Summer is likely to find people chilling out on the beach, bobbing their heads at a music festival, or sitting back and relaxing with friends at a barbecue. But are you likely to be hanging out at the drugstore? Well, now you have 10 reasons. From must-have classics to new innovations, see why you'll want to be heading to the beauty aisle this season.
Everybody loves a good bargain, even celebrities. Take Leighton Meester, for instance, who recently counted CoverGirl's Lipstains as among her favorites. But she's not the only star who knows a good deal when she sees one. Find out what some of your favorite celebrities are stocking up on at the drugstore when you read more.
Sally Hansen recently launched Nail Effects, precut, stick-on nails in varying colors and patterns. But these aren't your ordinary hard and plasticy fake nails. Nope, these adhesives are thin and stretchy, molding to the shape of your natural nail. And after admiring the eye-catching Misbehaved pattern ($9) on a DailyCandy writer, I knew I had to give them a try.
At around $9 a pop, depending where you get them, these temporary nail designs aren't exactly cheap. They're supposed to last for up to 10 days, so check back later for my report on the eventual wear and tear. But after having them on for just a few hours, I'm surprised at just how pretty a gold-and-black fishnet-stocking manicure can be. See what else I thought when you read more.
I'm always on the lookout for a lightweight foundation that also gives good coverage — and if it happens to be reasonably priced, that's even better. Enter Maybelline's recently launched Fit Me line. The 18-shade foundation and powder collection (with six coordinating concealers) marks the brand's largest color range to date, spanning fair to dark skin tones. These oil-free formulas are numbered by intensity, which makes it easy to coordinate products. (For instance, I'm fair, so I wear shade 110 in foundation and concealer shade 10. Someone with caramel-toned skin might go for shade 350 and concealer shade 30.)
For our full review, keep reading.
While I find brow gels and pencils to be OK in a pinch, they tend to be a tad heavy and unnatural looking. That's why I really cannot go without a lighter-textured brow powder. Recently, when my beloved Anastasia Brow Powder Duo took an accidental tumble, resulting in about a billion little taupe-colored powdery pieces all over the floor, I really didn't want to fork over the $22 to get a replacement.
Instead, I headed to Target and came upon Maybelline's Ultra Brow
Brush-On Color ($5), available in dark or light brown (I chose the latter). Go with the darker hue if you have deep brunette or black hair, or also if you're a light-to-medium-toned brunette who wants to go for a darker brow à la Michelle Williams kind of thing.
While it's probably just best to find another use for the little brush that the Ultra Brow comes with (tile cleaner?) and let a better quality brow brush with a spool-y end be its stand-in, I found this product to be an impressive substitute. The texture's not too chalky or so powdery that remnants flake down your face, and I loved the long-lasting fuller, natural-looking brows I got with this powder. It's got neither a harsh or obvious finish, too, so even the most subtle among us should be pleased. Perhaps a few more shades added to the line would be nice, though.
I'm a sucker for a great multitasker, so when I heard about ShaveMate's Diva 6-Blade All-in-One Razor ($8) with shaving cream contained within the handle, I knew I had to try it. While not completely faultless, this disposable razor screams perfect-for-travel. I also like the fact that this product's moisturizing "glide strip" isn't excessively gooey or gummy.
While this razor has a slightly curved rectangular base on the end, I tend to prefer a wider, rounder shape for the legs. You see, impatient me tends to nick myself with narrower razors, especially of the disposable sort. But the Diva's design makes it particularly good for smaller surface areas, like under the arms and bikini line. To see more pros and cons, keep reading.
It seems like Taylor Swift, the spokeswoman for CoverGirl's new Natureluxe line, has been everywhere these days. And her skin does look pretty amazing in those ads, no? While Taylor is a young 21-year-old, and she has the help of makeup artists and special lighting to give her flawless looking skin, I couldn't help but wonder just how great that new Natureluxe Silk Foundation ($12) really is. To see what I thought, just keep reading.
The problem with many lip stains is that they tend to feel or look dry on the lips, but with Revlon's new double-ended Lip Stain + Balm ($8 each) — not to be confused with the brand's Just Bitten Lip Stain from a few years back — these types of problems are less of an issue.
With 10 shades in the collection, ranging from a rich dusty rose to an intense red, the stains are a lot darker and bolder than what the outer packaging would have you believe. (I tried Beloved, which turned out to be a bright berry hue.) You can, however, easily adjust the intensity by layering on more product or thinning it out with the balm. So to see the pros and cons of this multitasker, just keep reading.
