My top 4 beauty products to save on

With a little extra holiday cash hopefully still available, and a new year just days away, what better time to get some brand new beauty products? Saving money doesn't have to mean scrimping and getting poor quality items, but can actually mean getting more bang for your buck, and having more money available for splurge items. Here are a few of my favorite beauty products I love to save on:

Eyeshadow: Many cheaper eyeshadows can be chalky, and not very pigmented but NYX is the exception. Being a MAC girl, I was a bit skeptical at first, but boy was I impressed. NYX shadows are highly pigmented, come in a variety of finishes, and most importantly they last! They even have dupes of  popular MAC shades. At $3-5 a piece (depending where you purchase from) get every color your heart desires, without breaking the bank.

Two of my favorites Silver and Rust (Rust is a dupe for MAC's Cranberry.)

Hair Treatments: Some of the best deep conditioning treatments can be found right in your own kitchen. Olive oil, avocado, mayonnaise, honey and eggs, in various combinations based on hair needs, help protect, condition, and moisturize hair. Over the summer, instead of selling me one of the salon treatments, my hairstylist recommended using a mixture of honey and olive oil once a week, to give my hair much needed moisture as well as shine. Like she said, "Its from nature, so it is better".

Mascara: Diorshow and Lancome Hypnose are wonderful mascaras. I have used both and love them. However, the truth of the matter is mascara needs to be replaced at least every three months and at $24 a tube, four times a year, that's a total of $96/year.  Drugstore brands, such as my personal favorites CoverGirl LashBlast and L'Oreal Voluminous, get my lashes as fabulous as their high end counterparts, at a fraction of the cost. Average savings? $72 a year.

Brushes: Makeup brushes are an essential part of the makeup application process. With brands like Sigma Beauty and Sonia Kashuk making high quality brushes at affordable prices, there is no need to spend a fortune for "designer" brushes. My favorite eyeshadow brushes are actually by Loew Cornell. Never heard of them? That's because they are painters brushes from Michael's Arts and Crafts! They are the best shadow brushes, and are identical to my MAC brushes. They come in a variety of sizes, and are under $4 a brush.  They are a staple in my makeup stash.

Beauty Review: Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

Product: Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

What it does: "A clinically proven serum that visibly reduces dark spots, age spots, and traces of acne past"

Price: $49.50


Pros: Leaves skin feeling soft and smooth


Cons: Expensive,  Did not work as expected


Rating (5 being the best, 0 being the worst): 0/5

My Review:  While watching TV one day over the summer, a commercial came on for this new product by Clinique that would help lighten dark spots. I'm always skeptical, even though the first results could be seen in as little as 12 weeks sounded promising.  

I went to Sephora, as I always do with big ticket beauty items, for a sample to see how it would react with my skin. The sample lasted me about two weeks, and in that two weeks my skin felt smooth, and great after application, but broke me out pretty badly (on my cheeks especially). I figured it was because I was using a new product and that usually happens as it brings the impurities to the skin. I overlooked that and continued to use the product.

I was warned that using SPF with this product when going outside was essential, since the ingredients in the Clinique serum, could reverse the lightening process. I used my sample, despite breakouts, as recommended, with SPF, twice a day. After I ran out of the sample, I purchased a full size bottle at Nordstrom since 12 weeks was the time frame to see the beginning results.

When I started the full bottle at the end of July, since I was scared of the reverse affects, I was only using the serum at night, and twice on days when I was home. I started using toner and eventually the breakouts subsided, but not without leaving new scars. I continued to use the serum, and loved the way my skin felt after, because it made my skin very soft and smooth. 

I really wanted this product to work, and continued to use it religiously. However, after 5 months, (or more than 12 weeks), my skin has not changed. The scars I had before, I still have now, and as mentioned before, I got a few new ones from the breakout that occurred when I first started using the spot corrector.  For $50, it is extremely pricey, and after reading reviews on a number of websites, success has been hit or miss. I had a miss, maybe it will be a hit for you.

*All products and their reviews are solely my opinion.