Lipstick -Wet 'n' Wild - Lipstick 547B
ransomnote 4/12/2012 3:10:00 AM
HG! I have hyper pigmented lips (ha! you call THIS pigment?!!!) or so I am told. Therefore, I could never get a nude lip that looked decent because my lip color would blare through the nude lipstick color. It doesn't help that I am very pale and have odd, cool olive coloring. My coloring usually makes nude lip colors look orange on me...or grey (not a good look). This lip color ( 547B ) is the first successful nude lip I have been able to actually wear in public. Furthermore, I forgot about the lipstick and licked my lips nervously through a few hours of meetings and was shocked to discover the lipstick was still in place! I was only licking the inner margin of my lips and some must have worn off but you couldn't tell. I think the sheer frosty color happens to blend with my pigmented lips to form a nude version of MLBB. The frost somehow settles down to just look 'pale' pink rather than frosty pink. To my amazement, a woman I know with good taste in MU whispered to me that my lipstick was PERFECT and looked very natural. I FINALLY get to wear pale lips without being pronounced DOA! I paid 99 cents for this! My prior attempts at nude lip cost much more (MAC, Sephora, Cargo reverse lip liner covering lips, Joshua Tree lipstick layered on top=concealerish lips) HG! I bought a handful of backups because this lipstick is sheer and I can slap it on without worrying about staying perfectly along the lip margin - it STILL looks good. And a fistful of HG lipsticks costs about...oh...$5!!!). Now if I can only find WNW dupes for ALL my other staple lipsticks that cost $20 and up!!!!
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Lipstick -Yves Saint Laurent - Rouge personnel #26 bordeaux astral
ransomnote 3/12/2011 8:46:00 PM
I bought this from ACW for about $7. The website sells this shade as 'Astral Burgundy #26' in the United States - it's possible that the EU has a separate name for it. The color of the tube was worrisome until I opened it to see that the shade inside is not related to the coral red tube. While the tube is lovely and modern looking, I wish it didn't have precisely cut corners that are sharp enough to poke into the lining of my purse more than I like. I find the shade is split personality. It's dark/cool toned vamp (Burgundy) when applied full strength but is a beautiful lighter-hard-to-describe shade (the color I wish my lips actually were) when blotted or used as a stain. The formula is pleasantly light and clings to the lips very well. I didn't have any trouble with bleeding. It lasts well and has a very very faint fragrance that is mild and hard to detect unless I try. I am very pleased with it and would buy it again.
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Primer/ Corrector -Unlisted Brand - Studio Direct Foundation Color Corrector Primer Water Based Concealer
ransomnote 3/7/2011 3:19:00 PM
I don’t recommend this primer in the water-based formula because the second ingredient is mineral oil. After reading this article from livestrong.com, I want to avoid using products that contain alot of mineral oil (http://www.livestrong.com/article/185370-why-is-mineral-oil-bad-for-your-skin/) So I will continue to buy MUFE HD Primer from Sephora because it is a high quality product and it doesn’t have mineral oil. Personally, I found the eBay listing for this primer slightly confusing (was it just my ‘buyer’s excitement’ kicking in?). The interior text of the listing read: “The winner of this auction may choose either Matte White, Yellow, Mint, Lavender, Mauve or Peach.” I then went to the company website and saw that there were two formulas: matte and water-based. Going back to the eBay listing, the editor side of me thought the word ‘Matte’ in the above quote referred to all the colors and meant that they were the matte formula. Had I read further down the eBay page I would see that Matte only referred to White. If I had read the actual title of the eBay listing again, I would have seen that the title included the words ‘Water Based’. So I bought the water-based formula when I meant to buy the matte. Then I discovered that the second ingredient of the water-based product is mineral oil. Thinking back on it now, even if I had intended to buy the water-based formula, I would have been surprised to find that the second ingredient is mineral oil. Personally, I found the company’s response to my request for an exchange prompt and clear but lacking in the desire to gain devoted customers that I find in places like Sephora and Macy’s so I can’t recommend the company. Their eBay listing does specify ‘no returns’ as is true of most eBay listings but I had asked anyway because I personally believed the listing was a little confusing. Buying at Sephora or Macy’s gets you the right to exchange a product you discover you won’t be able to use. I let Studio Direct know that I was disappointed and would post my review here and they replied that they love to read complete and accurate reviews of their products and cautioned me against libel (Editors Note: libel is illegal - it means writing things about the product or company that are not true). From the content of their emails, it was clear that their refusal to assist me was final. So I found it odd that they sent me a second email containing my name, address, and phone number with text that said they wanted to make sure that they had my contact information correct.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -L'Oreal - Color of Hope LE Colour Riche
ransomnote 2/20/2011 12:43:00 AM
Dare I say that this is a very kissable pink? It makes lips look kind of fleshy in a sweet way. 'Sexy' doesn't work that well here...how about 'affectionate' lips? 'Hopeful' lips? It has a mix of colors both cool and warm that allow a broad range of women to look great in this color, IMHO. It is able to obscure the violet tone in my hyper-pigmented lips. I have never found this color elsewhere - I hope they never discontinue it. I was able to buy it inexpensively at ACW.
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Primer/ Corrector -Everyday Minerals - Lavender Color Corrector
ransomnote 2/19/2011 10:56:00 PM
I was able to lighten my Merle Norman L60 and change the tone to suit my skin a little better by adding half a container of EDM lavender color corrector. The mixture of EDM and Merle Norman L60 was a little hard to photograph so I really piled it on in the photo. I will update after a few weeks use if I find that adding so much EDM to Merle Norman's mineral base caused problems with the foundation (too sheer, too pink, changes in wear, oilier etc).
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Eye Shadow -Everyday Minerals - Eyeshadows All
ransomnote 2/19/2011 1:42:00 AM
I am kind of surprised that I have spent so much time trying to make these work for me. I guess I really wanted to fit the whole idea of mineral makeup into my life and I suspect that I am not a mineral kinda girl. Perhaps it's my age but I just don't want to spend this kind of time. It's like the difference between going to a self serve cafeteria (EDM) or being waited on in a full service restaurant (Traditional pressed MU). I can spend alot of time looking at EDM eye shadow online and be taken by the winsome names they give their MU (Love Letters, Ballet Slippers etc) and carefully order it after much consideration only to find it is too chalky, too sheer, too cool, too warm, has more shimmer than I realized and isn't the color I thought it was. I bought EZ PREZ from Coastal Scents and pressed two unlikely-to-work shades into little pans to give it my last shot but I think I just wasted time, again, on this line. I have ordered many samples by now. Tonight I finally got up the nerve to open all those other tiny little samples I have been trying so hard to like, and emptying them in the trash so I can use the little sample container to carry lipstick in my handbag. No more powder mess on the counter-top. No more pushing myself to make-it-work when I can just buy makeup that works hard for ME instead. I'll try the two I pressed and probably throw them out - ending my involvement with EDM eye shadow. I am glad so many people enjoy the line and love the offerings...I just can't figure out why I tried so hard to be one of them. There's enough variety out there to please us all.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -L'Oreal - Colour Riche Star Secrets Nude in Organza
ransomnote 2/18/2011 9:07:00 PM
I am very pale (MAC 15 or lighter) and my yellow skin has mauve undertones. This combination makes it hard for me to find make up (foundation, blush, lipstick) because I am a cool yellow. I can't wear 'true' warm tones without a hint of cool in them so lipsticks that are 'peach' or 'tawny' etc. would look too orange or brown on me. I can't wear pure cool tones because the surface of my skin is yellow so raspberry or fuchsia is just too much blue on my violet hyper-pigmented lips next to my yellow skin. I have to wear lipsticks that have a hint of neutral cool (mauve, berry) and a hint of yellow in them. Lipsticks that work for me now that I am older, ahem, can have some brown in them but not 'too much' or I look tired. My lipsticks usually have to be very opaque because of hyper-pigmented lips (so I learned from a male SA at Sephora one day!) so I usually avoid glosses and sheer lipsticks. This lipstick works for me. There is enough brown and mauve to come close enough to my own lip color to 'excuse' the fact that my lip color shows through. It does have a cool side to it but just a hint. That hint of cool was way too much for my blond haired, blued eyed yellow toned friend. She usually has a great tan and can wear peach pink lipstick and glosses on her warm pink lips but this looked like dirt on her. If it had to actually conceal my lip color I couldn't wear it because it is sheer with frost and wears off partially in between applications but on me, it still looks good when only half there. It does have the regrettable L'Oreal 'fragrance' but I can ignore it after application. CVS and Right Aid had them on sale 75% off so often that I accidentally stocked up on them (6 of them, and after inspecting them, I can see I have use 5 of them at least once!) Theoretically, I would repurchase them if I didn't actually have a stash already because with my coloring, it's really hard to find that 'nude' look. The frost puts me on the fence about 'appropriate for work'. I think it depends where you work. I work in an office on the coast of California so I can get away with it. But I think there are some more conservative traditional businesses where, while you could get away with it, it would not present your best professional side IMHO. But, I am old so maybe I don't know the latest 'rules' for the office. :)
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Primer/ Corrector -Make Up For Ever - HD Microperfecting Primer in 2 Mauve
ransomnote 2/17/2011 2:59:00 AM
HG!!!! I mixed my foundation, EL Double Wear in Bone, together with this mauve primer (50%mauve and 50%Bone) in the palm of my hand and I get a spectacular finish. I have weird skin - yellow on the surface but lavender undertones (I think) which means yellow toned makeup normally makes me look unhealthy and pink toned makeup looks garish. So, mixing this mauve primer tints my foundation and for the first time in my life, I have a COLOR MATCH!!!! YEAH!!! I have not worn the mixture for a full day yet but it stays on well for at least 4 hours. Aside from the color match, I just looked so much better. It's possible that the mixture sheered out the MU nicely and I think the primer helped my face look smooth. It does lighten the foundation. My friends kept using the words 'sophisticated' and 'classy' to describe the mixture when I wore it - this may be because they were so used to seeing me look unhealthy in un-tinted makeup that this mixture was a big improvement color wise. The Make Up Forever website lists the following ingredients for the formula: Argatensyl Seanergilium D-Panthenol & glycerin Phycosaccharide Spherical silica microparticles Dermatologist tested
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Fragrances -Givenchy - Organza
ransomnote 2/2/2011 6:55:00 PM
Notes: Honeysuckle, Rosewood, Gardenia, Ylang-Ylang, Peony, Cedar, Vanilla (from Sephora) Notes according to now departed website OzMoz.com: Bergamot, orange blossom, gardenia, nutmeg, honeysuckle, tuberose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, vanilla, amber, sandalwood, cedar. I love this fragrance - it is a staple. I almost hate that I love it like this. I open my fragrance cabinet and look for something to suit my mood. Organza always suits my mood. I begin to think it is 'too ordinary' because I am always pleased by it when I believe I want to try on something new and different. With magnetic force - I often reach for this bottle and am never regretful that I put it on. Other fragrances I have can misfire - I put it on and realize my mistake. Never for Organza. It does seem feminine, confident, classy and fresh. I have a friend who applies 'too much' but it really doesn't bother me. If a person must wear 'too much' fragrance - let it be Organza.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -L'Artisan Fragrances - La Haie Fleurie
ransomnote 2/2/2011 6:44:00 PM
I have read that the fragrance has been reformulated (around 2009) and that it now has a reduced jasmine presence. My review is for the pre-reformulated version. Reviewers have noted jasmine, honeysuckle, hyacinth, and wisteria with an oak moss base. I know I detect honeysuckle and jasmine with some sort of indolic moody base. I love it. It has good sillage and lasts a long time on my skin. It is a white floral and does not offer any apologies for being so. It is unique - having tested it one year I was able to recall and pine for it two years later. I 'had' to buy a larger bottle than I would have liked because it wasn't available in a smaller container - I am now glad I did so. The company webpage lists the following notes for the formula (2/2/2011): jasmine, narcissus, honeysuckle
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Fragrances -Givenchy - Play for Her
ransomnote 2/2/2011 12:42:00 AM
I wanted to like this and initially, I did. But then I had not worn fragrance for 'too long' and it was a pretty scent that I received as a free sample. The notes listed below include elements that I like. I don't know why this is such a forgettable fragrance. It's almost generic 'nice'. Nothing wrong with it - however after I have worn it, I recall no 'personality' and therefore I don't really find myself wanting to put it on again. Top Notes: Pink peppercorns, White peach, Bergamot, Sweet pea Middle Notes: Amyris wood, Tiare flower, Magnolia leaf, Magnolia flower Base Notes: Sandalwood, Musks
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Liquid -Estee Lauder - Double Wear
ransomnote 2/1/2011 1:28:00 AM
Skip this review unless you have always had a hard time finding the right shade yellow MU. Many thanks to MAU'ers who suggested buying the MAC pump to use with this foundation. UPDATE: Holy Grail SIGHTING!!! After looking strange in every foundation I ever wore for most of my life, I have a color match. Therefore, I am upping my original overall review one lippie. After reading this excellent post written for people (Asians - but she includes a Caucasian at the end and all of her explanations apply and made sense to me too) who have trouble matching yellow skin tone to makeup (http://musicalhouses.blogspot.com/2010/01/undertones-for-asians-how-to-tell-if.html) I went to Sephora and got a sample of MUFE HD mauve color corrector (shade #2). Mixing it in the palm of my hand 50/50 with EL Double Wear in BONE (which is normally ghastly yellow on me), I had a perfect and I do mean absolutely perfect color match! The mixture was paler and I suspect that the HD primer helped my skin look the best it's ever looked. If anyone else wants to try this, note that this primer does lighten the shade. After I bought the MUFE, I had to transfer some to a small container because the pump on the bottle always squirts out too much product. Pure EL Bone looked both too light and too yellow but mixing it with the MUFE mauve lightened it and it matches me now. My friends repeatedly used the word 'classy' 'sophisticated' to describe the result and sadly, I think they mean it is a drastic improvement by comparison to the mismatched yellow toned makeup I normally wear! I believe am yellow with lavender undertones. I suspect it's lavender because my neutral eye shadows are browns or beige with a lavender tone to them. I have gone through life being lectured by SA's wearing black 'lab jackets' telling me, and selling me, that I am actually pink or that pumpkin orange looks good on me etc. The last SA lecture was at Nordstrom's - she declared that Lancome's Miracle foundation in Buff (4) was a perfect match but it was far too dark and pink. When I disagreed with her, she sneered that the shade was a perfect match but that I could choose to wear whatever I wanted! Well, it's nice to be given permission to wear mismatched MU!!! Also, SA's always put foundation that is too dark on my face and a few times now, I have heard Asian ladies explain that it is because others can see the dark undertones in olive skin. I tried mixing DW Bone with MUFE BLUE primer (#5) 50/50 but apparently the blue primer is more potent because my face came out looking like blue death. I tried again with 25 percent blue to 75 percent Bone but the mixture was olive. I don't really want to keep mixing MUFE Mauve with DW Bone at 50/50 since I am concerned that it will weaken DW's legendary ability to last all day. I do wonder if the mixture can last all day (haven't tried it yet) and if mixing it with the MUFE primer sheers it out in a good way - is that why it looks so great? Wearing the 50/50 mauve/BONE mixture, I did dash through a multi-level parking structure and up a small hill and found that most of my MU was still on my face except my blush was completely gone (that coward!). I'd rather tint a bottle of Bone instead of mixing in my hand with primer every morning because, as with the blue-faced mistake, I am not that awake. UNFORTUNATELY, the bottle I mixed seems very runny - it's possible that the primer is breaking down the MU. The color looks ok but it's almost impossibly sheer and I have to apply a few layers. I discovered mixing too much MUFE lavender with Bone results in MU that is too peach. I want to save money using a less expensive color corrector. So, I bought Coastal Scents color corrector kit and will see if I can adjust other EL DW shades I already own. I added the entire tube of Coastal Scents WHITE color corrector to my bottle of DW Ecru (4/5 full) and I think it lightened it almost a full shade. (Note that adding an entire tube of CS White to a bottle 4/5 full of DW doesn't work well because it fills up to the neck of the bottle and a little over the top - what a mess.) I also added a tiny dot of Coastal Scents BLUE and a tiny dot of the green in an attempt to 'save' the DW Ecru by cooling it down. Fortunately, I had purchased the CS tiny little plastic mineral MU spoons that made stirring the bottle of this mixture possible. The Ecru/CS tinted concoction is lighter and a tad cooler but still looks slightly too orange for me. I haven't tried it on my face yet. Trying to get up the nerve. And the CS will not have the smoothing, brightening effect that I believe the MUFE HD primer adds. But hey, I wasn't going to wear the rest of the ECRU bottle anyway now that mauve tinted DW in BONE matches perfectly!!!! ORIGINAL POST: I wish they had more pale colors. Shell is slightly too pink although I notice Temptalia.com's foundation Matrix lists this as a warm color. I can wear it but it throws my eye shadow and blush off so I have to keep or find some cooler ones to work with this. So I tried Ecru - which is pumpkin orange on me until it dries. After Ecru dries, it is a neutral pink and yellow (yes orange) that looks believable - just doesn't match the rest of me. I am reluctant to wear this unless it is night time and I need a no-budge foundation. Some of my non-pale friends like Ecru and Shell on me - both have more color than my actual face has when wearing yellow foundation. I am pale - about a MAC 15 but MAC doesn't have any foundations I can wear. My complexion is difficult to color match - I take that to mean that there are no products that match me because no one has a goal of being strange pale cool yellow Caucasian. Uh uh...not in demand.
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Lipstick -MAC - Blankety
ransomnote 2/1/2011 12:47:00 AM
I am giving this 4 lippies for quality and versatility - BUT I cannot wear the color myself. I have hyperpigmented lips and am pale (MAC 15) with cool yellow undertones (that may mean blue or green undertones - not sure). So finding lipsticks is hard for me because most yellow toned lipsticks are too yellow and truly cool (pink/blue) lipsticks look garish on me. Technically, Blankety almost works. I believe that my age (ahem) is a problem here because my coloring was more intense when I was young...er...ah...and now that I finally found a nude lipstick that 'works' I really don't have enough color left in my face to begin with to wear this shade. I liked the opacity (most nudes can't cover the violet in my hyperpigmented lips) and feel of it. No obnoxious scent. Blankety made a good impression on me - I like it on OTHER people. :)
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Eye Shadow -Stila - Puck eye shadow [DISCONTINUED]
ransomnote 1/31/2011 11:07:00 PM
Puck looks boring in the pan. I stopped using it for awhile and eventually pulled it out of the Stila pan for replacement. Before discarding it, I thought I would try it one more time. Wow. Back in the palette it went. It is a greyed lavendar-brown that makes blue eyes and green eyes pop while not calling attention to the shadow itself. It is a highly versatile taupe with something extra. It has a slight shimmer that my aging eyes can handle (unlike 80% of modern eye shadows). I keep an eye trained on eBay for my next Puck because I've never seen an exact dupe and I like the look on me. I am very pale (MAC 15) with cool yellow skin (probably green undertone but who knows?)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Stila - Fog eyeshadow
ransomnote 1/31/2011 10:54:00 PM
Fog has been described well by others (matte dove grey taupe). At first I almost threw it out. Then I tried it. Wow. Interesting - not like anything else I have so it was hard to figure out what to do with it. It is the perfect color of a natural shadow in my eyes. With a nude wash above- it creates a very realistic no makeup look or contouring for the eyes. Love it. Wish it were not discontinued. Have to use UDPP with it or it disappears. I am very pale (MAC 15) and I suspect anyone darker than I am may have a hard time making it show up. I paired it with, of all things, burgundy and was pleasantly surprised.
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