Product Pick: Opalescence Whitening Gel

I've had this whitening gel in my bathroom drawers for probably a year now. I'm on my last tube that comes in the container and honestly I was pleased from the start with the results that I obtained from using it. I felt like I noticed it whitening my teeth, but not too crazy white. (there's a fine line, you know).

So when my friend Peach was like "Your teeth look amazing and white, what did you do?!" when I whitened them for Ashley's wedding and then said "Where's the blog post for that?!" in response to my answer, I decided she was right. Clearly this was a product that had earned its place on my blog.

It does its job, doesn't taste terrible, doesn't burn your gums and is also extremely affordable—assuming that you have already had impressions take of your mouth and own teeth whitening trays (which I have also had for quite sometime).

So if you're looking for a teeth whitener that does the trick, I would definitely suggest hopping on amazon.com and putting Opalescence in your shopping cart!

Product pick: Lacura deodorant

Yes I know. There is nothing fashionable or sexy about deodorant. But hey, it's a part of every day life right? Ummmm, yeah, hoping you guys all said "right" on that one.

Anyhow, I have typically struggled with finding a deodorant in the past that I really like. But I tried this one that I found at ALDI about two years ago and I haven't looked back ever since. I like the smell, the price and how well it works.

I won't lie to you and tell you that even though it's a white solid, it goes on clear. I mean, nothing is that magical. At least I haven't found one of those deodorants yet, even though they all claim to produce such effects. But if you're looking for something cheap that still gets the job done, then this is a product for you.

Product Pick: Wet n wild color icon blush

I honestly didn't have too high expectations for this blush from Wet n Wild when I purchased it a few weeks ago. I figured that for the price, if it didn't work out, I'd just use it in the interim until I could decide on a color and blush with a better quality.

Well, guess whose expectations were exceeded? Yep, this girl's.

Not only does it look so pretty once you put it on, it also stays on, pretty much all day. I also love that I barely have to tap my brush onto the blush and it's fully covered enough to put on one cheek. This means I won't have to restock for some quite some time, and you know I love that.

Yep, I see a long-lasting relationship with "mellow wine" color icon blush in my future.

Product pick: Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner

You've heard me lament before about the hot summers down south and the inability to keep my eyeliner from running down my face during the months of June to September. Even with my favorite Urban Decay Primer Potion, the melting can't always be stopped. So I started thinking maybe it was time to try something new in the liner department. No more fear. I was going to take the plunge....LIQUID eyeliner. 

Yep. I did it. And I don't think I can ever look back. Ok, maybe one day when it's cold outside and I want that smudgey smokey look. But for now, it's all liquid all the time. 

The best part is I just happened to try Revlon's version and I love it. I was terrified I would make a mess of my eyes with liquid, but their applicator is kind of amazing. And it definitely lasts all day. Plus, it's only five bucks at Walmart and I'm thinking I can get at least two months out of it....maybe more. I'll keep you posted!

 

Product pick: St. Ives Body Lotion

For as long as I can remember, I've had a bit of a "thing" for lotion. One might call it an obsession. I just really like soft smooth skin, I don't think there's anything wrong with that! :) The only problem is that the good stuff is a little bit pricey and I can go through a bottle of lotion pretty quickly, so this could be an expensive habit.

But luckily there is St. Ives! I love pretty much all of their products and certainly their lotions. They are moisturizing, affordable and they smell incredible. Right now, my favorite product they have is the Naturally Indulgent Advanced Body Moisturizer with coconut milk and orchid extract. It sounds crazy, but somehow it feels softer and smoother than the rest. I love it. And you can get a 21 fl. oz. bottle for around $4 at Walmart. Worth every penny if you ask me!

Product pick: Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet

I'm pretty sure everyone is aware of how hot pastels are at the moment, especially mint green. I know I've
personally been on the lookout for the perfect shade of a mint green nail polish, that also wasn't ridiculously
expensive.

So I'd like to thank my lucky stars for being able to spot this one from Sally Hansen at Wal-mart one day for $2.48.
It's called Mint Sorbet and I absolutely adore it. (read: get ready to see it a lot on my finger nails in future photos!)

If you want to snag this shade for yourself, you can check Wal-mart, Target and Walgreens—I think they are all carrying this color at an affordable price!

Product pick: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

I have been obsessed with the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion ever since one of the girls at Sephora
suggested it to me a couple of years ago. I'm sure my eyes flew wide open when she mentioned the price of $20
for this tiny little tube, but I'm to the point now where I think it is worth every penny.

I can definitely tell if I forget to put this stuff on before I do my eye makeup because my liner and shadow will be halfway down my face before lunch. And forget about even bothering with eye makeup at all in the summer in the south if you don't own this product. (unless you're one of those rare breed of girls who manage not to ever sweat—seriously who ARE those girls?)

Plus, I've noticed that the last tube I bought has lasted me since Christmas and I'm only halfway through it.

Oh and yes, there was that brief moment where I tried to find an alternative (ahem, cheaper) solution than using
this product, but that failed me miserably so I came crawling back to Sephora with credit card in tow, eager to
hand it over for my primer potion substance problem.

So unless you've found a better, more affordable way to keep your eye makeup on all day, then I'd suggest trying
out this handy little product.

And if you have found something better, then you know I want to hear about it. Leave me a comment below...
pretty please!

Product pick: Red Thunder Energy Drink

I have proclaimed my love for ALDI before, but now there's a specific product they have that I want to rave about.
It's their energy drink called Red Thunder. Yes, I know, the name is a bit ridiculous, but if you can get past that,
the price is also ridiculous...in a good way!

Obviously this is a rip off of Red Bull, of which I have been a pretty big fan of for a long time. But I'd like to
vouch that the taste is identical to Red Bull and as far as I can tell, so is the energy boost I get. The only thing
different (and better!) is the price, which is about $4.99 for a four pack. Which you know, is kinda crazy considering that just one can of Red Bull is about half that price. And honestly, my favorite version is the sugar free
one (not pictured) because it has way less calories, but I think it still tastes the same.

I'm not saying I won't ever buy a Red Bull again, but I am saying that I try to keep my fridge stocked with a
Red Thunder four pack when at all possible. Cause you never know when you're gonna a little pick me up!

Product pick: Revlon Colorsilk

After reviewing photos from a recent shoot, I noticed that my hair color had finally started to fade. But right now, my schedule just does not allow time for me to make an appointment at Aveda for a Saturday. So I figured I'd just take matters into my own hands.

Based on the price point, I had used REVLON® COLORSILK™ before and liked the results, so I decided to give it another whirl. Only this time I chose a shade just a little bit darker. Again, I loved the color and probably because it met my expectations. Usually when you color your hair, you base your expectations on the photo of the girl on the box and it turns out to be a disaster, but so far Revlon is 2 for 2 with me! And it's the cheapest on the aisle at Wal-mart, coming in at only $3.14 compared to $6.00+ of the other brands.

Oh and did I mention it comes with a deep conditioner that leaves your hair feeling ah-mazing and smells fantastic? Yep, this product is a win-win-win for me. So if you're in the need for a fast hair color fix, I'd cast my vote for REVLON® COLORSILK™. It's definitely my new go-to.

ps. There's still a few more hours left to enter my giveaway! Hurry while you can!

Product pick: Suave Dry Shampoo

Recently I was at a concert with my friend Amy of To Do by Amy, when one of her friends let us in on one of her hair care secrets: Suave Dry Shampoo. I was amazed. First, that Suave had a dry shampoo and I didn't know about it. And second, that it worked so well. Because let me tell you, her hair looked amazing.

So of course, I had to investigate this one for myself and for $3.00 a bottle, I figured it was worth the trial investment. I have to say, I think it works! It's definitely a lot less messy than baby powder, and it doesn't show up like baby powder does. It's way cheaper than other dry shampoos on the market. Plus, it smells ah-mazing! You guys seriously need to try this one out for yourselves.

Product pick: Equate Healthy Glow

photo: Laura Menconi

Summer is coming to an end, which means tans will be fading fast. Yes, I know how bad the sun is for you, but I still LOVE laying out and getting that summer glow. I have always hated how washed out I look without a tan in the winter, but I have forced myself to quit going to the tanning bed. I figure that's at least one nice break I can give my body! Plus, I found that I can compromise by using a self tanner towards the end of summer/beginning of fall to extend my tan throughout the winter. I figure if I start using a self tanner early enough in the season, I'll just "keep" my tan and no one will ever notice the difference!

I've found this Wal-mart version to be my favorite so far. It looks natural, doesn't smell too awful and it's the cheapest one on the market too, coming in at $4.27. It definitely stacks up to the Jergens competition and it saves you more than $3.00! So if you're looking to extend your tan or if you're starting from scratch with fair skin, the Equate Healthy Glow moisturizer is the way to go! Just pick which tone you think best works for your skin and let the lotion do the rest...you'll have a summer glow in no time!

Product pick: L.A. Colors Nail Polish

Photo taken from lacolors.com

Yes, I know. I've already featured a nail polish as a product pick. BUT, I just found another great buy in nail polishes, so I just had to share this find with you guys. Besides, you can never really have too many nail polishes, can you? Especially at a $1.00 each...am I right?!

I've always been a huge fan of the Dollar Tree. I mean everything is a dollar. What's not to love about that?! But you have to be careful cause sometimes what you're buying isn't really that great of a deal. That is not the case with the L.A. Colors nail polishes that I recently discovered there. For just $1.00 you get a quality nail polish with a good quantity in it as well. They have a color craze line that offers new bright and vivid colors and then there's also the typical nail lacquer line with more traditional hues. And for just $1.00, I'm thinking you can scoop up a whole bunch of different ones and try them all!

Product pick: Lullabies lotion

It's summertime ladies! This means our skin needs some serious hydration. I will be the first to admit I have always been one to use entirely too much lotion. The problem with this is that lotion can be pretty pricey. But thankfully I've found a pretty good very inexpensive lotion that I can count on. It's called Lullabies (yeah, ok, so it's supposed to be for babies - so what?) and you can find it at your local ALDI store for somewhere right around $1. You can't beat that! Now, I won't lie and tell you that it works as well the better name brands like Lubriderm or Jergens, but for the price, you definitely get your money's worth.

And might I also add that I have never been one to enjoy the "baby powder" scent for anything - lotion, deodorant, nothing. But obviously the price was right enough for me to try this one out and it just so happens that the baby scent is almost non-existent. So there you have it. Enjoy!

Product Pick: Eye Makeup Remover

Photo: Laura Menconi

It seems like ever since those gorgeous Kardashians' (particularly Kim) came on the scene, heavy eye makeup became a staple for me...and thousands of other girls, too. I can't seem to get enough eye makeup. The more the better it seems, especially in the winter.

The problem with loving tons of dark liner and mascara and eye shadow is that you have that much more makeup to remove. So you'd think you'd need some fancy schmancy eye makeup remover right? Not so much. My favorite eye makeup remover is actually the liquid Equate brand from Wal-mart. It works wonders (trust me) and it's the cheapest brand I've found, coming in somewhere around $3.43. I actually prefer the Equate brand to the more expensive name brands because it's not as greasy as "the other guys" and it seems to work better, too.

So if you're looking for a cheaper, better eye makeup remover, look no further than your local Wal-mart beauty section! You're welcome.

Product Pick: NYC lipstick

photo: Laura Menconi

I have spotted pink lips on celebs like Rachel Bilson, Whitney Port and Taylor Momsen for a while now and had been dying to try the color on myself. (No doubt my lip color could use a pick-me-up. I've been sporting the nude lips look now for entirely too long, I'm sure.) However, what I didn't like was the price tag that came with the new, hot color. I even looked to one of my fav bloggers MAGDArling, but seeing as her awesome and affordable shocking pink shade can only be found in the UK, I was back to the drawing board.

Then, as luck would have it, I wandered over to the cosmetics aisle while in Wal-mart one night and there it was—a bright pink shade of NYC lipstick called "blossom" which meant I knew it was affordable. But I had no idea just how affordable....only $.99!!! I mean, for a dollar, I can take a gamble on whether the color will look good on me or not. Turns out, I love it! The shade is perfect and it moisturizes pretty well, too. I tried to rock it in my hello, SUMMER post, but I didn't apply enough. So here's hoping I'll have the chance to rock it for you guys soon so you can see just how great it is.

Until then, try it for yourself! For less than a dollar, it's a great risk to take. And I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Product Pick: Aveda Smooth Infusion

photo: Laura Menconi

I've mentioned before that I'm a huge fan of the Aveda Institute here in Birmingham. One reason is because it's so affordable, I always have leftover money to spend on products while I'm there. The last time I visited, I picked up their Smooth Infusion Style Prep Smoother and I have to say I've found a new product that has become imperative to my morning routine. I've noticed that if I accidentally forget to apply it, my hair becomes a flyaway hot mess in this crazy Alabama humidity. This product is exactly what my wavy hair has been missing.

The best part is that although the full size bottle is $24.00, I was able to purchase the trial size for a lot cheaper...I think it was somewhere around $5.99. Luckily, a little goes a long way with this magic potion! I'm still using my trial size bottle and I've had it since mid-March. So if you're like me and you have wavy/curly hair and flyaways have always been a problem, do yourself—and your hair—a favor and pick up a small bottle today!

Product Pick: Coffee Creamer

I once had a coworker who stopped at Starbucks every morning before work. The thought of how much money she spent on coffee in a week still gives me anxiety to this day. I mean, some folks can afford it and that's awesome, but this gal (me!) certainly cannot. Instead, I like to reserve my coffee house visits for special occasions.

But that doesn't mean I can't have yummy coffee daily, too! To do this, I've always opted for the creamer flavors you can buy at your local grocery store. I've been a huge fan of Coffee-mate for a while and now that they offer the Cafe Flavors, I'm even more obsessed—particularly with the Caramel Macchiato. Since doing my research for this post, I have found I can save more money via their website with these coupons and deals. Bonus: Follow them on Twitter for even more promos.

I've also just found a new flavor from International Delight that I can't get enough of: Almond Joy. Unfortunately while doing this research, I just found out it's a "limited edition flavor." Eek! No! This is traumatizing because it is the closest thing I have ever found to my all-time fav coffee drink since college: the Cafe Yucatan at Crimson Cafe. So anyways, it might be best if you put a little "hurry up" on this one and start stocking up today. The good news is that if you click here you can also print a coupon to save even more money.

Here are just a few more fav flavors of mine:

• Coffee-mate Cafe Latte
• Coffee-mate Caramel Apple
• Coffee-mate Belgium Chocolate Toffee
• Coffee-mate Vanilla Caramel
• Coffee-mate Peppermint Mocha

Enjoy!

photos: Laura Menconi

Product pick: Sinful Colors nail polish

My "Sinful Colors" nail polish collection....so far.

I know I told you guys before, but I just love buying cosmetics at the pharmacy. And usually it's Walgreens where I chose to do my shopping. So one day as I was buying my lip gloss that I mentioned in this post, I saw a new line of nail polishes I had never seen before: Sinful Colors. Honestly, I didn't even notice the brand name or I probably would've laughed. But what I noticed was the deal: buy 2 get one free! And they were only $1.99 each in the first place? Done and done. I walked away with three new nail polishes that day, and you wouldn't believe the restraint it took for me not to buy more!

In fact, my friend Emily at Redesign That was about to get married and I had bought the prettiest shade of light pink that I thought would be perfect for her big day, so I went back later to buy a couple of bottles for her and left them on her door with a note. Judging by this post, I think she's a fan now! So hopefully I'll create more fans of the nail polish out of you guys.

Three reasons to make Sinful Colors part of your nail polish collections:
1. They're only $1.99 each!
2. They offer a lot of the shades that are currently trending
3. Did I mention they're only $1.99?!

Any other cheap nail polishes on trend that I should know about? Leave me a comment please!

{Photo: Amy D. at To do!}

Product pick: Jordana lip gloss

For some reason, I have always loved going to a pharmacy to buy cosmetics. I have no idea why, but I think I just enjoy standing there looking at all the shiny bottles and tubes. At my old apartment, there was a Walgreens that I could walk to in less than five minutes. Talk about dangerous! It was about the time that the nude lip color trend first appeared on the runway when my love affair with a certain lip gloss was born: Jordana lip gloss in Peach Sand.

I love this gloss for five reasons:

1. It's a great nude color
2. It's tasty
3. It has a great sticky consistency (which I love, but I understand that's not for everyone)
4. It lasts a long time
5. It's cheap of course!

At only $1.99, I can buy three colors for half the price of other name brand glosses. I'll be honest, even though it's cheap enough to try several colors, up until recently, I've repeatedly bought only the Peach Sand. But now that pretty coral lips are still popular from last Spring, I'm branching out and purchased the Be Coralful gloss this past weekend. I'll keep you posted on what I think about the new shade!

photos: Amy D. at To do!

Do you have a favorite cheap lip gloss that I should try? Leave me a comment, I'm dying to know! I don't know about you, but I can never have too much lip gloss.