Beauty for the Economically Challenged

As you probably know, most people in the beauty blogging world really don’t like this foundation. There are legitimate reasons why some people don’t like it, and it definitely wouldn’t work for everyone, but I personally really like it. First, I’ll get to the complaints people have, and then use those to talk about why I like it. It’s also important to say that I’m only talking about the one with the blue label, for oily skin.

(Picture from Google Images)

The packaging claims that it has “matte coverage.” This is not true. The coverage is absolutely not matte, it’s more dewy, but, for me, not in a bad way. That is definitely a drawback, because the product doesn’t deliver what the label promises. 
I’ve also heard complaints that it caused breakouts. I personally have extremely acne-prone skin, and I’ve never had a problem with that.
Also, I’ve heard complaints about the coverage. Some people have complained that it’s extremely sheer. 
Finally, there are complaints about the packaging. The bottle, as you can see, is extremely triangular, so when you get down toward the last layer of foundation, it gets extremely difficult to get out that last bit of product out. I won’t discuss this complaint any further because it’s just true and that’s that. 

I understand these complaints, but there is a reason that I think it works for me. I actually have combination/normal skin, but instead of using the one made for normal skin, I use the one for oily skin. The sort of overcompensation makes up for any lack of quality of the foundation itself. Because I don’t have very much oiliness at all, the “oil control” foundation keeps what little bit of oiliness I may have (like in the T-zone) at bay.
As far as coverage, for me the coverage is buildable. If I use a brush (like ELF’s Flat Top Powder Brush) I can get a solid medium coverage with it.
It also lasts a good ten hours, as long as I set it with powder. After about ten hours, I start to feel it on my face, but for a product that generally gets really bad reviews, I think ten hours is pretty great staying-power.
The shade 510 Classic Ivory is also the best color match I’ve ever had in a foundation, hands down, but the color selection isn’t super great. 

The bottom line is, every product works differently for different people. If you have combination/normal skin and are looking for a lighter foundation for summer, I suggest that you try the “oil control” version of this foundation. I like this product so much that I’ve just purchased my third bottle of it! 

Anyway, I know that was a bit long-winded, but basically, I think that the complaints with this product are legitimate, but I have found a way around them. 

Have you ever tried Covergirl Clean foundation? Let me know!

xox

Noelle Alysse

Installment 3 in my summer waves series!

I already used this picture in another post, but I don’t do this method very often because it involves using high heat on your hair, and I don’t like to damage my hair that much. I just got lucky that this picture is the exact look I’m discussing in this post, and I can recycle it instead of hurting my hair.

These are also quite easy to do. I find that first-day hair curls best for me, but my hair is tough to curl, so feel free to do this on any day hair. First, just section off your hair. I did three sections. From the bottom up, curl different-sized pieces, alternating the direction of the curl. The front pieces should always curl away from your face, but otherwise, direct some toward your face and some away. That, and using different sized pieces, is the key to making these look effortless and summery. While curling, leave out an inch or two at the root and an inch or two at the end as well. Don’t forget to use lots of heat protectant!!!

I used Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves mousse before I curled. You can use sea salt spray, or any products you would like. My curling wand was 1”, if you don’t have a curling wand, just use a curling iron but don’t use the clip. 

Make sure to finger through once your waves have cooled, and mess them up a lot! They can definitely be a lot more messy (and therefore more natural-looking) than mine are in the picture. 

You can do a side part or a middle part, whichever you prefer. I think that a middle part looks more natural and care-free, but it’s up to you!

If you try this method, or want me to try any other methods and write about them, please let me know!

xox

Noelle Alysse

This technique can be done with or without heat. I had heard of this before, but had been doubtful. I think thicker hair will get more of a beachy look, but my friends seemed to like the finished product on me more than I did. So, you can be the judge!

To do this, first use a hair spray or a styling mousse in your hair. Divide your hair down the middle (my hair is divided in the middle, but I left my bangs out, obviously) and braid it into pigtails. make sure the braid is relatively tight at the root, and braid tightly. Then, pull apart the braids a bit and rough them up so they won’t look as uniform when they’re done. Then, you can either sleep in the braids (I suggest slightly damp hair at the beginning if you want to do this) or run your flat-iron over the braids a few times and wait for the braids to cool before taking them out. I did both. I flat-ironed them and then went to bed.

For me, the finished product looked like this:

In this picture, I used the technique on second-day hair and it wasn’t as successful, but you can still see the beachy look that it gives. Don’t get me wrong, you absolutely will get really nice beachy waves with this technique as long as you make sure to really rough it up when you take the braids out. After doing this a few more times, I really do like this technique. My hair is also quite a bit thicker and longer than when these pictures were taken, and it does make some difference. I do recommend this method, especially for those with thicker and/or longer hair than mine. And with some texturizing spray to mattify and mess up the style. You could even dry shampoo the skirt of your hair and that would have a similar effect.

The point of this style is to look carefree, so I often use dry shampoo on my roots and switch my part periodically throughout the day by just brushing my fingers straight through the top and letting it fall however it wants to. It’s a habit of mine to frequently switch the side of my part through the day, I just do it without thinking about it, and it lends itself well to this style.

If you try this, show me pictures! The submit box is open!

xox

Noelle Alysse

This isn’t going to be a full review, because if you’re following me, you’re probably following a lot of other beauty blogs too who have done a full review on these. To make a long story short, these were beamed straight from heaven right into your local drugstore. We beauty freaks have clearly been earning some good karma lately.

So, first, I bought this one, Honey, which you see below. I tried it out for a night of babysitting, and it lasted unbelievably. I edited the photo so that it would be as close to true-to-color as possible.

After falling in love with Honey, I went back two days later and bought Smitten. Again, this photo is edited to be true-to-color.

These show up wonderfully on my really pigmented lips, which makes me oh so happy. It definitely takes a few passes to build up color, but not so much that it’s annoying. It’s going to be really hard for me not to run back to Wal-Mart and pick up like, every single other color. Hehe.

If you want a full full review, let me know, and I’ll do one. I just don’t want anyone’s dash to be too redundant.

xox

Noelle Alysse

Of course it’s the beginning of June, so this post is a little late. But cut me some slack, I’m busy! :)

May for me is the beginning of summer, and the beginning of summer means a few things: I’m nannying again, I’m exercising more, I’m tan again (and with a tan comes clear skin, yay!), and I love to look a bit more messy and care-free. Of course, all of these things have an impact on my beauty routine, so to speak.

Hair favorites:

Once again, I apologize for the horrible photos, I have to make do with my phone camera.

Psssst! dry shampoo: I’m a little late on the uptake on this one but whatever. Because I’m working on making my hair stretch for two days after a shower (showering every fourth day) but also working out six days a week, I really need this dry shampoo. I’m lucky that my scalp never gets too sweaty, but this stuff helps a lot while my hair is in the awkward stage where it’s not used to not being washed every other day.

Goody Spin Pins: I posted about these a while ago, but I’ve just dug them up out of my two boxes of beauty products that hadn’t been unpacked since I moved out of school for the summer (yes, I procrastinate). Honestly these make the best messy buns/topknots and you can incorporate braids and it’s just so perfect for the carefree look that I’m always going for.

Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum: With the sun and the beach, summer is much more dangerous for hair. I use this always but feel much better especially now knowing that my hair has that extra bit of protection. You can read my post about this here.

Makeup favorites:

Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Powder Foundation: First of all, if you buy this, throw the brush out. It will tear your skin off. But otherwise, this stuff is an absolute constant for me. I use it in the winter to set my foundation, but in the summer, I use it alone or just with a concealer. Luckily the sun clears my skin (it’s the only thing I can count on to do that) so I find that this is enough for me in the summer. It feels light, and stays all day.

ELF Brightening Eye Color Quad in Pretty n’ Pink: I like a natural and low-maintenance look for summer, so I find that a wash of pink on my lids is easy, but also really pretty and summery and enhances my eyes. If I want a little more, I use the darker pink/purple color loosely in my crease.

ELF’s Lengthening and Defining Mascara: I don’t think most people like this, and I have to say that there is nothing great about this mascara. I got it in an small makeup kit from ELF that was on clearance at Target. My lashes are naturally long, thick, and curled, so when I don’t want to wear eyeliner, I like this mascara because it just puts some black on my lashes. My lashes look natural and not mascara-y, making my whole look more natural but also not allowing my relatively small eyes to disappear.

Wet n’ Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 516C Sunset Peach: I’m loving the peach right now, especially since my mom always told me I couldn’t wear it. Well I think I can, so there, Mom. ;) This lipstick feels soft on my lips and my natural lip color doesn’t peek through, which happens to me A LOT. The color is solid but it doesn’t look like I tried super hard, so I find myself reaching for this as my go-to lip color.

Wet n’ Wild Natural Blend Lip Shimmer in 104 Berry: Yes, two lip products. This is what I keep in my purse for when I don’t have time to really think about a lip color. The color works with almost anything and is really moisturizing. Yay.

NYX Cream Blush in Boho Chic: I love cream blush. This is just summery and natural looking and I love it. Yay NYX.

Skin Care favorites:

*image from Google Images

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Toner: With summer comes heat, and heat means a bit more sweat and oil for my combination skin. I didn’t used to use a toner, but I’m really liking this and I find it’s making a difference for my skin. I haven’t noticed less acne, but I’ve noticed less oil and more balanced skin. 

Insert Tinted Moisturizer or BB Cream here: I’m looking for a drugstore tinted moisturizer or BB Cream to get me through the summer while I need less coverage. I’m thinking of holding out and waiting for Maybelline’s BB Cream to come out, but I would still love to hear your suggestions if you have any! Thanks!

What are your May favorites? Let me know!

xox

Noelle Alysse

I really need one! Thanks!

xox

As I discussed before, I am starting a series on all the different ways to achieve summer waves: how to do it, how it turns out, and tips and tricks. Since there are so many different, and odd, methods, I wanted to be your source for how it ACTUALLY turns out, so you don’t have to waste your time with trial and error to find the right one!
If there are any methods that you want to see me try, please let me know and I’ll love to do it! 

Side note: This is supposed to be a beauty blog but I find myself looking like a fool in a surprising amount of my posts. I have no makeup on at all because I was right out of the shower and about to go to bed. Oh well. :)

If you’re on Pinterest, you have probably seen this method. I hadn’t heard of it before this year, and I was surprised at how well it turned out. It’s also super easy.

If you see my pictures, you can pretty much see how to do it, but here’s a step-by-step of what I did:

Step 1: At night, apply mousse (I used Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves, I swear by it!) to damp but almost-dry hair. Don’t be shy with the mousse, and make sure to use a kind that doesn’t make your hair all crunchy!

Step 2: Part your hair the way you want it. Put a headband around your head and across your forehead (see picture). Then, slide it upward a little bit. This will lift your roots so that your hair has volume once you take the headband out, instead of being pasted flat to your head.

Step 3: Starting on one side, in the front, take the first strand of hair and wrap it once around the headband. Once this is done, most of the strand should be hanging down again, with just one loop around the headband. Then, add a bit more hair to the strand, and repeat.

Step 4: That’s pretty much what you do with the rest of the hair, until it’s all wrapped up. Start on one side of your part, move backward toward the middle of the back of your head, and then do the other side, so that the two sides meet in the middle in the back of your head.

Step 5: Go to sleep! In the morning, carefully pull the headband upward off of your head and let the hair fall off (it might take some bouncing and patience to get it all off). Run your fingers through if you want, and adjust accordingly. The finished product:

This is after some fluffing and combing through with my fingers. I reallllllllly like this, it’s really beachy and looks effortless to me. This picture was taken on one of those miraculous 80-degree Boston days that we had in early April. Obviously, I was in a very happy mood. Yay.

This one was taken the first time I tried the look. As you can see, my bangs didn’t turn out well so I pinned them back. I was also afraid of how well the curls would hold, so I didn’t brush through them very much. These curls are much softer and less fluffy. I prefer them combed out more and a little more crazy, especially for summer, but I think these are pretty too. It just depends on what you’re looking for. 

Other important tips:

-From doing this a four or five times, I will say that it comes out slightly different each time. For the best success, I suggest wrapping the strands pretty tightly around the headband (like the photos), instead of having big loops. The bigger the loops, the less this method works, and it’s very likely that the back of your head could end up straight. 
-If you have bangs, be mindful of them while wrapping. Think about the way you want them to fall and try to angle the loop so that your bangs will fall at an angle away from your face. If you notice in the picture, I pulled my bangs up above the headband a bit more than the rest of my hair because I didn’t want them to be crazy curly and I wanted them to lay nicely.
-If your hair is much longer than mine, you may have extra hair at the back of your head that won’t fit around the headband. I suggest twisting it into a bun and pinning it. It stinks to use heat on your hair, but if your hair is very long, it might be a good idea to have a curling iron or wand on hand to fix any pieces that didn’t come out. 

I have opened my submit button! If you try this, or any other method, I want to see and I will probably post it on my blog! 
Also, again, if there are any methods that you want me to try and write about, let me know and I will do it!

xox

Noelle Alysse 

Finally, a new makeup post! Yay!!!

I like to keep this blog positive, but just for one second…

You know when you are going to see some people you really hate, maybe because they’ve done you wrong in the past, or made you miserable somehow, and so you know you need to look really good? Well, that is what caused this makeup look. I love to say that happiness is the best revenge. ;)

Face: Revlon Colorstay Foundation, Revlon Photoready Concealer, Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Powder Foundation, ELF Studio Blush in Candid Coral

Lips: NYX Round Lipstick in Gardenia. I ended up blotting this a lot to tone it down (after I took the photo). It looked a lot better then. The lipstick is super glossy, and so it made my already full lips look even bigger, which then made my relatively small eyes look even smaller, so toning down the lipstick helped a lot. I also used ELF’s Lip Lock Pencil.

Eyes: I used ELF’s Eyelid Primer. Then I used the Naked 2 palette; Suspect on the lid, Snakebite in the crease and outer corner, Foxy on the browbone, and Bootycall in the inner corner. Then; ELF’s Liquid Eyeliner Pen and Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara.

For my hair, I used my Proliss 1” curling wand; more on that in a later post.

xox

Noelle Alysse