Eye Shadow -MAC - Sumptuous Olive (Veluxe pearl)
daruma 12/8/2009 7:02:00 AM
Massively disappointing. This is a beautiful golden khaki colour but it's difficult to get any colour coverage at all on the lids and what does go on disappears after about 10 minutes. Oddly enough plenty of colour comes off with makeup remover at the end of the night but as a reddish brown rather than the original colour. I haven't tried it with primer yet but is it that unreasonable to expect a product to perform adequately on its own? I don't think so. This was my first veluxe pearl shadow and I won't buy another.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Estee Lauder - Sumptuous
daruma 12/5/2009 8:13:00 AM
The comments about clumping surprise me - I can't get any volume effect, clumpy or otherwise, with this. Plus it makes my lashes feel very brittle. It doesn't lengthen either.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Comme des Garcons - Daphne Guinness
daruma 12/3/2009 8:12:00 AM
I admit it - I had to buy this because I admire Daphne Guinness's style. Like her, it's rather surprising. On the advice of the SA, I only spritzed once (she couldn't stop telling me how strong it was and how it's an acquired taste). It opened with a clear but short lived blast of incense and then morphed into a mix of sweet orange, vanilla and rose - like an infinitely more classy version of a Lush bathbomb. This effect lasted for a few hours before it changed again into a very creamy tuberose - more Fracas than Tubereuse Criminelle and eventually it faded into an oud note before disappearing. Overall staying power of one spritz was about 5-6 hours on the skin. I didn't find it anywhere near as strong or persistant as the SA advised and the Lush note really surprised me. It's not just the notes that change, it's the mood of the fragrance, from austere/edgy to sweet/girly to womanly.
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Ruby & Millie - eye liner 8mm
daruma 11/11/2009 12:17:00 PM
This brush is too soft to really be successful as a push brush and the tip is a little too broad too. It's fine for a soft wide line but for really good push lining, I'd recommend the Trish McEvoy brush instead - it's a lot firmer and gives a narrower line.
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Fragrances -Prada - L'Eau Ambrée
daruma 9/6/2009 7:39:00 AM
I've only tested this once so far but on that basis I have a number of observations: 1) It really is lovely. 2) It doesn't smell of amber at all. From the official note list in the last review I'd say that the notes that come out strongly, at least for the first hour or so are the mandarin, the cedrat and the patchouli. 3) It seems to me to be a lighter, sweeter version of the original Prada fragrance initially. It also really reminds me of Guerlain L'Instant pour Homme but with a more citrus top. 4) The lasting power is excellent - one spritz held up for about 8 hours, including through a workout and bath. 5) The dry down is surprising - it smells of iris, in a similar way to the Prada iris fragrance, rather than a typical oriental drydown.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Boots - No.7 Lash 360
daruma 7/29/2009 7:46:00 AM
Quite the worst mascara I've ever tried. Nowadays, I expect a decent application with one coat - not a hope with this one. One coat gave no volume, no length and judging by what I saw on the makeup remover pad, precious little colour either. Yes, as other reviewers mentioned, it is buildable - add a second coat and it actually shows up. It also made my admittedly very sensitive eyes burn. Boots does far better mascaras than this - its Sensitive one is really good.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Yves Saint Laurent - Perfect Touch Radiant Brush Foundation
daruma 7/8/2009 9:54:00 AM
While I quite like the concept of this and find the brush applicator OK, the end result is quite hopeless - no coverage whatsoever. It's extremely sheer and although my skin isn't bad, it seems to highlight bumps and pores. edit: I've added another lippy because even though the coverage is poor, what goes on stays on which is very unusual on my greasy nose. I may end up using this as a primer.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Ava Luxe - No. 23
daruma 6/19/2009 6:30:00 AM
I'm surprised by the references in reviews below to notes like lavender, hawthorn and so on because all I'm getting from this is overwhelming myrrh and a little sandalwood. If you like La Myrrhe or Mirra (sp?) you should adore this. It's a little sweet for my taste but seems very well done.
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Treatments -Lancome - Genifique
daruma 6/18/2009 6:01:00 AM
This has certainly done what it claims in that it has definitely activated my youth. I've got a nice spread of blackheads and small pimples. All I'll need now is some cystic acne and I'll look exactly the same as I did 25 years ago.
61 out of 64 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Jean Charles Brosseau - The Brun
daruma 6/15/2009 5:48:00 AM
For the first five minutes I thought I'd struck gold with this - a very dry leather with a hint of smoked tea. Then it morphed into exactly what it says on the can - regular brown tea but with a LOT of sweetener and a hint of fruit. Disappointing.
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Eyeliner -Bobbi Brown - Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Bronze Shimmer
daruma 3/17/2009 7:01:00 AM
This liner is pretty much the same colour in the pot as my natural lash colour so I bought it to add subtle definition for days when my lash tint is growing out and I don't want to wear mascara. Plus, unlike many browns, it has no hint of red. However it goes on very light and sheer - as one of the reviews below says, you can make quite a wide line without it really showing up at all. The lasting power is fine on my oily lids and in contrast to some of the darker gel liners, it doesn't seem to be drying out and cracking in the pot after only 3-6 months, which suggests that it's a little more emollient texture wise, thus leading to the sheerness. I suspect I'd get a better result if I was wearing a very pale colour as an overall wash with it but unfortunately that doesn't work for me. So overall, while it's a beautiful colour with a great texture, it doesn't work as a liner for me at all.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Le Labo - Jasmin 17
daruma 2/25/2009 4:23:00 PM
As with most of the Le Labo range, if you buy this because you want a soliflore or even predominantly jasmine fragrance, you are going to be disappointed. To me, it's primarily orange blossom with a hint of very fresh, green jasmine (of the sort you find in Sarrasins rather than A La Nuit) in the background. It's a very pretty, uncomplicated, summery smell with amazing sillage and excellent staying power. I don't get the household product smells comparisons mentioned in other reviews at all - to me, the thing it most reminds me of is the edt version of Iris Nobile (but with that hint of jasmine) and with the considerable benefit of superior staying power. I'm pretty sure that this will be my first Le Labo FB - it's just so wearable.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Guerlain - Loose Kohl ~ Kohl Glow
daruma 1/10/2009 7:55:00 AM
I'm at a complete loss as to what this product is for. In general I really like the Guerlain loose kohls - they stay on for up to 24 hours and they don't irritate my highly sensitive eyes. All that is true of this white kohl powder. But, far from making me look wide eyed or wide awake, it emphasises the blood vessels in my eyes and any pink in my lids while making my waterline look bizarrely obvious. Whether I wear it alone or with a full eye the overall effect is to make my eyes look very pink - in other word, I look a bit like a piglet with spectacles on.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Andy Tauer - Vetiver Dance
daruma 1/1/2009 10:55:00 AM
This fragrance puzzles me because I can barely discern any vetiver at all. To my nose it smells like a warmer, powderier, greener Apres L'Ondee with iris and violet predominant, two notes that aren't even mentioned in the notes list. After one hour on the skin I am only just beginning to make out vetiver, somewhat submerged by an emergent muguet note. It's certainly pleasant and one of the softest green fragrances I've smelt in a long time but if this is what dancing with vetiver is like, vetiver needs a little instruction in how to hold its partner. Update: about 2 hours in, the vetiver becomes much more apparent. Like all Andy Tauer scents this has good lasting power although perhaps slightly less than some of the others.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Lancome - Magnifique
daruma 9/11/2008 5:00:00 PM
I like the bottle.... I'm not even going to try to pick out notes with this mess except to say that it's an incredibly loud fruity floriental with a very harsh white floral top note. It is also quite clearly a Lancome fragrance and I in no way mean that as a recommendation. The overall vibe is very 1980s to me - when I say loud, I mean LOUD. As with all scrubbers, it seems to have impressive lasting power.
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