Smell Like A Sexy Oatmeal Cookie

I cannot tell you how long it's been since I bought a new shower gel. 

Years...actually years. For real.

I worked for a pretty popular skincare and beauty company for a long time a few years ago and at the time one of the perks was lots of free product and a great discount so I did have quite a large stockpile of favorites to work through. (Many of which are now discontinued :( )

Finally after finishing my last, probably expired, bottle of sweet smelling gel I looked to a newly re-branded Soap and Glory for shower time inspiration.

The 2 for 4$ Drugstore Matte Lip Score

 It's admittedly been a while since I found anything truly exciting at the drugstore. I went through a long phase where I bought a lot of drugstore makeup and had a lot of 50/50 experiences. 

I think that's to be expected when you're shopping on a budget. In my experience the formulations, while great for some, have a much more narrow margin of success at a lower price point. Since then my beauty budget has increased a bit and so I'm more inclined to shell out for pricier products.

That said, every once in a while the drugstore gives up some really stellar surprises. 

Transition Scents

 During the warmer months I tend to put candles away in favor of quicker burning and altogether less "hot" ways of scenting my spaces. I like a bit of incense or a reed diffuser but when it starts to get cool the candles come right back out. 

I have sort of moved on from my days of the Bath and Bodyworks candle and have stopped trying to find sophisticated and unique scents in the sea of sugar-y frosted donits and pumpkin coffee. 

Enter the wonderful world of small batch candle life. 

Romancing the Glow

Something about this Summer has reinvigorated my love of a tan. I have been responsibly beach going on the weekends since my return from vacation and as such have had my first real summer tan in over a decade. 

As such I am starting to dread losing my color. I know a couple of months down the line I'll be loving my Snow White winter complexion with a nice dark lip but for now I'm all about holding on to what's left of my Summer glow. 

Brows on a Budget

So it is a universally acknowledged fact that when it comes to brows Anastasia Beverly Hills has written the book for years. Her products are very often front runners when it comes to creating the perfect arch. 

After years of ruling the roost though many brands have thrown their hat into the ring and my newest brow addition is from Soap and Glory. 

Let's just cross our fingers that they bring the whole range to Ulta at some point down the line. 

Two Skin Savers from Across the Pond

 This is by far not the first product I've shared from my Summer vacation but these are the two that I have been easily the most impressed by. 

They've made my skin look the best it ever has especially through the warmer months where my skin is more prone to congestion and irritation. 

All it took was three weeks, 3,000 miles and two products to get me there. 

The New Favorite

The dreamy sun-soaked photo above unintentionally captured my feelings of warm fuzzy summer love that I have for the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colors.

No. Joke. This stuff is the things matte lip dreams are made of.

Even application, full color coverage, non drying and minimal transferring. UGH! I just love them.

I 100% will be getting more.

Just a Dusting

 The one thing I seem to be able to successfully keep in my collection one at a time is face powder. I'm not sure if it's because it's less fun to buy than other base or color products or if it's because I go through it faster than any other product in my collection.

It's the one thing I always manage to show the most loyalty to as well. I find myself finding a formula I love, going back to it two or three times and then move on to something new. 

There were quite a few new to me formulas on my international "to buy" list so for the first time in months I have more than one compact to work my way through.

(Under)Cover Lover

If there is one base product that I can really get excited about it's concealer. 

For years I wasn't much of a foundation girl and since beauty blogging and YouTube have become a bigger part of my life that's changed I still always keep a wide selection of concealers, my true love, close at hand. 

While I was traveling I made sure to nab one formula I wanted to try and another that I knew I already loved. 

Hippie Business

Do you know how sometimes you're really excited and intrigued by a product but then you just don't buy it?

For whatever reason you justify leaving it on the shelf with things like "I'll never use it" or "I already have things like that and I don't need another." 

All of these are really smart conversations to have with yourself when you shop. In my experience it minimizes unnecessary spending but, every now and then, you cave and you buy the thing that you know is probably not going to get used or finished. 

Except this time...I should have picked this up ages ago. 

When Summer Brights Feel Right

Despite that fact that two weeks ago I was droning on about winter berry lips at the height of the Summer season I may have finally managed to find a set of "seasonal" lipsticks that are making me tick.

They are in a stellar formula that, better yet, is at the drugstore.

The Maybelline Creamy Mattes formula launched last fall and for the Spring they doubled the shade range.  As soon as I saw preliminary images of the colors I knew exactly the colors I would be aiming for.

Quick and Easy Weekend Makeup

Quick and easy weekend makeup can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. In some cases for me it means no makeup but on some occasions I like to spiff up for a day at the park.

A couple of weeks ago I hit up Astoria Park in Queens with some friends and nabbed seven quick items to play with.

The Warm Weather Dark Lip Obsession

I'm not sure what it is this year. Normally I am SO on board with spring this-summer that but this year it seems the only shades that have graced my lips have been in the blood red and burgundy families.

Admittedly I'm having a bit of a baby goth girl moment as my Instagram can certainly attest to.

I think there is something about a more generous makeup application that feels fun for me right now.

I have mentioned a fair few of these babies before but as they have barely left my lips in nearly a month I think it's high time they got another shout out.

Some Thoughts on Colourpop

I finally placed my first Colourpop order a couple of weeks ago and when it arrived on Monday I was beyond excited to crack them open. It was all I could do to get the photos before I stuck my grubby fingers in the product. 

For the uninitiated Colourpop is the latest in a line of fledgling beauty brands that are made in the USA and pedaled by the YouTube hierarchy. 

Not that there is anything wrong with that. As a business model it's pretty genius but, from a consumer perspective it does make me hesitate before parting with my cash. 

Now that I have had a chance to play with my goodies (I ordered eyeshadows and a blush) I'm all about telling you what I loved and what I didn't love.

The "Ready for Spring" Wishlist

The change of season means it is definitely wish list time!

Gotta love a wish list. 

On top of that the last two days have been sunny and 40 degrees here in NYC. You would think we'd all lost our minds. All of a sudden everyone is like WooHoo 40 degrees, it's summer! Let's wear shorts!

No joke. 

While I'm not quite there yet the few extra hours of sunshine certainly wants to make me add some springtime sass to my beauty wardrobe. 

These are the things on the list.

The New Nudes

There is always something so welcoming about discovering a new everyday shade that sings on your skin. One of those colors you can just reach for without thinking about or having to worry if it matches the rest of your makeup. 

I'm not sure what it is but I don't seek out colors like this too often. It may be because I am more inclined toward a bold lip and because I don't always give myself the time needed to do my eyes "properly" in the morning. (As I sit here makeup free at my desk.)

At any rate, this past weekend I plunked down for two new nudes that came highly recommended from two very reliable sources and I could not be happier with them.

The Best of The Drugstore Feb 2015 | TheUnanimousMolly

After my recent beauty clear out I finally started to realize that there were a lot of budget conscious beauty bits that I wasn't reaching for in favor of my other slightly pricier options.

Armed with this new information and a MUCH smaller collection I thought it would be a good time to go through the good stuff that was left and pick out all of the drugstore goodies that had earned a spot in the new lineup. 

Some of these are old, some of them are new but all of them are honestly some of the more affordable pieces that I will reach for on the regular. 

So what should you pick up the next time you're perusing the aisles of the local Rite Aid?

Check out the video and find out! 

The Spring Series:Cheeks

The final installment of the Spring Series!

This one is going to cover all things blush. I do love a good cheek color and nothing really says springtime like a good coral pink cheek.

These puppies run the gamut from cream to powder, pink to coral and, high end to budget so if you are looking for something to refresh your look for the impending (hopefully) warm days I should have you covered. 

A Limited Edition 8$ Worth Spending

There was a time when my beauty obsession was so intense that if something had a "Limited Edition" label you could guarantee I would spend my money on it. Especially if it happened to be at the drugstore. 

The thought process was something like "Well if I hate it, it's only 8$ and if I don't get it now I'll surely regret it." (Don't call me Shirley.)

The problem with that line of thinking is that you inevitably wind up with a lot of product you don't really love and a collection so out of control you don't know where to reach when doing your makeup. 

So since learning my limited edition lesson I've become much more decisive about which items I'll shell out for and which ones get to stay on the shelf for other hungry collectors.

This weekend when I spotted the new Maybelline Spring Rebel Bloom Limited Edition Color Tattoo in the shade Black Orchid I knew it was coming home with me. 

Head to Head:Cleansing Water

Nothing has made a bigger splash within the community than the onslaught of the cleansing water over the last few years. 

Not only did people get excited when it was first mentioned but the obsession has had legs. 

With feature's like Into the Gloss' Top Shelf and various other "what's in your bathroom" kind of interviews being commonplace these days its hard for a week to go by without someone mentioning their micellar water of choice. 

There is definitely a front runner, Bioderma Crealine H2O has been the be all end all of models and makeup artists for years but about a year ago myself I cam across something more accessible and just as effective.

....So now that Bioderma is available (and relatively affordable) here in the states how does one measure up to the other?

Find out after the jump.