NYC Pride

MyOwnJudge New York Color Nail PolishDrugstore madness continues! I snagged a couple of the new colors from the New York Color spring collection. They have a cohesive mix of brights, pastels, and on trend colors.MyOwnJudge New York Color Nail PolishThere’s something about living in New York that gives the inhabitants so much pride. The atmosphere is always buzzing and there isn’t much to keep you sedentary in this city. It doesn’t matter if you were born here or if you moved here, the love just grows with time. It’s partly this mentality that makes me happy to be a patron of all products named after my favorite city. It also helps if the products rock.

As I have mentioned before, drugstore brands are doing serious overhauls of their brands, New York Color included. Their new colors are much more no nonsense than their predecessors, with thicker polish formulation, and less shimmer filled spectrums – and more pure color. The bottles look pretty fancy too. The price though, remains the same.

Have you checked these out yet?

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(Wet n’) Wild About Blush (b’ Bronzer)

MyOwnJudge - Wet n' Wild BlushCall me the budding drugstore maven, because I have been converted to the land of the under $10 cosmetics. I have some things brewing in the background awaiting the curtains to rise and there is just no room to play around with money and beauty like there used to be (though even then I had no business spending the way I did). Add that to the fact that cosmetics companies have become very cognizant of the fact that customers want quality, pigment, and they want it with a coupon. What better place to do that than a drugstore? Even if the brand doesn’t issue coupons, there are always deals and specials to hook you.MyOwnJudge - Wet n' Wild BlushI spent some time getting reacquainted with Wet n’ Wild cosmetics. I was already aware of the new lipsticks (which continue to pack a punch might I add – check my older post about them here), but sinfully overlooked their blushes and eyeshadows for a while. Well, my most recent run for milk and soda gave me reason to bring some home with me. I snagged three blushes and a bronzer (and for less than five dollars a pop, you really can get away with buying the whole collection with change to spare). As I set forth to photograph and test the newbies in my arsenal, I couldn’t resist toppling them like dominoes (the photos do the gameplay absolutely no justice!).MyOwnJudge - Wet n' Wild BlushThe variety of shades are great for different skin tones and color payoff desires (i.e. if you’re a plum/coral/pink fan).

MyOwnJudge - Wet n' Wild Blush MyOwnJudge - Wet n' Wild BlushThese powdered gals are great for layering. They went on pretty thin with one swipe and I was worried that hoodwinked, but then a second and third swipe gave priceless payoff. Not to mention, the 80s have been gone for a while, and no one needs the pigmentation three swipes deliver (though it’s good to know it’s a possibility). The photographs are also a bit different in coloring because the right was taken with flash (and is the true to life color).

You can see by the veins that peek through on my hand that despite layering, the colors don’t morph into war paint and become opaque. I had an easy time blending the colors on my hand, so one can only assume it’ll be the same on your face.

Tip: to maintain an even blush/bronzer application, make sure you moisturize your skin and then provide a primer/foundation layer for it to go on top of. The moisturizer will keep your skin moist and prevent drying-cracking mishaps, and the primer (or foundation) will create an even barrier between the powder and your skin, preventing blotchiness and allowing for a smooth blending process.

Have you found any drugstore gems recently?

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Affordable Eyeshadow Palettes

I’m usually very skeptical of uber cheap cosmetics. Why should 28 colors ever cost under three dollars? What did they save money on? Was it color? Quality? Safety? Packaging? What’s the secret!?!MyOwnJudgeMy last trip to Walgreen’s had me come face to face with a Profusion wallet palette, retailing for $2.99. My suspicions were only halfway put to rest by my previous experience with the brand and their lipgloss, and I thought the brand may be a sister company (or even the same?) to the Profound $5.00 palette. Plus, I thought, how much damage can you do with $2.99 I already decided to spend on unneeded items like gum and chocolate (I put them down in favor of cosmetics!)?MyOwnJudgeThe beauty wallets are very space friendly and boast a plethora of different colors. The wallets are in various color combinations and correspond to the color of the packaging. I purchased the violet and lime green, but there were others available. The size of these is slightly smaller than a cd case overall, but pretty much as thick as a cd case is.MyOwnJudgeMyOwnJudgeAs you all may continue to read, I am a packaging junkie. I really like their ‘Beauty Wallet’ premise, but opening the packaging had me verging on temporary insanity. What I thought would be an easy plastic case to remove turned into a rage of ripping up the packaging.

This could have damaged the shadows had I not aimed away, or if I dropped the darn thing (happens often to me). If you decide to purchase this palette, take it from me and use scissors to open it up.MyOwnJudgeMyOwnJudgeThe sleeve on the packaging doesn’t contain much information other than the ingredients. The palette doesn’t name any of the colors (which isn’t the greatest idea, because I’d like to know if they’ve been reused in other palettes), but does have a chart on the back of the sleeve numbering the colors – which aid in depicting swatches for me.MyOwnJudge
I took inventory of how the colors come off by swatching them on paper and then applying with a wet brush to my skin.MyOwnJudgeMyOwnJudgeSome of the colors look very similar to one another, but after trying them all out, I can say I like the combinations and that there is variety to the palette, compared to others having preference to neutral or blush colors.MyOwnJudgeThe wallet looks most attractive without the product sleeve and doesn’t look like a palette from the outside at all.

Pros:

  • This is a definite win if you’re trying to mask your “I need nothing to look like this” plan.
  • The price of $2.99 cannot be beat.
  • The color payoff is pretty good, especially when applied wet.
  • There is a mini tutorial on the inside cover.

Cons:

  • It is not an organic product (meaning it contains talc, mineral oil, and synthetic wax among others).

Verdict:
Skip a machiato or a soda for the day and grab this palette.

Have you tried this? Do you want to?

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Wet n’ Wild Lipsticks

MyOwnJudgeThe last time I stepped foot into Rite Aid, they were having killer sales on all things unnecessary but pretty. Wet n’ Wild products were 40% off and the new Mega Last lipsticks were calling my name. Being that each one was $2.99, I figured if I got all four colors I was itching to try, one would be free, considering the discount. For $3 a pop I honestly would have tried them without the sale as well, but a brand can normally slip under the radar if they don’t make some kind of money saving commotion to land in the weekly paper.

Lips take center stage! This 4-hour, longwearing lip color leaves a semi-matte, crème finish in one stroke. Glides on easily with rich, velvety color that doesn’t cake, feather, or bleed. Made with hydrating skin-care ingredients: Hyaluronic Microspheres provide extraordinary adhesion to lips, an exclusive polymer complex offers cushion-like feel and texture, and natural marine plant extracts Coenzyme Q10 and Vitamins A & E help smooth lips. (source)

I got the following colors:
MyOwnJudge
Usually, customers don’t expect the same color payoff and product performance from a product that is so cheap, but ladies and gents of the jury. When I tell you these lipsticks baffled me?! How can the company afford something so good for so cheap a price?!
MyOwnJudge
These swatches are after one swipe. The description does not lie! The pigmentation was jam packed with bright goodness. For the most part, the colors I chose were a good match for me, and I dare say universally flattering as well.MyOwnJudge
The lipsticks appear more matte than creamy, but they have a generally creamy application (if that makes sense).

Though I was very pleased with the lipsticks, there were two things that drove me crazy. First, the lipsticks are so pigmented, that you almost have to use a lip brush to apply the product (especially the brighter colors) for neat application within the lines. As far as the bleeding goes, there is absolutely none. Second was the packaging. Y’all know I judge packaging almost as closely as the product itself, so this had to be addressed.

The packaging contains the color name, which isn’t the smartest thing if you want a name to reference in the future, or well – just because. I have been guilty of unwittingly buying doubles and triples of products, usually because I did not have the name handy to double check (an excuse on my part, but a minor thumbs down nonetheless). Another packaging peeve? The ‘peel here’ and perforation are on opposite sides!
MyOwnJudge I’m not sure if it was just the batch I got, or if they just had to sacrifice packaging for quality. Personally, I’ll readily make that sacrifice. I normally attack the packaging like a fiend anyhow.

Stay tuned for more swatches soon!

Have you tried these yet?

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Drugstore PSA

MOJ Drugstore ManiaI would be a terrible friend if I didn’t disclose what I found to be a fact yesterday. I was drugstore perusing and found that Rite Aid lost their mind (in the best way possible). I previously mentioned on Twitter that they had a special on mascaras, but this time around? This week all nail polishes and artificial nails are BuyOneGetOne half off. Yes. ALL. This is great for all those polish companies that never have stinkin’ sales unless they are being discontinued are on sale!

But it doesn’t end there! Check out the rest of the beauty and skin care sales they got pumpin’:

Revlon: BOGO Free
Almay: BOGO 50% off (also offering $5.00 single check rebate on any two Almay products)
Prestige: (in store brand) BOGO 50% off
CoverGirl: BOGO 50% off
Neutrogena: BOGO 50% off(including the wave)
Physician’s Formula: BOGO 50% off
L’Oreal: BOGO 50% off
Aveeno: BOGO 50% off body, face, bath products
Scunci: BOGO 50% off hair accessories

They also have a BOGO free/50% off nearly all their store brand items.

——————

Who else is following the trend? CVS
CVS has BOGO 50% off all fragrances.
They also have the BOGO free sale on Revlon, and have BOGO 50% on Maybelline and Physician’s Formula.

——————

Walgreen’s is trying to be different with:
40% off Maybelline products
Pond’s: BOGO Free skin care
Olay Total Effects Skin Care/Body Wash: BOGO 50% off
Neutrogena: BOGO 50% off
Revlon: $3 off

Until Saturday, I will be checking out all the Rite Aids in the area (and knowing me, those far away as well) because their sales for the week are making me one happy gal. I was trying to curb my nail polish additions (as you can see the stash is ever growing), but I might have to make a big exception for all purchases incurred during these sales.

Plan on getting anything? Tell me what you find and what you get!


p.s. Don’t blame dear lil’ Yaya if your nearest drugstore have different sales. Consult your weekly ad to make sure they are honoring the same deals before you bring your purchase to the counter. I will not and am in no way financially stable to support everyone who will have a different drugstore sale (or else I wouldn’t be looking out for sales!).

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