Follow Up Review: Cover Girl Intesify Me! Liquid Liner

Item received from Cover Girl

I tweeted about this yesterday, but I know not everyone follows me, though if you want to, I'm under the same name Jeweled Thumb. In any case, yesterday I had a much better means for testing the eyeliner. I walked approximately 5 miles yesterday in 90 degree weather and about 3/4 of the way through had to take a photograph that looked semi-presentable. I was sweating, but since I have dry skin (broken record) my foundation was more or less in place (Missha BB Cream actually with some Physicians Formula concealer and a tiny bit of powder to set), but I definitely wanted to give you an update on the eyeliner in more severe testing conditions. In and out of air conditioning, lengthy walking in hot weather, sweating... PS it was so hot yesterday in DC.

I applied the eyeliner at around 7am and while it didn't look perfect by any means, I had a better handle on the nib (though I'd still prefer something slimmer).

Here it is around 3pm after walking around in the heat:

So I had some spotting on my upper lid (but I'm not sure if that was the mascara or the eyeliner (for the record I was used a gasp non waterproof mascara also by Cover Girl that I bought myself - the one in the green tube since it tends to last really well, but still not great on holding a curl) and my standard business-y eye, Chanel Coquin (I need to find a dupe of this, I'm nearing pan) and Jemma Kidd Vanity Fair (likewise, but I think that dupe will be easier to find and I have a dip but don't think I need to worry about hitting pan anytime soon). I was eating lunch so lips had worn off. Cheeks were Tarte Air Blush in Shimmering Poppy which either wore off or was less evident because of the lighting. In any case, there you have it!

Proper testing conditions and I'll admit, impressive, but I still have dry skin so your mileage will vary!

* Cover Girl eyeliner received for review.

Review: Cover Girl Intesify Me! Liquid Liner

Cover Girl items were received for review purposes.

Before I start this review, I want to note a few things; first, I am horrible at applying liquid liner and I specifically stay away from it so if you're a pro at applying and think this looks interesting, don't let my review of it sway you from trying it out (you can always return it if you don't like it); and two, my husband and I had planned to see movies and then go out for dinner this past Saturday which would have been the perfect place to put non-waterproof items that claim longevity to the test (let's just say I easily get emotional during movies), but the theater would up changing the times so we walked around an air conditioned mall, sat in an air conditioned car and then ate dinner in an air conditioned restaurant, no crying involved.

The Cover Girl Intensify Me! liquid liner is super black and dries matte. It has an unusual shape. First of all, it's not quite a felt tip or a brush tip. It has no give and kind of reminds me of a marker in a way. And one part of the tip is perfectly flat and the other is a slim rectangle. This allows you to draw a very thin line or a thick line but you also have to be very careful to not bend the liner midway through so it doesn't tip to the other side.

 Thick side, and then when you turn it 90 degrees, you get the thin side below.

This is great if you have perfect eyesight and are perfect at applying liner. I, on the other hand, can barely see my eyes, even up close with a mirror without my glasses and kept on dotting the thick side on my eyelid. I was already running late according to our previous plans and wound up having to do a wing.

Yes I know it looks bad. It looks a bit better from far away, thank goodness and I was able to fix it a tiny bit before going out in public. What I did discover during applying this is although it hurts like a !@#$% to poke your eye with the marker, it is perfect for tight lining your upper lashline as you just gently tap the wide edge across. I would have stopped at that if not for the fact that I wanted to test whether it transferred to the lid and other important bits that I try to cover in a liner review. I didn't use an eye primer or shadow for that very reason.

From far away, it doesn't look awful, though my glasses cover up much of the problem areas!

 

This photo was taken about 9 hours after the initial application. No transfer to the upper lid. You can still see my horrible application, but it didn't seem to shift around and even though it took some effort to get the liner and mascara (review upcoming!) off my eyes, the liner itself washed off my hand with just soap and water.

I do want to mention as I tend to do that my skin is dry and things like foundation and eyeshadow tend to stick around longer than on some oily folks, but as far as first impressions go, I would buy this if I could just buy a pointy thin non rectangular felt tip, but since I can't and I have it, it'll be what I use to fill in the gaps on my upper lashline using the wide end and I won't even attempt this for properly lining the upper lashline or doing a wing, I prefer shorter thinner brush-like applicators for that. 

* Cover Girl products sent for review; lips were Butter London Ladybird which was also sent for review (review forthcoming) but I wanted to briefly mention how I freaking love this color - usually I can't do orange-red lips. Husband approved. Mission accomplished. Bad lining aside, he still liked the look so I can't complain too much but I wouldn't buy this.

Reviews Coming Soon to a Jeweled Thumb Blog Near You*

I'm a tad bit exhausted but I wanted to show you all what you can expect me to be blogging about soon. The Cover Girl and Butter London items were sent for review consideration. The hair dye related stuff was purchased by me; tonight actually!

I am going grey (well white as it turns out), especially around my temples and it's really starting to bother me as I'm only 31. These were on clearance at ULTA at around 75% off and don't have peroxide, ammonia or from what I can tell, formaldehyde and mention covering grey so fingers crossed. My hair is brown with some red in it, so I'm going to be mixing the brown with auburn and applying to those areas and not my entire head. I will report back. I am kind of scared to use "real" dye at this point in my life and these seem like a healthier option. But will they work? You guys will certainly find out!

Cover Girl sent me the new super sizer mascara and the intensify me liquid liner - which I'm usually horrible at applying ... we shall see!

Butter London reached out to me and sent their "shine out loud" collection and I'll be slowly working through the products. In any case, there will be a giveaway, so keep a look out for the reviews and giveaway post(s)!

I also have a few other posts in the works, but this is the most I can put together for now. You know, when there's a hole in your dining room, that's usually the priority.






* Had a lovely Memorial Day weekend trip with my MIL to the NYC family apartment. Then came back to absolute chaos. Hole in the ceiling, water raining down in our dining room, and plans to have to redo our Master bedroom/bathroom. Thanks, universe!

Outfit and Makeup of the Night - v. 6th Wedding Anniversary

My husband and I celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary last night (technically the date is today, but a Saturday night dinner seemed more special somehow). We went to an amazing restaurant in downtown Bethesda (if you're local) called 4935 Bar and Kitchen. Highly recommend. I presume the guy that helped us out was the general manager - I wish I remembered his name, he was awesome. Anyway, because we were going to a nice place and it was a special event, I dressed up. I usually don't share fashion on this blog, but ever since I've lost weight, it's definitely been more of interest and if you can find this dress in your local Banana Republic, it is amazing - one of the best parts of it is it's one you don't have to pull over your head, so you can do your makeup before without fear of squirting foundation on it. I doubt I would pay full price (BR stuff is generally overpriced to begin with), because that's just not my thing, but it is just sexy enough without being inappropriate - I'd say it's sexy/classy - not something to wear to work though unless you're short. I really should have taken pictures before we left the house because by the time we came home, I had consumed 2 glasses of wine (and that is generally enough to get me there - I'm a bit of a lighweight) and the first thing I did was kick of my high heels and take off my tights (and yes, it's still cold enough in MD to wear tights). Long intro aside, I thought I'd show my makeup, my outfit and the food (though the blue ambient lighting made all the food blue tinted - I swear, it wasn't like that in reality)!

(thank you Facebook for doing the photo montage for me - apologies for the dirty mirror)

Business in the front - party in the back. =)

So by the time I got home, everything was perfect makeup wise aside from my lipstick wearing off. Here's what I wore:

After sifting through a number of shots with lazy - I had something to drink - eyes - here are the two pictures I found that best represented the eye makeup. It was super easy for the record.

I applied Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer all over. Chanel Ombre Unique Showlights in Coquin was applied in the crease, just above and a little on the lid and Jemma Kidd i-Design in Vanity Fair was applied to darken the crease, in the outer-v and on the lower lashline all applied with the ipsy brush which is one of my favorite crease brushes. I curled my lashes with my newish Tweezerman eyelash curler and then applied a coat of the Cover Girl Clump Crusher by Lash Blash Very Black on the upper lashes; following by a coat of Maybelline Lash Discovery in Very Black (Waterproof) to seal the top and also applied this on the bottom. I really should just admit defeat and say this is empty and get a mascara topcoat so I can use my non waterproof mascara. Any recommendations?

For the face, I used my trusty Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in #13 (a newer tube since finishing one last year). Underneath I used the Tarte Colored Clay CC Primer in fair and to set, the Urban Decay All Nighter. For blush I used Tarte's Amazonion clay 12-hour blush in Fearless and a Red Earth blush brush. This sample has lasted forever since it is so so so pigmented. It gives a lovely pink flush but I wish I could buy a mini since I would never in a million years get through a full size. I think I've used this sample 10 times and I still have more! My lips before consuming dinner were the Almay Smart Shade Butter Kiss in #120 red-medium (I love these!), and my perfume of the evening was Bath and Body Works Forever Red.

I'll cut this off here and add photos of food behind the cut.

NOTD: Cover Girl Blue Hawaiian #535 Stay Brilliant Glosstinis

I went to see the newish Hunger Games with a work friend on Friday and after we got out, we went to Target to look at some of their clearance. I found this adorable Cover Girl Stay Brilliant Glosstini in Blue Hawaiian for all of $1.48 (and a couple others in that line). This is such a weird one as it takes on more of a sea green appearance in some lighting and a sky blue in others. I had the hardest time finding the green in it when I took photographs, but I swear, it morphs!

Please ignore my cuticles as winter has been harsh on my hands. Thankfully, I'm managed to get my nails the same length which has been a trial.

What's been on your tips lately?

Review: Cover Girl Advanced Radiance Age Defying Makeup with Olay #105 Ivory

I don't recall why I picked out this foundation at the drugstore. The Cover Girl Advanced Radiance Age Defying Makeup SPF 10 comes in an attractive plastic pump bottle. It retails for about $13 at local drugstore (less at places like Target and Walmart). I picked up the lightest shade in the range, #105 Ivory. You can probably tell from the bottle shot above that this is nowhere near pale.

So even though there's a fairly hydrating ingredient towards the top of the list (glycerin), this baby is chocked full of silicones. I immensely dislike foundations with tons of silicones (some I can handle) but this has dimethicone crosspolymer, some other special dimethicone with some numbers (sorry, I'm not a chemist by any means), regular dimethicone, methicone, another special dimethicone with different numbers... whew. Basically, this is a story of me picking a foundation without reading the back, likely carrying too many things in my hands and feeling rushed.

So even though the color is all wrong and the ingredients kind of scared me, how did this perform? If you need absolutely no coverage and want to use this as a base for your makeup with a tint, then it's fine. You can see it blended in on the right side of my hand. It slightly cancels out the redness in my hand and doesn't look obviously dark and off. I'd liken this to something like Origins Vitazing though I've never tried it.

If you want a foundation that actually covers anything, then you're going to have a problem. The above is my attempt at a second layer. First of all, it doesn't smooth over the first layer easily, it cakes up and goes all patchy. And of course, you can start to see just how yellow and off the foundation is for me (though my hand is a bit more pasty than my face). It's just all wrong. I've been battling some "time off the month" breakouts and this made my face look horrible. When I went to ""blend"" (major air quotes there), it kind of mushed the product around. It just wasn't attractive.

Basically, it looked like I had applied something on my face, but I hadn't applied foundation, if that makes any sense because it didn't cover anything but you could definitely see it! So unfortunate.

So, if you like silicone primers and you want one with some kick or you have perfect skin and shouldn't be wearing a mask of silicone anyway (but that's just my opinion) maybe you would like to try this? At close to $15 with tax, it's on the pricey side.

I returned mine thanks to the awesome CVS Beauty Guarantee. Sorry Cover Girl. This was not easy nor breezy.

Review: Cover Girl Nature Luxe Foundation

I've put off doing the review of the Cover Girl Natureluxe Foundation (nature luxe?) forever. I've had the tube of it for a few months now and I guess that means I've tested it sufficiently. Of course, I bought the lightest shade #305 Alabaster.

This is one of the easiest foundations I've ever found to apply. The texture blends nearly seamlessly into the skin. I've found it easy to apply with my fingers but I suppose you could use a brush if you really wanted to. It's lightweight and has a very slight powdery finish which I didn't find accentuated my dry patches. It is buildable up to a point. I can get medium coverage without much effort, though the foundation itself does have limits. It covers small breakouts easily but if you have any really angry-red pimples, you'll need a separate concealer.

It lasts throughout the day on me a good 9+ hours but that's mostly due to my drier skin and I do not set with a powder. I am not a big fan of the smell, but it doesn't stick around long.

The packaging is another selling point for me. It's very portable with a smaller opening so it's mess-free and is definitely travel friendly unlike some glass bottled foundations. The price is a little high for the drugstore, but combined with sales and coupons, it's not too bad.

My biggest problem with this foundation is that it oxidizes... badly. It looks perfect when I first apply it. As I mentioned it blends flawlessly, I feel as though I don't have foundation on but my skin is evened out to near perfection and then I get halfway through the day and go in the bathroom and about halfway down my neck is an obnoxious orangey-pink line. Outside, it's even worse. I can see a bit of orange around my mouth, around my eyes. It is hideous looking and I am surprised no one has commented.

Basically, proceed with caution and let it wear throughout the day on you without interacting with the public and see how it reacts. Personally, the only way I've been able to use this is mixing a little of it with my regular foundation which admittedly does make the other one apply smoother but is nowhere near convenient.

I wish it didn't go orange on me because I love everything else about it.

Cover Girl Natureluxe foundation, SPF 10. Retails for around $13.99 at drugstores depending on your area.

Flash Reviews

I want to first apologize for my recent absence. I started a new job about a month ago but only recently started having a decent amount of work to do there and being busy during the day. By the time I get home I want to sleep, not blog. Either way, I've been trying some new things (and not so new) out lately and I wanted to share my thoughts without a long lengthy review that requires multiple pictures and swatches.

SIRCUIT®SKIN Cosmeceuticals Fixzit™ / Blemish Drying Serum ($30)
I bought this in a Bloom Circle order since my skin has been freaking out lately. I went from the odd pimple/bump to my chin covered in them and even a few popped up on my usually very dry forehead. The issue is that I can't use something super strong and many are very pricey. This seemed to be a reasonable price and so far has been working very well. I tweeted that the majority of the spots are gone after about a week of nightly use. I did take a before shot and in a week or so I'll do a proper review of this product.

Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick (~$7.49)
I picked one of these up recently in the CVS sale. I don't remember the color but it was a light slightly coral tinged pink. I'm not a fan of these so far. The one I got was super pigmented, yes - but not moisturizing and made my thought to be well moisturized/exfoliated lips peel. It's definitely one of those lipsticks that you can't really apply from the tube, at least not for me!

Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Mineral Foundation ($25)
Since the recent skin freak out, I'm back to layering Bare Minerals Foundation in Fair over tinted moisturizer. Gives a good finish and coverage and doesn't make my skin freak out. I'm nearly done with my pot of this stuff and it has lasted forever.

Epielle Wipes
Oh my gosh guys, I am not sure how I lived without these wipes. The lovely Nouveau Cheap recommended them after my lukewarm review of the Yes To Cucumbers ones. These rock and they are super cheap. My Big Lots had them for $1 a pack and I hear you can sometimes find them other places too. I bought a couple of the different scents and I'm using the cucumber ones now and it smells like straight cucumbers, not floral-cumbers. I'm in love and the next time I'm at Big Lots I'll stock up if they still have them.

True Blue Spa Shea Cashmere Hand Cream ($6-$10)
I am absolutely loving this slightly pricey hand cream. It sinks in quickly, it smells like subtle cake (?) to me and it leaves your hands silky soft, not greasy at all. I've been keeping it on my nightstand and applying it close to bedtime. I find the scent pretty soothing.

I'm sure there's more but more reviews coming soon!

Disclosure: Post includes a referral link to Bloom Circle

Empties

It's been a super long time since I last did an Empties post but I swore there would be a few makeup items in it and as usual, things take a lot longer to finish than they may appear (for example that ELF TM seemed to last forever even with daily use and it's tiny). As always, I include kind of mini final reviews of the products and I'll link if I've reviewed them in the past. I have received some questions regarding my attempts to use up my stash so I thought I would answer them.

Are you doing a Project 'X' Pan?
No, limiting myself on makeup purchases doesn't work for me as I will just go and spend money on something else (or eat too much). Thankfully, I have the means to splurge occasionally on myself and it makes me happy. I don't have makeup related debt (just some student loans and a mortgage - I recently paid off my car, yay!) so I don't feel guilty about my makeup purchases. My husband buys video games and comics so it's nice to have my own girly vice.

Then why the tracking?
I have this fear that the makeup that I have will go bad and I will have wasted money on products I couldn't enjoy or use (I already have a problem with not using things that are "pretty"). This is my attempt in making sure that my makeup gets loved and finished (and it feels awesome to see what I've used and finished for some reason)! This is also why I love having giveaways and/or blog sales. I've been into makeup since the late 90s so even with limited purchases, I still have enough for quite awhile (obviously I throw away anything expired)!

Anyway, enough rambling, the evidence:

* Fruitopia No More Flakes 2-1 dandruff shampoo + conditioner: I've mentioned I suffer from some scalp issues and this was on sale at CVS and smelled good so I tried it. It seemed to work pretty well and definitely smells better than the tea tree oil equivalents. I'd repurchase when it's on sale.
* The Body Shop Ginger Scalp Care: One of my Holy Grails. Smells like ginger ale and works for the flakies/dermatitis. I have no idea what number bottle this is, but I've been using this for several years. This was in my 2010 Favorites and in several hauls last year. Will continue to repurchase.
* Urban Therapy Twisted Sista De Frizz Conditioner: I reviewed this for Beauty Debutante and this was my favorite of the products I received from the Twisted Sista line. It's super cheap and works pretty well. The tube went pretty quickly on my long hair but now that it's short, I bet it would last a bit longer. I haven't seen this in any stores but if I did, I'd (re)purchase.
* Darphin Conditioning Care with jojoba: I have no idea how I got a hold of this product but it's pretty nice, very thick and super moisturizing. I'm not even sure if Darphin still makes this. The only thing that put me off was the slightly floral scent. I'm not sure I'd repurchase. I bet it's really pricey.

* Essence of Beauty Eye Makeup Remover Non-Oily: Love these. These take off the most waterproof of eye makeup and they don't sting. Pretty inexpensive at CVS - though I haven't seen them in stores for ages they were available online last I checked.
* Clinique Take The Day Off For Lids Lashes & Lips: Awesome stuff that doesn't sting. Only negative is the price and the need to use a Q tip (what can I say? I'm super mega lazy and near blind without specs or contacts). I request these if I buy at the counter or as extras in swaps. I love the portable size as well, less mess if you accidentally knock it over and spill the whole bottle.
* Missha Super Aqua Cleansing Tissue: These were ok till they dried out and didn't remove any makeup without the assistance of another makeup remover. Did decently well with eye makeup when the cloths were actually saturated. These are on clearance for $6 on the Missha website if you want to see for yourself but I'd go with a drugstore version if I were you.

(Holy Skincare!)
* Avene Thermal Spring Water: Lovely as a refresher, a bit over priced but nice to have around. Really awesome in the summer as the water stays cool without refrigeration.
* Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion: After I received this for review, I quickly fell in love and so did practically everyone I had try it. My husband stole the bottle for about a week and then I bought him his own. My mother in law loves it since she works outside a lot and needs to wash her hands often. She loves that it sinks in quickly. DH has reserved my back up bottle for his own use at work. He's even gotten his boss hooked on this stuff. It's pricey but lasts forever. It works on soothing the skin (eczema, razor burn, etc) as well as keeping the skin hydrated but never greasy due to over washing. It does have silicones so if you are sensitive to them I wouldn't recommend it, but if your skin doesn't mind them this stuff is awesome. Since my review, I've bought 6 bottles for our house and friends and family. 
* Cellnique B-Liv line: After my review, I started liking this line a little more, specifically the Submerge Me Lotion and the Shrink & Tighten Complex. I still don't think the Off With Those Heads did much of anything for me. However, the price still puts me off. I did notice a difference when I stopped using the routine, however my skin seems to like many different lines (H2O being one of them). I may (re)purchase the two items I liked in the future but I'm drawn to easier and cheaper lines that I can buy in person.
* H20 Sea Pure Deep Moisture Cream: Is anyone surprised that I've used this up? I love this stuff though it's just as well that I've run out since my skin is freaking out after the threading I received this past week (I'm broken out in little bumps everywhere she threaded). For now, I'm using some more harsh skincare to hopefully get rid of the bumps but I will be so ready for this when my replacement comes in the mail...

* OPI Expert Touch Nail Polish Remover: Doesn't smell horrible, works pretty well, slightly pricey but will probably repurchase. This 4oz bottle was $6. In my opinion, it's worth it to pay a little more than cheap acetone at the drugstore to not deal with a horrible stench and something that dries out your nails and cuticles especially in the cooler months!

* Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Waterproof: LOVE! Probably my favorite mascara of 2010.
* Bourjois Pump Up The Volume Waterproof in Brown: It was ok. I prefer the Maybelline and in general black mascaras. It also smudged when I teared.
* Cover Girl Lash Exact: Again, not as good at the Maybelline and blue. In the review, I said I would repurchase but next time I'll try the black version!
* The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Lip Care Stick: I really love The Body Shop, if you can't already tell and I'm a big fan of most of their lip balms (other than the vitamin C orange one that tastes funny). This I've already repurchased. Super creamy and great for fall and winter and smells delicious.
* MAC Plush Glass in Posh It Up: I dislike MAC lipglosses but continue to buy them for their color selection and the hype. I will try to use up more MAC lip products in 2011 and then will trade them in for something other than a lipglass! A guess that would be a New Years resolution?
* ELF Tinted Moisturizer (regular $1 line) in Ivory: I've reviewed and featured/worn this countless times in 2010 and really like it. I will repurchase for sure but not until I've used up a few more tinted moisturizers in my stash. I love the price of this and the coverage is actually pretty good. After months of using it, I finally got used to the orange soda scent. For $1 it's definitely worth trying if you like tinted moisturizers. A plus, it comes in a shade that matches fair skin!


Wow, this post was epically long. Hope it was helpful at the very least. Have you used anything up recently?

Giveaway "Haul"

I won a giveaway! Guys, I hardly ever win anything, so I wanted to share my amazing loot from the wonderful Yummy411!

Speaking of which, ladies that won my giveaway, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with that. I haven't forgotten about you.

Anyway, loot.

The giveaway was sponsored by Cover Girl so I got a few products of theirs as well as a makeup bag. Makeup Master indeed. And a Walmart giftcard that's currently in my purse.

Thank you Yummy411!

Anyway, I'm beat and I apologize for the lack of posts this week. I just started physical therapy and it is exhausting me. It's not even 6pm and I could easily go to bed now.

Review: Cover Girl Lash Exact

Oh Dollar Dollar Tree
Do have you a deal for me?
I've been good and you'll agree
Bet you have some pretties.

Wow, I'm apparently the biggest dork in the world because randomly, I'll start thinking of a song or jingle about quite random stuff. It amuses my husband but not sure how it'll go over here. Anyway, I'm sure by now you've figured out what this post is about.

I try to stop by at least 1 of the maybe 5 or so Dollar Trees or dollar stores around me a week. They usually get new stock on a weekly basis and you never know what you might find. In this case, I almost couldn't believe it when I encountered probably 40 tubes of Lash Exact mascara.

A side note: I'm well aware that the stock carried in dollar stores might be old. I'm willing to risk the $1 plus tax to try them out for myself and usually I stick to buying nail polish, which can be easily thinned out. 

Back to the fun stuff. I was so excited, I didn't really read the packaging and grabbed a few tubes for myself. I've never tried Lash Exact but I've heard fairly decent things about it and in the worst case scenario I'm out a couple of dollars and still about half the price that I'd be out at a regular drugstore.

 

Even though packaging can make me spend more money than I really should on other products, I tend to keep it simple with mascara. I generally only buy drugstore mascara and I really don't have a HG (holy grail) product. I use what's on sale. I do enjoy the simple, yet sturdy and lovely purple tube that Lash Exact comes in and I do really like the rubber brush. While I found Maybelline's Define a Lash (green tube) rubber brush a bit too floppy (it bended as it combed through the lashes which didn't yield me the most control), this one is pretty firm. It gives you quite a bit of control as you brush the mascara through your lashes and it does a great job of separating them while still giving them a bit of volume.

I was really pleased with the way this performed. Even though it's not marketed as a waterproof formula, for the week I've worn it, it didn't flake on me even when worn for upwards of 10 hours. I didn't get raccoon eyes even though my eyes are prone to watering thanks to allergies or the cold. I was quite pleased with the dollar or so I spent.

It also came off easily with makeup remover and I didn't wind up with little smudges of mascara around the base of my lash line the next morning (I sometimes have this problem with other waterproof mascara no matter what remover I use!).

Anyway, everything was great. I didn't even bat an eye(lash) when the cotton square I used to remove it was blue.

Then I looked at the wand.

Oh, I exclaimed! The wand just must be blue (after I had noted the wand was black when I first opened up the packaging - the wand comes separate from the mascara). 

Ok, well, in my excitement, I didn't realize that Dollar Tree had about 40 tubes of BLUE Lash Exact. Probably overstock that doesn't sell quite well from a drugstore. Or maybe Cover Girl has discontinued the color.

Not as though I'm complaining. It turns to a deep navy when it dries and you can barely tell it's blue (it's not electric blue or anything) and navy brings out my brown eyes. 

So even though I didn't realize what color I was actually wearing until 5 days into wearing this mascara, I'm still quite happy with it and would repurchase. Though next time I'll read the packaging a bit more carefully.

Rite Aid Paid Me To Shop Today

How? Well, I'm sure some of you drugstore divas are aware of the "drugstore game". Basically, with a mixture of coupons, sales and rebates, you can either break even (get things free) or even make money on drugstore purchases. I've often mentioned that before I entered the beauty blog world, I was a big fan of the budget blog world. Ladies (and some men) all over the country posted the best deals, coupon match ups, etc. Between work, school and Jeweled Thumb, I don't have the time to devote to finding the very best deals, but at the supermarket I aim for 50% or more savings between sales and coupons and often I succeed.

Anyway, while the Rite Aid circular might not look super exciting for this week, it is if you have the proper coupon match ups.

Almay eye makeup is buy 1 get 1 free
Cover Girl makeup is buy 1 get 1 free
Various Proctor & Gamble (PG) products are on sale and you can get a $10 Rite Aid gift card when you buy $30 worth of products

Let's start with Almay,
Almay has some new eye sets that I've been wanting to try priced at $7.49 each
Because Almay eye makeup is on sale this week, I got 2 sets for $7.49
In recent papers there have been $1/1 and $2/1 coupons. Since you have 2 different items, you can use both!
Of course I used both of them.
That brings the price down to $4.49 for both products
And this month there is a $5 rebate when you buy 2 Almay products.
Rite Aid/Almay is ultimately paying me 51 cents to bring these 2 items home with me!

Then Cover Girl,
This one is fairly easy and a warning that it might not work at all locations.
Cover Girl makeup is buy 1 get 1 free.
There was a coupon in last month's PG insert for Cover Girl BOGO face makeup
Combine that with the BOGO weekly deal and you may be able to walk away with 2 free foundations or powder.
I picked up 2 of the new Clean Makeup for sensitive skin to try, for free!

Just two of many deals you can get at Rite Aid this week. Some of them don't involve makeup so I didn't break them down. The PG gift card deal is great if you need tampons, DayQuil and other not so exciting stuff.