Early Christmas Mini Haul

My mother and I made a trip to Walgreens and CVS this evening to do some browsing, and I ended up getting a few new things.

CVS had some really great sales on. There were a lot of buy one, get one 50% off on some great products. One of the products was Loreal's Infallible eye shadow. I looked at them and nearly bought them myself, but put them back. My mother grabbed them and took them to the register. The retail price is $7.49, so we got the second one for just over $3 and then added on a $2 off coupon. All together it came out to just under $10 for the both of them.

I chose Perpetual Purple and Eternal Sunshine. I didn't realize until after I got home that they were my high school's colors!

This is a shot from the bottom. I love the little containers!

This is Eternal Sunshine. The sheer color on top was applied with my finger, and the more brilliant color on the bottom was achieved with a brush. I think a brush will be my main mode of application with these colors, mainly because if I apply with my finger most of the pigment seems to be caught in the grooves of my skin leaving only shimmers behind when applied. 

Swatches of Perpetual Purple. Again, the sheer color on top was applied by finger, and the darker below achieved with a brush.

This little press is probably my favorite part of the deal. Not only does it keep the powder from going everywhere, but it also presses it down. This is the first time I've come across a product with any little gadgets like this inside. 

While there I also looked for Garnier's Skin Renew B.B. Cream, which I had seen last night on Nouveau Cheap. She said it had been spotted at CVS, so I decided to check mine. Unfortunately, my search didn't yield any results.

Seeing the disappointment in my eyes, my mother suggested we go across the street to Walgreens. My first search yielded no results yet again, so Mom suggested I ask the girl at the beauty counter.

It's a good thing I did! After a bit of searching with the sales associate, I found the display on top of a shelf. If the girl hadn't have said anything, I would have never found it. I was blown away!

Even better was that they had it buy one get one half off, which I was really tempted to do. I was just weary of buying two of a product I hadn't tried. If this turns out as well as I hope, I will go back and take advantage of the deal. The girl was even nice enough to dig through her coupon stash and found me a dollar off coupon!

Walgreens has the price set at $12.99. It was $11.99 with the dollar off coupon, which made the find even sweeter!


This is the box to look for if you go hunting for it. I expected that the B.B. Cream would be in larger print, which led me to overlook it the first time I glanced over the shelves.

The tube is a very nice size. I expect it to last quite a while, even with daily use.

 

How it looks straight out of the tube. I was worried when I bought it, simply because the products created for light/medium skin don't work well on me as a general rule. 

After a bit of blending, it can't be seen.

My first impression of this product is an overall positive one. It smells decent for a makeup, and does it's job well. I did try it after I took these pictures, I just didn't take any pictures of the results (it's been a long day - I looked like hell).  It did take a bit more blending on my face than it did on my hand, mainly because my face is so light. It hid nearly all of my blemishes and freckles (which I don't have many of to begin with), though it didn't do much for my dark circles. It left my skin hydrated. It did feel a little pasty and made my skin feel rather odd, different from a traditional moisturizer. Otherwise, my skin looked absolutely fantastic.

Once I finished with the application, I dusted on a bit of Palladio Rice Powder in Natural to set it. I'm not sure if it is just my inexperience with b.b. creams or if I was a bit heavy handed with the powder, but it left my skin looking a bit pasty. I will have to experiment.



Verdict:

Loreal Infallible eye shadow - A nice splurge. A bit difficult to get off, but long lasting. More colors would be nice, though the current selection covers all bases from neutrals to wilder colors.

Garnier B.B. Cream - Love it. As stated on the box, it evens skin tone and brightens. I just wish it was offered with more options other than Light/Medium and Medium/Dark. Since this is my first b.b. cream experience, I will need to order an Asian version to give an accurate comparison and see if the Garnier version really holds a candle to it's predecessors.

Overall, I am over the moon pleased. I never expected to find the B.B. Cream in my local Walgreens since I can't even find the Revlon Lip Butters here. The girl at Walgreens informed me that they are marking down a lot of Revlon products to bring in new things, so maybe that will be the next on my haul list! I cannot wait!