Lip Treatments -MAC - Lip Conditioner Stick SPF 15
jinglingjambo 1/4/2013 3:02:00 PM
Before I write my review, I have one question. Is the lip conditioner swivel stick being discontinued?? I have been trying to buy it online for about 4 months and it is always out of stock. I went to several MAC counters in London and they were sold out, I found a MAC store in Brighton and they only had 4 left. I really think that this is being discontinued and I will be gutted. I love this formula but I hate the idea of sticking my finger in a pot or using the gooey squeezy tube version :( Anyway, I think this lip conditioner is great. It hasn't completely solved all my lip woes but I'm starting to think that I just will never have non-chapped lips. I have used every brand going from cheap to pricey and nothing has really worked. But, MAC Lip Conditioner has worked the most. I can wear a lot more lipsticks than I used to be able to and my lips are nowhere near as chapped and dry as they used to be. The smell is a little overpowering but I do like that all MAC lipsticks have that vanilla oil smell. The packaging is chunky and unique, I don't think it will break in my bag or that the conditioner will melt in hot weather. £11 is pricey for a lip balm but considering it's the only lip product I've used that has actually changed my lips for the better, I'd happily pay that price if I could actually find it anywhere! The white balm doesn't leave a ghostly sheen on my lips, even when I apply it thickly at night. It also doesn't feel sticky or clogging. I don't know if I'm the only one that has this problem but if I apply a balm before my lipstick, sometimes the pigment of the lipstick doesn't show up very well? It's like the balm is too thick to allow the lipstick colour to stick? The MAC lip conditioner doesn't give me that problem. My lips feel smooth, the chapping has healed quite well and my lipsticks are wearing better. I'd definitely buy again or recommend!
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Misc Beauty Tools -Unlisted Brand - Salux Nylon Japanese Bath Towel
jinglingjambo 1/4/2013 2:50:00 PM
I love this towel! I asked for this for Christmas as I really didn't want to pay upwards of £7 for a glorified flannel. Now, I'm hooked and will undoubtedly repurchase because of how great this towel is. I found out about this towel, on MUA, by accident and was immediately interested after all the positive reviews. I am quite lucky to have soft skin without moisturising but this towel sounded amazing, so I had to try it. The quality is very good, it is a nylon/polyester blend and seems very durable. I have used it a few times now and it hasn't frayed/ripped etc. It also dries out quickly which I think is a bonus as it's not sitting there, all soggy and germy. I squish this up like a pouf and put a little shower gel on (a little goes a long way with this towel!), then start scrubbing. I used to use a shower pouf and I had to put shower gel on it a few times but this stays foamy the whole time. When I first used the towel, it did seem very harsh but I actually like how extremely clean it makes me feel. Saying that, I wouldn't use this on my face; it's too hard-wearing and I know my face would flare up. Another unexpected bonus of the towel is that where it is very exfoliating, it has made me moisturise more. As I said before, I rarely used to moisturise and I would try to make sure I moisturised after a shower but I'd always forget. The super-clean feeling I get after using this towel always makes me reach for the moisturiser after the shower, which I like! This towel hasn't irritated my skin or made it super-dry, it has actually made my skin softer and got rid of lots of blemishes that I had on my back. When this towel eventually falls apart, I'll definitely repurchase. Fingers crossed, I find somewhere cheap to buy it!
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Makeup Brushes -Sigma - F20 Large Powder (was SS134)
jinglingjambo 1/4/2013 2:40:00 PM
I bought this as it was a cheaper dupe for the MAC 134/150. Recently, I have started paying more attention to highlighting and contouring and I needed a large powder brush to blend it all together afterwards. This brush is fab for that as it is large and soft. The bristles are of a good quality too and the fall-out has been very minimal. I have the MAC 129 and the fall-out of bristles is similiar so I don't think there is any difference in quality. The price difference is definitely a bonus. The MAC brushes are $52 and $42 whilst the Sigma F20 is $19, sounds good to me! I would definitely recommend this brush to anyone as it is of the same standard as MAC but a lot easier on your bank account. UPDATE: Had this a month now and it has started shedding :( It doesn't bother me too much but it is annoying that the bristles actually break and leave little hairs on my face and chest. Kinda irritating.
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Blush -Illamasqua - Tweak
jinglingjambo 1/4/2013 2:29:00 PM
Tweak is a dark, vibrant pink blusher that could actually last me forever as you only need the slightest touch. This blusher is deeply pigmented and gives a rich glow to your face. Using a light fan brush, I contour under my cheekbones and blend out with a setting powder. I rated this 4 lippies purely because it can be a disaster if you apply slightly too much. It is a great blusher, but you need to be careful with it as although the powder is pressed, you get a lot on the brush with the lightest tap. At £18, it is a bit pricey for a blusher but I can see this lasting years so I don't mind the price. Also, you're paying £18 for a blusher that I haven't seen a cheaper dupe of, it's a very unique colour. The packaging is sturdy and sleek, I don't see it breaking if I accidentally drop it. Illamasqua packaging is always pretty but it is also well-made. I would repurchase if I ever hit pan or lost it because this blusher has become a firm favourite in my daily make-up routine.
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Cleansers -LUSH - Dark Angels
jinglingjambo 12/16/2012 12:08:00 PM
I love this! Dark Angels has made so much of a difference on my skin! I bought it after hearing good reviews but I was dubious because I didn't know if a natural product could make an impact on my super oily and acne-prone face. This cleanser turned out to be exactly what I've needed all along. I have sensitive skin and this product is very exfoliating so I use it lightly every morning and night. I waited a while to write this review, because prolonged use of the Liz Earle C&P twice a day caused me to come up in loads of rashy bumps! This hasn't irritated my face at all even with the frequent use. As I said, it's so coarse anyway so I apply it to a wet face and kinda swish it around instead of scrubbing. Then I wipe it all off with a cloth. This cleanser makes my face feel so fresh and clean. It smells good and I can't think of a better way to package it so I like the packaging. It's not travel-friendly, but I'd just pop it in a ziplock bag. Also, I don't think it's very messy. I fill the sink with water, get a little bit on my palm, wet it and roll it around in my hands until it's broken down. I wipe it off with a cloth, rinse the cloth and give the sink a quick wipe round with a different cloth and done. This cleanser also seems to help keep my oil at bay throughout the day as well. I have always used an oil mattifying lotion under my makeup anyway but since starting this cleanser, I've noticed that I can pretty much go a whole day with no oil! Amazing :D The price is great for the great quality of this cleanser, 100g goes a long way too so I would definitely recommend this to anyone.
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Concealers -MAC - Mineralize Concealer
jinglingjambo 12/16/2012 12:01:00 PM
PROS: I liked the consistency and applicator. Good colour match. CONS: Didn't wear well for a long time. Set in lines very easily. Didn't do much to actually conceal dark circles. Overall, I would not buy this product again because it does not cover dark cicles enough. This hasn't put me off a MAC concealer though, I plan on trying the Studio Finish concealer next.
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Powder -Bare Escentuals - Original SPF 15 Foundation
jinglingjambo 12/10/2012 5:13:00 PM
I got this as I'd heard rave reviews about BareMinerals so when I saw the starter kit at duty free, I thought I'd give it a shot. This product did not give enough coverage for me and I felt that the powder wasn't buildable. I watched the bareminerals tutorials for their products and they said you could use this as a concealer... It provided me with no coverage, maybe it reduced some redness but that was it! I occasionally use this as a setting powder but never alone. Also, I didn't like the twist dispenser, it was too time-consuming! Would've been a lot better if they'd copied the Smashbox Halo powder dispenser. Wouldn't repurchase as this didn't work for me.
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Moisturizers -Simple - Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Night Cream
jinglingjambo 12/9/2012 5:41:00 PM
This night cream has been the best one I've used so far, but I still think there is something better out there. It is rich and very moisturising, I feel like my skin gets an intensive treatment throughout the night but I don't wake up greasy in the morning. This cream hasn't been breaking me out either, which was a worry of mine because I'm oily and acne-prone. I've always been so oily that I've never needed a moisturiser, but I wanted to improve my skintone but worried that a thick night cream would break me out, but I've been fine! I don't know why this product comes in a tub when it could really do with being in a squeezy tube so you don't get product under your nails, I always feel like I'm putting germs in the pot. Would buy again and recommend.
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Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Dandelion
jinglingjambo 12/9/2012 5:34:00 PM
This blusher is too heavy, too pigmented, hard to blend and too shimmery! No matter how little I used, this product didn't blend or even look vaguely natural. I thought this baby pink blusher would suit my NC20 skintone, but it made me look like I'd been in a sauna. I applied this product lightly with a fan brush and it just didn't ever look pretty. I wouldn't repurchase as this blusher sat in my make-up drawer for 2 years unused before being binned. I don't think I could recommend this to anyone as I can't imagine what skintone it would suit and I know that none of my friends wouldn't like the huge amount of sparkle in this blush.
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Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Cha Cha Tint
jinglingjambo 12/9/2012 4:02:00 PM
I didn't like anything about this product. The applicator is terrible and I found it impossible to blend regardless of what brush I used. Also, it didn't matter how quickly I started blending after applying, I could see little orange dabs on my face. The colour was too bright to be subtle or natural, even when applied sparingly. This product didn't look good on my cheeks, I couldn't contour with it, I just didn't like it wherever I put it! I could imagine this colour working well if it was a sheerer balm or maybe on someone with a darker skintone. Would not repurchase because this colour does not work on a NC20 face.
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Cleansers -MAC - Cleanse Off Oil
jinglingjambo 12/5/2012 6:31:00 AM
MAC Cleanse Off Oil is now my HG make-up remover, it's a fab product. Completely removes all make-up so you can get a thorough cleanse. What I like about MAC Cleanse Off Oil in comparison to Dermalogica PreCleanse is that this oil is more wet. Dermalogica PreCleanse is a very dry, dry, dry oil and the more I used it, the more I hated rubbing this dry oil into my dry face. In terms of quality, Mac oil is great at what it does. I only need to use one pump to remove all my make-up. To ensure a thorough cleanse, I massage the oil onto dry skin, then wet my hands and keep rubbing until my eye make up is thoroughly broken down then rinse off. My skin is looking clearer and feels less congested. Also, for a MAC product, I think the price is really reasonable so I would continue to repurchase.
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Concealers -BeneFit Cosmetics - Erase Paste in Fair
jinglingjambo 11/25/2012 5:53:00 PM
I bought this product as I had Bo-oing and didn't like it (after using Erase Paste, I am considering giving Bo-oing another chance) The SA told me that Erase Paste is the better of the two and covers dark circles, brightens your skin and still covers blemishes and is better than Bo-Oing, hmmm... Well, this did nothing for me. It was too slick to hold onto the skin and maintain colour, I felt like it just yellowed the skin I applied it to and even when it was dry, any powder I applied would just stick to it and crease. The little applicator was pointless as well. I just didn't like this product at all and the only reason it has 2 lippies instead of 1 is because it didn't break me out or clog my pores.
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Lipstick -MAC - Ramblin Rose Lipstick
jinglingjambo 11/25/2012 5:50:00 PM
I have read some of the reviews on this lipstick and it seems I am the only one that finds this incredibly, super sheer... As in, when I put it on there is no colour change, just adds some nice gold tones and shimmer so I use this over other MAC lipsticks. On my review of Vegas Volt, I put that these 2 lippies go really well together so I recommend that! Any summery lipstick can be made into an evening colour with Ramblin Rose over the top. Wouldn't buy again as I don't see myself wearing it often but recommend it for someone looking for an almost gloss-like lipstick with shimmer.
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Lipstick -MAC - Vegas Volt
jinglingjambo 11/25/2012 5:48:00 PM
I like this but it is so much brighter than I thought it was instore! I bought this in Autumn because I was going on holiday but this is no A/W colour, so I have to wait until Summer so I can wear this again. I don't know if it's just my skintone (NW15/20) but this is just too bright on me so I apply it lightly and use it as more of a tint. When I was on holiday, I put a slick on Ramblin' Rose over the top and it looked sooo nice so I recommend that for anyone who is in sunnier weather at the mo! This isn't drying at all and is very long-lasting. The only reason I wouldn't buy this again is because I don't think the rare occasions I would wear it would justify the point of buying it.
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Lip Liners -The Body Shop - Lip line fixer
jinglingjambo 11/25/2012 5:45:00 PM
This is a great product and a great idea! The lip line fixer was recommended to me by a friend and we ended up buying the product together and we have both loved using it. I vary what lipsticks I use depending on what I wear and I can't afford to buy the matching lip liner to every lipstick I own so this has worked out perfectly for me. The liner itself is VERY waxy to hold your lipstick in place and even though it is meant to be translucent, it can be a bit whitening so when I apply it I do all my other make-up bar lipstick. Then I rub in lip conditioner and heavily line my lips until there is enough wax to stop my lipstick from bleeding everywhere. I pat the foundation I am already wearing over the liner just to take off the whitening effect, but the liner is still serving its purpose, then finish off with the lipstick off your choice! Keep in your bag for touch-ups later in the day and it's only £8 or something...
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