Pressed Powders -Maybelline - Dream Matte Pressed Powder
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 9:19:00 PM
This is probably one of the best pressed powders I've come across. I do like the matte look, but it's difficult to achieve in a humid climate without everything caking up and/or melting off your face. This does the job very satisfactorily. It sets foundation nicely, evens out coverage, and doesn't look too thick or powdery. It does still tend to look cakey and gets creases by the end of the day, but freshening it up every now and then prevents that. Overall, it looks very nice and works even in a humid climate. The packaging is awful, as they insist on including a useless applicator in a weird shelf-like compartment under the powder. It's large and clunky, and likes to open up in my purse.
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Mascara -L'Oreal - Voluminous Waterproof in Black
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 9:14:00 PM
This is, by far, my HG mascara. I loved L'Oreal Voluminous from the beginning, and was even more impressed when I started buying the waterproof version. The wand is shaped perfectly to distribute the product onto lashes evenly, while building LOTS of volume in just one or two coats. I have been asked if my eyelashes are real before while wearing just two coats of this! As for the waterproof quality, it lives up to its name. I have worn this to the beach, to waterparks, and have cried my eyes out, all without mascara running down my face. I will say that, once your lashes get wet, the mascara dries a little flaky and doesn't look quite as awesome. But this is still great to wear when you know your face might be getting wet, because it doesn't take much to make your lashes look great, and your mascara definitely won't run. I have never found a better mascara, personally.
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Lip Treatments -Urban Decay - Lip Primer Potion
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 9:10:00 PM
Sadly, this does not live up to Urban Decay's Primer Potion for eyeshadow. I was really excited about this because I was hoping I had finally found a lip primer that could match up to UDPP, but I was unfortunately let down. This does not go in lips easily and looks ugly and chalky by itself, accentuating any dry or flaky skin on the lips. While it does prevent lipstick from bleeding off the lips, it does nothing to actually make the lipstick look better ON the lips.. In fact, I think it takes away from the lipstick's integrity and makes it look a little bland. Very disappointing, I was expecting more from Urban Decay on this one. I do sometimes spread just a little bit of it around the outside of my mouth to prevent lipstick from bleeding, and that works alright.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 9:06:00 PM
UD Primer Potion is a godsend. I have never used another eyeshadow primer that could do quite what this product does. It acts as a concealer on the eyelids, covering up redness and veins, and makes the lid soft for shadow application. Once you apply shadow and liner over UDPP, it will last all day and all night without fail. You can sleep with your eyeshadow on and wake up with it barely messed up. I use this to wear eyeshadow where I normally wouldn't bother, like the beach or a theme park, because you can get wet or sweaty without any creasing. I even think it makes eyeshadow colors appear brighter and more true to their original pigment. I don't have oily lids, but I have recommended this to friends with oily lids and they all happily reported back that this bans creasing even for them. I think everyone should at least give this a try. Most will end up loving it. It may seem a little expensive at first, but one tube lasts a long, long time.
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Eye Shadow -Smashbox - Eye Shadow Single - Rapture
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 8:58:00 PM
This is a very beautiful color that is excellent for using as a crease shadow. It's a nice silvery brown with a bit of shimmer, but nothing overwhelming. I find that it highlights my brown eyes very nicely and creates a smooth, smokey look. Blends beautifully and easily as most Smashbox shadows do, and it lasts a long time since you don't need much at all.
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Eye Shadow -Smashbox - Eye Shadow Single - 24K
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 8:56:00 PM
This is a beautiful eyeshadow. It's a very true golden color and has lots of shimmer, making it great for especially glamorous warm eyeshadow combinations. The staying power on this is not the best compared to other Smashbox eyeshadows, in my opinion. It loses its shimmer after a couple hours and tends to look chalky on me by the end of the day. Overall it's still very lovely, though, and I like using it especially if I'm only going out for a short time.
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Eye Shadow -Smashbox - Eye Shadow Single - Champagne
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 8:53:00 PM
I love this Smashbox Champagne shadow. It's another HG of mine that I use for many different purposes - As an all-over wash, as a lid base, or even as a browbone highlight. It's just all-around lovely. It's a lovely, light champagne color with a lot of shimmer. The staying power is fantastic, and it blends beautifully with other shadows. I use this all the time and recommend it all around.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Neutrogena - Healthy Skin Enhancer SPF 20
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 8:23:00 PM
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer is really great for light, even coverage without the caked-on feeling of most liquid foundations. It does not provide a whole lot of blemish coverage, so it usually needs to be paired with a good concealer or corrector. However, while the color might be sheer, it definitely brightens the whole face and is a great replacement for wearing foundation. The SPF 15 is a great bonus. I don't personally like the pump that it comes in, as it can be difficult to get the last quarter or so of the product out. But this is especially great for the humid summers here in Florida, where most foundation will simply melt off your face the moment you walk outside.
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Eyeliner -L'Oreal - Lineur Intense
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 8:19:00 PM
My HG eyeliner, especially if I'm doing winged liner or something more complicated. I use the felt-tip pen rather than the brush, and although it's not perfect, it is pretty reliable as an applicator. The liner itself is almost always wonderful, with a one exception where I got an especially watery batch for some reason. The product is usually the perfect consistency for application, and the felt-tip can be used for easy bold lines as well as very fine details. I can always create a perfectly shaped cat eye using this liner. The colors are beautiful and have great pigment, and the staying power is particularly impressive for a drugstore liquid liner. I have tried to find one better, but I always end up returning to this.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powders -Burt's Bees - Baby Bee Dusting Powder
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 8:13:00 PM
Over time, I have grown to love Baby Bee Dusting Powder more and more. It is fantastic as a dry shampoo, much better than regular baby powder. I always find that it really absorbs the excess oil from my hair without making it look chalky or dry, and even on black hair, does not wash out my color. It also leaves my hair feeling very soft. Additionally, this can be used to set foundation, with lovely results. This is exactly what most "sheer veil" powders aspire to be - It adds no color, just sets the color of your foundation and creates a soft finish. It is a tad pricey, but a little goes a long way, and one bottle has lasted me a very long time. Will definitely re-purchase when I run out.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - HiP Bright Duo - Flamboyant #538
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 8:08:00 PM
I put that I would re-purchase this, but it is only for the gold shadow. I really love the gold and use it in several different bright color combinations. It looks very lovely with the orange from the HiP Flare duo. It's vibrant, easy to blend, and highly pigmented. Unfortunately, the purple on the other side of this duo is practically useless. There is barely any pigment so you have to pack it on if you want any color, and even then, the color is flat and not very pretty. In addition, the packaging on the L'Oreal HiP eyeshadow duos is atrocious - It's way too big because they put those terrible little brushes in a compartment below the shadow. I wish I could purchase the gold from this duo separately!
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - HiP Bright Duo - Flare
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 8:05:00 PM
I really like the L'Oreal HiP Flare duo. Both colors are excellent for different reasons. The orange is very bright and highly pigmented. I love to use it in a sunset eye or with several other colorful looks. The beige is less pigmented and makes a lovely highlight shadow for the brow bone or an all-over wash for the eyelid. As with all HiP shadows, they blend easily and beautifully. This is the only HiP duo that I love for both shadows, and the only complaint I have about this one in particular is that the packaging is awful. I don't know why they bother with the little brushes they give you, as they are absolutely useless, and putting them in the bottom makes the packaging clunky and awkward.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Milani - Smooth Finish Blush - Luminous
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 8:00:00 PM
Milani Luminous has been my HG blush since I was sixteen. I have seen it on many skin tones and it always looks fabulous. Personally, the skin on my face tends to be fair, and this has a perfect natural pink look. It looks like actual sun-kissed, blushing cheeks. I love the gold shimmer, it adds warmth. This spreads nicely and you don't need much product at all to create lovely cheeks. The packaging is also very nice, and this is inexpensive. I love it and recommend it to everyone.
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Lip Gloss -LORAC - Mocktail-Peach Passion
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 7:56:00 PM
I don't usually wear lipgloss at all, but this was recommended to me before a special event and I wore it over some neutral lipstick. It is a pretty color and smells divine (Confession: I was tempted to just lick it all right off) but it had pretty much all the other problems that prevent me from wearing gloss on a day-to-day basis. It's sticky, and my long hair is always getting stuck in it. Pretty color and probably very nice for people who like to wear lipgloss.
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Makeup Brushes -Essence of Beauty - Crease
spiritedastray 5/14/2012 7:53:00 PM
I love this brush so much! I use it for more than just the crease, I use it for shadow in general. It's very soft and I like how small and compact it is. Picks up a lot of shadow with very little effort, and I've never had a problem with bristles falling out or becoming coarse. My HG eyeshadow brush - I prefer it even to MAC brushes. Inexpensive, too!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No