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. 

Wishlist: Best of the Giftsets

October offers many things for beauty lovers to get excited about. 

Halloween makeup (obvs) upping your skincare stash for the cold, and last but not least the advent of ALL the Holiday gift sets. 

It's early yet but there are some really beautiful things floating out there in retail land and so you don't miss out I've compiled the best bang for your buck. 

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. 

Wishlist: Korean Skincare Edition

Apart from the inaugural BB Cream moment that took the beauty world by storm about 5 years ago my dabbling in Asian beauty products has been pretty minimal. I've trialed a sheet mask here and there (meh) and my love of cleansing oils began with the DHC version. 

So while my experience is minimal I have had something of a skincare revelation at the hands of a Korean brand.

So when I spotted the Sephora SoKo to Tokyo kit, pictured above, I knew this was a perfect opportunity to nab some much talked about products for a VERY fair $40 price. 

In addition to the value set; Sephora has upped their Asian skincare selection and America website Peach and Lily has been gaining momentum across the blogosphere for bringing new Korean goodies straight to the American skincare loving public in real time. 

There has never been a better time for a wishlist. 

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. 

Holding Out for $2 Perfection

I have spent nearly a year and a half with various postcards, posters and prints haphazardly taped to walls in a holding pattern just waiting for the perfect frames. 

Yes...yes I am a little bit picky I will admit but, the last place I anticipated finding the perfect addition to the collection was the new to New York Flying Tiger flagship.

The best part?

They were 2$.

I Have the Same Glasses as Everyone Else...Kind Of

 A brief hiatus from vacation recap due to some technical difficulties. 

I am a sucker for a good knock off.

Specifically sunglasses. 

First of all I am terrible when it comes to keeping my sunnies in one piece. In pieces at the bottom of my bag left behind in cabs or in bars I just can't justify spending more than a few bucks on sunglasses.

It only gets tricky when brands put out boss styles like the new Dior Reflected .

Carelessness aside $435 is just not realistic for me... even if I could swing it some day I don't know that I would.

eBay here I come.

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.

Every Friday all Summer Long

We intterupt your regularly scheduled vaation blabber in favor of a flavor a little closer to home. 

As a New Yorker Summer feels like a constant balancing act between too many things to do and too hot to do anything. Sometimes the best thing to do is drag yourself away from Manhattan (an impossibility for some people believe me.) and get yourself out by the water for some much needed breeze. 

So last Friday after work my roommate and I headed out to Coney Island for their weekly fireworks with the aid of a very thoughtful friend with a car (Thanks Carrie!)

(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. 

Catrice: First Impressions

 This is going to be an extraordinarily well timed post, especially for me.

While I was in Dublin with my family in the first few days of July I picked up a small selection of Catrice products because at the time they were only available across Europe. Since then (like in the last 2 weeks) they became available on the the Ulta website and in a few exclusive stores.

Let me tell you if you are a fan of good beauty on a budget this is GREAT news for you.

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.

DIY Yourself into a Golden Girl

Remember a couple weeks ago when I mentioned how much I missed making things.

Well I've started to again and it feels SO. GOOD.

I posted this picture on Instagram last week and I thought today I'd walk you through how I made my new Golden Girls-esque circle shroud. 

At least that's what I'm calling it.

Stepford Alien

I feel like every year I share a new pair of sunglasses on the blog. Last year it was a badass pair of colorful, mirrored aviators and this year we have June Cleaver meets Judy Jetson.

Now these are "inspired" by the Tom Ford Nastasya sunglasses that I first saw on Dara's YouTube Channel.

Now I love Dara and her recommendations but Tom Ford and my wallet are just not on the same page these days.

I think the number of selfies on my Instagram may have grown by 5,000% since I got these.

I am in love.

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 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! 

Ed Note: Studly

It's almost the weekend! WOO!

What's better on the weekend than a little fun on your fingertips?
I'm referring, in this instance, to nail art but hey it's your weekend. Do with it what you like ;)

This little trick is a favorite of mine when I want to do something a little funky with my nails but I don't want to spend a million years with a striping brush, a dotting tool or, a sponge.

So do yourself a little favor and shell out the $.99 on eBay for a fancy wheel full of plastic silver and gold studs.
So the next time you're giving yourself a little manicure you can pop one of these into your wet polish, cover with a nice quality topcoat and have 2-4 days of the sassiest nails you have the patience to create.

I personally like the look of a simple single stud but just like with every other beauty bumpf you can add as much or as little as you like to create your desired effect.

Have a studly weekend boys and girls!

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.