Two for Thursday: Quick Drugstore Holiday Picks

Since it's the end of the month and I'll also be posting a monthly favorites, I wanted to share two quick reviews on drugstore (or drugstore-priced) beauty holiday kits.

First up is the Wet n Wild Megalast Nail Color Collection.

This set is marked at $4.99, but I found it last weekend on sale for $2.99 at both Rite Aid and CVS, with $2 rewards attached to it. Yes, that makes this set $0.99.

In this set, you receive nine of the Megalast nail polishes, each weighing in at 0.17fl/5ml. This is one of the cheapest formulas at the drugstore, but one of my favorites. It lasts and lasts on my nails.

I thought so much of it that I picked up one for me, and one for my mother for Christmas. If that's not a stamp of approval, I'm not sure what is.

I feel like this kit has neutrals, bolds, brights, and classic shades- essentially, all you'd need for any number of looks. I think that this is a great kit.

Next up, the Real Techniques Fresh Face Favorites Kit.

This retails for $19.99 at Ulta, but I found this kit for $6.99 at my local TJMaxx.

This set comes with three brushes: a BB/CC brush,a contour brush, and a detailer brush.

It also comes with a sponge wedge.

Do I think this is worth $19.99? Nope. But if you spot it at your local TJMaxx like I did, remember that it's this year's kit and totally worth it. I love Real Techniques brushes, and I find them to be really high quality.

Sorry for the quick post, but I wanted to share two kits I've picked up recently with you.

ColourPop Supernova Shadows in Moonlit and Walk of Shame

I'm sorry to be bringing you one of my big disappointments. I try to find the positive in most products (even if I pro/con them honestly), but these... they're better than the other liquid shadow that injured me, but that's a low bar.

After some mixed experiences with the Stila Glitter and Glows and loving the Wet n Wild liquid shadows, I (like half of the internet) pretty much fell over myself when ColourPop launched their new Supernova shadows ($7, 0.17oz/4.7g). I threw two of these into my most recent order.

Let's get into this.

Walk of Fame is a gorgeous nudey gold that has some serious bronze and silver sheen. It's rich and beautiful. I had all sorts of dreams on how to use it.

Here's a good look at the applicator on these. However, I don't use applicators with liquid shadows- I transfer the product to palettes and use little eye brushes.

Swatched, this looks stunning. I did these swatches before I tried them on the eye and I felt like this was promising.

I loved my testing look upon application, but I'll get into my issues with this product after showing you the other shade I picked up.



I'm a sucker for purples, despite being mentally scarred by another purple liquid shadow in the past.

Moonlit is a stunning, shiny warm purple. It reminds me of a certain other shade, without the p damage to my skin.

This is such a perfect color, in my opinion. I love how gorgeous it is, and it looked just like fall to me.

And here's both of these swatched together:

Now that we've all oohed and aahhhhed over just how beautiful these shadows are, let's talk about my experience with them.

I don't recommend them to anyone.

That pains me to say because I've been liking the ColourPop products that I've tried lately. And these are so beautiful. Here's what happened to me all of the times that I tried them, no matter the base. I've tried these on a bare lid, over a cream shadow, over a powder, and over Glitter Glue.

Across the board, these are flaky. Dangerously flaky in my opinion. Just don't mess with items that fall into your eyes- you have one set of eyes and taking care of them is incredibly important. It was such a mess every time that I wore it that I think it's the formula.

bareMinerals You Won't Believe Your Eyes Eyeshadow Kit

Today I have the first of several bareMinerals posts that I'll be featuring over the next couple of weeks. This brand has only caught my eye lately. There's a bit of a story behind this item- the bareMinerals You Won't Believe Your Eyes Eyeshadow "Trio" ($10, Ulta), which was a Black Friday special release.

I'm a sucker for advent calendars, and I've been mulling the bareMinerals advent calendar since it was released. Here's the problem: I've never tried any of their classic loose eyeshadows! So when I spotted this for $10, it seemed like a better way to sample the brand. I figured that if I liked the formula, I'd pick up a full-sized shadow in a color of my choice. This claims to be a $34.50 value, which I seriously doubt. 

In this kit, there are two mini eyeshadows (0.28g/0.01oz each) and an Eye Defining Brush.

Let's jump into the eyeshadows. 

First up, bff. 

I didn't find this on Ulta's website, but I'm also writing this post with a headache- so I may have just missed it. The brand calls this "shimmering pink pearl."

I found this to be a very pale beige with pink undertones- but really frosty and metallic. I wouldn't call this a pearl at all. Take a look at the swatch (dry, with finger):

Very opaque- and straight up metallic. This will be a nice all-over lid shade for subtle glam.

Queen Tiffany is in the normal shimmer range ($15, 0.02oz).

The brand calls this "medium bronzed brown."

I was really impressed by the shimmer and complexity of this shade that's visible even in the loose bits.

I think this could be a lovely, everyday was of color. It's not as metallic or harsh as bff, so I see this being more flattering across a number of complexions.

Here's the two shades, swatched:

I think this duo would find a welcome place in any makeup lover's stocking this holiday season!

I'll also take a moment to talk about the Eye Defining Brush that's included. I would never use it with these shadows, but I'll put it to the test sometime. It looks like it'd be good on the outer V.

I haven't played with these other than swatching, but wanted to post a quickie overview of the kit in case you were wondering about it as a present. I think it's the way to go rather than the advent calendar, personally!  I'll post in the comments as I play with these- I think this is a very affordable into to the brand's classic product line.

For $10, I think this is a great value and I'm glad I picked up this kit. Sometimes you wonder about the Black Friday releases, but I think this is a winner from bareMinerals.

Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint in Uncensored

Let's talk about one of the few Black Friday releases I was drawn to: the Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint in Uncensored ($24, 4ml/0.13fl oz).

Uncensored is a bold and bright red that's striking on her (check out this photo- we're assuming this is Uncensored on her) and also supposed to be a universal red. I think it's incredibly bold on my complexion, to be honest.

Yes, I do have the MAC nail polish from the Brooke Candy collection that's packaged in a similar manner. My nail collection is all over the place, so I won't be sharing that in this post but they are similar. However, the applicator makes all of the difference:

Pro tip: that's not nail polish, and a little brush isn't for the lips. I found the faux confusion a non-issue, to be honest. What I found more difficult, however, was controlling the formula.

I actually wrote this post as I was testing it for the first time so the thoughts are very fresh.

Application: I found this little wand to work well, although I was concerned with the liquidity of the formula. I was able to control it by using a small amount of product. However, it's one of the most difficult formulas I've dealt with to apply. So if you're not used to liquid lipsticks, particularly runny ones, be armed with makeup remover and Q-tips.

Drydown and Comfort: I was really impressed with the drydown. I actually didn't know that it was dry until I looked at a mirror. It's very comfortable. This formula didn't provoke my lips, which is helpful this winter.

Transfer: That said, I was shocked at the transfer everywhere. The color still appeared to be on my lips, but my goodness it was on everything. It fails the kiss test miserably for the recipient- but it does remain on your lips.


This is Uncensored, swatched:

Yes, this is a bold and striking red. It was actually jarring to wear it while I tested it; I was doing a no-makeup day otherwise (I mentioned my knee injury on Sunday, and that's when I wrote most of this post.)

I think it looked pretty good on the lips- even without a ton of prep in advance. It was shockingly red- but it'd look amazing with a hugely glam look. I'm thinking a nude shimmer or glitter on the eyes, a classic wing, and Uncensored on the lips.

Do I like the formula? I like it better than most liquid lipsticks because it didn't destroy my lips. Is it easy to work with? Not really. Does it transfer? Yes, to the point where I'd want to babysit it. It's a shame, since this is a "holiday party" color but I'd be afraid to wear it to one.

I'll be interested to see if this formula is rolled out with other shades. I'd be interested in a MLBB shade. I think it's worthwhile checking out, but just be aware that she's high maintenance.

Cargo Emerald City Eyeshadow Palette

Today we're going to talk about Cargo's smaller palette offering for Holiday 2017; I have many thoughts about the Emerald City palette ($34, Kohls/Ulta, spotted en masse at my local TJMaxx for $9.99).

I knew that this Seattle-themed palette was interesting to me, but my feelings changed completely when I found it at TJMaxx. Dear Cargo, you're destroying your brand to me. Current holiday LE palettes at 2/3 off? I feel like a fool for having paid full price.

Let's jump into the palette. It's not very Christmas, but it's lovely. You've got some light neutrals that lean a bit cool, some deeper shimmers, three greens, and a random rich brown.

In other words, this is your typical Cargo palette. I do appreciate the emerald packaging.

Let's open it up. There are a total of four mattes and eight shimmers and metallic shadows.

It's pretty basic, and it's ok. It's nice to have, but not my favorite of the holiday releases. Let's dig into it, and I'll pro/con it for you.

Here's the first row, swatched. It's a nice, cool-toned, neutral palette.

And the second, darker row:

See what I meant about it being a nice, neutral palette? I just don't find it exceptional.

These perform well. I don't find Cargo's formula to last exceptionally long on me, even with primer. I was able to do a number of neutral, work-appropriate looks from the palette.

Now, let's pro/con it.

Pros: This would make a nice gift for someone on your list, especially if you can find it at TJMaxx.  It's neutral and very pretty and does have those 70s vibes (hi, Lake Union?) that are so popular right now.

Cons: This is at TJMaxx, so I don't recommend spending full price. It's also extremely similar to another Cargo palette I spotted at TJMaxx. Take a look:

That's the Wanderlust palette. So you if you can find this palette instead, grab it. Either palette would be nice for the makeup lover on your list.

Dose of Colors Holibae Liquid Lipstick Set for Holiday 2017

A few days ago, we kept it snuggly and nude with Dose of Colors The Snuggle is Real kit, now it's time to kick up the heat and check out the heat with the Holibae Set.

The Holibae set also retails for $29 and contains three red liquid lipsticks. This is a fantastic value since these are full-sized liquid lipsticks and to buy three of the singles would be $54. This is the kit that initially intrigued me the most, as I've been eyeing Merlot and Los Anjealous

First up is Bittersweet.

As a reminder, these are all full-sized, and the same as the permanent lipsticks.

According to the brand, this is an "orange red." I happen to agree, and think this is more of a summer red on my cool complexion.

It's fun, but it's not my favorite out of the trio.

Next up is Strawberry Pop. The brand describes this as "strawberry red."

I think this is a lovely mid-toned red that's not quite the deep, classic red I want this time of year, but it's a fun change of pace. This is my favorite formula, and I know I'll get a lot of usage out of it.

Again, I find this a bit light for me this time of year... but it's a nice spring red for me.

Last is Extra Saucy. The brand describes this as "deep red."

This is that lovely oxblood that I reach for this time of year. It's beautiful and lovely and everything that I want.

This is the one that will be on my lips this holiday season.

Here's a look at all three of these shades together:

I think that this is an extremely well-edited trio of reds. I think this is a fantastic value, and I recommend buying both of these sets.