Eyeliner -MAC - Fluidline Eyeliner Gel in Lithograph [DISCONTINUED]
bluediva 6/16/2007 6:49:00 AM
Finally got a pot of this c/o a wonderful swapper and I LOVE IT! I've wanted this LE color for ages. I'm a PPP with green eyes and over the past month, this has easily become my favorite eye make-up product. Love the texture - it's slicker than some other Fluidlines (texture more like Frostlite, less like Macroviolet) and blends beautifully while keeping intense color. Metallic sheen is subtle, works well as a very thin liner along lashes. Knock-out glammy fabulous as a base over eyelid and into crease. Goes with every other eye makeup item I own. Instant HG.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -MAC - Prep + Prime Skin
bluediva 5/31/2007 10:26:00 PM
This makes foundation and make-up go on smoothly and with better coverage. If I'm in a hurry, I blend a tiny dab of this with liquid foundation on my fingertips and apply them together - it looks like a luminous tinted moisturizer. I know MAC makes an eye primer, but I just use this stuff and it works great with MAC e/s and fluidliners. I haven't paid careful attention to how it affects redness in my PPP skin, but putting it on defintiely makes for a better face day than without. It definitely makes makeup last all day with much less shine and more even coverage. My sister fell in love with this and bought one for every girl in the family for christmas. I'd definitely buy it again when it runs out!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Body -Unlisted Brand - Escents Aromatherapy Excema Treatment Cream
bluediva 5/27/2007 9:43:00 AM
If you suffer from chronic, moderate to severe excema, you're first line of treatment is probably something prescription. But for those of us who get the occasional bout of mild to moderate excema, this is a great treatment. It's very rich, smells quite nice (chamomile and geranium essential oils) and soothes itchy redness and extremely dry flaking skin. Certain areas of my body are prone to excema in cold dry weather or when I'm really stressed out, and this calms it down before it gets to the point where I need a cortisone cream. When I need it, I apply it several times a day for 2-3 days.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Other -Unlisted Brand - escents aromatherapy
bluediva 5/24/2007 11:37:00 PM
I have tried so many products from this great company based out of Vancouver, BC in Canada. They make great stuff and their staff are always helpful. I think they've been opening stores in Korea and Taiwan over the past few years. Anyway, their soaps are fabulous, and they do dozens of essential oil and aromatherapy blends. These can be used on their own or added to various skin care products. My favorites from them are the Vital Skin Serums, Hair Defense Leave-In Conditioner, and the Equalizing Face Cream. I have a spice rack full of their essential oils, too. If you get the chance to visit, the spa treatments at their one spa location are awesome!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - crystal avalanche
bluediva 5/16/2007 6:55:00 PM
I agree with previous reviewer - this is the mac daddy of white highlighter shadows! No sparkle, no visible flecs or particles, just lovely smooth white with silver shimmer. I prefer this to the Fluidline in Frostlite because it gives better coverage and a cool-toned shimmer. (Frostlite has gold shimmer.) According to MAC's website this shade is "white with silver reflects". It has no iridescence, no gold tones, just gorgeous highlighting.
A light application provides a sublte brightening, heavier application gives a bold shot of white highlight. I sometimes use it just on the inside corners of my eyes to make me look fresh and perky. I also use it as a light wash of shadow over the whole lid when I want to pass for a teenager. (3 cheers for any makeup that helps take a decade off!) Blends well with Idol Eyes and Silver Ring. Like all of Mac's Veluxe Pearl shadows, the texture of this is smooth and rich. It blends beautifully and doesn't drift down onto my cheeks during the day. You can get this look quite easily with this shadow.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Color -Redken - Shades EQ
bluediva 5/7/2007 5:02:00 PM
Love this hair color! It's salon-grade stuff, with a gorgeous selection of shades. Shades EQ are demi-permanent, meaning they fade out over 4-8 weeks (less for the red tones, IMHO) and contain a very very minimal ammount of amonia-type activator. There is no chemically smell when you use this, and it produces gorgeous shine, does not seem to damage my hair (when applied properly and for correct length of time), even after repeated applications. The selection of shades has been developed to allow professional hair colorists to adjust, repair, and compensate for bad color jobs, drastic shade changes, and extremely damaged hair. There are lots of ashy tones (even some that are obviously green and lavender) that are meant to be used to cancel out brassiness and orange tones) and a fantastic selection of reds. I'm a PPP and I love the "merlot" and "orchid" shades. There is a gloss coat product (no color) that I have not yet tried, but I've seen it do great things for other people's hair. There are also "color shots" of highly concentrated vivid pigments (e.g. red, blue, violet) that can be added in small quantities to the regular shades to intensify the color. My stylist told me they blow Punky Color out of the water for intense unnatural hair colors. If you can buy them as a pro colorist, they are very affordable, but of course, salon application is much more expensive. Anyway, find a hair colorist who uses these and check them out. I'm never using drug store semi-permanents again.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Sephora - Stain and Shine
bluediva 5/1/2007 11:20:00 PM
I really wanted to like this stuff, but it was very disappointing. I love lip stains so I'm always looking for a good one (especially at a good price like this stuff was) Lorac and Vincent Longo's stains are expensive. I found this product goopy and difficult to apply. The applicator did not distribute the gel-like stain effectively. Ease-of-application is a crucial factor for stains, because if you make a mistake along your lip line, you can't erase it. Using a quality lip brush did not improve things much. The stain I tried was too brightly colored, but the clear gloss was decent - very shiny and not too sticky. The gloss was almost as good as MAC clear lipglass. But I didn't buy this for the gloss, I bought it for the stain, so I was not happy. It lasts a long time, and for some, maybe having neon lips all day is a good thing, but not for me. I will go back to loving Lorac's stain in Sheer Magic.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Sephora - lip stain
bluediva 5/1/2007 11:16:00 PM
I really wanted to like this stuff, but it was very disappointing. I love lip stains because I'm a clutz with lipsticks and I can't be bothered reapplying glosses every hour. But selection is scarce and most are very expensive. I found this stuff goopy and difficult to apply with the cheap, poky doe foot applicator it came with. I think ease-of-application is a crucial factor for stains, because if you make a mistake along your lip line, it's not eraseable. Using a quality lip brush did not improve things much. The "red currant" color I tried was way to bright on my lips. (I'm a PPP, NC20, green eyes.) The clear gloss stuff was decent - very shiny and not too sticky. The gloss was almost as good as MAC clear lipglass. But I didnt' buy this for the gloss, I bought it for the stain, and as a stain, it was not practical. It lasts a long time, and for some, maybe having neon-red lips all day is a good thing, but not for me. I will go back to loving Lorac's stain in Sheer Magic.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -The Body Shop - Peacock Green Eyeshadow
bluediva 4/19/2007 6:21:00 PM
Very versatile shade, something I keep going back to. This is a dark smoky green with a bit of shimmer, reminds me of gasoline on dark asphalt. On its own, applied lightly, this shadow can give a very gentle smoky look, much softer than it looks in the pot. Applied wet, it's very intense and dark. If you have a redhead's complexion and you want a bold smoky look, this color is gorgeous. I also use this as eye liner using a wet angled brush - once it dries (10-20 secs) you can blend it to soften the line and still have a very dark contour along your lash line.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Fluidline Eye-Liner Gel - Frostlite
bluediva 4/19/2007 5:36:00 PM
This has smooth texture and shimmer, but it's too sheer. I was looking for a silver-white liner that would make my eyes look brighter for a light daytime look, and then really stand out when I wear darker eye shadows. Frostlite is not opaque enough to apply over dark shades, and even on its own, it takes a very heavy and careful application to make it work as a liner. (It was finnicky, even with MAC liner brushes - I tried several shapes.) It is good as a base under pale eye shadows and for brightening up the inner corners of my eyes. But as other MUAers have said, there are plenty of other products that do that for less money.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Lustreglass in Decorative
bluediva 3/31/2007 7:08:00 PM
I really like this shade, and it goes from day to night quite easily. The gold shimmer is not really obvious on my lips, but this shade definitely has a more agressive gleam than other lipglasses I've tried. I'm a FFF with green eyes and this shade is great for me. I went into the shop with every intention of buying Pop Mode (based mostly on MUA reviews) but it didn't look like I'd expected, so I went with Decorated. I usually can't be bothered with lip gloss of any kind, but MAC's lipglasses are better than most, and I've gotta say the lustrewear shades give killer shine and shimmer.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - French Grey
bluediva 3/13/2007 2:11:00 AM
One pot of this will last me for years, but I still wish it wasn't LE because I'd recommend it to so many people. It's a gorgeous cool-toned taupe that truly is neutral and versatile. A light wash of this will play up the contours of the eye without screaming "eyeshadow!" A wet applicator gives a gorgeous smoky look that isn't too dark for daytime and makes a great base for more dramatic night makeup. ***UPDATE - Matte^2 Copperplate e/s is replacing this for me. It's slightly warmer, but beautifully matte.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Fluidline Eyeliner Gel Macroviolet
bluediva 3/13/2007 2:05:00 AM
Love this shade, love Fluidline! Deep, murky purple that works well with my pale skin and green eyes. I bought this as a liner to go with MAC's LE French Grey (a cool-toned taupe) and they work beautifully together as a smoky daytime look. It also plays nicely with blacks, silvers, and greys. Blending this up to the crease as a a shadow is a more interesting (but still dramatic) alternative to black eye shadow. Fluidline is great stuff, wears all day with no creasing or drift, works wonderfully as a liner, base, or shadow. MacroViolet is especially nice when I want to line both the top and bottom lash lines without looking like Avril - just enough purple to sidestep gothiness, just enough gold glimmer to be elegant. I don't usually like gold tones, but it's just a hint of it and in this product, it really works well.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Fluidline Eyeliner - All Colors
bluediva 3/13/2007 1:10:00 AM
Awesome product! Best eyeliners I've ever tried. Gorgeous smooth texture with lots of pigment, blends very well, stays put all day, feels weightless, never creases. I started out using these just as liner, but at the suggestion of a MAC artist, I began using Fluidline as shadow and WOW, it rocks. As an eye makeup base, it gives a very smooth wash of pigment, and it makes everything else stay put, crease-free all day. And it doesn't "grab" too much of the shadow applied over top, so it's easy to layer over top without getting raccoon eyes. If applied thicker (like as liner, the color is bolder, and still holds up all day. I apply it with a brush, even as eye shadow. When it dries, the gel turns to a hard powder that must be washed off the brush. A sponge-tip would suck up a lot of product that would just need to be washed away after each usage. And it's looking like each little pot will last me for a year of daily usage. I have Sweet Sage and MacroViolet and I'm getting at least 2 more in the near future. They may eventually replace most of my eye shadows. Love this stuff!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Fluidline Eye-Liner Gel - Sweet Sage
bluediva 3/13/2007 12:54:00 AM
LOVE IT! I have very pale skin and green eyes, and this is one of those rare green colors that works for me. This was my first venture into MAC's Fluidline liners and it got me hooked. I love the texture and versatility of these liners. This one is an olive-sage green with a subtle gold sheen. This shade plays well with just about any other color range - it's a cool tone with a golden shimmer, so it looks good beside browns, greys, blacks, plum tones, and silver. (That's what I've tried pairing it with so far.) I bought it as a liner, but at the suggestion of a MAC artist (when I went back for other colors), I started using it as a shadow and WOW, it rocks. It's nice as a light wash of color, perfect with a bit of natural-looking mascara. If applied thicker, it still stays put, looks bolder, and holds up as a liner over black shadow. I apply it with a brush, even as eye shadow. Oh, and this stuff lasts and lasts! Fluidline stays put all day no creasing, and this one little pot isn't even 1/3 gone after 6 months of almost daily usage. Awesome stuff!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No