Skincare on a Budget: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

I think budget skincare is kind of a double- edged sword. On one hand, I really love to save money whenever possible, but on the other hand, I have definitely found better results when I splash out a little more on my skincare. That's not to say that anything you get from the drugstore is poor quality, but it is logical that you might find more high- quality ingredients in premium prices. However, I have definitely found some gems at the drugstore after years and years of trying and testing.
One of my favorites is the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. My skin is combination/ oily and definitely acne prone, and this face mask works very well for me. It promises to dry out pimples, shrink pores, and reduce blackheads. The mask is light green and very thick, with a strong minty smell and feeling - it makes my skin tingle as soon as I put it on. However, for me, it doesn't dry my skin out too badly, but it does do a nice job of drawing out impurities. I don't think this mask would work for everyone - I think it would be too drying for dry skin - but it really does seem to help calm my breakouts and make my skin look a bit clearer. I use this about once a week, as it is an intense mask, but I think for $3.99 (the retail price at Walgreens) and an insane amount of product, this is a good deal.

Xxx Kate 

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Drugstore Find: Boots Botanics Mineral Eye Color

Often I find myself in the drugstore with no actual agenda or purpose. I know I will probably leave with some new makeup that I can't wait to swatch, but I frequently just end up there after a long and boring day of work, dying to find some solace in beauty products.

Today, I found myself at Walgreens perusing the Boots selection. Walgreens recently (last fall) introduced the Boots line at their store, which I was thrilled about, as I spent last summer in London and fell in love with the Boots store. I am really interested in UK beauty products, as they are often formulated with less offensive chemicals, as the UK bans hundreds of more harsh ingredients than the US has. For the month of March, Walgreens is offering a 20% discount on all Boots products. This seemed like a great time to explore more of the collection. 

I haven't really ventured into Boots makeup, although I love the skincare products that I have tried. I especially love the Botanics line, as it is formulated with more natural ingredients (the tagline is "the power of plants.") I saw their eyeshadow display, and was really drawn to some of the duos and quads. I swatched them in store and immediately loved the smooth and buttery feel and was very impressed by the pigmentation and lack of fall out. The duos retail for $6.49 (promo price = $5.19) and the quads retail for $7.99 (promo price = $6.39). With the promotion, I knew I had to take a few home with me immediately! 

For the duos, I chose "Oasis." This duo features a champagne gold and a bronze shade. I was drawn to this duo because often with duos I notice one color is too dark to wear on it's own and needs to be lightened up. I loved this duo because the colors work well together, but could very easily be worn separately as well, and I felt like that made the duo much more versatile. 

As for the quad, I absolutely loved the one called "Velvet Green." I have green eyes, so green shades tend to really enhance my eye color. I felt like all of these colors were super beautiful. It features a pretty green- based taupe, a champagne, a light green, and a forest green. While this quad has more color, I think this quad is very wearable and would be just fine for everyday looks. I do wish there would have been just one matte in this quad, as I don't like to wear metallics exclusively when I am doing an eye look, but I do feel that regardless, I will be reaching for this palette quite a bit. 

In terms of packaging, I like that no space is wasted with a pointless brush that nobody will ever use, but I didn't love the silver border on top, as it scratches very easily and shows fingerprints, so it starts getting banged up fast. I think the leaf print on the eyeshadows is absolutely adorable and really emphasizes the "botanics" aspect. And once again, both of these palettes have gorgeous formulation and were very wearable. I didn't look too far into the rest of the line, but I didn't feel like there was anything too crazy, so I definitely want to take advantage of the discount and buy some more palettes soon! 

Will you be looking into the Boots line now? :) let me know! 

Xx Kate 

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