Highlighters -MAC - by candlelight
fading_visions 9/23/2010 12:17:00 AM
I would describe By Candlelight as seashell pink with gold shimmer. It really does impart a candlelit glow, absolutely gorgeous! It leaves a beautiful sheen on the cheekbones and when it catches the light, it looks so pretty. It is definitely not frosty or glittery at all. I also use this as a allover wash on the lid. Out of the two MSFs that I own, I would pick this one hands down over the other. I use so little every time, I'm not sure I'd need to repurchase because I don't think I'll be running out for a very long time. If this gets repromoted again - go get it!
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Highlighters -MAC - Mineralize Skinfinish in Petticoat [DISCONTINUED]
fading_visions 9/22/2010 11:56:00 PM
I got this MSF with "In the Groove" and it is a gorgeous shimmery pale pink base with baby pink shimmer, raspberry veining and gold shimmer throughout. On me, this MSF is best used as a cheekbone/cheek highlight and it imparts a beautiful subtle pink glow. As a blush, it is WAY too shimmery and it makes my cheeks look like a shiny, almost greasy mess. The pale pink/gold parts also make a lovely wash on the eyelid, giving a brightening effect. I would most definitely buy this again if it weren't LE and if I actually ran out. I have a feeling it will be a very long time before I run out because you need very little or you risk overdoing it.
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Skincare - Face -Unlisted Brand - Grapeseed oil
fading_visions 9/22/2010 11:46:00 PM
This is my HG makeup remover! It removes everything in a cinch, it's cheap and best of all it's natural. Not only does it remove my makeup, the oil keeps my skin soft and supple. Because it is filled with antioxidants and other good stuff, I feel like my skin is also looking better and that the grapeseed oil has helped keep breakouts under control and blackheads away. Amazing!
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Lemon Juice
fading_visions 9/22/2010 11:38:00 PM
Lemon juice is AMAZING. I swear by it. Other than my daily moisturizer, I prefer not to buy products for skincare because I feel like it's best to take a natural approach to skincare. I can't imagine how it would help your skin to put chemicals on it. There are a few different ways I use lemons/lemon juice: - Straight from the lemon, no diluting. All over the face as an overnight treatment. It keeps my skin looking fresh and glowing because it naturally exfoliates. - Warm water with a slice of lemon first thing in the morning to flush out toxins. Generally though, I just have a slice of lemon in my water whenever I have water. - Spot treatment for acne scars/sun spots - Lemon + brown sugar scrub Results: - Clearer skin - Fading scars - Brighter, more glowy skin - Almost NO blackheads - Less breakouts I'm sure there are a thousand more ways to use lemons and a thousand more good things it does for you but they are amazing. Fyi, I did not experience any kind of purging effect at all. Edit: I hate to edit this glowing review, but I have to. If you have very sensitive skin, it's important to dilute or only apply on spots that need it. I moved back to the west coast from the east coast where it's less smoggy and humid. My skin here is dry and tight and sensitive, especially my cheeks. I used lemon juice like I usually do for the first time since moving back here and the next day I woke up with awful,itchy, red hives all over my cheeks!!!
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Sable Eye Shadow
fading_visions 9/22/2010 11:23:00 PM
This is my favourite shadow colour from MAC. The best way I can describe the colour is plummy taupe/light brown with a slight gold shimmer. I want to say it has bronze in it too, I guess this colour is just hard to describe! It is truly beautiful and brings out my eyes. I think this colour would suit all skin tones and eye colours. Sable goes with every other colour I own and I'm sure it also would go with countless MAC shadows. My favourite every day combination is Sable all over the lid and Woodwinked either as a beautiful gold liner or in the middle just above the iris. For days when I'm in a hurry, Sable is also beautiful on its own.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Woodwinked - veluxe pearl
fading_visions 9/22/2010 2:05:00 PM
I don't love Woodwinked as much as my other MAC shadows, but I suppose it's my favourite because I use it every day. I bought it about 2 months ago and I've already made a small dip in it. If I wear it alone, I have to be very careful with how much I wear because ithas a tendency to turn slightly orange on the lid. When I pair it with other colours, it doesn't seem to do that. I love using it as an all over lid colour and with antiqued, sable, or satin taupe in the outer half and crease. The glimmer of gold right above my iris/in the centre of my lid makes my eyes really pop and has a brightening effect, making me look wide awake and bright-eyed. I also love Woodwinked on the lower lashline. The only reason I've given it 4 lippies is because of its tendancy to turn orange when worn on its own. If I could wear it alone, I'd give it 10 lippies if I could. For reference I am Nars Sheer Glow in Gobi (Mac NC20ish)
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Polishes -OPI - Hopelessly in Love
fading_visions 9/22/2010 1:21:00 PM
I really hate this polish. It applies streaky and the colour is very unflattering on me. I think that's all that really needs to be said about this polish.
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Polishes -OPI - Absolutely Alice [DISCONTINUED]
fading_visions 9/22/2010 1:15:00 PM
Out of the two polishes I bought from the Alice in Wonderland collection (this one and Mad As a Hatter), this is my favourite. It is a rich blue glitter in a clear base with gold glitter running through it. The gold is quite subtle, but when it glimmers through the blue it is so beautiful. I get about a week's wear with no chipping and minimal tip wear. The glitter in this is definitely much finer than Mad As a Hatter, thus less damaging for your nails. I only wear this when I feel like a little fun sparkle on my nails as wearing this polish frequently will wear down my nails due to the glitter.
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Polishes -OPI - Mad as a Hatter [DISCONTINUED]
fading_visions 9/22/2010 12:52:00 PM
I bought this nail polish last year when it came out with the Alice in Wonderland collection along with Absolutely Alce. Out of the two, I prefer to wear the other one. I find that the application of this is quite thick and can clump up in places. I can get about a week of wear out of this polish without any chipping and minimal tip wear. That being said, I don't wear this very often at all. The glitter, like most glitter polishes, is quite gritty and will scratch the surface of my nail. I have to be very careful and meticulous with removal, even if I use a basecoat. I prefer to let the polish just chip and peel off over time instead of removing it, as I feel like it is less damaging. I wish I liked it more, because this is such a fun colour but I could have done without the large bottle and gone for the mini.
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Liquid -NARS - Sheer Glow Foundation
fading_visions 6/6/2010 9:37:00 PM
I really like this foundation (I haven't used it enough to say that I love it) and Gobi matches me perfectly. Being asian, it's a bit of a chore to find a good match. I got four samples of this at Sephora to make SURE I had the right shade. Both Fiji and Deauville were too dark for me, Mont Blanc was a touch too light and too pink. I found my perfect match in Gobi! I really like the texture and how it makes my skin look. No, this is not sheer or glowy. It is more like medium coverage, satin finish - perfect for hiding most of my flaws on my combination skin. It looks super natural and photographs beautifully. At the end of the day, there is minimal fading and I don't need to blot. YES, this will cling to dry patches but I find that most foundations do that unless they are very, very moisturizing, creamy foundations. The biggest complaint seems to be that the foundation comes without a pump/you have to buy it separately. I read somewhere that NARS believes the best way to apply this is with your hands and having a pump would encourage one to use brushes. Yes, it can be messy if you pour it out onto a palette/ the back of your hand so what I do is shake the bottle with my finger over the opening and use the foundation that has collected on my finger. That's pretty much all I need for my entire face anyway. The only complaint I have is that it is $61CAD (including taxes) but I will continue purchasing because it is so hard for me to find something that's a perfect match, doesn't oxidize on me, stays all day and looks like my skin but better.
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Fragrances -Ralph Lauren - Ralph HOT
fading_visions 12/9/2009 4:29:00 PM
When I first smelled this on myself using different testers from different stores, I absolutely loved it. I couldn't stop smelling myself, it was absolutely delicious! Call me crazy, but I like to ensure that I love a fragrance before I buy it so a few times a week I would go into the stores and spray myself with the testers. It worked perfectly for me and smelled delicious from the beginning right to when it dries down and it stayed all day. Both the Bay and Sears didn't give out samplers for this particular fragrance and it wasn't until I went into Sephora one day and someone asked for a sample of a perfume. If I had known before that Sephora gave out perfume samples, I would have asked for one a long time ago. Anyway, I ended up asking for a sample from there and when I sprayed it on myself, it smelt HORRID and totally different from the store testers. This should have been my queue to run the other way and find another perfume, but I thought maybe the sample I got was funny. I ended up purchasing the perfume and it smelled exactly like the sample I got. Gross. This perfume starts off as a sharp, headachy perfume smell and when that fades, I get a disgusting plastic smell, fake-coconut smell. When it finally dries down, it does end up smelling really lovely but by that time the scent has pretty much all but faded away. And yeah, it only lasts about 3 hours. If it gets on my clothes, it does smell lovely like the scent I originally fell in love with but I don't want to spray perfume on my clothes... I want to spray it on me. I really wish this worked for me, I don't know why there's such a huge discrepancy between the tester and the perfume that I bought but I'm super disappointed. I really wanted to love this, but I'll be returning it tomorrow.
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Masks -Marcelle - Clay Mask with Kaolin
fading_visions 11/27/2009 1:51:00 AM
Does it do what it says it does? Yes, I think it does 110%. After the first time, I could already feel and see results. I've done a full face twice (not a thick layer though) and in between I've been using it as an overnight spot treatment for blemishes. I'm in the middle of what feels like the worst breakout of the year and this mask has been amazing for me. Blemishes that would have taken a few weeks to heal are on their way to being completely gone after a week of using this and I haven't gotten any new spots. The only problem people might find is that this mask gets very tight when dry. Tight like you cannot fit an entire Ferrero Rocher without effort (I would know, I tried). I don't find it to be a problem or particularly uncomfortable, but I can see how it can be. In short: I love this mask, maybe it's a premature love but I love it. Visible results right away, my skin loves it and it makes blemishes go away almost right away and oiliness is significantly reduced. I won't be looking for any other masks and I will be very upset if this is discontinued!
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Polishes -New York Color - In a New York Color Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish
fading_visions 10/12/2009 6:09:00 PM
They were on sale at Rexall for 2-for-1, so I figured why not? Since I'm one to change my polish frequently because I get bored often cheap polishes are the way to go. I had to apply two coats to get the colour in the bottle. One coat will be streaky, have transparent spots and just look really ugly. And yes, it really did dry quickly. What sucks is that the brush isn't the best and I had a hard time getting the edges and in the corners. I also had issues with it drying too quickly, I felt like it was drying as I applied it but maybe the consistency was a little sticky in one of the polishes that I used (I bought 4). I'm not at all an expert when it comes to applying nail polish so it helps to have it dry a little slower and be a little less gunky. I also think this NEEDS a base coat because I don't think these polishes are very good for your nails. Most other nail polishes I use, I don't apply a basecoat. If you apply this without a base coat like I did and decide that it will be fun to chip and peel at the polish when you're bored, you will remove the top layer of your nail as well. So... don't do that. To conclude: DO NOT buy this if you want a high quality, every day polish colour. Buy if you want a fun colour to wear very occasionally.
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Liquid -Rimmel - Lasting Finish Enriched w/ Minerals
fading_visions 4/13/2009 2:22:00 AM
I love this! I've tried so many foundations and this is the only one that doesn't make my face feel like an oil vat in a few hours. I love the texture, the coverage, the scent isn't offending either. I've gotten compliments on my skin since I started wearing it as well and it doesn't hang onto dry spots. It's not expensive either, which I'm happy about because I need to save money wherever I can. Here's the only problem: ...if only they had a bigger colour selection. I really hope they figure it out and expand their colours because I really like this foundation. Edit: Maybe my skin decided to hate it after a while. It just doesn't feel the same anymore. It is still the best drugstore foundation I have ever used and gives quite a natural finish, but I can feel it sitting on my skin the whole day and I really hate that feeling. Plus... it's not my perfect shade.
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