Thrifty Thursday # 2 | Dollar Tree

 THRIFTY THURSDAY #2 | DOLLAR TREE

  

There are lots of reasons that I love the Dollar Tree.  It started off just being a great party planning resource, then a makeup treasure trove, then a surprise couponing haven, and then an amazing book store.  It's hard to choose which of these categories is most exciting to me.  Until I see makeup.  :)

 

This week's haul features nail products and cosmetics. First, for the odd one out:

 

 

 

I was able to find my shade of the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation, so I purchased several.  Additional information about this product can be found in yesterday's Wish List Wednesday post.

 

I also found the complete list of shades from the vendor's product pamphlet.  Those are all shown in my YouTube haul video, so be sure to check it out!

 

 

Next up:  Kiss Gel Dress nail strips. 



$1 per box at Dollar Tree

 

 

I tried these out, so I actually have some pretty clear feelings about the quality and value.  Overall, I would say they're worth a dollar, but you really do have to insinuate them onto your nail.  To me, it's worth trying again because of all the positives, but it's really a matter of personal preference.  If you're willing to spend a little extra time on the front end to save time throughout the week, then definitely give these a try.  Mine lasted a week before I removed them!  I'll share my one-week update video in the next Mani Monday video on YouTube.  If you're not already subscribed to my channel, please check it out!

 

 

 

Next up: my beloved Sally Hansen nail strips.

 

First: the brand's Insta Gel strips are marketed to be used with a gel topcoat and an LED lamp (which cures the topcoat and increases the shelf-life of your manicure).

 



Left to right: Get Juicy, Commander in Chic, Back to the Fuchsia, Punch Drunk

 

I've actually always been afraid to use gel polish because of how damaging acetone can be to natural nails.  I've also heard way too many stories about literally pulling off bits of the nail when the polish won't come off easily.  So, I didn't use the (included) gel topcoat.  Instead, I used a regular cheapie topcoat.  And the nail strips still held up wonderfully!  They didn't buckle when the topcoat was applied, they didn't chip off within days of application, and- best of all- they removed easily with non-acetone nail polish remover.  Super win!  I'll continue to purchase these and will definitely use the gel topcoat when giving myself pedicures (I don't update my toenail polish often, anyway).

 

Next up: my holy grail nail product!  Sally Hansen Salon Effect nail strips. 

 



Left to right: Mod About You, Sweet Tart-an, Kitty Kitty, Check Please



Left to right: Stripe Tease, Hear Me Roar, Wild Child

 

 

These are made with real nail polish, which means that they'll remove with non-acetone nail polish remover.  It also means that they are very easy to manipulate on the nail and they tend not to react negatively with topcoat is applied.  The negative is that, once opened, these dry out very quickly.  Otherwise, I find these to be a complete game-changer for me.

 

 

Finally, I found (and swatched!) a bunch of polishes across different brands. I was really happy with the selection.  Take a look at what I found.

 

 

From LA Colors:

 

 

From Milani:



Left to right: Fast Fuchsia, Power Periwinkle, Sugar Coated




Left to right: Move on Mauve, Blue Zoom, Bet on Red



 

 

From Revlon:

 

 

 

 

 

From Maybelline:

 

 

What do you think?  Have you tried any of these polishes?

 

Please let me know your thoughts about these products in the comments below.  And don't forget to check out my Instagram and YouTube pages. 

 

Thanks for reading - see you next time!

 

Swatch Sunday #1: Physician's Formula

SWATCH SUNDAY #1 | PHYSICIAN'S FORMULA

 I'm so excited to be bringing you these swatches this week, because everything I swatched is available at a deep discount at Dollar Tree and/or Burlington Coat Factory. 

SCORES AND SCALE:
When I mentally rate a cosmetics purchase, I tend to score against six criteria: formula, color payoff, fidelity, staying powder, packaging, and cost.  Of course, there are other issues that could factor in (i.e. if it smells like vomit, the other things won't matter), but those are hard to account for.  The first four criteria receive double weight. 
 
Formula (2x): 7/10  It blends well, and it sticks nicely to damp skin or a primer.  It does, however, tend to apply a bit powdery.

Color Payoff (2x): 7/10  Most shades are pigmented at first swatch and build in intensity with added product.  (Note: the Custom palettes rate 10/10)

Fidelity (2x): 10/10  Setting aside opacity, the colors are what they appear to be - there were some surpise duochromes, but those are always welcome in my collection.  ;)

Staying Powder (2x): Unknown.  I can say these removed easily with kiddie wipes (Dora The Explorer 80-pack wipes, available for $1 @ Dollar Tree)

Packaging (1x): 8/10 Some of the packaging is VERY attractive.  However, the items packaged in sets (or repackaged for sale at Dollar Tree) were in clear acrylic containers devoid of any branding.

Cost (1x): 5/10 The full price is outrageous.  These retail for $10 or more.  I'd say these are a hard PASS at full price. 


Google search: "Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips eye shadow"

If you can find these for $1-2, though, I'd recommend picking them up.  They're comparable to Profusion eyeshadows (which I'm a big fan of - more on that later), and those are sold for $1 a palette at Dollar Tree. So, at that price point, I'd rate these 10/10.


REVIEWS:




 Courtesy of Ulta.com

The general consensus among Ulta reviewers is that Physician's Formula shimmer strips palettes offer nice colors and blend well, but don't have great pigmentation and don't tend to last very long. Click the photo above to read additional details.

I also watched a pretty thorough brand review video by Emily Noel of YouTube.  Click on the screenshot below to be taken to her video.

COLLECTIONS:
After a great deal of web-surfing, I was able to identify all six of the palettes I own.  I added those names to the corresponding swatch photos below.

 

Based on the swatches and the collection names, I would rate the custom collections (the last two palettes) as the best of the bunch, followed by the Smoky Collection, and then the Pop Collection.  The Casual Collection has some shades that could double as fantastic bronzers (or highlights, depending on your complexion), so that's my first pick.  The Custom Collections also have better texture/consistency than the others. 


PACKAGING:
Here's a look at the original product packaging, as found on the web.  Credits are in the captions.

POP COLLECTION:

Photo courtesy of IAmNymphette.com

 

 

CUSTOM COLLECTION:

Photo courtesy of Physician's Formula

SMOKY COLLECTION:

Photo courtesy of Physician's Formula

ALLERGENS AND INTERACTIONS:
These products contain silicones, talc, and parabens.  If you have sensitivities to corn, you should also note the inclusion of corn starch in each of these palettes. 

INGREDIENTS: MICA, TALC, OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE, ZINC STEARATE, DIMETHICONE, ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-2, CETYL DIMETHICONE, SORBITAN, SEQUIOLEATE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, DEHYDROACETIC ACID, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, SORBIC ACID. MAY CONTAIN: TITANIUM DIOXIDE, IRON OXIDES, ULTRAMARINES, YELLOW 5 LAKE, BLUE 1 LAKE, CARMINE, FERRIC FERROCYANIDE, CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS, CHROMIUM HYDROXIDE GREEN, MANGANESE VIOLET.


Bottom line: Give these a try if you find them on sale.  I find that certain collections (the Custom palettes) offer better opacity, and would recommend applying wet for more intensity.  If you can only get one, go for one of the four custom palettes, definitely!


Thanks for reading - please check out my Instagram and YouTube for more thrifty finds!  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share them below.

Thrifty Thursday #1 | Burlington Coat Factory

THRIFTY THURSDAY #1 | BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY BEAUTY HAUL

Happy Friday Eve! As I'm posting Thrifty Thursday videos each week, I want to be sure to provide additional information about the items I hauled.  If you haven't already seen the video, jump on over to The Glossary on YouTube.  Otherwise, read on!

First, I found lots of polishes! Among other brands available at the store were Revlon and Orly. 


From Revlon, I saw packs of four nail laquers for $5.99; the sets included toppers, polishes, and even a nail treatment. 

The nail treatment is called Treat & Boost.  I haven't yet tried it, but it's got rave reviews on Amazon and the interweb in general.  :)
Read more reviews on Ulta.

The next two polishes pictured above are Revlon Rio Rush Nail Enamels in (middle) Gold Goddess and (right) Oi Beautiful.  The gold polish looked like a topper to me, but it applied pretty opaque in two coats.  The purple polish is beautifully vibrant and creamy.  I'll be doing live swatches on the blog in an upcoming #SwatchSunday, so be on the lookout for that.  In the meantime, swatches of all these finds are below:

Swatches  - left side is one coat, right side is two coats.

I can already confidently tell you that the formula on these is a dream to work with.  I swatched on copy paper and still managed to get precise little swipes.  Not too thick or runny, and great coverage.  Of course, I can't yet speak to staying power, but at an individual cost of $1.50 per polish, I would already call these a good purchase.


From Orly, I found a pack of three mini-polish six-packs for $16.99.  It's designed so that you can gift as one big set, or separate out to make three gifts.  I'm not sure whether I'll want to gift any, so I didn't do swatches, but here's a look at the set: 

 

I also found an eyeshadow palette from Measurable Difference, which is a brand with which I'm not familiar.  Since it was just $1.98 and I don't have any glitter shadows in my collection, I decided to give it a try.  Here's a look at the palette:

I did a little research about the brand and found that they have a fully-functional website and appear to be affiliated with the brand Chrislie Beauty.  They had the exact same palette available for sale for $6.99- still a very decent price.  Here's the stock photo that's posted on the website:

Photo courtesy of MeasurableDifference.com



 

Lastly, I found quite a few Physician's Formula sets for sale for just $1.98 and $2.98.  Here's a look at all the ones I found; prices will be listed in the captions.

$1.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

$1.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

$1.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

$1.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

$2.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

$2.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

$2.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

$2.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

$2.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

$2.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

$2.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

$2.98 at Burlington Coat Factory

Finally, I wanted to compare packaging between the set found at Burlington Coat Factory and what is typically found in stores.  It appears that, for the most part, the packaging was stripped down to a basic black compact devoid of any Physician's Formula branding.  On a few of these, the silver "PF" on the front of the compact is the only difference (For example, the CoverTox Ten and Shimmer Strips Blush & Highlight).  However, there are a couple of slight changes to compact style (i.e. from bulbous silver to sleek black) seen in the Shimmer Strips palettes and Les Botaniques bronzer. Overall, the packaging found in these sets is exactly what was sold at Dollar Tree, which might explain how they ended up at a $1 price point- in other words, they may have been parceled out from these sets. 

Take a look at the photos below for individual comparisons:

Have you been to your Burlington Coat Factory lately?  If so, what did you find?  Comment below or on my YouTube video to share your finds.

Thanks for reading!  Follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more.

See you next time.  :)