We’ve been put on notice tonight — theNotice, that is. The delightful Rae of theNotice blog shares one of her favorite drugstore beauty products, the EcoTools Cleansing Sponge.

 
When Karen asked if I would do a guest post for Makeup and Beauty Blog, I didn’t know where to start (I rarely do). I asked her for direction, and she suggested drugstore beauty.
 
“Hm!” I thought. “I’ll have so much to talk about!”
 
But I thought. And I thought. And I blew the house down.
 
Well, no, not really. But I did come to realize that less of my makeup stash comes from drugstores than I previously thought.
 
But this is actually great news for you (no, really, it is). It basically means that if I’ve kept a drugstore item, it’s a darned good one.

Take these EcoTools Cleansing Sponges ($9 for a pack of 12), for instance. They’re one of my drugstore holy grails.

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Greetings and good morning, girls. How did you sleep? Following yesterday’s makeup look, I wanted to touch on makeup removal, particularly Soap & Glory’s Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths ($7 for a pack of 25).

To find out how these oversized, velvet-soft wipes fare against long-wearing and waterproof makeup like MAC Fluidline, Stila Lash Visor Mascara and Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter liner, I put ‘em to the test.

What about the waterline?

Most makeup wipes can handle regular-wear products, but many struggle when it comes to removing waterproof. That, and some take too much effort (read: rubbing) to use along my delicate waterline.

Soap & Glory says they created Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths to help women multitask, with the wipes cleansing, toning, removing makeup and exfoliating in one fell swoop.

How’d they do?

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Man, oh, man! There’s just so much I love about L’Oreal’s Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara ($5). Two coats transform my eyelashes from toy car to monster truck, and at just five bones, it’s also pretty cheap.

Before

After two coats, WOWZA!!

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Does The Greatest Scrub of All ($13) live up to its name? That’s hard to say, but one thing’s for sure: It looks *way* cute.

Doesn’t the pink/blue/gray packaging have a girly feel to it, like it’s a product that obviously doesn’t take itself too seriously? And, hello, the claim on the front of the tube? — “exfoliating grains that pop when you press them”?

Explosions get me every time…

A scrub for everyone

An exfoliating facial scrub marketed for all skin types, it contains salicylic acid (aka BHA) to slough away dead skin cells, control oil, clear clogged pores and fight pimples, and, as an added Tabs-approved bonus, Soap & Glory claims it was people tested (as opposed to animal tested, meow!).

I really like washing my face with it in the mornings, when the minty, kinda floral scent feels invigorating — much better than a wake-up call and without the annoying ring.

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To streamline my travel beauty routine and the airport screening process, I try to avoid packing products that 1) are liquids and 2) require a bunch of steps to use.

That’s why, for my trip last week, I grabbed a pack of Clean and Clear Makeup Dissolving Facial Cleansing Wipes ($6 for a pack of 25).

They’re pre-moistened and come in a re-sealable bag that fits snugly into my carry-on luggage (a suitcase small enough for an overhead bin).

These beauties do double duty, making them ideal for travel. They remove most kinds of makeup (gloss, foundation, powder, blush and eyeshadow with ease) and cleanse skin at the same time. Even better, you don’t have to rinse.

After late nights playing Kitty Glitter, I liked returning to my room and removing my makeup in a flash.

They feel soft against my skin, have a light soapy scent that smells fresh and clean, and I don’t detect a residue or sticky film (I use them on my face and neck) after using one.

But when pitted against waterproof makeup, they kinda disappoint.

It took a lot of gentle rubbling to thoroughly remove long-wearing products like MAC Fluidline, Stila Lash Visor Waterproof Mascara and Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner.

It’s not a dealbreaker for me, but it does keep them from earning flying colors.

Being just $6 per pack, feeling great on my skin and smelling so nice, I think they’re a great bargain, but I do wish they worked a little better on waterproof stuff… Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B

Casual Fridays

Tabs is taking advantage of the new MBB Casual Friday work attire policy. What do ya think of his new outfit?

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