Review -- NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

I am a total concealer junkie.

There, I admitted it.

(Though, really, in all honesty, I'm a junkie of pretty much every makeup item under the sun. But concealers seem to pull me in more than others. Well, concealers and foundations.  And eye shadow palettes. And nude lipsticks. And highlighters. And peachy blushes. I should probably stop now...)

So I am always ready to try the latest and greatest offering in the concealer in arena.

For the most part, I only really use concealer under my eyes. Every so often, I'll dab some on a breakout or some other discoloration, but on a daily basis, it's my dark circles that I'm trying to cover up.

That means I want a concealer that's a little bit brightening and creamy and moisturizing enough to blend nicely under the eyes without creasing up a storm. My dark circles aren't that bad, so light to medium coverage is all I really need.

Now, that doesn't seem like such a tall order, but those kind of concealers are actually hard to find.

Review -- Maybelline Face Studio Master Hi-Light Hi-Lighting Blush & Bronzer

There are times when I'm kind of in a rush to put my makeup on -- I love my sleep so sometimes I may hit the snooze button once or twice and wind up screwing myself out of precious makeup time.

On days like that, it always helps to have products that do double duty so you can eliminate a step in your routine.

If you're a fan of highlighting, the Maybelline Face Studio Master Hi-Light Hi-Lighting Blushes and Bronzers are those type of product.

These are mosaic powders that features multiple shimmery shades that deliver a pretty sheen along with pretty color.

I purchased two of the blushes in Pink Rose and Nude and one of the bronzers in Light Bronze.

Review (for Fair Skinned Folks!) -- MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW10

I've always been a fan of MAC.

I don't buy many items from the brand these days, though -- mainly because I have all of the items that I really want from the permanent line and they just put out too many damn limited edition collections for me to keep up with (except for the occasional one I can't resist like Marilyn Monroe or Archie.)

But, as much as I like MAC, I've never been a big fan of their foundations.

It's not much a formula issue because they certainly have enough to choose from. As a super fair girl, I could never find a color match that worked with skin tone. I tried both NC15 and NW15, and depending on the foundation formula, they were either too dark or too orange.

I have plenty of other foundations that I like so I made my peace with the fact that I couldn't use MAC foundations.

Review -- Maybelline The Nudes Palette

For several years now, nude or natural eye shadow palettes have been all the rage in the makeup world.

I totally get it -- they're completely wearable and usually easy to use.

Even if you're a fan of more colorful looks, it helps to have one of these natural palettes in your collection so you have plenty of transition and highlight shades to complement your bolder shadows.

But while you can't really turn around in Sephora or Ulta without finding a natural palette from Urban Decay, LORAC, Tarte, etc., there hasn't been a drugstore version -- and by that I mean, an actual palette, not just a quad or duo of pretty nude or natural shades.

Maybelline obviously saw an opportunity to corner that market and have introduced their The Nudes Palette as a budget-friendly nude eye shadow palette.

Review -- Maybelline Eye Studio Color Plush Silk Eye Shadow in Mad for Mauve

A few months back, I purchased a couple of the Maybelline Eye Studio Color Plush Silk Eye Shadow Quads that were part of Maybelline's spring collection.

I didn't bother reviewing those because they were limited edition and somewhat difficult to find.

But I was impressed enough with those quads to purchase one from the permanent line, Mad for Mauve, and I figure that it's worth doing a review because it's pretty widely available.

The Eye Studio Color Plush Eye Shadows have a really interesting texture -- they're pretty soft, but not so soft that you have to worry about fallout. That's because they have almost a creamy consistency so they just blend easily across your lid.

The quads are available in 12 different shades, and while they were a couple of pretty natural collections that I probably would have gotten more regular use out of, I went with Mad for Mauve because it didn't seem like I had too many dupes for the shades in my collection.

Review -- Rimmel London Stay Blushed! Liquid Cheek Tints

I've been a big fan of cream and liquid blush products over the past few years.

They tend to be a little sheerer than powder blushes and they blend a little more seamlessly with the skin, so they can look seriously natural -- which is why I especially love them for my minimal makeup days.

But they're not just for no-makeup makeup days -- you can build them up for a more intense look or layer a powder blush over them for a flush that lasts all day.

I haven't found too many cream blushes at the drugstore that I like all that much, though, which is disappointing because I'd like to find a budget-friendly option so I could have cream blushes in a wider range of shades without seriously breaking the bank.

Enter the Rimmel London Stay Blushed! Liquid Cheek Tints.

Review -- CoverGirl Tru Blend Liquid Makeup

There have been a ton of new (or reformulated) foundation at the drugstore lately, and like a kid in a candy store, I just can't resist trying as many as I can get my hands.

Foundation is one of those products that I don't feel bad about splurging on -- because it's such an important part of your overall look and finding one with top notch ingredients that cooperate with your skin can sometimes mean shelling out big bucks -- but when I can find budget-friendly options that work well, I'm always excited.

A few months back, I picked up the CoverGirl Tru Blend Liquid Makeup, which I believe is a reformulated version of their old Tru Blend Foundation (which, for the record, I never tried) -- and I've got to admit, I didn't like it much.