Maha, Author at MAHA MAVEN

Maha September 3, 2013

Best Drugstore Makeup: Lips

The Best drugstore makeup products for lips, tried and true!

1.Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss

Available in an assortment of colors, this product is a solid gloss. The color payoff is great because it is strong enough to make an impression, but sheer enough to be versatile on a vast variety of skintones (hello hotpink). It is not at all sticky, and I love the shea butter scent. I have three colors, and I will definitely be purchasing more in the future.

L to R: Pink Pop (180), Peach Petal (150), and Coral Reef (170).

2. Wet’n’Wild Megalast Lipstick

These are literally amazing, and for 1.99$ a pop they have me leaving the store feeling guilty. They are smooth and moisturizing, longwearing, and very pigmented. They come in the most beautiful colors, often dupe-worthy to many of MAC’s most popular shades, and they just look absolutely beautiful. I own almost ten of them, and I always have two of each of my favorite colors so I never have to go without. In the coming Fall and Winter months, Vamp It Up and Cheery Bomb will be my go-to dramatic lip colors. I highly recommend you try these out.

L to R: Vamp it Up (919B) and Cherry Bomb (918D).

3. Revlon Lipstick

I own so many of these it’s amazing, but my three present favorites are Copperglow Berry, Cocoa Craving, and Iced Amethyst.

From L to R: Iced Amethyst, Cocoa Craving, and Copperglow Berry

The Revlon Lipstick line has countless shades to flatter a wide variety of skintones. They are moisturizing, glide on smoothly, and wear long and well. Even the matte shades wear comfortably all day! If you need to reapply, these also work well when overlapped. Revlon lipsticks have been called MAC dupes, and that’s not for no reason. For half the price they are definitely worth picking up if you are a MAC girl.

4. Rimmel Lipstick

Close second to Revlon, and considerably less expensive. Most of my Rimmel lipsticks are from the Kate collection, but I also have some in the Moisture Renew line. My favorite Moisture Renew: Vintage Pink.

Rimmel Vintage Pink

It is highly moisturizing, with a great color payoff. It is similar to MAC’s Up the Amp, but with more pink lilac undertones and I have never seen it look bad on anybody! My favorites from the Kate line are 10 and 04. They are pigmented and moisturizing with a beautiful natural shine.

L to R: Rimmel Kate 04 and Rimmel Kate 10

5. Revlon Lip Butters

I have yet to meet someone who didn’t absolutely love these! They are a universal favorite across a vast number of skintones, and they are a most-have for everyday moisturizing, buildable lip color. See my in-depth review here. Here are the swacthes again.

6. L’Oreal Infallible Lipstick

Another popular lipstick, this product’s best characteristic is its longevity. It is seriously long wearing, with little transfer. My favorite sets to a matte finish, but maintains a moisturizing feel on the lips all day. This color is seriously beautiful for fall and I absolutely cannot wait to break it out soon!

My favorite L’Oreal Infallible at the moment: Java Jolt

Check out the best drugstore makeup for eyes!

Feel free to get in touch with me via comments or email with any questions or comments you may have. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Maha September 2, 2013

Best Drugstore Makeup: Eyes

Ahh, the drugstore. I can never just go in and get out. I always have to browse the makeup aisles, and it’s a good thing because I have found quite a few of my holy grail products at the drugstore. Here is my “best drugstore makeup” list.

Eyes

1. Maybelling Color Tattoo If you pay any attention to the online beauty community, you already know about this product and know it is a favorite. Why? It’s impressively long-wearing, lightweight, highly-pigmented and goes on like silk. There are an assortment of colors, most of which are metallic. They make excellent eye shadow base, but can also be worn alone in warm weather for gorgeous color that won’t budge. You will love this all year round, but you’ll be especially grateful you have it during the sweltering summer months.

Maybelline Color Tattoo L to R: Pomegranate Punk and Bad to the Bronze

2. Maybelline Line Stiletto Ok, again, another popular one. What makes this little guy so impressive? The staying power. I have literally done tests where I rub and rub at this and it’s the last to budge, even alongside some of my high end liners. It has a pretty, satiny finish (somewhere between a matte finish and the high-shine finish of the Urban Decay liquid liner). I have it in “Blackest Black,” and I am by no means disappointed in the color intensity.

Maybelline Line Stiletto

3. Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara (Waterproof) One of my favorite mascaras by far. It is great at lengthening, but without any of the clump. It has a great formula that is not drying, but rather allows for very comfortable all-day wear. It is very black, and has a really lightweight formula.

4. Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara (Waterproof) This mascara is one of the best lash extension mascaras I have come across. Though it had a thick formula, it doesn’t leave my lashes looking clumpy or spidery in the way that many lash extension products do. It gives a surprisingly comfortable all-day wear, and the lengthening is incredible! I usually use this on top of another mascara on days I do not use it on its own for its amazing lengthening abilities. Very black color, and creates volume without looking spidery.

5. L’Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara (Waterproof) This mascara…speechless. This has to be my favorite mascara of all time. It has all my favorite attributes of the perfect mascara, and is long wearing on top of that. It is jet black, wet looking, and non-clumpy. It has lengthening abilities for days, but is also volumizing. On top of all that, it works amazing well on my top and bottom lashes while performing well on the hard-to-reach lashes near my tearduct. Worth every penny, I will continue to repurchase this mascara as long as they manufacture it.

6. L’Oreal Extra Intense Liquid Pencil Liner Ok. Mind blown. It’s a pencil and a liquid all at once. I didn’t believe it when I heard it, but it’s true. Somehow. This product has all the smoothness and intensity of a liquid, with the control and smudgeability of a pencil. It is super soft and hyper-pigmented in a way that puts many high-end liners to shame. For roughly 8$ it is a must-have, a steal, and a holy grail product all at once. I highly recommend this product for anyone with eyes. But seriously, my eyeliner was always moving and running until I found this baby and now I am never going back. On Saturday I was at an outdoor music festival until midnight in the sweltering heat, and when I got back my eyeliner had not budged. Impressive is an understatement.

7. NYC Liquid Liner

This has to be one of my all time favorite liquid eyeliners. Besides the fact that it is incredibly affordable, it has a great formula. It is really thick, almost like a hybrid between gel liner and liquid liner. It also has an intense, matte finish that only intensifies the black color of the liner.

Be sure to check out my favorite drugstore lip products!

Maha September 2, 2013

How to Get Soft Feet Overnight

Do you want to know how to get soft feet fast?

Literally overnight. I mean it. I have a lot of experience with this because I use this method nightly to get soft, smooth feet after a long day. Before I discovered this method, I had tried a number of different foot creams but could never get my feet to stay moisturized through the night. Needless to say, this was a lifesaver!

What you will need

Thick socks

Vaseline Total Moisture Cocoa Radiant Vitalizing Body Gel Oil

If you don’t have the gel oil, then Vaseline makes a suitable replacement

Method

This works best if you do it right after the shower when your skin is still wet, and therefore the most permeable. Rub the gel oil into the skin, using a generous amount so that there is some excess oil on your feet.

Then put your socks on! Make sure you choose a pair that are loose fitting, but come up above your ankles and won’t slip off. Continue your nighttime routine and then go to bed wearing your socks. Your feet will thank you in the morning. That’s how to get soft feet fast!

P.S. Studies actually show that wearing socks to bed can help you sleep better! Now that’s what I call “beauty sleep.”

Feel free to get in touch with me at any time, via email or comments. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Maha September 2, 2013

Powdered Silk: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

My skin just started getting pretty oily. Granted, just in my t-zone, but it’s never really been a problem for me until this summer so I was freaking out. I had been looking for a high quality, effective finishing powder that wouldn’t leave me looking cakey or give me the annoying ashy flashback effect in photos…and I finally found it: MAC (MSF) Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Dark. How dost I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Powdered Silk for a healthy glow

Positives

Where do I start? It is silky and smooth and melts right into your skin and/or foundation to create a matte finish that looks like skin. It never looks cakey! I use it during the day if my nose starts to get shiny, and it always does the trick. It’s super breathable and I never feel like it is heavy or thick. It is a great powder for photographed events as it leaves no flashback, but it still has a vibrancy that adds a health glow to any makeup look! This comes with a lot of product, so it’s well worth the price. On days when I am not feeling like foundation, lightly dusting this all over my face gives a great matte finish with just the right amount of coverage. This is a must have for sure.

Silky smooth mattifying coverage that doesn’t leave me cakey

Negatives

I must say, I don’t have any. Perhaps for someone looking for more coverage, this powder could disappoint. But it isn’t really advertised as a powder foundation so much as it is marketed as a finishing powder so I don’t see that being a big issue. The price may deter some, as it did for me, but I am so glad I finally splurged because it is well worth it. It is actually pretty affordable compared to some of the other high end powders on the market.

With everything said, I have to say I LOVE this product and highly recommend it! I think everyone will definitely love it if they give it a try.

Please get in touch with any questions or comments you may have. I am always reachable by email. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Maha September 1, 2013

Oily Skin Care Regimen

Hey guys!

So I have been meaning to put up a daily skincare routine for oily skin, and I finally have it for you! It’s super simple, and I do this twice a day for the most part except for days that I exfoliate. I will put up my exfoliation routine later, for sure. There are more treatment options out there that have some amazing results in conjunction with this basic routine, like acne solutions, but this is the best starting point when you have oily skin. Once you’ve got the correct products, you can then solve oily skin problems.

Morning Routine

What am I loving right now? Raw Black Soap. I make my own, but you can get some here:

This soap has done wonders for my skin, in the short amount of time that I have been using it. In particular, I have noticed:

More even skintone

Diminishing dark spots

Less oil

Less noticeable pores

Fewer breakouts

Needless to say, I am more than ecstatic about this new find! It is especially great for women with darker skintones who are more prone to hyperpigmentation and discoloration. The smell takes a little getting used to, but the results are so compelling that this was not hard to do at all. In addition, a really good moisturizer is required to follow this cleanser because the black soap can be a bit drying when used on a daily basis. It is also very refreshing to use as a body soap, and will leave you feeling fresh and rejuvenated every time.

The Body Shop Teat Tree Oil Face Collection

On days when I do not feel too oily, I reach for the Tea Tree line from the Body Shop. Starting with the cleanser I wash, then I use the toner on a cotton ball to wipe any residue off of my face. The cleanser does not lather, so do not be alarmed by that (I used to be when I just started the switch away from sulfates). After the toner, I use my all time favorite moisturizer: Aloe Vera Gel.

Aloe Vera gel is an amazing moisturizer for oily skin types. Since my combination skin goes into overdrive during the summer months, Aloe Vera gel has been a Godsend for me. I rub a small amount into my skin, and I am left with a nicely moisturized face. It also gives a gorgeous matte finish, and works beautifully underneath makeup!

Nighttime Routine

My nighttime routine is much quicker. I wash with the cleanser from the tea tree line, and then I pat dry. I usually do not use the toner at night, but I do use an astringent to get the dirt and oil out of my pores before I go to bed. I then follow with my moisturizer from The Body Shop’s Tea Tree line, adding a drop or two of the tea tree oil to the mix. I then go to sleep with my face feeling rejuvenated and clean.

What is your skincare routine? I would love to hear what you do and how yours is different from mine!

Also let me know if you would like to see a black soap tutorial!

As always, I really appreciate you taking the time to stop by!

Until next time!

The Best drugstore makeup products for lips, tried and true!

Eyes

Do you want to know how to get soft feet fast?

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