September 2016 Empties: Hits & Misses

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July/August 2016 Empties: Hits & Misses

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Summer Beauty Picks from Nordstrom

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Spotted: NEW Walmart Equate Burt's Bees Dupes

New Walmart Equate Dupe for Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm (and More)

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Review: Glossier Balm Dotcom Universal Skin Salve and Priming Moisturizer Buildable Hydrating Creme

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PS: Here's What's Saving My Skin in This Heat ($10 and Under!)

My WiFi is working for a second so I want to quickly tell you what's been absolutely saving my skin in this intense heat this week:

The 0.6 oz. Tarte Maracuja Oil is on the Sephora sale page right now for $10 (regularly $17). My bottle above is actually 0.5 oz. and it's been lasting me quite a while since you literally use three drops for your entire face. It has been a miracle for me in this heat and has kept my face from turning to leather while I sleep. 

The First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream is $6.50 for the 1.0 oz. packet on the Sephora site. You can see my full review of it here. Seriously, it zaps my weird dry patches on my legs and arms that I always seem to get in extreme heat, and it zaps them almost instantly. And they stay zapped. I love this product so much I want to marry it. 

I would link to both products on the Sephora site for you, but my WiFi is about to go bye bye again and besides, I KNOW you know your way around the Sephora site. 

OK, bye for real this time. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, see the post right before this one.) 

PS: I purchased both of these products with my own money. Forgot to include my usual disclosure. Sorry about that! 

Spotted: NEW Olay Active Botanicals Skincare with Snow Mushroom

I've been hearing some buzz about this new skincare line from Olay for a few weeks now, so I'm excited to let you know that it's now hitting stores!

Thanks so much to longtime photo-contributor Tara (@taraaroth on Instagram) for this one:

image credit: @taraaroth for Nouveau Cheap

NEW Olay Active Botanicals Skincare with Snow Mushroom
(retail: $5.99 - $14.99)

Tara spotted this new line at Target this week and was nice enough to share some pics with us.

Keep reading for more pics and info...

The Product That Saved My Elbows (When Nothing Else Could)

Purchased by Me 

I've reviewed lots of excellent moisturizers, lotions, ointments and creams here over the years, and I love so many of them for a variety of different purposes. But one problem area that has always eluded me is my elbows. No matter what type of lotion, cream or ointment I use, the roughness always seems to pop back up within a few days. What's funny is that my boyfriend has this issue even worse than I do on his elbows, but he's not nearly as dedicated as I am to finding solutions. His move is basically, "G. left this lotion on the coffee table...guess I'll try it" and that's about it.

ANYWAY, I rarely (if ever) use the term "miracle product" on this blog, so let me gently tip-toe away from that term and just tell you that I finally found something that truly works for us, and it feels very "miracle-like" to me:

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

(retail: $6.50 at Sephora, 1.0 oz.)

The Korean Skincare Essence Trend Has Hit US Drugstores

Well this is certainly exciting! A few days ago I showed you the new Burt's Bees Cleansing Oil, and today I have even more exciting news, thanks to a tip from reader @bricow on Instagram:

image source: Ulta.com

NEW Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Nourishing Facial Water

(retail: $12.99, 4.0 oz)

The new Burt's Bees Nourishing Facial Water is now listed on the Ulta website (it is not yet available for purchase, but it should be very soon).

Keep reading if you have no idea what a Korean essence (aka: facial water) is, and why I'm so intrigued...

Skincare on a Budget: Dr. Lin Skincare Daily Hydrating Gel

Purchased by Me 

Skincare is EXPENSIVE these days, am I right? I mean, even at the drugstores, a good moisturizer can run you upwards of $25. I've been hearing about the Dr. Lin Daily Hydrating Gel for a few years now, for a number of reasons, but I must admit that the price (between $6 and $8 depending on the retailer) was one of the main factors that pushed me to finally make a purchase.

I've been using this product for several months now (this review is long overdue!) so now that I've had plenty of time to test it, I'd love to share my thoughts with you.

Dr. Lin Skincare Daily Hydrating Gel

(retail: between $6 - $8, 4.0 oz.)

I purchased this jar at my local Bed Bath & Beyond with a Harmon Beauty inside for about $6, but you can also purchase it at Ulta for $7.49 in-store and online (Dr. Lin products happen to be BOGO1/2OFF at Ulta as of the time of this post), Walmart for $5.97 in-store and online, Target for $7.49 in-store and online, and it used to be available at Walgreens and Drugstore.com but I see it's out of stock at both retailers right now, so I'm not sure if they'll continue to offer it in the future. At any rate, you have lots of retailers to choose from if you're interested in this product, and it's also available via Amazon if you want to go that route.

Keep reading for my full review...

The NEW e.l.f. Skincare Line is Here

Remember back in December when I posted about the new e.l.f. skincare line? Just to refresh your memory, at that time, a selection of products was available for pre-order, but e.l.f. stated that not all of those products would become part of the line (I'm guessing that they considered how many pre-orders each product received in order to help determine which products would make the cut). Well the products that DID make the cut are now officially available for purchase:

You can click HERE to view/purchase the new e.l.f. Daily Hydration Moisturizer ($12), Soothing Serum ($12), Illuminating Eye Cream ($8) and Nourishing Night Cream ($10). 

Did you pre-order back in December? And if so, did your items make the cut?

Spotted: NEW Walgreens Studio 35 Beauty Clinique Skincare Dupes

First, Walmart released THESE Clinique skincare dupes (click HERE for my review/comparison of the facial cleanser). Then, Rite Aid released THESE. Now? Walgreens! (Will CVS be far behind?)

Many thanks to reader Helen for this sighting. Helen spotted this new Walgreens Studio 35 Beauty skincare set last week and kindly shared pics and info with us:

image credit: Helen for Nouveau Cheap

NEW Walgreens Studio 35 Beauty Clinique Skincare Dupes 

(retail: $19.99 for the set)

Keep reading for more info and a closer look...

Spotted: NEW Rite Aid Brand Clinique Dupes

Alright, so you know that I loved the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild dupe from Walmart, and that Walmart has other Clinique dupes as well. But did you know that Rite Aid now has some too? I sure didn't, but thanks to reader Regan, I do now! Check it out:

image credit: Regan for Nouveau Cheap

NEW Rite Aid Renewal Clinique Skincare Dupes 

(retail: $9.99 - $19.99)

Keep reading for more info...

Review: NEW Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel

Purchased by Me 

I normally give the skincare products I review here on the blog a full 4-6 weeks of testing before I share my thoughts with you, but I'm coming in a little shy of four weeks for this one. I first posted pics of the display for the new Hydro Boost collection back on January 1st, and I found this product in my area on January 2nd. I immediately started testing the day I found it, so I'll be at four weeks on the dot this Friday. But since I know a lot of us were quite excited about this new line, and this product in particular, I figured you wouldn't mind me skimping on those last few days of testing!

I know that some of you were curious about how this product might compare to the wildly-popular Laniege Sleeping Water Mask ($23 for 2.7 oz at Target), and since I have actually tried the Laniege Sleeping Water Mask, I will definitely let you know how the two compare at the end of this review. So let's get started...

NEW Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel

(retail: $18.99, 1.7 oz)

Please note that the price may vary depending on the retailer; I bought mine at Walmart for $17.97 but I listed the Drugstore.com price of $18.99 above since that's closer to what I've seen at various drugstore chains in my area.

Keep reading for my full review...

Spotted: NEW L'Oreal Revitalift Volume Filler Skincare Line

I was at Walmart the other day and spotted a large L'Oreal end-cap display which contained some existing Revitalift Triple Power products, but also some brand new Revitalift products called "Volume Filler." If you haven't seen these in your area yet, here you go:

NEW L'Oreal Revitalift Volume Filler Skincare

Keep reading for pics of the products in this new line...

Spotted: NEW Products from Biore, Neutrogena, Garnier, Organix, Burt's Bees, Olay and More (PIC HEAVY)

Happy New Year, my lovelies! I thought I'd kick off 2015 with a big ol' new product sightings post for you today. In addition to all of the new 2015 makeup I've been covering for the past several weeks, new skincare, body care and haircare products are now starting to make their way into drugstores and big box stores, and I've got TONS to share with you thanks to some very lovely readers (I've also spotted some new things myself over the past week or so, which I'l be showing you in second).

I have so much to cram into this post that I want to apologize for not remembering all of the retailers and prices for these sightings--I received submissions from just about all of my social media channels and it was a little crazy trying to keep track of the details. But as we all know by now, all of these products should be showing up EVERYWHERE quite soon (if you haven't already seen them in your area) so just keep checking in with your usual retailers and be on the lookout.

First up, some new Biore Charcoal products:

image credit: @stallion1920 for Nouveau Cheap
NEW Biore Pore Penetrating Charcoal Bar and Charcoal Pore Minimizer

Reader @stallion1920 on Instagram spotted the new Biore Charcoal products this week and kindly shared this pic of two of the items she purchased. 

Keep reading to see the all of the Biore Charcoal products (and much, much more)...

NEW e.l.f. Skin Care Collection Now Available for Pre-Order (with Free Shipping)

So yesterday I posted that sneak-peek from e.l.f. with what looked like a new moisturizer. Well guess what? It was! 

image source: eyeslipsface.com

NEW e.l.f. Nourishing Night Cream

(retail: $12, 1.76 oz)

Since my initial post, I've heard from several of you who have been nice enough to let me know that yes, e.l.f. is launching a new skincare line, and it's now available for pre-order with free shipping (thank you so much to everyone who took the time to let me know about this!).

More info, links, etc., after the jump...

Review: Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner for Normal/Oily/Combination Skin

Press Sample 

I have to admit to you that I've never really been a big toner person. It's not that I don't like toners, it's just that I often forget to use them or, well, I'm just plain lazy about using them. When I received some skincare products from Paula's Choice several months ago, I must confess that my eye didn't immediately go to this toner. The first thing I tried was Paula's cleanser that ended up becoming a Holy Grail product for me. It took me a while to finally crack up open the toner and now I'm really regretting that I didn't try it sooner.

Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner
for Normal/Oily/Combination Skin

(retail: $18 on the Paula's Choice website, 6.4 oz)

Please note that Paula's Choice regularly runs sales and promotions on their website. If you don't have room in your budget for this product at full-price, you'll never have to wait too long for the next sale to come along.

More info about the Clinique skincare dupes at Walmart

At the beginning of February when I first posted about the new line of Clinique skincare dupes at Walmart (thanks to reader Anu's sighting), I received a ton of feedback and several of you were quite excited about this new line. Since my original post, I have received feedback from some of you who have tried these products, and so far the feedback has been quite positive.

Today I received some photos from reader Bethany (@moonlightelegieon Instagram) of the ENTIRE collection at Walmart, so of course I wanted to share them with you. Bethany was nice enough to share shots of the full collection with prices. Take a look:

image credit: Bethany for Nouveau Cheap
 Equate Beauty Clinique dupes at Walmart

(retail: $9.87 - $16.87)