Primer/ Corrector -Laura Mercier - Secret Finish
candacej 2/10/2006 8:35:00 PM
I was very curious to try this product, after seeing the love/hate reviews on MUA. It's a light lotion that the MA tapped gently onto my face. I glanced in the mirror, and my makeup was all blotchy from where she had applied it! Needless to say, I didn't buy it and don't recommend it (if an LM MA can't put it on without blotching up makeup, I don't see how I could do it!).
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Highlighters -Bobbi Brown - Apricot Shimmerbrick Shimmer Brick Compact [DISCONTINUED]
candacej 2/5/2006 9:18:00 PM
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I had previously tried the Beige Shimmerbrick, and was unimpressed, so I hadn't looked at the product (in its various shades) in a long time. But, I was intrigued by all of the rave reviews on MUA, so I thought I'd check it out again. I was looking for something that would give me a bit of a glow (to get rid of the pale, chalky face that Canadian winters seem to produce), and this fit the bill perfectly. I had been skeptical, thinking that it would be too glittery or orange for me, but it's really beautiful, and I love how I can use each colour separatelly - the MA showed me how to use some of the colours on my eyes to really make them pop. Definite rave!
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Skincare - Body -Kenzo - Kenzoki Sensual Rice Steam Beneficial Water
candacej 12/28/2005 10:08:00 PM
When I tried the Sensual Rice Steam White Rice Cream, I fell in love with the scent. I kept getting whiffs of it all day, and just knew I had to have this as a body spray. I ran to Sephora and tested it, afraid that it would disappear after a couple minutes. But it didn't. The scent lasted all day. It's a gorgeous, warm vanilla-like scent (but somehow different), and it even softened my dry skin a little. LOVE this!!! I also got the body scrub. There's nothing better than having a gorgeous scent on to make you feel great! $58 (I think) CAD.
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Cleansers -Clinique - Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
candacej 12/28/2005 9:59:00 PM
Hello, immediate HG status cleanser! Ok, this stuff is pretty amazing. I have been looking forever for an all-in-one cleanser that I could use on face and eyes, and rinse off. It's a balm, but turns into a fine creamy oil once you apply to your face. I massaged into my face for a while, paying more attention to my eyes (I use waterproof mascara) before rinsing. Admittedly, when I opened my eyes to see how the stuff was working, I immediately got a greasy film on my eyes. I was a little annoyed by this, and thought, Ok - that drops the lippies down to 4. BUT, once I had rinsed and then went over my face with a toner/eye makeup remover, I was amazed that there was just a little makeup, but NO mascara. PLUS, this stuff didn't sting my eyes, and it didn't dry my face out, like most other cleansers. (In fact, my face felt nice and moisturized). So, that brought the lippies back up to 5 and won it HG status. Fantastic!! ($34 CAD) EDIT: I've been keeping my eyes closed during the entire cleansing process, and only open them after rinsing thoroughly with water. This helped immensely (well, duh!! I shouldn't have opened them with product all over!). I am still so impressed with how well it cleans my entire face, including the waterproof mascara, and leaves it soft and smooth. LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!
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Lotions/ Creams -Curel - Natural Healing Lotion
candacej 12/25/2005 7:58:00 PM
AGH! I hate to bring the near-perfect score of this moisturizer down, but I really didn't like this (and I SO wanted to!!!). Right now, my HG is Clinique Deep Comfort Body Butter, which is a little pricey, so I wanted to find something just as effective but cheaper. I thought I had found it in this Curel body moisturizer (I bought the aloe, green tea and cucumber variation). It's lightly scented and the price is right ($12.99 CAD), BUT it left my skin feeling really tacky and sticky (and I have dry skin). My legs felt tacky all day and I kept wondering when it would finally absorb. When it did (by end of day), my skin did feel nice and soft. I guess I should just stick to my HG (sigh).
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Lotions/ Creams -Tocca - Crema da Sogno - Stella
candacej 12/20/2005 2:02:00 PM
If it weren't for MUA, I never would have found this amazingly beautiful body cream. Since I'm pregnant this holiday season, I thought I'd indulge in luxurious body creams, candles and bath stuff, so I checked out MUA and here were all these reviews for Tocca. This is such a beautiful, fresh scent - slightly orangey and floral at the same time. The cream itself is rich, without being greasy and the scent lasts for hours. Really beautiful. I can see why there are so many raves for the Stella scent.
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Skincare - Face -Kenzo - Kenzoki white rice cream
candacej 12/20/2005 1:31:00 PM
I was intrigued by this cream when I saw it at Sephora, and when I felt it on my skin, I had to have it. It's butter-thick, and yet applies very smoothly (but not greasy) and makes my dry skin feel gorgeously moisturized. The warm, vanilla-like scent is a nice bonus! This is a really beautiful cream, and I will definitely try other products in the Kenzoki line.
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Eye Shadow -NARS - Tokyo Duo
candacej 12/15/2005 8:50:00 AM
At first (like some other MUAers, it seems), I didn't really like this shadow duo -- seemed kinda blah and boring, even after I applied it. I applied a second coat of the purpley-grey colour with a wet brush (I don't know if this is actually a wet/dry shadow, but oh well!) and wow!! It just popped! I was amazed at how gorgeous it was, and how it made my brown eyes light up. Didn't crease or fade all day - I was really impressed. One of the more expensive eyeshadows out there: $38 CAD at Holt's, but I definitely would buy again if I had to (although I don't foresee running out of this any time soon - there's a generous amount in the case).
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Mascara -Lancome - Hypnose Waterproof
candacej 12/8/2005 9:05:00 AM
I've decided to settle on this mascara (for now) after a long, exhaustive and expensive search for my HG. This mascara doesn't weigh my lashes down (i.e. holds a curl!), thickens - although not as much as I would like - and even lengthens a little too. Minimal flaking and smudging. It's not too difficult to remove (I use Clinique Take the Day Off). EDIT: (March 20/09) - I've dropped my rating down to 3 lippies. For a waterproof mascara, this one smudges just a little too much for me.
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Lip Gloss -Guerlain - Divinora - KissKiss gloss #66 Figue plaisir
candacej 12/1/2005 8:54:00 PM
Gorgeous lipgloss - only slightly sticky, but also moisturizing. MUCH better than Chanel's Glossimer (which I found both tacky and the glitter was too chunky). Colour is a beautiful wine/pink and really brightens your face. Beautiful packaging too!
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Mascara -Anna Sui - Super Mascara Volume Up
candacej 12/1/2005 8:49:00 PM
This is a pretty good mascara, although it does cause my lashes to wilt a little (although not as much as other macaras). Although it's not waterproof (which is good, since it's easily removable), it doesn't smudge or flake. Surprisingly, this is the same price in the US as in Canada ($19). The rose scent sticks around for a while, but disappears after about 10 minutes. Volumizing is not bad, but not as much as I would like. A good mascara while I'm searching for my HG!
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Lotions/ Creams -Crabtree & Evelyn - Gardeners Hand Therapy
candacej 11/28/2005 10:39:00 PM
This is the only hand cream I have used (and I have tried everything, believe me!) that actually works and makes my hands soft and silky-smooth. I have to apply and re-apply other creams, since they don't seem to last, but this is one cream that I apply once at night and my hands are still soft in the morning. Slightly greasy upon application, but it absorbs pretty quickly. I even like the smell! Definitely HG material here!
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Eye Makeup Remover -Estee Lauder - Take It Away LongWear Eye and Lip Makeup Remover
candacej 11/26/2005 10:49:00 PM
I couldn't go to bed without commenting on this new (I think) product from EL (this is a liquid cleanser, not the cream cleanser with the same name). It is the WORST eye makeup remover I have ever used (other than EL's Gentle Eye Makeup Remover). It claims to "easily and quickly" remove long-wearing and stubborn eye makeup. HA! The only thing stubborn about this is USING the product, since you have to be in order to get any success. I use waterproof mascara, so when I saw this at duty-free in Frankfurt, I thought - perfect! Well, not really. The mascara comes off in 'crumbs' and there's still plenty left on your lashes to scrub away. Moreover, when you do try to rub (or wipe gently) to get the more stubborn mascara, it starts foaming up and STINGS like mad! If I hadn't bought this at duty-free, this would definitely be going back to the store. If I could give this 0 lippies, I would. Most definitely do NOT recommend.
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Concealers -Guerlain - Issima Precious Light Smoothing Illuminator [DISCONTINUED]
candacej 11/20/2005 2:44:00 PM
I use this along with Laura Mercier's Secret Concealer, and it does a good job of not just hiding dark circles but highlighting the area around my eyes. Very similar to YSL Touche Eclat (which I didn't like, and returned) in concept, but this is a superior product. Does a better job of highlighting, but is just as expensive (one lippie off for that).
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Eyeliner -Guerlain - Loose Kohl in Noir
candacej 11/18/2005 8:37:00 PM
Have to agree with most of the reviews here - both the good AND bad. On the plus side, this is a really pretty, lightly shimmery black (but not a harsh, scary black if applied lightly). And the staying power is amazing. I like lining just at the lash line, to give a very subtle enhancement to my eyes without a heavy eyelined look. On the negative side, you do get a light dusting of black powder on your cheeks if you're not careful, and the stick is a bit hard to get used to. Overall, I like this product very much and am considering the blue.
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