Lipstick -MAC - Mattene Formula in general
bellabambina 11/4/2007 1:26:00 AM
Well, I had a gift card at Macy's so I decided to give the Mattene formula a whirl. I tried Night Violet out today and I was sorely disappointed...instead of "semi-mat" as the package states, it is more like SUPER-matte, imo. I found it to be insanely dry-feeling, and dry-looking as well...as soon as it hit my lips, they felt like they lost all moisture. I almost wonder if my tube is a bad one, it doesn't even sound like the l/s described in previous reviews. I would definitely need to apply a lip balm under this, something I am not used to doing with my other l/s. Also, I found the l/s to be difficult to apply precisely out of the tube...something about the shape does not suit my lips and it ends up going where I don't want it, which is really bad with such a deep color (in such a matte, no-budge formula). I would need to use a lipbrush with this, but I usually just like to apply an l/s directly from the tube. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautifully pigmented and long lasting lip color, but unless you really love a super-matte finish don't get this! I thought it was going to be a very creamy, moist l/s with a matte finish, but it wasn't in my experience. Kinda disappointing for me. :(
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast
bellabambina 10/30/2007 7:42:00 PM
Well, thanks to all the Lash Blast featured reviews here on MUA piquing my interest, I recently picked up one in Very Black at the local CVS. I think it does a very decent job of pumping up lashes and making them look much fuller, yet separated. However, I do not think applying more than one coat is a good idea, at least on my lashes. As an experiment, I applied one coat to one eye and it looks amazing; on the other eye, I tried two coats, and it looks a bit spidery. One coat is quite enough! I think a light hand is best with this, no heavy-handed application required! For reference, I have fairly large, almond-shaped eyes...and somewhat dark, longish, thick lashes to start with. I have other mascaras I am happy with, and only tried this out of curiosity, so for now I would say no repurchase for me.
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Lips -Estee Lauder - Pure Color Lipsticks
bellabambina 9/24/2007 2:30:00 PM
I got a Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in Wild Grape recently as a birthday gift. There was a GWP going on at Macy's so I decided to take advantage of the promo and get my bf to buy me it at the counter (lol). Well, I do think this l/s is very beautiful (both the packaging, and the product itself). It is a nice combo of l/s and l/g (like a lip gloss in a lipstick, sort of) and it has a nice sheen. It goes on a lot sheerer in color than it looks (it looks almost black in the tube), a nice sheer but dark purple on me. Since I like plums on my eyes, this complements my favorite eye looks very well without overpowering. However, my main gripes are that it doesn't last very long on the lips, and needs to be reapplied often. This leads to the other gripe of it being a rather expensive l/s at $22. I don't really feel like reapplying it too much because I am not comfortable with using up such an expensive l/s so quickly. It does have a fruity fig fragrance, but it does not bother me. Anyway, I am sure that there are other far cheaper l/s out there that give a similar look, so no, I would not ever consider repurchasing this. It would be a lot nicer if it were more reasonably priced!
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Treatments -Cutex - Twister- Non-Acetone Nail Polish Remover
bellabambina 8/25/2007 8:42:00 PM
Holy crap! This product is horrible! I had picked it up at Ulta on clearance for 99 cents recently, and since I ran out of any other nail polish remover, I decided to try it out today. It is truly awful! It didn't remove anything at all! I thought maybe it was dried out from being old, but from the reviews below, I guess it just sucks. Avoid!
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Moisturizers -Vaseline - Petroleum Jelly
bellabambina 8/23/2007 12:03:00 AM
Sorry-I just had to jump in with my two cents. I think petroleum jelly is gross. It's greasy, heavy, and smells weird. Just not for me, I guess. I am astounded when I hear people say this is a beauty staple for them (like Tyra Banks does). Sorry I don't share the love, but that's more Vaseline for those of you who do love it!
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Eye Shadow -Wet 'n' Wild - Ultimate Expressions Eyeshadow Palette - Paradise Cove - 397 [DISCONTINUED]
bellabambina 8/7/2007 11:00:00 PM
I bought this based solely on the rave reviews, and wore it the other night to a concert and backstage event. I can't say I love it as much as most people seem to. I was expecting the darker plummy type shadows to be more purply but they showed up on my GGG skin as dull, almost muddy-looking neutrals. I have to say that like some color to pop in my shadows and this didn't deliver. The other thing I noticed was that the shadows ended up looking really shiny and frosty on my lids, maybe too much so for my taste. I'm only out $4.99 (regular price at Walgreens), so that is a positive, I guess. It did have good staying power and barely creased through the night...another good thing. I will probably use this again, but I can't say I would repurchase it, or any other WnW palettes for the time being. EDIT: I can't believe I did this, but I just found I had picked up SAND CASTLE and not Paradise Cove! I am going to try Paradise Cove next and I will review. For now I will give this 3 stars (neutral rating).
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Nails -Avon - Instant Manicure
bellabambina 7/28/2007 10:59:00 PM
I've already reviewed the Instant Pedicure (mine is the first MUA review of that product)...I tried the Instant Manicure back when it came out, actually, but I forgot to review it on here! I love this product and I am super impressed with Avon for this wonderful innovation. This basically lets me "paint" my fingernails easily, quickly, and well, which I am not really able to do at all with regular polish, and it dries instantly, eliminating the problems I have had with regular nail polish smudging and denting. I had actually given up on having colored fingernails since I don't have time to run to a salon all the time and wait for the polish to dry...this lets me have some fun with my nails again!! There really isn't much smell compared to regular polishes, and whatever little smell there is quickly dissipates. And the instant manicure stays on me for almost 2 weeks! To help prolong it I do try to wear gloves when washing dishes and other such activities. I think this is worth the price for people like me who cannot do their own nails with regular polish (or have no patience for the drying time)! It looks wonderful on me and much better than a regular polish job. There is a decent number of pretty colors that this comes in and right now I am wearing "pink in gold" which as the name suggests is a pinkish gold color with lots of shimmer--nice for summer! By the way: I've noticed some complaints about there being 16 "stickers" instead of 20. The idea Avon had was to give a range of sizes so you can find a good fit for each of your nails...it isn't to have two manicures' worth in one pack! And the product isn't designed for layering (i.e. putting on a "second coat")...if you want darker, more opaque coverage, go with a darker shade. The light shades are pretty sheer. A final note: if you keep your instant manicure pack around too long (like a year or more), then yes, it might wrinkle and then peel off your nails. Just as old nail polish doesn't work so well or look so good, neither does old instant manicure, I've found. So beware if you are ordering off e-bay, because it is likely they stocked up a while back and are selling old product!
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Eyeliner -E.L.F. - Brightening Eyeliner
bellabambina 7/3/2007 12:03:00 AM
There was a 50% off sale on these at the ELF website recently, so I decided to give this a try. At 50 cents each who can complain, I figured. Well, on second thought, I can! I tried this in Coffee and it is really light. It hardly shows up! It's probably the least pigmented eyeliner I have ever tried! I would say don't even bother with this, unless you are looking for a VERY sheer and understated look. My only consolation is that a sharpener came with it...I hope that works better than the eyeliner pencil did!
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Polishes -Avon - Instant Pedicure
bellabambina 6/23/2007 7:52:00 PM
I love this product! I am a total klutz when it comes to applying traditional polish. I also hate waiting for it to dry--and the very real possibility of getting dents and nicks if I start moving about and doing things before it has. Well, Avon came to my rescue with these easy to apply "stickers," which last about the same time as a traditional pedicure. They are pretty much the same thing as the "Instant Manicure" product that Avon put out last year (for which there are several reviews, if you want to check it out), but for toes instead of fingers. Luckily for me, I am able to find a good fit for each of my toenails and the results are amazingly good. I could never paint my toes and have them look this nice...with so little mess (or smell...I hate np fumes)! Of course, as soon as you apply them, you are finished, no dry time or anything. I have Reddy to Go on right now and it is a very pretty metallic red. Now I can have beautiful sandal-ready feet at a moment's notice (and the price is reasonable when on sale--especially considering I had to pay someone to do my nails before, because I am so bad at it)! And this way I don't have to make time and wait around for a salon appointment! Yay Avon! UPDATE: This product lasts long and strong! It has been over three weeks and there is some minor wear around my big toenail, but the rest looks perfect still...except for the growout of my nails, which is why I will remove the old "polish" (regular nail polish remover does the trick) and re-do my pedi with a new shade! I am looking forward to the new fall colors, as well (Autumn Berry looks really nice)!
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Other -Unlisted Brand - Omega 3 supplement
bellabambina 6/12/2007 3:09:00 PM
I have no idea why we are reviewing fish oil on makeupalley, but I'll jump in :) (what's next, calcium? just kidding!) I've been taking these consistently (daily) since 2002/2003 or thereabouts, so I feel I really can speak to its benefits and safety. No problems and it's all good! I second all the previous comments. Good for skin, hair, eyes, and mental health! I take Vitamin Shoppe brand which is mol. distilled and has adequate amounts of EPA/DHA. I don't have problems with "fish burps" or anything like that. Two pills daily--one in the AM and one in the PM. UPDATE: I saw in a later review that someone recommended taking omega 3-6-9 and suggested that those of us who don't "aren't doing our research." On the contrary, I have done a lot of reading on this and the scientific consensus seems to be we get plenty of omega 6 in our diet already; it is omega 3's that most of us are "deficient" in, causing all sorts of problems. So I know that taking an omega 3-6-9 is not necessary, or a good idea, even! Omega 6 is contained in vegetable oil which is pretty ubiquitous in the American diet; and we get enough omega 9 as well from olive and canola oils, so just stick with plain omega 3 supplements!
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Lipstick -Revlon - Crushed Velvet Lip Creme
bellabambina 5/27/2007 10:38:00 AM
I was really disappointed with this l/s. I was expecting something really rich and maybe with some shimmer, since I saw an ad that said "unleash your inner vixen....with lips lavished in black pearls with a tempting touch of velvet." Well, I got this in Blackmail and it is a pretty average brownish l/s, with no velvety, shimmery or pearly effects, and certainly no better than Revlon Super Lustrous. Good thing I only paid about $9.80 for a pack of two l/s. I would have felt cheated if I had paid the full price for this! On the positive side, it is fragrance free and has no odor that I can detect whatsoever. EDIT: I just tried Push-Up Plum. Maybe I was too harsh in reviewing this l/s. Push-Up Plum has a tiny bit of shimmer and it is quite velvety. It is super-dark though so it might not be for everyone, or for daytime wear. I definitely like Push-Up Plum better than Blackmail, which is just a dull brown with no shimmer. Will change to say yes, I would repurchase (in Push-Up Plum).
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Misc Beauty Tools -Clarisonic - Pro Skincare Brush
bellabambina 11/23/2006 12:45:00 PM
OK, so I just got this thing. I've only used it once so I will certainly update. So far, I like it! My skin looks far cleaner and skintone seems more even and clear. I like the timer feature that lets you know how long to spend on each area of your face. It is easy to use. So far, I am glad I ordered this! Will update.//OK I have used it a few more times, I am still VERY pleased with it. My pores seem smaller! I can see my skin getting better and better! And no irritation like I got when I would wipe with a soft cloth. Yippee!!! Nice!! I ordered from Sephora with the FF discount. Glad I did!! I took one lippie off for cost (still $$$ even at 20% off) and for the fact that I am not sure how to disinfect the brush head, or if it is sanitary to keep using the brush head without doing so. Wish they had thought about that a little and provided some instruction on this!//OK, it's been two weeks...I use this about every 2/3 days and I LOVE IT!!! I am normally the last person to buy expensive beauty items, but this is very worth it and I'm glad I did!! :) HEY GUYS: I now have been using this for some months now and it has nearly solved any breakout issues I used to have! I don't even use BHA anymore! Just the Clarisonic and I do still take Nature's Cure! I finally have pretty clear skin all month long--whee!! Cost be damned, it's getting 5 lippies and it would get more if I could somehow give more!!!! I just disinfect the brish head by letting it soak in rubbing alcohol for a few minutes after each use. I love this product--it has radically changed my skin for the better.
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Scrubs -100 Percent Pure - Juicy Lime Sugared Body Scrub
bellabambina 9/14/2006 1:43:00 PM
I really love this scrub. I was afraid that the lime oil would irritate my skin, but this is not the case at all (I even used it on just-shaven legs, with no problems)! The smell is delish and it does a good job of exfoliating and moisturizing. I especially love to use this on my feet--makes them nice and smooth.
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Lip Treatments -Bath and Body Works - Savannah Bee Company 100 Percent Natural Beeswax Lip Balm
bellabambina 7/29/2006 2:03:00 PM
I love this lip balm!! It is just a natural lip balm, pure and simple, in a chapstick-style swivel-up tube. The first (main) ingredient is coconut oil; the second ingredient is beeswax. It moisturizes very well, and has no funky fragrance, or menthol. It isn't slippery or greasy, it just coats your lips with a shield of moisture. Hasn't caused me any allergic reactions or anything. I love putting this on during the day, but especially at night before I go to bed. Cheap, too.
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Candles -Henri Bendel - Home - Honey
bellabambina 7/28/2006 8:31:00 PM
This candle smells totally yummy--and exotic at the same time! Even cold, it has some throw to it, and once lighted it really fills the room! A great evening candle--looks gorgeous, too. Thanks, Toastedpumpkin, for raving about this on the boards-and making me want to go check it out at the store.
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