Beauty on a Budget: L'oreal EverCreme Moisture System Intense Shampoo & Conditioner

Hello Beautiful Ones!

The weather outside is definitely frightful here in Nebraska. For me, colder weather also brings dry skin and hair. My naturally curly hair always seems to be needing added moisture, but that is especially true during the winter months. That's why I get so excited when I find hair care products that help me keep the dryness in check, and when they're affordable it's even better! During a recent trip to Target I found myself wandering into the shampoo aisle and picked up the L'oreal EverCreme Sulfate-Free Moisture System Intense Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner.

Despite the super long title the concept behind this shampoo and conditioner is pretty simple: add moisture without adding harmful sulfates. L'oreal is marketing this as a shampoo that will give you moisture without stripping your hair of necessary oils. That's a big plus for me, since my hair is naturally curly I don't want my hair stripped of the necessary oils that make my curls look good.

Let me just start off by saying that these both smell amazing. I know smell isn't the most important thing when it comes to shampoo, but it is an added bonus. These smell like warm vanilla sugar, which is such a lovely scent for this time of year. And the feel is really thick and luxurious (do I totally sound like a shampoo commercial or what?). 

Finally, let's get right down to the performance: these do exactly what is advertised. I've used this shampoo and conditioner a couple times now (I like to rotate my shampoos and conditioners to give my hair some variety), and I've been really pleased with the outcome. The added moisture is really lovely, and the shampoo lathers up nicely. 

Bottom line: these are great and you can get them for only $6.99 each! 

XO-Brittney

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Beauty on a Budget: Two New Drugstore Brow Products

Hello Beautiful Ones!

It's a been a while since I've done a beauty on a budget post, but I promise there will be more drugstore products featured soon! Today we are talking all about brows which have been my longtime nemesis (you can read more about that here). I always appreciate snagging great brow products at the drugstore, but it can sometimes feel like finding a needle in a haystack.

Today I'm reviewing two new drugstore brow offerings. One I've been really enjoying... but the other just isn't really doing it for me. The brow products I've recently purchased are the L'oreal Paris Brow Stylist Sculptor ($8.99), and the Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Drama ($7.99).

Look at me being all festive with a mini pumpkin (fun fact: my Grandma grew that little pumpkin in her garden so you can thank her for my burst of fall inspiration).

L'oreal Paris Brow Stylist Sculptor in Brunette
Let's start with the product that I'm not exactly loving. L'oreal is marketing this new brow pencil as a 3-in-1 tool for brow shaping. They're counting the pencil on one end, the wax on the other end, and the small brush on the cap as the three tools. The first thing I noticed about this when I first used it was how incredibly pigmented the pencil is. You only have to press very lightly to get a lot of color. I grabbed this pencil in the shade brunette so I would be interested to see how vibrant the blonde shade is. After filling in my brows I ran the wax over my brows to set everything. In my opinion the wax is the star here. Although, you will want to have a sharpener on hand as I have used a lot more of the wax than I have the pencil. I really enjoyed the wax because it did the job without being sticky or gunky. The brush is just ok, personally I prefer a spooly. The real disappointment here though is that I can't seem to make the pencil stay on my brows. By the end of the day it always seems to be smudged or rubbed off completely. All in all I like the color payoff and the wax, but I find that the bad lasting power of this product makes it almost unusable.

Maybelline Brow Drama Eyebrow Mascara in Soft Brown
This is Maybelline's new tinted brow gel. I've had great luck with maybelline brow products in the past (Define-a-Brow is my absolute favorite drugstore pencil), so I was excited to give this one a shot. Even though the gel has a tint to it I still used it in conjunction with a pencil (it works great with my Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil). After I filled in my brows with my brow pencil I just ran the brow drama wand through my brows. You do have to run it through a few times to eliminate any clumps and make sure everything is coated evenly. I found the round shape of the brush helpful. I also used the spooly on the end of my brow pencil to smooth everything out. The gel doesn't set immediately so you have time to get it just the way you want it. After the gel dries you can barely tell you are wearing it, it doesn't make your brows sticky or crunchy at all. The lasting power is also good. My final verdict is that this product is great and definitely a good deal for the price!

There seems to be a lot of exciting things happening in the world of drugstore brow products right now. It's so great when you can find high quality products at affordable prices. Let me know in the comments if you have tried either of these yet!

XO- Brittney

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