Concealers -Smashbox - Second Skin Long Wear Concealer
DaniDeelish 10/19/2012 8:19:00 AM
****ABOUT MY UNDER EYES**** I have horrible, blue-ish purple hereditary dark circles, but this is my HG under eye concealer! ***PROS**** --This is labeled as a waterproof concealer. I think it is a little more water-resistant rather than waterproof (as it does come off pretty easily when I try to remove it with a makeup wipe or makeup remover), but it is definitely very long lasting! --Has medium-full coverage, IMO, and it is very pigmented! So it will cover pretty much everything. --Has a thin consistency, so it doesn’t look cakey, but still has amazing coverage! --Only need the tiniest bit! I use about ½ of the size of a single grain of rice (that is enough to cover up my dark circles under BOTH of my eyes! --This doesn’t crease, cake or dry out my under eye area nearly as much as any other concealer does! It still does crease a little, EVERY concealer will (it’s impossible for a concealer to be 100% crease-free) but it hardly does at all! --The price is decent. I bought this for around $20, and considering a little goes such a long way, it will last ages! ****CONS**** --Not that many colours available. If you are lighter than an NC15 by MAC, I don’t think you will find a colour option (the lightest colour is around NC15-20 by MAC I think) --Tends to oxidize a little bit (hardly though) ****BOTTOM LINE**** I recommend this to everyone! I will definitely re-purchase it until I find something better (highly unlikely)! I tend to use the light shade in winter, and the medium shade in the summer (I only use concealer under my eyes). LOVE IT!!!! Please never discontinue it smashbox!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Loose Powders -Laura Mercier - Secret Brightening Powder
DaniDeelish 10/19/2012 7:48:00 AM
This is a brightening powder made to set your under eye concealer. ****PROS**** 1. This powder sets your under eye concealer and keeps it on all day 2. A little of this powder goes a VERY long way. Just get a tiny bit on your brush, tap off any access and then apply. Use less than you think you'll need. 3. It does brighten your under eye area. If your concealer is a little too dark, this will lighten it a little and make it brighter 4. This powder doesn't set in to fine lines, dry or cake as much as every other (refer to cons below) 5. Is pretty reasonably priced considering it will lst you a long time! 6. The little jar is handy for traveling and storing 7. Comes in 2 shades; 1 and 2. I have #1 (I am NC15-20 by MAC) 8. One reason I like to use this powder, is to stop my mascara from transfering on to my under eye area. Whenever I put concealer on under my eyes, and then put mascara on, the mascara always leaves black smudges under my eyes (because the oils and moisture in my concealer causes the mascara to smudge). This Laura Mercier Powder stops my mascara from transferring on to my under eye are (not just this powder, any powder will do the trick). ****CONS**** 1. Now, this is still a powder. Even though I said that this 'doesn't set in to fine lines, dry or cake as much as every other powder does', it still does do those things! It's a powder! What is a powder supposed to do, if you think about it? Absorb access oils and moisture, etc. This is still a powder. So it will absorb access moisture under your eye, causing it to dry and crease. Less than other powders, but still. If you think about it, all anti-aging foundations or foundations for mature skin are moisturizing and dewy instead of being drying and oil absorbing, because wrinkles and fine lines are less visible when the skin is moisturized and hydrated rather than dry. So the drier the skin (and any powder including this one will make your skin drier), the more your fine lines will be visible. When I just put this powder on, it looks flawless and creaseless and amazing. As the day goes on, it does crease and dry my under eye area out (I know because I tested this stuff out under one eye but not under the other). This doesn't crease as much because it contains silica I think (which helps it not crease) 2. You can see little shimmer particles in the powder. Some people say that the shimmer in this powder is so finely milled that you can't see the shimmer particles, but you definitely can. If you look closely, under sunlight after you apply this powder, you can see little shimmers. So it's not just a glow, it's shimmer (I would prefer more of just the glow rather than the shimmer particles) 3. This powder is white and contains silica, so be careful not to apply too much under your eyes or it will flash back white (like the makeup forever HD powder, just not as extreme as that one). Only use a tiny bit of this powder! ****APPLICATION TIPS**** 1. I use the brush that Laura Mercier recommends for this (the camouflage powder brush or something). It looks like a mini foundation brush. It's the perfect size and shape for your under eye area 2. While the jar is closed, turn the Jar upside down once (so that powder goes on to the lid). Then turn it the right way, and tap the lid (so that access powder falls back in to the main jar. 3. With your brush (and I do recommend a brush for this), get a tiny bit of powder from the lid (so that you don't get too much). If you have a flat brush (like the laura mercier one), only get powder on ONE side of the brush, not both (I will explain why later) 4. Then tap off any access powder (just tap your brush against the lid a couple of times so that the access powder falls back in to the lid). This will ensure that you don't use too much powder. 5. This is optional, but I also like to pat the brush with the side of the powder a couple of times on the back of my hand (to further get rid of any access powder) 6. When applying this powder, PAT it on. Do not sweep or blend. 7. Start applying it in the area where you have the least amount of fine lines/wrinkles. I recommend starting on the outer corner of your under eye area (part near your temples) You want to apply the least amount of product near your inner corners and around that part of your eye as you want that to be as non cakey and non dry as possible. (when someone looks in to your eyes, they will see the inner part of your eye more than the outer). So start applying on the outer corner and work your way to the inner corners 8. Then I use the other side of the brush (the one without powder) to go over the area to blend it a little and kinda get rid of any access (still patting the brush) This gives the best result for me(and I have tried a lot of ways) ****BOTTOM LINE**** I still gave this powder 4 stars because it works better than any other powder I have ever used under my eyes (I have tried loose powder, translucent powder, pressed powders, powder foundations etc.)Everything looks FAR, FAR worse under my eyes than this does. I'm not stupid, I realize that this is a powder, and despite being made for under your eyes and despite being brightening, it will still do what powders were invented to do. So as far as a powder goes, this does deserve 4 stars in terms of being a great under eye powder! I don't use this stuff too often because I use a waterproof concealer under my eyes, so I don't necessarily need my under eye concealer to last longer. I probably would re-purchase it, just because if I ever switch concealers or need to use a powder under my eyes (maybe if I don’t use such a long wearing concealer), this is the only powder I will ever turn to. I recommend it to anyone who has troubles with their concealer lasting. I think it would work better for people with oily skin rather than dry skin though. If you need an under eye powder, try this. Just keep in mind that it is a powder. Don’t expect a miraculous, hydrating p
12 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -Chanel - Bronze Universel De Chanel Sun Illuminator
DaniDeelish 10/19/2012 3:16:00 AM
I love this product, but it won't work for everyone. It is a cream-to-powder type of bronzer. Kind of has a whipped, mousse like consistency. ****PROS**** --It is a very natural looking bronzer that gives an amazing sun-kissed glow to the face (can be a 'con', see below) --Can be used to contour the face, as a natural eye contour (run it through your eye socket to give you a naturally defined look), as well as a 'makeup base'. Eg: swirl a kabuki (or any brush) into this product, and then work the excess off on the back on your hand. Then work the remaining product on to your face and neck. It will make you look more tanned and, if you don't have problematic skin, you may not even need to use a foundation on top. --I use this product down my neck if my foundation is a little too dark. It gives a beautiful natural tanned look! --I use this product to darken any foundation (for the summer months). I do as I stated before (work a brush in the product), but this time I work all of the product onto the back on my hand. And then when I apply my foundation, I put it on to the back of my hand first (where the bronzer is). This will slightly darken any bronzer and give you a gorgeous glow! Just don't forget to take it down your neck too! --This product lasts on your skin all day, and does not look ashy at all! --This product is not greasy at all, nor is it too heavy to wear in the summer (as it turns to almost a powder consistency when applied to the skin) --Has a slight citrus scent (again, can be a 'con'). Since my skin is not sensitive to scented products, I love the fresh scent that this has! --The jar will last you for years. I used to use this product every day, and have hardly made a dent to it. --Great for dry and oily skinned people because of the mousse like texture ****CONS**** --The colour of this bronzer is a little orange. This comes back to the fact that it's a very natural looking bronzer. If you think about it, a natural tan is more orange based than brown based. That's the look that this bronzer gives you. Now, for people with very pale skin, this will look a little too orange. So I only recommend this for people with medium-tanned skin who want a natural glow (MAC NW20 or higher. Any lighter, and this may look too orange on you) --The jar is huge and is not very practical for storing it or for travel --It does have a slight citrus scent, so if your skin is sensitive to scented products, be careful! --The product doesn't distribute evenly onto the brush. When I rub my brush in this product, some of the brush hairs will get coated in the bronzer, and some don't, which can sometimes make it a little difficult to apply it evenly (although if you blend it, it's fine) --It's expensive, obviously, since it's Chanel. ****BOTTOM LINE**** I recommend this product to anyone who wants a natural sun kissed glow (keep in mind that a 'natural sun kissed glow' is a little on the orange side). This is an investment, but the jar will last you for years so you will definitely get your money's worth. I don't recommend it to people who are fair skinned though. I only tend to use this bronzer in the summer, as in the winter I am around an NC15 by MAC, and as I mentioned above, this bronzer looks a little too orange on light skinned people. But gorgeous and natural in the summer, looks like you've been out in the sun all day! I will repurchase because of how multi purpose this product is!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Loose Powders -MAC - Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Honey Rose
DaniDeelish 10/18/2012 9:44:00 AM
I bought this after playing around with it in the store. I have mixed feelings about it.. ****CONS**** --Comes in a pretty big, obnoxious box. Not good for traveling and kind of hard to store. --Don't really like that it's loose powder, can sometimes get a little messy. --It tends to be very glittery on my skin. It's fun for a night out or when you want to play up your makeup, but for everyday, it's not very practical and very obvious looking, which is fine if that's your thing, it's just not really mine. --The glitter/shimmer also never tends to stay on my cheek bones. It tends to fall onto my cheeks straight after I apply it, which defeats the whole purpose of highlighting in the first place, since I end up with glitter on both of my cheek bones and actual cheeks - just too much glitter! --Now, about the "magically cool liquid powder", it's more of a novelty. Don't get this product if you're only getting it for that. It was cold feeling when I applied it when I just got this product, but as time went on it stopped being very cool to the touch (you have to apply a HUGE amount of it now to get that cold sensation, which would be too much and you would look like a disco ball and too powdery). Mind you, I've had this for about a year, so maybe it's just one of those products that stops working as time goes on (the magically cool liquid part stopped working anyway) --Very expensive in Australia (over $50 from what I can remember - sorry I CBF checking) ****PROS**** --The colour itself is gorgeous, gives a beautiful glow. Unfortunately it looks more like glow on my hand and glitter on my face (like I mentioned before) --Can use it multiple ways. I use it on my eyes/cupids bow sometimes too --Gives a really pretty tanned glow. Idk how it does it, but whenever I wear this product I look more tanned lol. From far away it looks like a glow but up close it looks more like glitter. --Has a lot of product and will last you a long time --Was limited addition but I think is now part of the permanent line ****BOTTOM LINE**** I don't think I will repurchase this if I ever run out of it (which I doubt I will). There are many better highlighters out there, and I bought this a lot for the novelty 'magically cool liquid powder' reason, which now it doesn't even do that really. It looks too chunky for my liking as well, but to each their own.
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Liquid -Rimmel - Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation
DaniDeelish 10/18/2012 9:15:00 AM
****ABOUT MY SKIN**** -I have normal-dry skin. Dry around my chin, nose and mouth, pretty much normal everywhere else. -I don’t really have acne (just a few acne scars), but I have horrible hyper-pigmentation and redness on my cheeks (which requires a medium-full coverage foundation to cover it up). ****CONS**** --I hate the packaging! Too much always comes out! After I squeeze out how much I need, it kind of bubbles over and more keeps on coming out! Very wasteful! --Transfers a little bit. Nothing major, but it does a little. --Does oxidize a little. I don't notice it too much on my face (cause I put it down my neck too, so either way it looks the same colour), but I first apply the foundation to the back on my hand and then blend it over my face. When I just put the foundation on its pretty good colour match, then in about 30 minutes it's quite a lot darker than my hand. Idk if it gets darker when its dry, or if it's oxidation, but I suggest getting 1 shade lighter than u think ull need. --Shade selection isn't the best. I have the lightest shade (Ivory 100), and it's a tad too dark for me when it dries (I'd say it's about an NC20 by MAC, I'm about an NW15). So if you have very fair skin (NW15 of lighter), you won't find a colour match in this foundation. I suggest wearing some sort of primer with this foundation to help it not oxidize as much! --Tends to not cover up blemishes for long. Mind you, it stays put on the rest of my face all day, just not my blemishes. When I look in the mirror at the end of the day I can always see the redness in the blemish peaking through. So I would suggest accompanying this foundation with a concealer only where needed --Doesn't have any SPF, so if you do wear this outside, make sure you wear a sunscreen, moisturizer or primer with SPF in it (at least SPF 15-30). Even though many people think this is a negative, I actually use it as a positive (see below) --The colour in the tube looks darker than the actual colour of the foundation is. So don't judge the foundation based on what you see in the tube, it's very misleading! ****PROS**** --Lasts all day until I remove it at night. Not sure if it's quite 25 hour (I never need to wear my foundation that long), but it definitely lasts a good 15 IMO. Of course it doesn't look absolutely flawless at the end of those 15 hours, but it will still be there and pretty decent looking, considering. --Provides medium-full coverage, so it will cover basically anything you need to cover. Now I have very hyper-pigmented cheeks, and after a layer of this the redness does peek through a little, but nothing major. --Doesn't look cakey. I usually apply 1 relatively thick layer of this with my fingers, then blend it out with a damp beauty blender sponge (to thin it out a little and make sure everything is blended). Then, anywhere I need more coverage I use the beauty blender to apply it so that it doesn't look cakey. That's how I apply all of my foundations, and it looks flawless that way with most! --Is fairly hydrating. It's not the most hydrating foundation on the market, but it definitely hydrated fairly well. Doesn't cause flakes on my dry spots (I have normal-dry skin). I think this is a great foundation for those who have normal, dry or combo skin. Maybe not the best for oily skin, but for the price it's worth a shot! --Doesn't have any SPF (can be a negative). I like foundations without SPF because I can use them when I go out. Now mind you, I'm 19, so I go out clubbing and to bars a LOT (18 is the legal age here, so no one give me sh*t for that), and my friends and I always take photos. This foundation looks great in photos (as it doesn't have any SPF so it doesn't flash back). If I decide to wear this foundation on a regular day, I would wear a sunscreen/ a moisturiser with at least SPF 30 underneath it to make up for the lack of SPF in this foundation). But this is a wonderful 'special event/going out/taking photos' foundation! --Withstands sweat and heat! Like I mentioned above, I go out clubbing a lot. And of course you dance a lot, so you sweat. And Australia is a hot country! And this foundation withstands both the sweat and the heat! Of course it won't look absolutely perfect after a whole day of sweating/clubbing, but it will still be there and look fairly decent. When I look at my face in the mirror when I come home from clubbing at like 5-6 AM, my foundation is still all on (not perfect, but it's still there). And also, this may be TMI, but this foundation is great for shagging! Stays put throughout the act, it's great ;) --I find this foundation easy to blend, even though it does have a slightly thicker consistency (which doesn't bother me in the slightest-I'm used to wearing thick foundations) I know some people disagree with that, but I think it's true! It blends out perfectly and easily both with my fingers and with the sponge! --Even though this foundation is slightly thicker than most liquid foundations, it doesn't feel heavy on the skin which I love! It looks like skin, and dries to a kinda satin finish (not dewy, but not matte. The perfect middle IMO). --Great price (as it is drugstore), even for Australian prices (it's cheaper than any Maybelline/Revlon/most drugstore foundations in the drugstore here) --Doesn't have a strong scent if any, so it shouldn't irritate those who have sensitive skin to fragranced cosmetics ****BOTTOM LINE**** I would 100% repurchase this, in fact I already have a backup. I would rate it 4.5/5, but since that's not an option I thought it was closer for me to a 5 than a 4! I recommend everyone try it,
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Laura Mercier - Silk Creme Foundation
DaniDeelish 10/18/2012 5:53:00 AM
I got sucked into the 'youtube hype' for this product. And I hate it so much. Out of all of the makeup products I have ever bought (and I buy a lot, I have a little problem) this probably is one of, if not the worst product I have bought. I had such high hopes for this stuff! PROS: *Looks amazing when first applied! *Coverage is medium-full, so it covers pretty much everything *Comes in a wide range of colours (the lightest of which would suit an NC 10-15 in MAC) *Squeezy tube is sanitary and lets you control how much product comes out CONS: *Within 30 minutes of applying this product (mind you, I wasn't doing anything straneous of physical during those 30 minutes) my skin looked; -Cakey! Omg, I've never seen anything this cakey in my life! I applied it with my fingers and then blended it out with a damp beauty blender (which never makes any other foundation look cakey) This looked horrid! Like I've been exercising for 2 hours straight! Disgusting! -Patchy. It started coming off in some sections of my face. I could see all of my cheek redness after only 30 minutes. Looked similar to how a very cheap foundation looks after you sweat in it a lot -Dry. This foundation is supposed to be "hydrating", as it says on the back! Oh no! It cracked and accentuated dry patches on my skin like no other! -Set into my fine lines. Keep in mind, I'm 19, so I don't have wrinkles. But this managed to find every fine line (smile lines, crows feat, tiny forehead lines) on my face and accentuate them. Definitely don't recommend to to anyone with aging skin. -Sinked into my pores. Just looked gross in general. *Has a VERY strong scent! Smells like a mixture between something sweet and nail polish! If your skin is sensitive to scented products, STAY CLEAR OF THIS! *The colour was too light for me, which is not the foundation's fault, but I thought I would mention it anyway. I got the lightest shade, which would suit around NC 10-15 by MAC (I'm NC 15-20) *Was expensive. I paid around $45 for this (although I think its a few $ less on the LM site). I bought it off ebay cause we don't have LM in Australia, so I can't return it. *No matter how I tried to work with this (with primer, without primer, different moisturisers, different methods of application, powder and no powder), nothing worked. Still looked horrible and cakey withing the hour! Rediculous! I don't understand how anyone can love this! And I had perfect skin for this (dry-its supposed to be hydrating, I need full coverage with long lasting, I don't have heavy wrinkles of acne), but yet it still looked horrid Maybe I'm using it wrong (although I have tried EVERY way to make it work). I would love to know how to make this stuff work, as I can't return it, but I just don't know how! Will never repurchase, most disappointing makeup product ever! Really sad about it
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Posietint
DaniDeelish 10/18/2012 5:20:00 AM
Not a fan of this product at all. I seem to have the same problem with all of the BeneFit 'tints' and 'beams' I have tried. This product disappointed me the most because the colour was just so pretty! PROS * Colour is gorgeous * Packaging is nice and easy to use with a nail polish-like applicator * Good for travelling and touch ups as you can use your fingers (don't have to use a brush) *Multi-purpose. Can be used on cheeks and on the lips *Very long lasting and hydrating on the skin *Gives you a nice, natural flush *Will last you a long time CONS: *Impossible to blend out! This goes back to the point I made about this being very long lasting. It sets almost immediately, which is good cause it makes it last long, but makes it such a pain to blend. Eg: I dot this on one of my cheeks, and by the time I close the bottle, which takes all of 3 seconds, the tint has set, meaning when I try to blend it out, it leaves dots (where I dotted it in the 1st place) Those dots never blend out and are clearly darker and more visible then the rest of the tint (looks very patchy on the skin, horrible!) Even if I blend immediately after applying it to my skin, it's still patchy. Nothing I have tried to make it look even has worked! *Colour is so sheer (I understand that it's a tint), but it takes so much of this product for it to look like anything really on my skin, and I'm an NC20 by MAC. *I don't think this will show up on anyone with deep skintones *Sticky while you're trying to blend it (although when it dries it's no longer sticky, it's kind of annoying to blend it with your fingers and doesn't feel nice) *Very expensive in Australia (over $50) Even though I listed more pros than cons, the cons outweigh the pros for me. The fact that it turns out patchy and splotchy on my skin, even if I blend it in lightening fast speed, outweighs ANY pros that this product has. Cheeks with patchy, splotchy blush look horrible! Definitely won't repurchase! I can't imagine how anyone would be able to use this, maybe just on your lips. I think a lot of people who love this product, if they step out and look at their face in the sunlight, will notice the patchiness. Gave it 2 lippies for the pros, mainly the colour as it is gorgeous!
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Treatments -Chanel - Hydra Beauty Sérum (new 2011)
DaniDeelish 2/13/2012 11:39:00 PM
Little background of my skin; I am 18 years old and have generally normal skin, with dry patches on my chin, nose and under eye area. I have hyper-pigmentation on my cheeks, but hardly ever break out. I got a sample of this product when I purchased the Chanel Bronze Universel (which is my new HG bronzer btw), so I decided to try the Chanel Hydra Beauty Serum out today. This was the first thing I put on my face with my fingers (thin layer all over including my under eye area). I then waited for it to absorb and followed through with my Aveno Ultra Calming daily moisturizer, then a primer. The main areas I want to see results from this Chanel product is on my chin, nose and under eye area as those are the dry places of my face. I followed through with MAC face/body foundation, then Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation. I usually only use the Estee Lauder where I need more coverage (cheeks, nose and chin), but it always dries my skin out. The reason I still use it is because it is the most long lasting foundation I have found, and with other foundations that claim to be long lasting, I always find something else wrong with them. I also use Benefit's erase paste under my eyes as I have horrid genetic dark circles. It is the only concealer I have found that covers up my dark circles, but always creases so badly and gets dry when set with powder (and If i dont set it with powder it will slide right off). I set everything with my MAC msf natural. It's been about an hour since I did my face makeup, and I must say, Im so happy! Overwhelmed! My chin hasn't cracked or gotten the least bit dry, it looks perfect! My nose isn't dry either, and to my biggest disbelief, my benefit erase paste has not creased one bit under my eyes (It ALWAYS creases like a nightmare, but not even a little now). I will report back at the end of the day, but already I want to go out and buy a full size because I am so happy with it. I definitely recommend it for everyone with dry skin. Oily skin people maybe stay away from it. My new HG product. Will definitely repurchase, despite it being so expensive.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No