Mascara -Wet 'n' Wild - Mega Plump Mascara
BonChicBonGenre 3/3/2012 5:51:00 PM
I found this mascara to be really thick and clumpy, and very difficult to work with. Once I got my lashes all combed out they were very thick, but it was difficult to get them to that point as the formula was clumpy and flaky. I've discovered (thanks to Laura Mercier Full Blown) that thickening mascara gives me great results so I thought I'd give this a try. I had used WnW Mega Length mascara (2 tubes of it) which is much better compared to this. This one really doesn't work.
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Lipstick -Laura Mercier - Discretion
BonChicBonGenre 2/18/2012 2:44:00 PM
I got a sample of this free with purchase and have been wearing the sample for a year...! I am an Asian NC25-30 and even slightly warm colors have a tendency to just turn orange on me, and this does as well. It's a peach/nude that I think would look really great on Tami Taylor from Friday Night Lights and, as others have mentioned, Jennifer Aniston and the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton. I feel torn about the color because in my opinion it looks slightly orange on me, but whenever I ask my husband what he thinks of it (and I've asked multiple times) his response is always, "That looks *really* good! You should wear that more often!" I don't know if he means this color in particular or just more nude colors in general. So I think it's one of those things where I'm more critical of it on myself than I might otherwise be. But I do think it's one of these colors that's pretty forgiving, so that even if it doesn't looks *quite* right, it looks good enough. Texture-wise, it's a dream. It goes on in a thin application that feels like a nice, hydrating balm. I like it so much that I'm considering buying the full size or the shade Audrey which might be better suited to my skin tone.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Smashbox - Studio Skin 15 Hour Wear Fdt.
BonChicBonGenre 1/19/2012 9:31:00 PM
I've had this for several months now and am really happy with it. The pump is of course fantastic. For heavier coverage, it's as simple as putting on more foundation and blending it in. For lighter coverage I use a damp sponge. have large pores, am oily, and have acne and acne scars and this helps cover it all up. I also love that it is so yellow. I'm an Asian NC30 and wear 2.1, I believe, and it looks great. Set with LM Mineral Finishing and I'm good to go.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -Wet 'n' Wild - Ultimate Sheer Tinted Moisturizer - Natural
BonChicBonGenre 1/19/2012 8:57:00 PM
I've had such great experiences with WnW, this got love on the board, and it's so cheap, that I had to give it a try. Unfortunately this just didn't work. This was the closest color match for me (NC30) but is far too beige. When I try to correct the color by buffing a little bit of yellow from Alima, it helps, but then the overall effect is cakier than I want. If my natural skin tone was beiger, it might have worked. Its worst crime, though, is the cheap foundation smell (the smell gives me memories of this awful Cover Girl foundation I bought in junior high). It has a nice texture, pretty good coverage, and when set properly it stays on just fine.
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Powder -Wet 'n' Wild - 100% Natural pressed powder
BonChicBonGenre 1/18/2012 9:59:00 PM
I bought this stuff in a pinch and by mistake when I traveled and forgot setting powder. Thankfully, it works marvelously (marvelously!) as powder foundation. Seriously. This powder foundation is at least as nice as MAC Studio Fix and Shiseido Powder Foundation. It helps a lot that the color I chose (Bare) matches my skin pretty well. I buff it in with my EDM long handled kabuki and it blends in seamlessly, covering acne, acne scars, and evening out my skin tone. And then it stays on for at least as long as MAC, Shiseido, or EDM . Love it and will buy it again!
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Lipstick -Wet 'n' Wild - Bare it All 902C
BonChicBonGenre 1/18/2012 9:03:00 PM
(Asian NC30 for reference.) A lovely thick, matte, beige lipstick. The packaging is terrible. I've owned this for a year and the stick seems a little loose; the smudges on top of the clear cap don't help. But I dot it on, blot, powder, and dot on again. Sometimes I wear with WnW 666 to pink it up, make it less nudey beige.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Queen Helene - Mint Julep Masque
BonChicBonGenre 1/12/2012 10:53:00 PM
I used to think this mask was just good for the feeling of pampering yourself, but I've been using it more regularly for the past two years - a few times a week - and now I think it's a really effective product, especially for the money. One of the active ingredients is sulphur, an effective acne fighter. After two rounds of Accutane, I still have acne-prone skin that now seems most responsive to changes in diet and climate. One of the ways that I combat an acne flare up is with this mask. It actually shrinks existing pimples and shortens their life span. Sometimes I apply a dab directly on to an active zit and find the next day that it is less angry and it goes away faster, in general. But more often I slather this generously all over my face and leave it on for well over 30 minutes, giving it time to completely dry and giving the sulphur a chance to do its magic. The mask is clay and as it dries, it constricts. When it constricts, it sucks the oil right out of your pores. It's so satisfying looking in the mirror and seeing the dots of oil that the mask has sucked up. I've considered spending quite a bit more on the DDF Sulphur mask and maybe someday I will. But in the meantime QHMJM is good enough for me.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Tarte - LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Stain in Envy
BonChicBonGenre 11/12/2011 12:24:00 PM
***HG.*** Asian NC30 and this is a MLBB for me, which surprised the SA because she thought it would be too dark. But the end result is a slightly darker version of my lip color, evened out and more polished looking. Ever since I got it I have been wearing it everyday with everything. I apply it straight to my dry lips first by lining and then by filling in. It goes on slick and has a minty smell and feel, but then it seems to freeze and dry, a similar effect that the Revlon ColorStay lipsticks have, but you can still move it around a little bit so it is less drying. And then it wears for a few hours, which I think it impressive. An hour later and it is still there. Two hours later and just a bit has worn off. Three hours later and there is still pigment - I could touch up if I felt like but don't have to. You get the picture. I'm going to look into other colors and see if I have a few more color options.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -Wet 'n' Wild - Color Icon Bronzer Princess
BonChicBonGenre 9/25/2011 7:17:00 PM
I came back from Mexico this year with a gorgeous tan and a million compliments for it (despite wearing and reapplying sunscreen and sitting underneath an umbrella!). It started to fade really quickly and I liked hearing those compliments, and I figured this was cheap enough to just try. It's very dark in the pan and very pigmented so you have to be very careful. I dab just the end of MAC 134 into it and sweep it back and forth over my forehead, re-dip and then sweep up and down on my cheekbones, and then blend over and over again over my temples. (Blending, blending, blending!) Then, I re-dip and dust my nose. A little shimmery blush and voila! Tan and healthy.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Tweezerman - Metal Eye Lash Comb
BonChicBonGenre 9/25/2011 3:55:00 PM
I bought this years ago and had to retire it because I actually couldn't get it through my freshly macara'ed lashes AND I stabbed my finger but good with the damn thing. But I recently found myself without any old spools sitting around to comb out clumps and I pulled this old thing out. Then I was inspired. As I was cleaning the dried old mascara out of the teeth, I pulled some of the teeth out so that there is more space between them. For me, this makes this comb useable. The teeth actually go *through* my lashes, separating them from each other and removing clumps. But yes, I still have to be careful! *******EDIT********That's it. I accidentally poked my lash line with this little MF and then a bump formed, and the next day all of my lashed in that spot were gone. Oddly, they regrew but then fell out again. It's been 6 months. I knew I had to be careful, but accidents still happen.
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Mascara -Wet 'n' Wild - Mega Length Mascara
BonChicBonGenre 9/25/2011 3:47:00 PM
I bought this again after my little sample of LM Full Blown is finally getting gross. Given its price, I think it's a great "stop-gap" measure until I figure out what my next mascara move will be, and it may turn out that this stuff is it for me, after all. This mascara is really good. It comes with a little rubber wand, which I have found separates my lashes, and it applies a little bit thinly but still does the job. I have thin, stick straight, Asian lashes and I don't have any delusions of getting a single everyday mascara that will give me gorgeous fringe, but this adds a little length and a little separation. I curl my lashes, apply a coat of this, separate with Tweezerman comb, and then curl again. Done.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Revlon - Colorstay Eyeliner-Black
BonChicBonGenre 9/25/2011 3:41:00 PM
I wore this for years before upgrading to MAC fluidline. When I needed a liner for the gym I bought this to keep in my locker, not wanting to buy a second fluidline. After using fluidline and other pencil liners, I'm not in love with this eyeliner at all. It is *very* difficult to apply - it skips and tugs and goes on faintly unless you press kind of hard (which you don't want to do on your lashline). After a few months of me skipping the gym (woops), it is almost completely dry and won't apply, even after I've rubbed at it a bit.
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Eyeliner -Ulta - Automatic eyeliner in Teal Blue
BonChicBonGenre 9/25/2011 3:38:00 PM
ULTA was having a 2-for-1 sale so I bought this as my second (the other was charcoal gray). This is truly a lovely color and a pretty good eyeliner. It's "automatic" so there is no sharpening, and when paired with UDPP or TFSI it stays on all day on the upper lashline (it does smudge on my lower lashline, without UDPP or TFSI). I either tightline this or put a very thin line above Blacktrack. It's just enough of a flirt with color to make my brown eyes pop - a dark blue green that can be worn year round.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -AcneFree - Acne and Blackhead Terminator
BonChicBonGenre 9/25/2011 3:31:00 PM
I bought this after I started seeing results from using a free sample of PC 5% BP product. I got a really crazy break out, concentrated on my chin, when I came home from vacation. My typical system wasn't working so I tried the PC 5%. When I started seeing results, I didn't want to wait to order it online, so I went to see what Walgreen's had to offer. This stuff is *so much* better than PC! It's an odd gel/cream consistency that is thick and absorbs very quickly. It was as effective as PC at getting rid of the breakout all over my face, and all I have left is one stubborn spot on one side of my chin. Best yet, it was about $5 on sale. The only ding on this is true of all BP products - it bleaches. I'm very careful with rinsing my hands after application and rubbing on an old towel that I don't care about, but I still somehow managed to bleach our brand new Elie Tahari hand towels in the guest bathroom. :(
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Cleansers -Clarisonic - Gentle Hydro Cleanser
BonChicBonGenre 9/25/2011 3:26:00 PM
I like this stuff so much I'm considering buying it separately now that I'm running low. It came with my Clarisonic that I got for Christmas last year and I am almost running out. I actually don't use it with my Clarisonic at all; I use as a cream cleanser in the morning to get rid of the night guk that accumulates on my acne-prone, oily skin at night. It smells like cucumber - not cucumber perfume but actual cucumber (I'm not in love with the smell). Most cream cleansers seem to kind of move the oiliness around on my face and then is rinsed off. But something about the product gives it an astringent quality, almost. It makes me feel like it's really cutting *through* the oil and getting my face clean, more like a foaming cleanser than cream cleanser. And unlike other cream cleansers, this rinses off completely. It really works while being gentle!
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