Liquid -Giorgio Armani - Matte Silk Foundation [DISCONTINUED]
Missy 7/10/2005 11:17:00 PM
First of all, #2 was an absolute perfect match for my NC20 skin, so I was off to a great start. I found it just a little difficult to blend, as I usually prefer a little more "slip" in my foundation. The first day I wore it, I didn't apply any powder on top to see if it would live up to its name. Honestly, it didn't make my skin look matte at all. It actually looked kind of glowey, which I liked. By midday, my skin did get a little oily in the t-zone, as it normally does, and I was hoping that it wouldn't cake up. Surprisingly, it lasted fairly well, but it did cake up a little bit where I layered for extra coverage.
The second day I used it, I set it with a little BE Mineral Veil. It didn't really seem to make much of a difference, except that it caked up a little more than without it. All in all, I believe this is a great foundation for oily-skinned gals. It's not buildable, but if you have a concealer that matches well, use that instead. Powder is definitely not necessary and it lasts throughout the day.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Bare Escentuals - Bare Minerals #1
Missy 7/6/2005 12:13:00 AM
This is the best foundation I have ever found. I'm actually on my third jar, which is quite remarkable because these last for about a year (for me at least). It covers better than anything else I have ever found, though it can get a little cakey around my nose if I apply too much of it. The color is absolutely perfect for my NC15 skin. Doesn't change colors at all throughout the day. I do have to use a separate concealer (I use MAC select) on blemishes and around my eyes before I apply this. If I try to layer on the minerals as a concealer, I end up with a dry patch. That's another thing: this makes my skin feel a little dried out by the end of the day and it also feels a little itchy if I leave it on too long. Nonetheless, it's still the best foundation I have found so far. Better than Jane Iredale. Better than Philosophy.
Now, my absolute biggest gripe about this product and the reason I took away one lippie is because it accentuates my pores soooo badly, even the ones that are barely visible without makeup. Granted, when I use the mineral veil on top of it, as you're supposed to, my skin looks perfect, but sometimes, I just don't feel like piling on layer after layer of powder on my skin. It can get a little heavy.
*UPDATE 7/30/05 - Okay, I just had to come back and change the 4 lippies to 5 lippies for two reasons. #1- I wore this out in 95 degree weather for about 6 hours. I was sweating so badly and I was just positive that when I looked in the mirror, ALL of my makeup would be gone. To my surprise, it STILL looked absolutely perfect, like I had just applied it!!! #2- I bought a sample kit of this for my sister on her birthday. She has some pretty dark bluish-red scars on her chin and this stuff covered ALL of it. It looked like there was nothing there at all. Also, when she used it for several days, her acne completely vanished!!! This stuff is incredible!
*2/20/08 UPDATE-Well, my 5 stars have been reduced to 3. For one thing, BE seems to have changed some of their colors, mine being one of them. My perfect translucent porcelain-doll shade has been transformed into a hideous beige. After repeated failed attempts at contacting BE to see why this happened, I've given up. I will no longer be purchasing this product that has been a staple for the past several years. Better mineral foundations have come out since then anyway. Give Everyday Minerals a try if you're new to mineral foundations. It's the best I've found!
UPDATE: 6/13/10 After many years, I decided to give this another go. It's difficult to ignore the 500 commercials they air every day touting that it's so great for sensitive, rosacean, acne-prone skin. I purchased it three weeks ago and used it almost every day for two weeks. It provided great coverage at the beginning of the day and, oddly, didn't itch at all this time around. The first week I used it, I developed a rashy breakout on my neck, but I didn't know if it was from the makeup or a recent trip to the lake, so I continued to use it the next week. I started developing small bumps all over my forehead (the telltale sign that my skin hates something), so I stopped using it. Sure enough, my skin cleared up immediately after I started using something else (currently American Beauty Perfectly Even foundation, available @ Kohl's. It NEVER irritates me!). Aside from the skin reaction, the one aspect that stood out this time around was the coverage. It looked fine and lovely in the morning, but as the day progressed, it looked extremely cakey and splotchy and actually shifted around on my face, even when I wasn't particularly oily. I've downgraded to 2 and hope that I've learned my lesson for good this time!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Bare Escentuals - Blush in Golden Gate
Missy 7/5/2005 11:52:00 PM
This is a warm pale peachy-pink shade. It's a gorgeous color, though I have to apply quite a bit for it to show up on my PPP NW-20 skin.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Bare Escentuals - True all over face color
Missy 7/5/2005 11:45:00 PM
I was apprehensive of this blush when I first opened the jar, as it looks very sparkly, but I was brave and finally tried it. As you apply it, the shimmer seems to just disappear and the result is a gorgeous blush with a subtle glow to it. This one is more pigmented than my others, so I didn't have to reapply several times. A little goes a long way too. The color is just beautiful, the perfect mauvey pink. I'm an NW20 and this color worked very well for me and lasted all day long.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -MAC - Studio Finish Concealer
Missy 7/1/2005 11:42:00 PM
This is the only concealer that I've ever repurchased. The color match (NW20) is perfect. The texture is very opaque and buildable and it lasts throughout the day without creasing. I use it for blemishes and, occasionally, on undereye circles, though I don't think it's a great undereye concealer. You definitely need something that blends better and has more color-correcting pigments. But, as a blemish concealer, this is one of the best.
UPDATE 4/4/09: I've probably tried 100+ concealers in my lifetime, from the cheapest to the most expensive, and this is still the one I always come back to.It's funny because I barely use any other MAC products. This concealer is something special, though. Oh, and I was wrong about under eye use. It works wonderful on me now that I'm older and have some shadows under my eyes. It's true. It does get cakey if you use too much, but I still haven't found anything better!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Trish McEvoy - Large Planner
Missy 6/30/2005 2:00:00 PM
I was initially please with this planner and excited to store all my Trish products and also some MAC and Stila in the same place. I went out and bought three pages to go along with the mesh bag page that came with it. To my dismay, I could not fit all of the pages in it. It would only hold two at a time and I could barely zip it closed if I left the mesh bag in it. I really had to downsize so that I could take this on vacation with me. Now, about the pages. What kind of idiot designs a palette page like this? Most palettes have little snap closures or something. This one has flimsy plastic tabs that you have to snap into the corners to close it, so every time I close it, I wonder if this is going to be the time it breaks. It happens eventually. Also, the pages don't close completely. There's always a little gap in between the lid and the palette, which wouldn't be a bad thing if the page covers weren't that flimsy. So, if your planner gets tossed around just a little bit, the plastic covers press against the products and you get dust everywhere. One more thing, these things get FILTHY. You have to take everything out of the planner at least once a month and scrub the stupid thing, unless you want makeup EVERYWHERE. I swapped mine away and will definitely not repurchase.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Bare Escentuals - Flawless Application Face Brush
Missy 6/26/2005 1:20:00 AM
My BE products never looked right until I bought this brush. And then, all of a sudden, this brush transformed them into the most beautiful products on the planet. It must have something to do with the density of the bristles. I use this one brush for everything now: foundation, powder, blush and clear radiance. Thinking of buying a second one too.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -Bare Escentuals - Clear Radiance
Missy 6/26/2005 1:16:00 AM
LOVE LOVE LOVE this product! It's basically a powder highlighter, but the color is just perfect. It leaves my skin glowing and radiant looking. It just adds a little something to your whole look. I actually receive compliments on my skin when I wear it, and my skin is NOT that great.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Bare Escentuals - Warmth All Over Face Color
Missy 6/26/2005 1:13:00 AM
I had this for almost 6 months before I actually tried it. It looked so scary in the pot, this deep brown (almost terracotta) color. One day while watching QVC, the MA was using this, so I decided to give it a try. I was SO pleased with the result. It made my face look glowey and warm (just as the name implies), almost like I spent the day in the sun. I have NEVER found a bronzing powder that looks natural on my PPP skin, so this was quite a find for me! They always look too orange, brown and muddy or too sparkly. This doesn't have sparkle to it, but somehow, it makes my skin look as though it's glowing. Probably won't use it on a day to day basis, but I'm glad I have it for those days when I want a nice glow.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Loose Powders -Bare Escentuals - Mineral Veil
Missy 6/26/2005 1:07:00 AM
I just love this finishing powder. It's so light that it feels like nothing at all. It doesn't really minimize my pores as it claims to do, but I don't really care. Took off one lippie because it can feel a little drying at times. That's not really a bad thing though when you have oily skin like mine. UPDATE: 6/13/10 I decided to repurchase some of this after many years of not using it. For some reason, my skin reacted badly to it this time around. My skin has become more sensitive as I've grown older and breaks out from many different things. In particular, it seems like the corn starch in this is what my skin dislikes. Also, it doesn't keep me matte at all. I have to re-powder several times throughout the day with this, which just leads to more irritation. Currently, I'm using a LOVING E.L.F. High Definition powder. It never breaks out my super-sensitive, acne-prone skin and keeps me matte for most of the day!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Orgasm Blush
Missy 6/26/2005 1:01:00 AM
I must be in the minority, but I just don't like NARS blushes. Come to think of it, I don't really like any NARS products. They seem so mediocre to me. The shades are dull, distribute unevenly and are so sheer that they don't show up on my SUPER pale skin. Two thumbs waaaay down.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Olay - Clarity Foaming Face Wash
Missy 6/26/2005 12:57:00 AM
I will never purchase another product from Olay as long as I live. Their products NEVER do what they claim. This is the fifth Olay product that has broken my skin out horribly, and I don't mean just a few tiny little bumps, I mean a full-out eruption of nasty pimples. The people that market these products should be fired for false advertising. Back to my faithful Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Neutrogena - Clear Pore Cleanser Mask
Missy 6/26/2005 12:53:00 AM
I keep running back to this over and over and over again. I love the fact that it's a multi-tasking product. You can use it as a cleanser and also a mask. My skin feels so incredibly clean after using this and makes it so smooth. Will repurchase forever (or as long as they keep making it).
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -MAC - Pro Colour Palette/Small Eye Shadow
Missy 6/25/2005 4:06:00 PM
You could never ask for a better eyeshadow palette. Holds everything securely, looks sleek and holds a lot. Another winner from MAC!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Neutrogena - Moistureshine Tinted Lip Balm [DISCONTINUED]
Missy 5/31/2005 12:25:00 AM
LOVE these! They look, feel, smell and taste so good! I'm a lipbalm junkie and this has become a new favorite staple of mine. I'm going to get every shade!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No