Lipstickaholics Dupes

My name is Stacia and I am writing this budget conscious makeup blog for my MMC 2100 class at the University of Florida.

[makeupyourworldxx]

Micanopy host 40th annual Fall Harvest Festival

The small town of Micanopy in Alachua County, celebrated its 40th annual Micanopy Fall Harvest Festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 1 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m Nov. 2. 

Micanopy's Fall Harvest Festival displays nearly 200 vendors including local artists, crafters and musicians lining Cholokka Boulevard which brings nearly two thousand visitors to its location each year. Vendors at the festival included a pumpkin painting and decorating table, a woodcarver and an artist who makes sculptures out of railroad spikes.

The tradition event also host a variety of food vendors and an old time auction of items donated by participating sellers.

The festival is sponsored by a committee comprised of fifteen local nonprofit groups ranging from churches to historical organizations. All of the proceeds from the festival go back to these groups to assist in their annual operating cost.

  Cars began to line up along Highway 441 as early as 8 a.m. for this year's Fall Harvest Festival which opened its doors at 9 a.m. (Photo by Stacia Stetz)

Thousands walk Cholokka Boulevard's shaded oak tree path to check out this year's arts and crafts booths. (Photo by Stacia Stetz)

Emily Albright, 5, enjoys a big cup of strawberry ice cream her mother, Karen Albright, purchased from one of this year's local vendors.

"Strawberry is my favorite!" said Emily.

Items of all kinds can be found along the canopied path including baskets and basket weaving kits, tye-dye clothing, handmade jewelry and more. (photo by Stacia Stetz)

Kelly Wright, 22, checks out flowers displayed at Micanopy Friendship's tent. Micanopy Friendship is a local youth group organization for young girls to share their experiences coming into womanhood. Their tent displays some items that the young girls hand-make specifically for this festival. (Photo by Stacia Stetz)

The Shop-Marlene Oberst is an eclectic home furnishing store along Cholokka Boulevard in Micanopy. They set up tables outside of their shop for festival goers to browse through holiday-themed items. (Photo by Stacia Stetz) 

[makeupyourworldxx]

Elegant. Lovely. Fabulous.

Let's shake things up a bit! Instead of focusing on a particular item and comparing a high-end brand vs. a drugstore brand, let's just focus on the greatness of one particular drugstore brand. 

e.l.f. Cosmetics is a brand that promises "to empower and educate women to play in innovation without sacrificing their budget. We offer a complete line of makeup and professional tools—all at an extreme value price!" 

Check out their website for more products!

 http://www.eyeslipsface.com/

e.l.f. which stands for eyes. lips. face., offers most of their products from anywhere to $1-$7. This includes beauty products as well as beauty tools, such as eyelash curlers, makeup brushes and more. 

http://bit.ly/1x4rl54 (Photo by maddivamakeup)

My personal stash of e.l.f. brand products is currently a bit smaller then usual, simply because I haven't replaced some of the items I've used up! (This isn't the best picture, especially because you can tell these items have been used, but what better way to show a product then in its true glory. And what great publicity for e.l.f.!)

(Photo by Stacia Stetz)

Highlighting just one item, pictured left is e.l.f.'s liquid eyeliner retailing for just $1 at Target. You can't beat that!

Its brush makes it easy to create winged eyeliner or as we use to say for dance recitals, "cat eyes" and the product last you a long time. I've kept the same bottle for up to three months! Honestly, any longer then that and I would suggest it's time to buy a new one due to cleansing issues and wanting fresh formula. 

From personal experience, their line of brushes and blushes are equal to those retailing for double and triple the price.

Every girl wants to be confident and feel beautiful. Not just college girls, but women of all ages strive for quality products that don't need to cost an arm and a leg. Never settle, and don't forget that a bit of research can truly go a long way!  

[makeupyourworldxx]

The Rocky Horror Picture Show - The red lip

On Halloween, I went to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Hippodrome Theatre in downtown Gainesville. If you have ever gone to see the play or watch the movie, you know the opening song and credits consist of a pair of big red lips. My friends and I decided since it was a bit too cold to dress up we would do our makeup a bit more dramatic for the event.

Red lips were a must for all of us.  

(If you would like to check out The Rocky Horror Picture Show to see what it's all about check out their fan website: http://www.rockyhorror.com/)

Referencing my mom again, because let's be honest, on the subject of makeup that is who taught most of us; she always has a motto and it is, "Never leave the house without putting on your earrings and lipstick." Earrings I have always agreed on. She had my ears pierced when I was 6 months old, but lipstick I always thought made a girl look too fancy for everyday wear. Boy, has my opinion changed. 

I am known for the girl who wears bright colored lipstick. The fact is, with wearing bright lips and constantly smiling, I find myself walking around with lipstick on my teeth more times than not. A side from that, red lips are a lot harder to pull off then one might think. You risk them staining the areas around your mouth, and sometimes the formula just doesn't stay in place and you end up looking a bit more clownish then you meant to.

However, finding a good lipstick doesn't mean you have to spend a lot. 

Let's compare a high-end lipstick to a drugstore lipstick:

Mac Lipstick in the color Red Danger retails for $16 at Sephora. 

http://bit.ly/1x9yMpu (Photo by RiRi Woo) 

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in the color Love That Red retails at Target for $4.99.

(Photo by Stacia Stetz)

We want a long lasting lipstick with a smooth formula. A product that doesn't feel like you put wax on your lips and will stay in place.

Hard to tell by the pictures, but these lipsticks are very similar in color and each hit the necessary marks for what we want in a good lipstick as mentioned above. 

So my question is: Can you tell my lipstick only cost $5 in comparison to the high-end brand that is triple the price?

(Photo by Stacia Stetz)

You can purchase Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in the color Love That Red here: http://bit.ly/1qnSeeh  

[makeupyourworldxx]

Windows to the soul

The eyes are the most versatile way to play up the features on your face.

You can go for a natural look, a smokey eye, winged eyeliner, 80's chic: eyeshadow to match your dress, or putting on a pair of fake lashes for an extra pop.

Since there are so many makeup tools/items to use on your eyes, lets focus on just one: mascara.

I love to try out different mascaras. See which work the best and ultimately make my eyelashes look fuller. From when I first starting using makeup, (using my mom's hand-me downs) it's a disagreement my mom and I will always have: what is the best mascara?

I truly believe in drugstore quality being no less than high end brands, as does she, but we disagree on what makes a mascara good.

She believes its about making your eyelashes look natural, brown and not black. If I'm wearing makeup, I don't care if you know my eyelashes aren't truly black, they will be black and full and as long as I can get them to appear.

Let's get to down to business:

The high-end brand:

Lancôme Hypnose Mascara retailing at $26 in Macy's.

http://bit.ly/1E3ffJJ  (Photo by Hypnôse)

The drugstore:

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara retailing at $5.99 in Target. 

http://bit.ly/13EtVnw (Photo by AquilahR)

They have a similar result, however the Lancôme has been known to have a smoother formula. Overall, if you take the time to put on your mascara and curl your eyelashes beforehand, you couldn't notice a difference if you wore the different mascaras on each eye.

Save yourself the money, Drugstore ftw!

Go here to directly purchase Maybelline The Falsies Mascara from Target: http://bit.ly/1tF7Ij6

Credit to the information source: http://www.temptalia.com/makeup-dupe-list

[makeupyourworldxx]

Starting at the foundation of makeup

The foundation of makeup is just that: foundation.

Any type of makeup can be expensive and not only that, there are a ton of different qualities to look for when choosing exactly what you want to wear.

Foundations can be full coverage, half coverage, for oily/shiny skin, sensitive skin, color correcting and more. Finding a foundation that works for you, is the correct shade for your face, and within your budget is no easy task.

Stores in the mall offer brand name makeup that you're led to believe are the best products out there. But not everyone is capable of affording this. College girls want to be smart, and stick to a budget. Doing a bit of research before you make your purchase is not only smart, but can save you in the long run!

Estee Lauder's Double Wear Foundation retails at $49 at Macy's.

http://bit.ly/1se5cM8 (Photo by ookikioo)

This product has both pros and cons:

Pros: -SUPER long wear -Excellent, medium to full coverage -Good color range -Doesn't break out on sensitive skin Cons: -It will stain everything it gets on to -It can accentuate pores without a primer underneath -It dries pretty fast

To find a dupe that has all the similar qualities to this expensive foundation, we find:

Revlon's Color Stay Foundation, retailing for $10 at Walgreens.

http://bit.ly/1s06Ujn (Photo by makeupbox)

Same long-lasting wear, medium to full coverage, and lots of color options to match skin tone. In addition, it feels like you're barely wearing any foundation, whereas EL sometimes feels a bit caked on!

There's always a cheaper option to things, and just because it's cheaper, doesn't mean the value isn't there.

Credit to the information source: http://www.temptalia.com/makeup-dupe-list

[makeupyourworldxx]

Budget conscious beauty blog

Hey! My name is Stacia and I am an advertising major at the University of Florida. This blog is an assignment for my MMC 2100 class. We are exploring the different types of media writing and get to choose what we would like to write about in a professional blog.

My blog will be centered around makeup. In my spare time, I love to scroll through Pinterest and look at different beauty products and applications of makeup.

I believe most college students, including myself, love to search for bargains. Whether it is at the grocery store, thrift store or drugstore, we all want the best deal possible. 

Makeup is an expensive item and this blog will provide you with the direct information to drugstore makeup that's quality is equal to high end makeup products. What we in the makeup world call "makeup dupes."

To start this blog on a great note, I will provide a picture of my own collection of makeup.

I have a confession. This is nowhere near the entirety of my makeup collection but rather what is just laying around my dorm room. 

(Photo by Stacia Stetz)

All girls love to feel pretty in their own skin. Whether you like to play up your features in a natural or bold fashion, this blog will help save you a couple bucks!!