Liquid -Clinique - Repairwear Laser Focus All-Smooth Makeup
joy2uandme 2/27/2013 3:29:00 PM
I just bought a bottle to give it a try. They put me in color # 5 which I thought initially was a tad cool but after looking at all of the colors they offer, this was probably the warmest tone and the best fit for my LLL NC 25 skin tone. It does run more neutral than I'm used to but it doesn't look bad. My skin has been dry lately and I'm pleased to say this has felt and looked good on my dry skin. It looks natural and glowy without obvious mica or sparkles. It does not emphasize lines. It has not caused breakouts or irritation or my rosacea to flare which are huge issues for me. Coverage is moderate to full if you build it up. Wear is tenacious. I can blow my nose and it takes at least 3 times before I have to rebuild coverage around my nose. Foundation is still on my face at night and I definitely need to use an oil cleanser followed by another cleanser and then a toner to make sure this foundation is completely gone. Color does oxidize a tad but it stays truer depending on if I limit how many layers I put under it. I was really dry so I was putting 2 moisturizers under a sunscreen and then my foundation and I found my foundation was not wearing as well so lesson learned. This formulation does contain soy, which I'm allergic to, in the way of lecithin but it is far down the ingredient list. So far it has not been as issue for me. This is also fragrance free. I don't even mind the big open bottle neck. It's kind of old school and reminds me of how foundation used to come when I started wearing makeup. I find the liquid comes out easily without a pump and I feel like I will be able to get the very last drop. And sometimes with a pump, if they're not calibrated just right, I end up wasting some makeup. So it's not a big deal to me not having a pump but I bet Clinique will have a pump available to purchase separately soon. Price is fairly reasonable compared to the average price of 60+ dollars nowadays for foundations (& L'Oreal is charging almost 20 bucks for drugstore)so $34 doesn't seem too bad. Therefore I'm keeping my fingers crossed this product continues to work for me.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -First Aid Beauty - Ultra Repair Cream
joy2uandme 2/26/2013 6:07:00 PM
I had a different experience than others. The eucalyptus in this bothered my skin and is totally unnecessary unless you are making a foot cream in my opinion. For my rosacea the eucalyptus constituted a fragrant oil and it was a bother to my very sensitive skin which is one of the skin types this cream is aimed at so FAB should reconsider their formulation in at least one of their moisturizers. I gave this cream a shot thinking I could tolerate it if the eucalyptus would be in small enough quantities but it was still an irritant.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -First Aid Beauty - Face Cleanser
joy2uandme 2/26/2013 5:57:00 PM
I found this rather drying on my mature sensitive and normal/dry skin with rosacea. I also did not find the "natural" scent pleasant at all. It lathered well and although I usually like that this felt harsh and made my skin feel dried out even more. I had to send this one back to Sephora. It might be fine for summer but I need a cleanser now in the winter spring when my skin is dry and hurting and this did not help at all with that. I would not recommend this for dry skin but for combination or oily instead of normal dry.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Skinceuticals - Physical Fusion SPF 50
joy2uandme 2/22/2013 5:49:00 PM
Loved the slight tint of this for my NC 25-30 LLL skin tone (if you have lighter skin you may see this on your skin though) and the super light feel of this (very reminiscient of La Roche Posay's super light sunscreen) but this caused my rosacea to flare and I had a horrible reaction to this, so much so, that I had to use prescription cortisone cream for a week to calm my skin. I so wish this had worked for my skin so to those of you reading these reviews trying to decide on whether to try this sunscreen I suggest getting a sample first because it looks like a love/hate affair with this product. As far as the smell it reminds me of wet dog and as someone who owns 3 golden retrievers I know that smell well. I wish it smelled like wet concrete.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Clinique - Even Better Concealer
joy2uandme 2/21/2013 10:11:00 AM
Update: The look of this as it wears throughout the day started to make me self-conscious. It gets very crepey as the day goes on so I keep adding highlighter which adds more layers and adds more and more--well you get the picture--and pretty quickly I'm a nervous wreck over my stupid circles. I don't need that aggravation. I'd rather just go back to something that doesn't cover as well but isn't a crepey mess. Phew. I certainly have a different opinion than some on here but it could be due to my skin type. I have normal dry skin right now and I was really impressed by the opacity of this concealer. Clinique color matched me to hazelnut for my NC 25-30 skintone(prob more NC 25 right now) which was good for covering spots but too dark for under the eyes, which they were out of, of course. But they sent me home with a sample to use. Clinique online suggested Chamois for under the eyes. To cover undereye circles, SA suggested taking a dab of the concealer on a q-tip and then mixing it with their new eye cream with the metal tip which I did buy. This does do a nice job of sheering the formula. Then tapping it on or layering it with a concealer brush. I have very bad allergic shiners and this concealer covers fairly well for me. (I have lost hope of finding anything that will completely cover.) I have also used it straight on spots and it covers very well for that use too so multi-functional-yay! This comes in a jar and considering how pigmented and thick it is, I don't consider this such a bad value. It's 20 dollars which I've spent on lots of other concealers with half the coverage-you only need a smidge-plus there's lots in the jar. I would have preferred a compact for travel but a screw closed jar lid must preserve the creamy nature of this. Clinique also offers lots of colors compared to the usual 5 colors in other lines. So if you don't have oily skin--look at the reviews, most of the bad reviews are from oily skinned folks--then give this a try. I think it is a solid option from Clinique.
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Concealers -Tarte - Maracuja creaseless concealer
joy2uandme 2/21/2013 9:50:00 AM
I don't get all of the glowing reviews for this which is why I bought this. I bought light/medium which should have been perfect for my LLL skintone, MAC NC25, C2-3 depending on the season, but it was verging on too light and pinkish 1. This doesn't cover my very dark allergic circles yet seems to enhance the undereye area spotlighting that I'm covering something! 2. It is very emollient and pasty, which would be fine if it covered well. 3. It stays tacky to the touch. 4. It's hard to spread. I tried brush, fingers, sponge, etc. You have to use some kind of brush to lay it down, then tap with your fingers but texture sticks to whatever you use. It's a challenge. 5. For the price you don't get a lot of product since tube is filled with a lot of air, which also makes it hard to get stuff out of the tube. 6. Colors to choose from are so limited. 7. Definitely creases. 8. Disappears after several hours so must be reapplied which is another challenge in itself if you are on the go. Another one for the discard pile.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -Bare Escentuals - READY Luminizer Pleasure Trip
joy2uandme 2/6/2013 11:20:00 AM
This is a pinky champagne very shimmery powder. It looked very obvious on my skin. I tried many different ways: under makeup, over makeup, blended, etc. Saw myself in direct light and wanted to wash my face. The compact is nice for a less messy way than the radiances in the loose formulations (which I never saw the benefit of either). I would only wear this for a night out in low light and it's too pricey for that when I can use shimmery eyeshadows for those occasions. I dont know if it's me or highlighters in general. Every one I've tried ends up looking very fake. If you have young nubile skin, you probably don't NEED a highlighter. I have mature, seasoned skin and I need what a highlighter can do for me but every one of them seems to highlight lines and crevices which is the opposite of what they should do, Maybe it's my technique but I have gone to professionals and after they're done I look like a shiny clown too. Maybe highlighters are like bronzers and I just cannot find one I love that in my mind looks natural. I keep trying for that makeup nirvana.Suggestions welcome.
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Eye Shadow -Bare Escentuals - ReadyEyeshadow 4.0 The Truth
joy2uandme 2/5/2013 10:28:00 AM
I waffle between liking this palette and not. The two lighter colors, seredipitous and magnetism are lovely. Seredipitous is a shimmery peach Magnetism is a shimmery taupe It's the other 2 colors that I have more of a love/hate with: Fate is a very warm almost reddish mid to dark brown Apropos is a sparkly espresso Both of these darker colors are very close in hue. And I wonder why BE included them both. I certainly don't need both. I really could have used another mid to light color in this palette so for that reason this doesn't get a 5 from me. All of these colors are very shimmery bordering on too much, granted you don't need a lot on your brush. Palette is also $30, which is high IMO. If you watch they do have sales on BE's site, then these are priced appropriately and her 8 pans are a better deal. I'm still trying to decide if I want to keep this. If I had blue eyes maybe I'd be in love but for my hazel eyes, loving and using only 2 colors is not so great.
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Blush -Bare Escentuals - READY Blush
joy2uandme 2/1/2013 4:15:00 PM
I bought a 3 pack of these and I opened them and quickly loaded a brush and popped these on my cheeks. 3 hours later I looked aghast at myself. Every line and pore was visible in bright chalky colored relief!! Ready to send these back, I had a revelation. Maybe these blushes were supposed to be applied like the READY foundation. Next day I tapped my dome headed sigma brush 2 times in the blush and just applied a little at a time instead at blitzkrieg pace. That was the ticket. A light flush that was built a little at a time that didn't migrate into crevices. Sheer beauty. My 3 pack from QVC included a warm peach, a peachy pink and a scary fuschia which is actually a sheerish pink. This kit could have included a blush brush to make it over the top but overall good. Kit also included a stupid makeup bag, like who needs another makeup bag? At my age I probably have 20 new ones laying around. A brush--now that would have been useful, I'm talking to you QVC and BE.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Bare Escentuals - Bare Minerals Ready Foundation
joy2uandme 2/1/2013 3:52:00 PM
Update: I've tried several colors and many different brushes and most of the time this makes me look like I'm ready for my final close-up in my casket. You know the look: Waxy and bloodless. This stuff covers most everything but I can't get less than medium and it always looks corpse-like on my mature face. (Once and only once did I look doll-like and that was in the car mirror after a full day's wear.) Haven't been able to achieve that since. I'm "ready" to give up and move on. This is just not for my mature face. Oh and by the way Golden Medium started to make me look like I had Hep C. Ugh. Too yellow. Bare Escentuals needs to get on the teaching wagon. They have fallen short in not teaching people more about how to use this foundation like including cards illustrating how-to, and converting their other colors to the new ready colors in a chart so it is easy to find the right color readily. I don't have a boutique near me and my Sephora doesn't carry the ready line so I had to go through QVC. Fine since I wanted the brush anyway but this whole process could have been easier. This foundation is not an open and go. There is a learning process. 1. Moisturize. Prime. 2. Use a tightly packed angled flat top brush for best results. (The one offered by BE is great.) 3. Tap it in the compact once or twice only. Sweep the brush across one side of your face. 3. Repeat on the other side and then through the middle of your face. Done. If you add much more than that you'll get chalkiness. 4. Wait for it to settle. 5. Conceal. Add more only if needed still in a sweeping motion. Do not buff. Once I found the right color and backed off on how much I was using I liked this a lot more. Now It looks pretty good and covers very well. It lasts on me for most of the day. I wear fairly light in the original and golden medium in the Ready. I'm going to add the ingredients here because a few seem to be missing above. Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 11%, Zinc Oxide 18%. Inactive Ingredients: Boron Nitride, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Magnesium Silicate, Silica, Nylon-12, Humic Acids, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Jojoba Esters, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Lecithin, Betaine, Algae Extract. May Contain: Mica, Bismuth Oxychloride, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Bare Escentuals - Correcting Concealer
joy2uandme 2/1/2013 10:16:00 AM
For my dark allergic circles this covered nothing even with repeated patting and lightly blending. It also tended to cake for me, leaving behind those specks of powdery substance so not a smooth blend at all under the eyes. I tried several times to use it and finally gave up, threw up my hands in defeat, wiped it off and got out my Lancome concealers which are far from the best ever but they beat this concealer by a mile. I never tried this on blemishes since it couldn't cover a circle and I bought it for my undereye circles. For my LLL skintone I bought Medium 2 and it was a good fit for my NC 25-30. Note: This contains lecithin or soy so if you are allergic to wheat, gluten or soy beware.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Bare Escentuals - Round the Clock Waterproof Eyeliner
joy2uandme 1/31/2013 11:12:00 AM
I got one of these in a kit called midnight and then promptly bought a kit of just these eyeliners called Seize the Day, I was so impressed by how they went on and stayed on. I have slightly crepey eyelids at my old age so these go on so smoothly with no skipping or tugging. The line can be smudged if you get to it fast enough but then it dries to pretty impermeable. For instance I rewashed my hair one day and my eyeshadow was gone but my liner and mascara was still intact, like no water had touched it--AMAZING! The first one I tried was a smokey gray but then I bought the kit and it contains 5 eyeliners and a sharpener: 5 pm: smoky plum 3pm: shimmery copper 1 pm: teal noon: navy 10 am: shimmery olive When I first saw the colors I thought I would only like the plum but I soon fell in love with the olive and the teal. The navy and copper are only ok for my hazel eyes but I'm sure I'll use them. The plum is full size and thoughtfully so since I will probably use this the most. Note: This formulation does contain some lecithin for those allergic to soy and avoiding gluten. I'm hoping I don't have a reaction.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Bare Escentuals - Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie-Party Starter
joy2uandme 1/28/2013 4:38:00 PM
The colors on this lip gloss sub brand are superb but oh the burn! After 2 wearings my lips were chapped and burning and peeling. This contains menthol, peppermint, cinnamon, lavender and maybe some other irritants and some soothing goodies to counteract but not enough for me. My lips have to have a week to recuperate after a wearing. Yeah I don't doubt lips look plumped when you put this on--it's not an optical illusion--it's an irritation. But how I wanted these to work for me cause the colors are to die for. Damn you Leslie, shakes fist!
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Mascara -Shu Uemura - Stretch Xtreme Precise Finish Waterproof
joy2uandme 1/21/2013 9:46:00 AM
I am supremely happy with this mascara and feel I can finally rest! For me this has it all: Adds volume that is natural looking, holds my curl, emphasizes length, stays on all day w/o clumping, flaking, smudging. No balling up even with several coats. I don't need a primer with this. Comes off with makeup remover at night. Brush is curved and I thought I would hate it but it's a no brainer as to usage. I could care less about the packaging but I even like the gunmetal looking tube because I can find it easily in my sea of black cases. Price is high and I have to order but at least this delivers. I will definitely order again. And I think it IS better than Shu Basic which is saying ALOT!!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Bare Escentuals - Matte Foundation spf 15
joy2uandme 1/18/2013 10:59:00 AM
I've used Jane Iredale Amazing Base for years but I also own this and use it mixed with the original. That way I get the perfect finish. It can look cakey if you overdo it but the best thing about this makeup for me is how it heals my skin. If I'm having a rosacea flare or breakouts, this seems to accelerate healing for me. My only quibble is when it's hot it can be a tad itchy but that's true of all mineral makeups for me. I'm a Bobbi Brown sand or warm sand, Nc 25-30 depending on the season and I wear fairly light during the winter and mixed with medium beige during the summer. I thinks it's reasonably priced for how long it lasts.And I love the quick-lock container. JI does not have that so I transfer that makeup to an empty BE container. I know there are a lot of haters of this brand out there but if you have problem skin and are at the end of your rope with breakouts you owe it to yourself to give this a try just to make sure it won't work for you.
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