My Beauty Revolution - Drugstore Revisited

I took a 5-year break from drugstore cosmetics. The cheap quality, poor pigmentation, short wearing and unflattering colors of the products drove me away. I tried and tried and ended up with loads of makeup that I literally hated. If only I had the source of information I do today, I would have saved a fortune. And those makeup weren't inexpensive once my collection grew out of the 3-drawer desk. That was when it clicked: enough junk, time for (much) less quantity but great quality.

So, I gifted away or tossed out (most) things and rebuilt my collection. Started with Smashbox, Stila, Laura Mercier, then Dior 5-color quints really got me hooked with the higher-ends. As soon as I experienced the high quality (i.e. pigmented, long-wearing, soft, smooth, wearable colors), I wasn't able to come back to any drugstore makeup. Over the time, I developed a prejudice that gradually turned into indifference with drugstore brands. I never browse through the beauty section at my local Target. That seemed to settle it, a big no-no to drugstore. Until recently....

Lisa Eldridge, a talented (and elegant) makeup artist, who is also the creative director of Boots No. 7 uses quite a few of drugstore brands in her tutorials. I got inspired to try out Physicians Formula organic foundations and Boots No. 7 lip pencils. Then I overcame my skepticism with these brands and went on a little journey. So far it's been a great return to beauty counters of Target, CVS, RiteAid, Walmart, Walgreens. The products that I've tested exceeded my expectation although there's been flinch here and there.

The project has been fun and rewarding. I've found quite a few items that come incredibly close to my favorites. And to be fair, quite a few high-end makeup deliver mediocre quality and ridiculously overpriced. However, I don't have to work my way as hard through high-end market to find a favorite as I do with drugstore.

Now that I know how almost any beauty products on the market function on real customers (thanks to thousands of beauty blogs nowadays), I envision my ideal beauty collection that include a little bit of everything from both worlds but none would ever be disappointing as the past.

Do you have a preference between drugstore and high-end brands? How have your favorites developed over time? Any recommendations for great drugstore makeup?

Miss list

You've probably seen way more raves on this blog than complains. Yes, I'm usually happy with my procurement. When I'm not, the items go back to the store. The number of unhappy purchases in the past 5 years have always been low enough for me to remember every single one. And they're less and less every year, especially since I started to read beauty blogs. Still, sadly still, some products are stuck in my makeup stash, due to either "no return once opened" or "I'll make it work".

I've been able to take advantage at least one or two aspects of the products. However, had I have a second chance, they wouldn't have had a place on my vanity counter.

1. Bobbi Brown Python Palette. Nothing is good about quality: poor pigmentation, muddy, uneven, dry, hard. The only bright feature is the packaging. Worse, it's seriously over-priced.

2. MAC Cherry lip pencil reminds me why MAC and I never gets along, especially in the lip department. Dry, uneven and just plain wrong color.

3. Lise Watier color concealer was a typical impulsive online shopping after an overdose of youtube's Michelle Phan. While I love her, my skin types and hers ain't the same and this product doesn't work on me. It's dry, chalky no matter how I tried to soften it (using heat). I particularly dislike the green which makes me look white.

4. Chanel Rouge Coco Chintz is absolutely cute but it dries out my lips like crazy. Chalky and uneven. Lip balm doesn't help :(

5. Lancome Posh Pink lipstick has decent moisturizing impact despite its matte finish. The color just doesn't do any good for me.

6. Laura Mercier Mineral Blush in Amberstone currently holds the title for the shortest wearing blush on my cheeks. It disappears after 30 minutes. Reapply and re-disappear in another 30 minutes. I do like the color though. If you know how to fix this, kindly let me know.

7. Dior 5-color quint in Pearl Glow has luxurious texture and stays put as good as just the best of Dior eyeshadows. What puts me off are overly frosted finish of all shades, none of which is deep enough for defining my eyes. I think when I pay $58 for 5 eyeshadows, they'd better work as one palette. Pearl Glow simply doesn't. The limited edition factor definitely got the best of me. 

Compare: Edward Bess Quad Royales 01 South of France, 02 Monte Carlo, 03 Summer in Capri

Edward Bess has recently added Quad Royales to his superb beauty line. They are South of France 01, Monte Carlo 02, and Summer in Capri 03. Retailed at $45 for 0.25 oz, they are on sale at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Zuneta and thankfully Sephora (online only for now). Although I do think they are truly different in color and finish, I can see some of you might want to justify for one quad only.

Let's take a few moments to cherish them again. 

South of France is a beautiful soft beige pink with golden and lavender shimmer. 

Monte Carlo is a shimmery peachy bronze with peachy and coppery shimmer. 

Summer in Capri is a pink peach with pink shimmer and beige undertone. 

On my arm, they don't look a million miles away from each other but you can still see different shades.

Under direct sunlight, Monte Carlo gives a more metallic sheen while Summer in Capri has cool pink shimmer and South of France creates a soft warm sheen. 

I really love this particular picture as it shows how these quads behave based on their types of shimmer. Monte Carlo has the most shimmer and slightly frosty. Summer in Capri has the least shimmer yet produces a cool sheen. South of France simply brightens up my skin. 

What is my absolute favorite? Tough call, I tell you. They all have excellent texture, soft yet not too powdery. I personally prefer South of France to the other two quads by the thinness of a razor. I just love its uniqueness that stands out from all the highlighters in my possession. I don't have a dupe for neither Summer in Capri and Monte Carlo in my stash, but the latter is not too different from my Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Nectar. Summer in Capri is more unique than Monte Carlo. They both are more subtle and sophisticated than Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks, hence more wearable and fool-proof. 

Does it mean that I can settle with only one of the three Quad Royales? Nope :d. High quality, elegant color and long wearing completely grab my heart. So yeah, I collected them all and I won't stop looking forward to a (few more) Quad Royale in the future. 

Review: Edward Bess Quad Royale in Summer in Capri No. 3

When I spotted Edward Bess Quad Royale in Summer in Capri 03 ($45 for 0.25 oz) on The Beauty Look Book, I thought it would warm up my cheeks with the peach soft pink undertone. It turns out to add a cool pink sheen on top of that color base, leaning toward cooler spectrum on my warm skin tone. Interestingly enough, it's even cooler than South of France on me.

Here is a closed up for you

You have a satin coral, a satin soft beige, a shimmery soft beige pink and a satin cool beige with a hue of mauve. When mixed together, all the shades create a peachy pink that also has neutral undertone. This quad would flatter all skin tones. But I think warm-skinned ladies might want to go easy on the shimmery soft pink as it can look ashy if over applied.

Summer in Capri has the most subtle shimmer among Quad Royales. Like its other sisters, Summer in Capri has luxuriously soft and smooth texture, blendable and buidable without caking up. It also lasts all day, which scores high on my appraisal system. Most blushes last 4 to 5 hours on me. Any that beats this record is outstanding for me.

My camera fails to distinguish the shades of Summer in Capri. Swatches below are the best I can do. A more professional camera is being seriously considered now, no worries :)

Under direct sunlight

Bottom line. A great versatile highlighter/blush for any occasions. The depth of color is just right to produce a fresh and youthful blushing. This combined with the subtle shimmer creates a very healthy glow that you can hardly overdo it.

Edward Bess Quad Royales are very different in terms of color and finish but share the outstanding quality. I think they're distinctive enough for me to own all of them. If, however, you must to pick one, stay tune for the comparison post. 

Review: Edward Bess Quad Royale in Monte Carlo No. 2

Edward Bess Quad Royale Monte Carlo 02 ($45 for  0.25 oz) is the latest addition to Edward's Quad Royales. It in fact gives you a choice to use individual shades or combination of different shades thanks to the pigmentation. I wouldn't use single shades from the other two Quad Royales as they're noticeably sheerer.

From left to right clock-wise are a warm champagne, a peach, a peachy coral and a coppery bronze. All are infused with shimmer. Monte Carlo is the most shimmery of the Quad Royales. Again, don't worried about the shimmer as it's subtle yet obvious in a positive way.

Monte Carlo is a warm peachy copper when all shades are swirled together.  It's as pigmented as Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Nectar. I only need one application (using my MAC 109 brush, round-toped and dense) to warm up my complexion. If you are fair to light, you might want to use a stippling brush to mix the shades in stead of MAC 109 type of brush. 

Like the other two Quad Royales, Monte Carlo has finely milled texture, soft and really smooth. It's easy to layer and blend without making me look powdery. It also last for a good 8 hours, staying as fresh as when I put it on in the morning. 

And below are swatches under different lighting. For my thoughts on packaging and price range, please refer to my post on South of France. 

Outdoors in the shade

Under direct sunlight

Comparison post of the three Quad Royales are coming.

Bottom line. Monte Carlo gives you a healthy warmth that looks natural and believable. It's neutral enough for all skin tones but I think it looks best on warm skin. If it were one notch down on shimmery, it'd be my go-to everyday blush/bronzer. Is it a must-have? It depends on whether you like warm peach and high shimmer. If you do it's for you.