US drugstore delights

So I have already shared a few US drugstore disappointments from my trip to the States and today it's time to share some of the drugstore delights I have discovered so far!

L'Oreal had some great bits-first up is the L'Oreal Magic Lumi light infusing primer.  This is my absolute favourite from all the things I bought and I have developed an obsession.  This is a pearlised white liquid primer that adds an amazing glow to the skin.  It's very very similar to MAC Strobe Liquid but not as 'on speed' as the Strobe Liquid.  It's lightweight and can be used as a primer, mixed with foundation or as a spot highlighter.  Foundation sits really well over it and it makes me feel like I look awake and glowy.  I bought 4.  In terms of glow I would say MAC Strobe cream is the most glowy, then this and then something like the Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base is the most subtle of this type of product.

Also from L'Oreal is the Magic Lumi Highlighter in Light.  It's a twist up pen concealer that gives YSL Touche Eclat a run for it's money.  It's really good for highlighting under the eye and disguising dark circles.  It blends easily and doesn't crease.

Finally from L'Oreal is a new release that I don't think is available yet in the UK or Dubai.  The Le Matte lip crayons are really good matte lip products.  They're long lasting and non drying and really pigmented.  I picked up Matte-r of fact and Mad for matte and love both.  A couple of downsides-personally I find the tip of the crayon quite difficult to control and I recommend using a lip liner first and then for really precise application, a lip brush dipped into the crayon to apply.  Secondly, Walgreens stuck a very sticky sticker on the lid of the crayon which is a nightmare to get off and leaves the pen sticky and dirty.  Little things like that can really put me off using a product.

The Essie Gel Setter top coat is brilliant for extending the life of my manicure.  It adds a really glossy finish to nails and since using it I haven't had one chip.

Last up are the Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder eyeshadows.  I bought the shades Bella Bronze and Bella Sand.  The first time I used them I wasn't very impressed, feeling they were a bit dry in texture.  But since I have gotten back to Dubai I have been using them a lot and really like them.  They literally last all day, there is very little fallout and the pigmentation is excellent.  Bella Bronze is such a stunning reddy brown colour with complex microshimmer embedded into it too.  I'm loving this type of shade at the moment.

Have you tried any of these drugstore delights?

US drugstore disappointments

If you're a regular reader of my blog you'll know I mainly blog about high end make up over drugstore.  But I am not a 100% make up snob (maybe just like 99.7%) and I know sometimes the drugstore brands produce some amazing bits! 

In the States recently I went to Walgreens a lot.  I think Walgreens is amazing-you can literally buy everything there!

So I went a bit wild in the aisles in there and CVS.  I don't mean to be a negative Nelly, and there will soon be a 'drugstore delights' post coming but today I am sharing some of the products I picked up that have disappointed me.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer (or so I thought) $11.99 for the treatment make up/$9.99 for the concealer

I made such a cock up here.  I have heard such good things about the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer and really wanted to try it and on our first night in Chicago I made Mike wander round CVS as this was high on my wishlist.

In CVS my first thoughts were 'there are loads of shades of this' and then 'there don't seem to be many light shades'.  When I got back to the hotel I tried it and I was at a loss how bad it was.  It felt oily and slippery and had barely any coverage.  I bought the lightest shade and it was almost an exact match to my skintone so didn't conceal or brighten my undereye area.  I was sure I had bought a dud.  And the packaging is just disgusting.  I knew this of course, that it had the sponge tip but it feels so dirty as soon as you use it.

So I started to google reviews when I got back to Dubai to try and work out why I was going wrong and that's when the penny finally dropped.  There are two versions of the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind-the concealer and the 'treatment make up' which is a foundation product and is I actually what I have bought.  I guess that explains why there are so many shades.

I'm pretty gutted I picked up the wrong item but I still wouldn't use this as a foundation.  The texture is very oily and watery and the coverage is minimal.  It doesn't seem to dry on the skin and the sponge applicator just feels like germ attraction central.  When I am next in the UK I probably will still try and pick up the concealer as people do rave about it.  Available UK and US but not Dubai.

Nuance/Salma Hayak-Dual Phase Makeup Remover $8.79

I needed a new eye make up remover and picked this up also in CVS on our first night.  Unfortunately it was really ineffective at removing mascara and left me with serious panda eyes.  The formula is gentle and doesn't sting, nor leave oily residue but I needed it to remove my mascara which it just didn't! 

CVS by the way is amazing for deals and their loyalty programme is worth signing up for even if you're on holiday.

L'Oreal Infallible Pro Matte foundation $12.99

I did a complete 180 on this foundation after a few days use.  Again it was something that was high on my wishlist and I picked up shade 101 Classic Ivory (the palest shade) in CVS.

I started using it straight away and I thought it was really good and I was raving about it to my friends.  However I have actually changed my mind on this.  Firstly it doesn't work well with all primers-it's fine with radiance primers but seems to split over matte primers.  That seems a bit odd to me-if I want a matte finish why would I use a radiance primer and then a matte foundation?  It does have a matte, almost flat finish to it and the matte finish does last-but I do find that this foundation settles into the tiny pores around my cheeks/nose, even with a primer underneath.  It's medium coverage but it's nowhere near as good as I expected it to be given several youtube gurus' glowing reviews.

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow and Liner Nude $11.95

This is a really cute and well packaged palette of neutral shimmery tones which on the face of it is right up my street.  But the formula is so tightly packed that I struggled to pick up any colour at all on my eyeshadow brush.  I really had to dig into the palette for any colour payoff and the shadow on the lid was incredibly sheer.

If the texture was a little softer I think it could have been a really handy little palette.

Have you tried any of these products?  What are your thoughts?