That Time I Cheated on the Beauty Purchase Restriction Thing...

Alright, so in my last update on my beauty product restriction, I mention that I had a few slip-ups... I figured I might as well show you what I've purchased! Before I do that, I have to mention that it is pretty difficult for me to not buy anything because as a beauty blogger, I always see new things and want to try them out and write about them, but I have a budget and I honestly have no desire to let my makeup collection get out of control. But as always, I am beginning to digress.

So the BB cream craze has hit the US drugstores hard this summer. L'Oreal released two, Maybelline released one, and Covergirl repackaged their tinted moisturizer and called it a BB cream (yeah, that one made me mad... I'm honestly debating if I ever want to buy another Covergirl product again because of it, which may be an extreme reaction, but it makes me question their overall credibility). 

When I first heard about the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream, I was intrigued. I shouldn't have been because aside from the Fit Me line, there is no such thing as a Maybelline foundation that isn't just plain orange on my fair skin (for reference, I would say my skin tone is probably a mix between N1 and W1 in the L'Oreal True Match line - W1 is too pale, W2 is too dark and yellow, and N1 is close to the right tone, but it is too dark). I'll admit that I have seen very mixed reviews on the Maybelline BB cream, but I had to at least swatch it for myself since every blog I have read reported that the drugstore displays had testers for each shade. From what I had seen in blog posts, I had a potential dupe for my Too Faced BB cream. I haven't formally worn this for more than a few hours because I truly am trying to finish what I have, but I am going on a mini-vacation soon and I figured that the weekend I am gone will be the perfect weekend to really test it out.

I am honestly not sure why I even bought the L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB cream... despite all the negative reviews, I still thought the idea was intriguing even though it is not a true BB cream. Back in the day (and by that I mean spring 2008) I tried the Almay Smart Shade makeup and it was a disaster. I have seen some Youtube videos saying that the L'Oreal BB cream has a similar concept, but is better. Color-wise, I tend to have great luck with L'Oreal products. I can almost always find a close match and I generally don't break out. My problem with L'Oreal products is really just lasting power. Just as it is with the Maybelline BB cream, I have not formally tried the L'Oreal BB cream, but I can say that this is a close match.

The other items I have bought that almost count as cheating, but have a reasonable explanation attached to them include:

• Bed Head Styleshots Epic Volume Shampoo and Conditioner: Ulta had the jumbo sized shampoos on sale, I knew I wanted to try a new shampoo when I went back to college in the fall (even though it will be over a month before I return), and the two products seemed to have promising reviews. I won't be opening these until I'm back at school and when I started this challenge I forgot to account for the money I would be spending on back-to-school personal care items (because to me it doesn't make sense to start off a new year at school with a half-full bottle of shampoo, especially if there's a chance I'll be coming home on a random weekend).
• Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes: as you may have seen in my June Favorites post, I had luck with one mascara and another mascara I owned was basically a flop. I haven't tried the original Great Lash in a few years and although it makes absolutely no sense to have several mascaras, I think it is fine to have two because I don't always want the same effect for my lashes. The Maybelline Mega Plush mascara gave me a natural look and my ELF 3-in-1 mascara gave me such a natural look that it did nothing. I heard great things about the brush for the Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes so I figured for $4.44 at Target it would be worth a shot (and for now, I would say it was!)
• Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash Redness Soothing Cleanser: this is the gel version and it is far less drying than the original or grapefruit versions. I needed something with salicylic acid for a few reasons. The first is that something in the Bellaboo line did not agree with my skin and I had enough clogged pores that my skin looked frightening. The second is that my dermatologist has recommended that I use "any" salicylic acid cleanser I want in addition to the prescriptions I am on. The third is that if I use benzoyl peroxide, it will have an unpleasant reaction to one of my topical acne treatments (my dermatologist has me using Aczone and if benzoyl peroxide is used in conjunction with Aczone my skin could turn orange, which is not a pretty look for me). Honestly, I think I have been using this cleanser for about a month, so it has taken me too long to post about it. I've also gone back to some of the skin care products I was using before I switched to Bellaboo. But as a mini-review I will say that I am very happy with this cleanser and I plan to write a proper review soon.
• (Edit: later on 7/15): I forgot to mention that I also purchased the ELF Mineral Blemish Kit from Target the other day because I'm nearly out of my spot treatment and I wanted something I could wear day and night.

So there you have it. I think the problem with this challenge is that I set the bar too high. I probably should have gone for one month instead of two and a half. I also probably should have checked my calendar. Despite all the slip-ups I have made, I still plan to keep track of what I've finished and I will also do my best not to buy any beauty products I do not need, but it's pretty challenging when companies keep releasing products that intrigue me. I also think it's good that I posted this because I don't want to make my post in September and tell you I succeeded at the challenge when I didn't. After this challenge is over, I'll probably do it again soon, but I'll change up the rules so I can't get around them so easily ;)