Wal-Mart Haul

I picked up a few little jems on my last Wal-Mart run that I thought I'd share with you even though I'm happy with about 1 out of 4 purchases haha!:

 -Maybelline Fit Me Blush in "Medium Coral"

I still had a coupon for any Maybelline Fit Me product from my lovely little Wal-Mart samples, so since I already had the foundation I decided I wanted to try these blushes! I have to say thumbs up for Maybelline on the packaging for this line, its much sleek-er than any other drugstore brands I've seen. I'm kind of kicking myself over buying this because when I got home I realized it looks an awful lot like my Wet N Wild Color Icon Blusher in "Mellow Wine" that I just bought in a Rite Aid Haul with a tad more pink. But hey, shame on you Wal-Mart, you should have had a bigger color selection

-L'oreal Wear Infinite Studio Secrets Professional Eyeshadow in "Autumn Leaves" for Blue Eyes

First off, I'd like to point out how much of a mouthful that is in case you didn't already notice! I know L'oreal's H.I.P. eyeshadows are supposed to be really good, but I leaned towards this since it was on sale and I had a coupon. I liked the colors of this quad in the store since they look really bronze-y, I figured I could get away with a lot of summer looks using these shadows. But I must say, I've only used these eyeshadows once and am kicking myself again, they're pretty terrible (chalky, hard to blend, not pigmented)! Sheesh, it just wasn't my day at Wal-Mart, but you win some and you lose some

-St.Ives Fresh Skin Make-Up Remover & Facial Cleanser

I'm on such a St.Ives kick after loving their Apricot Scrub! I saw this on the St.Ives website and really wanted to get it since I don't have a makeup remover and I've never really heard much about this one from the beauty community. I've had the chance to use this a couple of times, and I love it so much I'm beginning to think I should try all the St.Ives products!The only issue I had is this one particular cleanser was super hard to find, I looked at least three different places before coming across this one, and it was the last on the shelf

 -Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Jumbo Lash Mascara in "Black Organics"

 If you haven't already heard about the Physicians Formula $5 coupon going around, get it now! I honestly didn't think I would get any use out of that coupon since all Physicians Formula products are pretty expensive, but if you really look through their stuff you can get away with $1.00 and $2.00 items. Plus that coupon can be printed as many times as you want, and its good until June 15, 2011, so stock up and keep them in your wallet. Wal-Mart didn't have a great selection of the cheaper Physicians Formula products (go to Rite Aid if you want some super good values) but this mascara was there for $8.00, which means I got it for a steal $3.00 and that's a good value for any mascara let alone Physicians Formula! I've heard nothing but good things about this since people who went to the Beautylish event got it in their gift bags. I'm excited to try this out, but I'm a little bummed I got it in the color "Black Organics" and not "Ultra Black Organics" but there's probably no noticeable difference

St.Ives Fresh Skin Invigorating Apricot Scrub

Application

Moisten face with water. Dispense product onto fingertips and massage over face. Rinse with water. Avoid direct contact with eyes. In case of contact with eyes, flush thoroughly with water. For best results, use 3 to 4 times per week.

Product Claims

Oil-free • Non-irritating • dermatologist-tested • 100% natural exfoliants • 100% natural extracts • Formulated without parabens and phthalates • Made without animal ingredients • Not tested on animals

Key Ingredients

APRICOTS are known to contain one of the highest levels of carotenoids (think vitamin A) and super-effective antioxidants. All of this natural power might seem, well, too powerful, but they are actually quite gentle and nourishing and they help make fresher, more nourished skin beautifully possible.

CORN KERNEL MEAL is actually flour ground from dried corn. It’s a soft, but gently powerful all-natural exfoliant that promotes skin cell turnover and regeneration. Cornmeal makes softer-feeling, fresher skin possible.

WALNUT is known for its hard shell, but when it’s ground, it becomes an amazingly effective, all-natural exfoliant ingredient in our scrubs. Not only are walnuts plentiful on the planet, they also help newer, healthier skin come to the surface.

 Pros: The packaging of St.Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub is really cute/simple with no fuss, and it looks cute sitting on my bathroom counter. It smells delicious, just like apricots and no chemically scent like some other facial products. This scrub is formulated without anything from animals, its not tested on animals, there's no parabens/phthalates, and there's a lot of natural ingredients, so if those are things you look for in your skin care, this is a good candidate for you. St.Ives Invigorating Scrub is always faily cheap at any drugstore, nothing that will break the bank. The Apricot Scrub has multiple purposes, don't let it fool you into thinking its just for your face! I love using this on my feet as it takes away all the rough skin especially on the soles, and it makes the perfect exfoliator for your legs before shaving so you get a closer shave/it will keep your legs smoother longer. You can essentially use this anywhere on your body!

 Cons: You would have to be living under a rock to have not heard about all the controversy surrounding St.Ives Apricot Scrubs! Some people claim that it makes tiny tears in their skin and is just way more destructive than helpful (my opinion on the debate: the people who have experienced those problems just have sensitive skin). The little scrubby pieces always have a way of getting themselves into my mouth when I wash my face with this, but its mostly made of food products so its no big deal. Since the St.Ives Apricot Scrub is so thick, it is pretty hard to make sure you get it all off your face.
 

Overall: I think if you have skin like mine (oily, not sensitive) you will absolutely love this scrub as much as I do because your skin type will actually be able to handle how rough it is! I know St.Ives also makes an Apricot Scrub for sensitive skin, so make sure to grab that one if you don't think your skin likes it rough!

Rite Aid Haul

I took a little trip to Rite Aid the other day to take advantage of some of their weekly sales, and though I'd share some of the goodies I got with you guys :):

-St.Ives Apricot Scrub Invigorating

It was BOGO free on all St.Ives products last week, so I bought the ever so famous Apricot Scrub and another one for my mom because they had a pretty sad selection of St.Ives products

-Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 270 "Lacey Lilac"

 I discovered my lack of pastel colored nail polishes the other day when trying to pick a color for my toes, so I just grabbed a nice light purple color for my feet

-Rimmel Special Eyes Precision Eye Liner Pencil in "161 Black Magic"

All sorts of Rimmel products were dumped in the depths of the Rite Aid clearance box, so I'm wondering if that company is going out of business, or possibly re-doing their packaging? I've had some not so great experiences with Rimmel Special Eyes liners before, but I just couldn't pass it up when on clearance 

-Wet N Wild Color Icon Blusher in "Mellow Wine", "Heather Silk", and "Berry Shimmer"

The Wet n Wild products were 40% off, so I went ahead and picked up these blushes since I've never really been a big blush person and I'm trying to get into it, plus I've heard great reviews on these from fellow beauty bloggers, so I have some pretty high expectations!