What It Seams To Me: A Fashion Blog

For many women, the belief of the fact that a higher price correlates with better quality seems logic. Advertisements wrap them up in chains and reel them in to their $70 face elixir because without it, they might as well sag with the times.

Realistically, it’s hard for some of us to part with $70 for a face cream when we’re better off spending that on clothes, or invest that chunk of cash into our savings jar for the Marc by Marc Jacobs bag we’ve been drooling over. And why should we anyways?

I am a victim of department store cosmetics and for a while thought the quality, selection and brands were the only way to go. Instead of taking a walk down the CVS beauty aisle to overwhelm myself with its excessive selection, I preferred a personal consultation by a beauty adviser from the Clinique counter, to save both the time and headache… yet not so much my wallet. Although their Acne Solution line works like a charm on my face, I start to wonder if the other products they’ve handed out to me could be offered at a better price from a different source. The first product that came to mind – and was still absent from my medicine cabinet until recently – is a jar of night cream.

Last Friday, I took the opportunity to take a stroll down one of the many beauty aisles at Wal-Mart in search

Nightly affairs. Photo: amazon.com

of affordable, yet high quality night cream. A jar of night cream is a must-have for any beauty regimen, as a bottle of face moisturizer with SPF is during the day. Although my face is oily and acne-prone, my experience with many acne solution drug store brands have been less than memorable. In fact, disappointing.

One particular brand that, surprisingly, hasn’t been given a chance from me is Aveeno, even though the brand alone has been paraded by many as the go-to brand for top-quality moisturizers. That Friday, however, was the start of a relationship between me and a jar of Aveeno Ultra-Calming Night Cream. When my friend Erin dropped me off from our trip to the castle of low prices, I proceeded to my bathroom to complete my nightly beauty regimen and threw in the night cream to give it a go. Once the cap was twisted off, there lies a small amount of cream, which started off very thick to the touch, making me a bit apprehensive about its potential result. If a user is sensitive to fragrance, this might not be the cream for him or her as the odor could fragrance a whole room. When applied, the cream transform into this weightless mask and you forget you’re even wearing it in the first place. Night becomes day, and I wake up to a refreshing face: oil-free, baby-butt smooth, smaller pimples and lack of redness.

A miracle cream and a drug store delight.

A few weeks ago, I had to restock my medicine cabinet with Clinique’s Acne Solution Foaming Cleanser (which is amazing, by the way). So while I stayed in Vienna, WV to be with my boyfriend, I made a visit to the Clinique counter at Belk’s with his mother and sister.

Little did I know, my trip not only consist of just buying a single product, but a make-up profile. Clinique had a promotion take place where you can request one of their employees to give you a makeover and, as stated in their promotional brochure, “capture a new look. Now.”

Okay, so I’m highly vulnerable to promotions like this; I do like makeovers, and I do like free treats! (They give you a sample size – which can last for two months, mind you – of both the Allover Colour in whatever shade they used on you and the Take the Day Off Make-Up Remover For Lids, Lashes & Lips.) So after I hastily ordered a bottle of foaming cleanser, I asked for someone to help me “rediscover myself.”

One woman at the counter assigned herself to me, asking whether I want to be “Pretty In Pinks,” “Naturally Nude,” or “Violet Drama.” One attributed that motivated me to even give this a try in the first place was the fact that I wanted to look more natural, and have someone tug me away from pencil and liquid eyeliners in Onyx Black. (Trust me, I’ve tried.) I was afraid “Pretty In Pink” would have my whole face blushing and make me look like a pixie (not ideal for that everyday look). “Violet Drama” sounds like a disaster to my skin tone, so – because it stated what I desired in its title – I chose “Naturally Nude”.

The make-up artist elegantly worked her magic on me; it wasn’t rushed. She started off with a nice eyelid primer and some light foundation with medium coverage to wash out my flaws and turn my face into a blank canvas. (I always develop this self-guilt whenever make-up artists do this, for some reason.) She asked me to specify exactly what look I was going for and I stated, “I want the most natural, flawless look possible. I want a new look that would be perfect to wear during the day…and I want my eyes to pop.” That last word triggered her light bulb to flash faster than my reaction towards the sheer bubble dresses (a staple in “college fashion”), and every step she took from here on was greatly praised by the head honcho of the Clinique counter…who, in reality, was a sweet old lady.

Her hand unveiled upon me this eyeshadow palette, containing a shocking contrast between one shade from the other. For a few seconds I underestimated the amount of pigment this eyeshadow contains, and how primer makes a huge difference in make-up application. Basically to sum things up, she drove herself to REALLY make my eyes pop! The Daybreak (which resembled a concoction of white talc and a light dash of cinnamon) heavily contrasted the Rum Spice shade (color is self-explanatory), and the Cream Shaper eye pencil in Chocolate Lustre REALLY brought my eyes out. Fortunately, my look was toned down with the Allover Colour in Almond Blossom on my cheeks and some Full Potential Lips Plump and Shine in Knock Out Nude, gingerly applied to my lips .

When I took a final look at the hand held mirror, I realized that I ended up looking too awake, and if anyone were to glance at me, they’d probably be hypnotized by my unintentional white glare. I didn’t want to say whatever negative thoughts I had in mind because, really, the only part I disliked about my makeover was my eyes. I regretted not specifying how much “pop!” I wanted on my eyes, but it would’ve probably psychologically made things better for both the Clinique employee and myself. (I sensed that she got the idea that I wasn’t really digging the eye job.)

She handed me my treats in this awfully cute butterfly bag. I waved and said my thank-yous, slowly – and awkwardly – walked out of the store, then quickly dashed to the bathroom once I was out of sight. I had a Colour Surge Eye Trio in Limited Black Truffle stashed in my make-up bag and used it to try and buffer the incandescent horror from my eyes. The end result showed little change, so I sucked it up and walked out of the mall’s bathroom. I guess the positive side to this was that it did provide some entertainment by allowing me to see some classic reactions when I stared down at random shopper’s faces.

Image source: clinique.com and beautifulmakeupsearch.com

Note: This promotion is currently unavailable. However, the lovely ladies did inform me that their next Bonus promotion is going to happen sometime in August, which is something I am more than excited for! For more information on events and bonuses, click here.