Gels/Soaps -mark - Honey Jasmine Shower Wash
princessami 1/27/2008 10:48:00 PM
I didn't expect to like the scent of this, it came in a trio of travel size mark shower washes that I ordered because they are packaged in tiny bottles that work well in carry-on luggage. It's a pretty, clean floral scent. Reminds me of honeysuckle more than jasmine, but that's a good thing, because I find most jasmine scents to be too heavy for my liking. Lathers nicely, rinses clean, priced right.
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Gels/Soaps -mark - Lemon Sugar Shower Wash
princessami 1/27/2008 10:40:00 PM
LOVE this shower gel. Great way to start the morning - sunny, citrus scent that both DH and I love. Smells like fresh squeezed lemonade with lots of sugar, just the way I like it :) Lathers nicely, rinses clean, no-fuss container that isn't tough to manipulate in the shower.
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Eyeliner -Calvin Klein - Ultimate Edge Gel Liner - African Violet
princessami 1/17/2008 12:55:00 AM
Pretty dark violet - looks just like BB Violet Shimmer to me, but I have not swatched them side by side. Texture/pigmentation seems similar to other gel liners. Nothing spectacular, nothing lacking. It will be interesting to see if these dry out any faster or slower than BB (which dries out pretty fast) or MAC (which lasts a bit longer).
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Eyeliner -Calvin Klein - Ultimate Edge Gel Liner - Emerald Black
princessami 1/17/2008 12:54:00 AM
Beautiful dark tealey green - looks just like BB Ivy Shimmer. Great if you want to wear a bit of color as part of an otherwise conservative natural makeup look. Texture/pigmentation seems similar to other gel liners. Nothing spectacular, nothing lacking. It will be interesting to see if these dry out any faster or slower than BB (which dries out pretty fast) or MAC (which lasts a bit longer).
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Lip Gloss -Calvin Klein - Delicious Pout Flavored Lip Gloss in Dew Drop
princessami 1/11/2008 12:19:00 PM
This review is for the new 2007 CK (Calvin Klein) cosmetics line. So far, there are two l/g formulas, one with a wand, one in a squeeze tube. Delicious Pout is the tube one. I bought this at Macy's, so far the only retailer to carry the line, I believe. Dew Drop is a sheer shimmery golden nude shade that tastes like Juicy Fruit bubble gum. It is the *perfect* nude lip shade. I have pigmented lips and nudes are usually really tough for me to pull off, as the pink of my lips shows around the outside, ruining the effect. Not the case with this one! It's sheer, but does a great job of cancelling out my natural color. The formula is VERY thick, sticky and long lasting, which I love. If you don't like thick glosses though, avoid this one. The tube is angular and more narrow at the end, allowing for easy dispensing of the product. The tip is slanted and smaller than average, making precision application possible, which will be handy in the darker shades. The price was $13. The whole line is insanely reasonable!! (I added a pic of this gloss, hope it's helpful!) ***EDITED*** Looks like Sephora just added the line to their site! Woo hoo :)
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Laura Mercier - Silk Creme Foundation
princessami 12/28/2007 5:11:00 PM
Great fuller coverage foundation. Soft Ivory is a perfect match for me- I'm a light NC15 and wear Porcelain in the Oil Free TM, and ever-so-slightly darker than Porcelain in the Oil Free liquid foundation (but lighter than Warm Ivory, and warmer than Blush Ivory). Applies nicely with fingers or a sponge, but the texture doesn't lend itself to easy application with a brush, as you'll end up with a thick and streaky finish. I'm oily, but found this to wear pretty well. As long as I blotted every few hours, I was fine. Didn't notice any breakouts from this, but I did only use it for a few weeks while I needed a lot of coverage to hide my Retin A purging skin - I was a total mess, but this covered things nicely without looking fake.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Besame - Souffle Foundation
princessami 11/6/2007 12:44:00 PM
BEAUTIFUL product! The texture of this foundation is like butter. It melts right on your skin and for a full coverage formula, looks amazingly natural. Wears well, too! I would say it's closest competitor is KA SSE, in terms of coverage. But Besame's texture and useability blows SSE out of the water. The only drawback is the very limited shade range. I'm NC15 and the lightest shade, Bisque, was too dark and slightly too cool for me. Would better suit an NW20-25. If you can find a shade match, BUY THIS! :-p
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Eucerin - Extra Protective Moisture Lotion SPF30
princessami 10/9/2007 12:26:00 PM
I started Retin A three weeks ago and needed to find a better daytime moisturizer, as my former HG wasn't meeting the needs of my changing skin. I bought this thinking it was the spf 15 Daily Defense, which I was searching for based on MUA P'ville raves. It's been really great on my oily, super acne prone, newly sensitive skin. It's very lightweight and is a somewhat thin consistency. However, it moisturizes my skin much better than the DDF I used to use. I use 5 pumps on my face and I let it sink in for about 5 minutes before applying my makeup. It doesn't leave a greasy or sticky feel to my skin, it feels like I have nothing on. I can use this on my eyes without any stinging. Love the hygienic pump! For about $10 at Rite Aid, this is a screamin' deal. I was paying three times as much for half the product for DDF and this performs better! I'd say this would work well for someone with slight oiliness, normal skin, or slight dehydration.
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Lip Gloss -Sally Hansen - Diamond Lip Treatment in Always Ascher
princessami 9/27/2007 11:16:00 PM
I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet! I am a gloss snob, but I love these as much as my Glossimers. Most of the colors are very sheer, Always Ascher included. It looks like a very goth deep blackberry shade in the tube, but applies as a beautiful shimmery plum. Vanilla cake batter flavor is nice, longevity is pretty average, nothing to write home about. The texture is similar to that of a Glossimer - somewhat thick, gel like, but not overly sticky. Fabulous value.
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Blush -Tarte - Natural Beauty Cheek Stain
princessami 9/23/2007 12:15:00 AM
I would not call this a cheek stain, as it is misleading and infers that it's similar to the existing gel blushes. Natural Beauty would more accurately be described as a cream blush. The pigmentation is rather intense, so you don't want to swipe this one on your cheeks like you might with their other blushes. I'd recommend using your fingers to apply to better control the intensity. Beautiful neutral red shade. Gives me the in-from-the cold look and lasts all day. Does not have the same cute candy smell as the other blushes, this one smells rather artificial, which I don't care for. However, the great perfomance of this product more than makes up for that.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -ABBA - MoistureScentsation Shampoo
princessami 8/13/2007 1:32:00 AM
Just bought my second bottle of this shampoo. I used to use Pureology Hydrate, but I found it drying on my long, processed hair. This was suggested as another good SLS free shampoo. The smell is a very nice, refreshing mint. Cleans well withought overdrying. My only complaint is that I have to use like four times as much product as Pureology b/c of how much water ABBA uses in the formula - that screams cheap to me, so knocking off one lippie.
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Polishes -Essie - Naked Truth
princessami 8/13/2007 1:28:00 AM
Great nude! Not too pinky, too peacy, too beigey. Perfect neutral, right smack dab in the middle. On the sheer side, but milky. Good coverage with two coats, no visible streaking.
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Palettes -Stila - Legally Blonde Elle Woods Look #2 (Cool)
princessami 8/2/2007 11:38:00 AM
This is such a pretty, coordinated look for Spring or Summer - everything goes together so well. I use the lightest lilac as a wash, the medium in the crease (though this isn't really any deeper than the lightest shade, just a tad pinkier), and the deepest shade in the outer V (rather than as a liner, as Stila suggests). If I use a neutral base, like UDPP, I get a soft, watercolor effect. If I use a tinted base, like MAC Paint in Mauvism, the colors show up quite a bit more, but still are not too bold/bright/overwhelming for daytime. Really brings out the green in my blue/green eyes! The blush is a very pretty, but not especially unique or noteworth medium pink shade. Neutral-to-warm, so this should work on everyone. I love cool pink blushes, and that would have worked in this palette too, but I think this blush shade really gives the look some balance. The gloss matches the blush - pretty neutral pink w/a light minty flavor. It's the small lipglaze size, so it will run out pretty fast. BB Hot Pink gloss is a good substitute. I'm wearing MAC Cultured lipglass w/the palette today and it goes very nicely, if you look cool pink lip colors. It's been a while since Stila did a movie themed palette - I wish they would bring these back!! So fun and cute.
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Fragrances -Burberry - Burberry London
princessami 8/2/2007 11:29:00 AM
Love this scent! It's a very pretty, sweet, rich floral that isn't too heavy, cloying or "flowery." I find the lasting power to be a bit above average. No phenomenal, but quite good. I rarely finish a bottle of anything, but I'm about 2/3 of the way through this one and will likely re-purchase. I hope by that time the packaging is redesigned, as the fabric covered bottle is so ugly - the seams are crooked, it's rough, thick, coarse fabric, and I can't carry it in my bag because it gets smudges on it and looks dirty; come on, Burberry... you can do better than this!!
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Deodorants -Secret - Clinical Strength
princessami 7/31/2007 5:22:00 PM
Best OTC product I've found. The Light & Fresh scent is a pretty non-offensive scent. I usually forget to apply at night, so I've mostly been using this in the morning after I shower. Works better for me than Certain Dri and does not irritate my underarms like many others do. Highly recommend!
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