Eye Shadow -Stila - Urchin Eyeshadow
ransomnote 1/31/2011 10:20:00 PM
Urchanistas UNITE! Some of us became hooked on this unique brown-with-subtle-reddish-plum cast to it. Oh I know it was discontinued years ago but we loyalists fight the good fight - buying antique Urchin pans on eBay to keep the tradition alive! I have mighty odd coloring in my face and it took a long time for me to notice that THIS color is neutral on me. I am fair (MAC 15) with cool yellow skin (probably blue undertones but who knows). Urchin looks like a brown that makes my blue greenish-yellowish-greyish eyes ignite and glow. I use it in the crease. I have fortified my train case with reserves - I and other Urchanistas will fight to the last pan, we will never give up.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Stila - Eden Eyeshadow
ransomnote 1/31/2011 10:11:00 PM
This is a favorite of mine - I have backstock because a few years ago there was a panic (picture lemmings running every which way screaming) that it was being discontinued. It was not discontinued. The online photograph doesn't do it justice but it does show how it really looks in the pan - it really like nothing until I put it on. I sometimes use it as a crease color - this works because I am pale (MAC 15) and cool yellow toned. More often, I use it as a wash from just above the crease down to the lashes and then put Urchin in the crease. Sometimes the hollows of my eyes are too yellow/green and Eden would go on looking dirty. But putting UDPP all over the lid up to the brow first makes Eden sweep on perfectly. As a reviewer pointed out below, it has a subtle pinkish mauve tone to it. There is something angelic about it on me - I carried this theme through the rest of my makeup one day (MAC Strada blush and some dreamy lipstick) and a man who was talking to me interrupted himself to tell me that, for some reason he couldn't put his finger on, I looked rather 'ethereal' that day. On me it's a little more than a natural look - it boosts the color of my eyes. My eyes are blue with sea-greenish/lemon-yellowish/grayish flecks and are normally hard to enhance or hi-light since they usually pick up the color of my clothing or the room I'm in. This eyeshadow actually pulls some nice color from my eyes.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Kat Von D - Cathedral
ransomnote 1/31/2011 9:38:00 PM
My first HG since joining MAU in 2007! This is the color I have been searching for all my life. I have odd coloring. Hyperpigmented violet lips with transparent-ish cool yellow complexion that is pale (MAC 15). I wanted MLBB that was full coverage (or my real lip color bleeds through), stayed put, and didn't bleed. Cathedral lasted well - it looked like I had just applied it two hours after I actually had done so. I did blot and apply powder - that must have helped. But it was PERFECT after two hours - lipsticks don't last long on me or they fade. No taste. Faint chemical odor when holding the tube of lipstick up to my nose but not detectable once applied to the lips. It does have yellow in it but not alot, IMHO. I say that because I cannot wear most blushes and lipsticks intended for yellow toned women because they look too orange/yellow on me. This one has enough pink and brown to make me HAPPY! I just loved having the appearance of naturally perfect lips for the evening! I like the fact that the bottom of the case is transparent and I can see the color inside without actually opening it. According to Sephora's website, Cathedral is "spiced pinkish brown".
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Mascara -Paula's Choice - Lush Mascara
ransomnote 2/20/2010 2:24:00 AM
I like Paula's skincare but wasn't pleased at all with this mascara. It really didn't do much but I appreciated that it applied cleanly and held a faint curl in my darkened (not volumized or lengthened) lashes. I have fine, medium length, sparse lashes so I 'need' volume and lengthening
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Mascara -Estee Lauder - Projectionist High Definition Volume Mascara
ransomnote 2/20/2010 2:20:00 AM
I have fine, medium length, sparse lashes so I 'need' volume and lengthening. This mascara did not apply well (some spiking of lashes, hard to get product onto the lashes) and did not lengthen and did little to add volume. Fortunately, it was a GWP; I can't recommend it.
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Mascara -MAC - Pro Lash
ransomnote 2/20/2010 1:56:00 AM
I have fine, medium length, sparse lashes so I 'need' volume and lengthening. This applies in an uneven, spikey coat that doesn't contribute to length and fullness. I won't buy it again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - XXL volume+length microfiber mascara
ransomnote 2/20/2010 1:53:00 AM
This does very little for my fine, sparse, medium length lashes. Even with the primer I don't get any worthwhile volume although I get a little length. It doesn't sweep onto my lashes well. I find I put too much effort in to trying to get this to work.
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Mascara -Lancome - Hypnose
ransomnote 2/20/2010 1:30:00 AM
I have fine, medium length, sparse lashes so I 'need' volume and lengthening. This mascara gave me spidery thin long lashes. Like most mascaras, it comes off me easily during the day unless I put sealer on it. I am 'spoiled' by a one-coat thickening/lengthening mascara that has been discontinued (L'Oreal Lash Architect) so perhaps my bias shows up in this review too much! I believe I would have to try to put on about 4 coats of Hynose to get volume and I know I won't spend that kind of time on this. : ) I don't know how much it costs as I received it as a GWP.
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Mascara -L'Oreal - HIP High Drama Volumizing Mascara
ransomnote 2/20/2010 1:18:00 AM
I was mourning the loss (discontinued) of L'Oreal Lash Architect mascara and was desperate when I bought HIP mascara. The tube was reassuring in that it resembled my favorite, departed mascara (Architect). But, unfortunately, the resemblance was only exterior appearance. This mascara is very wet and loads onto eyelashes well (quick and easy) and unfortunately gives me raccoon eyes even quicker. I do have oily eyelids that remove most mascara and eyeliner brands but HIP's wet formula mascara came off me more quickly and to a greater extent than any other mascara I have ever tried. After washing my face with my standard baby wash, I looked alot like Alice Cooper. I have fine, medium length, sparse lashes so I 'need' volume and lengthening and if this product stayed on me at all I would continue to buy it until I found something a little better at lengthening.
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Fragrances -Chloe - Chloe (EDP new)
ransomnote 8/2/2009 8:36:00 PM
* Top Notes * Peony, Lychee, Freesia. Middle Notes * Rose, Magnolia, Muguet. Base Notes * Amber, Cedar. The cedar is very strong on me; it provides a strong aroma of cedar with a touch of sweetness. On my skin, the cedar comes across as pepper. I am disappointed with the fragrance - I can't wear it. Do try it before you buy this one! It bears no resemblance to the original. I feel that the company should not have released a totally different fragrance under the same name. I believe it may have been an attempt (a sucessful one) to trade upon the name of a popular fragrance - granting an otherwise forgettable fragrance more attention than it deserves, in my nose's humble opinion. : )
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -L'Oreal - Colour Riche Star Secrets Nude in Taffeta
ransomnote 7/4/2009 12:17:00 AM
I had already had great success with Organza and was planning on 'working my way' through the other colors. Taffeta was very disappointing. The color in the tube does not look at all like the color on my lips. Part of this is my fault - I have hyperpigmented lips. But once applied, the lipstick is too sheer; it resembles a dull clear lipgloss with a synthetic candy pink tint to it. And uneven flecks of frost, let's not forget the 'useless' frost.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Bare Escentuals - Fulfill
ransomnote 6/21/2009 6:32:00 PM
I am a slightly warm to neutral NC15 or Lancome Tient Idole Ivoire 2 and I have too much ruddy color in my cheeks so blush is difficult for me. I can wear slightly cool tones, particularly plum or purple. So far, I can NOT wear this color. There is a cool to COLD base in this that would, I think, flatter those who can wear true cool tones. This is the only product by Bare Escentuals I have tried and I haven't been able to wear this anywhere so I can't comment on how long it lasts etc. It is certainly beautiful in the jar but I can't wear it so...naturally....I have turned into a mad scientist and have begun mixing other mineral powders from other lines with this one! Don't try to stop me! IT'S TOO LATE! First I added a tiny little smidge of Merle Norman mineral foundation - the lightest shade. But I stopped myself. THEN I started adding Everyday Mineral sample jar of the foundation color 'Linen' until I just gave up and dumped the whole sample jar into the whole jar of Fulfill. Despite my careless effort, the color still looks intriguing but is still too cool. When I put it on my cheeks a neon cool tone screams "stop it! STOP it! YOU ARE SALLOW!" If I can get this blush to say anything else to me, something sweet for example, I will update this review. Update 7/3/09 So then I added a sample container of Everyday Minerals 'Sandy Fair' (shaken, not stirred) to the Fullfill/EM Linen mix. The mixture of these colors is very light, soft magical and ....still too unapologetically cool for me to wear on my cheeks! Presently, before I wise up and throw it away, I am trying it on my eyelids and for now, I like it. It doesn't look good in or above the crease but on my eyelids in combination with a neutral color in the crease, for now, it looks interesting. The mixture is opaque, matte, and softly mauve pink. I think I am having fun playing with it on my eyelids because it works, subtly, as a highlighter. I can't tell by looking at it that my eyelid shade is too cool and therefore it just seems to make my eye color more noticeable.
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Eye Shadow -Merle Norman - Luxiva Lasting Eyecolor Brass
ransomnote 6/17/2009 2:03:00 AM
I have pale blue/grey/green/yellow flecked eyes that are hard to highlight with eyeshadow. Compliments I receive on my eye color seem to be the result of reflected colors from the room or from my clothing - I get the impression that my eyes are washed out enough to mirror room and clothing colors rather than have their own color. So I was very suprised that MN Brass actually made my eye color pop! That is indeed rare for me. The color is soft and buildable - I have deep set eyes and attempts to 'push' the overly heavy ridge above the crease back with eye shadow can go horribly wrong...but not with Brass. This eye shadow can be used to smooth the color transition between the lid and brow, it can melt into the skin with a hint of color or, with another swipe or two - hold it's own with a gently glowing, and in my opinion - classy color.
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