Heidi's Beauty Bag - Best. Eyeliner. Ever.

I finally found my HG (that's Holy Grail, as well as my initials) of eyeliners. I have always been a fan of Bobbi Brown's gel eyeliner. I have used Black Plum (so pretty) and more recently tried Caviar Ink (very nice dark brown). And I love her eye shadows. One of my favorites is the Forest Metallic Eye Shadow. So when I was at the BB counter back in July and the SA mentioned that the gel eyeliner would be coming out in Forest Shimmer in August, I practically swooned. And since the kiddies are home and I haven't really been shopping, my fab friend Sherry picked up a pot for me (same trip where she got the fabbie Dior polish for me - a true friend she is).

What does the color look like? Well, I'll let the marketing geniuses at the BB website tell you:

A fresh, new spin on Fall’s strong eye: Forest Shimmer Ink Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. For a look that’s equally of-the-moment and an Ivy League classic, Bobbi’s blended deepest green with golden pearls to create a liner that really makes eyes pop.

What else can I say? Perfection. Gorgeous. Love love love. I actually think the color is more like a khaki-ish, olive-ish color than just a straight green. But it's sooooo preeeeeeetttttttttttyyyyyyy.

And the formula - this eyeliner wears like iron. Fab friend Sherry actually has freakishly oily eyelids and therefore is my absolute true tester for any eye shadow and eye liner - and this stuff stays put in a miraculous way (fyi, the Chanel waterproof pencil failed her test). I find that it takes a teeny bit of practice, but not much...and I'm so not patient about getting ready in the morning, so anything difficult gets tossed out the window.

I use both their ultra fine eyeliner brush and a lip brush for application, depending on the effect I want. Yes, I said a lip brush. The eyeliner brush deposits more gel for a deeper color and you can vary the line from very fine to a little thicker. I use the lip brush when I want a smudgier effect - it works quite well. It doesn't deposit quite as much formula and the line is thicker, so it needs a little less precision - and on some mornings, that's a good thing. (I also use a foundation brush for my BB pot rouge, but that's another conversation).

I give it my highest recommendation possible. Just don't ask me to choose between this and the Dior polish.

Heidi’s Beauty Bag – Walmart Field Trip, Plus a Little Splurge

So last weekend, we were in NC for the niece’s HS graduation and hubby’s grandparents’ ashes dispensation (I’m not sure if there’s a better term for it, but have you seen Lady Button’s post on what some people do with ashes? Ewwww.)

With some extra time to kill, I tagged along on a trip to Walmart for my SIL to buy the kids’ some games for their birthdays (1 in May & 1 in July, so by gifting in June, on average, it was on time). So here are my finds:

1 – Ok, not exactly a beauty item. But 3 sports bras for $10? Great deal. Granted, I don’t have *that* much to support and I’m not going to run a marathon in these or do 500 jumping jacks, but I might do 50. They had several color combos and racerback or spaghetti strap styles. I just got the all white pack. I will layer these under tanks & dresses in the summer instead of a bra. Much cooler, temp-wise. And I guess you could say it’s beauty related, since a cooler, comfier me is bound to look better than uncomfy, sweaty me. (This is the link to the gray/black/white pack, but you get the point, right?)

2 – Clean & Clear Morning Glow Moisturizer, SPF 15. Ok, so after the niece’s grad party, I was browsing the latest issue of Seventeen. (don’t judge – yeah, I know, 17…plus 20) But who is going to be a better expert on reducing oily T-zones? So they were suggesting this moisturizer and it was under $10, so I figured it was worth a try. Especially since my beloved Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation (thinner than anything, lighter than air, but my skin looks so good) is getting a bit shinier on the T-zone in the warmer weather. I picked up this moisturizer and actually peeled the back to look at the ingredients and sure enough, second to last, was corn starch – which we all know is a mattifier. I am really liking it so far. And, bonus, I am even putting the lotion on my nose, which is the icky-icky-oiliest part – and here’s why – it can use mattifying, it can use some extra SPF, and with oily skin, if you never moisturize you can exacerbate the situation because skin will create more sebum, thus oil slick. I think this will be a good under-makeup and at-night moisturizer for the summer. (No worries – major sunblock application if I am planning to actually be out in the sun for more than incidental exposure.)

3 – L’Oreal Infallible eyeliner in Brown. First the back story – I hate sharpening pencils. Actually the only pencil I will use that needs sharpening is my YSL eyebrow pencil (Dessin des Sourcils). Trust me, the first time I ran out, I tried to find a self-sharpening replacement. I went through multiple department store brands and finally realized that it was the best one for me, and it merited sharpening. So regarding eyeliner, the same rule applies – I hate to sharpen. I was using Chanel’s Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting eyeliner. And it hasn’t been performing that well lately. Ok, maybe that’s because it is 12 months old and needs to be tossed? Um, yeah, will do that. I will say, it has an impressive color selection.

In one of the mag’s I was reading (can’t remember which one) they mentioned the L’Oreal Infallible eyeliner as a “steal.” So far I am really liking it. It lasts quite well and isn’t hard to apply. Not too hard to make the line thick or thin as the mood strikes. It even has a smudger on the other end, which is good, because I often like the smudgy look. The downside is that it appears to come in 4 colors only – black, brown, black brown, and carbon black. I did not make that up, I swear that’s what they have.

4 - This wasn't part of the Walmart outing. I have one recent splurge to share…well, call it a mini-splurge. Some of you will probably think “that’s too much”, while others will be like “that’s nothing, I like in Chanel makeup.” I was at Sephora browsing around, and swung by the Smashbox display…and got another lipstick. Except it’s not a lipstick. It is the Smashbox Tinted Treatment Lipstick with SPF 15.

Last time I checked, Sephora online only had the non-tinted on their website, but they definitely had it in my store, which is not particularly large. It’s $18, but the Smashbox website currently has it on sale for $13.50. I got Beam, which is described as a pink nude. I love this. It may be my summer go-to lipstick. You know, the one that I keep in my purse because it’s always perfect. I do have it in my purse now, but I am thinking about clearing out the other lipsticks as this one just rocks. Maybe it’s my summer version of the Smashbox Photo-FinishLipstick with Sila-silk in Delightful (a sheer berry), which is my purse lippie in fall, winter, & spring. Back to the Lip Treatment – the color is very sheer & subtle, kinda like the Makeup Alley expression, YLBB (your lips but better). Per their description:

This vitamin and antioxidant-packed sheer lip color has it all - a treatment
core with SPF 15 to protect, vitamins A, C & E to revitalize, shea butter,
jojoba and avocado oils to nourish, and chamomile and aloe to soothe. Honey
provides extra moisturization and a deliciously sweet flavor and scent.

The formula is way moisturizing and actually tastes good, probably due to the moisturizing honey in it. (No, I don’t eat my lipstick but we’ve all tried lippies that just tasted blegh on the lips, and I won’t wear those.) They also have the lippie in Ray (sheer berry) and in an untinted formula, also with SPF. I may try the other color at some point as well. Love love love this lippie!

Do you have any beauty steals you want to share?