Mascara -Stila - Major Lash Mascara
DivineFemme 3/16/2008 11:23:00 PM
I'm sorry to have to give this one only 2 lippies, b/c it almost achieved HG status. I got this in the Best of Stila kit from Ulta (amazing deal, btw!) and was immediately impressed. It goes on so smoothly, with zero clumping, and I only need one coat. It doesn't do a ton of lengthening, but it does add volume, and it would make a great, daily mascara.
But it smudges. Horribly. All day long, I'm having to check in the mirror, wipe the smudges off my under-eye area, reapply a bit of the concealer I just wiped off, etc. It's quite disappointing, b/c I really love how it makes my lashes look, but I raccoon out in about 2-3 hours with this mascara.
Also, I don't like the switch Stila is making- Major Major Lash contains more product, and the price is more than doubled. I think the original was around $8.50, but the new one is $22. Too much, IMO, when I can get a similar effect with CG Lash Exact (it takes a little more time and a few more coats, but it can be done...and LE doesn't smudge on me at all!). Of course, the price increase hardly matters since I wouldn't buy this again even at $8.50, b/c of the smudging!
***UPDATE 4/7/08- I had to come back and edit this review. I recently switched concealers, and I'm no longer having any trouble with this mascara smudging. Who knew? lol I'm really loving Major Lash now, and I've changed my answer...yes, I would buy this again. I might even buy the new Major Major Lash despite the size and price increase!
**UPDATE 11/25/08- I still like Major Lash, but I've since discovered that I like Clinique High Impact even more. I get fuller lashes with High Impact, and it doesn't take as many coats. So even though I think ML is a good product, I would choose HI over it.
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Eye Shadow -Wet 'n' Wild - Mega Eyes Trio - Egyptian Sands [DISCONTINUED]
DivineFemme 3/4/2008 7:19:00 PM
I have to rave about this trio! This is the first WnW trio I picked up, after discovering all the love they get on the boards. These colors seemed the most wearable to me, and now that I have a bunch of other WnW trios and 2 of the palettes, Egyptian Sands is still my fave of the bunch. It goes on subtle, not a ton of color, but instead with this gorgeous tawny glow. It's a great neutral palette for daily wear; I anticipate hitting pan on this one! I knew I loved it when, one night last week, I had to get ready for a night out in a hurry. It was all so last-minute and I had to look good...no time for experimenting with my e/s. So I used this trio, b/c I knew it was a safe bet for a gorgeous, sophisticated look. Def. a keeper...one of my fave e/s, and under 3 bucks! :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Lipglass- Pop Mode
DivineFemme 2/28/2008 12:50:00 AM
I like this a lot...this is one of the first few I bought from MAC, and I thought it would be too dark on me. But it's a nice, sheer plum/berry, just perfect for everyday wear. I like it alone or layered on top of Fafi Hi-Top l/s for a little more "oomph." Def. a staple in my m/u bag.
Update 7.21.2008- I'm wearing this a lot more this summer than when I reviewed it a while back! It's not a traditional "summer color" when I layer it on thickly, but it fades to such a pretty ripe berry. I like it alone or I dot it on sparingly over 5N l/s from the N Collection.
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Lip Gloss -MAC - Plushglass - Oversexed
DivineFemme 2/28/2008 12:44:00 AM
I grabbed this at the CCO without even realizing it was a PlushGlass. I just liked the color and figured it would work since I love MAC's Pop Mode l/g and this is a few shades darker, with glitter. I tried it on the night I bought it, after removing all my m/u...and I immediately fell in love. It goes on as a deep berry on my pigmented lips and it's incredibly sexy...even without m/u! I actually prefer to use this when I've done neutral eyes b/c it doesn't need the "competition" of dramatic eyes. I love, love, love it. It's the first item I've ever described as HG, and the first I've been tempted to buy a backup of. As for the lip plumping, I don't notice a difference at all. The first few times I wore it, the tingle annoyed me, but I got used to it and now I don't notice it at all. I will def. re-buy this product, probably before I even run out. I'm kicking myself for not grabbing a few more at the CCO, since they were only $12 and I was on vacation, so I can't just pop back over there to get another. Even so, I'll spend the $17 on it and it will be worth it!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Wet 'n' Wild - Mega Eyes- Twilight Glow
DivineFemme 2/26/2008 2:22:00 PM
I bought this trio after hearing good things on the board here and reading the reviews for Mega Eye trios. It was the last one at CVS, so I got lucky! My fave color in this trio is the khaki, which has just a bit of gold shimmer in it. I was lemming similar shades at MAC last week, so this was a great find. I was also intrigued by the green, which also has that same bit of gold shimmer. Very pretty. The khaki gold goes on a bit sheer on my olive skin, but it is buildable and it didn't take long for me to achieve the color impact that I wanted. I also liked the dark brown, which didn't impress me much in the package. The green hasn't been as impressive as I'd hoped, but I think it has more to do with my skin tone than the e/s itself. Like the khaki, it goes on very sheer, but when I try to build it up, I go too far and it's OTT. I'll have to play with it some more. But overall, the price is great, I love the khaki and really like the brown, so this was a good buy.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Wen by Chaz Dean - Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner
DivineFemme 2/19/2008 10:46:00 PM
I've been using Wen for 3 weeks now, and I'm very pleased with the results. But I have to state up front that I'm not following the directions; I found that using 15 pumps of this stuff is WAY too much for my normal to slighty dry, shoulder-length hair. Here's what I do. I use five pumps total when I wash my hair. But I don't pump all 5 into my hand at once. I pump once, rub it in, then a second time, etc. It takes 5 pumps to get the product saturated throughout my hair. I can't imagine using 15 or more! Then I comb my hair, to distribute Wen evenly, and continue my shower. After I wash it out, I add about a half-pump as a leave-in conditioner. I never used a leave-in before now, but I do find that I like the results better when I do. Overall, I'm very happy with this product. My hair looks fantastic and is shiny and soft. That's important to me b/c we have hard water in our small town and this is the best my hair has looked since we moved here 2 years ago. I'm also wild about the smell. I will buy this again, but again I'm only using 5 pumps a day (and a half pump for the leave-in, so 5.5 really!). If I were having to use 15, I don't think it'd be worth it. I wash my hair every other day. At the rate that I'm using Wen, I'm calculating that the 16 oz. bottle will last me roughly 5 months, maybe a week or so more. It's not so pricey, to me, when I consider how much I like my hair and that it will last at least 5 months! UPDATE 5/25/2008- I'm still loving Wen, but now that I have moved and no longer have hard water, I find that I don't need to use it as fequently. I was using it exclusively, but lately I've been using it just as a leave-in conditioner, after I shampoo with other products. Still works wonderfully for that purpose. And about once a week, I use just the Wen to really moisturize my hair. I still plan on buying another bottle when this one gets low. I'm down to about 1/3 of the bottle now.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Burt's Bees - Honey Lip Balm
DivineFemme 2/11/2008 1:03:00 AM
I def. think you'll either love the smell or hate it...there doesn't seem to be much ambivilance in the reviews! Personally, I love it. I can see why some say it smell powdery, but I think the honey scent is stronger. I like this balm b/c it's great for moisturizing my lips, I like the smell, the price is right, and it's in a tube. (A few past faves were in pots, which is so messy!) I'm not a fan of the original Burt's lip balm, just because I didn't think it was any better than plain old Chapstick. But this one I will def. buy again. **UPDATE 11/25/08- I'm not in love with the Honey balm anymore. I still think it's a decent product, but I've fallen in love with Dr. Hauschka's Lip Care stick instead! It's much more moisturizing than this one, and seems to "sink into" my lips and soften then, instead of just sitting on top of them, if that makes sense!**
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Tarte - Natural Beauty Cheek Stain
DivineFemme 2/11/2008 12:55:00 AM
I was looking for a cream or gel blush and Tarte Flush was recommended to me. That shade was a little too light for my skin, and I ended up with this one instead. The color is perfect on me; it really matches the color I blush naturally. If I put it on lightly, it's a light flush and if I do use a bit more, it's sort of a dewy, just-in-from-the-cold look. I'm also impressed by how long it lasts. I might re-apply once during the day. Yes, it's a bit pricey at $28, but I think it will last quite a while. Even when I apply it a bit more heavily, I only use a few dabs on each cheek. I love this enough that it's earned a spot in the little makeup bag I keep in my purse! Can't leave home without it! UPDATE 5/25/2008- I ended up swapping this one away. I loved the look, but after discovering some fabulous cream blushes (Stila Convertible Colors, Bobbi Brown pot rouges, and Nars cream blushes), I grew to dislike the sticky feel of this one. I can achieve the same flushed, in from the cold look without the stickiness.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -Laura Mercier - Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Oil Free
DivineFemme 2/11/2008 12:49:00 AM
Wow, I can't say enough about this t/m. I had a SA at Sephora do a makeover for me using it, and I liked it enough to buy it. I liked it even **better** when I used it myself at home the next day. I used about 1/5 of the amount the SA used. This gives me great coverage and a nice, dewy glow, without feeling heavy or mask-like. At night, I don't even want to wash my face b/c I just love how it looks on! Seriously, I find myself smiling when I look in the mirror and see how great it looks. I did think it was pricey when I bought it, but now that I've seen what it can do, I will def. buy it again and I won't think twice about the cost. I love it far better than any powder, foundation or MMU I've ever tried. My color is Sand and I use a light dusting of Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil to set it. Edit- About 2 weeks ago, I bought the LM Mineralized Finishing Powder and I've been using that to set the t/m instead. It's an amazing combination...I'd describe it as luminous. Together, these 2 products are HG for me! Also, I sometimes use MAC's MSF Natural to set this. It works well, and is more matte than when I use the LM Min. Fin. Powder.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Burt's Bees - Strawberry Lip Gloss
DivineFemme 2/2/2008 11:47:00 PM
I agree with the other reviewers who say that this product is not a lip gloss; it's a balm. And not a very good one, at that. I actually don't mind the smell, and when I first put it on, it feels good. But it literally lasts for about 5 minutes, and then I need to reapply. Who has the time? And with it in that tiny jar, who wants to make the effort? If I'm going to reapply often, I need a stick or tube. Super cute packaging, but that doesn't matter to me if the performance is not there.
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