Drugstore Bronzer and Contour

I was having the hardest time finding the right bronzer for my skin tone. I needed something that would look natural and give me a healthy glow. Except I had no idea what color would work for me! Especially since most bronzers seem to be suited for lighter skin tones. But, I tried out a few things from the drugstore, and I’ve found at least a couple bronzers and contours so far that I think would work well for other girls around my color.

But first a few tips on bronzer and contour:

• When picking an overall bronzer, look for something 2 to 3 shades darker than your skin tone, and warmer than your skin tone. You want something similar to how you would naturally tan.
• For contours, go with something darker and cooler. You want the color to mimic the look of natural shadows on your face, and shadows don’t tend to be orange!
• Bronzer should go on the high points of your face, where you would naturally be kissed by the sun. This means cheekbones, temples, your nose, and chin. I tend to use it all over the perimeter of my face as well.
• Contours should go where you want to emphasize a shadow: under your cheekbones, under your jawline (my fave), the sides of your nose (if you want to slim it down), and the hairline (especially if you have a very high forehead).
• And super important, always remember to bronze all the exposed parts of your skin to match your face, like your neck and chest. Otherwise you’ll look pretty silly!
• No perfectly contoured and bronzed look is complete without a good highlighter, but we'll save that for another post.

And there are swatches for all these products at the end of the post. So let's get to it!

Avalon Organics Vitamin C Renewal Balancing Toner

Image found here.

A few months ago I had this weird urge to start trying out anti-aging products even though I don’t need them yet. I should probably take that as a sign that I’m reading too many beauty blogs. Anyway, I ended up giving most of the stuff away to my mom, but I kept this toner because I liked it a lot. I’m in my early 20s, so the most I really need to do is wear sunscreen regularly, but I this toner also helps with balancing the skin, and getting an even tone.

Some of you may be asking, “Do I need a toner? What do they actually do?” The answer is, for the most part, no. Toners were originally created to balance the pH of the skin after using a harsh soap on the face, back when actual soaps were used. Now that we have gentle, non-soap cleansers, there isn’t a huge need for them. But, a well-formulated toner can be a nice addition to your skin care routine, especially if it contains vitamins and antioxidants.

The Avalon Organics Vitamin C Renewal Balancing Toner works like this, according to the bottle,

American Cream

As you might have noticed by now, I’m a fan of Lush Cosmetics.  I usually stick to the skincare, but since I’m trying to repair my hair, I thought I would try some of those products.  When I bought the Fair Trade Honey shampoo (mentioned in my February favorites) I also bought the American Cream conditioner.  It’s a pretty well known conditioner among the Lushies*, and almost everyone raves about it.  I bought the small bottle because I didn’t want to shell out the $30 for the big bottle.  The 3oz bottle was $10, which is A LOT of money for 3oz of product when you have hair that falls more than halfway down your back. 

From Lush website

The description:

American Cream is our dreamy, medium-strength for soft, shiny and bouncy locks. Softening honey, scalp clarifying lavender and fresh oranges make a conditioner suitable for all hair types to soften rough ends and keep hair calm. Not to mention the absolutely delectable strawberry vanilla cream scent.

OBSESSED: SheaMoisture

My SheaMoisture collection

If you’re a curly girl, you probably already know about SheaMoisture, a brand of all natural hair care sold in drugstores like Target and Walgreens. For the rest of you, I have to say, I’m OBSESSED. I’m Latina and  I have thick, wavy hair that’s pretty manageable, but does get dry and frizzy if I don’t take care of it. And I feel like I’ve found my holy grail of hair care products in Shea Moisture.

Their line of hair care products is targeted towards ethnic hair, natural hair, curly girls--which I am not--but the ingredients are so wonderful I had to try them out. Their products are sustainably produced, ethically traded, natural, don’t contain any icky chemicals or preservatives, and they really work. They also have bath and body collections, skin care, baby care, and more. If you’re into natural skin and hair care, you’ll recognize a lot of the ingredients and just how great they are. And, did I mention every bottle runs for $10 at Target? Seriously. 

There are different ranges of products for different hair types, separated by differently colored labels. The yellow label products are made with raw shea butter and are aimed at repairing dry, damaged hair. The black label products are made with African black soap, for dry, itchy scalp. The pink label is made for thick, curly hair, and contains coconut and hibiscus. And the green label, made with organic yucca and baobob, is for fine, thin hair. There are styling products to go with each collection, as well as bath and body products, like lotions and bodywashes. They also seem to have expanded recently: they have baby and kids’ lines, a new hair color system, and a new women’s shave and waxing collection, among others.  

I want to try everything! I have yet to try anything other than their hair care products, but I’ll walk you through the stuff I have purchased and love.

Concealer Wars

Today we are starting our concealer series! We're kind of obsessed with finding the perfect one. To kick things off, we are putting two concealer sticks against each other, one high-end and the other drugstore.  We got Urban Decay’s 24/7 Concealer Stick versus Revlon’s PhotoReady Concealer.  Let’s take a look.

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush

This is my first foray into the world cream blushes, and I am definitely a convert! They’re subtle but buildable, don’t leave any harsh edges, and melt into your face to give a totally natural flush.

I was looking around for a rosy blush that would be good for a “no-makeup makeup” look and decided on Maybelline’s Dream Bouncy Blush in number 15, Rose Petal. It’s a really lovely color, a pretty pink with a hint of coral that’s just warm enough to work with my skin. I have a medium tan skin tone with mostly yellow undertones. It adds a sheer wash of color to my face that looks fresh, pretty, and healthy. It’s quickly become my new favorite blush! Also, this blush is actually bouncy. Like, if you touch it, it actually bounces back. Which is for some reason kind of exciting!

So pretty.

theBalm's Balm Jovi

theBalm rockstar palette is my favorite palette right now.  It has 12 shadows in three different finishes: metallics, matte, and shimmer.  It also comes with a highlighter and blush and two lip products. The whole palette has a theme around rock music. I must warn you, this brand is madly in love with puns.  So if you’re not a fan of puns, you should stop reading now (except you really shouldn’t).