walgreens alpha-hydroxy face cream

i have stumbled across a hidden drugstore gem. i never would've found out about this product were i not an obsessive beauty blog reader. but someone (now i don't know who!) said that this face cream was cheap and amazing, which meant that i had to track it down because cheap and amazing are two of my favorite things. in fact, when my husband first met me he called me cheap and amazing. 


not really. 


are you curious yet? it's not even a name brand product! it's a walgreens brand cream spiked with alpha-hydroxy acid (or AHAs.... you know how i feel about AHA).

i call this a hidden gem because it's not available at every walgreens.... first i could only find it at one like 20 miles away from my house.... so i snatched it up! now i've seen it in multiple locations. but it's only $5.99!

because this cream has such a high level of AHAs, it works wonderfully for me. as i've said, i have "chicken skin" on the backs of my arms, and AHA is the only ingredient that helps. my old lotion (lubriderm) did ok at keeping the chicken skin at bay, but this stuff is on a whole different level! i apply it at night before bed, and wake up with smooth, silky arms! never in my life have i had smooth, silky arms. don't you love it when your old favorite is discontinued, only to find a new, better favorite? i do now.


yeah, i know, this is supposed to be a face cream. have i tried it on my face? yup, every night. has it made a noticeable difference in my skin? i think so. i don't really see any flakes on my face by the end of the day anymore (unless i use an acne spot treatment, which is a whole different story). so am i happy with this stuff? yes! will i take it with me on all of my little trips this summer? yes! will i cry if i can't find anymore? most definitely YES!

revlon colorstay eyeliner in "teal"

did you know that revlon's amazing colorstay eyeliner is only $5 at walmart? i did not. i guess it's been a while since i bought one of these, even though i used to be obsessed. i wore the "black brown" like every day in high school...... why did i stop that again? i can't remember.

 

at first i didn't like this liner. i couldn't really get it right. then i realized it looks totally dorky unless the liner is very sharp. i lined my eyes almost all the way around, and i like how it brightens them up. this would be a great look for summer traveling, because all revlon colorstay products are the mother of long-lasting, and because it only took me one product for my eyes (not including black mascara, of course). oh yeah, and because the packaging is very travel-friendly. 

*note to self: take this with me to mammoth cave and dinosaur world next month!! woot!

ode to skinny eyebrows

i've always admired dark, thick, glossy eyebrows like megan fox's and kim kardashian's. but just recently, i've felt that super-groomed, skinny brows are oddly appealing. 

oh alexis, you can do no wrong. i would eat mayonnaise if you told me it was cool.

photo: wikstenmade

i always just kind of let my brows do their thing, which is ok since they've always been skinny. but is society right? is there really no such thing as too skinny?? the skinnier the better?? i don't know, but i'm debating whether or not i should find out.

revlon nail enamel in "minted"

alright, so i caved. i finally bought this mint polish after walgreens-stalking it all over town. i know i say this about every new nail polish i buy, but this one is my *favorite*! 


(until the next one, of course.)

doesn't it go perfectly with my bangle??

ok, so the formula's not so great. but that's what base and top coats were invented for, folks! i've gotten four days of wear from this manicure already, with only one tiny chip. and it's not because revlon nail polish is amazing, it's because my sally hansen top coat is.

maybelline eye studio eyeshadows... be ye warned!!

if you're thinking about buying one of these new maybelline shadows, be careful!!!!!

 they look almost the same, don't they?? but one of these things is not like the other.... one is shimmery and beautiful, and one is total crap. of course, i got duped into buying the crap one first..... grrrr. at least it was on sale....

just to prove that there's a *huge* difference-

sunset seduction- for those who want dull, boring eyes

copper chic- for those who want glamorous, shimmery, dynamic eyes

"sunset seduction" looked shimmery in the package, but as soon as i put the applicator in the pan, it became obvious that the shimmer was frugally dusted on top only. no shimmer in the actual product! booo.... now "copper chic", on the other hand....

here's a simple look with copper chic (just the peachy color- super easy):

so, just to summarize:

"copper chic"- good. buy.

sunset seduction- baaaad, do not buy!!

wet 'n wild meglast lipstick in "just peachy"

oops, sorry for being absent. i've been off having some birthday/memorial day/summer vacation fun. but don't worry, i have *tons* of new stuff to review and gush about. first off, my new favorite peach lip product! (i refuse to say "lippie", because i hate that word. almost as much as i hate "gorge." bleh). 

it's part of wet 'n wild's new collection called megalast. let me just say, both the lipstick and the nail polish from this collection are awesome. i highly recommend them, especially because they're dirt cheap. here's the lipstick in "just peachy" in person:

oh look, it's featured in my lip products hall of fame =P. it's the one on top in the black tube.

now, this is called "megalast" after all, so it's very matte and long-lasting. if you weren't born with perfectly moist, pillowy lips, then it will probably accentuate any dry spots. so uhh, exfoliate! even still, i like to wear it with a little balm or gloss over it. 

here it is with just a little balm:

and here it is with shiny gloss (which i think i prefer):

can we talk about the color? how perfect is it?? it's like the love child of pale peach and pale pink. for some reason, this perfect shade is *so hard* for me to find at the drugstore. who would've thought that one of the cheapest makeup brands in the world would make it? it's laughable.

by the way, there are lots of other mouth-watering shades too. "wine room" looks particularly appealing.... anyone else love these lipsticks? or found your perfect peachy-pink shade?