12 Days of Drugstore Beauty

 

Welcome to my 

‘𝟷𝟸 𝙳𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙳𝚛𝚞𝚐𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚞𝗍𝗒' 

💄💅🏻👄🎨

In this blog I will be sharing my favorite drugstore beauty finds...Christmas style! It’s worth noting that I’ve never really bought and used drugstore beauty (particularly skincare) as I’ve been partial to Indie skincare brands over the years. And when I was growing up the only real skincare in drugstores I recall was Noxzema (which my Mother still uses for her skincare 🤦🏼‍♀️). 

ℍ𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕖 𝕘𝕠.....

🎵On the first day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

L’Oréal 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐥 (and a partridge in a pear tree!) 🎵

So I was very curious to try L’Oréal’s Revitalift (a bit pricey at $36.99) but guess it shows I really haven’t been shopping for beauty products in drugstores because I assumed everything was like $10 or so!

I had been hearing really positive things in the beauty world about this product and I know how important retinol is for fighting wrinkles, so I gave it a try. I really like that Revitalift has 0.3% pure retinol (many companies do not put pure retinol in their products because it is a bit unstable with its effectiveness, but L’Oréal has patent-pending technology to combat this!). 

It is a night serum and it also has glycerin and hyaluronic acid (nice bonus!). It claims to even lessen deep wrinkles!! So far so good! 🙌🏻

🎵On the second day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

Neutrogena 𝐇𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐨 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐦, (and a partridge in a pear tree!) 🎵

Here is my #2 pick. I have my night serum ✔️, so the day serum choice is from Neutrogena. First purchase I ever recall making from them! 

Aside from retinol, hyaluronic acid is the next huge ingredient in my ‘yes please beauty regimen’. It works to combat aging as it ‘boosts’ hydration by attracting moisture and then locking it in our skin! 💦💧💦 

This serum is oil-free, non-comedogenic, and contains purified hyaluronic acid. It absorbs quickly, is lightly scented and a little less expensive than yesterday’s pick.

 🏷 Paid $20.99 at Walgreens

🎵On the third day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

Revlon 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐞𝐫, and a partridge in a pear tree!)🎵

For #3, I picked a multi-tasking drugstore product. It’s Revlon’s PhotoReady face powder that I’m also using for my HAIR! It’s the best-est hair hack for root touch-ups! I simply use the enclosed brush and dab it onto my root re-growth and it instantly covers!

Now it is a great face powder as well, and I love applying it to my face during the day as a refresher! Revlon says it contains photochromatic pigments that bend and reflect light to help erase every flaw with an ultra lightweight texture, making it virtually undetectable! 

 

Worth noting, I believe this powder is discontinued by Revlon (although still readily available), but my root touch up hack can be done using other face powders! If you have darker than light brown hair, just shop for a darker colored face powder! For black hair you can even experiment with dark brown/black eyeshadow!

Cost me $15.49 at Walgreens and it comes in 3 shades (I use the light/medium). This is cheaper than some of the hair powder root touch-up products I have used so that makes it a win-win! 🙌🏻

📌It easily covers my greys and dark re-growth (see video below!) giving me another week or two before I need to color (It’s pretty impressive if I do say so myself!). 

🎵On the fourth day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

L’Oréal 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐫, (and a partridge in a pear tree!) 🎵

So for #4 I chose L’Oréal’s Collagen Moisturizer as I already picked a night and day serum so I thought that this cream compliments them nicely!

This fragrance-free cream glides on and feels so incredible on the skin. It’s super hydrating and the essential collagen works to restore our skins cushion and bounce (yes to that!). 

Turning 50 has truly made me understand the importance of collagen with regard to my skin. With aging we produce less collagen which of course leads to dryer skin and more wrinkles (sigh), soooo adding collagen back plays a great role in strengthening our skin! 💪🏻 It also helps with getting some elasticity back (as well as providing much-needed hydration!!). 

Paid $13.99 at Walgreens so this has a very reasonable price 🏷 

🎵On the 5th day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

L’Oréal 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, (and a partridge in a pear tree!) 🎵

My fifth pick was an easy one for me as I’ve been using this hair color for years (the only drugstore beauty product I’ve really faithfully purchased). I am naturally a brunette 😳 and have been a blonde now for about 15 yrs. So, between the greys and dark regrowth (which I shared in the pic above) I need to touch up my roots about every 3-4 weeks. 

I have never had a problem with using L’Oréal’s hair color (I’ve used both Preference & Excellence) and I’ve also used many different colors/levels throughout the years. I also love the conditioner that comes with it!

Of course when salons were all closed because of the pandemic I was good-to-go! It also saves me oodles of money! 

I find it easy to do and love how my hair turns out! Thanks L’Oréal for the great product! 👩🏼

 

🎵On the 6th day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

Burts Bees 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, (and a partridge in a pear tree!) 🎵

So this is my #6 pick and it’s another goodie! First it’s 100% natural, which I love (no parabens, phthalates, petroleum or SLS). 

It is filled with antioxidant-rich oils! 

These work to bring out our skins natural brilliance that gets dulled from daily makeup wearing and environmental stressors that begin to pile up. 

It has a nice light scent, absorbs well (I only use a small amount). I like to wear this on days where I’m not immediately putting foundation on as it does give the skin a nice ✨glow ✨

(so I’ll use it alone!). 

🔑 ingredients; squalane, jojoba seed oil, sunflower seed oil

🏷 Paid $17.99 at Walgreens 

🎵On the 7th day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

Maybelline 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, (and a partridge in a pear tree!) 🎵

For #7 I picked Maybelline’s Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Makeup! Now I’ll be honest I haven’t bought drugstore foundation since the 80’s! 😳 So I figured now was the time to give it another try!

First, I love that this has broad spectrum spf 18 sunscreen (perfect for daily use). And, I LOVE the sponge applicator! 

I always use a foundation with a brush to apply, so this is perfect to keep in your purse or for travel so you don’t need the brush as well! (Yes I keep foundation and every other makeup necessity in my purse cuz, ya never know!). 

This micro-correcting formula also has collagen, goji berry which hydrates the skin nicely, and it covers quite well!! Overall I am very happy with it and it will be a keeper!

🏷 Paid $9.96 from #amazon 

🎵On the 8th day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

Olay 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐦, (and a partridge in a pear tree!) 🎵

It’s time for #8 and I am sharing another serum and this is a GREAT one!! It’s from Olay (which have come a long way from what I remember when they were Oil of Olay!). 

This serum contains Vitamin B3 & dual Peptides working together to fight wrinkles! 

The claims are amazing that with just one drop it has the power to ‘visibly renew one million cells’!! Woohoo, yes please! 🙌🏻

It is fragrance free and absorbs super fast into the skin. It has zero parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes or mineral oil! 

My skin is loving this one for sure!! Have you tried it?

🏷 paid $34.70 on Amazon

🎵On the 9th day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

Aveeno 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐛 & 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐮𝐩 𝐖𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐬, (and a partridge in a pear tree!) 🎵

Here we go, #9 and I’m showing a little love for not one but two products from Aveeno. Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily Scrub, and their Makeup Removing Wipes! 

I admit I’m a baby wipe makeup remover gal, so I thought these would be nice to try. I like that they contain soy extract so they are also moisturizing, and I love that they remove eye makeup as well as they do (including waterproof mascara which I often wear!). 

Now the scrub is made to ‘reveal brighter, more radiant skin’. It’s gentle enough to use daily with ingredients like soy, jojoba oil, and castor oil. With it featuring the soy proteins as it does the scrub works to transform skin dullness into skin brightness! 🔆 

My skin looks and feels so nice after washing with this so it will be a keeper in my beauty regimen! ✔️

🏷 paid $6.49 for the scrub and $5.99 for the wipes at ShopRite

🎵On the 10th day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

L’Oréal 𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐲 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐫, (and a partridge in a pear tree!) 🎵

It’s pick #10 and I’m featuring another L’Oréal goodie. Considering I’m 50, anything that is titled '𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁' is a keeper in my book!

So as our skin matures it doesn’t renew surface cells as it did before which leads to a build up of dead cells making our skin look kind of dull. No more youthful rosy tone. Enter.....this fabulous cream! 

Just look at the color/texture of the moisturizer (pic below). It has gorgeous rosy pigments formulated with Imperial Peony and LHA (lipohydroxy acid which helps with renewing & exfoliating skin)! 

This is such a nice cream and I love it for the winter months when I look particularly pale. Perfect for days where I’m just staying home (which of course is often nowadays!) as it gives my skin, as it claims, a nice rosy glow! 

Thanks L’Oréal for another great product for my series!

🏷 paid $24.99 at Walgreens

 

🎵On the 11th day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

Olay 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐲𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 & 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭, (and a partridge in a pear tree!) 🎵

 #11 pick is a delightful duo from Olay! Of course I had to choose an eye cream and this one is awesome!

The 👀 are the window to our soul so we need them to look bright and healthy, and this cream works to do just that! 

Key ingredients like vitamins B3 & C, caffeine, and optic brighteners work together to combat pollutants, lessen wrinkles, and hydrate the under eye area. The light reflecting properties in this cream really brighten tired peepers! Yay for that!!

My second choice is their Ultimate Hydration Essence Energizing Mist and I love it! 🙌🏻 I am such a fan of face mists as it’s an easy way to get some goodness onto your skin, and it feels so amazing afterwards!

Olay’s Energizing Mist features vitamin C & B3, and bergamot (which smells great and energizes the skin!!). Perfect skin pick-me-up!!

🏷 paid $9.99 for the mist at ShopRite and $15.12 for the eye cream at Amazon

🎵On the 12th day of beauty my drugstore gave to me...

Wet-n-Wild 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐚, 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐡/𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰

(and a partridge in a pear tree!) 🎵

Well this is the grand finale, its my #12! As a makeup artist I of course have such passion for makeup products so I saved these picks for the last day!

These are all from Wet-n-Wild and although I haven’t bought drugstore makeup since the 80’s, I’m so glad I purchased these because they are good!!

The Max Volume Plus Mascara is way better than I thought it would be, and it’s waterproof which I love as my eyes tend to tear up in the colder weather. 

The Hello Halo Blush & Highlighter is also really nice! The blush color is so pretty & the highlighter is gorgeous!

Next up is the Liquid Catsuit Metallic Lipstick, shade ‘Ride on my Copper’ and it is stunning! I love the multi-dimensional color & consistency...I do apply it after I put a little lip balm on and it lasts pretty darn long, nice find!

Last pick is the Liquid Catsuit Metallic Liquid Eyeshadow in the gorgeous color, ‘You Copper Cat’. I love liquid eyeshadows and I use them as a primer/base on my lid. Eyeshadows adhere so easily to them and you wind up getting such a nice long lasting look!

🏷 paid a smidge over $20 for all 4! #nice

Well this concludes my #12daysofdrugstorebeauty thanks so much for reading!

After only buying beauty from Sephora, Ulta, QVC, Indie brands, etc., for the last 2 decades plus, I am truly quite suprised at how effective, (and of course affordable) these products are!

Hope you enjoyed my picks, this was so much fun to do! Quality beauty products do not have to cost a fortune and I think I found some good ones! These are products that I will be sure to keep on using in my beauty routine! 

𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓗𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓭𝓪𝔂𝓼!

 💋🎄❤️

𝓣𝓸𝓻𝓲 𝓛𝓮𝓮

Who Wants Younger Looking Skin?

So many of us love getting facials and in case you have been living under a rock, you might have missed the facial treatment that is quite frankly above all other facials!

I was so excited to finally try a HydraFacial and the good people from Center City Dermatology (with 2 locations in PA, one in Philly and one in Downingtown) invited me to do just that! 

What is a Hydra-Facial you ask? It is marketed as;

 *“3 steps, 30 minutes, the best skin of your life”

The magic is really in the machine that delivers all of the benefits to your skin. Of course having a highly-skilled aesthetician (such as I did with Colleen from the Downingtown office) is important also! The three steps involved to greater skin are;

• Cleanse & Peel
• Extract & Hydrate
• Fuse & Protect

The HydraFacial machine uses what’s called Vortex-Fusion technology setting it apart from other hydradermabrasion procedures. This technology allows the machine to painlessly rid our skin of basically all of the gook that gets built up and then delivers much needed hydration. The HydraFacial is also customizable as your aesthetician can work with you to decide which serums to use depending on your specific skincare needs. 

For my experience Colleen started by dermaplaning my skin so we’d be starting with a nice smoothed out skin surface. By dermaplaning first, your skin is more prepared to receive the treatment (not-to-mention makeup looks so much better after getting rid of all that peach fuzz!). 

So after dermaplaning my skin was cleansed and then gently exfoliated. The machine worked to remove any dirt from my pores using a gentle suction. I was very excited for this as my pores always feel and look clogged. 

 

I then received a booster serum from Alastin skincare which delivered hyaluronic acid and antioxidants which felt soooo nice as my skin drenched it all in. Colleen also gave me a lite lactic PCA peel (which works using lactic, glycolic, and salicylic acids to penetrate pores, killing bacteria, and removing excess cell debris....uh yes please!)

Because you can have some extras added to your HydraFacial I also had a little red light therapy at the end. It uses safe concentrated natural wavelengths which is absorbed by our skin to kind of power up our cells from within, which can help boost new collagen production (and on my 50 year old skin this is so necessary!). I have to say that the red light felt so very nice and relaxing I could have stayed under it for hours!

The best and most immediate benefit from getting a HydraFacial is the GLOW! See the pic below where I only have my eye makeup on. Yeah that’s my skin glowing as I walked out! And the pic after shows my skin still glowing hours later! This would be perfect to have done before a special occasion because the smoothness and glow do last for awhile!

The cost? It is a bit pricey and it will range depending on your location (figure anywhere between $150 and $350 also depending on if you get any extras). So maybe this would be a great idea to ask for as a Holiday gift? Or, maybe to give as a gift to someone you care about that could use a little skin pick-me-up!

If you’re fortunate enough to get a HydraFacial on a regular basis, every 2 months or so, your skin will be so thankful! But, even if it’s a one time experience your skin will highly benefit from it and you could then continue with some great skincare at home! 

If you are in the Philly area and would like to experience a HydraFacial for yourself I highly suggest calling Center City Dermatology where Dr. Hess and his wonderful staff will be sure to take good care of you! Otherwise check out your local spa or dermatology office and schedule today because you know our skin isn’t getting any younger right? 

And I am after all, #againstaging ;)

Stay beautiful,

Tori Lee

*source HydraFacial.com

Holiday Hair Gift Guide!

The holiday's are here, and yes things are a bit different this season but we can still have great hair, right? I love good products and I love to share them with all of you! I have put together a Hair Gift Guide of some of my most favorite hair goodies that will bring your hair (or someone who is on your shopping list) to the next level (yes even if we're all stuck at home!). We will at least come through this pandemic with super-awesome hair!!

Let me start with my favorite blow dry serum, Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum! First of all, the formula aids in speeding up your blow dry time. Yes to that! It works wonderfully to smooth out your hair by using lightweight silicones that condition and seal hair strands! I also really love the smell, and the scent even lingers awhile after blow drying. I can easily tell when I've used this or not used this product and let me say the difference is astounding!

Shop Super Skinny Serum Here

Next fav hair product is from Wen Hair Care and it is their Replenishing Treatment Mist (particularly the fall scents!) They come in Fresh Apple, Ginger Pumpkin, Plum Pear, Tuscan Pear, and Vanilla Pumpkin!! What does it do? Pretty much everything. It adds hydration, it refreshes your hair on in-between shampoo days, and you can spray it on and give your hair a quick touch up blow dry. I even spritz this on my face whenever I need a little hydration -and- it works as a makeup setting spray! Oh and it also detangles quite well (I have even used it on my Goldendoodles tail before brushing it!).

Shop Replenishing Mist Here

Let's talk style, hairstyle that is! I love to easily add beachy waves to my hair using an incredible styling tool called The Beach Waver! Once you get the hang of it (which is simple to do) you will love it and use it all the time (this would make a great gift for your teen!). With the press of a button the Beachwaver winds the hair around the barrel for you and then releases it just as easy! Watch my Instagram video demo (link is below) of how easy it really is!

My Beachwaver Video Demo

Shop the Beachwaver Here

Next I want to share my love of the hair care company Kerotin! They offer so many products to help with many hair issues! I want to first talk about Kerotin's Nourishing Oil which is a product I use daily. It has many uses so let me share them......I use it when my hair is wet and I want to let it air dry. I will also apply it throughout the day if my hair is looking dull or dry as it adds a healthy shine that I love! Got split ends? Yup it works amazingly well for those. I even use this on my hands, cuticles, and pat it into my face as well because it contains all good-for-you ingredients! It has a combination of 9 nutrient-rich oils (including argan, avocado, and pumpkin seed to name a few). Did I mention it also helps to stimulate hair growth when you massage it into your scalp and keep it on overnight? 

I also use Kerotin's Purple Shampoo and Conditioner as well as their Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner. The purple line is for blonde, grey and silver hair as it works to rid these shades of brassiness and dull yellow-ish tones. It has ingredients like; mango butter, avocado oil, sage & grape extract!!

The Renewal Shampoo & Conditioner has natural ingredients and helps hair that is overworked and damaged. I love this set as it doesn't strip your hair or remove moisture from it. It is color safe and free of parabens and sodium chloride and has soy protein, coconut oil, and keratin protein. If you have abused your hair as I have done throughout my life then this set is for you!

Kerotin has hair products for everyone on your list (including hair growth serums, eyelash serums, and hair growth vitamins) and did you know they have their very own Holiday Gift Guide where products are broken down into age categories making it super easy to shop? 

.....AND you can use my discount code "Tori15" at checkout (works with sale prices also!)

**You can access Kerotin's Holiday Gift Guide here;  Kerotin's Holiday Gift Guide

Well that about sums up my Holiday Hair Gift Guide showcasing some of my favorite goodies! I hope you get to check some of them out and that it helps make your shopping a bit less stressful!

Happy Shopping,

Tori Lee

*as an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualified purchases

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