Lipstick -Bobbi Brown - Creamy Lip Color - Italian Rose 
mariannepilgaard 6/14/2012 5:29:00 PM
Great MLBB colour, rose but warm and clear. Comfortable formula, moist but not sticky and wears long. Brightens your face but in subtle way. This is a great formula and colour when you want a discreet day-time makeup. Packaging is nice too - black square matellic and easy to apply with the bias cut top.
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Makeup Brushes -MAC - #187 Duo Fiber Face Brush (Stippling, Skunk Brush)
mariannepilgaard 6/14/2012 5:20:00 PM
This is such a great brush for foundation, if you want a sheer wash of blush of a really strong colour or if you want to add a layer of highlighter over your blush. Be aware though that because it is big it can be difficult to place product very precisly. It is very expensive though. I have not tried cheaper brands editions of similar brushes so I cannot say if you would be equally well off with buying them instead.
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Makeup Brushes -MAC - #217 Blending
mariannepilgaard 6/14/2012 5:14:00 PM
The shape of the brush makes its use versatile. As many have reported you can use this brush for more or less your whole eye makeup - but would you want to? Like some other reviewers I use this brush mainly for depositing eye colour. For blending I much rather prefer the 224. The goat hair seems to be quite porous and that makes the feel less than super soft - though very good at depositing colour. I would not buy this brush again.
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Makeup Brushes -MAC - 224 Tapered Blending (Windshield Wiper) Brush
mariannepilgaard 6/14/2012 5:08:00 PM
This is my absolute favourite blending brush. Reading the reviews on MUA many seem to favour 217, but I find it much easier to get a subtle blend with 224, mainly due to the shape and because the bristles are longer. This brush is also great if you want to lay a sheer wash of colour all over the lid.
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Makeup Brushes -MAC - #316 Covered Lip Brush
mariannepilgaard 6/14/2012 5:04:00 PM
This is a perfect lip brush for your handbag. It is small, and the retractable mechanism can be worked with one hand. As for the brush itself it is good, but other full size lip brushes could do just as good or better a job. The top rating is because you can bring one shot of portable lip colour without having to bring your lipstick, the small size and workability - makes your handbg less crowded.
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Makeup Brushes -Laura Mercier - Concealer Brush
mariannepilgaard 6/14/2012 4:57:00 PM
Smallish size concealer brush with a tapered end which makes it really easy to conceal under eyes, inner corner of eyes, small spots etc. Bristles are just the right length so the application does not get sloppy. For those who want to conceal large areas in one go you might want to look for a different brush.
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Makeup Brushes -Laura Mercier - Angled Eye Colour Brush
mariannepilgaard 6/14/2012 4:25:00 PM
This brush is probably on the larger side for my eyes and that may influence my rating. The pros with this brush is if you want to apply lid and crease colour in one this is a really fast way of doing it and the shape of the brush is great for that. The bristles are super soft and picks up pigments very well. It may be that I have not mastered the proper technique, but often I end up with streaky application closer to the inner corner of the eye. Ever since I got a Rae Morris Medium Precision Shader this brush has gotten neglected... For those of you with large eyes, this brush may work really well for you.
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Makeup Brushes -Laura Mercier - Smoky Eye Liner Brush
mariannepilgaard 6/14/2012 4:15:00 PM
This is such a great eyeliner brush! The bristles are natural hair and the brush washes beautifully. It is not too long and is very well balanced. The pointy shape makes it easy to draw anything from a fine line to very dramatic shapes. I use this with gel liner and eyeshadow and it just performs.
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Fragrances -Etro - Via Verri
mariannepilgaard 6/14/2012 5:33:00 AM
I have both the 2006 and 2010 version. I received a sample of the 2006 version in a swap. I love it!! Heady roses though still intimate, very feminine and lasts throughout the day. Beware though, this version is no longer available (I even contacted Etro sales department to hear about any plans for re-launch). In 2010 it was reformulated and this version is (in my nose) definitely much more of a masculine scent. The 2010 description still states roses and jasmine, however I can not detect that at all. I love the 2006 version however the 2010 version - better on someone else.
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Fragrances -Etro - New Tradition
mariannepilgaard 6/14/2012 5:25:00 AM
I received a generous sample of this in a swap. This is a clean, herbal scent which is perfect for summer. I can see this working for the gents too, however to me the impression is clean rather than masculine. For those of you who adore voluptious very feminine scents - this is not for you. Somehow it reminds me of a very refined version of Clarins Eau Dynamisante, which I love for summer. Since Etro is very difficult to get hold of where I live and very expensive I would probably not purchase this, however if you have a chance to try it I can highly recommend it.
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Highlighters -Laura Mercier - Rose Rendezvous Illuminator
mariannepilgaard 6/14/2012 5:19:00 AM
This item was part of the Moonlight collection in 2011 and it sold out almost immediately. It is a rose gold illuminator which has the most beautiful embossed imprint of roses. The finish is quite metallic but you can make it go on sheer using a duo fibre brush. I have seen others use it as an eyeshadow too. Unfortunately I could not make this work with my complexion and therefore I would not repurchase (if that was possible).
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Cleansers -Paula's Choice - Moisture Boost One Step Face Cleanser
mariannepilgaard 6/12/2012 3:25:00 AM
I have previously used the RESIST optimal results cleanser and decided that I would try this instead as it is cheaper and you can get it in a larger bottle. This cleanser reminds me a lot of Cetaphil, which is much more economical. It cleanses but for instance mascara does not come off as well as with the RESIST cleanser (my wallet is so sad about this fact...). I will not repurchase because I prefer a cleanser that takes it all off in one go and the price difference to RESIST is not significant enough to deter me from buying that instead.
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Concealers -Lancome - Effacernes
mariannepilgaard 6/10/2012 3:04:00 PM
Really easy to work with, fluid concealer that sets quickly and looks very natural. Great if you need to conceal larger areas. You only need the tiniest amonut to go a really long way (use a brush). My only complaint (apart from the price...) is that the colour selection (at least in some countries in Europe is small). Looking at the reviews it seems like the colour selection is much greater in the US. If I have really dark undereye circles I prefer my LM secret concealer.
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Mascara -Lancome - Oscillation Vibrating Infinite Mascara 
mariannepilgaard 6/10/2012 2:51:00 PM
I have had great experiences with other Lancome mascaras (Definicils, Fatale, Hypnose) but this one - not so much. It does not provide really any volume or lenght but just clumps your lashes together. I can see it is discontinued now, and that is perhaps not so surprising, at least not if sales corresponds to average reviews.
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Polishes -Essie - Spaghetti Strap
mariannepilgaard 4/29/2012 3:47:00 PM
There seem to be mixed reviews on the formulation. I did not have any problems with streakiness. Matte (no shimmer) colour, very natural looking. 2 coats produces an almost see-through clean looking nail, good for french manicure or on its own, good in a professional setting. Goes very well with my NC25-30 skin.
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