Beauty Detective - Drug Store Brand Makeup, Wet N Wild

Ladies, don’t sleep on drug store brand makeup!!!

In my quest to establish myself as a successful makeup artist, I’ve been researching and exploring different makeup brands. A lot of these makeup brands come from local drug stores like CVS or Walgreens. I thought it would be interesting to share my findings with you. So, the next few posts will be all about the drug store brand products that have become some of my favorites.

I’ve found even established makeup artists use drug store brand makeup. For example, Sam Fine, a well known makeup artist to the stars, stocks his kit with Black Opal Stick Foundation. Others use the Cover Girl Queen Collection and even the Eyes, Face, and Lips (ELF) brand which can be found at Target for $1 to $3. (Beauty Tip: ELF has awesome makeup brushes for $1, check it out)! I find this interesting and prove you don’t have to spend big bucks at department store counters to buy quality makeup to achieve a great everyday look.

One of my favorite drug store brands is Wet N Wild. This brand is also a favorite on You Tube. Hundreds of Wet N Wild makeup tutorials and reviews can be found on You Tube and popular beauty blogs.

I remember Wet N Wild as a pre-teen. I remember buying their black pencil eyeliner and sneaking it on when I got to school and washing it off when I returned home. Well, this brand has come up since then. I love their eye shadows, gel eyeliner, and even their lipsticks.

Their eyeshadows come in various pallets ranging from trios to pallets that offer up to eight shades. These pallets are very affordable ranging from $2.99 to $4.99. Ulta has the line for a few bucks more than what you would pay at CVS or Walgreens.


My favorite eyeshadow pallet by Wet N Wild is the Comfort Zone pallet that includes 8 neutral shades in greens, browns, and gold. The other pallet I reach for often is the Vanity pallet which also includes neutral shades of gold and browns. Wet N Wild mixes their eyeshadows by offering both matt and shimmery shades in each pallet. The shadows in their trio pallets for some reason come off chalky or too shimmery. I’m not sure why there is a difference in the quality of the shadows between the pallets. I do know I have never had a problem with the shadows in the six or eight color pallets. Another good thing about these eyeshadow pallets is that they are perfect for beginners. Each eyeshadow tells you where to apply the shadow. Descriptions are engraved on each shadow as lid, crease, brow bone, or definer.

Their black gel eyeliner rivals M.A.C.’s black Fluidline gel eyeliner. This liner goes on extremely black, is not too shiny and stays put without smudging. Compared to paying $15 at the M.A.C. counter, I prefer to spend $4.99 at my local CVS knowing I’m not sacrificing quality.

I just started exploring their lipsticks and have two matt colors. I’ve worn one color once. Although it’s a matt lipstick, it was not dry and went on pretty smooth. I’ll have to wear both lipsticks a few more times to form a better opinion.

Overall, Wet N Wild products have my full attention. If you are looking to spend less money on makeup and have always wondered about this brand, I would recommend going for it. You will never know until you try.





Here is a look I did one day using the following Wet N Wild products:

Comfort Zone pallet (green and gold shadows)
Black gel eyeliner
Lipstick #912C (rosey nude color)
Normal foundation routine

Eye Shadow - Matt or Shimmer

Eye shadows come in a variety of finishes. The finish determines the way the shadow will look and appear on your eye once applied. The most popular or common finishes are matte or shimmer. Some women prefer matte eye shadows over shimmer eye shadows because they don’t like the glittery look shimmer eye shadows leave on the eye once applied. Others prefer shimmer eye shadows over matte because they prefer the shimmery or glittery appearance these shadows leave on the eye and feel matte eye shadows are too dull. It’s really your preference and what looks best on you depending on factors such as your eye shape.

A matte finish is stark. What you see is what you get. There are no embedded glimmers and matte shadows tend to be true to color.

Matte shadow examples:

Notice the matte finish is true to color and has no glimmers embedded within the pigment

A shimmer finish has obvious glitters embedded in the pigment. These glitters are typically silver or gold or a mixture of both. Some shimmer eye shadows may appear different in color when applied to the eye. This is due to the silver or gold glitters that mix with the primary color. This combined with your skin complexion can change the color of the eye shadow.

Shimmer shadow examples:

Notice the shimmer finish has glitters embedded within the pigment that give the shadow a metallic look.

Which finish do I prefer?

I like both finishes. Sometimes matte eye shadows look too dull on my skin complexion while some shimmer eye shadows can look too glittery. This depends on a number of factors such as the eye shadow brand, the quality of the eye shadow, or how it is applied. Some eye shadow brands have awesome matte finishes but not so great shimmer finishes and vice versa. Also, where you apply the eye shadow on your eye is key in pulling off a look that is cohesive. It’s all about trial and error and having the courage to experiment to find which eye shadows and finishes work best for you.

What I tend to do is pair a shimmer eye shadow with a matte eye shadow. This works best for my eye shape. I have a slight hooded eye. This means you can barely see my eyelid when my eye is open. Also, hooded eyes do not have a noticeable or defined crease. I use an eye shadow application technique which incorporates both a matte and shimmer eye shadow.

Hooded eye example:

My standard eye shadow application technique:

The Lid

I apply a light eye shadow that has a shimmer finish to the lid. This makes my eyelid look more profound and makes my whole eye appear larger.

The Crease

I apply a darker eye shadow shade to the crease of my eye. This application is done very carefully as I do not want to have raccoon eyes. My eyes in general are very small, so if I am not careful when applying darker colors, my eyes will look dark, which will make them appear smaller. For extra drama for those nights out, I will apply an even darker shade to the outermost crease area of my eye. In this case it's ok. Everyone loves a dark smokey eye...I'm no exception!!!

Although I’m not an expert, the eye shadow application technique I just described is based on my own experience and applying eye shadow on other women with hooded eyes.

In conclusion, a matte or shimmer finish are just two examples of eye shadow finishes. Eye shadows come in a wide variety of finishes. Another popular eye shadow type are shadows with a baked finish. These eye shadows combine both matte and shimmer finishes, and look absolutely beautiful when applied with a damp brush. 

So, are you a matte or shimmer girl?

I would love to hear from you….

Smooches my beauties!!!!

All images were pulled from google

How I Combat Oily Skin

It's in the genes! I can't help it. My dad has oily skin and that's where I get mine from. I've been told having oily skin is good because people with oily skin don't tend to wrinkle in old age and the skin has more elasticity to it. The down side to oily skin is blemishes, large pores and more thought into your skin care and makeup application routine as I have learned over the last few months.

Although I do not suffer from blemishes (had acne as a pre-teen), I have to put more thought into my skin care and makeup routine to keep the oil at bay throughout the day. I have come up with a skin care and makeup routine that seems to be working for me now. I'm noticing my pores appear smaller and I don't have to blot every other hour throughout the day which can be very annoying.

I would like to share both my skin care and makeup routine with you. If you have oily skin and have been looking for ways to combat it, the products I use may help you too. However, all skin is different and what works for me may not work for you. I encourage you to test certain products to see how your skin reacts. Soon, you'll find a routine you can be happy with just like I did.

Skin Care

I use the Clinque 3 step system faithfully twice a day. The 3 step system includes cleansing, toning, and using a gel based moisturizer. Using gel based or oil free products including makeup is key if you have oily skin. The Clinque brand can be found at department stores makeup counters. Each product within the 3 step system is sold separately. All together, the system retails for $30 to $60 depending on the size of each product you purchase.

My skin care routine also includes exfoliating and using a mask. I exfoliate at least 2 times a week and use a mask treatment maybe 3 times a month. The mask treatment varies depending on the condition of my skin. You will notice these two products are for blemish and acne control. This is OK. Most oil control products are designed specifically for blemish and acne control. It's the ingredients within these products that help control oil over time.

The exfoliator I use is by a company I'm sure you are all familiar with. The name of the company is St.Ives and I use their Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub. Tip: I also use this to exfoliate the dry skin on my lips.

The mask I use is by a company named Queen Helene. The product is their Mint Julep Masque. Amazingly, both of these products can be found at any drug store and retail for under $5.

Makeup Routine

I have finally found a foundation combination that works for me! This comes after wasting money on countless foundations and trying out numerous samples of face primers.

My foundation routine includes a combination of a drug store foundation brand and a high end foundation brand. The drug store foundation brand is Revlon Color Stay Liquid foundation for combination/oily skin. This foundation provides a medium to heavy coverage. I apply this foundation very lightly to my t-zone area only. This foundation feels like velvet and is not heavy. Foundations I've tried in the past (M.A.C) left my skin feeling cakey. This foundation goes on smooth and does not leave a noticeable film. The Revlon Color Stay liquid foundation can be found at any drug store and retails for about $11. My shade is caramel #400.

After applying the liquid foundation to my t-zone, I apply a power foundation over the liquid foundation and to the rest of my face. The powder foundation I use is by Makeup Forever. This high end makeup brand has been around for years and is highly respected in the makeup industry. The finish is in DUO MAT. This foundation and makeup brand can be found at Sephora and retails for about $30 bucks. My shade is #214. This powder foundation sets the liquid foundation and adds additional coverage while providing a matt finish which I LOVE!

Primers

Priming the fact before foundation application is important regardless of your skin type. A face primer evens out your skin tone, fills in lines and decreases the size of visible pores. Also priming the eyelids is key especially if you have oily eyelids. If you do not prime your lids before applying eyeshadow, your eyeshadow won't blend well and will crease throughout the day. This eyeshadow creased look is not good...trust me!

Once again, after trying out countless face and eyeshadow primers, I've found a combination that seems to be working very well.

For my face, I use Loreal's Studio Secrets Perfecting Base. This base/primer is the bomb! I love it! It beats out any other high end brand I've used in the past. What's best is that you can find this at any drug store for about $11. At first glance, you may think the product will go on heavy but it doesn't. The base keeps my foundation in place and combats the oil throughout the day.

The eyeshadow primer I use is by Urban Decay. It is their Eyeshadow Primer Potion. This eyeshadow primer is very popular. It does a good job at keeping my eyeshadow in place and will not allow the oil to crease the eyeshadow. This primer can be found at Ulta or Sephora and retails for about $19. Don't let the price sway you. It actually lasts a very long time because you don't need much at all.

You all know I love my eyeshadow, so to spend time perfecting my eyeshadow look to have it crease on me is not an option...lol

So ladies, this is it in a nut shell however, there are so many other aspects to think about when trying to combat oily skin. Increasing water intake and taking a colon cleanser has also improved my skin.

Let me know what you think!

Smooches my beauties!!!!!

Samani says hi!

I Love Makeup

Hello Friends,

Most of you know that I love makeup and that I am aspiring to be a successful freelance makeup artist. I would like to share my journey with you as well as share makeup and beauty tips I have discovered in the past year.

For those who don't know, I've always loved makeup. It wasn't until earlier this year I decided to learn as much as I could about the makeup artistry trade. I quickly became intrigued by watching YouTube videos. One evening, I came across a YouTube makeup guru named Ebony. Her channel is: http://www.youtube.com/user/colouredbeautiful. Check her out!!! I was instantly hooked! Her skill and knowledge blew me away! I then began watching other YouTube makeup artists and purchasing and trying different makeup brands and practicing makeup applicantion techniques.

One day, I saw Ebony was offering a makeup workshop class in Houston. I signed up and went with my friend Robyn. After the first round of lecture, we had to apply what we learned on each other. As soon as I picked up my brush to demonstrate my interpetation of what we learned, I was hooked! I knew right then and there what I wanted to do and I have not looked back since.

I am so glad I finally found something that interests me and that I'm actually good at (so I'm told). Make no mistake, I still have tons to learn and look forward to enhancing my craft and sharing my accomplishments with you.

You can look forward to interesting posts from me weekly. Blogging is something new to me so give me some time to get the hang of it.

I ask you all to keep me in your thoughts and prayers. Who knows, maybe you will see me on TV one day promoting my own makeup line!!!!

My first blog will be skin care and battling oily skin.

Smooches my beauties!!!