NEW! CoverGirl TruNaked Jewels Palette

The Spring 2017 drugstore collections are about to drop in the next few weeks and I stumbled upon a brand new palette on the CoverGirl website that will likely be popping up in stores very soon! The TruNaked Jewels palette ($11.49) features 8 jewel-toned shades in shimmer and matte finishes. I absolutely loved the TruNaked palettes that came out last fall...they were incredibly pigmented so I can't wait to try this one. 

They're already out in Canada, and you can see a review and swatches on I Dream in Beauty here. 

Also, I wanted to point out that these shades remind me of the Lorac Pro Metal palette I just reviewed last week...it has a similar off white, rose gold, cobalt blue, clover green, and peachy copper! The only different shades in the CoverGirl palette are the purple, matte dusty pink, and charcoal.

Here's what the Lorac Pro Metals looks like: 

What do you think? Are you excited for the new CoverGirl TruNaked Jewels palette? Have you seen it anywhere yet?

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3 Drugstore BB Creams to Try This Summer

I love wearing BB Creams in the Summertime...I rarely find myself reaching for heavier foundations unless I'm going to an event or a wedding and want to look really flawless. They're just too heavy and when the weather is humid, the last thing I want is to feel like I have a mask on my face.

This summer, I've been trying out three new BB Creams and they're all very different from each other. So I thought I'd do a comparison post because no matter what your skin type, one of these will likely work for you.

Let's take a look!

CoverGirl Clean Matte BB Cream ($8.49)- As dry-skinned gal, I was prepared to totally hate this one. Most matte formulas tend to cake up and accentuate my pores and fine lines, so I try to avoid anything with the word "matte" in it. That being said, a lot of you have been asking me to review this product so I purchased it...but didn't have high hopes. I have to say, I'm extremely impressed!

It provides light coverage that can be built up to medium very easily and it disappears into my skin with a very natural finish, not the powdery one that a lot of matte products have. In fact, once it sets, I don't feel anything on my face at all...there's no sticky or tacky feeling and no dryness. It's also incredibly long lasting! 9-10 hours later, my skin still looked great, which is really amazing for a BB Cream. If you're oily, it's hard for me to say whether this will control oil (because my skin is pretty much devoid of it) but I can tell you that it gives a true matte finish, unlike other matte products that end up looking more satin.

bh Cosmetics Forever Nude Illuminating BB Cream ($9.50)- Where the Cover Girl Clean Matte is meant for oily skin, the bh Cosmetics Forever Nude Illuminating BB Cream is meant for drier skin types. It contains skincare ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin E to help minimize fine lines and plump up the skin. It also contains illuminating properties that don't appear glittery or shimmery, just give a lit-from-within glow. Out of the three formulas in this post, this one is the sheerest, but it can still be built up to almost medium-coverage if you add a second layer. I love the way my skin looks in this and have probably worn this one the most this summer. Even when I'm having a not-so-great skin day, adding a little concealer on my trouble areas (under eyes and around nose) make up for the lighter coverage. This one has the shortest wear time at about 7 hours or so unless I set it with powder or use a primer underneath.

Circa Beauty Color Balance BB Cream ($14)- I picked this up at Walgreens a few months ago and was really impressed for a couple of reasons. First of all, the coverage is amazing for a BB Cream and not at all what I was expecting. I can liken it to IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream in terms of coverage...it's a solid medium out of the tube and can be built up for even more coverage. It dries down to a beautiful satin finish and blends seamlessly into the skin with no sticky or dewy feeling. I reach for this one when I need the coverage of a foundation with the lightweight feel of a BB Cream. It also has great wear time at 8-9 hours!

Swatches:

In the swatches, you can really see how the finishes differ. The CoverGirl Clean Matte doesn't have any shine, while the bh Cosmetics Illuminating BB has the dewiest finish and the Circa Color Balance falls in between the two.
Also you can kind of see the coverage levels, with the bh Cosmetics being a bit more sheer, the Circa having the heaviest coverage, with the Cover Girl Clean Matte in between.

As far as colors go, the CoverGirl and bh Cosmetics are in the shade Light, while the Circa one is in Light Medium (it's a little too dark on me and next time I will get Light).

So just to sum up...

CoverGirl Clean Matte: 

• Finish- Matte
• Coverage- Sheer to Medium
• Great for- Normal to Oily skin types
• Wear time- 9-10 hours

bh Cosmetics Forever Nude Illuminating BB Cream:

• Finish- Dewy
• Coverage- Sheer
• Great for- Normal to Dry skin types
• Wear time- 6-7 hours

Circa Beauty Color Balance BB Cream:

• Finish- Satin
• Coverage- Medium to Full
• Great for- All skin types
• Wear time- 8-9 hours

Overall, I'm enjoying all of these formulas for different reasons! Have you tried any of these yet, and if not, what's your favorite BB Cream?

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CoverGirl Katy Kat Matte Lipstick | Review & Swatches

I found the new CoverGirl Katy Kat Matte Lipstick ($9.49) at Walgreens over the weekend and couldn't wait to review them for you guys since I know that a lot of you are wondering about the formula. I was really surprised to see them since the original information I received about these said they would be available at Walmart. In my head I was thinking it was a Walmart exclusive, but when I went back to look, it didn't say that anywhere. I have heard from readers that have seen these in Walmart stores already and they're quite a bit cheaper at $6.94 each.

The display at my local Walgreens was half empty (I guess they didn't get the full stock in yet) so I only grabbed one of the shades I was planning to buy, Kitty Purry (love that name!). I figured if I like the formula, I'll go back and buy more at Walmart where they're almost $3 cheaper.

Keep on reading for my review (really more of a first impression) and swatches plus something very interesting I learned about the formula!

Review: 

These lipsticks come in a white, rubberized tube with the shade name and color on the bottom. I love the cat ears over the name...such a cute touch! Each shade has a cat-themed name as well.

These claim to be a "demi-matte formula with a soft finish that feels creamy and moist on the lips". I would probably call this a satin finish. It wasn't shiny, but definitely wasn't full-on matte either. It felt really moisturizing and creamy, which my dry lips loved! It didn't settle into lines or cling to dry patches.

This is probably the closest that my dry lips and I can get to wearing a matte lipstick. Every time I pressed my lips together, it felt so creamy and smooth and while it never dried down completely (I could still move it around if I rubbed my lips together), it didn't really transfer much, so that's definitely a plus!

Staying power was good at 5-6 hours. I applied it around 2pm and by 6pm, it still looked perfect, even though I drank a soda and had some snacks with my son. But by 8pm, right after we ate dinner, I looked in the mirror and saw that it had started to break down and there was just a hint of a stain left on my lips.

Kitty Purry is a pink-mauve shade with violet undertones and I'm obsessed! It's a cooler-toned shade that works well with my cool, pink undertones. I also want to mention that this formula is really pigmented and completely covers my lip color in one swipe.

Wearing Kitty Purry on my Lips
Old Navy Sleeveless Top

Now here's where things get interesting. When I first saw these, the packaging reminded me a lot of the CoverGirl Lip Perfection lipsticks (except it's a different color). Then when I tried it on, I was again reminded of Lip Perfection, from the vanilla scent, to the highly pigmented, creamy formula. So I decided to do a little investigating and here's what I found: 

I pulled the ingredient lists from both formulas from Drugstore.com and found them to be almost identical, with the exception of the color pigments at the end of the list, which will always vary by shade anyway. I've color coded each ingredient to make it easier to compare them (just look for the same color in both lists). Also, the Katy Kat Matte formula contains squalene while the Lip Perfection doesn't. 

Katy Kat Matte:

Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Isopropyl Isostearate, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Acetylated Lanolin, Ozokerite, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, Paraffin, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Cetyl Lactate, Cetyl Alcohol, Squalane, Fragrance, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Silk Powder, Maltodextrin, Persea Gratissima Oil (Avocado), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Propylparaben, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Retinyl Palmitate, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Lauroyl Lysine, May Contain (+/-): Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Red 7 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 6 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Red 27 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Red 27, Carmine, Orange 5

Lip Perfection:

Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Isopropyl Isostearate, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Acetylated Lanolin, Ozokerite, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, Paraffin, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetyl Lactate, Fragrance, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Silk Powder, Maltodextrin, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Persea Gratissima Oil (Avocado), Propylparaben, Cocos Nucifera Oil (Coconut), Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Extract, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Retinyl Acetate (Vitamin A), Mica, May Contain (+/-):, Iron Oxides, Lauroyl Lysine, Titanium Dioxide, Red 27 Lake (CI 45410), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Red 6 Lake, Red 7 Lake, Yellow 5 Aluminum Lake, Yellow 6 Aluminum Lake (CI 15985), Carmine (CI 75470)


I'm not complaining at all, because I love the Lip Perfection formula and have always thought that they were an extremely underrated lipstick formula. So if you've tried the Lip Perfection lipsticks in the past, you'll have a good idea of what these feel/look/smell like. 

Overall, I'm really enjoying the Katy Kat Matte lipsticks...they're long-wearing, highly pigmented, and feel so comfortable on my lips all day. However, if you're looking for a truly matte formula that has a drier finish (or if you weren't a fan of Lip Perfection) you may want to skip these. 

You can find all 11 shades now at drugstore.com for $8.99 each.

Cover Girl Super Sizer Fibers | Review

As soon as I posted a photo on Instagram of the new CoverGirl Super Sizer Fibers display at Walgreens, the review requests started rolling in. Generally, I test out a product for a few weeks before I post a review, but I thought I would do a quick first impression post and let you know my thoughts in case you're wondering about this new formula.

First of all, the packaging and wand are exactly the same as the first Super Sizer. If you haven't tried that one, the wand is one of those plastic bristle types that's wide on the tip and tapers down at the base. The bristles aren't too close together or too far apart...I find them to be perfect for combing through my lashes and it distributes a good amount of product in one swipe (but not so much that there are clumps).

It claims to contain fibers mixed into the formula to give your lashes 400% volume + length.

I have no way to measure that claim, but I was surprised to get pretty good results in just one coat...that almost never happens! After two coats, I had really long, nicely separated lashes. I'm happy to report that I've been wearing this mascara since 10:30 am (and it's now 9:40 pm) and I have no smudging under my eyes and no flaking either!

Some questions I've been getting since I posted this on Instagram:

1. Is there a waterproof version? There wasn't a waterproof version in the display. It took CoverGirl a few months to come out with a waterproof Super Sizer last time so I'm guessing we'll see one soon.

2. If this has fibers is it ok to wear with contact lenses? The packaging says it's safe to wear with contacts and I myself wear them and haven't had any problems with this so far. I can't really wear those fiber formulas that have the 2 steps where you paint on the dry fibers in between coats of mascara. Those end up in my eyes and under my contacts...super uncomfortable! But in this case, the fibers are built into the formula so they don't fall into your eyes.

3. Do I use anything on my eyelashes to make them grow? One person asked me this and I thought I'd share my answer here as well. My lashes have always been pretty full, so a lot of it could just be genetics. I've noticed that they go through growth cycles...sometimes they seem thin and I have little gaps where some have fallen out, while other times (like now) they seem to be more full.

I don't use any lash serums or anything directly on my lashes.  I do take a skin, hair, & nails supplement with Biotin daily which is supposed to help your hair grow faster and stronger. After about a month and a half, I have definitely seen a difference in the hair on my head...it doesn't fall out as much and seems thicker at the roots. So it's totally possible that it's boosted my lashes as well.

I plan to do a follow-up post on this formula, especially if I start to feel differently about it, but for now I love it! I think it's even better than the original (which I also loved), so if you like a lot of length and separation with no clumps, you'll probably love this formula!

CoverGirl x Katy Perry Katy Kat Matte Lipsticks Available for Preorder

The new CoverGirl x Katy Perry Katy Kat Matte Lipsticks are now available for preorder at Walmart.com! They retail for $6.94 each and will ship on May 15th. 

Katy Kat Matte comes in 11 shades and is described as "demi matte with a soft finish that feels creamy and moist on the lips". CoverGirl really knocked it out of the park with their Spring 2016 collection and the TruNaked palettes and Oh Sugar Lip Balms, so I have high hopes for these! 

I love the packaging and the names are super cute too! I have my eye on Sphynx, Purrsian Pink, Catoure, and Kitty Purry (lol!).

The first 100 pre-orders will get a lipstick signed by Katy! I'm guessing that number has already come and gone but it can't hurt to try. I'm still trying to decide whether I should pre-order or not. May 15th is a few weeks away and I'll be kicking myself if these show up in store first and I have to wait until then. But on the other hand, my local Walmart stores always seem to be last to put out new stuff so maybe pre-ordering is the way to go. Hmm...

If you're interested, you can pre-order now at Walmart.com

CoverGirl Spring 2016 BOGO 50% at Ulta Beauty

If you've been dying to try the new CoverGirl TruBlend Blushes and Oh Sugar Lip Balms I  reviewed a few weeks ago but haven't found them in your area yet, guess what? They're now online at Ulta.com and they're BOGO 50%. Unfortunately, they don't have the TruNaked palettes just yet, but hopefully they'll be added soon. 

Drugstore.com has the entire line, but it's not on sale, so if you're itching to get your hands on those palettes, that's the only place you can get them online at the moment. Hopefully they'll arrive at Ulta Beauty any day now. 

Covergirl Oh Sugar! Lip Balm Review

Covergirl Oh Sugar! Lip Balm ($7.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond) is a brand new formula that's part of Covergirl's Spring 2016 collection (see my post about the entire collection here). The store display seemed to compare these to the Fresh Sugar Lip Balms...not directly, but in a vague sort of way, saying things like, " Try vs a $20 lip balm" and "A fresher idea: vitamin-infused balm at a much sweeter price". I've been using Fresh's Sugar Lip Treatment for about 10 years now, so I was really excited at the possibility of this being a dupe. Let's take a closer look...

Covergirl TruNaked Palette Review Goldens

Last week, I posted a review of the new Covergirl TruNaked Palette ($9.49) in the Roses shade and I was so impressed with the formula and quality, I went back and grabbed the other two shades, Goldens and Nudes. They first grabbed my attention because they claim to shade "like a leading $50 eyeshadow palette," which right away, made me think of Urban Decay's Naked Palettes. Once I tried this soft, buttery formula, I was hooked...it's truly a high-end quality formula, Covergirl wasn't kidding. It's not exactly like the Urban Decay formula, as these feel a bit different, but they pack just as much pigment in one swipe!

So today, I wanted to talk about the Goldens palette, which is similar to the original UD Naked Palette and I'll cover the Nudes one (similar to Naked 2) in a separate post. Let's take a look...

Covergirl Tru Blend Blush Review

I recently found the new Covergirl Tru Blend Blushes ($7.99) at my local Bed, Bath & Beyond. These are brand new for Spring 2016 and join several other new products that are really quite exciting! Let's take a look...

Covergirl Tru-Naked Roses Palette Review

It seems like I was just saying last week that I was getting bored with drugstore makeup and had moved on to smaller indie brands, when Covergirl came along with their Spring 2016 collection and completely turned my head around! 

When I first saw the Covergirl TruNaked palettes ($9.49) at Bed, Bath & Beyond, I thought to myself, "oh man, seriously...another UD Naked dupe?". It seems like just about every brand has been there and done that already, and with the exception of the Makeup Revolution Iconic Palettes, no one has come close in terms of eyeshadow quality or pigmentation. 

But something caught my attention about these... a sticker on the front of the palette has the claim, "shades like a leading $50 eyeshadow palette". Ok, now none of the other drugstore Naked palette dupes has made that claim, so I bought one out of sheer curiosity. I figured that if the claims were true, I would go back and get the others. But I wasn't really prepared for what I was about to find out...

MORE New Covergirl Products Spotted at Bed, Bath & Beyond!

Yesterday, I posted some reader-submitted photos of the new Covergirl Spring 2016 line that has started popping up at Bed, Bath & Beyond, so naturally I had to go there and see for myself. I ended up finding even more new Covergirl products, so I couldn't wait to share them with you guys! Let's get started...

First, I saw this display with new TruBlend Primer and TruBlend Baked Blushes and Bronzer.

NEW Covergirl Spotted at Bed, Bath & Beyond

Thank you so much to reader Hannah (@hhardydawson on Instagram) for sending me these photos of new CoverGirl Spring 2016 releases at Bed, Bath & Beyond! It looks like some really interesting stuff including dupes of high-end products...I've never seen a drugstore brand directly compare their products to more expensive ones before, so I'm really intrigued. 

First up is the new Oh Sugar! Lip Balm ($6.49). The display says, "Try vs. a $20 Lip Balm" and "a Fresher Idea" so it stands to reason that they're comparing this balm to the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments (which are actually $22.50). 

Photo Credit: @hhardydawson on Instagram

Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm Creams Review and Swatches

Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm Creams ($6.79) are brand new for Summer 2015 and I recently spotted the display at Bed, Bath and Beyond (see that post here to view all the shades). When I first saw these, I thought they were the same Jumbo Gloss Balms that have been out for a while now, but then I realized that these said, "Creams".  So I bought two shades to review and swatch for you guys! Let's take a look...

Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm Creams in 290 Berries 'n Cream and 280 Caramel Cream

Covergirl Outlast Stay Luminous Review

CoverGirl Outlast Stay Luminous Foundation ($8.99) is brand new for Summer 2015 and I spotted it about two weeks ago at Bed, Bath and Beyond along with some other new CoverGirl products (see that post here).  I've been using it for a little over a week now, so I wanted to give you guys a quick review/first impression since I've had a lot of requests since this came out. Let's take a look...

Covergirl Colorlicious Jumbo Gloss Balm Creams Spotted at Bed, Bath and Beyond

Covergirl Colorlicious Jumbo Gloss Balm Creams ($6.79 at Bed Bath and Beyond) are brand new for Summer 2015 and they claim to offer "rich color with soft shine". I'm a sucker for lip crayons so I admit I was really happy when I saw these and immediately bought a few. 

They come in 6 shades: Strawberry Frappe, Berries n' Cream, Parfait, Cherry Cream Pie, Nectarine Dream, and Caramel Parfait.

I took home Berries n' Cream and Caramel Cream, but if I like them, I'll be back for more! 

Will you be trying these or skipping them? 

Covergirl The Super Sizer Mascara Spotted at Harmons

Covergirl The Super Sizer Mascara  ($5.49 at Harmons) is a brand new release that I spotted this morning on my usual trip to Harmon Discount. Harmon also has a store inside select Bed, Bath and Beyonds and Christmas Tree Shops but I didn't see this mascara in either of those yet...only my freestanding Harmons had it. 

It was on a small display attached to the Covergirl section, so it wasn't in the new products section...I almost missed it!

Covergirl Colorlicious Lipstick Review and Swatches

Covergirl Colorlicious Lipstick ($5.79 at Bed, Bath & Beyond) is a new release for Spring 2015 and is the second Colorlicious product to launch (after the lip glosses this past Spring).  To me, the square tubes look very similar to the Lip Perfection, which has been on clearance at multiple drugstores lately.  I'm assuming these will be replacing them in their lineup.  I only saw a collection of pinks and nudes at my local BBB, but I've heard that they are also releasing berries and reds as well.  I picked up four shades to try...two nudes and two pinks.  Let's take a look!

The tubes have a slightly shiny, metallic finish to them and correspond to the color family they belong to.  The bottom of the tube is clear, which I thought would allow me to judge the color inside, but I was wrong...

The first pink shade I picked up, Sweetheart Blush, looked so pretty based on the bottom of the tube, but it ended up being a frost. Yuck.  Why brands continue to make frosty lipstick is beyond me... 1985 called...they want their lipstick back! The other shades I bought weren't frosts (thankfully), but I hear from other bloggers that there are quite a few in this line.

CoverGirl Lip Lava Review and Swatches

CoverGirl Lip Lava ($6.49 at Bed, Bath and Beyond) is a new line of lip glosses that just started arriving in stores last week. Actually, I'm not even sure I can call them glosses, because according to the display, "It's not a gloss, a balm, or a lipstick. It's hotter. It's lava."  

Ok, so we all know it's not really lava, so what is it? I purchased four out of the nine available shades to find out!

It was difficult to choose shades because these are all really bold and shimmery...definitely not for everyday wear (at least not my everyday). I finally settled on four shades: a nude, a pink, a violet and a berry. I figured I could sort of cover a broad range that way.

Lava Luster, Lychee Lava, Ooh La Lava, Look it's Lava!

Covergirl Bombshell Pow-der Brow Review and Swatches

Covergirl Pow-der Brow ($8.29) is a new brow product for Spring 2015 that's just starting to arrive in stores this week.  I found mine at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but it should be in the drugstores shortly. I was really interested in this because it's a powder wand vs. a brow gel, and right now, my favorite brow product, Divaderme Brow Extender II is also a powder wand that contains dry fibers that adhere to your skin and hair (see my review here). I really prefer powders because they tend to look softer and more natural than gels which can make your eyebrows look hard and stiff. Take a look...

The packaging says that you can use this for your brows and also to softly line your eyes as well.  I was pretty skeptical about using it as an eyeliner at first, but once I tried out the wand, it made more sense (more on that below).

New Covergirl Ultra Smooth, Powder Brow, Colorlicious Lipstick, + More spotted at BBB

This morning, I spotted some new Covergirl 2015 products at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The people that work there must think I'm crazy because I literally check there every single day for new products. Sometimes I'm disappointed and sometimes I get lucky...like today!

Covergirl has launched several new products... a few of which I knew about and some I didn't! Take a look...

I've already reviewed the new Full Lash Bloom since I found it at Target a few weeks ago (see that here). But there were some new products on the bottom half of the display...

First, I should mention there are two new Ink It Perfect Point Eyeliner shades...a purple and a gold. Also there are new nail shades as well.