The Lipstick Page Forums Beauty Blog: Drugstore thrills! (8.1.05) Drugstore thrills! (8.1.05) Posted by Dain, Monday, August 01, 2005 6:43 PM (Eastern) Stopped by the CVS in Porter Square today (in Cambridge, Massachusetts), for a quickie fix. It's a huge CVS with a ritzy skincare section devoted to Avène, Vichy, and Nivea (which is swankier in Europe), and I spent a lot of time perusing the wonders of Avène. Anyway, here's the damage: Milani French Manicure Nail Lacquer in Destiny Pink: I'm craving the look of healthy nails lately—that, or black. I can't seem to find Essie Ballet Slippers in the salons I've looked (granted, I've not looked very hard), just OPI, so why not Milani, at half the price? This is a ultrasheer milky pink, neutral, but leaning towards the cool. A bit like the color of strawberry yogurt. It's ultrasheer, by which I mean, it is almost essentially clear. Avène travel kit for dehydrated skin: At a mere $6, I get the opportunity to try four pretty products, from the French pharmacy line Avène (pharmacies in France are a bit more upscale than our drugstores—there isn't really anything comparable, but our "drugstores" are more like their Monoprix. Sort of.). It includes: Gentle Milk Cleanser, Gentle Toner, Hydrance Optimale Riche, and Soothing Moisture Mask. Avène Thermal Spring Water: The star of the line, is it just fancy bottled water? I've heard miracles, but I'll keep a skeptical eye out for you, and report back with the results. Revlon Colorstay 12 Hour Eye Shadow in Spring Moss: This was so pretty I couldn't resist. Drugstore lines have traditionally been held back by the quality of their shadows—all too often rough, choppy, and lacking in pigmentation. These new shadows from Revlon don't disappoint, though they're a bit on the sheer side (highly pigmented shadows are rare, anyway—only Dior and MUFE really deliver). The darker shades are better for augmenting a pencil liner (which is what I do anyway, with liner shades), or for crease work; they're not quite rich enough to stand on their own as liner. But the texture is smoooth, and silky, and blendable. And the shades are really nice—subtle, not aggressive, but complex. there is a soft white, tinged with pink-green iridescence, a shade very much like MAC Vex but silkier and more lime than mint (which is, actually, more flattering), a gorgeous greyed olive shimmer, soft as silk and dusted pink-gold iridescence, and the darkest shade, a soft greyed forest green with subtle golden iridescence, which goes on more sheer and olivey than it looks in the pan. Superb! Just as good as MAC's, albeit sheerer. And last, but not least, L'Oréal Féria in Espresso: To deal with roots an inch thick. All in all, a very successful haul. (heh. I'm a poet and I don't know it.) 0 Comment(s)    Email this post Rants, raves, and musings on all things cosmetic. Profile | Current Blog Site Feed (Atom) Previous Articles ·· Things I am obsessed with... (7.29.05) ·· Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipcolor ·· A craving for something new... ·· New feature! ·· Kevyn Aucoin ·· Manolo's Shoe Blog ·· What's in a name? ·· L'Artisan Parfumeur ·· Summer music... ·· Serge Lutens! Archives TheBroadroom.Net's Beauty Blog (archive) April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 Links Colleen's Adult Acne Blog Fashiontribes Daily