Polishes -Wet 'n' Wild - Wild Shine - Kaleidoscope
Muuttaa 4/11/2009 12:42:00 AM
Kaleidoscope is a sparkly silver multicolor glitter nail polish. You get a lot of flash with this polish for a very low price (99 cents). I'll admit this was an impulse buy, but it single-handedly got me back into wearing nail polish after being on a "natural nails" kick for a long time. I saw the pretty silver sparkles (oooh shiny!) and knew I had to get it, since when I wear polish, it's always a glitter polish.
After preparing my nails with a sanding block, I apply 2 coats, and the result is fabulously glittery. It stays put, unchipped for weeks on end. Although this glitter polish doesn't chip easily, it's not tough to remove like some glitter polishes (I'm looking at you, NYC Starry Silver Glitter!) A bit of rubbing with a cotton ball and acetone is all you need to get every speck of glitter off your nails in just a few minutes.
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - HIP Pure Pigment Shadow Stick
Muuttaa 4/6/2009 3:07:00 AM
It seems I'm one of the very few people who actually likes this shadow stick. I hadn't noticed it before I picked it up on sale for $2.50 at Long's. I have it in Captivating, which is a reddish, purplish matte pink. I can never have enough dark pinks, so I just had to get it.
The package reads, "To use: apply dry to contour and define your eyes with rich color." As long as you use it as a contour stick as directed on the packaging, you won't be disappointed. I apply it with a shadow brush in my crease and to line my lower lid (while putting a lighter pink on my upper lid). For a subtle look, put it on dry. For bright intense color, dampen or wet the brush, then apply. The color payoff is wonderful, and blends very well with my extensive pink shadow collection.
I took one lippie off because the packaging is indeed cheap and terrible.
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Liquid -Lancome - Teint Idole ULTRA [DISCONTINUED]
Muuttaa 4/4/2009 12:48:00 AM
I admit that I tend to do reviews on products that are remarkable in some way, good or bad. Many products I'm indifferent about and don't care much about writing a review about. Many, many high-end foundations fall into this category. Teint Idole is one of those products.
It was mediocre at best. Average coverage, runny texture, not too difficult to apply or blend, didn't break me out too bad, only took 4 hours to completely separate and melt off my face. I only used 1/2 the bottle before I tossed it. Overall, it was meh.
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Treatments (Eye) -Garnier - Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Eye Cream
Muuttaa 4/4/2009 12:27:00 AM
I was skeptical to be sure, but I have to say that this eye cream actually works. I've developed some fine lines under my eyes, and they have very noticeably lessened after using this, and the skin under my eyes is also much firmer. It blends very well with my concealer, and doesn't irritate my super-sensitive eyes. It comes in a cute little glass jar too; I love it :-)
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Moisturizers -Aveeno - Ultra-Calming Night Cream
Muuttaa 3/5/2009 8:05:00 PM
The texture is nice and creamy, and it does feel cool and calming when you're smoothing it on your face. Beyond those, I see no redeeming value. It smells terrible. Horrible, even. Thankfully the smell dissipates rapidly and doesn't linger. If you have sensitive eyes like I do, keep this stuff far, far away from your eyes, because it burns. After it sinks into your skin, *poof* it's gone as if you didn't put on any moisturizer at all. I used it for about a month, and then gave up on it and tossed it in the trash.
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Eye Makeup Remover -Maybelline - Expert Eyes Moisturizing Remover for waterproof Eye Makeup
Muuttaa 2/27/2009 7:04:00 PM
This remover lacks the ability to remove. It smears more than removes, and leaves an oily mess behind to boot. Not only does it take several minutes of furious rubbing with a cotton ball to remove waterproof eye makeup, but the resulting oil slick irritated my eyes and inflamed the delicate skin around my eyes something fierce.
I thought maybe this reaction was due to the waterproof mascara I was using at the time, but oh no, even on washable mascaras my eyes hated it. In the trash it went after just 2 uses.
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Eye Makeup Remover -Maybelline - Expert Eyes 100% Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover
Muuttaa 2/27/2009 6:49:00 PM
This makeup remover does a fine job removing all sorts of washable eyeliners, mascaras, and eye shadows. It is gentle on my super-sensitive eyes, and doesn't leave any residue behind. Saturate a small cotton ball, and rub it all over your eyes. In just a few seconds, and with little or no effort, 99% of your eye makeup will be stuck to the cotton ball. I usually use a second cotton ball to wipe off the leftovers.
Lancome's Bi-Facil and Neutrogena's Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover are better (because no extra wiping up step is needed with those), but I always keep this bottle around as a backup anyway.
If you want the impossible to remove oil slick version in the pink bottle (that many ladies here seem to be reviewing by mistake), check out the horribleness of "Maybelline Expert Eyes Moisturizing Remover for Waterproof Eye Makeup."
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Pressed Powders -Cover Girl - TruBlend Pressed Powder
Muuttaa 2/26/2009 7:23:00 PM
Used as a powder foundation, alone on bare skin, this power is fabulous. It gives light coverage that controls the oil slick on my face for many hours. If used as a blotting powder or a touch-up powder over another foundation, the results are a cakey smeared mess.
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Eyeliner -L'Oreal - HiP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner
Muuttaa 2/15/2009 11:25:00 PM
Based on the positive reviews here at MUA, I decided to try this for tightlining my upper lashes. I used my trusty slanted liner brush, and lined both eyes. It has a thick cakey consistency, is easy to work with, and although it wasn't difficult to put on, it went on very sticky. As it dried, it started flaking immediately, which is a product killer for my sensitive eyes. Perhaps the product is old and dried out, but I will not repurchase just to test this theory.
EDIT: I've tried to use this a few more times since I wrote this review to see if I was making an error in applying it, and the results are the same: black flakes everywhere, resulting in irritated red unhappy eyes.
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Eyeliner -L'Oreal - Carbon Black Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner
Muuttaa 1/28/2009 7:03:00 PM
I purchased this eyeliner for tightlining my upper lashes.
Applying it is easy, quick, and precise. The long applicator tip made working the liner in between my upper lashes a breeze. It also leaves a very dark black line. However, just a few minutes after application, this liner flaked on my upper and lower lids, under my eyes, and all over my lower face. A day later, I'm still trying to get all of this product out of my eyes. It didn't sting or hurt my sensitive eyes though, so I think its flakiness is just a consequence of the eye cream I use.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Luxe Black Royale
Muuttaa 1/28/2009 4:22:00 PM
When my lashes need more "oomph" for a nighttime look, Lash Blast Luxe fits the bill nicely. I was a little worried when I pulled out the brush for the first time that the product color was silvery blue. My concern faded when I applied it and it was very dark black and only slightly bluish, and shiny too. It doesn't flake nor irritate my eyes, so this is a win for me. I took off one lippy because it clumps a bit and needs a very thorough combing after application.
Edit 02/07/09: So after a bit of use and experimentation, I'm adding the 5th lippie to my review. I find that if I comb my lashes before I apply, it doesn't clump at all and also doesn't require any combing after application. I have thick blonde lashes, and am used to thinner mascara wands combing them out for me.
Also, one day I was in a hurry and forgot to remove my mascara before I worked out. Lash Blast didn't flake, run, or budge at all, yet it comes off easily with face cloths.
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Powder -L'Oreal - Bare Naturale Powdered Mineral Foundation
Muuttaa 1/12/2009 10:50:00 PM
I bought this mineral foundation in Light Ivory, as I was waiting for my Everyday Minerals to arrive in the mail. It is a very fine, light powder, much finer than EM is, and I can see that this is why many reviewers have noted that the powder gets everywhere. It has good, buildable coverage, and is surprisingly easy to apply for such a light fluffy powder.
Here I'll share my tricks for preventing this super fine mineral powder from getting everywhere.
1. Open the packaging very carefully.
2. Lay a facial tissue flat on your clean and dry makeup table/bathroom counter.
3. Gently tap a small amount of powder on to the facial tissue.
4. Tap your favorite kabuki or powder brush into the powder on the tissue.
5. Tap the brush with your finger over the tissue to remove loose, excess powder.
6. Apply the powder in a circular motion to your face with your kabuki/powder brush.
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Skincare - Face -Pro Activ - 3-Step System
Muuttaa 9/16/2008 6:22:00 PM
I've tried so many acne systems that I'd given up hope. Knowing about the many good and bad reviews of this kit beforehand, I decided to give it a go anyway, hoping to be delightfully surprised by a product that finally works. After one month of use, my skin was dry, flaky and red, and had the same amount of blemishes as I had before I started using it. Also it seemed that my blemishes took longer to heal while using this. Sadly, Proactiv is just like all the other another acne systems. Save your money and buy drugstore brands instead.
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Concealers -TheBalm - Time Balm
Muuttaa 7/26/2008 5:09:00 PM
I've been on a concealer kick lately because the skin on my nose and chin laughes heartily at any concealer. With a mind of its own, my skin burns off most concealers in just a few hours. So, I'm constantly searching for new concealers to try that my skin won't hate. TheBalm's TimeBalm Concealer has been on my list to try for a while.
I bought this from Sephora for $17 in Lighter than Light. It's very smooth and creamy, and a tiny bit goes a long way. The color matches well, and is easy to blend, but it does take a bit of blending work to get it to look good. It will also look shiny/cakey before powder is applied, but after powder, it disappears completely along with all the flaws! No more dark circles or fine lines!
The other good news is that my skin seems to be happy with this concealer, so it actually doesn't burn off. I haven't had to ever reapply it during the day (yet, crosses fingers), but it does need to re-blended after about 6 hours of wear, which isn't a big deal, since I tend to touch up my makeup at least once a day anyway. This is an excellent concealer when used with liquid foundation, and is worth picking up if your skin hates concealer too.
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Makeup Brushes -Everyday Minerals - Long handled Kabuki
Muuttaa 7/23/2008 6:47:00 PM
The softest brush I own, by far. As a comparison to another popular kabuki, the BE kabuki is rough, irritating, and sheds horribly. This EM kabuki is amazingly soft, dense, doesn't shed, doesn't irritate my skin, and gives flawless coverage. Honestly I use it for so many things, powder over liquid makeup, EM makeup, blush, bronzer, whatever! I need to buy another one :-)
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