Dre Does a Drugstore Lipstick Must Have

Rimmel London does some amazing products. Everyone knows the cult favorite Stay Matte powder and if you know me, I've probably recommended the Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara to you before, but I've never really mentioned any of their lip products. 

Since we are entering fall and the time for dark vampy lipstick, I figured I would share my favorite dark lipstick from the drugstore. It's my favorite because of not only the shade, but the formula as well. Rimmel teamed up with Kate Moss to create the Kate Moss line awhile ago, but the lipsticks haven't left stores yet and I'm hoping they don't anytime soon! 

They created both a Lasting Finish Matte line (in red tubes) and a Lasting Finish line (in black tubes) as well. My personal favorite is the Lasting Finish formula in the shade 01. It's a deep red shade that has a pretty neutral undertone and I just love it! 

The formula of these lipsticks is awesome because they are the perfect inbetween matte and glossy finish. You get great pigmentation, no drying, yet the look isn't too shiny. I own multiple shades in this formula and I highly recommend trying them out. At only $4.99 how can you not? Haha 

Let me know what your favorite shade and formula from the drugstore is below!

Have a beautiful week,

Dre

Dre Does a PSA!

Ok this isn't actual PSA but I wanted to make sure all of you knew what's going on now until the 27th of September at ULTA beauty! 

Incase you haven't heard, currently we are in the first week of 21 days of Beauty! Every day there are different products spotlighted! Every day there's a beauty steal which means you can get amazing deals on expensive items! Yesterday I picked up two Stila Eyeshadow palettes which retail for $39 for only $20 each (which I will obviously be reviewing and sharing some inspiration looks next week haha)! 

Be sure to visit ULTA.com for more details, like what the daily beauty steal is! You don't want to miss these amazing deals to try fantastic products! 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Dre

Dre Does a Fashion Haul

I had some time to kill the past two nights and somehow ended up in both Forever 21 and H&M on separate nights. While I didn't get much, I did find some good things so I figured I would share because I love both the items and the prices!  WARNING: I live in black clothing so that's 99% of what you're about to see. I just can't help it guuuuuuys! 

First up, H&M! I did get a lose v-neck black sweater with quilted leather paneling on the shoulders but I can't find a link online so sadly I can't show it to you! It's my favorite piece that I got though and I highly recommend browsing your local H&M to find it. It is long and covers everything to wear leggings so I'm excited to add it to my fall wardrobe! 

I saw this pencil skirt and immediately fell in love. At $17.95 and the perfect fit, I couldn't pass up a pencil skirt with the perfect leather detailing. I can't wait to style it! 

This was another basic that I couldn't pass up because a black circle skirt is a fashion must have. Once again at only $17.95 you can't beat H&M's stylish pieces at a fraction of the cost.

The following night I stopped in Forever 21 and like usual I tried a million things on but only ended up liking a few. 

This sweater was only $19.80 and super comfy and soft. I bought it in a large mainly because I couldn't find any smalls or mediums but I really liked how baggy and loose it was on me. It screamed fall and I love the lace trim on the bottom. It gave me an excuse to buy another comfy cream colored sweater so I can't be mad about that!

Next, I bought this simple black dress for 3 main reasons. First it was only $13.80, but it also fit really well. Since I am the definition of an hour glass figure, it's really hard to find dresses that are fitted enough in the waist without being too small everywhere else. I also loved that I could wear a regular bra with it because that's just 100% necessary when you are too well endowed! Also, it is not this short on me because I don't have 2 mile long legs like the model sadly...

So that's what I picked up this week! Let me know if you got any good finds recently for fall! 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does a Quick Tip

Happy Monday friends! I'm here with a quick tip that involves your lips as we transition into the fall. 

The summer is all about bright lipstick shades like pink and coral, but just because fall is almost here doesn't mean you have to store them away until next spring! Try applying them differently. I love using my finger to apply my bright summer shades to my lips and really pressing them in so that they look more like a stain. They won't be as bright and will give you a lighter wash of color. I especially love pairing this trick with darker and more intense eye looks because it's more fun than a nude lip! 

Have a beautiful week,

Dre

Dre Does an Ipsy Review

It's that time of the month already and I'm back again with another Ipsy Glambag review for August! Here is a photo of everything I got this month. 

The bag this month was school themed so I liked that they switched up the shape of the Ipsy bag and made it a round pencil case-like shape! 

But now for the good stuff that came inside! 

First up was this Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. I really loved this dry shampoo. The dispenser was awesome because it sprays out a very dense mist which is great at getting all of your roots. I also love how it doesn't leave my hair feeling really sticky and dirty like most dry shampoos. It also doesn't smell that bad so it works well in my book! I even found that while it was a white product, it wasn't that hard to work into my scalp to get rid of any sort of white cast that you traditionally get with dry shampoos.The full size is valued at $19.50 so this 1.06 oz size is worth $6.46!

The Jersey Shore Sub Mongongo Nutrient Dense Anti-Aging Lip Conditioner was the next item I found in my bag. It's in the flavor Mandarin Green Orange Ginger and it's a great moisurizer. I've been keeping it by my bed to apply at night before I sleep and I've been loving it! This is the full size chapstick and it's worth $5.50 bringing the total to $11.96!

Next, I received a Flying Solo Individual Eyeshadow from J.cat Cosmetics in the shade Half Naked. While I thought it was very cool that the packaging includes a mirror if you flip up the shadow, I wasn't very impressed with the shadow. The shade is awesome but the pigmentation isn't quite there. It took me a few swipes to get what you see above which is not what I like in a shadow. This is a full size shadow but since it retails for only $2.99 I'm not very surprised with the pigmentation and quality. This brings the bag value to $14.95.

 

Next up we have the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer. I really liked the texture of this primer as I applied it. However, I felt like it was very drying as I blended it into my skin. Almost as though it felt a little rougher as I blended it in which I can only imagine it feels worse on dryer skin since I am very oily. It's more expensive than my holy grail primer Benefit's Porefessional so I don't think I would ever repurchase it. I did like how my foundation blended over it though so I think it does a good job of filling in your pores. The full size will set you back a good $45, so this .25 oz deluxe sample is worth $11.25! Now we are at $26.20!

Lastly, we have a deluxe sample size of Urban Decay's new Perversion mascara. I have been curious about it so I was excited to be able to try it out. I was shocked at how much it didn't do for my lashes though! It felt as if the brush was too dense and my eye lashes couldn't properly get through the bristles to pick up any product. I had to do three coats of it to notice any difference on my lashes which honestly just looked like one coat of any other mascara. The worst part was that by the end of the day I couldn't even see any remaining mascara on my lashes. It wore away to the point of looking like I hadn't put any on. Let's just say that I'll be sticking with my favorite Benefit's They're Real Mascara! A full size Perversion mascara is worth $22 so this deluxe sample is worth $5.50 and brings the final value of August's Ipsy Glambag to $31.70!

While this bag was technically the lowest valued bag I've received so far, I wouldn't say I was disappointed with it. The products I liked made the value still way over $10 so as long as I'm getting my money's worth, I'm happy!

As usual, here are the previous months' reviews and values!

August Ipsy Review ($43.73)
May and June Mini Review ($37.67 & 37.36)

March Ipsy Review ($46.71)

February Ipsy Review ($45.02)

January Ipsy Review ($38.17)

December Ipsy Review ($57.17)

Click here to subscribe to Ipsy yourself!

Have a beautiful weekend,

Dre

Dre Does a Shaving Routine for Sensitive Legs

I probably should have shared this in the beginning of the summer but since we shave our legs all year round this is something I'm always dealing with and you may be too!

I have extremely sensitive legs. It's something I've experienced ever since I started shaving in middle school. If I try to use any kind of shave gel, soap, or lotion during or after I shave, I get terrible a razor burn that's probably on the verge of a mini allergic reaction. Bumps and burning that sometimes make me think I'd rather just not have shaved at all! As an esthetician, I tried going the waxing route which for a while was amazing. No razor burn, my legs stayed smooth for longer and the hair was coming back looking much finer because you're seeing the tip of the hair versus the blunt middle of the hair shaft that a razor cuts at. However, the hair started coming back so fine that I was getting a huge amount of ingrown hairs on my shins due to the hair not being strong enough to break through the surface. So I was back to having bumps on my legs that no amount of exfoliation could prevent. So after 6 months of trying it I picked my razor back up and shaved my legs. 

I'm happy to report though that I think I've got it down to a science now. The right products and what exactly causes the problems. I figured I can't be the only person with this annoying smooth leg issue, so I'm here, ready to report what I've found gives me silky smooth legs! 

 

The Exfoliation: Since I cannot use a shaving cream or lotion, I have figured out a way to moisturize and smooth my legs without using one. I take a good moisturizing exfoliator (the one I show above is a shea butter sugar scrub from Tree Hut) and give my legs a good rub. I find that this moisturizes them enough to give me a good shave after but doesn't irritate anything because most of the product gets washed off before I shave. The sugar helps get rid of dead skin cells which will help with over all smoothness.

The Razor:  I have used all sorts of razors. Expensive ones with 500 blades, ones with the moisturizer all around the edges, and I find that the ones that are the best for my sensitive legs are the good old cheap BIC Silky Touch Disposable ones you see in the picture above. Normally they're in at least a 10 pack for $3 or $4 and they are good for a few shaves. Since they are so cheap, I don't mind only using each one a few times, which I think is also a secret to getting a close shave; I'm always using newer blades. No shave cream, just water.

The After-care: Now this is where I typically see the most irritation. My legs hate all lotions after I get out of the shower, so what I'll typically do is skip the lotion for a few hours. I find that the shea butter exoliator gives me enough hydration to last this time until my legs heal a little from the shaving. Then I'll add my favorite body butter later on which is usually either the Satsuma or Coconut Body Butter from The Body Shop.

So there you have it. This is my perfected shaving routine to give me smooth legs when dealing with high sensitivity! Let me know if you have any tricks and if you try this out!

Have a beautiful week,

Dre

Dre Does August Favorites

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As August comes to a close, it's time to get ready for fall. Throughout the month I was trying to get my last bit of summery looks in ; bronzed skin and eyes, dewy glows, and pink shades. I love the freshness of summer makeup, but I'd be lying if I said that fall makeup isn't my favorite. I'm really excited for what is to come on Dre Does this fall seeing as it's my first here on the blog! But let's get back to what I was loving this month.

1. Amber Lights Eyeshadow by MAC: Every summer I love to use this color as much as possible. It looks so amazing with brown eyes and a darker complexion to begin with but it's even more amazing with bronzed skin. I've been using it as a lid color but also as an inner corner highlight if the rest of my look is a bit darker. I love using it to transition into the fall because it goes great with burgundy and purple.

2. tarte Amazonian Clay 12-HR Foundation: I love this foundation so much for oily skin. The clay helps control my oil throughout the day and I don't have to set it with powder so I love how easy it is. I've talked about this plenty though so I'm going to leave it at that!

3. Cargo Swimmables Blush in Bali: I have been wearing this blush almost every day in August because it's a step up from a pale pink shade. It's a beautiful cool toned baby pink but it has this purple iridescence to it that is just gorgeous when the light hits it. Also because it is from the 'Swimmables' line from Cargo, it is extremely long wearing. 

4. It's Potent Eye Cream from Benefit Cosmetics: Since I represent Benefit now, I have been trying out various products and I love this eye cream. I am really picky when it comes to eye creams because I am oily and a lot of times eye creams can be heavy and thick. I like one that will moisturize and get the job done without leaving my eye area too greasy for makeup so this one is perfect. I also love the refreshing scent that all the Benefit Skincare products have.

5. Loreal Infallible 24-Hr Eyeshadow in Amber Rush: I love these eyeshadows! They are so metallic and easy to use. This color is to die for and one of the shades I've been using a lot this month because it brightens the whole eye area and looks amazing with bronzed skin.

6. Marrakesh Endz Hair Oil: I received this hair oil in my Ipsy Glambag last month and I am obsessed. I will be buying a full size asap because I don't want to go without it. I apply a small amount after my shower to damp ends and it makes my hair so soft and shiny. I don't go a day without it. To see that Ipsy review click here.

7. Lorac Pro Matte Lip Color in Mauve: If you haven't figured out that I'm obsessed with these lip products yet then you might be living under a rock. My last few posts have included them so look back to see that if you'd like! I'm not going to go to in depth with them because I wrote a review on them but they are nothing short of amazing.

8. Benefit's Porefessional Primer: I have never been so in love with a primer. I wear this every day under my foundation because it does such an amazing job of smoothing my large pores and making everything blend out perfectly. I love how light it feels compared to some of the other primers that target pores. I always go around at work and test of the other primers and I find that I love the texture and softness of Porefessional the best!

What were you loving during the month of August? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

Have a beautiful September,

Dre