Eye Shadow -Ben Nye - Toffee
BCbabe 1/21/2013 5:07:00 PM
I only can't buy this again because I believe it's discontinued. It was hard to track down a refill and the newer Ben Nye catalogue doesn't have it. Some websites still have some on stock though. Having said that, it is a rather unique shade. It's a *very* warm caramel brown (literally quite like real toffee or caramel) with some orange undertones, but it's actually quite wearable. Actually, looking at it now, it's quite like a cross between caramel and terra cotta. I bought this sight unseen, based on reviews and color swatches, and wasn't sure what to expect. I'm an NC30(ish) and this doesn't clash with my skin tone, though I might advise an NW against it. It works nicely in the crease with a deeper brown in the outter corner. I tend to find Ben Nye e/s to be very smooth yet a bit powdery. The tradeoff with that is that for mattes, they're incredibly easy to blend and work with.
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Eye Shadow -Ben Nye - Shell
BCbabe 1/21/2013 4:56:00 PM
Shell is like an off white or ivory with a hint of pinky peach. A really nice highlight shade that isn't too white. It is a bit on the sheer side but can be layered and stays all day with a primer. I find Ben Nye matte e/s to be very smooth but a little on the powdery side, but then that makes them very easy to blend. This is quite a universal shade that I would think anyone could wear.
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Bronzers -MAC - Mineralize Skinfinish in Give Me Sun!
BCbabe 1/20/2013 11:44:00 AM
I have a lot of bronzers but I think this is my favorite one yet. Too many of my other bronzers are too shimmery and some of the matte ones can just look too flat. The mineralized bronzers have a subtle glow, like real skin, that make them a little more natural looking. I'm an NC30(ish) and this is a really nice shade. I looks to me like a light natural tan and isn't orangey to my eyes but perhaps it does have a smidgen of peach? I apply with a duo-fibre or skunk brush and it just makes me look healthy and alive. I'm not sure how long this will last but I'm thinking of getting a backup and tossing all those glitter bomb bronzers in the circular file. :)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -TRESemme - Instant Heat Tamer Spray
BCbabe 1/20/2013 11:31:00 AM
I know this gets a lot of love, but I have a hard time feeling it. I bought it due to all the positive reviews, but it really didn't impress me very much (felt like nothing on the hair and doesn't add any softness) and then I took a look at the ingredients. Aqua (water) is the first one! Am I missing something here? I thought water was never supposed to be used on your hair before using any sort of heat tool (water expands, turns into steam under extreme heat, causing little 'bubbles' or breaks in the hair). I now check the ingredients on every "heat styling" product and make sure there is no water in it. The packaging is ok (if you want to save it to use with a "safer" liquid protectant) and it does give a fine mist, but it also feels a bit awkward to hang on to. I have to keep readjusting my hold on it to go all around my head. I'm sticking to my serums...
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Clump Crusher mascara
BCbabe 1/17/2013 10:48:00 PM
Pleasantly surprised. I typically won't buy Cover Girl thanks to the nauseating Noxema smell that a lot of their products have but lately their mascaras have been impressing me. I had to try this because a) Pink was promoting it, b) it claimed to devour clumps and c) It's bright green! No, seriously, it was the brush that had me convinced to try it. I find the CG mascaras with these nylon? rubber? whatever bristles they are, are actually really good at applying mascara. Very few mascaras, no matter who makes them, impress me on the first try, but this one did. At first I worried that the formula was too thick because of how hard it was to pull the wand out of the tube, but it might have been the thickness of the wand/brush itself. It applied the mascara really well and separates the lashes while also making them longer and fuller. I certainly needed less effort to get the look I wanted compares to Lancôme Hypnose. I have to really work that one to get the volume and separation going. So yes, this Clump Crusher is impressive and you can't beat the price.
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Eye Shadow -Ben Nye - Essential Eyeshadow Palette
BCbabe 1/17/2013 10:38:00 PM
The reviews here simply haunted me until I finally bit the bullet and bought this and I've been adoring it ever since. For $45 you get 8 large 36mm sizes shadows in a sturdy magnetized cardboard palette. That's like $5 per shadow plus $5 for the palette. Broken down that way, it's quite a bargain. I find Ben Nye shadows to be smooth, almost buttery and nicely pigmented. They are a smidge powdery but the trade off is that they're so easy to blend. (Face it, some mattes are the devil to blend!) The colour combination here is awesome. Neutral and varied in shades enough that most any skin tone can use them. I'm in love. Ben Nye is a theatrical brand so you'll most likely find it at a theatrical/stage supply store. There are also many stores online like CameraReadyCosmetics (where I got mine) and Naimies, Frends, International Fun Shop to name a few.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Ben Nye - Black Brown Pressed Eye Shadow
BCbabe 1/1/2013 2:06:00 AM
Just as the name suggests, a very deep blackened brown matte eye shadow. Beautiful for lining or for a smokey eye. Ben Nye shadows are smooth, almost creamy, and easy to blend. They also last very well and come in both refill or potted versions for under $10.
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Eye Shadow -Ben Nye - Pressed Eye Shadow (ALL)
BCbabe 1/1/2013 1:58:00 AM
I agree with the reviewer below. I don't understand why these eye shadows don't get more love! They are amazing for the price. Being a professional line, they are generally found in theatrical supply stores, many of which are online as well (Frends, Naimies, CameraReadyCosmetics, Int'l Funshop, just to name a few...) I have a few of these and can't wait to get my hands on more. In general, the "Pressed Eye Shadows" are all matte in both neutrals and brights and come in the larger 36mm size. You can get them in either pots with the black matte rubberized coating or in refill pans and they sell 4, 8 and 12pan palettes. (The Lumiere line consists of the metallics and shimmers). The texture of these are smooth, almost creamy and for mattes are not difficult to blend so they're easy to work with. They're also quite pigmented so these will last a long, long time. At posting, I generally found the pricing to be around $8 for refill pans and $9 for pots though it may vary but that's within the US. (I tend to shop online. I'm sure these are more in Canada, I just haven't had the chance to find out in person. The closest theatrical store to me is a good hour's drive.) Also, I found a great Australian site that has actual pictures, not just colour swatches of the shadows, which can be found here: http://www.scottysmakeup.com.au/Search.html Also, you may not find every shade at every store. I had to shop around a little to get the ones I wanted, but they're worth the effort.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Ben Nye - au naturelle
BCbabe 1/1/2013 1:37:00 AM
Beautiful matte nude shade, particularly for light-medium skintones. Really works to even out the eyelid for an even canvas. The texure is smooth, almost creamy but gives a long wearing matte finish. These eyeshadows from Ben Nye are not only very pigmented, but they are large sized (36mm) so you get a long of bang for your buck, and they come in both pots with a soft matte rubberized coating (around $9) or refill pans (around $8), US pricing.
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Makeup Brushes -Coastal Scents - Black & Hot Pink Angled Kabuki
BCbabe 12/31/2012 11:42:00 AM
I think this may be discontinued as I no longer see it on their site. Otherwise I would have purchased a backup. I had this brush for a couple of years, hidden in a box, before rediscovering it. (Hence the late review). As mentioned below, it's beautiful for finishing powder. I love how the angled shape gives a larger surface for application and encourages outward or downward application. You can't "buff" with this, so it's gentler on dry skin. I also love it for lightly applying MAC Studio Fix or MSF Natural, either by itself or for setting foundation. Very soft and what can I say? I love the hot pink and black. Glad I purchased this!
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Polishes -Orly - Sunglasses at Night
BCbabe 12/8/2012 4:57:00 PM
It's hard not to immediately think of Corey Hart's song "Sunglasses at Night" when seeing the name of this. That might be part of the kitchiness of this thing. Perhaps I'm dating myself... Anyways, I probably would have never thought twice to get this had I not seen a swatch at my beauty supply right beside it. It had been layered over black with a nice shiny topcoat over top. It stopped me dead in my tracks. I'm not normally a bar glitter aficionado but this one enticed me. What I adore about it is that over a black or very dark base, you don't see the outline of the 'hairs' or bars. In other words, it does not look hairy, which I hate. It just looks like glints of rainbow and it's very eye catching. I had to get it. I did a mani with it over Orly Le Chateau (basically black anyways) and it does leave a bit of a bumpy finish so you do need a few extra layers of topcoat to make it really smooth but the results are well worth it. Now it you really want to bump *that* mani up a notch, add a sheer duochrome layer over top (like of the the ChG Bohemian Lustre chromes) and at some angles you barely see the bar glitter but when you move your hand to observe the duochrome, you get the flash of the bar glitter underneath. I guess you could call this a glitter/duochrome sandwich... ;)
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Treatments -Aphogee - Treatment
BCbabe 12/7/2012 12:11:00 AM
I completely agree with every review that says this saved their overly processed highlights (that turned stretchy, gummy, mushy...) As stated by others, this is for *damaged* hair. It's not going to do anything noticeable to average healthy hair. I'd lightened my hair and added highlights and apparently left the solution on too long, and I got those scary stretchy gummy pieces of hair that would break off if you stretched them too much. I already had this on hand just in case, due to the reviews, and if there was ever a time I needed it, it was then. I didn't find my hair got "hard" but it did get stiff but whether I let it dry long enough or not, it completely transformed those damaged highlights. There was a noticeable improvement in the strength and texture of my highlights (but the healthy un-highlighted hair remained the same). The smell was... odd, not pleasant, but not horrible and definitely worth it for the results I got. If you overprocess your hair, you need this.
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Polishes -Orly - Smolder
BCbabe 12/6/2012 10:17:00 PM
Wow! Smolder really does fit this shade well. I adore Orly polishes, from the bottle to the gripper handle to the quick dry formula, etc... and this one is a real winner. Right off the bat, this is a joy to apply. It goes where you want it to and doesn't run into the cuticles. What makes this spectacular is the shade of glowing red. With the first coat, you can see some blue in the mix (like how OPI's Every Month is Oktoberfest applies) but with the 2nd coat it turns into the most gorgeous deep glowing red berry shimmer (that still looks red in every lighting). I got a lot of compliments with this one and it worked well with my skin tone (not all reds do!) Very happy with this one.
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Polishes -Orly - Le Chateau
BCbabe 12/6/2012 10:01:00 PM
I generally love Orly polishes. I love the bottles, the gripper handle, the shine and how fast they dry. Le Chateau has all that BUT it was a pain to apply. It didn't seem thick at first but it seemed to drag and get dry rather fast while applying and it just didn't always go where I wanted it to. I don't know if the formula needed to be thinned but I can't remember the last time I made such a mess painting my nails. I nearly gave up and started over, but persisted and got through it, albeit I had a major cleanup job to do. (How in earth *did* I get polish all over my hands??) I should have added thinner from the start. The colour is an ultra deep teal, bordering on black. The first coat is a bit streaky but you'll see the depth of this blackened peacock shade, but after the 2nd coat you'll basically be looking at a black cream polish. (But then you can tell looking at the bottle that this is a possibility). The end result is rather lovely if you like dark vampy shades (and don't mind if they look black in most light) and it did dry fast with Out the Door topcoat. Just be warned, this might be a problem child when it comes to application.
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Makeup Brushes -Unlisted Brand - LiLique Retractable Powder/Bronzer
BCbabe 12/5/2012 1:51:00 PM
Beautiful, super soft brush. I love retractable kabukis because there's no worry about keeping the bristles in good condition and you can also preload them with bronzer, powder, mineral makeup... and put them in your purse for touchups later on. I love this one for mineral makeup. I find there are two kinds of synthetic bristles out there. Some are more dense while others are fluffier and this one is the fluffier version. Gives a really nice finish and feels so luxurious you just want to pet it. :) These seem to be hard to pin down online but I find them at Winners in Canada (so I assume TJMaxx or Marshalls should have them in the US). They come and go so if you don't find it one time, it might show up the next. I've been spotting them again recently so I'll be grabbing a backup. They also don't take forever to dry. What I do is wash first with Dr. Bronner's Castille soap, rinse thoroughly and dry as much as possible with a paper towel. Then I get a little cup of 99% alcohol and dip the bristles in there, squeeze as much out as I can and again dry with a paper towel. Then I'll take a strip of paper towel and roll the brush in it (to help hold the bristles in place) and tie an elastic around the handle. Lay flat or at an angle with the bristles pointing down to any moisture drips away from the ferrule. The alcohol both disinfects and helps it dry faster.
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