The other day while I was picking up ingredients to bake my husband homemade cupcakes for his birthday one of my in-laws asked if I could pick up a simple sunscreen item for them. Of course having owned a beauty boutique I still have a stash of testers and other random products waiting in the wings for just these moments. Unfortunately my in-laws doctor convinced them that their sunscreen needed to be an spf over 45. Personally I never recommend anything that high because the higher the number the more the chemicals, but not necessarily the protection… that ‘s the dirty little secret of the sunscreen world that no one wants you to know… but trying to be the accommodating hostess I plunged into the beauty care isle with gusto thinking that this would be a snap.
Not really being a mass-market cosmetics shopper I was astonished by the selection in front of me. It’s no wonder that women are completely confounded in their attempt to find the perfect skin care, eye liner, lipstick or foundation. Suddenly I needed a headache pain reliever (aisle 6)… this was not going to be easy.
With random sunscreen already in hand I decided to dwell a bit longer and try a few new drug store items for myself, something I have not done in years, aside from my makeup kit staple Maybelline Great Lash Mascara.
I have been ridiculously skeptical about all these uber skin -matching foundations that I see Desperate Housewives and Lost cast members hocking, so I perused dozens of choices and decided on a bottle of L’Oreal True Match Super Blendable makeup. To my surprise this foundation had a pretty good color (not too gray or too pink) and a smooth finish to it. It also made the surface of my skin look even instead of settling in the pores like most inexpensive foundations do.
I also picked up a few concealers – the one product that I would not be without if I were stranded on remote a desert island. Though several of the concealers were cakey and intensified the lines under my eyes Neutrogena Brightening Eye Perfector housed in a clickable pen form was creamy and easy to blend and made my under eye luggage look brighter and fresher without adding ten years.
And lastly, always on the hunt for another gloss (just in case the dozens I already own fail me) I loved L’Oreal Infallible lip gloss in Barely Nude. It’s a sheer nude color with a hint of peach that will work for most skin tones.
