Mini Drugstore Haul!

So today I had some time in between plans to stop into Walgreens and poke my head around.  I had been eyeing a few drugstore beauty products lately and it was the perfect opportunity to pick them up!

Just because I don't showcase a lot of drugstore brands on this blog doesn't mean I don't like to try them out!  And if they perform better than high-end products, why would I want to spend more money for the real thing instead of using the "dupe"?

These are just a few random things I'm super excited to use -- I'll probably end up talking about them more in detail later.  But, I shall carry on.

1.  John Frieda Sheer Blonde "Colour Renew" Tone Correcting Shampoo + "Go Blonder" Lightening Conditioner ($6 Each)

I have dabbled in this world of color correcting and renewing shampoos and conditioners, because, you know, the bottom half of my hair has been bleached for the better part of 3 years.  But nothing reaaaaaally seems to help.  Who knows if it's actually preventing damage that I'm not seeing had I not been using those products.. but we'll never know.  So for only $6 a piece, I decided to try these two John Frieda products out.  I got one type in the shampoo and one in the conditioner.  I figured I'd use the purple, tone correcting version in the shampoo to open up the pores of my hair and.. well.. correct the brassy tones of my bleached Asian hair, then go in with the lightening conditioner to lighten and seal up those cuticles.  We'll see if this works!  Also, considering I have my next bleaching session on July 30, we'll definitely see what these do for my hair.

2.  L'Oreal Paris Infallible Eyeshadow in "Bottomless Java" and "Eternal Sunshine" ($6 Each, ON SALE)

So many beauty gurus rave about these shadows, so I obviously had to give a couple of their neutral shades a go.  They were on sale for Buy One Get One 50% off, which I took as a sign from heaven that their purchase was necessary.  Of course I picked up the gold and brown shades -- but here's the thing: I know how to work neutrals extremely well on my eyes and for my skin tone, and I know what to look for in a great shadow with these shades.  It's sort of like trying a bunch of different black coffees.  You know what you like, what you don't like, and what it should taste like to you.  That's what I do with beauty products!

Application with primer

Application without primer

The color pay off is actually quite nice even on unprimed skin.  And they're beautiful applied on top of a primer!  To be completely honest, these read just like an $18 Urban Decay shadow.  The UD shadow pots come in 0.05oz, and these L'Oreal Infallible shadows are .12oz -- that's MORE than DOUBLE the product for HALF the price.  I mean.. how can you go wrong?  And yes, these Infallibles only come in 16 shades, as opposed to UD's 68+ shades, but you can blend and mix them and create a ton of different possibilities.  You'd be paying $40 for the same amount of UD eyeshadow as these $6 babies.

3.  Maybelline Volum'Express Pumped Up! Colossal Mascara, Waterproof, in "Classic Black" ($8)

Again, this is another new absolute-must-favorite-cult-to-die-for mascara that every beauty guru has been talking about.  I'm not very quick to hop on the bandwagon for newer products (I just bought the original Naked palette for the first time, and it took me months to purchase the Anastasia Dip Brow, for example).  I sort of let the professionals do their job, test things out, wear them for a little bit, and then give honest reviews and opinions, before I commit to buying anything I haven't used on myself. 

I feel like I watched enough tutorials and read enough reviews on this one to commit to purchase -- granted it's only $8, so it didn't hurt too bad to buy.  I haven't tried it out yet, but trust me, I will be doing an in depth review on this! I may even pick up the waterproof Miss Manga mascara to compare the two new beauty guru faves side by side.

The wand is super bristley, and tapers at the end for precise application on the inner and lower lashes.  I'm excited to see how this works on my super long, super straight, super sparse lashes.  Because my lashes are extremely lengthy yet lack in the thickness department, I always tend to go for very volumizing mascaras to balance them out and give them a fuller look.  Hopefully this "volume express" and "pumped up" formula is a win!  I'd love to spend only $8 on a mascara for once.

4.  Studio 35 Beauty Fashion Clippers ($5)

Okay. This is.. not really a "beauty" product but who. does. not. need. nail. clippers?  Unless you're disgusting and don't cut your nails, or you're so fabulous you only get mani-pedi's, chances are you need to use these every week or so.  And who doesn't love a cute little accessory like this?  I was in the market for a new pair of clippers (for realz), and just had to pick these up.  Why not add a little cuteness into your annoyingly mundane chores?  

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Like the title says, this was only a quick little mini haul -- nothing fancy or excessive.  But I'll definitely use the Infallible shadows in an upcoming tutorial (I have at least two new ones in the works!) and will write a whole review about the Pumped Up mascara, don't you worry!

xojaybee