Flower Beauty Fridays #5 // Flower Nail'd It Nail Lacquer

In the fifth and final installment in the Flower Beauty Fridays series, I'm tackling part of my beauty routine that I often neglect: my nails. I would be remiss if I did a Flower Beauty series and did not mention the Nail'd It Nail Lacquers. Priced at $4.98 for each eye-catching colorful bottle, who can resist these little gems?

Budding Romance, I Lavendare You!, April Showers

My nails are very brittle, thin, and break off easily. They grow to a respectable length, but I am forever snagging and breaking them. Polish does help, but I have a difficult time getting it to stay on unless I have a professional manicure done. (Even then, I never get the length of time others seem to get out of their manicures.) More often than not, I walk around with bare nails that are so weak, they are practically transparent. With that full disclosure, I can't speak to the lastingness of the Flower nail polishes.

Though I am a novice with my poor nails, I still collect polish even though I have no business doing so. Something about them is still irresistible to me: the colors, the packaging, the way they could compliment an outfit if I would just get around to painting my nails, and the promise I make to myself that I will paint my nails more if I just had this one last color. I swear, it's the last bottle I'll buy until I make my nails a routine!

Routine yet? Not so much. Still, 3 Flower Nail Lacquers managed to find their way home with me. Though I am not qualified to give an opinion on durability, chipping, or longevity, what I can attest to is that these polishes are of great quality in other areas that I look for in a nail polish. They are easy to apply, and the vibrant color you see in the packaging translates to the nail in 2 coats without a streaky application.

There are 16 tempting shades total in the Flower lineup. I have 3 very different colors, I Lavendare You! (pastel purple), Budding Romance (a shimmery ruby red), and April Showers (a dark teal cream). The purple shade needed an extra coat for a boost, but they all read very true to the color shown in the bottle. They are "3-free" which means they are free of DBP (dibutyl phthalate, a plasticizer), toluene, and camphor.

I Lavendare You! (pastel purple)

Budding Romance (a shimmery ruby red)

April Showers (a dark teal cream)

The Flower Beauty line has really changed my perspective on drugstore cosmetics. Quality makeup can be found at a drugstore price because of companies like Flower Beauty who care about churning out products that can stand up to department store brands. I might not be cured from perusing the counters at Nordstrom, but learning about the quality and the detail that has gone into Flower's products rather than into its marketing budget has given me a new perspective on the cosmetics industry. We aren't just paying higher price tags for the ingredients in high end cosmetics, we're paying for the brand name as well. And in some instances when all is said and done, sometimes a lipstick is just a lipstick.

Flower Nail'd It Nail Lacquer - $4.98

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Flower Beauty Fridays #4 // Kiss Stick Velvet Lip Color

Lipsticks are like pieces of chocolate: nobody stops at just one.

A few years ago, my coworker (signature shade: NARS Cruella) convinced me that red lipstick would change my life. Up until that point I had only dared to wear anything that resembled my own natural lip color. I thought it couldn't hurt to heed her advice and get just one red lipstick to round out my collection. One tube of Make Up Forever Moulin Rouge later and my life was indeed changed...as if I needed another collection, I became a woman possessed with lipsticks. Mattes and satins and stains, oh my. If I could wear red, there weren't many colors I wouldn't dare to wear anymore. The reds collection alone, unable to be housed with my burgeoning array of lipsticks, has to be housed separately on top of my vanity. And each one is special. Among those overflowing drawers are the Flower Beauty Kiss Stick Velvet Lip Colors.

Housed in white and rose gold, these lipsticks tick the first box on a lipstick lover's list: packaging. True to the brand's promise of delivering a luxury feel at a Wal-Mart price point, the packaging of Flower Beauty's lipsticks feel both substantial and luxurious, much like the product it houses. The wear time of the product is on par with any department store brand, as is the color it delivers. Each shade is heavily pigmented and is as true-to-color on your lips as it is in the tube.

I have 3 shades: Get to the Poinsettia (an orangey red), Petal Kiss (a dusty mauve), and Tender Tuberose (a dark mauve). With a collection as vast as mine (said with a hint of shame) one is bound to find a lipstick "dupe": that awkward moment when you discover that you have purchased the same shade of lipstick but from different brands. Indeed finish, price, and quality can vary with dupes, but I daresay that Flower's Get to the Poinsettia gives MAC Lady Danger a run for her $16 price point. In the picture below, I am wearing Flower on one side of my lips, and MAC on the other. After a few hours of wear my $7 lipstick holds up just as strong as my $16 lipstick, to say nothing of the similarity in shade.

Get to the Poinsettia/Lady Danger

Tender Tuberose

Petal Kiss

At this point having tried everything from Dior to E.L.F., it's fair to say I know a good lipstick when I wear one. With as many choices as we have available to us in this day in age, it's not just about the color anymore. It's about the finish, the longevity, the packaging, the price, and above all it's about how we feel when we wear it. We turn to lipstick when we want to look as polished as possible. There is a glamorous feeling that lipstick brings, from the way its shiny packaging looks in our hands to the way it brightens up our face from the inside out. Lipstick is queen of the makeup bag. And while it can be a treat to have a Chanel or a Tom Ford, nobody can stop at just one tube. Brands like Flower narrow the gap between drugstore and luxury lipsticks, ensuring that the magic of lipstick is an affordable experience that we can collect in every shade.

Flower Beauty Kiss Stick Velvet Lip Colors - $6.98

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Flower Beauty Fridays #3 // Zoom-In Ultimate Mascara

Don't you hate it when your favorite makeup gets discontinued? That kick-in-the-gut feeling you get when you go to the makeup aisle or counter and discover that your must-have product is no longer being produced? If I were the proprietor of my own makeup company, my first order of business would be to bring some of my discontinued favorites back from the dead. From Clinique Shadowliner to Nars Penny Lane cream blush, I would be positively drunk with Pushing Daisies power. This was surely the impetus behind Flower Beauty's Zoom-In Ultimate Mascara.

Modeled after one of Barrymore's favorite 80s mascaras, Maybelline Dial-a-Lash, the Zoom-In Ultimate Mascara has a unique adjustable mascara wand. One of the few tools of its kind on the market, the rotating cap adjusts for length, curl, or volume depending on the setting. Housed in luxurious rose gold packaging and promising to do the work of 3 mascaras in 1 tube, one would think this reincarnated product would come at a higher price tag than $8 at Wal-Mart.

I'm not going to lie. When I read about the concept, I was completely skeptical of this product. I thought that the brush was surely a gimmick. I thought that the formula couldn't possibly do the work of 3 different types of mascaras, and that there was no way there would be any marked difference in the way this product performed based on the click of a dial. Fortunately, it proved me wrong. The Ultimate Mascara does actually give 3 different effects.

Setting 1-Lenghten

Lengthening mascaras are my usual M.O. They enhance what I've got going on and are a no fuss option. Setting 1 gives the lightest application by lengthening (fancy that) and separating the lashes. This is the best setting for a no-frills, natural look.

Setting 2-Curl

The second setting, curling, is what I'd consider to be a hybrid of the lengthening and volumizing settings. Perhaps it's because of my fine, straight hair type, but I've never really noticed a "curling" effect with mascaras that promise this kind of result. I'm forever chained to a lash curler, and I'm OK with that. But hold the curl given by my lash curler? Check. Little bit of volume and pretty substantial length? Double check.

Setting 3-Volumize

The final surprise this mascara had in store for me was the third setting: volume. Volumizing mascaras are hit or miss for me, which I will detail in a special and highly requested bonus post tomorrow, but spoiler alert: it's hard out here for a straight-lashed girl. I thought for certain that when I bought this mascara that if I liked it, it would likely be stuck on settings 1 or 2, but since I bought it last month the dial has been almost exclusively set to 3. It not only gives length and holds the curl, but it gives my lashes an extra boost without weighing them down or looking overly done. It gives substantial volume without giving the dreaded tarantula-eye effect.

When considering what makeup to buy, people often opt for budget mascaras over high end ones. Our needs are usually straightforward: we want it dark, and we want it to perform the function listed on the packaging. There are few revolutionary functions a mascara could perform, so don't think you need Diorshow on the basis of it being a runway favorite. Sometimes a mascara is just a mascara. A good formula plus a good brush is all one needs for great lashes. Trial and error? Yes, but consider the source when this makeup junkie says that the drugstore is a treasure trove of tons of great mascaras, so big money does not need to be spent.

Even if I weren't a makeup junkie, I would keep 2 mascaras in rotation - one for everyday, and one for more dramatic looks. This product eliminates the need to keep 2 different products around because it delivers on its promise of being a 3-in-1 product. Given that with each setting the formula performs in 3 different ways, it proves that mascara is pretty dependent on its mode of delivery. Couple this with the fact that the formula itself isn't heavy, doesn't flake, and is a rich black color, and I put it to you that we've found ourselves a winner in the Ultimate Mascara.

Flower Zoom-In Ultimate Mascara - $8
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Flower Beauty Fridays #2 // Color Play Creme Eyeshadow

Recently a friend of mine asked if I wore a full face of makeup everyday, or if I tended to wear a more natural look on a daily basis. In my view, I tend to go for a more natural look. As much as I love makeup, ain't nobody got time for winged eyeliner every morning. (RIP Elizabeth Taylor.) Also, I tend to use makeup as a tool to look like an enhanced version of myself. (Read: me with minimized dark circles and darker eyelashes.) The "natural" face may or may not take a myriad of products depending on the day, but rest assured that no makeup hoarder enthusiast is above a slap-dash application.

Check out Flower Beauty's Instagram account. There are dozens and dozens of photos of everyday people and even Drew Barrymore herself doing the usual (manicures with the kids, hanging out at the beach, on the subway) with the occasional special event photo sprinkled in. And isn't this really how life operates? This is a line that is marketed toward and used by everyday consumers. These pictures are proof positive that more often than not, we want to enhance our own beauty and look like ourselves on an everyday basis.

While there is a time and a place for all products in the cosmetics market, I tend to put more stock in a celebrity that's selling me this more realistic approach to makeup. Who better than a self-proclaimed hippie to start a makeup line for those among us who want to look like ourselves, with just a little more color?

Cream eyeshadow is the busy girl's key to looking like you tried. It does not require fancy brushes or skilled technique to get it from pot to face. Use your fingers. No joke. No one is Orchid-Ing around here. Even the most famous makeup artists encourage us to use our own digits to do our face, so there's no shame in it!

There are 12 "Color Play Creme Eyeshadows" in the Flower Beauty lineup ranging from $6-8 depending on the shade. Given the considerable wear time of the product, the ease of application, and the fact that it's a product I'm likely to reach for in a hurry, I consider these to be a pretty amazing value for the money. (Let me not even start on the $40 cream eyeshadow palette I recently acquired from a high end brand. Crease City. High end brand, you have just been trumped by Wal-Mart.)

Shade Swatches: Awesome Blossom, Lilac You A Lot!, Good as Mari-gold

Today (and honestly, most any other time I use it) I applied Good as Mari-gold all over my lid using my index finger. With this neutral of a shade, I really could have thrown on some mascara and called it a day. Mari-gold is a light, yellow-gold shade that brings light to my otherwise dark lids. Also, I did use an eyeshadow primer. Regardless of whether a product claims to be crease-free or not, I always throw one on. Can't hurt.

Next, I applied Awesome Blossom to the outer corners of my lids and in my lash line using both an eye shadow brush and an eyeliner brush. This is a purpley-hued dark brown shade that lends definition to the eye. While I could have applied the product sparingly with my index finger, the brush helped me to give a more defined and blended application. It also helped me to be as precise as I wanted, keeping the shade on the outer edges of the eye and on the lash line. You could definitely use this shade as a smoky lid color if you so chose. As a note, I did apply dark eyeliner to the lash line.

And sometimes, we're too busy to do our eyebrows...

Eyeshadow in a cream form probably seems counterintuitive to anyone trying to get out the door quickly and get the most wear time out of their products. Anyone busy enough to work up a sweat knows that eye shadow creasing can occur on your lids by the time you hit the lunch table. Most cream shadows, however, set after applied so you're not left with a creamy, oily mess on your lids. Companies have upped their game with the quality of cream shadows in recent years, and Flower Beauty's Color Play shadows are no exception.

Flower Beauty Color Play Creme Eyeshadow - $6-8
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Flower Beauty Fridays #1 // Lip Service Lip Butters

When there is a new beauty product or brand release, makeup junkies are more determined than Black Friday shoppers. We'll be the first in line, sign up for text alerts (who, ME?), and call stores frantically to try to put items on hold. Of course we stalk the items online, but nothing beats having the items in your hot little hands to see their true colors and get your fix.

When Flower Beauty premiered in Wal-Mart stores last year, my addiction kicked into high gear. I checked their online system to make sure the items were in stock. With my shopping list in hand, I headed to my local store on release day ready to elbow my way to the display before it got picked over. But when I got there, I discovered that there was nothing there to be picked over; they hadn't even put the items out on the floor yet. I had braved the retail jungle that is Wal-Mart all for not.

It took a few disappointing trips to the store before I could finally get my hands on the items, and the "Lip Service" lip butters were some of the first items I picked up. Most every brand now has a lip "butter" type of product. A genius little product that combines the color of a lipstick with the convenience of a lip balm, these hybrid lippies are the perfect thing to throw in your bag for everyday wear. While they can easily be worn dressed up, their low maintenance appeal makes them perfect for last-minute hurried applications. Their sheer colors are mistake-proof (you hardly need a mirror to apply them) and they are as easy to apply as they are to wear. 

If you're looking to gain confidence in wearing more daring colors (or just looking to get your lipstick-wearing wings) this type of product is a great stepping stone. Lip butters are great for beginners and makeup aficionados alike. Similar to their 2-in-1 balm+lipstick formula, they tend to be 2-shades-in-1 as well because they are buildable. A quick swipe of the product will give off a light, balmy color. Slather that butter on like a fallen Food Network chef, and it becomes more lipstick-like in color. The adjustability allows you to add as little or as much color as you're comfortable with. Further, this ensures that all of the colors in the shade range will look good on a variety of skin tones. 

I have 2 shades, Sheer Snapdragon and Wispy Wisteria. I chose the shockingly pink Wisteria shade to break out of my neutral comfort zone and add some color to my face. With a light application it imparts a soft red-pink glow. Apply the product heavily, and you will build up its intensity to a brighter magenta. Sheer Snapdragon is a more neutral choice. Though it's a "safe" choice, it's anything but boring. A perfect shade for everyday wear, it is a browny-peach shade with a hint of pink. Despite its light brown pull, it never translates dull or orange. This shade is at once timeless and perfect for any season.

Sheer Snapdragon

For a lip butter product, the wear time is surprisingly long. I wore Wisteria through the seventh circle of hell airport earlier this week and was pleasantly surprised to see it last several hours into my trip. With a sheer product such as this, I fully expect to reapply frequently. That it performs more like a lipstick in terms of wear time is a bonus.

Wispy Wisteria

I have one minor complaint about this product: the packaging. I find it to be housed in bulkier packaging than is necessary (though it's beautiful). Aesthetics aside, the real issue with the packaging is that the caps do not stay put, which is a shame for an item that I like to throw in my bag on the go. The birthday gods were watching over my brand spanking new Rebecca Minkoff purse last week. Forgetting just how loose the caps could be, I threw the product into my new handbag, only to later find the cap dislodged and floating around my bag. Amazingly, the bag's lining escaped unscathed. I would not have been pleased with Sheer Snapdragon smeared all over the inside. This problem was the topic of discussion on a recent Flower Beauty Instagram post, so I will be interested to see if they implement the feedback they took into consideration in the future.

In all, I find Flower's lip butters to be the most underrated of the lip butter corner of the market. While most consumers are scrambling for the Revlon Lip Butters or Maybelline Color Whispers, the Flower Lip Service lip butters have gone virtually unnoticed in comparison. While the shade range might not be as extensive as that of other brands, the shades available are beautiful colors that people will want to wear. This, combined with their relatively long wear time makes this product worth looking into if you're in the market for an easy-to-wear lip product.

Flower Lip Service Lip Butter - $6.98
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Flower Beauty Fridays // A New Series

July has been hectic! I've completely dropped the blogging ball due to being out of town (and back in my hometown). However, ideas were being mulled and research was being done behind the scenes.


Hard at work doing research.

I have decided to do another brand series. This time, the series will focus on a brand on the lower end of the price spectrum as I slowly but surely continue to warm up to drugstore cosmetics. Because I appreciate alliteration, I present to you Flower Beauty Fridays. This series will run for five weeks.
Flower Beauty is the brainchild of actress (mother, producer/director, wearer of many hats), Drew Barrymore. A cosmetics enthusiast from a young age, Barrymore released the line in Wal-Mart stores in early 2013 after being inspired by her years as a CoverGirl ambassador. Barrymore wanted to create a line of high quality cosmetics at an accessible price point, noting that marketing and high-end names drive up product costs significantly. With no marketing strategy other than word of mouth, Flower Beauty became an instant success due in large part to Barrymore's star power.

Though admittedly star power is what drew me to it, Barrymore proves that this isn't just another celebrity beauty endeavor. It is a carefully curated, well-thought out collection of products clearly created by the hands of a makeup enthusiast. As the owner of Flower Beauty, she lends more than just her name and image to the brand. She is involved in the business and retains major creative control over the products and direction of the company. In so doing, Barrymore ensures that the brand embodies her ideals and who she is. The products are made in the US, not tested on animals, and are accessible to customers of all means. Her hard work and dedication has resulted in a full-fledged beauty brand which contains hundreds of color cosmetics products.

At first, I was miffed that the line was being released only to Wal-Mart stores as I only shop there occasionally and do so purely out of necessity. (#teamtarget) However, when I realized the reasoning behind the move was to give more consumers access to the products, I was willing to put retail politics aside. Having grown up in a rural area (where I am visiting as I write), I understand completely the inability to have the things you want and need readily available to you. While we definitely believe in shopping locally (as we tend to know personally the mom and pops that run the smaller retailers), the draw of a larger retailer is an unavoidable convenience in modern times. The Wal-Mart in our local area is the closest and largest major retailer, so we are limited in our choices until we have time to make the 45-minute trip to the city, or unless we rely on the mysteries of online shopping. Placing the brand in Wal-Mart stores reaches both the urban and rural consumer.

In addition to the "geopolitical" factor, I can appreciate that the items are available at a Wal-Mart price point. While there is some truth to the adage "you get what you pay for", Flower products are formulated with the same ingredients as luxury makeup. The budget leftover from marketing is put into the products themselves yielding a high quality product at a mass-market price. We all like an indulgence from time to time, and I willingly admit my allegiance to high end cosmetics, but this line proves that good makeup doesn't have to come at a high price. While a celebrity face helps to sell products and makes consumers feel inspired, at the heart of it we purchase cosmetics because we wish to take pride in our appearance. This quest shouldn't have to be exclusive or indulgent, but something that is attainable by all.

I've long been a fan of Barrymore's California-cool style, so I'm easily persuaded to try anything she endorses or creates. Any chance I have to emulate her natural beauty and bohemian style, I take it! I have been very pleased with the items I have tried from the line and look forward to picking up more...for the sake of research of course! Stay tuned as I brave the aisles of Wal-Mart to find the hidden Hollywood gems of Flower Beauty.