Liquid -Lancome - Teint Idole Ultra 24h
aryana 3/19/2012 12:37:00 AM
WHY DID THEY HAVE TO REFORMULATE TEINT IDOLE?! :( I went through 3 bottles of the previous version, Teint Idole Enduringly divine. It was my HG foundation, Buff 6 was the perfect shade for me. I just got the new 24hr version and was excited as it appeared to be the same shade (now Buff 230) ... but it oxidizes to be darker and orange. I didn't have this problem AT ALL with the previous formulation. The coverage also seems to be not as great anymore. Such a shame. :''''( I may switch to Tarte Full Coverage Amazonian Clay foundation now... maybe try to stock up on the old formulation if I can find it. I think it is still available through the Sephora website. LANCOME I WISH YOU HAD LEFT WELL ENOUGH ALONE! :(
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Inglot - Pearl 402
aryana 1/18/2012 8:48:00 PM
This is one of my first Inglot shadows and I LOVE this color! It is reminiscent of MAC's Satin Taupe. I bought Satin Taupe because I saw it used in tutorials by many makeup artists and it looked great swatched; however, it does nothing for my light-medium yellow toned skin. It just seems to wash me out... maybe because my eye area is a little darker than the rest of my face. I think it is more suited for fair or dark-skinned girls. Anyway, I swatched Inglot 402 and it really reminded me of Satin Taupe, but it has more warm, almost pinky undertones and I could just tell it would be a great alternative to Satin Taupe for me - and it is!! Inglot also makes a lot of medium-dark shimmery taupe shades that coordinate great with this shade. On its own, this shade looks very natural and I think it will be my new go-to shade for everyday as well as a new favorite shade for the lid on more dramatic smokey eye looks. I am so glad Inglot is now available at Macy's Union Square in San Francisco so I was finally able to get these eyeshadows! They seem to have the full selection of products at this location - nail polish, eyes, lips, face, etc. I don't think I will every buy another brand. MAC's pan eyeshadows are $11... I don't own many, only 8 or so, and I remember just feeling awful for spending about $90 on a handful of eyeshadows! Inglot is even better quality than Mac I would say, at only $5 per shadow... that is even cheaper than most drugstore brands, and you get almost twice as much product (Inglot shadows I got were labeled 2.5 or 2.7 grams, compared to Mac's 1.5 grams.) I also LOVE the design of the palettes and the fact that you can stack multiple palettes on top of each other making use of the magnets on the lid. It is a little hard to get the shadow out once it's placed in the palette because the magnets are strong. I recommend getting a heavy duty 2-inch magnet from the hardware store... this will let you get the shadows out very easily (there is a Youtube video on this). Can't wait to get more shades as some that I wanted were sold out. Overall A+ for Inglot and, in particular, this shade! I can't believe the palettes used to be even cheaper when they subtracted the cost of the palette -- still an unbelievable deal at the current prices.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Sonia Kashuk - pointed foundation brush
aryana 1/15/2012 11:27:00 PM
I got this brush a very long time ago, simply because I didn't have another brush like it and I knew from experience that SK brushes are great quality. Well, I found it extremely awkward for applying foundation. It just did not work well for that purpose for me, and I couldn't find another use for it either, so it has just been sitting useless for a really long time. However, I recently found that it does a great job at blending under eye concealer! I use Amazing Cosmetics concealer under my eyes and this is great for blending it. The pointed shape fits the under eye area well and I think using a larger blending brush for that area just blends better and less streaky than a smaller brush.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Too Faced - poison orchid
aryana 1/12/2012 10:55:00 PM
Something about the lighting in Sephora stores is very deceiving! I couldn't believe my eyes when I swatched this color in the store. It was the most beautiful, vibrant, sparkly purple-lilac shade. I got it immediately even though I'm not a big Too Faced fan and it was really pricey at $18. It was unlike any color I'd seen before. But when I got home, it was totally different! The charcoal color really came through more than the purple sparkle. I kept trying to apply more and more product to get it to look the same as it did in the store, with no luck. At this point the eyeshadow looks super used and abused because I was swatching it so much in my desperation! Finally I tried it over my Tarte smodereyes eyeshadow pencil in Violet (which is honestly the most vibrant purple I own and I should have just been happy with that!). FINALLY that got the color of this shadow to come out as it did in the store, when layered over this pencil as a base. It looks really pretty this way, so I'm keeping it. But beware... this shade is deceiving! The other shades in this line were really pretty and not as complex as this one with its charcoal base, so those would probably not have the same problem of looking really different when swatched in the store. One color they had is an exact dupe for MAC club (or the WnW comfort zone palette shade that is also a Club dupe). The shade Mushroom was a really gorgeous champagne shade that was sold out.
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Eyeliner -Tarte - LE - SmolderEyes Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner Collection
aryana 11/11/2011 6:28:00 AM
I ordered this set online as it was sold out in stores. I did swatch the testers in the store though, and fell in love with the Violet shade. It's the prettiest bright, vibrant, pigmented purple color I've ever seen in cosmetics! (Note that it does have glitter). I was bummed that shade was not available individually, only as part of the set. I think that is true for all or most of the shades in the set. It's a fantastic value as its real value would be $150! They are very long-wearing but not a pain to remove like some waterproof makeup can be. Even though I just got it for the Violet shade, the others are very nice too, especially Moss and Black Silver. The champagne shade is very useful for brightening the inner corners of the eyes. Very impressed with this kit. It's my first Tarte purchase and I may have to look into their other products.
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Polishes -Chanel - Le Vernis - Peridot
aryana 10/14/2011 3:26:00 AM
I just gave in and bought this. I figured it was worth the cost because it's limited edition, and my birthstone happens to be Peridot :) This is my first Chanel polish and I am so impressed with the formula. Extremely smooth and opaque... I expected this shade to be pretty sheer but it's not at all! One reason I didn't get this sooner was because all the swatches online seemed to show that it looked less impressive on the nail than in the bottle - something I've found to be true about a lot of these 'beetle'-like, iridescent colors. But I read a tip in the comments at Temptalia that said to try it over a layer of gray polish to get it to look as it does in the bottle. I have to say... it really works! It helps to bring out the blue and green shades more, since the gold tends to dominate when you apply this color to the nail. I actually even tried it over a murky green (Zoya's Yara) and it had the same color-enhancing effect :) Overall, glad I finally got this polish, and would definitely spend the extra money on other Chanel polishes in the future :) I love the packaging and the look of the bottle as well.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Unlisted Brand - INM -- Northern Lights - Hologram Top Coat
aryana 10/10/2011 6:04:00 PM
What a great find! I picked this up at Sally Beauty Supply after being disappointed by the lack of pretty hologram polishes in stores right now. I also picked up Orly's 'rock solid', a medium gray with holo glitter. The latter was a disappointment - the holo glitter seems to get lost when you apply the polish. The Northern Lights topcoat, however, is amazing! I was so impressed by how quickly it dries - faster than any polish I've ever tried. I'll have to find out if they make a normal clear topcoat because the dry time is unbelievable! I applied about 6 coats to my thumb to see how much I could build up the holo effect. You do need several coats to get a really intense effect similar to OPI's My Private Jet and other extreme holo polishes, but it's really not a problem since the dry time is so fast. I'm hoping this will be easy to remove... and I think it will even though I applied so many coats, since the glitter is SO fine, as others have said. The topcoat also gives a really nice hard, shiny finish. Basically, this will turn any polish of yours into a fabulous holo polish. YAY! (I must admit I was a little confused when I saw this in the store, it said holo topcoat but it just looked clear and had what appeared to be a hologram sticker at the bottom. But that was all the glitter settled at the bottom. I've always heard it's bad to shake up nail polish bottles but this actually has a sticker on it that says "shake me up!" which is what you have to do to get the glitter to disperse).
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Polishes -Zoya - Yara
aryana 10/10/2011 5:49:00 PM
My first Zoya nail polish! Nice color, but it looks a lot different in the bottle than it does on the nail. It's a medium olive, army green with gold shimmer. The gold shimmer looks very pretty in the bottle but does not show up as well on the nail. The formula is perfect - very creamy, smooth and opaque. You can definitely get away with one thick coat (I usually try to do this with all of my polishes because I'm a bit impatient, but most don't have the kind of formula that allows for this). I put a holo glitter topcoat over it and am a little happier with it that way to make up for some of the shimmer that gets lost when this color is applied to the nail. I said 'no' I would not buy the product again though, since it looks so different in the bottle and was not what I was expecting. Overall, a really nice fall color. I'm glad I finally tried a Zoya polish - I'll be buying a lot more since I am impressed with the formula. My Whole Foods has a huge display of Zoya polishes and I just found out that my ULTA carries them as well. I may get the color 'Rhianna', a shimmery burgundy next (I got a manicure with this color for my college graduation last year). I like how all the shades are girls' names!
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Liquid -Lancome - Teint Idole ULTRA [DISCONTINUED]
aryana 8/13/2011 1:58:00 AM
Finally, I found my HG foundation! If you want: * full coverage (I have lots of hyperpigmentation from acne and like a foundation that eliminates the need for concealer) *long-wearing (coverage is still there and the makeup still looks good at the end of a long work day) *perfect color match (huge color selection - I admit I had to return 2 bottles before finally being matched to the perfect shade so it can take some work to find your match, but totally worth it) *non-aggravating to acne-prone skin (fragrance free, oil free, and doesn't give my problem skin any more problems) ... then this is the foundation for you! I just bought my second bottle. It is worth every penny. I was first matched to Bisque 0W which was too peachy, then another bisque shade which was slightly less peachy but too dark. If you want a foundation that leans more toward the true yellow end of the spectrum (if you normally go for yellow toned foundations) then try the BUFF family. My perfect match ended up being Buff 6W - even though one saleslady said the BUFF shades were too fair for my light skin (wrong!). Maybe ask for samples to try out so you can find the perfect shade. One thing I found curious - and Paula Begoun mentioned this in her product review on BeautyPedia - my first bottle I bought, maybe a couple months ago, claimed to have SPF 15. The new bottle I bought does not have any SPF and I noticed the ingredients were also slightly different (different order, mostly). I am actually happy to have no SPF in my foundation, as I wear SPF 30 moisturizer and it is so hard to find a good foundation with no SPF (ideal for photographing well). Just thought those slight changes were curious... also the box that claimed SPF15 only had an active ingredient of Titanium Dioxide around 2%... which as Paula Begoun says in her review, is not nearly enough for an SPF of 15. This foundation also works better with some moisturizers than others. On my dry skin, I use Cerave SPF30 facial moisturizer and this foundation over it, with no primer. Today I had a glycolic acid cream under the Cerave (acne.org AHA lotion) and the foundation did not wear nearly as well through the end of the day. So maybe try a different moisturizer if you have trouble with this foundation lasting - because it really is meant to, and does a great job of it for me. I find this applies well with either a stippling brush or a traditional foundation brush. I would say it has a satin finish that leans more toward the matte end of the spectrum. Great coverage while still looking very much like skin. To compare to MUFE HD, I find this has significantly better coverage using less product, and wears sooo much longer. I liked the dewy finish of MUFE, but it barely lasted a few hours on my face, probably because of the dewiness. Teint Idole offers full, natural looking coverage that you don't really have to build up - one or two pumps will be plenty for most people. Doubles as concealer and wears beautifully all day. HG!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Acne.org - Cleanser
aryana 8/13/2011 1:41:00 AM
This cleanser is AMAZING. I ran out of my 8oz and just ordered the 16oz. It really does help to use 3 pumps as recommended - makes a lot more lather which allows you to rub your face much more gently. I must say, as a girl who wears long-wearing liquid foundation every day, I was skeptical that this cleanser or the regimen would work for me. Washing your face for TEN SECONDS? I thought, no way that will get all my makeup off. Amazingly enough, this is the best makeup-removing cleanser I've ever tried! I was using Neutrogena's makeup-removing cleanser for acne-prone skin before, which is the best I've found in stores. The acne.org cleanser is so much better. It lathers great, is free of alcohol, fragrance, and all other irritants, and really gets your skin CLEAN, removing every trace of makeup, somehow without drying the skin at all! I use all of the regimen products except the moisturizer - I prefer to use one with SPF 30. I love the AHA and BP creams too. But the real star for me is this cleanser. Unlike the other products, it goes much quicker, since you use 6 pumps a day. 8oz lasted me about a month. The 16oz is such a great deal - just $9.50! My skin had been really clear for the past couple of months using the acne.org products. I don't follow the regimen to a T, but the cleanser and AHA in particular are really great for my skin. I have been breaking out pretty horribly lately and the only major change I can think of is that I went back to the Neutrogena cleanser. Can't wait for my bit 16oz of this stuff to arrive! I'm so glad I live in the Bay Area so my products arrive super fast from San Francisco :-) If I was in the city more during the week, I would drop by their offices and buy my products there to save on shipping. I do kind of wish the 8oz had come with a locking pump for traveling - but I will be buying the 16oz from now on anyway, and can always just put some in a travel bottle from the drugstore.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Organic Neem Oil
aryana 6/8/2011 3:17:00 AM
Call me crazy, but this really does not smell that bad to me! At worst I would describe it as smelling like burnt peanuts (with a hint of onion maybe?) Not pleasant but really not as bad as I was expecting after everything I'd read about the smell. I use unrefined neem oil from the Alaffia brand which is sold in a small jar at Whole Foods for around $6. There are a few varieties available at Whole Foods but I like the Alaffia brand and I like that theirs comes in a jar, since Neem Oil is often solidified. I saw some in dropper bottles with the oil solidified in the bottle which seems impractical. I don't worry about contamination as I do with some products in jars since neem oil is so highly antibacterial anyway. It is so concentrated too that I haven't even dug into the jar yet... mostly just scrape a bit off the lid! So far I've used this as a spot treatment on acne and it does make the inflammation go down quicker (I have mostly red, under-the-surface acne). I am just starting to experiment with using it as an all over treatment some nights, so I will update and let you know how that works for me. So far neem oil has NOT made me break out more and my skin is very acne-prone and picky about oils. So far so good.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyes -Wet 'n' Wild - MegaLash Clinical Serum
aryana 1/30/2011 7:04:00 AM
YIKES I think this actually made my lashes start to fall out!!! I generally love WnW. A big fan of their shadows, blush/bronzer, and nail polishes. I was searching like mad to find their new polishes (particularly the new glitter one) and snagged a bunch at my local Walgreen's, and thought I'd give this lash serum a try too. I have naturally long, dark, very full lashes but like most girls, would still like them to be even more fluttery. After using this only a few nights, I now have two very noticeable gaps at the outer end of my right eye's lashes, where the long, fully grown lashes seem to have fallen out and only the baby ones are left. This product was the only thing I changed about my eye routine, so I'm pretty much certain it's the culprit. Right before I started using this I was using Silk Naturals' lash serum which seemed to give good results... I'm *pretty* sure it improved my lashes a bit-- definitely did not hurt them like this seemed to! I just wanted to try this for the heck of it because I'm a fan of WnW, loved the packaging, and the price was right, but now I wish I hadn't tried it. I'm going to try to lay off the mascara and serums altogether until my lashes recover. Ladies, if your lashes are fine to start with... try to just let them be and not get sucked into the hype of lash enhancing products.
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Liquid -Bourjois - Healthy Mix Foundation
aryana 12/12/2010 7:32:00 PM
Just got this and tried it for the first time. Very good, near-full coverage and a natural finish. Vanilla is a perfect match for my light, neutral/yellow/olive-toned skin. Will save my real review for when I have used the product more. Just wanted to say that FYI, I got this at my local ULTA! Let's hope this means they will be carrying this and other Bourjois face makeup as regular products. It was only $7.99 but I think that is the regular price, as it was not marked as on sale.
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Concealers -Jane - No Show oil-free concealer
aryana 12/12/2010 4:45:00 AM
Still on the fence with this one. Going to experiment a bit more. Very good coverage, but I got this in light and noticed it has sort of an ashy, "gray" undertone to it, as a previous reviewer mentioned. I had no trouble at all finding this at my local Rite Aid, so those of you having a hard time finding it, check out Rite Aid if you haven't already!
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Foundations -Estee Lauder - Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup for Face and Body SPF 15
aryana 12/7/2010 3:13:00 AM
I got a sample of this in what I think is the lightest shade (or one of the lighter ones)... it looked very fair on my hand in the store, so I thought it would be too light for my light olive skin. Oddly enough, while it went on super fair, the next day I noticed that it TOTALLY oxidizes and turns a medium brown color! I had applied it in the morning and some was left on the back of my hand. I noticed the change while I was driving. So the color changing is pretty lame! It is definitely full coverage though. I also found it to look kind of cakey and emphasize pores or uneven skin texture. Glad I only got a sample. I will experiment with it a bit more but overall it's pretty disappointing. However I believe Estee Lauder just came out with a Max Cover version of their Double Wear foundation, and that has many more shades available. Though I've tried double wear and was not impressed. If you're still on the hunt for a natural looking full-cover foundation, I've found my HG in 100% Pure's Super Fruits full coverage foundation! It is amazing (see my review of it). If you don't live in the Bay Area where the only 100% Pure stores are, you can find their products at CVS stores that have a Beauty 360, otherwise you can only buy it online.
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