Musings of a Muse

Hello gorgeous where have you been all my life?

Clean & Clear has introduced a brand new oil-free makeup remover and it’s been around since, check this, March 2009. Why didn’t I know about it before this? Who’s in charge of the memo service? I didn’t get the memo telling me about cheap eye makeup remover…you know how obsessed I am with finding an inexpensive makeup remover! Heads will roll when I find out who messed up.

Teehee.

But for now I have in my possession a bottle of Clean & Clear Eye Make Up Remover and since I’m so in likey with it I’m in a forgiving mood!

Jump!

$5.95 nails you a 5.5oz a bottle of Clean & Clear Soothing Eye Make Up Remover…yes under $6 bucks and you can have a very good quality remover….thank you jebus, I prayed so hard but didn’t think it would ever happen.

I have one tiny rant but I’ll get to that in sec..

First off this is incredible stuff. This removes eye makeup in a snap plus it doesn’t contain oil so no cloudy, blurred, OMG! I can’t see! feeling. The formula is very much like simple water but it manages to do a very good job of removing waterproof mascara, pigmented eye shadow, etc……

I’m deeply impressed. It does have somewhat the same formula as Lancome Bi-Facil but it’s more watery. My only rant is you have to use alot. I had to do two cotton pads to get everything off my eyes….I wish I could have just did one swipe and be good but I did have to saturate two pads to remove everything. But…I do wear alot of eye makeup in it’s defense. I’m not upset in the least about this as it did a supreme job of getting my waterproof mascara off so I’m discoing!

That Bi-Facial feeling!

Fact is…it’s a killer deal and it works. It’s the best drugstore remover I’ve come across and well worth a pick up. I think it’ll replace…wait for it…my Sephora eye makeup remover. I have to test a bit more before I retire Sephora but it’s looking like Clean & Clear Make Up Remover is winning the coveted position of being the Muse’s eye makeup remover.

Likey!

Loves it and Muse Approves it for purchase.

Try it, I have a feeling you’ll like it as much as I do.

Anyone try yet?

Loves it?

Leaves it?

Tell the Muse!

This Summer you can go with any number of luxurious posh brands of eye shadow for a smoldering, sizzling Summer eye look. However, the economy may be preventing you from indulging in prices per shadow of $18 and upwards.

If you’re wanting to save a buck or two and still have a pretty sun kissed look this season jump ahead and join me on another Cheap Beauty Challenge!

This round of Cheap Beauty Challenge I’m spotlighting the new Maybelline Focus on Gold Collection. I hope everyone had a chance to sneak a peek at the shadows released in this collection as indeed they are golden, price wise and color.

This beauty challenge consists of a completed look using point products only which in this case would be eye shadows. Anything else such as blush, foundation, etc…is excluded from the total cost of the look. The challenge is to create a Summer friendly look for eyes without breaking the bank.

Of course you can go with any number of incredible brands this season for some seriously beautiful looks. Such as Clarins Instant Sun Light Shimmer Palette for Eyes ($36), any number of Urban Decay Eye Shadows such as Half Baked, Baked, and Twice Baked (all would make an incredible Summer look $16 each or $28 for a palette), or some of MAC Style Warrior Eye Shadows ($29 for 2 Shades).

If you’re not willing to dish out for any of the above do head to your local drugstore with a $10 dollar bill and snag yourself some of the new Maybelline Focus on Gold Expert Eye Shadows. I found these at Harmon’s Beauty Store for $2.92 each and they are truly a gem. Plenty cheap, plenty pigmented, and perfect for a Summer eye look!

The shades I got were Golden Rays (Golden Bronze), Pink Sunsation (Beige Pink), and Copper Coast (Copper Bronze. Each shade is silky smooth, blends lovely for a drugstore brand, and has plenty of pigment. The finish is velvet with a hint of sparkle.

The total cost for my Summer makeup look below was $5.84 as I used two of the shadows to create it. I used Golden Rays all over my lid and contrasted the shade with Copper Coast in the lid.

Honestly, if you’re not willing to dig in deep to your saving for a warm Summer look just head to the couch and dig around for some spare change (and stale cheetos if you get lucky!) and indulge in one or two of these shadows. Count me impressed for the price. Maybelline Focus On Gold is a great contender for this Cheap Beauty Challenge!

I guess sometimes it’s ok to be cheap but don’t tell anyone I said that!

Likey!

Anyone try haul these?

Share your thoughts!

Physicians Formula has a brand new organic range of cleansers for removing makeup. I ran across the line recently while I was in Harmon’s and snatched up one or two items to review here.

Take the jump for the word on Physicians Formula Organic Wear Natural Origin Eye Make Remover Liquid and Pads.

The Physicians Formula Organic Wear Natural Origin Collection consists of two eye makeup removers, a cleansing makeup remover, and makeup remover Towelettes. The line is priced at $9.95 on the Physicians Formula site but I got my items for $7.99 each plus a $3 coupon which was stuck on the packaging thus bringing the price down to $4.99 per an item. I suppose $7.99 is a reasonable price but $4.99 felt even better, particularly because I was so disappointed with the items I did haul.

If you’re a lover of organic makeup these should appeal. Physicians Formula says they are 100% Free of Harsh Chemicals, 100% Paraben-Free, and 100% Cruelty Free. I honestly did not buy them because they were organic I was simply yearning for a cheap eye makeup remover which led me to purchase the two removers offered.

Physicians Formula Organic Wear Eye Makeup Remover comes in a liquid form and in a pad form. Although it didn’t promise to remove waterproof mascara I was stupidly hopeful by some small miracle it would. Both products have a fresh, herbal lavender scent which is quite pleasant. For basic eye makeup remover, sans waterproof mascara, or mascara in general, they do a decent job but if you wear heavy makeup including waterproof mascara these aren’t going to get you very far. So you see why I was feeling shut down and disappointed. Why aren’t there any decent eye makeup removers at the drugstore?

Although it failed to remove my mascara and didn’t do much good on pigmented aqua eye shadow I still can’t trash it completely as it is an ideal product for those that wear minimal eye makeup and need a gentle makeup remover or prefer products that are both green friendly and free of harsh chemicals.

Overall, I’ll probably refrain from purchasing any more of this collection but I am every so slightly curious about the cleanser but since I was a tad hohum about these two removers I’ll safely skip. These should be at your local drugstore as I found them locally if you’re interested. My final verdict, no likey.

Along with the $3 instant coupon on each product there was a $5 mail in rebate so it’s virtually like getting the products free if you don’t mind the leg work of rebates.

Anyone try this line?

Anyone interested in it?

Do share!

One does wonder how to get that professional look with a $3 price tag. E.L.F. Cosmetics now offers a Pro line for “that professional look” with an appealing budget price tag.

Jump ahead to learn more…!

Aspiring to be more like NARS, E.L.F.? E.L.F. Cosmetics Pro Collection does have a tad bit of a NARS look and feel to it but with quite a deeper discount. The new collection has a more sophisticated less than cheap look compared to the regular line and now sports the $3 price tag that E.L.F. has reserved for certain products in it’s line. Although much of E.L.F. still remains at $1 per an item they have grown up a fair bit and now sport $3 prices on newer items they add to their catalog, the pro line being one of those lines.

One could go so far as to say that E.L.F. did a pretty good job with the simple black packaging on the new line but don’t get too excited as it does appear to be simply plastic. The look and feel mimics NARS a tad bit which I’m sure they will use to their advantage in future e-mail bursts advertising their products.

I can’t say I’m terribly excited to jump on board and try this out but I will admit to being ever so slightly curious. Particularly the brush set gathers much of my attention as my sister and quite a few readers have expressed their delight over E.L.F. Brushes. The rest of the line could prove very popular if you’re on a beauty budget at the moment or have always been. Shamefully I admit that cheap makeup holds little appeal to me most times but I can see the possibility of these becoming very popular items.

Here’s a few items that did capture my interest.

E.L.F. Cosmetics Pro Eye Lash Curler ($3)

E.L.F. Cosmetics Pro Mini Makeup Collection ($15)

E.L.F. Cosmetics Pro Brush Collection ($30)

E.L.F. Cosmetics Pro Complexion Perfection ($3)

E.L.F. Cosmetics Pro Bronzer (3 Shades Available: Warm, Cool, and Golden $3)

E.L.F. Cosmetics Pro Blushed and Bronzed ($3)

E.L.F. Cosmetics Matte Powder ($3)

E.L.F. Cosmetics Shimmer Palette ($3)

Overall, I can’t say if I’ll be indulging in E.L.F.’s reincarnation of NARS as I’m just window shopping at the moment but I will say that $3 bucks is a nice price if these prove worthy.

What do you think?

Loves it?

Leaves it?

Kinda weird I was discussing the release of a new Clarisonic a few posts back and now Neutrogena Wave Duo pops on the scene.

Neutrogena Wave Duo is the new and improved Wave Cleaner from Neutrogena!

Click it to find out what’s new!

One of the main areas of interest on the new Neutrogena Wave Duo is it now has two speeds. One speed removes dirt, oil, and makeup where as the other speeds things up for a deep pore refining clean.

I was quite delighted with the original Wave when I tested it out several months ago so count me curious what the new version is like.

If you’re looking for a cheaper route and aren’t willing to dish out $200 for a cleaning brush this is something to consider.

You can get $3 off the Wave or $2 off the refill pads by visiting and signing up at the Neutrogena site if you’re interested.