Blush -E.L.F. - Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder
taylor123 1/5/2013 3:23:00 PM
One word, AMAZING! I needed a new bronzer, my physicians formula one broke and shattered all over the place. It was kind of expensive for a drugstore product so I figured I'd check out some other companies. I was in target and saw this and bought it.First of all the price is incredible. I got mine for 3 dollars. In my personal opinion, it's just as good as the Nars blushes and bronzers which are like 30 dollars with tax. The texture of both the blush and bronzer is so smooth, very easy to blend out, not chalky or dusty feeling. The color of the bronzer is quite dark which is perfect for my tan skin. The blush is beautiful peachy pink that looks beautiful on my skin tone as well. The blush is a bit shimmery but it's not like chunky annoying glitter. The bronzer barely has any shimmer from what I can see. If it does it's very little. The packaging is a slim black compact with a nice sized mirror. Doesn't take up too much room in my makeup bag and it's quite durable. I've dropped it already and it made it out alive. I am very pleased with this. For the money you get amazing quality. Elf is one of my new favorite companies now! Definitely worth a try!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -E.L.F. - Studio Powder Brush
taylor123 12/24/2012 3:14:00 PM
I am slowly but surely becoming obsessed with E.L.F. products and this brush is by far one of their gems. I had been looking for a brush to apply my neutrogena skin clearing foundation with and I just couldn't stand the idea of spending 30-45 dollars on a MAC brush. That just seems so ridiculous to me. I see people talk about ELF all the time on youtube and one of the girls I watch on there used this specific brush to apply her foundation. Ever since then I couldnt get the brush out of my head. I went to target the other day and went the ELF section. First of all I thought the brush would be atleast 10 bucks but It only cost 3 dollars! Even though it was freaking awesome how cheap it was I was hoping that the brush wouldnt turn out to be complete crap. Well trust me, it is NOT crap at all. It doesn't shed, the bristles are soft and smooth, it's a good size, nice handle. It works wonders with my foundation! My foundation is a liquid foundation but this brush also works amazing with powders (hence the name powder brush ;D). This brush is definitely my HG brush when it comes to applying my foundation. It's gives me a great natural look without streaking. I am VERY impressed and will be checking out more ELF products soon! Definitely proves that the most expensive thing in the world isnt always the best! :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Neutrogena - Skin Clearing Oil-Free Makeup
taylor123 12/24/2012 12:25:00 PM
I have oily/combo skin that is also acne prone due to hormones. I don't have horrible acne but when I do breakout its a cluster of them somewhere on my cheeks or forehead. The oily skin is always around cause that's just my skin type. I was intrigued by this foundation because of its "acne clearing" name. I bought it at my local CVS for 12 dollars. Little pricey for a drugstore foundation but not nearly as pricey as my old Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation I used to use. Took it home, and first impressions were pretty good. It gives nice medium coverage but can definitely be built up for full coverage if you need it. Some people said it had a bad smell but I wasnt bothered by it. You can't smell it once its on your face. The lasting power was great, it lasted about 6-8 hours on me without needing a touch up. If I had done a touch up I could see it lasting even longer. The finish was a very natural velvet like matte.The oil control was decent on its own, but it lasts longer if set with a powder or spray setter. I will say that I actually do think it made my skin look better in terms of tone and clarity. Some of my redness had gone down and some pimples I had, had dried out and went away. However I wouldnt want people to think that this is a cure all acne treatment cause it's not. Definitely continue your skin care acne treatments. Dont depend on this just cause it has salicylic acid. As for skin types that could use this, I would say oily skins only. If you have dry skin it would be a complete disaster cause it would probably make your dry areas stand out like crazy. If you have combo skin it would give you dry skin. Also if you already have decently clear skin this would be a waste of money and probably too much your skin could handle. One last bad thing is the horrible packaging. It comes in a glass bottle with a screw on top, no pump, no squeeze tube obviously. The foundation is a liquid so when you go to pour it on to your hand it can run everywhere and you can make a mess. It's easy to get too much and that's kind of a waste. Also cause it's glass you have to be careful if you travel or wanna put it in your purse or makeup bag. Overall all though I do really like this foundation for me. It's my new go to foundation. Its easy to find, decently affordable, good coverage, does not break me out and lasts a good amount on time. Definitely worth a try!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Mario Badescu - Drying Lotion
taylor123 11/27/2012 8:57:00 PM
It makes me angry reading all these bad reviews from people that aren't using this correctly. I have hormonal white head bumps on my forehead and cheek bones from time to time. I have literally tried everything to get rid of the damn things and this is the only thing that made a difference. Keep in mind this is a SPOT TREATMENT NOT A MASK and only should be used when you really need it. This isn't something you should be using every day and night, over and over again because it's a very strong treatment. If you use it too much instead of just when you really need it, yes it probably will break you out. If you have really severe acne all over the place you're gonna wanna look for something like an acne wash that can be used all the time. This isn't it. Don't overdo it with this product and you will have wonderful results. The product is very simple to use, it's a liquid with a hot pink powder at the bottom. Don't shake the two solutions together, just dip a cotton swab in the solution so it hits the bottom and you pull it out and dab it on your pimple. I was concerned about it rubbing off on my pillow while I slept but I didn't have that problem at all. It dries into sort of a clay like mask on your spots. It smells kind of strong and that kind of worried me and thought it might be too harsh but it's the exact opposite. The next morning my bumps were noticeably shrunken down and some of them had dried up and came off. I am very pleased with this. It's about 17 dollars with tax which is kind of expensive but it could be much more expensive. Also if you use it wisely you won't run out as fast and you will save money. The only bad thing is it's kind of hard to find. I have to order it online, I don't know of that many stores close to be that carry it. Apparently there's a Mario Badescu store in NYC. I will definitely be looking into more of Mario's products in the future. All in all, if you use it how youre supposed to, you won't have an issue at all. It's a good product :)
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Unlisted Brand - MACADAMIA NATURAL OIL Deep Repair Mask
taylor123 11/26/2012 10:29:00 PM
I have SUPER thick long hair. It's naturally wavy and I blow dry and straighten it about 2 times a week. My hair started to get that straw like feeling and it was getting super dry and I was actually starting to lose some hair in the shower because of the breakage. I decided to try this as I had heard lots of reviews on youtube and it's available at my local CVS so it's pretty easy for me to get a hold of. First off, it smells delicious. It smells like those shampoos that the salons use. And the smell lasts till the next time I wash my hair (I wash every other day sometimes 2 days). The product texture is a thick cream, it's easily spread through out my hair. I thought because my hair is so long I was gonna have to use a huge amount but a little goes a long way which is awesome cause I won't run out of it too fast. I used it how it says on the back, I washed my hair like normal and then I squeezed out the excess water and then applied a glob to my hair and brushed it through with a comb and then let it sit for 7 mins. When I rinsed it out it was noticeably softer. The real test was how it felt after my blow drying and straightening. I blow dried my hair and then straightened it and my hair was so soft and easy to brush through! I was really surprised that my hair remained so smooth after all the heat I had put to it. I am very pleased with the results. The downside is it's kinda expensive. Especially considering my shampoo and conditioner is drugstore (Head n Shoulders) It's 30 dollars for the 8.5 oz. If youre on a budget you're probably gonna overlook this product which I think is a shame because it's great. I wish they could bring the price down just a . All in all I really like this product and I will definitely repurchase this whenever I run out! :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -Dove - Sensitive Skin Unscented Beauty Bar
taylor123 11/17/2012 11:25:00 PM
My perfect everyday body soap. I don't use this on my face. I see a lot of people saying they do that but my skin on my face is really finicky and I wouldn't wanna chance it but I LOVE it for my body. Dove commercials are always advertising how their soaps don't leave residue or leave skin feeling tight/dry. That is true on both counts. It doesn't leave an uncomfortable residue of any sort nor does it leave me skin feeling tight or dehydrated. It gives lots of moisture, I have noticed a big difference in the skin on my legs and arms. It's noticeably softer and more comfortable feeling. Even though it's unscented I do still smell something but it's not overwhelming or bothersome. It just smells like soap but I like it! Also the bar lasts a lot longer than some of the other bar soaps I have used. Usually they just melt down and theyre gone before you know it but this one lasted me quite a while. The lather you get out of it is also super nice. I even use it to shave my legs and I get razor burn easily but this gives me a nice creamy lather that has even replaced my shaving cream. I would definitely say this is also safe to use "down there". It's not irritating or harsh. Even though I love those philosophy scented shower gels I'm not brave enough to use them down there. This is a very gentle soap that makes me feel nice and clean. I would definitely recommend it if youre looking for a cheap but good quality soap! :) Dove never leaves me disappointed.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Pro Activ - 3-Step System
taylor123 10/9/2012 5:41:00 PM
This product sucks. Did absolutely NOTHING for my skin. I have oily/combo skin with minor blemishes on my forehead and cheeks. They're the small little bumps, I get them around that certain time of the month. This product did nothing for my skin. Didn't change the texture, tone or clarity. I thought it would done at least a little something but it was a complete waste of money and time. Even if I were to have fallen in love with it, it's hard to get a hold of and a but over priced. I would look elsewhere. I've gotten better results from the Aveeno drugstore products I use now. The commercials for this product are so misleading. I don't know single person personally that has had good results from proactive. Swear on my life.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Neutrogena - Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation SPF 20
taylor123 9/30/2012 7:54:00 PM
I love love love LOVE this powder foundation. I'm definitely more of a powder or mineral foundation girl. I will use liquid foundation but most of the time I don't have great experiences with it. I was previously using Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua which is really nice, one of the few liquid foundations I actually like but I do have oily/combo skin and I needed something that was a powder but was still gonna give me the right amount of coverage for me. I was in CVS and noticed this Neutrogena Mineral Sheers with SPF 20. The fact that it had SPF 20 definitely made me happy cause I live in Florida where it's super hot and I always need my foundations to have SPF. I was a little nervous about the coverage this would give cause sometimes they will be more like setting powders than powders that will actually give you coverage. This one is definitely a powder foundation. It gives wonderful coverage, it evens out my skintones, hides the majority of my blemishes and even helps with my under eye circles. I still use concealer but this gives the perfection coverage for me personally. I don't like heavy coverage and this looks very natural but still evens everything out. Also it doesn't look ashy on me which is great as well. Sometimes powders will make you look extremely dry but this one is so smooth and creamy. Another plus is that it didn't break me out! My skin is pretty sensitive but this worked well with my skin. The packaging is kind of a chunky compact with a mirror and sponge. It takes up a lot of room in my makeup bag but it's okay cause that's the only downside to this product for me. The price was 13-14 dollars but I'm sure you could get it cheaper at Walmart or Target. I would definitely say if you have dry/normal skin you probably won't like this cause it's pretty matte but if you have oily skin you'll fall in love. I can't live without this powder foundation, it's great! :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Bare Escentuals - Flawless Application Face Brush
taylor123 9/28/2012 7:29:00 PM
This brush is one word is just awkward haha, the shape of the bristles is just weird, it's not the best thing to use when applying mineral foundation or any kind of powder product. I feel like it just spreads the product around instead of buffering it into the skin or blending it. Also it sheds like there's no tomorrow, my Sonia Kashuk brush I bought for like 10 bucks at Target is better than this. Whenever I use it I have those stupid hairs all over my face and I have to pick them off. To me it's just a big chunky brush that doesn't really do much. I'm gonna pass on this brush.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Lancome - La Vie Est Belle
taylor123 9/28/2012 7:17:00 PM
This perfume is nice but it's one of those perfumes that can give you a headache which is always annoying. To me it's a sweet, caramel scent. It's not sickening sweet like Aquolina Pink Sugar (which I hate). It's sweet but it's more sophisticated than that. When I first sprayed it and let it hang out for a bit on my wrist I thought it smelled like peach. I'm not sure why cause there's no peach note in it to my knowledge. Maybe I was getting that from the pear and the praline or something but it smelled peachy to me and I liked it. The die down was still sweet but more vanilla sweet with the jasmine floral notes in there. This did end up giving me a headache which wasn't nice. Not sure why that happened because I'm a huge fan of sweet scents. I only sprayed it on my wrist and that's it. Something about it just made my head hurt. You definitely don't wanna over spray this stuff cause it is quite strong. I know in the beginning I said it's not sickening sweet but there's still something about it that's very BAM in your face. Just in a different way. It is expensive being that it's Lancome so I would spray it and walk around for a bit just to make sure you like it before you spend your money on it. The bottle is absolutely stunning, the perfume itself is like a pinky peach color and the bottle has a grey ribbon around the neck. It's very classy looking. I would say this is a fall/winter scent. For me, I live in Florida where it's very hot so I cannot imagine wearing this during the summer when it's hot out, it would just be too much. But for the colder months it would be great. It's very cozy and sweet. All in all I do like this perfume but you have to be careful with it. It's definitely a very feminine, girly perfume.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Fantasy Britney spears
taylor123 9/20/2012 6:53:00 PM
I'm no 20 years old but I have been in love with this perfume since I was 13 years old. Britney Spears definitely knows what she's doing when it comes to doing fragrances. This one and Midnight Fantasy are on my list of all time favorite fragrances. Fantasy is a very sweet, baked goods kind of scent. It's also a little bit fruity and a little bit floral but honestly, it's mostly sugar sweet more than anything. Some of the notes are kiwi, white chocolate, cupcake, lychee, orchid and musk. When I first spray it I get the kiwi and the lychee but after those top notes go away I smell the amazing cupcake and white chocolate notes and for me those are what stick with me throughout the whole day. It's a very youthful scent but it's not as sickening as Aquolina Pink Sugar (which I can't stand). The lasting power is amazing! If you spray it on your pulse points and on your clothing it will last you all day. I sprayed some on my jacket this morning at 10:00 and I can still smell it now at 7:00. You don't want to spray too much though because it might give you a bit of a headache cause it is quite strong. It's one of my cheapest perfumes but it has the best lasting power out of all of them. I'm older now but I still love wearing this perfume! It's too artificial like those cotton candy body sprays so it's not too young for me yet I don't think. Obviously I can't see like a 40 year old wearing it but I think girls from the ages of 13-25 would be okay with this. I will forever love this perfume. Also check out Hidden Fantasy!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Carmex - LipBalm
taylor123 9/14/2012 10:44:00 PM
100% my favorite lip product I have ever had. I've tried lots of others lip balms and chap sticks but this is the one I always go back to. I always have one on my nightstand by my bed, in my backpack and in my bathroom. It's perfect in my opinion. If you get dry or chapped lips or just need a go to chap stick to keep them healthy this will do all of that for you and more. Whenever my lips are chapped and damaged from the winter weather this heals them in no time and puts them back in mint condition.I actually have the one in the squeeze tube packaging but the one in the little jar is just as effective. One thing I have to mention is the smell and taste isn't the best in the world haha, but I can ignore that because of how amazing and cheap it is. I still have yet to find anything that can measure up to this. I will forever love this product.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Maybelline - Baby Lips lip balm
taylor123 9/14/2012 10:02:00 PM
I am definitely a lip product junkie. I'm always trying out new lip balms and chap sticks. I bought the pink fruit punch baby lips in Walmart and decided to give it a try. I would give this product an average OK rating. It's not anything amazing but it's not horrible either. First off, I love the smell, it's AMAZING. It smells like strawberry fruit punch candy or something. The packaging is cute, I like the design. The color I picked was a little too light of pink for my skintone so when I use it I can only use a little or it just washes me out. As for what it did for my lips, it didn't really make a difference. It wasn't as moisturizing as I expected. It doesn't even come close to my Carmax chapstick or even my MAC tinted lip conditioner. Those are the products I go to when I want healthier and softer lips. Overall the best thing about the Baby Lips is the amazing smell lol if it weren't for that I don't even think I would keep it around. Yes the color is nice but I think they should have made more colors too. I won't be repurchasing it since it didn't do anything for my lips but I will use up the one I already bought.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Cetaphil - Gentle Skin Cleanser
taylor123 9/14/2012 9:44:00 PM
I like this cleanser a lot. One thing you have to keep in mind though is that it's sold as as acne cleanser or that it does anything really special. All it's for it so take dirt and excess oil off of your face but it does a really good job at doing that. If I have a day where I wear a lot of makeup I will wash my face with this after I use my makeup wipes. I think it's good at getting your skin really clean and removing any junk that could be sitting on your skin. However, if you have acne prone skin like myself you will want to look into getting an acne cleanser or something to help fight your breakouts because this did nothing for my breakouts. As I said before though, it's not really supposed to. I use this but I use something else for my breakouts that I get. It's not a bad product at all though. It does the job it claims to do, it's cheap, it's gentle, easy to find, good packaging but don't expect it to be a miracle worker for breakouts because it's not. I would repurchase it though.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Burberry - Brit
taylor123 9/12/2012 4:36:00 PM
I'm gonna give this perfume just an OK rating. It's not a life changing fragrance for me but it's not horrible either. I feel like it's an either love it or hate it perfume. To me, it's very warm and heavy, kind of sweet but for some reason I think it's a little but masculine smelling. Not like I would think of it as a men's cologne but it's definitely not the category of being girly or feminine. I find this hard to wear on a day to day basis, I think it's the kind of perfume where it has to be a certain occasion to wear it. It's just too heavy and warm for me to wear all the time. This is the kind of perfume I would wear on a night out or to somewhere special. I live in FL where it's very hot and I could see myself getting a headache from this if I wore it too much. With all that being said, it's still a nice fragrance just not something I reach for that often. I'm glad I got it in the 1 oz which is still VERY expensive. I don't think it's necessarily worth the money especially considering the lasting power really stinks. I'm gonna try and use up the bottle I have but I will definitely NOT repurchase it again.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No