Polishes -Essie - Ballet Slippers
lucenaa 4/19/2013 12:41:00 AM
Man, I've never been so angry at a nail polish. Bottom line: It's beautiful once you have it on but a nightmare to work with. Insanely shiny, a really lovely pale pink on my ruddy yellow-undertoned skin. But it's insanely sheer and takes maybe four or five coats to get opaque. Otherwise, it looks globby, streaky, or uneven. This is so not worth my time by itself -- though next time I'll layer it on top of a white and see how it goes. Essie, I love you but the formula of this shade is an insult to its lovely colour.
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Lip Gloss -Revlon - Colorburst (All colors)
lucenaa 12/2/2012 6:57:00 PM
Oh man, this is a really great lipgloss. I bought this on a whim and fell for the classy packaging, but the product inside exceeds expectations. One, it does exactly what you want in a lipgloss. Staying power is good, maybe around three/four hours before it kind of "dries" off. There's no discernible scent, which is a great plus. I hate having cloying scents shoved into my face when I'm applying lipgloss. Also, the shade I have (I think its Peony?) has NO GLITTER! I don't understand shimmer in lipgloss, because it always seems to migrate away from my lips and to other parts of my face. Some shades do have chunks of glitter, so I will take off a lippie, because for us non-glitter people that really limits the colour options. The best part of this, however, is how moisturizing this is. I always had problems with dry lips in super dry/cold/windy Canadian winters, but I find that a good layer of this before leaving the house saves my lips from being a cracked, bleeding mess at the end of the day. I've never used a lip gloss or balm or anything that does this! Two thumbs up Revlon! Definitely repurchasing!
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Concealers -Vichy - Dermablend Skin Concealer
lucenaa 12/2/2012 6:38:00 PM
If you buy this, note that the tube will last you forever, especially if you're just covering up some dark marks or acne here and there. A tiny-itty bitty drop goes a LONG way. Along with staying power, its probably the best thing about this concealer. However, I found that it was breaking me out. And... it was almost /too/ pigmented and thick. It's much, much harder to blend than it needs to be, and unless you get an absolute perfect colour match, it can get pretty obvious you're wearing it. On /really/ bad skin days I reach for this just for its ridiculously good coverage, but unless you have the time to fiddle with this and blend it really well, it's not something I can wear everyday. It's just too much!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Kat Von D - Tattoo Concealer
lucenaa 12/2/2012 6:24:00 PM
I wasn't expecting a lot from this, but the more I use it the more I like it. Actually, I've been using this everyday for almost a year now, to cover dark acne marks and just random discoloration. Sometimes I just get really patchy spots and I end up spreading this out on a big chunk of my face, like a foundation! It doesn't seem like anything special at first, but it's one of the few concealers that have not broken me out (Vichy Normaderm, I'm looking at you...) even when you wear it everyday. Also, it has decent staying power, though it wipes off pretty easily and can melt off at the end of the day. However, my face does get rather oily. Also, it doesn't oxidize, which is always a plus for me. It's rather liquidy, but the tube lasts forever. I am just getting to the end of this tube and it has been about a year. Overall, if I find that I get to the end of a tube of something and am perfectly happy with it, then I know I have something good. Have repurchased.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Marcelle - Sheer Tint Fluid Moisturizer SPF 15
lucenaa 12/2/2012 6:14:00 PM
I have this in Creme Beige and it is perfect for my yellow undertoned skin. It's slightly heavy and thick for a tinted moisturizer, but still easy to apply with your fingers and the coverage is light-medium (closer to medium). Either way, it's just enough to even you out and give a beautiful, healthy-skin glow. It's not enough to cover dark acne marks, but that's what concealer is for! In fact, it's actually really great everyday TM (which actually does moisturize, unlike many I've tried...) and wore it pretty much everyday for a few months. However, I found it was slowly breaking me out after a while. Just a little bit, but it was consistent. There's something about this that is really difficult to remove (maybe the sunscreen?), and even though I consistently use a gel cleanser and my trusty MAC oil cleanser, there must be some sort of residue that is left behind by this. I'm keeping it as a four, because it is a really great TM and would probably be HG status for me... if I could figure out what's going on with the breakout problem ):
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Volume
lucenaa 12/2/2012 5:56:00 PM
This is such a great mascara. I have a lot of lashes, but they're pretty short and not curly at all. A couple of coats of this and I can't believe how long, lush, and curly my lashes look! The best part of this is that you forget you have it on. Your lashes look so lush, but natural, and nothing flakes off throughout the day to remind you you're wearing mascara. The only gripe is that sometimes it's hard to get off - or some days I forget I'm wearing extra coats, remove my eye makeup, only to wake up the next morning to find I still have some smudged around my eye. However, I consider this a pro and not a con, because that's just me being forgetful and it's not /that/ hard to remove. Also, this is wonderfully buildable. Just keep applying coats and you see your lashes just get longer and longer and longer (without getting clumpy!). Anyway, this has achieved coveted HG status for me, and I'm in my third or fourth tube. Why change a good thing? Also, even my /mother/ likes it, for the same reasons I've stated, and she hates wearing mascara!
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Eyeliner -Clinique - Brush-on Cream Liner in Deep Brown
lucenaa 12/2/2012 5:43:00 PM
This simply just does what I need it to do. I have dark brown, slightly slanted eyes and a nice thick line on my upper lid and I get a natural doe-eyed look. It's less harsh than a black liner, and my eyes look SO much bigger! I do take a lippie off because of staying power. After maybe 5 hours it starts to fade/melt off my eyes, and after 9-10 hours sometimes you can barely tell its there. Granted, I have oily lids, but I've used cream liners with better staying power (ie Smashbox). Application is a little strange sometimes. I use my own slanted liner brush and sometimes you wipe some of it off when you go over the line more than once. However, once you get a hang of it it's a breeze. I use this pretty much everyday in my morning makeup rush. Good product, fair price. Would buy again.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Pur Minerals - 4-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20
lucenaa 12/2/2012 4:44:00 AM
I read the reviews on here and tried it out in the store, and it seemed just what I was looking for for a tinted moisturizer. except for two things: 1. It feels so dry on your face! which is strange because it's supposed to be a moisturizer, but also stranger because I have pretty oily skin. 2. It has shimmer! Little tiny flecks of glitter, while not being obnoxious, still ends up making my face look all shiny. ugh. also, it doesn't cover at all. since its a tinted moisturizer I won't knock a lippie, but really I expected it to even me out just a little bit. also I found it was irritating my skin slightly. a little zit here and there, but in places where I never get them except when I use this (like my forehead). So really I just ended up with a really expensive tube of shimmery sunscreen. Will not buy again.
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Eyeliner -Smashbox - Jet Set Waterproof Eyeliner - Dark Brown
lucenaa 6/28/2010 4:19:00 AM
Bottom line: this is a really good eyeliner, until it dried out. The shade of brown was good for my tanned Filipino skin - dark enough to define well but not as overbearing as black.
I had no issues with the packaging - no nonsense glass jar with a screw cap. As for the size, I used it pretty much everyday as my daily eyeliner for the past six months, and I'm not even halfway through the container. So it may be small, but it goes a long way. Also, it's thick, and you can get too much on your brush if you're not careful, but once you start lining it's a piece of cake. Just get a good slanted liner brush and it's a breeze to apply. No tugging.
The absolute most impressive thing I found with this liner is the staying power. It stays put for an easy twelve hours on my oily lids. After 12 hours, it can smudge a bit, but only on my very oily top lids - but it's far from raccoon eyes. I also use it in the outer corners of my eyes, and no migration there whatsoever. Very impressive.
Biggest downside: texture. It's too thick. It dries on your lids very fast, and it's nearly impossible to smudge. Also, after a couple of months of having this, it becomes a nightmare, because it dries out more and more in the pot. Application becomes sharp, flaky chunks of liner getting into your eye.
The strange thing about this liner is when you have it on, it never flakes off; but during actual application, the liner can dry so fast on the brush, or on your lids, that it flakes off when you try to apply it or go over an already-applied line.
Anyway, even though this problem started off bearable, and even non-existent when I bought it, the dry-out flaking part put the nail in the coffin for this, for me. I can't stand having shrapnel-like pieces going into my eye anymore.
Even though I want to, it costs too much for something bearable for only about 5 months. Will not repurchase. :-(
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -GOSH - Velvet Touch Lipstick #134 Darling
lucenaa 7/1/2009 4:53:00 AM
Jesus, this stuff just clings on to any sort of dry spot you can have on your lips! Hate to rain on the parade, but I'm disappointed. Though I won't give up just yet. Right now, it's summer, and I am way darker than I usually am. I never burn - I just keep on getting darker. Anyways. this nude just looks horrible on me. Nevermind that it clings on to every crack, but it's too light and too pink. In the winter though, I'll see how my lips will hold up. I can see the potential in this, I really can. When I'm back to my untanned self. (I'm normally around an NC25 - right now I'm probably around 35. Usually MUFE F&B 32, now a 34). Still clings on to cracks though. Oh, and it doesn't have a good staying power. At all. Ah well.
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Blush -Smashbox - Blush Rush in Chiffon
lucenaa 7/1/2009 4:46:00 AM
Well, I can't believe there aren't any more reviews for this blush! I can only describe this blush as a pinky-coral with a slight bit of shimmer. Definitely not matte - more of a satin finish. and no chunks of glitter. I found it at Shoppers Drug Mart for 28.00 CAN, which is pretty pricey, but at least you get a decent-sized pan. The cosmetician was gushing about this blush, actually, and she said that it was the shade they use on everyone when they do makeovers. Well, I'm not surprised about that. Chiffon is definitely a wearable shade. Not too pink... not too brown... not too red.... not too shimmery. It comes in this black, rubbery compact. It looks cute, but it's sometimes difficult to get open, especially for people like me that don't have long nails. Even the testers in the store, which have probably been opened and closed a gazillion times, were hell to get open. However, the bottom of the compact is this slide-out mirror which I find cute and practical. One lippie off for the packaging, but other than that, two thumbs up to Smashbox!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Ecotools - Bamboo Blush Brush
lucenaa 7/1/2009 4:23:00 AM
Okay, well my real rating for this is a 3.5. I don't think this brush is *bad*. It's definitely the softest brush I have in my collection, hands down, and it's a great buy for the price. However, I think that this brush is actually *too* soft :o. I bought this brush to use with my new Smashbox blush, and when I tried to use it, I thought there was something wrong with the blush. I mean, I couldn't get a buildup of colour on my cheeks, and no matter how much blush I put on the blush, the colour just wouldn't show up on my face. It was then I realized that when I touched the brush to my face, a whole poof of powder went flying into the air and was completely wasted. What a turn off. Then I tried it again with my trusty CoverFX round white foundation brush, and voila, problem solved. My Smashbox blush wasn't lame & defective after all. Anyways, point of my story is that I think this brush is not very suitable for tighter-packed powder blushes like Smashbox. It might work better with looser packed or loose powder blushes I think it is a mix of the incredible softness and the shape of the brush: it is perfect for flicking the powder into the atmosphere, but not so much onto your face. If I find a technique that will prove me wrong, I will definitely update my review. Also, it is the sheer quality of the brush itself that is preventing me from returning it and liberating this brush to 3.5 lippies. For the price, I'll do not regret buying it, and I know it will eventually be a use for *something*. Right now though, it's just sitting pretty on my dresser. EDIT:: Okay, so I might have reviewed prematurely. I find this brush to deposit a good enough amount of blush for an everyday look, like just a light dusting. Though true to my original post, it's not too good for layering. It just doesn't pick up *enough* pigment. But raising my rating +1 lippie to a four, because it is also the only brush soft enough to use everyday without irritating my face!
12 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Quo - All Over Shadow
lucenaa 6/28/2009 5:47:00 PM
Bah, I don't understand why some people like this brush so much. I like Quo in general, but their brushes can be a hit or a miss. This one is definitely a miss. It's okay at picking up pigment and just as a basic eyeshadow brush, but I found it ridiculously scratchy. Like I don't know how anyone can use this on their eye. I might have been able to bear it, except that in the end this is just a very basic, very generic, very unimpressive eyeshadow brush. I'm sure there are better brushes at around the same price point. I bought this at a 40% off sale at Shoppers, which is lower than my employee discount.... probably the only reason I picked it up. I can't remember exactly how much it ended up costing - I think between 6-8$, which isn't bad at all. However, obviously, I'd suggest skipping on this when the Quo brushes do go 40% off (about once every one of two months). Anyway, used this brush a few times, but I've lost it now. I'm not going to bother looking for it.
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Eyes -MAC - Paint Pot in Rubenesque
lucenaa 2/15/2009 2:27:00 PM
I love this colour! I can only describe it a gold, coppery-red colour with some bits of shimmer in it. I guess my only gripe would be that the texture is slightly off, with the *shimmer* on the edge of becoming *glitter* (and I hate glitter). But I can forgive it for that, since it's so wonderful under my eyeshadow, and I could even definitely use this as a shadow all by itself :) For reference, I have yellow-undertoned medium skin - you could call me and NC30, though I haven't tried MAC foundations yet.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -MAC - Tahitian Sand Hello Kitty
lucenaa 2/13/2009 11:56:00 PM
I really like this beauty powder! I wasn't quite sure what this was supposed to do, to be honest, but I hoped it would could be used as a setting or a blotting powder for my foundation. While I can't comment on it's oil-controlling capabilities just yet, I find that this powder gives my face a nice, pretty, subtle glow that doesn't look cakey or feel heavy, especially if you just lightly brush it on. However, I can also see myself using this as a highlighter in the summer, when I'm darker, because if you put on a lot, it gives out a more reflective sheen. I was afraid this would look pink on me, since I'm very yellow-undertoned and it looks pinkish in the pan, but it's pretty translucent and sheer. I'm giving it a 4/5 for now until I know how it works for oil-control, but really, it's a 5 :)
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