Category Archives: Primer Reviews

Best Drugstore Beauty Products & Finds

** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

It’s gee-golly swell if you can afford to drop $30 on a lip gloss and $50 on a face primer. But really, a lot of us just don’t have the budget to do that – not even once in a while!

So when it comes to beauty products, I’ve learned not to discriminate. I’ve also learned that there are a lot of great drugstore products out there that do an awesome job, but for way less. You end up getting more makeup and products that you love for the money you’re willing to spend. And who doesn’t love that? 🙂

Today, I want to share with you the best drugstore beauty products & finds that I’ve come across. Let me know if you agree with any of these or if there are products you’d recommend! Continue reading →

The Beauty Products I Can’t Live Without

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Products I Use Every Day There were lots of products that I fell in love with. But sometimes things just weren’t meant to be. They started seeing other people. And they made up lame excuses for sneaking out in the middle of the night. Needless to say, the relationship was cut short.

Of course I was heartbroken, but new products entered my life. Some took me for dinner and a movie. Others serenaded me with a Spanish guitar. And one special product made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

Here are the products that I’ve been faithful to because they’ve never let me down when I needed them. We plan to grow old together and celebrate many happy anniversaries. Continue reading →

NYX Eyeshadow Base Pearl Review & Pictures

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** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

Shimmery shadows, you are the twinkle in my eye. I love all shadows, but in a heated makeup duel between shimmers and mattes for my admiration, it’d be no contest. T.K.O. by shimmers. So when I found out NYX made a base that enhances the sheen, you bet I grabbed it!

NYX Eyeshadow Base Pearl is…well, a base. It will not do what a primer does. Just make sure you go in with the right expectations so you won’t be disappointed. And make sure you have a good primer on hand because you’ll need it for this. Continue reading →

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Foundation Primer Review & Pictures

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** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

I was browsing my neighborhood drugstore looking for new makeup products to try… when a red sale sign underneath Rimmel Fix & Perfect Foundation Primer caught my eye. Yup. I was already sold. I’m so freakin’ weak!

I didn’t buy this product out of nowhere though. I’ve been searching and hunting for a good primer to help my foundation stay on longer. This sale was like opportunity knockin’ on my door. How could I possibly have the will power to resist?

I’m not ecstatic about this impulse buy, but I’m not kicking myself in the behind over it, either. In love, I am not. It does make applying my makeup easier though, so I will say I’m ‘in like.’ Continue reading →

Nail Tek Foundation II Review, Pictures & Swatch

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Nail Tek Foundation II Ridge-Filling Base Coat Good base coats are like good undergarments – they provide a foundation to make what you wear on top look better.

For about 4 years, I’ve been using either the Nail Tek Foundation III or Nail Tek Foundation II ridge-filling base coat nearly every time I’ve painted my nails.

Not only does it smooth out your nail and prep it for polish, but it prevents your nails from getting stained.

Plus I’ve noticed that using this stuff has made my average manicure mileage at least 7 days with any brand of polish.

Since I mentioned the Nail Tek Foundation II base coat so many times in my nail-swatch posts, I decided to put the spotlight on it.

To my surprise I learned something about it that made me want to hunt down another base coat. Know what it is? Find out! Continue reading →

NYX Eyeshadow Base Skin Tone Review & Pictures

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** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

I gotta tell ya: I didn’t have high hopes for NYX Eyeshadow Base Skin Tone. The White one made it to my Baddies List, but I’m actually liking this one. I’m not stunned-wowwed-omg’d by it, but it does make my Goodies List.

Just keep in mind that this is a base and not a primer. If you’re looking for a product to keep the creasing from sneaking up on you at the end of the day, this won’t do it! But if you want extra security for your shadows, give this a try. Continue reading →

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Candlelight Review & Pictures

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Too Faced Shadow Insurance Candlelight ** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

It seems like Mary and I are constantly playing a game of temptation. We always encourage each other to buy new products as they freshly hit the makeup shelves. The conversation goes something like this:

“Did you hear about this and that coming out?”
“No.”
“You should get it! It’d look so great on you!”
“Stop tempting me to spend more $$!”
(Repeat lines 3 & 4 for several days.)

Case in point: When Too Faced Shadow Insurance Candlelight came out, Mary kindly informed me since she knows I love the original TF eye primer. For a while I avoided getting it because I already have two tubes of the Original. And then I gave into temptation. Sigh! I have no will power. Am I glad that I gave in? Continue reading →