Misc Beauty Tools -Tweezerman - Pointed Slant Tweezers
mmherman 12/1/2012 3:33:00 PM
Best tweezers in the world! The best part about them is they last forever and you can get them resharpened for free! I have used the service on two separate tweezers and it was awesome! I believe the guy that made this company originally re-purposed tweezers that were used by jewelers and sold them to people in the beauty industry. That would explain why they grip so well. Now they are painted and I don't know if they are re-purposed anymore, but clearly these tweezers are still incredibly durable and precise. I highly recommend these. There is a difference between these tweezers and low priced tweezers. You won't regret purchasing these lil' beauties!
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Palettes -Unlisted Brand - Khroma Khloe's Kardazzle Face Palette
mmherman 11/30/2012 7:02:00 PM
I like this product and I don't. I would like to give it a 3.5, but given a choice between a 4 and 3 I had to pick 3. I reserve 4 and 5 for products that I really like and will use a lot. This palette has some really pretty colors and they are a pretty nice quality. Now they aren't the best quality, blending can be a little difficult and patchy. Eyeshadows are still very workable and good quality for the price. These aren't high end eyeshadows, but they are better than drug store eyeshadows like Maybelline, etc. I think if you are adventurous and noticed this palette you should give it a try. Make sure you get a coupon and make yourself feel even better about a discounted price. The packaging is junky and I gouged by highlighter color on the bottom compartment more than once. You really need to just open on compartment at a time. I think the packaging idea is good, but the execution needs some more work. All-in-all not the best eyeshadow palette, but not the worst. :)
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Eye Shadow -NYX - roll on shimmer
mmherman 11/4/2012 6:54:00 PM
I bought two of these because they were on sale at Ulta for under $5.00. I got Walnut and Onyx. I had been looking at a Napoleon Perdis loose pigment giftset, but didn't want to spend the money for it. I compromised by buying these roller eyeshadows and I'm SO glad I did. I won't lie I think the roller-ball stick applicator is kind of juvenile feeling, but compared to other shimmery/glittery eyeshadows I've used I actually find I like this application process. It doesn't completely stop fall out, but it didn't create a glitter bomb, like some loose pigments and eyeshadows have done before. The dark color Onyx was even pretty good, in regards to fall-out, even after wearing it for hours. I seem to gravitate more towards the Walnut color because it is a nice shimmery neutral. I use a Mac paint pot as a primer and this holds onto the eyeshadow really well. I would definitely recommend using a primer with this product. Once I have apply the shimmer stick to my eyelid I blend out the edges with some of my other regular eyeshadows. Everything blends together really well and my usual makeup look gets a little bit of a glamor bump from the shimmer. I'm in my late 20s and I think this product is fun, but still age appropriate for adults if you use it carefully. The shimmer is just feminine and not like a disco ball. :)
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Polishes -Zoya - Mia
mmherman 11/1/2012 7:17:00 PM
I love this polish! I wore it for days and days and then removed it when it wasn't fresh, then painted my nails again with this polish. I rarely do that with a polish unless I love it. This is a nice, neutral pink. It is elegant and mature, but still sweet enough for me to wear. It has about 2-3 days before it chips. I use CND Stickey Base Coat and Essie Good to Go Top Coat with this so I don't know how long the polish lasts on its own. My only complaints is that this can be kind of a finicky application. I'm not sure how I would describe the formula and why it is difficult to use...the best way I can think of describing it is "watery". The polish goes on really nice on some nails, but can sort of get out of control and pool up if you aren't very care when you apply. I have gotten frustrating with it a few times, but it is something I choose to work around because the polish color is so nice. You can still achieve a very smooth, neat looking paint job with this polish. I also have to say that Zoya bottles are not very shatter resistant so I treat them like delicate babies. Overall I really like this polish and will buy it again if I run out. :)
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Moisturizers -Desert Essence - Daily Essential Moisturizer
mmherman 10/9/2012 7:41:00 PM
This smells horrendous at first, but you get used to it. At least I have gotten used to it. I think it is partly because of the jojoba oil, but maybe some other oils are adding to the yucky "moldy sweater" smell it has. Okay so it really doesn't smell like a moldy sweater, but I saw someone use that analogy and thought it sounded pretty good. If you can get over the smell, which is bad, but okay really not horrendous, you might find yourself liking this moisturizer. I was on an antibiotic for acne and just don't like the idea of staying on it forever so right now I'm trying new products out that are more natural and acne fighting....or not acne irritates. Usually I use Olay Beauty Fluid and I like it, but I know it has a bunch of yucky chemicals. I went to my local health food store and looked at what they had for skincare. Lots of stuff was too expensive for me and this moisturizer was more in my price range. You get a lot for the price. I got mine for about $6. I think that is a great price and you get quite a bit of product. In regards to how it works it is a pretty "dry" moisturizer. What I mean by this is I don't get that silky smooth silicone feel from it. My skin does feel hydrated from it. I think I like moisturizers like this. Olay Beauty Fluid is sort of like this too, except it has that silicone feel. So far this hasn't bothered my acne prone skin, which makes me happy. I still have acne, but I think I will always have acne...unfortunately. If you are considering this I would say give it a try. Maybe you can mix some essential oils into this moisturizer. I considered putting some rose oil in mine, but got lazy. Perhaps towards the end of the moisturizer I will try that and report back.
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Deodorants -Desert Essence - Tea Tree Oil Deodorant with Lavender Oil
mmherman 10/9/2012 7:26:00 PM
Great smelling natural deodorant, but it didn't work for me. I get a really funky smell during certain times of the month and this did not cut it at all. This will not stop you from sweating, but I knew that so no complaints there. Wish this had worked because the smell is really great. Hope it works for others.
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Other -MAC - Back-2-MAC Recycling Program
mmherman 10/8/2012 11:26:00 PM
Love, love, love this program! I love that MAC recycles and that they reward their customers for doing it. It makes my day when I can take in my 6 empty containers and pick out a fun new lipstick. They have some of the best lipsticks, in my opinion. I believe you can trade in old containers for other products besides lipstick, but I want those lipsticks! :)
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Eyeliner -Sephora - Liquid Eyeliner
mmherman 9/29/2012 5:27:00 PM
I really like liquid eyeliner and was sort of skeptical about buying a sephora eyeliner. I don't know if its just a snob thing, but I tend to think the store brand's product can't be as good as a higher end line. That's probably not really the case, but sometimes Sephora's line can be just as expensive or close to the price of a high end product or MAC. This is my first Sephora product and I only bought it because I was looking for an electric blue eyeliner. For weeks I have been wanting to do an electric blue cat eye. I didn't want anything with shimmer. I just wanted a nice matte, neon blue and this eyeliner delivered that to me. I have to say this is one of the best liquid eyeliners I have used. The long tapered felt brush make me skeptical at first, but after using it I was in love. It makes my lines so much more precise and really helped create that crisp, dramatic winged line on the corners that is so essential to a great cat-eye. The lasting power on this is about average. It won't last you 24 hours or probably more than 8 hours without touch up, but I find that is how most liquid eyeliners are. I use one of Maybelline's liquid eyeliners and this is very comparable to it. I haven't noticed this irritating my eyes, which can sometimes happen. I would recommend these eyeliners if you are looking for a unique color, but I wouldn't bother for your basic black. Get a drugstore waterproof liquid eyeliner in that case.
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Deodorants -The Body Shop - DeoDry Dry-Effect Deodorant
mmherman 9/29/2012 4:50:00 PM
I got this deodorant at Sephora on sale. I got the one with the pink lid. For a little less than a year I have been trying out different deodorants that do not contain any antiperspirant ranging from homemade deodorants to store-bought ones. I haven't found a HG deodorant yet. The ones that worked the best had Triclosan (antimicrobial agent) in them, but I found out that is yucky for your body too and can cause endocrine disruption. So I thought for $3 I would give this a try. It isn't the best natural deodorant I have used and it isn't the worst. I do find that I sweat a lot through my clothes with this, but that could be because I wear lots of artificial fabrics that don't breathe. This is a decent deodorant for light activity days, but I can't see it working well for heavy levels of activity. I notice I smell fine most of the day but begin to stink like BO towards the end of the day. It isn't outright funky like some deodorants have left me, but it isn't the greatest. I think I will give this a try for awhile longer, maybe use up the tube, but that I'm off to try something else. If anyone has any suggestions please give send me a message. :)
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Eyeliner -Urban Decay - 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
mmherman 9/29/2012 4:18:00 PM
I wanted to try one of Make-up For Ever's aqua liners, but I had a gift card to Ulta and decided that as a compromise I would try out Urban Decay's version of MUFE's liner. There wasn't an exact color matches to the MUFE liner #6 that I was wanting so I picked up UD's Smog liner. I've heard it described as a glittery bronze or golden olive color. I would have to say I think on my skin it is more golden olive. I wasn't sure how I would like this product. I am used to waterproof Maybelline liquid eyeliners that tend to last pretty well, but after prolonged periods of wear smear and wear away. I'm actually pretty impressed with this product. It doesn't last 24 hours, but it does have a noticeable longevity in comparison to my Maybelline eyeliner. With my gift certificate I got this product for like $10.00. I think that is pretty reasonable for what it does, but I will seriously probably not repurchase it at the full price. I think $20.00 or so is a lot to ask for a product you have to throw away after a few months. Eyeliner is something I am pretty good about throwing out before it goes bad. My own personal philosophy about makeup is that you spend the big bucks on foundation and eyeshadow, but they are most important to me and have relatively longer shelf lives. Eyeliner I tend to not spend tons of money on so I doubt UD 24 waterproof liners will become a permanent staple in my collection, but a rare treat maybe. Like I said I'm pretty impressed with this product overall. The smog is really an understated color so few people notice it on me. For those of you that are price conscientious, like myself ,I think NYX has their own set of aqua liners. There is one that I believe is called Golden Olive or something to that tune, which is similar to UD's Smog. It appears to need more layering to get the same color and the sparkle in it isn't as fine, but for a 1/4 of the price it might be something to look into. This product removes easily with Albolene cleanser. It seems to sort of flake off, but I have never had to scrub my eyes to get this off. Albolene is very emollient so I don't know if you will get the same result with other face washes. I imagine Vaseline would have similar results. I highly recommend checking out this eyeliner or others like it. Based on this experience I am definitely going to try out MUFE's aqua liner too. :)
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Deodorants -Unlisted Brand - Arm and Hammer - Essentials Natural Deodorant
mmherman 9/18/2012 5:55:00 PM
The triclosan is what makes this a winner...or a loser. Triclosan is an antibacterial agent so it essentially kills the bacteria that cause underarm stink. I bought this and a similar one by Dove (for men). I use the Dove men's deodorant though because I am not fond of the smell of this. The men's deodorant is a pretty unisex smell. I think I am just not a fan of citrus scents, but it isn't terrible. I've been using plain deodorants for almost a year. This will not stop you from sweating, but it will stop you from smelling like a wild beast most of the month. I have noticed personally I tend to stink really badly around that special time of the month. It just be pheromones or something, whatever it is only the deodorants with triclosan have helped minimize the stink. I won't lie, I do worry about the triclosan because it is over used in all sorts of products and leads to bacterial resistance. Unfortunately so far it is the only stuff that has worked for me and until I find something comparable I will probably stick to these formulas. The only real natural deodorant I have used that worked was homemade coconut oil, tea tree oil and baking soda, but the baking soda burned my skin after prolonged use. I have also tried one by Lavanila that was okay, but not wonderful. Still it has more natural so perhaps I will give that a try next. So I give this a thumbs up for a non-anti-antiperspirant deodorant, but a thumbs down for the triclosan (even though that is what makes it wonderful). It is too bad that triclosan is so nasty because it really does cut down the stink. Also, a note for the sweaty people and natural deodorants, in my own personal experience I have noticed after I "detoxed" from regular deodorants I find I sweat less. It was gross at first, but you do get used to it and then you stop noticing it. You will have to reapply deodorant, but I had to do that even when I used full-force Degree. Good luck! I'm always interested to hear if anyone has found a wonderful natural deodorant that is non-irritating and minimizes smell. :)
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Top/Base Coats -Essie - Good to Go! The Fastest Drying Top Coat
mmherman 9/15/2012 10:38:00 PM
This top coat combined with CND Stickey Base Coat is phenomenal for me! This combo has greatly extended the life of my manicures. I had been using Seche Vite before, which has the most beautiful shine, but I couldn't take the peeling polish that came along with it. So I played around with a few different top coats and base coat combos. I stopped looking when I found this! I hope this works great for you too! :)
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Polishes -Essie - Island Hopping
mmherman 9/15/2012 10:30:00 PM
I surprisingly adore this color. It is a nice neutral color. I know this might not be very neutral for others, but for me it is. Until recently I have been solely a neon polish gal. Not anymore! This is a great mauvy rose color that looks brown in some light. Combined with CND Stickey base coat and Essie Good to Go top coat I got about 4 days of wear out of this polish. I had tip wear and only one small chip from working. I usually have a new polish of some sort that I want to use and rarely want to repaint the previous color on my nails, but I seriously thought about repainting my nails this. I didn't because I have another new Essie polish I bought and felt I should use it or I'd feel badly for spending the money. If this catches your eye try it out!
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Mascara -New York Color - Instant Lash Mascara
mmherman 9/15/2012 10:19:00 PM
I like voluminous long lashes. This gives me that great long, dark look that I want on a more natural/neutral look day. This doesn't give me the volume I want most days, but it is a great mascara for a look that is you, but slightly enhanced. This is a great basic mascara that is soft (not stiff) and incredibly affordable! I would highly recommend if you are look for a basic lengthening mascara. I have worn it for many hours and have had no eye irritation from it, which is sometimes a problem. There was some minimal transfer to my under eye area, but I have yet to find a mascara that doesn't do that. Check this out. If you don't like it then you aren't out much money. Hope you like it! :)
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Polishes -OPI - Just Spotted the Lizard
mmherman 9/12/2012 9:00:00 PM
I'm a neon girl, but perhaps that isn't really the case because I'm finding I'm also a vampy, dark nail polish girl. So I guess I was a neon polish gal that has gotten to the point that she can't keep buying neons. At some point I decided to try out some unusual colors and Just Spotted the Lizard was on the top of my list. This color is cool. It goes well with my skin tone, which is fair-medium. The polish spends most of its time being a sort of gold color, but in the right light it turns green. This polish also turns a cool sort of turquoise, but only in the right light. I won't wear this a ton, but I'm glad to have it in my arsenal. It is a unique, nicely crafted nail polish. It holds up fairly well. My only complaint is that I wish the polish was as dimensional on my nails as it was in the bottle, but I guess that is a common thing with duochromes. If OPI could ever figure out how to make this polish look as amazing on my nails as it does on the bottle I would be over the moon. I'm not over the moon, but I'm definitely happy with this polish purchase. Check it out for sure! :)
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