Fragrances -BeneFit Cosmetics - Laugh with Me LeeLee
yayitsanne 8/11/2009 6:23:00 PM
I LOVE (love love love) this scent! It smells so fresh and yummy, I don't really know how to describe it. Floarly, but not overly so. It has a hint of something else in it that makes it a little more "deep" too. To me, it's a comforting smell, but not in the traditional comfort scent way, as in, it doesn't smell powdery or anything (yuck). Wow, I definitely don't think I have a future as a fragrance reviewer... Anyway, on me it doesn't really smell like anything else I own or have tried; I don't think it's generic at all, but I think it reacts well with my body chemistry, because I like how it smells a lot better on me than on the tester card. I haven't experienced any problems with it fading/changing on me. This is my favorite out of the three Crescent Row fragrances. I don't really like the other two at all. The bottle is cute and doesn't look cheap, but it's not really fancy or glamorous either. Bottom line though, I can't stop smelling my arm!!
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Polishes -Sephora - Sephora by OPI - Mermaid To Order
yayitsanne 8/10/2009 9:55:00 PM
This is such a pretty, unique color! I always get compliments when I have it on. It's a gorgeous blue/green/hint of purple that shimmers and changes colors in different lights. I love it! As for wear, I don't feel that it stays quite as well as my regular OPI colors, but I can still get about a week out of it by using a good base coat and seche vite top coat. I don't normally keep polish on my fingers longer than that since my nails grow out and show a gap at the bottom anyway. I've never had a problem with the cap, I actually like that it's a little longer and easier to hold than most other brands.
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Concealers -Physicians Formula - Conceal RX
yayitsanne 8/6/2009 4:20:00 AM
This is the best concealer I've ever used. Unlike most concealers, it actually completely covers what you're trying to cover, what a novel idea. It reminds me a lot of Make Up For Ever full coverage concealer, but for 1/4 the price. I use it mostly for blemishes but I've tried it under my eyes and it works great for both. The only negative thing - and this is a pretty big negative - is that I am pretty sure it comes in only 2 skin colors (that's all I've been able to find anyway) and they're both pretty light. I have no idea why they'd only offer those two colors. I'm an NC25 and the darkest color is almost too light, but I can make it work with lots of blending and a powder on top that matches my skintone more closely. I love the packaging. I hate tubes that you dip the wand into or pots you stick your finger in. The packaging of this product is a very hygenic squeeze tube. I would give this five lippies if it came in a wider range of colors, but for right now this amazing product is only available for people with light skin.
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Lipstick -BeneFit Cosmetics - Silky Finish Lipstick in Misbehavin'
yayitsanne 8/5/2009 1:00:00 AM
I was looking for a dark, but not too dark (does that even make sense?) berry colored lipstick that would still look natural. After discovering a different shade of Benefit's silky finish lipstick in my mom's makeup drawer, I decided to look for one in the same line since I liked the formula so much. This is exactly what I was looking for. It looks so pretty with my dark hair and light skintone (NC25) and makes my blue eyes pop. It's glossy and pigmented but not overwhelming, and not so pigmented and dark that I need to worry about lipliner. Love the packaging as well, very good quality.
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Lipstick -BeneFit Cosmetics - Silky-Finish in Good To Go
yayitsanne 8/5/2009 12:52:00 AM
I guess I'm in the minority, I did not buy this because of Twilight! I actually found it in my mom's makeup drawer and stole it while I was over there. ;-) It's a perfect my lips but better color, and I like that it's a bit glossy, but not lip gloss glossy. It doesn't last super long, but I have yet to find a lipstick that lasts without being drying. I don't really mind re-applying anyway. I love the packaging, it feels solid and I'm not worried it's going to break or the cap's going to fall off while it's floating around in the bottom of my purse, where my lip products tend to congregate.
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Sunscreen -Clinique - Super City Block SPF 40
yayitsanne 8/3/2009 1:04:00 AM
I'm kind of indifferent about this product. On one hand, I don't like it because it looks a bit greasy and doesn't seem to sink well into my skin (like one reviewer below, it seems to "ball up" even on clean skin unless I apply it just right) and although Clinique claims on their website that it can be used as a makeup primer, I feel that my makeup looks worse with this underneath. I wouldn't think of wearing this without makeup on top, because gives my face a strange gray-ish sick looking cast to it. However, for now I'm willing to put up with all that because it's not too expensive, the SPF is high and broad spectrum, and it doesn't make me break out. I don't use this all the time, only when I'm going to be outside all day and want a higher SPF than my normal moisturizer gives me.
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Eye Shadow -Kat Von D - Beethoven palette
yayitsanne 7/29/2009 10:15:00 PM
I'm so pleased with this palette! I wanted some colors for a purple smokey eye, so I went to Sephora/MAC to search. I was originally going to make a palette of MAC shadows or buy separate shadows from different brands at Sephora, but this caught my eye and ended up being a less expensive option, since it has a light, medium, and dark purple, with the bonus of other colors that can be used for a neutral eye, plus blue, silver, and black. The pigmentation and quality of the shadows are very good, comparable to MAC/other high-end brands. The case is very slim and portable and has a cute design on front!
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Eye Shadow -Cover Girl - Eye Enhancers Quad - Berries & Cream
yayitsanne 7/29/2009 12:57:00 AM
I bought this because I have no purple shadows (I have no idea how that's possible with the number of eyeshadows I have!) and wanted to experiment with the color before spending more on a better quality shadow. Bad move. These are very, very thinly pigmented, especially the second color from the left, which is disappointing because I like that color best in the pan. They do not show up at all on their own, and it took a lot of packing on the color over a base (too faced shadow insurance) to get them to show up. With the amount you need to put on to get any color to show, your eyes end up looking very chalky and powdery. They don't blend very well either. Yuck.
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Blush -L'Oreal - True Match super blendable blush n1-2 precious peach
yayitsanne 7/29/2009 12:51:00 AM
I like this blush a lot! It was a bit of an impulse buy, the color caught my eye because I've never seen anything similar it in a blush. I'm actually shade W4 in the foundation, but this color looked more unique than the one that was supposed to "match." It looks straight up orange in the pan, but it applies a very pretty peachy color. On my skin it actually reminds me a little bit of MAC cantaloupe blush, although this is a bit more orange, less pigmented, and more shimmery/sparkly - though I wouldn't say it's a sparkly blush overall, it applies fairly matte and the sparkles are only really visible in direct sunlight.
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Crème -L'Oreal - True Match Super Blendable Compact Makeup
yayitsanne 7/28/2009 11:48:00 PM
This is a decent foundation. I normally wouldn't have bought it because of the poor reviews on here, but something about it just called to me, especially since I like the liquid version so much. I got it in W4, which is the same shade I have of the liquid foundation. It looks WAY too dark in the compact, but it applies much lighter, and it matches my NC25 (probably more like 27, if that existed) skin perfectly. I thought it would be heavy since it's a cream, but it's surprisingly light, lighter than MAC studio tech, for example. My skin is combination and since this foundation is a bit oily, I feel like it works better without moisturzing beforehand, or with just spot moisturizing. My face gets too oily if I moisturize and then wear this. The coverage is on the low end of medium; it does a good job of evening out skintone and covering slight red marks, but I don't think it would cover any big blemishes. I actually prefer to apply it with the sponge it came with; I couldn't find a brush that didn't make it look streaky. But, instead of dragging the sponge across my face, I "blot" it on, and it looks very natural. It's not super long-wearing, but if you're not sweating or touching your face a lot it's alright. I won't be using this as an everyday foundation, but I will keep it handy for mornings when I'm in a rush and need to put my on makeup on the go.
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Lipstick -Rimmel - Lasting Finish - Airy Fairy
yayitsanne 7/27/2009 3:28:00 AM
I saw a review for this on here and had to check it out since it looked so pretty in the pictures. I wasn't disappointed. I'm not a huge lipstick person, but this is light and sheer and just a very pretty understated "my lips but better" (with a little added subtle shimmer) color. Like every lipstick I've used, from NARS to MAC to this, I do find that I need to put chapstick on underneath or else my lips will look kind of dry and feathery. The scent reminds me of something, but I can't put my finger on it... maybe those small jawbreakers you can get in the big bags of Halloween candy? EIther way, the scent is not strong and goes away pretty quickly. Downsides: the packaging seems pretty flimsy, and I had to go to a few drugstores before I found one that didn't look used, as they aren't sealed at all.
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Tinted Moisturizer -MAC - Studio Moisture Tint SPF15
yayitsanne 7/27/2009 3:18:00 AM
I love this tinted moisturizer. I wish it would have come out earlier in the summer, because it's the perfect summer "foundation." I usually shy away from tinted moisturizers because I feel like most are so sheer that don't do anything for me beyond a regular moisturizer, but this has just enough pigment in it to even out my skintone and still look natural, like my own skin. I'd say the amount of coverage is pretty comparable to Laura Mercier's, but I like this one a lot better because of the finish. I found the regular Laura Mercier to be too dewy (it looked greasy on me) and the oil-free version to be too matte and drying - studio moisture tint is right in between - perfect. I can top it with MSF natural buffed on for a little more coverage, if I want, or just use blot powder throughout the day to keep from getting shiny. As for color, I am NC25 and use medium. I will absolutely repurchase. Good job on this one, MAC!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -L'Oreal - Voluminous Waterproof
yayitsanne 7/22/2009 10:26:00 PM
I don't use waterproof mascaras on a regular basis, but I got this one just for when I go to the beach or in the pool. It's pretty decent. It doesn't do anything wonderful or amazing to my lashes, but it does darken them and make them look a little bit fuller and longer. I did find that I need to put it on a certain way (short strokes and kind of wiggle the brush rather than long, straight strokes) or else my lashes will clump together and look spiky.
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Liquid -Estee Lauder - Double Wear (old formula)
yayitsanne 7/22/2009 4:07:00 AM
After reading the raves on here about this foundation, I decided to give it a try, so I got a few samples from the Estee Lauder counter to try out. Well, I'm really glad I got samples before purchasing. Yes, this covers EVERYTHING, but it emphasized my pores, looked SO unnatural, and felt extremely heavy - and this is coming from a girl who favors fuller coverage foundations like MAC studio fix fluid/studio sculpt, MUFE mat velvet, etc. I tried applying it a number of different ways, and the results were always the same. It also didn't feel like the foundation ever really dried, but instead felt a little tacky all day even after I set it with powder, and it settled into fine lines I didn't even know I had. This might be good for some people who REALLY need coverage and are willing to sacrifice a little bit of not wanting to scream "I'm wearing foundation!" for that coverage, but it's definitely not for me - I'll stick with my MAC and MUFE.
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Blush -Rimmel - Blush in Santa Rose
yayitsanne 7/20/2009 8:44:00 PM
I picked this up on impulse at Target because it was just so cute and tiny, not to mention cheap. I thought it would be perfect to throw in my makeup bag in my purse for emergency touchups since it wouldn't take up much space. I didn't have high expectations, thinking it would be mediocre and good in a pinch at best, but I was pleasantly surprised! It is a perfect almost matte pinky-peach color for my NC25/30 skin. I like that it isn't shimmery or sparkly for days I want a low key makeup look; I can always layer a highlighter or another blush on top for shimmer and sparkles. I was also surprised at the pigmentation. I only have to swipe my brush over this once to get the perfect amount of color for my cheeks but It's not SO pigmented that I have to worry about using a light hand or else look clownish... it's perfect. This has actually stayed out of my purse makeup because I've been using it almost every day. Definitely a winner!
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