren. It's a bright orange/coral color, and while it may not be the best color for the winter, it's definitely a gorgeous color for spring or summer. I'm already a huge fan of this shade and I can't wait to get more chances to wear it - I'll probably break it out during December and January even if it's not totally appropriate for the season, because it's such a great color.

Original price: $8.79
Price after 75% off discount: $2.19

Ah, time for the eye products. First up are the only two things that I got for 50% off instead of 75% off - two Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palettes in Vanity and Greed. I don't think i need to tell you guys how good these are - they're definitely fantastic! I have one of these palettes in Lust and I use it all the time, but I really wanted to try their more neutral palettes as well. I have really high expectations for these two since Wet n Wild has some great quality products out there, but I'm sure they'll live up to my expectations! 
Original price: $4.99 (x2)
Price after 50% off discount: $2.49 (x2)

Next is a bit of a spur-of-the-moment purchase. I've never used any Almay eyeshadows before, but I saw that their Intense I-Color shadow palette for brown eyes was on sale, and since I have brown eyes, I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone - test out some Almay shadows, and test out whether or not the shadows actually make my brown eyes look any better! I normally ignore all that "for blue eyes!" and "for brown eyes!" stuff at the drugstores, but who knows...maybe they're onto something! The shades look really pretty, so I'm super excited to test this one out and let you guys know what I think! 
Original price: $8.99 
Price after 75% off discount: $2.25

We've made it to the Physician's Formula eye products, which means we're almost to the end of the haul! Now, I don't have hazel eyes, but I still picked up the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips palette for hazel eyes because...well, look at those colors! Gorgeous! I actually have one other Shimmer Strips eyeshadow palette and I'm not a huge fan (it's from the Smoky collection and for green eyes, and I don't wear a lot of grays or greens so I really have no idea why I got it...it was probably from the CVS Clearance last year). But I wanted to give the range another try, this time with colors that I use more often, and there are a lot of beautiful colors in this palette. So fingers crossed that this one works out for me! 
Original price: $10.99 
Price after 75% off discount: $2.75

Lastly, I was really excited to grab two more of the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Gel CreamLiners. I have the liner set for brown eyes from the original collection and I use them a TON, so I thought it was definitely time for me to pick up some more. Ironically, all three of the eye products from Physician's Formula are for hazel eyes, but I have brown eyes...I guess hazel eyed people just get the best shades of these things! It was really hard to get a good picture of these while they were in the packaging, because their plastic lids are so reflective, sorry guys! Anyway, I got one set from the core collection (it comes with taupe, pink, and black with pink shimmer), and one from the glam collection (it comes with antique gold, metallic amethyst, and black with gold shimmer). I love love love the one set of these liners that I already have, so I'm super excited to try more. And I adore the fact that they can stack together - I'll never lose any of the little pots! Plus, the brush that comes in this set is actually pretty useful. All in all, I love these liners and can't wait to test out some more of them!
Original price: $10.99 (x2) 
Price after 75% off discount: $2.75 (x2)


I had a $5 extrabucks coupon, so that made my discount even better - in the end I spent $23.60 after tax and the $5 off coupon, and I saved $76.92. CVS Beauty Clearance ... I honestly love you.

I still have a few other CVS's to check out next Monday, when I'm home from college, so expect more hauls soon!

XOXO, Ally

CVS Beauty Clearance - Haul and Swatches

Guys, I look like SUCH a stereotypical lazy beauty blogger right now. I'm in my pajamas, my hair is up in a towel, I have a green face mask all over my face (not like it would go anywhere else) and I'm writing up a blog post about makeup. Oh gosh, what has my life become? (Oh right - super-mega-awesome-foxy-hot, that's what it's become.)

Anyway, my local CVS finally busted out their beauty clearance, after days and days of checking in with no luck. I saw them putting out the stickers two days ago and planned to actually go on a hardcore CVS shopping spree yesterday, but there was a major snowstorm yesterday so I was basically confined to my house. But today I managed to stop in twice, and completely shock my mom with the amount of makeup that a single person could purchase at one time.

(From left to right.)
Loreal HiP Shocking Shadow Pigments in 102 (Exciting): 75% off of $14.49 = $3.49
Rimmel London Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation in 100 (Ivory): 75% off of $7.99 = $1.99
Peacock ring from Payhalf: $4.50
CoverGirl Outlast Smoothwear Lip Liner in 100 (Blush): 50% off of $9.49 = $4.75
Milani Lipstick in 32 (Berry Rich): $6.79
Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in 001 (Lilac): 75% off of $11.29 = $2.82
CoverGirl Continuous Color Lipstick in 565 (Rose Cashmere): 50% off of $8.29 = $4.15
CoverGirl Wetslicks Amazemint Lipgloss in 660 (Happy House): 50% off of $7.99 = $3.99
CoverGirl Wetslicks Amazemint Lipgloss in 615 (Plum Crazy): 50% off of $7.99 = $3.99
CoverGirl Wetslicks Amazemint Lipgloss in 610 (Tickled Pink): 50% off of $7.99 = $3.99
CVS Purifying Mint Masque: $4.59
Almay Pure Blends Foundation in 140 (Buff): 75% off of $11.49 = $2.87
Almay Pure Blends Loose Finishing Powder in 100 (Translucent Matte): 75% off of $15.99 = $3.99
Rimmel London Colour Rush Quad Eyeshadow in 001 (Smokey Noir): 75% off of $8.49 = $2.07
Loreal HiP Shine Struck Liquid Lipcolor in 662 (Arresting): 75% off of $14.49 = $3.62
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in 200 (Lilac Pastelle): 75% off of $9.99 = $2.49
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in 160 (Firecracker): 75% off of $9.99 = $2.49
Revlon ColorStay Mineral Bronzer in 040 (Golden Bronze): 75% off of $13.99 = $3.49
Maybelline New York Expert Wear Blush in 100 (Mocha Velvet): 50% off of $5.99 = $2.99
Total: $66.57
Total value: $181.82
Money saved: $115.25, 63% of total value

We'll start with the lest beauty-related item that I got, although of course I only got it because I could use it with my makeup. It's actually a votive candle holder that was sitting all alone in the old Christmas items section, on sale for 50% off (originally 2/$5 or $2.99 each, I got this one for $1.49). I figured it would be perfect to hold my smaller brushes or my eyeliners and mascaras, since the cup I currently have them in is getting a little overstuffed.

Next, we have the foundations and things that I have yet to open and test, and a few other random assorted items that aren't really makeup. It's pretty much the misfit group, and I'll probably update this section as I test these out.
(From left to right.)
Rimmel London Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation in 100 (Ivory): To be honest, from what I've read online I don't expect this to be the best foundation ever - but a sale is a sale, and I'm never opposed to testing new foundations, especially when they're wonderfully cheap. My face does get a little oily sometimes, so anything with the promise of 'matte' at least gets a chance in my book.
Almay Pure Blends Foundation in 140 (Buff): My opinion from the above foundation also applies here - I'm iffy on whether this will work well or not, but I figured clearance was the perfect time to experiment. This one is 97.4% natural and has SPF 20, while the Rimmel foundation does not.
Almay Pure Blends Loose Finishing Powder in 100 (Translucent Matte): Up until now, I never owned or used any sort of finishing powders, mostly because I only ever used powder foundation. But I figured it's kinda an important thing to at least add to my makeup collection, so I pretty happy to see this 75% off
Peacock ring from Payhalf: Yeah, so there's one thing thrown in here that's not from CVS, but oh well. There's a Payhalf right near CVS and my mom wanted to see if there were any super-cheap black skirts for my little sister to wear to her band concert, so we popped in there for a few minutes - and when I saw this ring, I had to have it. It was probably the fastest shopping decision I've ever made, actually.
CVS Purifying Mint Masque: I saw this mentioned by a few beauty bloggers recently so I figured I would pick it up the next time I made it to CVS. I currently have it slathered all over my face, and it feels pretty nice and refreshing, despite the fact that I look a tiny bit crazy. (Update: I just rinsed it off my face and my skin feels incredibly smooth! I'm definitely going to keep using this and see if my skin improves at all.)

Revlon ColorStay Mineral Bronzer in 040 (Golden Bronze): I typically use the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer that came in my Glamour Revolution Palette, but to be honest, dragging out that huge palette every day can get tedious. So one of the things I was looking for at CVS was another nice bronzer. This one from Revlon is fairly light, which is nice because I have a pretty fair skintone. It does seem to have a bit of shimmer to it, but nothing too overpowering. The actual poweder has a domed shape in the case, and unfortunately I knocked it off of my desk while I was taking pictures and the rounded part broke off - you can see what I'm talking about in the pictures. I'm a little bummed about that, but to be fair, it was mostly my fault. I'll probably crush it up tomorrow and either use it as loose powder, or try to press it with some rubbing alcohol.
Maybelline New York Expert Wear Blush in 100 (Mocha Velvet): I used to use a Clinique blush that was similar to this shade, but a little pinkier - I believe it was called Dusty Rose or something similar to that. Anyway, I picked this up because I have a lot of shimmery bright pink blushes, but not a lot of more subdued brown tones. I like that this brush is a little more substantial compared to the tiny one that came in the Revlon Bronzer, but I'll probably still use my own blush brushes for this.

Loreal HiP Shocking Shadow Pigments in 102 (Exciting): Deciding which of these HiP pigments to get was incredibly difficult; I finally settled on this one because I didn't think I needed any more neutral colors and I probably would never use a bright pink, blue, or green. The little brush included with this is actually not as useless as most drugstore brushes are, but you can't go wrong with your own brushes, either. This pigment has a super gorgeous pink shimmer to it that I really like a lot.
Rimmel London Colour Rush Quad Eyeshadow in 001 (Smokey Noir): So I bought this mostly out of nostalgia - no, the black isn't the most pigmented and the shimmer is a little weak, but this was one of the first eyeshadow quads I bought when I was first getting into makeup and the black in this palette was the first eyeshadow I ever lined my eyes with (I used to stick with liners pretty exclusively). It's become a makeup staple in a way, just because it would be strange to see my makeup collection without it.

Milani Lipstick in 32 (Berry Rich): This wasn't on sale, but I bought it because I had seen a swatch on Temptalia and it looked gorgeous, and I'm a huge fan of bright lipsticks. It reminds me a little bit of a Revlon lipstick I have in 725 (Love That Red) because they're both so bright, but the Milani one definitely has a pinker tone to it. It also has a strange smell, like a strong berry/fruit scent, and I'm not sure if I entirely like it, but it's something interesting to note.
CoverGirl Continuous Color Lipstick in 565 (Rose Cashmere): This color seems almost like a Barbie-pink to me - and it's rather shimmery on the lips, which I usually don't like, but I don't mind it so much here. I swatched it next to the e.l.f. Essentials Lipstick in 618 (Seductive), and while they look similar on my lips, the e.l.f. one is much peachier than the CoverGirl one. I also love the packaging on this, it's really cute.
Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in 001 (Lilac): This is a really pretty purpley-pink color, without being completely intimidating. It's really gorgeous and the packaging is adorable! It's not something I'd usually wear, but I was in the mood to try something new.
CoverGirl Outlast Smoothwear Lip Liner in 100 (Blush): I like that this is retractable instead of needing to be sharpened, and the color is very close to my actual lip color. It's a really pretty natural-looking shade, so I'm sure it would look good on a lot of different people.

CoverGirl Wetslicks Amazemint Lipgloss in 610 (Tickled Pink), 660 (Happy Hour), and 615 (Plum Crazy): I bought this gloss in Tickled Pink the first time I stopped in at CVS, and loved it so much that I had to go back for more. The blue color shows up as almost clear, and is supposed to make your teeth look whiter, so I figured it would be something cool to try out. Plus, who wouldn't love to whip out a blue lipgloss and freak everyone out? These glosses are extremely minty which I love, but if you don't like minty glosses I would stay away from them. And something about the chunky blue top just feels awesome in my hands. I dunno, I just love them!
Loreal HiP Shine Struck Liquid Lipcolor in 662 (Arresting): This is a really cool color - it's a pinky magenta with a hint of purple shimmer. It was the only Loreal HiP lipgloss that my CVS still had in stock, but it's definitely one that I would have reached for anyway, because I love bright colors and I love really unique colors - so this is the perfect combination!
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in 200 (Lilac Pastelle) and 160 (Firecracker): I love the packaging of these too - very simple, but very chic and classy. Both these colors are gorgeous, although I'm not convinced that they would look good on everyone - and Lilac Pastelle definitely looks better layered over a lipstick (like the Revlon lipstick in Lilac). Lilac Pastelle is pretty opaque but still glossy, so it looks better layered over something light than on my lips alone. Firecracker is a lot sheerer and more orangey than the tube would lead you to believe, but something about it still appeals to me. It seems like it would work well for those days where you want a quick splash of color, but can't be bothered with layers of lipstick, liner, and gloss.

So I'm off to rinse my green, peely face off. I may try and run out to the other CVS near me to see if they have anything different in stock, but if not, that's all for my super-cheap drug store beauty hauls ... for now.

XOXO, Ally