The Musings of a Working Mom

Happy New Year!  And what a year it has been?  It's been a year since I started my blog and one of my first posts was a list of my 2011 favorites...and here we have come round full circle to my favorites list of 2012.   But first off I want to thank all of you for your continued support and for coming back to read my blog posts, commenting, and subscribing to my blog.  This blog has been my side project and my baby (outside of my real babies).  I have had so much fun writing for this blog and doing my "research" (i.e. having a great excuse to buy makeup and beauty products).  I have done quite of bit of "research" this year and have found a lot of great low-end and high-end products that have become my favorites for this past year.  This blog has also allowed me to try beauty products outside of my beloved MAC brand and I have found some amazing products at all price points.  It has taken me quite some time to compile my list but here are my fav...

October was such a busy month for me - planning 2 birthday parties (my father's surprise 70th and my son's 2nd birthday), my husband was out on business for 3 weeks, getting the kiddos ready for Halloween, Halloween parties at school...October truly flew on by.  But the leaves are falling and the air is getting crisper - Fall is finally here! As the seasons change, so do my skin needs and makeup routine. Here are my favorites for the moth of October: For makeup - I am loving the Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation .  This foundation is just as great as the original fluid Colorstay foundation.  The pigmentation is great - a little goes a long way.  I have found that the best way to apply this foundation is not with a brush or damp beauty blender, but rather with your fingers.  Somehow I don't know if it's the warmth of your fingers or what, but using your fingers to apply and blend out the foundation leaves a flawless finish just like using a brush or beauty bl...

The days are getting shorter and the air is getting cooler and it's about time, I never thought that this heat wave would end.  I love the fall- the crisp, cool breezes, the leaves changing colors and I especially love wearing boots, sweaters and scarves.  September is over and here are my favorites for the month: 1.   Blushes - Nars Oasis and Tarte Blushing Bride :  these blushes have a warmth about them.  Fall usually makes me want to wear more plums and berry shades and these blushes really scream "fall" to me!  I love wearing these blushes with a soft, neutral eye.  And although both of these blushes appear to have a lot of shimmer in them, they don't translate onto your skin that way.  These two blushes give such a nice glow and flush of color - perfect for a fall day! 2.   Rimmel Stay Matte Powder with Real Techniques Powder Brush - this powder has really lived up to its name and is my new favorite setting powder.  It really...

And to continue on with our Beauty on a Budget series...here are my favorite drugstore lip products: NYX Lipsticks and Mega Shine Lip glosses - I absolutely love these!  I keep them in my makeup bag, my purse, my car...you name it and I have one stashed there.  These products are amazing!  This line can be found at Ulta or online and their price point is at the drug store levels (if not better).  The quality of the NYX lip sticks and glosses are amazing.  They are highly pigmented, creamy in texture, and overall good quality for the price.  They come in a wide range of colors and finishes.  My favorite Mega Shine lip glosses are Salsa, Sweet Heart and Beige. Revlon Lipsticks and Lip glosses - These are great quality lip products.  The color payoff is great IMO and moisturizing.  I especially love the Lip Butters - my faves are Gumdrop and Creme Brûlée.  I love Gumdrop so much, I have 2 back-ups! I also love the Co...

If you know me or follow my blog, then you know that I love me some makeup, especially the luxurious items that make you feel like a million bucks.  But the truth is that my love for makeup started in the drugstore.  I started out using CoverGirl foundation and concealers, Revlon lipsticks, Maybelline eyeshadows, etc.  As I became more infactuated with makeup, I learned that the good quality stuff was found at the department stores and higher end brands.  So off I went to the mall, and I started exploring the different brands and what they had to offer.  I found a few brands that I eventually depended on for my "makeup fix" (i.e. MAC, Urban Decay, Chanel).  And over the last 5-7 years, the R&D's of these "drugstore" brands have greatly improved and they now offer quality makeup that stands up to the higher end brands.  Not to mention that some of these "drugstore" brands are owned by the same conglomerates that own the hig...

I know that I'm soo late to the game with respects to this foundation but that's only because I have so many other foundations that I really didn't feel the need to buy or try this one out....until now.  I had some CVS bucks that I needed to use and they had a Buy One Get One 50% off so I decided to try it out.  And I'm so glad that I did!!  This foundation is so amazing and and this price point - it's fricken amazing!!!  I have to say that this foundation is comparable to my high end foundations.  I have been loving it so much that I have been wearing it every day since I bought it.  The finish leaves my skin looking flawless and impeccable.  I love that this foundation doesn't settle into any lines (my laugh lines in particular) and looks matte all day.  I chose the formula designed for oily to combination skin and I really love that this foundation has different formulations for different skin types.  And their color range...