PopBetty

A Love Letter to Pop Culture

A Good Makeup Primer For Under $10?

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Best Makeup Primer Under 10 Dollars (2)

From top left: Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel, $6-9; Avon MagiX Face Perfector SPF 20, $10; Hard Candy Sheer Envy Skin Perfecting Primer, $8 (also with SPF); L’Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base, $12.95.

One beauty frontier I haven’t crossed is the use of primer. By all accounts, primer is magic, smoothing over wrinkles, filling pores, and making foundation last all day. It’s the difference between cakey and airbrushed, the plebeians and the celebrities. I need some of that.

Even so, most of the name primers are expensive (the one I hear most about, Smashbox Photo Finish, is $32 for 1 oz). I found I couldn’t bring myself to spend $$$ for a tiny tube of goo that would probably make me break out, if it did anything at all. For years, then, primer stayed on that long list of things I think about occasionally but never do.

Lately, though, I’ve come across budget primers (see above), and not only are they cheap, but they’re supposed to be good. I bought the Hard Candy primer during a recent Walmart visit, and will report back; the one I’m most interested in, though, is the Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel. Users swear the product (which has nothing to do with yeast infections) is a drugstore double for Smashbox Photo Finish. And it’s under $10. Heck yeah.

Have you tried any of these primers, or their more expensive cousins? Is primer worth the hype?

Budget Finds: Guess Who Edition

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Charlotte Russe PicksClockwise from top left: strappy leopard wedge,$32.50; ruffle clutch, $14.50; red pencil skirt, $16.99; petal charm necklace, $6.50.

Well, hello Charlotte Russe! I haven’t worn you since high school. I might have to change that, though, given these lovelies.

The accessories section has the best stuff, by far. The clothes are cuter than I remember, but most still fall into the too short/shiny/sheer pit of doom. Still, give CR a look-through: those bright colors & dripping necklaces say summer to me.

Hidden Green Spaces & Walled Gardens

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New domestic

{via the new domestic}

Last year, I posted on my biggest apartment must-have, bookshelves. A close second on the do-want list, though, is a miniature walled garden.

My personal ideal garden is this one, from a rental house we stayed at in La Bastidonne (Vaucluse/Provence):

Renee's Gardens

From the front door to the front gate.

Renee's Gardens 003

Renee's Gardens 001

Definitely prefer the overgrown look to manicured lawns and shrubbery. It wasn’t deliberate here, though–the neighbor’s son could only tend the garden a few hours each week.

Renee's Gardens 002-1

Outdoor parties are the best. Faces blurred to protect the innocent (except for my little brother, Rodrigo, who is not innocent and whose expression in this photo cracks me up).

Renee's Gardens 005-1

A final one of Rodrigo, at the small table near the gate. I liked that this garden had several distinct sitting areas to break up the space.

Below the cut are more garden inspiration images. They’re taken from late night Tumblr/Pinterest raids, and therefore missing some attributions. Please comment if you know the missing credits:

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