Product: Avon Smooth Minerals Foundation
Price: Reg. Price is $11 but it's on sale now for &7.99
Rating: 5/5

Pros: I cannot rave enough about this stuff. This is the first mineral foundation I've tried, and for the price, I will be using this over and over again. Before this I was using the Revlon Colorstay foundation (which is a great foundation) and MAC's Studio Fix foundation (also good) but my skin is so dry that it never really looked natural on me. I would have to really moisturize before I used any cream foundations and that was such a hassle because after all of that, my face still looked like I had on too much. And to be honest, I rarely get any blemishes so I don't really need a lot of coverage, and both of those foundations are medium to full cover foundations.

Anyway, I went into AVON wanting to try their tinted moisturizers but I got offered this mineral foundation instead. I decided to give it a try and I immediately noticed a difference. I use a soft flat top brush to apply the foundation (I buff it in) and I feel it's the best way to go. The foundation creates a nice dew-y finish and it looks far from cakey. I can use as little or as much as I need and it takes me all of 2 minutes to apply. Definitely check this out if you don't feel like working hard to get a nice even natural look.

Cons: If you're not careful, this powder will get everywhere, but that's the case with most mineral make-up. I just tap as much as I can back into the container and try not to swirl my brush too quickly when I'm trying to get some product on to the brush.

Product: St. Ives Blemish And Blackhead Control Apricot Scrub
Price: About $3
Rating: 5/5

Pros: If I had to pick my holy grail skin cleansing product, this would be it. It's affordable, works as an amazing exfoliator, and really cleanses my skin. I use this 3-4 times a week because it's a little rough on my skin and I don't need it every day. For every day I use the Gentle Apricot Scrub. St. Ives recently changed the packaging and I love it.

Cons: Absolutely none.

Product: St. Ives Oatmeal Shea Body Wash
Price: About $3
Rating: 5/5

Pros: From the website: "This rich and creamy formula, containing nourishing oatmeal and conditioning shea butter, creates a gentle lather that helps clean and soothe dry, itchy skin."

I have really dry skin so I need a moisturizing body wash and this is the best one I've tried for the price. It's also huge (mine is 18 fl oz). St. Ives just never lets me down. I love the smell, my skin feels and looks nice and moisturized long after I've used it, and it's super gentle. Sometimes I use it as shaving gel if I've run out of my Skintimate. A little bit goes a looong way. I've repurchased this twice already, actually. I haven't tried the other body washes, but I don't know if I want to, I love this one so much.

Cons: None! Like, at all. I have yet to try a St. Ives product that didn't work for me.

Well, those were easy reviews. It's easy when there are no cons and lots of pros <3

Product: Coastal Scents 78 Piece Makeup Palette
Price: $18.95
Rating: 5/5

Pros: Tons of eyeshadow colors in this palette as well as some highlight colors and a nice set of blushes. The colors are highly pigmented (see the picture below for an example) and are super easy to blend. At first I was very wary of these products because $19 for 60 eyeshadows is a steal. I watched some YouTube videos on it and that's what finally convinced me and I am so glad I finally bought them because I seriously don't need any other colors to play with (although that doesn't keep me from still shopping around :D). The palette has everything I need and even shadows I would never think of buying. The highlighting colors are <3 although I doubt I'll use them as strictly highlight colors because they can be used for other things (shadows, liner, etc.) I really liked the blushes but I don't find myself reaching for them very much. I'm very fond of my Mac blushes, so I have to really force myself to use the ones on the palette.

Here's a picture of a look I did so that you can see the colors in action:


Cons: The shadows are quite small and the blushes don't compliment every skin tone. However, since each shadow has great pigment, I don't have to keep dipping my brush in there so I don't think it's that much of a problem. None of the eyeshadows have a name or a number to them which is kind of annoying when you're trying to explain what colors you like best and whatnot.

Because I don't want to make a separate post for these pictures I took this past week, I'll just put them under a cut so you can see what I've been experimenting with :) Both of them use at least one shadow from my Coastal Scents palette.

Product: Aveeno Nourish + Volumizer Shampoo, Conditioner
Price: $6.50
Rating: 5/5

Pros: This is the only shampoo/conditioner I've tried that I've seen an almost immediate change in my hair. It's visibly shinier, thicker, bouncier, and it looks and feels healthy. A little bit goes a long way. When I use it in the shower it smells amazing, but unfortunately the scent fades a little bit once it air dries. I mean, my hair smells really good when I actually take a bunch and smell it, but it's not as obvious as other shampoos, like say, Herbal Essences. It's not a huge let down or anything but if you like shampoos that leave your hair smelling amazing hours afterwards, then this shampoo/conditioner isn't it. Other than that, there's nothing I don't love about this shampoo. I've actually gotten compliments on my hair after using it a few times.

Cons: The only thing I can think of is that the price is a bit much for 10.5 fl oz. But I love what it does with my hair so much that I'm seriously willing to shell out the money.

Avon has this brand for younger women called mark. I got three of their skin care products: Calming Effect Comforting Milk Cleanser, For Goodness Face Moisturizer, and I received the Calm Yourself Hydrating Mask for free with my purchase. I'll review each of these separately.

Product: mark Calming Effect Comforting Milk Cleanser
Price: $7
Rating: 3/5

Pros: This feels great once you lather it on. It's fragrance-free, oil-free, and non-comedogenic (it doesn't clog your pores). It leaves my skin feeling super smooth. I was a bit apprehensive after I used it the first time because my face didn't feel as clean as when I used St. Ive's Apricot Scrub, but that makes sense because the scrub helps exfoliate my skin and the milk cleanser just helps clean and moisturize it. The price is excellent for what it does, and I would definitely use this any day I felt like my skin was feeling dry or itchy, and after I used my scrub.

Cons: None. It's moisturizing, feels great on the skin, and for the price I really can't complain if my skin doesn't feel "clean enough."

( + More Products by mark )