Department Store Make-up Look... without the price!

Recently arriving in the mail were a couple of packages from BzzAgent. Being a member of BzzAgent, from time to time I am sent products to try and report on for market research. If you enjoy trying out new products and sharing your findings with blog world you should sign up too! (It's free!)
The first package I received was from CoverGirl. It contained their new ShineBlast lip gloss & Smoky ShadowBlast eye shadow. I was excited to try these products as I had recently purchased "Lash Blast Length" from Target and was extremely impressed! It lengthened my lashes better and flaked less than the more expensive brand I'd been using from Ulta. The angled tip on the ShineBlast lip gloss applicator was perfect. It was easy to apply, even on the run, and didn't look messy or sticky like some glosses. (I had just purchased a lipgloss with a brush applicator from Bobbi Brown and enjoy the Cover Girl much more ... plus it gives you a great look for much less!)
I decided to add a little oomph to my look one evening and tried out the Smoky Shadowblast eye shadow in "Onyx Smoke." I'll start by saying I am no make up artist but when I added this to my regular eye liner routine for a night out, I got the great "oomph" look I was trying to achieve! I even got some great complements on my "fierce" eyes! I use the white end on a daily basis to highlight, then add more color for a fun evening out!
Three cheer to CoverGirl & their new line of "blast" products! If you are interested in trying them out for yourself, I have several $2 off coupons to be used towards any Cover Girl product I'll be happy to mail you one!

minerals on my face

Upon reader suggestion I tried Physician's Formula mineral make-up in my quest for a new make-up. I had a bit of anxiety in the drug store deciding on what shade to choose as there were no "to try" versions open. Having pale skin with a yellow-undertone (you can tell I am color sensitive person can't you) matching shades is very important to create the flawless look. I settled on translucent light and it is perfect. I found the formula to be just as light and easy to wear as BareMinerals. It also boasts being 1/2 the price, coming in at around $12. (If you look hard too, many drugstores do a bogo on this from time to time.) While I can recommend the product itself with gusto, I do not enjoy the packaging. I use my own EcoTools brushes so the included brush (and holder) is useless to me. The "pop off" dome and subsequent "flip up" to reveal the holes which through the powder comes is awkward and does not allow for the "swirl, tap, buff" BareMinerals make famous. Brava to my reader recommendations of another great product!

Mineral Make-Up

I have been using Bare Minerals for almost 5 years now and am a huge fan. I love the way it feels weightless and almost non-existent on my face. With Bare Minerals being the ground breaker in the mineral make up arena, many companies have followed suit and developed their own versions. I'm running low on my "fairly light" and have begun to wonder, is there a new product out there that might be better than my standard? To answer this question I turn to you blogland.


Do you have a product you'd recommend? Have you tried others and gone back to where you started?
I recently saw an ad for Clinique's new mineral make up that comes in a "less mess" compact. Anyone tried it yet?

Do you have a drugstore brand that floats your boat and keeps a few extra pennies in your purse?

Thank you!