Callison's Blog: March 2010

Only 6 days until Spring Break :). Ah I am so excited. We are going to an island about 3 hours away from where we are now. My grandparents have had a house there for years so we get to bring our cats with us. They have been to the beach house before but last time my sister had her dog there. Needless to say they will probably enjoy this trip a bit more. We are also bringing our modem and router so we will have wireless internet. Meaning I can film videos and I can do blogtv :). Our only plans are laying on the beach and eating a lot of food. Which sounds wonderful to me!!! I am about to run out of my Revlon Colorstay foundation in 110 or Ivory so I'm banking on getting a tan. I have 2 darker shades that I can use as I get tanner. I seriously cannot wait!

On a side note other than text about my youtube videos and pictures of various things what type of posts would you guys like? I'm excited to get some more posts up but I want to write about things you guys are interested in. Just let me know :)

I wanted to do a list of my favorite drugstore make up and face products and a small review on each one.

First i'll start with Face/Body products

Olay Make-up Remover Cloths
These are fantastic make up removing cloths. They are great for someone who has skin that is sensitive to acne products. For example, if I use products with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid twice a day it actually breaks out my skin worse. It is great at removing even waterproof make up. The only downside I have found is that it is very difficult to get eye make up off the waterline. It comes in regular and sensitive skin formula. Store this upside down so that the top cloth remains saturated in the liquid. Great for trips where you don't want to bring a lot and for camping or times when you don't have water access.

Neutrogena Make-up Removing Face Wash
This is excellent at getting a super clean face. Similar to above this is great to use at night so you don't have to use additional acne products to remove make-up. It foams up nicely and is very effective at removing face and eye make-up. Even when it got in my eyes (I wear contacts) I had no irritation. Highly recommend!

Clean and Clear Continuous Control Foaming Wash
I have been using this face wash since high school. It is great for individuals with mild acne. It isn't very strong but quite effective. Good for individuals with skin sensitive to harsh acne products. It leaves a clean feeling but without drying of the skin. I love the scent of this. Also because it is salicylic acid it doesn't bleach your clothing or towels.

Clean and Clear Advantage Spot Treatment
Excellent for use as a spot treatment or an all over preventive. It is pretty expensive based on the size of the product though. I suggest using another product for all over and then using this as a spot treatment. I notice a difference the next day and it only has a mild smell to it. This one is also salicylic acid so no bleaching of towels or clothing.

CVS Apricot Face Scrub (mine looks very different than this one)
Yup, it's the off brand version of the St. Ives scrub. I really like this as an exfoliator. It leaves your skin feeling super smooth and clean. I do notice a difference in that it removes the dullness of the dead skin. The smell is alright but I'm not a huge fan of apricot smell anyways. The exfoliants are medium sized and smooth. I suggest rubbing it in slowly. No matter how good it is if you rub it in too roughly it's going to hurt.

Olay Complete Moisturizer
By far my favorite moisturizer. It has SPF 15 and is great for everyday summer use in the sun. Even though I should use a stronger one this is what I use on the beach. I love the smell of this moisturizer even though it is nothing special. Leaves your skin feeling soft and with an even tone. I believe there is also a sensitive skin version.

Caress Evenly Gorgeous Exfoliating Body Wash
This stuff smells amazing! I'm not normally a huge fan of brown sugar and vanilla smells but man this is yummy. It is a thick and luxurious exfoliating body wash. It leaves your skin feeling like you put lotion all over and even works on elbows and heels. The exfoliator removes all the rough dead skin and reveals smooth slightly shimmery skin.

Make-up

Revlon Colorstay Foundation
By far my favorite foundation of all time. It can be used as a light to medium coverage foundation or built up to a quite heavy coverage. It stays on all day and is easy to apply. You can apply it with your hands, stippling brush/sponge to smooth, or a foundation brush/sponge to smooth. I have done all three and was happy with each one. One big suggestion - this stuff really does stay on all day. If you put it on the back of your hand to apply be sure you wipe/wash it off quickly. If not you can have trouble getting it off in a hurry before class/work. Also due to the staying power you must use an excellent make up remover. If you just use a make up removing cloth you will most certainly miss some of the foundation. There is a dry skin formula and a combination/oily skin formula. I have only used the combo/oily skin but it is excellent.

L'Oreal Feel Naturale Blush - Charmed Peach
One of my absolute favorite blushes. It stays on a long time and gives a very natural flush. I really love peach rather than pink. It is great for girls in their late teens and early twenties and all the way up to your 80s. Only downside is the brush it comes with. It is horrible and I suggest only using it if it is your last hope :)

L'Oreal True Match Blush - Innocent Flush - Color is distorted
Same as the above. I love this blush. A bit more pigmented so use a light hand and soft brush. This also comes with a crappy brush. However, I love that this container has a great sized mirror on the bottom which doesn't get covered in blush due to the location below the blush. I hate looking in a mirror that has powder product all over it.

L'Oreal True Match Concealer
Great concealer. Stays on all day and looks very natural. Shades in Warm, Cool, and Neutral and then varying light-dark. I love that the container is so small and can hide in with your lipglosses/lipsticks. It has a brush applicator which I prefer over a sponge tip.

Neutrogena Mineral Sheer Eyeshadows
I love these eyeshadows. They have a great shimmer and come with two shades in a package. Easy application due to light all over shade and darker shade for the crease. These are not sold in stores anymore (not in mine at least) but you can find them on l'oreal's site and also on drugstore.com

Revlon Colorstay 12 hour Eyeshadow Quad
These are fantastic quads especially for beginners. On the back of the package are instructions on where to put each shade. They feature a certain color group with 3 shades for the lid and 1 for a highlight. Great for busy people because you can use the lighter shades for the day and then pop the darker color in the crease for nigh time or going out. The shadows are very silky and blendable and offer great pigmentation. Highly recommend.

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen
My favorite liquid eyeliner of all time. This pen offers a felt tip with the ability to draw super fine lines and super thick dramatic lines. Great for thick cat eyes with a precise tip for the wing. Felt tip holds up in time without bending or losing it's precision. Easy application without a huge tip that gets product all over your eyelashes. Store vertically upside down to ensure tip has adequate product. Super Highly recommend. Great for beginners.

Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus
My everyday eyeliner. I have used this eyeliner since 7th grade. (11 years). It stays on all day and offers super easy application. Has a smudger on the end but I never use it. Tip can be kept short to prevent mistakes or twisted out to get a larger surface for lower eye lid or tightline. Warning: once you twist product out you cannot twist it back in. Only twist out as much as you need. Comes in very natural colors. Great alternatives to black - charcoal and espresso.

Cover Girl Lash Blast
Excellent for thickening. Can be applied lightly for everyday or built up for almost fake looking lashes. Large wand with synthetic bristles makes application easy. Con - hard to use on lower lashes and inner corner lashes due to large wand. Leaves lashes without the crunchy feeling.

L'Oreal Carbon Black Telescopic Mascara
Super long dark lashes. Great lengthening and pigmentation. Small synthetic wand allows for precise application making it easy to get each individual lash. Leaves lashes without the crunchy feeling. Highly suggest curling lashes first to prevent lashes sticking straight up towards your forehead. :)

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick - Born With It
Beautiful pink lip stick. Glides on relatively smooth although not nearly as smooth as Viva Glam V by Mac ;). Beautiful pigmentation that can be built to a brighter color. Slightly odd scent although I love it haha.

These are all of my absolute favorites. Some I have used for many years and some are new favorites that I plan to use for many more. If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask!