Eyeliner -NARS - Larger than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Barrow Street
stilagrrrl 5/31/2013 2:23:00 PM
This was my first Larger than Life eye liner from NARS and I was really impressed with the longevity and pigmentation. I love mint green and this is one of the most divine shades of it I've come across. My favorite way to wear it: I apply an eye shadow primer, a light concealer (YSL Touche Eclat works well), and an extremely light dusting of nude shadow (NARS All About Eve is great) to give me a perfectly neutral, even-toned lid. Then I apply a very thin line of black liner close to the lashes (but not tightlined) and then put on a thick line of Barrow Street right above the black, not directly on top of it. It gives this really cool mod '60s look without looking clownish. And if I want to kick it up, I line the waterline with it. Amazingly it stays put pretty well - not a whole day, but I'd say about 5-6 hours, which is much longer than usual for me when I line the waterline. This is a must-have for mint green lovers and an excellent buy for anyone else who wants a fun pop of color.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -BeneFit Cosmetics - The Porefessional
stilagrrrl 5/31/2013 2:08:00 PM
This seems to work initially in that it instantly mattifies my skin, but it certainly doesn't stay that way. Within an hour or two I'm shiny again. It's better than no primer but I won't repurchase - I'll stick with my tried and true YSL Matte Touche and UD Pore Perfecting Primer Potion.
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Pressed Powders -Hourglass - Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light
stilagrrrl 5/31/2013 2:01:00 PM
I think this is a great product, but I did have to modify normal application to suit my very oily skin. It's a setting powder which means you apply it over foundation/concealer as the last step in your face makeup. For me though, I have to use a mattifying powder first (I've been using MakeUpForEver's High-Def for years - still the best I've tried) with a dense brush and then swipe on the Hourglass powder with a big fluffy brush on top of that. If I apply it by itself without a mattifying powder first, my face only gets super oily, not radiant. And the shimmer in the Diffused powder, although extremely fine, just highlights the oiliness if I use the powder by itself. All that aside, Diffused is very subtle and does appear to soften lines and other imperfections, albeit very slightly - it doesn't provide perfect, Photoshopped-looking skin, but it does improve its appearance a little. I'm not crazy about my skin so even a tiny bit of improvement makes Diffused worth buying. I apply either this or Ethereal (which is almost identical to Diffused) nearly every day now. I skip it on days I'm short on time so it's not exactly a "holy grail" product for me, but I'd buy it again.
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Fragrances -Jo Malone - Bitter Orange & Chocolate
stilagrrrl 4/30/2013 12:42:00 PM
Fell completely head over heels in love with this fragrance (and bought a backup bottle since it's limited-edition, unfortunately). When I first spritz it on I get a whiff of equal parts orange and chocolate - both of which are lovely and fairly subtle - and then it dries down to a wonderfully sweet, but not full-on foody, scent. There must be something else in there that makes the chocolate and orange harmonize so well and actually work with my chemistry, but I'm not sure what it is. Since it's not heavy (despite the chocolate note) it's a perfect scent for transitioning into spring. Oh, and if it makes you hungry, check out Theo Orange 70% Dark Chocolate bar - it's the edible equivalent of this perfume.
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Blush -Shu Uemura - Glow on - p soft coral 332
stilagrrrl 4/30/2013 12:13:00 PM
I haven't bought a Shu blush in ages and knew it was a gamble ordering sight unseen since there are no Shu counters in the U.S. anymore, but the spring 2013 Blossom Dream collection was calling my name. I was sooooo happy I took a chance, since this blush is totally gorgeous and also pretty different from all the other blushes I own (and there are many). True to the name, it's a subtle coral that really brightens up my complexion without being garish - I just look glowy and healthy. It's also really versatile. Some days I use it with a more peachy (warm-toned) coral lip color and other days I use a more pinky (cool-toned) coral, and it looks amazing either way. Since it's got a good color payoff I think a variety of skin tones can wear it. This is my savior for dull, end-of-winter skin!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Deborah Lippmann - Mermaid's Kiss
stilagrrrl 4/30/2013 11:53:00 AM
I'm so glad Lippmann is expanding on last year's hit color, Mermaid's Dream. Mermaid's Kiss has pink and fuchsia glitter in a cool-toned rosy base shot through with golden shimmer. While I don't think the color is quite as interesting as Mermaid's Dream, it's nice to see a new spin on a favorite polish.
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Polishes -Illamasqua - Raindrops
stilagrrrl 3/15/2013 10:42:00 AM
I haven't been able to stop staring at my nails since I applied Raindrops a few days ago. It's a pale, cool grey with small silver flecks that almost look like tiny shards of glass. They're not glitter, not shimmer but rather teeny flakes. Very unique and gorgeous shade, and makes a great transitional nail color from winter to spring.
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Liquid -Giorgio Armani - Maestro Fusion Makeup
stilagrrrl 1/23/2013 11:43:00 AM
I wanted to love this, but for everyday work wear it's not the best for me. I do love how it looks and feels on my skin - it's totally natural and I can't feel it on my skin at all. With every other tinted moisturizer or lightweight foundation, no matter how sheer, I still can feel it. This truly feels like you're wearing nothing. And it doesn't make me any shinier than usual, which is quite a feat considering how oily my skin is and the fact that this foundation is oil-based. However, for longevity and coverage this just isn't enough for me. It fades after a few hours and rubs off if I touch my face (blotting is out of the question). It provides very light coverage, maybe a hair more than a tinted moisturizer, so it doesn't quite even out my admittedly not-so-great skin - I have to use a lot of concealer on top. I'll finish up this bottle but won't repurchase...only if it didn't come off so easily and had more coverage (or if my skin improves!) For shade reference: MAC NC 15-20, and I wear 2 in the Maestro. I wear 4 in Armani's Lasting Silk so it would stand to reason that I would wear 4 in the Maestro as well, but that was a touch too dark - 2 was a much better match.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -China Glaze - Elephant Walk
stilagrrrl 1/14/2013 3:19:00 PM
This is a basic medium grey (not too dark or light) that leans cool with the slightest hint of shimmer. It's pretty but not all that unique which is why I took a lipstick off. If you need a nice, versatile grey this is great (along with Essie's Chinchilly, which is a little more warm/taupe).
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Primer/ Corrector -Tarte - Clean Slate Poreless 12 hr perfecting primer
stilagrrrl 1/14/2013 3:16:00 PM
This was average for me. It does work better than some other primers I've tried and it's definitely better than no primer at all, but for me it still doesn't keep greasiness away as well as YSL Touch Matte or Urban Decay Pore Perfection primer potion. I'll finish this up but won't repurchase.
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Treatments -Lancome - Visionnaire [LR 2412 4%]
stilagrrrl 1/9/2013 11:34:00 AM
I somehow managed to accumulate 3 huge deluxe samples of this so I was able to thoroughly test it out over the course of about 5 weeks. Sadly it didn't do anything for my skin. I was hoping to see some improvement in how my pores and lines looked, or at least for a tiny bit of a "glow", but there was zero change. It didn't break me out and I like how lightweight it is (good for my oily skin), but I need a skincare product that actually DOES something. Glad I didn't invest in a full-size bottle.
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Polishes -Butter London - Scuppered
stilagrrrl 12/13/2012 3:37:00 PM
Scuppered is such an odd combination of colors and yet they all work together. It's a foiled bronze base that occasionally flashes pink, depending on the light, with medium-sized green glitter. I admit I wore it on Thanksgiving just because the bronze and green reminded me of a browned turkey and peas! Silly I know, but it's quite a festive color. The wear could have been a little better - I had significant chips after 3 days - but I think that's more a problem of my weak nails and a lot of time spent cooking rather than the polish itself.
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Lipstick -NARS - Fire Down Below
stilagrrrl 11/30/2012 1:59:00 PM
FINALLY! I found the perfect dark blood red shade that doesn't turn fuchsia on my lips! It's not too dark (my lips are on the thinner side so I can't wear anything super dark; otherwise they disappear) and not too brown. I did give this a four out of five though because the formula isn't so great - my lips feel as dry as the Sahara within minutes of application. It definitely seems drier than other NARS lipsticks, which are on the dry side to begin with. But for me the texture is worth it because I have searched everywhere and couldn't find this exact shade, plus the color lasts pretty well (and your lips don't LOOK dry, they just feel parched), so I'm willing to put up with it.
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Eye Shadow -Laura Mercier - Gilded Platinum
stilagrrrl 11/27/2012 2:33:00 PM
I have more gold eye shadows than I can count, but I once I swatched this at Sephora and saw how buttery soft and pigmented it was I had to buy it. The super metallic finish it gives is gorgeous (and perfect for the holidays), but what I love most is that it's not a straight-up warm gold - there's a little silver in there too. It's everything I wanted Armani's Eyes to Kill #19 (Silver and Gold) to be, which, unfortunately just showed up a plain light gold on me. There is a bit of fallout unless you use it wet, but I actually think it looks prettier that way so it doesn't bother me. I love wearing it as a wash or with a deeper, burnished gold in the crease, with peach or bronzey cheeks and lips.
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Eye Shadow -NARS - Vent Glace Duo
stilagrrrl 11/12/2012 2:30:00 PM
I was intrigued by this duo because it seemed like such an odd combination of cool and warm hues. What's truly odd is not the icy white silver part of the duo, (which, admittedly, isn't all that unique) but the washed out, greenish grey/beige that defies adequate description in words - you really have to see it in person. This desaturated sage has a touch of shimmer, although not as shimmery as the silver shade, so it yields a satiny finish on the lids. Both shades apply nicely and are well-pigmented, and they work beautifully together. I've been using MAC Rosemary and Thyme (olive green) and YSL's Ashy Black (charcoal grey) liners in lieu of darker colors like chocolate or black for fear that anything too dark will ruin the lovely subtle effect of these two shades together. I've been wearing pale peach on cheeks and lips with this duo, but I could see it working with nude/beige shades or if you wanted to go bold, plum lips. I truly love this duo - an innovative pairing of versatile colors with great texture and pigmentation. What's not to like?
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No