TotalBeauty.com just posted their picks on what the 16 Worst Drugstore Makeup products are.. I thought I’d share and add my own comments! These products are ones which failed the hype.. epic fails need not land in your purse.
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#1 Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara :
See my review on this mascara here
Ok, so Maybelline Lash Stylist was the best mascara in the world (at least to me and thousands of other) and it was discontinued. Shortly thereafter, this Lash Stiletto mascara launched and was so highly disappointing that I cannot believe that this stuff continues to stay on the market. Read my review to see why!

#2 Milani Loose Powder Foundation
I really do like Milani eyeshadows and nail polish products.. I tried the pressed foundation powder, with high expectations, and it turned out to be terrible! This Milani Minerals Loose Makeup is basically in the same container that the Revlon ColorStay Minerals loose powder foundation was.. both are horrible! The staying power of mineral foundations are not what they boast it to be. Here is an article about why I think mineral foundation sucks!

#3 Sally Hansen Line Smoothing Airbrush Primer
Umm.. I don’t like the idea of spraying something from a can on my face. Hairspray freaks me out enough (I had my fair share the 1990s with Aquanet) and since I’ve tried the MAC spray-on foundation with no luck, and other types of spray products that just didn’t impress me. If you are going to use a primer, don’t be lazy about it and spray it on, use something good like the Korres Face Primer, which is reputable and used by many great makeup artists. Check out the Airbrush Primer review on TotalBeauty.com.

#4 Rimmel Recover Concealer
The price might be nice at $5.50 for this concealer, but is said to slip and slide all around your face with no staying power. I have never really liked Rimmel’s products (I gave the comb wand mascara a shot and I will not repurchase!) and I heard from friends that they love the brand. What gives? My new favorite concealer is the Laura Geller Real Deal Concealer from QVC. I will say that I did love the lip liner I purchased from Rimmel.. years ago. Click here to see the TotalBeauty.com review of this concealer!
#5 L’Oreal Paris Micro Liner Ultra Fine Lining Pencil
Although I haven’t tried this pencil, I will say that I’ve had experience using L’Oreal pencils .. with no luck. Seems like the crayon doesn’t give off much color when applying, which is the case with a lot of drugstore eyeliners. I stick with my Urban Decay 24/7 Gel pencil liner and I know that works the best. If I want something a little more “smoky”, I’ll use my MAC Chromaline Cream Liner with my favorite liner brush and it stays all day! Click here to see the TotalBeauty.com review for this L’Oreal liner.

#6 CoverGirl Outlast Double LipShine
Once in a while I’ll have someone tell me that I need to use one of those “outlasting lip products” that you paint on, wait two minutes and it stays all day. I’ve tried several brands, and all seem to really irritate my lips and make them dry and cracked. I think the only one I could tolerate for more than 15 minutes was the MAC version. I tried this CoverGirl version myself and I could NOT get it off and yes, it was a bad thing! It started peeling and making a mess, but I had to use baby oil to remove it all the way. If you want a long-lasting lip color, it’s best to use a classic matte formula lipstick, pat with a tissue, then reapply. For events such as a wedding, you might be able to wing it with one of these outlasting lip colors, but I suggest trying out the MAC version first.

#7 Physicians Formula Retro Glow Ultra-Dramatic Mascara
I’m a total sucker for cute packaging, and when I first saw this mascara in the drugstore, I thought, “Oh, wow.. they sell Urban Decay here?” This product is a total rip off of Urban Decay’s retro packaging, and from what I am reading about it, it looks like the formula is too clumpy and too thick. See what people have to say about it here!
Thoughts? Experiences? Respond in a comment below!
Ok.. thousands, maybe millions of women were screaming, crying, and possibly vomiting over the discontinuation of Maybelline Lash Stylist mascara. My blog was infested with housewives, teens and makeup junkies of all kinds around the globe, in search of their favorite comb-wand mascara.

Ok.. so are you sitting? Maybelline has most likely brought Lash Stylist back, but redesigned and slapped a new name on the package: Volum’ Express Hypercurl Cat Eyes Mascara is born.. and I am totally having kittens over this! Especially wondering how the hell I didn’t know about it and it’s been out since freaking May.
Oh, Maybelline.. did you think you could fool us by relaunching and remarketing our product? We’re pissed that you tricked us, but yes, we are still going to buy the son-of-a-bitch mascara because we loved it THAT MUCH. It’s the same comb and hopefully, the same formula. Will we be able to sleep at night?? NO.. because just like the rest of the products I fall in love with, this may be gone in time, too. I have no idea yet where to purchase this online since I have not seen it yet. I JUST found out. If it’s been out since May, why can I not find it online? Is this also discontinued.. again? What is going on?
Update: This mascara is apparently only available in Malaysia. I am still waiting to hear more.
Please post your thoughts!!!
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One of my darling readers, Heidi, has created a petition for us to sign to help bring back Maybelline Lash Stylist mascara. As you probably already know, our beloved comb brush mascara has been discontinued, vanished from stores around the globe.. and we want it back! So click here to sign your name to help bring back this lovely product into our lives:
Maybelline Lash Stylist Petition
Also see my other blog about Maybelline Lash Stylist which also contains a comment discussion that include sightings, poems about missing the product (lol!), and basically people who are pissed just like you and me. Click here
Thanks again, Heidi, for taking time out to put this together for us. Please keep us posted on how things are going.
My party girl days are over, but bloodshot Sunday morning eyes still seem to follow me. I have to go shopping for work clothes today, and I need to look cute when I shop for clothes. I hate dressing rooms, I hate trying on jeans, and if my hair and makeup look cute, it helps put me in a better mood when subjecting myself to torture like trying on tight pants under harsh artificial lighting.
I decided to bust out my trusty Palladio white eyeliner that I purchased at Long’s drugs quite a while ago for $3. (Click here to learn more about Palladio’s products) I really love using white pencils on the inner rims of my eyes, inner corners or draw underneath my brow to create a highlight.

I used Urban Decay Primer Potion to prep my eyes for the shadow, Paul & Joe #37 pink blush on my eyes as an eyeshadow color, MAC Sketch eyeshadow on the outer corners of my eyes and as a liner underneath the white line on the bottom eye area, MAC Scant eyeshadow under my eyebrow, and Maybelline Stiletto mascara formula with the Maybelline Lash Stylist comb brush.

My face is a bit oily here, but I get oily when I am tired for some reason. I used the Paul & Joe #37 pink blush on my cheeks, and the lips are MAC Portside lip liner and MAC Pink Poodle lip gloss.
Wish me luck finding clothes!!! Try the white eyeliner!
Lazy Gaga, you say? Well, I didn’t get up til noon today and I am tired.. but I still did a tutorial based on Lady Gaga’s makeup style. I am not a fan of her music, and I am not buying into her persona, but a lot of people have inquired about her makeup style, and a lot of people have asked me how to apply loose glitter on the eyes. I figured I’d kill two birds with one lipgloss.

Since I am lazy today, I am not really going to post AGAIN how to put on foundation. I have posted it in other tutorials (see Tutorials on the bottom left menu) and you can check those for reference.
I put two drops of Jane Iredale Liquid Minerals foundatin and two drops of Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse foundation on my 180 MAC flat top foundation brush. I buffed the foundation on and applied a light layer of Diorskin Mineral powder with my Bare Escentuals Handy Buki brush. I then applied a heavy layer of MAC shimmer bronzer to the length of my cheek bone, and a light layer on the sides of my nose to create a slimming effect.


I really wanted to create a brightening effect around the eyes, so I grabbed my MAC Select Cover-up in pink and my Benefit Cosmetics synthetic foundation brush. I use a brush big enough to cover the whole eye area and underneath the eye.

I applied MAC Showstopper on my brows, which really won’t be seen since my bangs will be covering them. I applied MAC Select Cover-up to the whole eye area, and below the eye down into the cheek area. If you get a little bit of the concealer over your bronzer, you can wait til it dries and apply a more bronzer.

I bought some craft glitter on ebay from a seller in London. I originally purchased this set for use with gel nails, which you will see pictures of the stars in my nails later on in this tutorial. I nearly had to arm wrestle the “nail technician” in order to have this done. It’s not like it was difficult!!

I chose the light lavender glitter for this tutorial. You can probably find glitter like this at Michael’s craft store, it’s very fine and not too chunky. There are several ways to get loose glitter to stick to your eye. I’ve heard of people using mixing mediums by theatrical makeup brands, and those might work well, but I’ve been to MAC master classes before and the makeup artist there used eyelash glue to apply most of his sequins, lace and other craft-type objects to the eye or around the eye. Since we know eyelash glue is safe to use around the eye, I always use it to apply glitter.

Since I sell Mark. Cosmetics, I’ve had the pleasure of trying the brushes. LOVE THEM. I love the mini concealer brush. See the logo above?? Click that link to go to the Mark. website and write in the search box “Concealer Brush” and get that brush!! It’s only $6, but it works really well for applying concealer and especially good for applying the glitter. (SEE MY AWESOME NAILS??)
To apply the glitter: I put a dab of the eyelash glue on the back of my hand, dumped out a little pile of the glitter next to it and blended it together with the concealer brush. I applied VERY thin layers of the glitter glue mixture to the bottom lid only and dried my eyelids with a cool hair dryer in between each layer with my EYES CLOSED while lifting my eyebrows up to stretch the skin. You should only need about two or three layers. Your eyes should feel stiff, and a little uncomfortable at this point. Eventually you will get used to the feeling.

Another cool brush that I just purchased at Nordstrom is the NARS angled eyeshadow brush. I had to mail order it since they were sold out. This is a high quality natural brush which is perfect for getting that angled edge on your crease.

I applied the medical tape to the side of my eye, just like in the Medical Tape Tutorial. Angling the NARS brush with the longer side of the bristles pointing downward, I dabbed MAC Sketch eyeshadow in the crease and in a windshield wiper motion, went back and forth, blending the crease in.

For under the under brow highlight, I used a limited edition Benefit Cosmetics Merengue Show-Off Loose Eyeshadow that was from a holiday kit. This shadow is extremely hard to find and it is not like the original Merengue eyeshadow that Benefit sold for years. This shadow is a crystal white shimmery shadow, you might be able to find a MAC Pigment or Bare Escentuals shadow similar to this.

I applied the loose eyeshadow WET under my brow to get the maximum pigment intensity.

I peeled the tape off … but I felt like I needed more..

I applied Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner and extended it out and up like shown in the picture.

It can be quite difficult to apply eyeliner over the glitter since it creates a hard texture. I think liquid eyeliner works pretty good over glitter, but I was too lazy to look for it, so I used what I found, which was the gel liner. I applied MAC Carbon eyeshadow over the top of the liner to give it a more blended look. If you screw up, you can use a q-tip to reshape the edge of your liner.

I am going a little faster here, sorry if I am confusing anyone. I applied the gel liner to the inner rims and applied two coats of Maybelline Lash Stylist to the top and bottom lashes. I concentrated on the bottom lashes this time. I did not choose to use false lashes, too tired at this point, but you can if you want to!
I used MAC Pro Pinkie pencil, which is a matte neon pink lip and eye pencil, on my lips and I drew a line under my eye area right below my inner rim.

I applied one of my favorite all-time lipsticks, YSL Rouge Pur Lipstick #22, over the top of the MAC lipliner. This color is perfect for that pale mod lip look.

After I applied the YSL lipstick, I felt like I needed some gloss. I grabbed my neon pink MAC Lip Varnish in Polish Me Pink.

I used MAC Pigment in Cool Pink, which is a really nice matte color, to my cheeks. I use this very sparingly since it is heavily pigmented.





No tutorial would be complete with out an artistic photo ending!

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Let me start first off by saying that I had been using this cloth medical tape method for several years when applying eyeshadow, I had forgotten about it, then I saw a few You Tube makeup tutorials where tape was used, but it was the gift wrapping kind, not the kind that is meant for your skin. I don’t know what kind of chemicals or toxins are in scotch tape (there may not be any, who knows) but I am not using scotch tape on my face. Cloth medical tape is gentle and meant to be put on your skin, it’s very easy to take off. This tape method not only creates a clean look, but it helps the blending process go a little faster and easier. It is SUPER fun to do, too!

I like the Nexcare Gentle Paper tape by 3M. It’s safe for sensitive skin, which is good, because we are using it near our eyes.

I couldn’t find my mixing medium (Makeup Forever brand) so I thought I’d try something a little stronger, which is Sephora brand’s Lip Last fixative (no longer available). I originally bought it to seal in my eyebrows, but it didn’t do a good job like my favorite Irene Gari Lipstick Sealer at #3.50, which works just as good as Benefit Cosmetics $30 She-Laq sealer.
To apply the medical tape, I placed it from the outer corner of my eye, to the end of my eyebrow (see pic below). I pressed it down gently with my finger.
I dropped a couple drops of the sealer on the back of my hand and mixed a little bit of the MAC Pure White pigment with it. It should be creamy and not runny or lumpy. I used a flat, round, synthetic concealer brush to apply the wet mixture to my entire eye area. It’s okay to get the mixture on the tape, it’s waterproof and the wet mixture will not seep through.


The white matte pigment creates a really nice base for creating dramatic looks with bright colors. It also serves as a highligher color for under the eyebrow.
The brush I used to apply the MAC Basic Red pigment is the Bare Escentuals flathead shadow brush.


I carefully dipped the brush into the pigment and patted it down on the inside of the pigment’s lid to take off the excess. I patted the color with the brush at a horizontal angle and worked my way around the crease a few times until the color was packed into the crease.

It doesn’t matter if it’s perfect right now, you are going to blend it next. Using a few more brushes.

I started blending with the MAC 225 Big Fluff brush first, in a circular motion, then back and forth, until it looked blended in. I used the MAC 224 for the final blending. Make sure you do blend right over the medical tape to make sure the shadow colors reach the edge.

I cleaned off my synthetic concealer brush that I used to apply the white pigment and wet it again to use with the MAC Burnt Burgundy pigment. I then patted that color down on the lid, not going over the crease, but going over the tape to make sure the shadow color reached the edge.

I really love Trucco Cosmetics Moonshade Matte black eyeshadow. I used the MAC pencil brush to apply the color to the outer edge and across into the crease.

I used my MAC 224 brush to blend the black shadow into my crease. Once you are satisfied with your blending, it’s time to rip off the tape!! This part is so fun!

See the clean line from the corner of the eye to the brow? No mess and it was easy!


I wanted to do a fun eye liner look using my Bobbi Brown gel liner in Black Ink. I winged the corners out under the line that was created with the medical tape, and after I lined my waterline with the gel, I continued to wing that edge out a bit.

I was looking for a soft, bright burgundy color to compliment the look, and I found a shadow that is probably discontinued from Biotherm. I applied that shadow color under my waterline area with the flat-head shadow brush that still had left-over red pigment on it. I applied two coats of Maybelline Lash Stylist.


Now that the eyes are done (whew! that took a while) I am ready for highlighter and blush. I really love the Milani brand blushes. I found that the brand is now sold in Target stores, so please do buy whatever you like from Milani, everything I’ve tried so far has been really good, especially the eyeshadows and blushes.


I applied Wet N’ Wild highlighting powder above my cheeks, on my forehead and dabbed it very lightly all over. I then applied a generous amount of the Milani Pink Craze blush to the apples of my cheeks.


I applied the Urban Decay 24/7 lip liner in “Naked” and blended with my finger. I applied the vibrant MAC Pro lipstick in Violetta, and a nice creamy coat of Smashbox “Pout” lip gloss to top it all off.



I got a little artsy fartsy and took a MAC Cosmetics style photo of myself. I LOVE the way my lashes turned out! I wanted to celebrate the cutting of my own bangs. I used the “twist and cut” method, which worked pretty good. I found the method on one of those Wiki-How pages.. scary, but it turned out! Hope you guys enjoyed this, I know I did!

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So, since I am fearful that my “BFF in a tube”, Maybelline Last Stylist could be very well discontinued, I decided to finally try Maybelline Lash Stiletto. See my older post about it here: http://kristadior.kristardesign.com/2009/01/15/maybelline-lash-stylist-discontinued-stiletto-is-replacing-it/
I thought the Stiletto brush was going to be rubberized, or comb-like. I saw that in the photo, the brush was red, so I automatically thought that it was some sort of rubber type brush. Nope. It was a regular bristle brush that tapers down towards the tip of the brush. After applying several coats of Lash Stiletto, I became frustrated.. where were my lashes? They were very thin and wimpy. I started to panic a little, thinking that my lashes had fallen out during the night, but I grabbed my Lash Stylist mascara, quickly swiped a few strokes over the top of Stiletto.. and shazam.. my lashes were back. ::whew::
I am sorry.. I like thick lashes. Thick and long lashes. That is what Lash Stylist gives me that no other mascara has ever given me.
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There was a request from a reader named Sexy Sadie, who requested a plum smokey eyes tutorial. I decided to go ahead and do my version of plum / burgundy / purple eyes, a bit on the dramatic side, but hey, that’s what I’m all about.
This is picture heavy, and be patient with me. I spent my entire day doing this for you. =)

I used the Clarins Instant Smooth primer, which helps with minimizing pores, fine lines, you get the picture. I then used Revlon ColorStay (the original formula, which is discontinued) in Tawny using the MAC 180 flat top buffer brush (also discontinued). Some of these disc. items can be found on Ebay or through makeup swap sites like makeupalley.com

I added a thin layer of Diorskin Nude mineral powder with the Bare Escentuals handy buki brush.

I wanted to add a little shimmer /glow to the skin, so I found an eye shadow that comes in a tube and looks white when you look at it in the container, but on the skin, it’s a bluish, iridescent color. It adds a really cool touch around the eyes, which I will show later on.


I added Bare Escentuals, BareMinerals bronzer “Warmth” to the hollows of my cheeks using the handy buki brush.

Using my Anastasia brow stencil, I powdered in the brows with MAC Showstopper powder shadow. I did not use the second half of the brow stencil, I normally fill that part in freehand.




Now for your favorite part.. the eyeshadow. This was a bit tricky working with the pigment, which can be very messy if you are not careful. I had to wipe my under eye area a few times to make sure to get all of the fallen eyeshadow off. I made the mistake of not using a primer on my entire lid area, I guess I forgot. The end result would have been a smoother eye, but I forgot.. forgive me! Anyway, I applied the MAC Fluidline in Macroviolet on the lower lid using a concealer brush.


I then applied Macroviolet to the waterline inner rim of my eye, and a bit on the outside of that where the lashes are. I follow the brush up towards the outer corner of my eye to create a border.


I carefully patted the pigment over the bottom lid, being careful not to get into the crease area. I did not wet this product, it stuck to the lid pretty well all on its own.


These next two brushes are ones I have had for years. I love them. One is the must-have MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush, which is a really soft, blending brush that works great for blending the crease colors. The other brush is a big version of the 224, it’s the 225 brush, which I do not think is sold at MAC anymore.

This next part was scary. I had to wet the 224 brush, dip it into the Lancome Drama Purple shadow and then paint it in the crease. The only reason why I wet the brush was because the color was not showing up due to NO PRIMER..like I said, I totally forgot.





I blended the crease with the big 225 brush, I added just a little more of the Lancome shadow to the crease and a little bit of the MAC Pigment to the outercorner. I then used a regular flat eyeshadow brush and dabbed a bit of the iridescent loose powder shadow to the inner corners of my eyes and up into the inner corners of the crease area.


I felt as if I needed to work on the bottom portion of my eyes. I lined the inner rim waterline again with black gel eyeliner by Bobbi Brown. I thought it needed to be darker in that area. With the MAC 219 pencil brush, I used the Lancome Drama eyeshadow over the top of the MAC Fluidline that I put on earlier to give it that smokey look. I lined the top lid.

Maybelline Lash Stylist, baby!!!



After applying one coat of mascara to top and bottom lashes, I applied one of my favorite blushes of all time. Discontinued .. of course.. it was from a Benefit cosmetics limited edition line in about 2003 or 2004, called Shangri-la Sheers. This blush is really hard to find, but I’ve seen it on ebay. It’s also a hard color to find. It’s a really light lavendar, medium pigmented, not heavy.

I wanted to plump my lips for fun.. I haven’t used this in a while, but I busted out my LORAC Lip Addiction in Super Hot and let the burning begin.




My lips were burning, but it was pretty much worth it. The pictures don’t do it justice, and I couldn’t freaking focus the camera with one hand to get a good pic. The plumpng action lasts for about 15 minutes, good for pictures and stuff, but it’s not really going to do much as far as the entire day goes.
I applied MAC lipstick in Up the Amp over the top of the LORAC lip plumper, so it came out a lot more sheer than it would if I used it alone.



NOTE:
The post below is old. The link to drugstore.com does not work.
My friend saw Lash Stylist at her local drug store.. so there is a possibility that it’s still being sold in the stores. It could also be that there was a shortage and it is now just coming back in stock. WHO knows!!
There is currently a BOGO on drugstore.com for Lash Stylist.. so stock up!!













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