Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Mascara
abigail80 1/28/2007 11:16:00 AM
I received a sample of this with a sephora order and I loved how this mascara made my eyelashes look (very, very long and full, but still natural-looking with no clumps), but I could not take the strong flowery scent!! It seemed to linger for some time as well. I will not repurchase because of the scent and high-price.
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Blush -Cargo - The big easy
abigail80 1/28/2007 11:08:00 AM
Great blush shade! Very cheerful-looking and pretty shade - a peachy/apricot/pink. This is very, very flattering on me (PPP), and has the usual great Cargo blush texture, pigmentation, and lasting-power. I have only recently gotten into peach blushes, but I really like TBE. I took one lippie off for packaging, though the lid seems a bit more secure than my other Cargo blushes, it is still loose. I really think Cargo needs to fix this - perhaps a screw-on lid or a magnetized lid would help. For $22 the packaging shouldn't be so high-maintenance that I am worried about traveling with it or even the top coming loose in my makeup bag... EDIT: I am raising the rating to five lippies, depsite the packaging, as the color is just so beautiful and glowy...and perfect on me.
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Eye Shadow -Stila - barefoot contessa shadow
abigail80 1/28/2007 10:49:00 AM
I really like using Barefoot Contessa (my pan that I recently got from sephora has the full name of the shade) as a liner with Grace applied as a wash and Cozy (pink) cheek color as my blush. BC is a pretty plummy brown/wine shade with some shimmer. It looks great with my light brown eyes and lasts all day. I also can use this shade very lightly applied on my lid and crease, so I think it is a fairly versatile shade.
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Blush -Stila - Cozy Cheek Color
abigail80 1/28/2007 10:44:00 AM
Lovely matte medium neutral pink color that lasts all day on me. It looks a lot brighter in the pan, but on me (PPP), Cozy is is a very pretty delicate pink flush. Just a tad brighter and pinker than my natural color when I blush. This color is a bit more pigmented (though still sheer) than some stila blushes, so I just "touch" my brush to the pan a few times to get nice flush of color. This was $14 for a pan, but it lasts a long time and I enjoy creating my own stila palettes.
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Masks -Queen Helene - Mint Julep Masque
abigail80 1/28/2007 10:36:00 AM
I am glad this product works well for others, but it just further irritated my skin and didn't help at all with a small breakout. I would generally give it another chance as I know skin products take a while to work, but this smelled so awful (to me), I just couldn't take using it again. I did like the very affordable price and sanitary tube packaging though, so I am giving it two lippies, as I don't feel guilty about spending a few dollars on it.
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Lipstick -Clinique - Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick
abigail80 1/28/2007 10:30:00 AM
I am a big fan of the butter shines. The texture is great and the finish is glossy, but still natural-looking. Some of my favorite shades include: Apple Brandy (a great sheer slightly warm red that I think would work on most people), Berry Blush (YLBB), and In the Pink (sheer bright pink). Apple Brandy seems to have a bit more lasting-power than the other shades, and (as of right now) is my favorite shade. These are very fairly priced too, so it is easy to try a range of shades. I like the cases a lot - gorgeous silver bamboo - different, yet still sophisticated.
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Lipstick -Bloom - Lipstick in Sweetheart
abigail80 1/28/2007 10:23:00 AM
Bloom makes some of the nicest lipsticks around - they are well worth the $20. I always look forward to applying them because of the great mandarin-vanilla scent. Sweetheart is a matte medium plum shade that can be worn in both daytime and evening. It is soft and flattering and just very "classic" looking. This lipstick feels creamy when applied, but has fairly good staying power. I enjoy wearing this shade a lot and a tube seems to last a long time for me as I don't have to reapply very often.
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Blush -Cargo - Tonga
abigail80 12/9/2006 9:04:00 AM
I am really liking Cargo blushes. I own Prague and tried Molokai, TBE, and Topeka, but Tonga really suits me best. I have very fair skin, and this is just very natural and classic-looking. In the pan it looks like a muted-pink-brown color, but on me it shows up as a soft light dusty rose. Tonga has the usual great Cargo creamy texture, though I took a lippie off for the lid not staying securely on. I love the cute Cargo blush tins, but the lid-fit really needs to be improved, as I (ironically!) would be nervous about traveling with this blush.
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Palettes -Stila - Glacier Ice Palette
abigail80 12/9/2006 8:53:00 AM
I totally agree with the previous reviews - this palette is gorgeous! I usually stick to neutrals, but these shades are so sheer and fresh-looking. So pretty! The crease shade is beautiful and unique - a mix of silver, blue, gray, and mint green. It really does look like 'winter' to me - lol! And I actually like using the silvery-black color as an eyeliner - lightly applied it isn't too much at all. The blush is fantastic too - a nice soft pink shade that looks very natural on me. The whole look is extrememly wearable. The packaging is great too - very pretty and functional - and the price is definitely reasonable for the quality and quantity of the product.
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Makeup Brushes -Pout - Pout Blusher Brush
abigail80 12/9/2006 7:39:00 AM
I had originally bought the mini-brush set from Pout. However, I only ever used the blush brush, as the eye brushes were very small. So, I ended up returning the set, and just buying the full-size blush brush. I love it! The handle is a nice size and is a pretty pink color. The brush itself is extremely soft, and great for applying both pigmented and sheerer blushes. The taper is nice, and gives a great 'flush' to the cheeks.
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Palettes -Stila - Snow Lilies
abigail80 10/24/2006 1:59:00 PM
I saw this in sephora yesterday and quickly purchased it. I love my stila iced plums palette from the winter collection last year, so I was excited to try this set. The base shadow is a shimmery pale cream that reminds me of vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately, it is super-sheer and I can't tell whether I have it on or not (I have very fair skin). The middle shade is lovely - a pink-taupe color. I compared it to latte and the two shades are very similar. The darkest shade is a rich chocolate color - very neutral and pretty. I used it as a liner and for my brows. The two darker shades are nicely pigmented and shimmery. The best part of the palette is the blush. The color is a warm rose with very subtle shimmer. It looks somewhat dull and dark in the pan, but it is beautiful on! It really warms up my complexion and gives me a natural warm rosy flush. I don't have clay so I can't compare, but the blush is very similar to the blush in the perfectly plum palette (which I love!), minus the shimmer. The packaging is very pretty and convenient and easily closes with a magnet. It definitely is much prettier in real life, though it is not as stunning as the packaging from the winter bloom palettes last year. Overall, this is a very versatile set of neutral colors. The colors aren't unique and are subtle (which I like), but the palette provides a very pretty and polished look. I am very happy with my purchase.
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Masks -Alba Botanica - Deep Sea Facial Mask
abigail80 10/19/2006 8:26:00 AM
Great mask! This product left my skin extremely soft and clear-looking. It did not irritate my sensitive skin either. Like a previous reviewer, I left it on for 15-20 minutes, instead of the 5 minutes that Alba recommends. I like the subtle sea frangrance and the creamy texture too. I like to use this after the sea scrub.
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Lotions/ Creams -L'Occitane - 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream
abigail80 10/13/2006 7:58:00 AM
I buy the mini size tubes of this hand cream (cost $9). I have been using this hand cream for years - I love that it sinks in quickly and is not greasy at all. The cream is very concentrated too, so a little goes a long way. I find the scent very comforting now, though I wasn't crazy about it at first. I like L'Occitane products a lot - they work very well for me and look and feel very luxurious.
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Gels/Soaps -Bath and Body Works - Savannah Bee Company Blackberry Hand Wash
abigail80 10/6/2006 7:41:00 AM
This is a nice gentle hand wash. I think it must have been on sale or else I was mischarged, but it cost me $5. I am not too crazy about the scent though -to me it smells like fruit and Lipton tea - but the scent is growing on me. I was expecting more of a fruit-honey scent. I will not repurchase, but I am definitely using up my hand wash. I do like the elegant packaging.
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Makeup Brushes -Pout - Mini Makeup Brush Set
abigail80 10/4/2006 2:44:00 PM
From Nordstrom's web site: "Presented in a luxurious blueberry wallet, the Pout Mini Makeup Brush Set contains a mirror and full-sized brushes with extra-short handles. The set contains Blusher Brush, Small Eyeshadow Brush, Blender Brush, Fine Line Brush and Retractable Lip Brush." Technically, I think my rating should be a 3.5, but I rounded up. I had been wanting to purchase a brush set for some time now as my old brushes are about 4-5 years old now and starting to shed and are not as soft as they used to be. I did not, however, want to spend a lot of money and just needed some basic, but high-quality, brushes. The Pout set seemed a good option for me. I have never tried anything from this line before, but so far I pleased with this brush set. It is very cute, and compared to other brush sets from high-end lines, a good deal at $40. The blueberry wallet is gorgeous, as is the ribbon, but I am finding it impractical and a pain to keep retying the ribbon, which comes undone fairly easily. I think a pretty clasp of some kind or magnet would have been a much better choice!! I might just transfer the brushes to my stila anniversary tweed case anyway though. The mirror is nice. The handles for the brushes are a cute light pink color and are clearly labeled. The handles are short, but I like them since the set is so compact and I still think that the brushes are easy to handle and work with. Overall, the brushes are soft and have short, but densely-packed, hairs - they feel "firm" but very soft to me. The blush brush is nice and just goes slightly over the edges of a stila blush pan (if that helps anyone picture the size). It works very well picking up color and my blush came out very natural looking. The two eyeshadow brushes are nice, but since they are denser, the brushes pick up more color than I was used to at first. They are small though and work better for applying shadows to the browbone, crease, or lid, than for doing quick washes over the entire eye. The liner brush was not so successful for me. I tried it wet with powder eye shadow (ouch!), and dry with powder eye shadow (double ouch!). I do not recommend this for lining at all...However, it makes a great brush to fill in brows with!! So that is what I have been using it for. I haven't used the lip brush, as I don't use them, but it is retractable and the brush seems firm, but soft, like the others. I wish an all over eye brush had been included instead of the lip one. I have washed the brushes several times now and they seem to be holding up well - no shedding or roughness. I will update if anything changes, but I think this set is a great and affordable option for anyone wanting a nice travel set or compact set of basic high-quality brushes. Edit: I ended up returning the brush set. They were nice brushes, but I was only ever using two of them (the small shadow brush and the blush brush), so it didn't seem worth it to keep the set. And I really needed an all over wash shadow brush. A nice set, but ultimately not for me.
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