Cleansers -Burt's Bees - Radiance Facial Cleanser
elizabethmariecorbin 7/22/2011 10:05:00 AM
I've been using this cleanser for two weeks and can say that it's just okay. The jojoba beads do not exfoliate because there are very few of them--just a few in each pump--and they are too large. I do like that there is fruit acid as this has greatly helped to soften my skin. Because the weather is currently so hot, I've had breakouts and this cleanser neither helps the problem nor makes it worse. Unless you use a cloth or such during cleansing, you'll probably still have makeup still clinging to your face. Like many other reviewers here, I also previously used the Purity cleanser but was disappointed by the ironic lack of purity in the ingredients. The Radiance cleanser is much better in terms of natural ingredients.....except that it includes a fragrance which Burt's Bees admits may include synthetic fragrances and you can tell by the smell that this is the case. If you already use synthetic fragrances, this probably isn't a problem for you unless you just don't like the scent. But, if you are a person who knows how bad synthetic fragrances are, this will bother you. I really don't mind if a product has high fragrance as long as it's not repulsive and I know it's natural. It's really too bad, because Burt's Bees could have easily left an added fragrance out of the cleanser. It's exactly the same fragrance as in the Radiance Body Lotion. Boo. UPDATE: The fragrance in this product did bad things to my skin. I've now been using honey as my cleanser for about two weeks and my skin has cleared up and calmed down.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Cure - Natural Aqua Gel
elizabethmariecorbin 2/8/2011 12:05:00 AM
I have such such dry skin and my college in located in the driest and windiest area I have ever been. With that said, winters on campus are horrible for my skin and it becomes dry and flaky even though I use natural moisturizers multiple times a day. I received two sample packs as extras from a gracious swapper and found that I love this! I used about 1/4 of a pack and it covered my entire face and some various problem areas. As soon as it touched my skin it began to ball up because I guess that's just how dry my skin is. Once I started to massage it around my face I was covered in dead skin cells. I tend to have excessive dry skin around the corners of my nose and I love that I can just use a dab of this in those areas and have it go away. I also had a serious patch of dryness on my hand so I used a small amount there and my hand is now smooth! This also really helps your skin to absorb moisturizer and treatments. I seriously need to buy the whole bottle so that I can use it on my entire body religiously before my wedding. It's that great. It may be expensive but it works and it's made of natural ingredients.
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Conditioner -LUSH - Jungle
elizabethmariecorbin 1/14/2011 3:39:00 PM
Contrary to what I imagined, I actually really love this conditioner. It seems as though sliding solid conditioner down your hair would pull at it and cause damage but that isn't the case. While applying in the shower I was fearful that nothing was actually getting onto my hair but out of the shower it was obvious that it had been conditioned. I usually hate using conditioner because it gets on your back and neck and leaves residue. With this it is somewhat like a coating that only gets onto hair. I saw amazing results after just one use. The smell is wonderful! It's somewhat like incense and this is the reason that I decided to use it in the first place. It's not at all something that I would describe as jungle-y or fruity. EDIT: This stuff makes my hair look so so good and it makes my hair take less time to dry. However, I really hate that LUSH tries to market their products as though they are natural yet the first two ingredients of this conditioner (along with many of their products) are sodium laurel sulfate and propylene glycol. I'm really torn because this works so well.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -Bobbi Brown - Extra Spf 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm
elizabethmariecorbin 1/11/2011 11:40:00 PM
This was a pretty good tinted moisturizer but the tint "Light" is too dark for even my not extremely light skin tone. This is supposed to be extra moisturizing but it didn't actually sink into my skin. It is also terribly, terribly expensive. What was I thinking when buying this stuff for $50?!?!? However, I absolutely love the smell! It's like a delicious and exotic spiced cake yet not cloyingly sweet at all.
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Lipstick -Maybelline - Color Sensational - Pink Please ] ] [DISCONTINUED]
elizabethmariecorbin 11/4/2010 7:30:00 PM
It is a true medium pink - there is no lavender tint or such at all. Pink Please is a MLBB shade for me; the color applies evenly and opaque yet still looks natural. It is not drying and leaves the perfect semi-matte finish. Reasons why I don't like it: smells severely like playdough and I'm now only using natural products which is particularly essential for things you put on your lips and unknowingly end up ingesting.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powders -Clinique - Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder
elizabethmariecorbin 9/1/2010 9:53:00 PM
I received a sample of this and love it! I don't have severe problems with redness but my skin is naturally very very yellow toned and whenever the slightest bit of red shows up in my skin it looks horrible - like I'm sick. The powder applies very smoothly and is fine milled and I don't need to put anything over top since it evens out all of my flaws by itself. However, the price is ridiculous and I do wish that it had SPF and came in pressed form. If anyone isn't happy with this please swap it to me!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Rimmel - Lasting Finish - Crush
elizabethmariecorbin 9/1/2010 9:33:00 PM
This might end up being my bridal lip color. It's a pretty peachy-pink and it really makes my lips look pouty and defined. I have very yellow undertones and this color works so well for my skintone. While it is a frost finish it's not horribly metallic unless you put on too much. I'm not crazy about the smell--it's a bit like an orange dreamsicle--but I don't find it highly offensive and at least it doesn't smell plasticy.
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Lipstick -NYX - Honey
elizabethmariecorbin 6/12/2010 1:33:00 PM
This is the best nude shade I have encountered thus far and I've tried many and even gone to MAC to try all the nude shades such as Myth and Creme d' Nude. There are no peach or pink undertones so it is a concealer-type nude shade but that's what I was looking for as I have very pigmented lips and wanted a more neutral look. However, I'm now obsessed with pink-nude lips. The best application I've found is to dab it on until you're happy with the color. If you apply too much it could end up sliding around. The lasting power isn't that great but it's so cheap that it doesn't matter much. I actually think the packaging is very nice. The tube is pretty minimalist and sophisticated looking - I just wish that little line "Lip smacking fun colors" wasn't on it.
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Brows -Wet 'n' Wild - Ultimate Brow Kit
elizabethmariecorbin 6/4/2010 10:46:00 PM
I was at the store about to buy the NYC brow kit but was just looking around and fortunately happened upon this. Just from looking, it's obvious that this is the better product of the two. The Wet 'n' Wild kit comes with two powders--medium brown and dark brown/black--and the brush is much more defined than the NYC brush. The brush and tiny tweezers really do a great job; the brush and powders can even be used to apply as eyeliner. I had dark brown hair that often gets confused with black. Previously, I used the darkest shade to fill in my brows but, looking back on pictures, it was waaaay too dark. Since I have almost black hair and this shade doesn't work for me, I doubt it would a good choice for anyone. Using the lighter shade gives a softer appearance while still defining my brows. Now I use the dark shade as eyeliner by dabbing the brush into a bit of water - it works so well! I don't use the wax and it could honestly be left out. I love how the entire package is so compact and great for travelling. The packaging is easy to open and there's a mirror that slides out - I've heard people complain about how the NYC packaging is hard to slide open and how it seems like it is about to break. I wouldn't repurchase as I am now only using natural products.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Korres - Provitamin B5 & Rice Bran Mascara
elizabethmariecorbin 5/11/2010 10:17:00 AM
I was really excited about this mascara mostly because I love the white minimalist packaging and I admit that this style of packaging is what got me into buying much of the Korres line of makeup - and I'm not too impressed by anything I've gotten. Maybe I received a dried out tube but it makes my lashes look dry and stiff and deposits little tiny clumps of mascara. It dries very quickly - actually applying in a somewhat dried form. Strangely, it leaves the tips of my lashes looking like....insect antennae!!!!!!!!! Never ever have I seen this before - a little bit that just hangs off the tip. However, I've found that if I've just applied a rich moisturizer to my eye area and also get it on my lashes that the mascara goes on pretty well and looks nice. Again, maybe I did just get an old dried out tube. Otherwise, this mascara is just horrible although it has never flaked and would only smudge if I had rubbed my eyes vigorously. I returned it to Sephora. I've gotten far better results with the cheapest mascara and this is priced at a steep $18. Oh. And it smells like wet dirt but I didn't really mind since it doesn't last but it has that definite scent while applying.
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Foundations -Unlisted Brand - Glo-minerals Pressed Base
elizabethmariecorbin 4/29/2010 8:29:00 AM
This is the best foundation I have ever used! Albeit, I've only used minerals foundations and have mostly stuck to Everyday Mineral and Physicians Formula - this is definitely a step up in price and I'm glad it paid off. I love that this keeps me shine free but not dry looking; I have semi oily skin on the forehead and other foundations would wear off leaving me shiny but now I look great all day and even in pictures. This doubles as an under eye concealer for me and doesn't create that disgusting dry, cakey look that I've gotten with all other cream and powder concealers. Instead, it looks very natural and blends into my skin rather than being a dry powder coating my face. I don't know if I'm crazy but I think this foundation is actually improving my skin's tone so that I look good even when not wearing makeup. I ordered this in Golden Light and to be completely perfect it would have to be a bit more yellow. Instead of using a brush, I've been applying the powder with the given puff and it works pretty well. I'm just wondering which method is the best for reducing wasted powder: brush or puff? After years of the messy process of using loose mineral powder and a brush, this is ridiculously convenient. Also, the puff washes pretty easily.
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Lipstick -Korres - Mango Lipstick #47 - Orange Brown
elizabethmariecorbin 4/15/2010 10:28:00 PM
I bought the lipstick trio in Red-Orange, Orange-Brown, and Coral - the colors ended up looking all relatively the same on my semi-pigmented lips. Not bad colors but I wouldn't recommend buying this trio since they're similar colors but maybe if you have very light lips they'll all be distinct. I feel that a red lipstick should be vibrant and these all showed up as sheer red on my lips. Although it feels like liquid silk on the lips, it didn't end up being very moisturizing for me but it did give a small amount of moisture. It also didn't look too "wet" as advertised but if you layered on a lot I'm sure it would. My favorite thing about these lipsticks is the container. It's a white minimalist metal tube that is so luxe! The color didn't did stay even so I had a sort of darker line around the edges of my lips shortly after applying. I returned these.
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Powder -Physicians Formula - Mineral Wear Talc-Free Mineral Loose Powder
elizabethmariecorbin 4/12/2010 7:07:00 PM
This looks absolutely horrible on my skin! I seriously look better not wearing anything compared to wearing this powder. I bought this in Translucent Light which is the lightest shade available and it's too dark; I have Asian skin and I'm not even that fair. For me, this was too brownish and even though it does have a fair amount of yellow tint, it clashes with my skin tone. I have slightly oily skin on the forehead and I find that this doesn't help with that. Maybe if this is the proper shade for you, it could work. The packaging is pretty bad. The bowl top has cracked and I'm pretty gentle with it. Also, the small brush it came with was so scratchy it irritated my skin - throw it out.
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Lip Treatments -Soap and Glory - Sexy Motherpucker Lip Gloss
elizabethmariecorbin 4/9/2010 12:15:00 PM
First of all, I don't normally wear lip glosses. I bought this in the Clear version in hopes of lessening some of the lines on my lips. I am half Asian and have a small mouth with thick lips that are a tinge purplish and this lip gloss does pretty much get rid of those fine lines and makes my lips a healthy color because the plumping effect stimulates blood flow. It's also pretty long lasting even through eating although you'll want to avoid crumbly food that may stick to your lips. For being a person who doesn't wear lip gloss, this is sticky but not horribly so and it's actually pretty moisturizing. I got sick of it being clear so I added some mineral makeup--a little blush and some foundation-- so that I could create a beautiful nude color. Tip: After you add the minerals, you should put the gloss tube into a glass of hot water so that it can more thoroughly mix. Overall, I'm very happy with this lip gloss. I mostly just wish that it came in a clear tube so that I could see how much is left - but the non-clear Sexy Motherpuckers do come in a clear tube. Oh. This isn't something I'd wear around my boyfriend, either. It's not really a kissable like a balm - a big negative since it does make my lips so sexy. : (
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Primer/ Corrector -Maybelline - Maybelline Coverstick Corrector Concealer
elizabethmariecorbin 2/17/2010 11:11:00 PM
This is the most effective undereye concealer I have come across. I chose the white shade since I heard that it works well for dark circles. It's definitely not a miracle for me - but it's the best I've seen. I have yellow based Asian skin and I need to cover it with powder to look natural. If you use too much it will cake up and if you have dry, unmoisturized skin this will accentuate the flakes. It is very easy to blend in and I find that it leaves my eye area more moisturized than when not using it. This definitely lightens up my undereye area and leaves me looking great in photos. It is also great to use to for highlighting areas on the face. If you have lighter skin, this should work well for you. UPDATE: This looks pretty gross on me now and it doesn't really blend.
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