Maybe Matilda: Favorite Low Maintenance (Drugstore) Beauty Products

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Favorite Low Maintenance (Drugstore) Beauty Products

Far be it from me to claim to be an expert of any kind in the makeup/hair/beauty departments. It is not an exaggeration of even the slightest degree to tell you that I know how to do one and only one makeup look. My sister Bekah is quite the makeup expert (her talents never cease), and she taught me how to do my makeup . . . so I do the same exact face she taught me to do, almost every day. Whether I’m headed to Walmart or my own wedding, my makeup will be almost exactly the same. This speaks less to its versatility than to my own lack of makeup talent.

But, despite my lack of appreciable skill or knowledge or expertise, who doesn’t enjoy sauntering down the beauty aisles and trying out a few new products? So, bearing in mind that I a) don’t know a ton about makeup, b) dislike spending money on beauty products, c) don’t know a ton about makeup (have I made that abundantly clear yet?), and d) am willing to spend no more than 5-10 minutes on my daily makeup, max, here are a few beauty products I love and can certainly recommend. (For the record, I have no affiliation with any of these companies--they don’t know who I am or that I’m posting this, and these are really my honest-to-goodness thoughts on them. But there are some affiliate links in here, which means that if you click and decide to buy, I get a teensy itty bitty portion of the sale price [the cost to you doesn’t change].)

a low maintenance girl's favorite beauty products

1. Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel. Many moons ago, I admitted on the blog—to much shock and horror—that I put this stuff on my face. Maybe that sounds gross, but here’s the thing: it makes your skin unbelievably velvety soft and smooth, and any makeup you apply over it goes on like butter and looks 10 times better. If you can first get past the awkwardness of handing the pimply teenaged checkout boy a tube of Monistat, then get past the eeky weirdness of putting Monistat on your face, you will be so, so happy.

2. Revlon Colorstay Foundation. I have trouble with foundation. I want something that feels very light and smooth, but still has good coverage, all in a good color to blend with my pale skin. This one fits the bill for me. Here’s how I mix up the magic: squeeze a smallish dot (like, the size of a little pea?) of the Monistat gel onto the back of my hand; pour a slightly larger amount of foundation over it; mix the two together and spackle it on. Goes on beautifully smooth and looks nice all day. Boom.

3. e.l.f. Baked Highlighter. I dust a little over my cheekbones, right under my eyebrows, and in the inner corner of my eyes. Makes me look a little less like a brain-dead zombie in the mornings. I like.

4. Ulta Precision Liquid Eyeliner. Bekah’s been trying to talk me into trying liquid liner for years. I’ve been scared of trying liquid liner for even more years. But I finally got tired enough of my pencil liner smudging all over the place and pulling a disappearing act after mere hours, so I picked this up and gave it a go. I really love it. The tip is sort of stiff and marker-ish, so it’s not as difficult to apply as I expected, and it really does last all the live-long day.

5. Ulta Color Coat Cream Eyeshadow. I got this in Rose Gold at the recommendation of a super helpful and not-terrifying Ulta employee, and I love it. It’s a gorgeous color with a really pretty gold shimmer, and it doesn’t crease like I assumed a cream eye shadow would.

6. Cover Girl Super Thick Lash Mascara. I have pathetic eyelashes, plus most mascaras end up smudging really badly under my eyes. This is the first mascara I’ve tried that’s made them look considerably less pathetic, plus it doesn’t smudge at all.

7. Cetaphil Cleanser and Moisturizing Cream. These are all I ever want from a cleanser and moisturizer. My skin has gotten notably smoother and softer since using these consistently, and the cream is the best thing I’ve ever used on Forrest’s eczema, too (even better than the prescription products we’ve tried). Cannot recommend them enough.

8. Frizz Ease Nourishing Oil Elixir. Once upon a time, I emptied my piggy bank to buy fancy pants Moroccan Oil. Yes, it is as wonderful as you have heard. But when it ran out, I thought I’d see if a drugstore brand could compare. This Frizz Ease oil isn’t quite as good, but definitely comparable, and at a fraction of the price, being almost as good is good enough for me.

I would loooooove love love to hear your favorite beauty products. Please do share :-)

18 comments :

  1. Love the monistat as a primer! Used it for several years and works better than anything else I've tried. Same ingredient as Smashed expensive primer.

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  2. I love this! I am always thankful for bloggers who buy makeup that is not so expensive in hopes that, I too, can afford it and enjoy it. Thanks for the fun tips - I'm definitely going to refer back to this! xoxo

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  3. Thanks! I'll have to try the Ulta cream shadow when my current favorite is out. It's a cream shadow from Cover Girl that of course they stopped making. That always happens to me... I've been making my way through all the different brands of BB cream. I 'm just too lazy to put on foundation. So far Revlon's has had the most coverage. I'm using the Oil of Olay version now. I like it, but found i have to use a concealer with it for my, ahem, trouble areas.

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  4. I'm also all about frugality when it comes to grooming this thing called myself. I recently got some free samples in the mail from "DHC for Beauty". UBER $$$$$ !!! I was fortunate enough to read your Monostat as primer post and LOVE it. The DHC version looked and performed identically for mucho money. The facial cleanser was olive oil based and looked/smelled like it. I thought no way I'm using this on my already oily face! Curiosity got the better of me and I tried it on my fully made up face. I have never had a cleaner softer face in my life after using it! At $28 for 3.5 ounces it wasn't gonna happen with what basically was olive oil. Also, I have been battling volcanic eruptions on my forehead and sprinkled around my face. The next morning after the oil cleansing it was ALMOST GONE!!! Face still baby bottom soft and smooth! The skeptic in me was crumbling. Did some quick 'Net surfing and to make this short I am convinced this is the only way to cleanse and moisturize your face and neck and it doesn't get any cheaper. Do a search for facial cleansing with olive oil, castor (yes CASTOR) oil, grapeseed oil or pretty much any natural oil and you will find the promised land. Castor and olive oil are especially versatile for so many things including eczema. Great for hair care too.

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    1. Interesting! I've heard such good things about oil cleansing but I've been a little nervous to try it myself. It just sounds so counterintuitive, but you're making me think I ought to give it a chance. I want a baby bottom soft face ;-)

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    2. I hear ya sistah! If you look up skeptic in the dictionary my picture with arms crossed and a frown is there. Your skin needs oil to function properly. Commercial products have so many harsh chemicals in them and strip the oil right out of it. It has to overcompensate to produce it and goes haywire. Cleansing with oil gives your skin what it needs and works with it, not against it. Wow, that sounded like an infomercial!

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  5. Revlon Colorstay, my one true love!!

    Beautiful foundation, great all-day coverage and doesn't bring me out in spots... 6 years down the line and I still love it!

    DIAMO x
    www.diamolifestyleblog.com

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  6. Obsessed with Revlon lip butters and lip stains. The color fades a little but lasts all day so it looks almost natural and Revlon's BB cream from my skin. I am way to lazy to set with powder and foundations tend to melt on me.

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  7. CoverGirl is my go-to for everything! They make great stuff!

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  8. I've known that I can trust your beauty picks after bravely trusting your Monistat chaffing gel. It's still my favorite 2 years later.

    That eye liner is intriguing but also terrifying.

    I swear by Purpose face wash, cerave lotion and Bare Minerals foundation. The Bare Minerals looks expensive up front but the $27 foundation lasts me a good 5-6 months.

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    1. Michelle, I agree Bare Minerals is a good value for the money. I used it for years. I thought the original formula had a bit too much shimmer for my liking and jumped when they came out with the matte formula. Absolutely loved the look but it made my face itch terribly :-( I went back to an old favorite MAC Studio Fix powder which is the same price as BM and lasts as long. It's very buildable for the coverage you want.

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  9. "braindead zombie"!? That´s why I like to read your blog for some years now (silently, without a comment), because of your honesty...:-) (Beside all of your beautiful crochet I love so much.) Hooray for all pale people from Germany! :-)

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  10. Love this post - its so easy to relate to. I find that Neutrogena is my friend in a lot of the lotions, powder, etc. However, I love the Revlon Colorstay line of makeup. Especially the new shadowlinks eyeshadow -very fun! And if you haven't tried their nail polish, give it a go - best stuff I have found on a budget :)

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  11. E.L.F. Products are amazing. I love the bronzers, the mineral infused mascara, and the lip stain. (Etc etc). Everything they make is so great. The mattifying powder doesn't get into the lines around eyes, just glides over them and makes you look flawless. Lowest prices also, great prices at Target!

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  12. The Revlon Colorstay is my hands down absolute favorite drugstore foundation! I recommend it to all my clients who don't want to buy high end! Great choices!

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  13. So the chafing gel... I'm intrigued. I've never heard of this but my poor, wintery dry skin wants to try it!

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