Blush -Julie Hewett - Cheekie in Bette
Artbabe 5/4/2008 1:30:00 PM
I shied away from getting this Cheekie because of the color descriptions "spicy bronzed peach", and I was sure it would be too warm and too much for my coloring (NW 15-20). However, it came in my Ombre Palette and looked so gorgeous I gave it a try. It's an amazing blush color! Peach/Pink/Bronze goodness, with a bit of shimmer, nothing that this 51-year-old can't pull off. It applies sheerly, and when used with the Cheekie brush, really buffs into a glow-from-within color. I agree with Olivia142 that this resembles Nars Guele de Nuit, but maybe crossed with Becca's Frangipani. As with all the other Cheekies I've used, the application is smooth (it has a non-greasy, almost gel-like texture) and the wear time is fantastic. (It is meant to be applied over powder, according to the JH website.) All JH Cheekies can be used on lips and eyes as well.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -NARS - Portobello Duo
Artbabe 5/2/2008 8:56:00 PM
A beautiful neutral matte duo released for the summer 2008 collection. Described as "ecru and mushroom" by Nars' website, but I think they are slightly deeper and warmer than those names imply. They are still very wearable neutrals and I can see creating a lot of different looks. The two colors are not terribly different, but are variations of a creamy, sandy beige. They blend together for a subtle, very sophisticated nude effect. If you liked the idea of the Voyage single, but thought it was too sheer and too glittery, you will like this. Both colors of Portobello are richly pigmented and velvety smooth, and they blend beautifully. This duo also works well with All About Eve, Edie, and Abyssinia e/s. I can tell this is going to be a long-term favorite of mine. Also, if you find this duo to be too warm, Laura Mercier's Whiskey eye shadow is a cooler, but similarly pretty, color.
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -Julie Hewett - Ombre
Artbabe 4/19/2008 5:34:00 PM
This is a very wearable and versatile neutral palette with 4 lovely colors, 2 cream and 2 powder. The powder eye shadows are Bellini (a pale matte peach) and Brunette (a chocolate brown with subtle shimmer). Mystere is a beautiful shimmery taupe cream shadow. Bette is a shimmery peach/bronze/pink Cheekie, a cream product which can be used on cheeks, eyes, or lips. The texture of the Cheekie is very smooth, non-greasy, almost gel-like, and very easy to work with. None of the shimmer in this palette is strong or over the top in any way. The colors are very soft, blendable and easy to apply. The Mystere cream shadow creased a bit on me, but I applied it quickly with my fingers and may have overdone it. The other products are long-lasting. You can do all sorts of looks with these colors, from day to evening, and the palette itself is a simple, sturdy minimalist black with a large mirror and magnetic closure. Julie Hewett is a high-quality, well thought-out makeup line and I highly recommend it!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Julie Hewett - Camellia Balm
Artbabe 4/18/2008 8:45:00 PM
This stuff is fabulous. I have this in the lipstick tube form, and plan on buying the pot with my next JH order. I am pretty picky about lip balms, I've been using the same tubes of Carmex and Weleda Everon balm for several years now. Camellia balm is downright miraculous in my book. Goes on lightweight with a satin texure, not too slippery and not waxy either. My lips have not been dry or peeling since I started using this. If you use a bit under lipstick and allow it to soak in for a minute, it makes a great primer. I was using MAC's Prep + Prime Lip (same price), but I by far prefer this. Go get some, you won't regret it.
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Primer/ Corrector -Boots - Botanics Soothing & Calming Eye Base
Artbabe 4/16/2008 11:52:00 PM
This stuff was pretty awful. Comes in a small, green screwtop pot. It is supposed to reduce puffiness, smoothe out discoloration around the eyes, and provide a long-lasting eye shadow base. What it actually is, is an orange-toned, waxy paste. I kept thinking the orange tone would disappear once it was on my lids, but no. My entire eye area looked orange, even though I used a small amount and patted it on with my ring finger. It also absolutely did not prevent creasing. In fact, I had more creasing than usual. Can't recommend this to anyone.
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Fragrances -Fresh - China Green Tea
Artbabe 4/9/2008 11:59:00 AM
I don't know what rating to give this scent. I seem to either love or hate the Fresh scents I have tried (and I've tried quite a few). But this one... I hate this on intial spray. It's too strong, sharp, like hay sprayed with disinfectant. But after it dries down and melds with my skin, it's lovely. it completely changes character. Very mellow, subtle, lovely tea scent. I am completely stumped! If I can learn to take it the first hour (probably by combining it with something like Begamot Citrus) I will love this. If not, I will stick with my standby, L'Occitane Green Tea. UPDATE: Never could get past the sharp sour beginning of this fragrance, sadly.
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Treatments -Paula's Choice - Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate
Artbabe 4/9/2008 12:45:00 AM
UPDATE: after starting on my 2nd tube, I noticed my skin was duller and rougher. When I stopped using the serum, it improved dramatically. I have tried 3 times over the past year to re-introduce this product in my skin care routine, and each time my skin reacts the same way. So I have stopped using it. Not sure which ingredients are the culprit(s). FIRST REVIEW: I'm now on my 2nd tube of this, have been using this product for about a year now. I was very impressed with the ingredient list (anti-oxidants, retinol, anti-irritants) and the price. I use it at night, after other treatments (such as AHA or BHA and a moisturizer), and am very pleased with the results. You only need a drop or two for your entire face, and spread it around quickly, it'll soak right in. This is another good Paula's Choice product: no-nonsense packaging, unscented, reasonably priced, well-researched ingredients. Definitely recommend.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Fresh - Lemon Sugar
Artbabe 4/1/2008 3:39:00 PM
This was not a "love at first sniff" scent for me, and I am a big fan of citrus scents.The first time I tried on Lemon Sugar at Sephora, I didn't like at all. I wasn't sure why, it just wasn't appealing. Then I tried it by layering it with a Maison vanilla scent (can't remember which one I used, but I think it was Madagascar or Mexican), liked it a whole lot more. The third time was the charm, and I'm glad I kept giving this scent a chance. It is my everyday spring fragrance now. Light, just a hint of sweetness but not at all overpowering. Dries down to a slightly musky and clean but almost rich scent. The lemon stays in there, and the lasting power is quite good compared to other citrus scents I've tried, which are often beautiful but ephemeral (I'm looking at you, Hesperides).
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Conditioner -Burt's Bees - Shea& Grapefruit Deep Conditioner
Artbabe 3/16/2008 3:59:00 PM
I like this product a lot and plan on buying it again. I do recommend it as an inexpensive, silicone and protein-free alternative to the many high priced deep conditioners out there. It's easy to use, the scent is a bit strong but doesn't bother me at all (it doesn't linger). Quite moisturizing and does not weigh my hair down. I have fine, thin, color-treated hair and I usually have to shampoo AFTER I use a deep conditioner or my hair is flat and greasy, but not with this. It's well-priced, and you don't need to use a large amount if you have hair like mine. So Burt's Bees Shea and Grapefruit Deep Conditioning treatment definitely has a spot in my rotation.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -MAC - Sculpt and Shape in Bone/Beige
Artbabe 2/3/2008 3:06:00 AM
I am also surprised by the negative comments on this color. I'm quite pale, with cool undertones (NW 15-20), and Bone Beige/Emphasize works very well on me. I have to keep in mind that this is a contouring product, not a blush, and apply it accordingly. That means (to me, anyway) that it shouldn't show up as a *color*, but that you apply just enough to provide a subtle shadow. Subtle's the word here. I use my MAC 168 brush, tap it gently on the contouring shade, and apply it where needed. The highlighter goes on top of my cheekbones. I get no orange from this, just a neutral light beige and an ivory highlighter. I'm not a big fan of MAC's color products, but I have no complaints about this. It applies well, blends smoothly, looks natural, and wears a long time (I was expecting it to fade quickly like my experience with MAC blushes). However, I do also own NARS Zen and Albatross, and while these are not exact dupes, they are quite close, and you don't really "need" both.
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Rimmel - Volume Booster Primer
Artbabe 1/12/2008 12:52:00 AM
EDIT (3/16/08): Oddly enough, after about 3 weeks of regular use, this started making my lips flakey. I find it also sheers out my lipstick color more than I like (I wear a lot of reds, and when you sheer them out too much they go pink). I knocked off 2 lippied and won't repurchase.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Boots - Botanics Eye and Lip Correction Serum
Artbabe 1/9/2008
I'm just finishing up my first bottle and am about to purchase a second. This serum comes in a convenient, easy to use, small pump bottle and costs about $14 at Target. The label states "with Japanese Pagoda and Horsechestnut Extracts". I found this to be a very moisturizing, plumping, and skin-brightening product. Makes my eye area look very fresh and awake. It's a smooth, rich cream and much thicker than many serums. It produces a mild "warming" sensation around my eyes but has never irritated my skin; in fact, it's had the opposite effect. This is less expensive than my other HG eye creams (RoC Retinol and Reviva Labs Eye Serum) and seems to work just as well. I have given it a 4 lippie rating because it did not work as well on my lip area (made my lip line break out after a few days' use. This happened after a 2nd try as well). But I plan to continue using it around my eyes.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -Shu Uemura - Brow Pencil
Artbabe 1/8/2008 11:31:00 PM
Excellent brow pencil. I have very light blonde, nearly white eyebrows; not super thin but they need filling in in spots. I bought the Shu Hard pencil in Seal Brown after trying many other products and I have to say this gives me the most natural but polished-looking brows. My brow color is tricky because I color my hair a cool red and everyone wants to give me either warm brown or warm red brows, and neither look right. Seal Brown is an ash brown, not too dark, and works with the cool red. You must keep it sharpened (I just use a regular sharpener, I could do the hand-sharpening thing, but it arrived with a standard pointed end so I'm keeping it that way.) It doesn't deliver much color payoff when it's rounded and dull from use. So keep it sharp, apply in even pencil strokes, go over your brows gently with a spoolie brush when you're done. You'll have terrific looking brows that hold up through a long day without needing touchups.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -NARS - Viridiana
Artbabe 12/14/2007 12:28:00 PM
OK, I agree with everyone else that this is not burgundy, but I don't think the incorrect description should harm Viridiana's score. It's a rich, slightly browned-down medium-to-deep rose, and it's a lovely, very wearable color. It's a great everyday shade for fall and winter, gives lips emphasis without the "drama" of red. This is the semi-matte formula, so I highly recommend using a dab of lip balm underneath, as it can be somewhat drying. Great long-lasting color. UPDATE (5/22/08): It took me a little while, but I have fallen in love with this lipstick. I reach for it all the time, lovely color!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Chanel - Hydrabase Lotus Rouge
Artbabe 12/3/2007 3:50:00 AM
This is a beautiful, elegant red, and one that can definitely be worn for day. It is a rich, blue-based shade, but not overly deep and not bright. It has a touch of--brown? berry? plum? all the above? Not sure, but it's quite a subtle and sophisticated red. Creamy texture. What makes this just *slightly* less than perfect is its only moderate staying power (not terrible but not fabulous) and it's the littlest bit drying. That said, I can see Lotus Rouge becoming a real favorite in my red wardrobe, and I'm pretty picky with my red lipsticks!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No