Blush -Chanel - Joues Contraste in Pink Explosion 64
blooiejagwa 10/6/2011 10:44:00 AM
My cousin gave me this in a gift along with many chanel/dior products, so I'm glad I didn't have to pay the price! It's pretty, subtly shimmering pink that looks cute...but honestly I can think of several drugstore brands I have which are very very similar if not exactly alike! Thus I wouldn't get it myself when this runs out...
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Lipstick -MAC - Frost Lipstick in O
blooiejagwa 10/6/2011 2:40:00 AM
Edit 3: just wanted to add that it is my signature lipstick now and i always get at least one compliment on it throughout the day. Edit 2: I think there was something wrong with the tube I got, because after the initial few wears, the hard, sandpaper-esque layer of roughness is off the lipstick and it's perfectly fine suddenly.. Now i understand all the rave reviews.. I think the coat on top of the lipstick needed to be worn off before it became normal and non-drying in texture.. :) Not moisturizing, of course, but just a normal frosty lipstick texture... Am taking off a lippie because it shud hav performed perfectly from the start. Four lippies bcuz it has become my everyday apply N go lipstick! . Finally! Colour is soo pretty and shows up much more smoothly. Looks BEAUTIFUL, just as I hoped it would! :) i tried this on my mom cuz she has green eyes and paler skin than me... It looked gorgeous on her too. Scratch that, she looked gorgeous, and with no other makeup on! Btw with different coloured lipliners it morphs into different hues. You need not even fill lips with lipliner, just the tracing of the shape will do, and then putting this on. I think the proximity to whatever colour u choose to line with brings out the different hues in this, eg with dark plum u can get a gorgeous vamp look... With a nude liner, it becomes a flattering bronzey nude. Like i said-- dont need to fill in lips with the liner...it morphs colour somehow! 4 stars for Versatility . Edit: DH loves this one on me n compliments it so i decided not to return n upgrade rating to 4... a testimony to how much our loved ones' opinions hold sway over our own! . Too drying. Parches my lips more than many cheaper priced lippies in my collection. Colour is beautiful and i tried many ways to make this work. Neither balm beneath helps, nor gloss on top. Even if worn after other lipsticks, in the middle to create more dimension, this will not work. It actually looks disgusting cuz the frost gathers in all the sudden lines/crevices that appeared upon application, and it looks like i haven't been drinking water for days, wandering thru sahara... And upon inexplicably finding some pots of cheap kindergarten arts n crafts glitter in the middle of this desert, decided to eat them. Bleh..
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Lipstick -New York Color - Ultra Moist Lip Wear Retro Red 308B
blooiejagwa 10/5/2011 5:09:00 PM
This is why mua rocks. I remembered that some lipsticks from NYC are highly lauded here, so i picked this up at walmart. 2 cndn dollars only! Was afraid it would be too bright/ugly/unflattering but the opposite is true! Cheap awesomeness! Colour is beautiful lit-from-within red that will make you glow. Did not experience bleeding or poor staying power even without lipliner--until i made wudhu that is (the five times a day ritual washing that muslims must perform)... That's when there was almost imperceptible bleeding near the edge... However... With lipliner (which is a must with bright red lipstick anyway) this is perfection. Highly recommend and don't really mind packaging... If worst comes to worst, i can 'depot' and microwave it and stick it in a little empty mints tin :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Annabelle - Lipstick
blooiejagwa 10/5/2011 3:45:00 PM
Bad quality and drying to the max. Formula sucks: too waxy to adhere to lips well, yet so drying it makes fine lines appear, a feat no other brand of lipstick has yet achieved--not even the $1 NYC ones!
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Concealers -Cover Girl - Olay Simply Ageless
blooiejagwa 10/5/2011 3:20:00 PM
Q: Why are drugstore prices climbing higher? A: because quality is improving. Proof: this product. Doesn't 100% conceal dark circles like MAC concealer, but i prefer this because it doesn't look overly made-up and unnatural. V good quality. Still moaning about the price (about 15 bucks) as i think high street m/u companies hav an obligation to set lower prices than high end, bcuz that's the basic appeal for most consumers. Otherwise, why not spend a marginally higher price on big brands??
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Fragrances -Marc Jacobs - Daisy 
blooiejagwa 10/5/2011 9:47:00 AM
Pleasant green-smelling fruity floral. The green note lasts but the rest of it doesn't. Hence, drydown is not dissimilar to toilet fresheners or generic room sprays. For the price, it should have 1. Lasting power 2. Some kind of depth or interest. Sadly, lacking in both respects. Extremely diluted, the pretty bottle is a farce, what's inside isn't high quality. More like cheap drugstore scent than anything. Feel bad for the people who blew their hard earned cash on this, because the fragrance fades so soon and the sillage (not that there's really any) is soooo faint... Honestly it's like the emperor's new clothes of perfume, when i read reviewers say it has lasting power or whatever... Hun(s), it really really doesn't. And i'm not into garishly overpowering frags either, but this??!! Marc jacobs is laughing his way to the bank... Don't judge a perfume by its initial beautiful blast, nor by the bottle. Drydown is what matters ultimately, and this is worse than a watered-down body mist from BBW!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Cover Girl - Liquiline Blast in Blackfire
blooiejagwa 10/5/2011 8:54:00 AM
Very very good quality, ds or not. Does NOT fade on me. Very dark and well pigmented. Currently i prefer mac smoulder for a smudgier look... (but it's not as black and defined looking as this one!) But this is a good one to fall back on when i don't want a smudgy look, but a dark defined look. Kinda off putting that drugstore prices are pretty high these days :( they should maintain lower prices because people rely on them for that reason, otherwise why not spend a few bucks more on a MAC or urban decay pencil? Read beauty and the bullshit's article on pencil liners (google it)... It explains the whole price point difference betwewn ds and high end... And why pricier does not necessarily equate better quality..
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -LUSH - Cupcake Mask
blooiejagwa 10/5/2011 8:04:00 AM
I bought this a couple of times back when i had acne. Did not help much beyond mild smoothing that you can get with any mask. One star for that and two for the smell! Also it would give me fresh pimples... At least one... Every time i used it :(
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Masks -Unlisted Brand - Yogurt Mask
blooiejagwa 10/5/2011 7:57:00 AM
Truth: after washing this off, met hubz to watch tv. First thing he said (and he doesnt normally make such remarks): do u hav foundation? (he knows what it is cuz his mom is always telling me to buy an expensive one from lancome). Me: no. Him: ur skin looks beautiful! . Side note: i blend lemon juice, pinch of turmeric and some flour to help mask adhere better.
10 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -LUSH - Brazened Honey face mask
blooiejagwa 10/5/2011 7:48:00 AM
Awesome soother of aching zits-beneath-surface skin, complexion brightener, and smoothing effect that lasts (ie results are not shortlived). The day after using this, i do not need or use foundation. . Edit: after about two weeks of using this every two or three days, i am still not thru the pot. Luckily i 'froze' it rather than refridgerated, and it doesn't have an 'off' smell or look and i think it is good for another two uses. The effect is probably cumulative. This is HG and highly recommended because this has faded my acne scars like nothing else to date! Also brightened my skin, made it smoother, and did not launch fresh breakouts. And i have no blackheads whereas before i had plenty on my nose. . If u regularly exfoliate ur skin or do peels or microdermabrasion this might irritate your skin or tingle and hurt a bit. Otherwise it is awwwwesome.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Estee Lauder - Pleasures Exotic
blooiejagwa 10/5/2011 7:41:00 AM
Meh. Not offensive. Mildly pleasant 'tropical' scent with no personality, succulence or point of interest.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Retro Lipstick
blooiejagwa 10/4/2011 6:42:00 PM
Instant HG. Instant prettifier. My fave of all time. A natural looking red that can be worn with no other makeup and look beautiful! reminds me of the women in Renoir paintings... They usually had this sweet red tinge and no other makeup... A very classical painting look Update: tips to wear this: this looks amazing with a neutral brown eye makeup, with a champagne or gold pigment dabbed on eyes. This lipstick looks amazing with blush on the pink side too. Don't go for browns automatically, because a pinkish colour will really revive the skin and balance out the face (since the lipstick is kinda dark)
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -BeneFit Cosmetics - Eye Bright
blooiejagwa 9/30/2011 10:53:00 AM
Overpriced. Yet...effective. And undupeable: thus far, I haven't been able to find a cheaper replacement. . Use it for waterlining, gives beautiful open look, looks natural as compared to most liners used for this purpose, because rather than being a harsh white, it's a very natural-looking pale pinkish white. Also, lasts very very long on waterline, unlike other pale liners I've used for the same purpose. No flaking or uneven wearing off. / One problem (aside from ridiculous price, of course): What sharpener should I use for it? The obnoxious nib is much too plump for the ones I have right now :( Do message me if you have recs (cheaper=better :) xo
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Patina (Frost)
blooiejagwa 9/30/2011 10:45:00 AM
A simple enough shade, but with a subtle complexity to it that looks BEAUTIFUL! Got it after hearing Tanya Burr recommend it...she used this all over, and then a dark brownish one in the crease...and finished with mascara and waterlining....minimal effort, maximum impact! . It looks so so so beautiful (imo). Subtle but sophisticated enough that you could pair this with bold lips, or go for smokey eye....or a classic glam vintage look...or a Bollywood/Arab look....anything really, you're limited by your imagination. Versatile, gives that polished effect, haven't found dupe for it thus far, highly recommend. (Also, I think it's fairly pigmented...if it was more pigmented, the effect wouldn't be nearly as subtle and softly pretty as it is right now...that would ruin the point of this e/s!)
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Estee Lauder - Advanced Night Repair (Serum)
blooiejagwa 9/30/2011 10:30:00 AM
EDIT: been a yr or so.. this is still my go-to cure for when my skin feels inflamed or irritated. just a tiny dab is all i need and it feels better. i don't use it regularly anymore, only to calm down my skin. yogurt mask is also good but i think this is worth having still. // CRAAAZY that this breaks people out! For me, this does the exact opposite--it stops breakouts dead in their tracks, and heals old pimple-induced blemishes!!!! . I took this with me on vacation, and anytime I noted a pimple forming due to stress/bad weather/whatever, I'd dab this on at night and the next morning it'd be totally healed. Also.... helps with OLD blemishes (you know, the kind that have TECHNICALLY gone, but still seem to hang around, a ghost of their former selves, in rough and pigmented patches?) . Similarly, this morning I realized I got a nasty painful pimple in a spot I don't normally get any--btw, this coincided neatly with recent usage of Dior Airflash (AMAZING FOUNDATION but with many cons, one of them being that my skin HATES it..still, I recommend it HIGHLY just cuz of the incomparable finish)... . Anyway, dabbed on EL serum... guess what, the pain from it is already gone, and it's REDUCED in size/redness! . So yeah. I only use it for such moments, otherwise, I don't really note any difference, like if it's even doing anything normally. I just save it for bad skin times... it miraculously seems to heal it up within that day, or by the next day! Weird but true! . Finally, it seems to help fade away old scars, although I'm not 100% sure about this, so don't take my word for it. (Could just be natural healing/renewal process). . I was totally prepared to hate this, thinking it'd be useless and a purchase I'd regret.. well, exact opposite is true, and it's been, what, over a month? Also, I think this'll last me a loooong time, esp since I don't use it every night. The lame EL claims that this will stave off aging process, blah blah blah, i don't believe that. I think only an idiot or very desperate person would believe that they can totally prevent aging process putting their hopes in a jar on every day. Seriously, facial aging and wrinkle formation is muuuuch more complicated than that. For example, the bones in your face, the facial cartilage and the whole structure that is holding your face together, so to speak, deteriorates and 'shrinks' over time. Most age induced wrinkles form due to this and they are unpreventable. . People who go into mild depression because the face in the mirror is no longer as pretty and youthful as it used to be need to get a grip on themselves, stop placing too much value in their outward appearance, and accept it. Like the japanese idea of wabi sabi, that aging and imperfections add aesthetic beauty and should be accepted as natural process of life not a disease or something to be cured. The Estee claims are really deceptive n false. This or any other product can mainly improve texture but not treat the underlying cause.
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