Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - HiP Metallic Duo - Gilded #806
masqued_dreamer 6/25/2008 12:20:00 AM
This eye shadow duo is from the new line of metallic duos from HIP. These retail for $6.99 and they can be found at walgreens. This is the second of the 5 duos that I have tried. The two shades can be described as a true bronzed gold and a deep dirty gold with yellow gold glitter. I needed a really metallic gold color and the lighter shade of the duo was perfect for the job. It has great pigmentation, great lasting power and can be worn alone or put underneath or on top of other colors. I use mine wet because it just makes this color even more gorgeous. I do have to say that this shadow is better pigmented than some of my MAC shadows and it blends like a dream. I would usually knock down a lippie for the packaging, but the color goes on so beautifully and smooth that i can't say anything bad about this shade. If you're wanting these colors at all, please don't hesitate. You won't be disappointed.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - HiP Metallic Duo - Sculpted #106
masqued_dreamer 6/24/2008 12:26:00 PM
The metallic eye shadow duos are the newest Eye shadows from L'oreal's HIP line. There are 5 colors total. This color is a purple duo. The lighter color looks much like MAC star violet to me. The darker shade isa deep purple with gold glitter flecks. These retails at any drugstore for $6.99.
I have had several of th HIP shadow duos and usually they are hit or miss. It's hard to review them as a whole. This one is fabulous. It can be worn it both wet and dry. Either way it goes on very smoothly and is highly pigmented. It blends very well and the color stays true all day long. Obviously, to get the most pigment out of your color, you should use it wet. When using it wet, you get a much more intense metallic effect.
I would have given it 5 lippies but i dislike the packaging. I wish it didn't have that little mirror and foam thing that comes out of the bottom of the compact. eye shadow brushes are your friend! foam applicators are not!
Overall, this is a great shadow. I would say it is as good as any MAC shadow for half the price. I bought all 5 colors but i've only swatched them. All of them are beautiful though. After i try them i'll be sure to add the reviews of those too.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - HIP Jelly Balm [DISCONTINUED]
masqued_dreamer 6/20/2008 12:59:00 PM
I bought four of this on a whim at my local walgreens for $8.99 each. They are L'oreal's version of MAC's tendertones without shimmer and with more pigment. I bought these in:
Plush 120 (a bright bubblegum pink)
Ripe 220 (a watermelon red)
Savory 420 (a lighter coral)
Succulent 520 (a medium plum)
There are 6 colors available, the other two i didn't purchase were a deep wine color and a cherry red color.
The first thing i noticed about these was the smell. While i can't really place the smell, its the same smell that the lipglosses and lipsticks have, which i absolutely love. The second thing i noticed about these that they had absolutely no shimmer whatsoever. Somedays i just need a gloss that has no shimmer. They're perfect to put over lipstick that already has a shimmer. The first one i tried was Succulent. I noticed that the plum color actually showed up on my lips pretty well, unlike the tendertones, which give a very faint hint of color. These actually give you the color that's in the pot, which is what i was going for when i saw these. In fact, the only thing i don't like about these is the packaging. I'm not fond of anything i have to stick my finger in, but i guess that's why they make lip brushes. Also, these balms don't have an spf like the MAC tendertones do. However, i really don't need a SPF since my lip primer already has one. Overall, i am extremely satisfied with my purchase and i will certainly purchase the other two colors.
23 out of 24 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Jane - Be Pure Mineral Gel Eyeliner
masqued_dreamer 5/31/2008 1:01:00 AM
Jane Be Pure Mineral Gel Liners come in four colors: Dark Brown 01, Navy 02, Wine 03, and of course Black 04. They retail for $5.99. I Purchased mine at walgreens, as they were buy one, get one free. These eyeliners come in a glass jar with a sliver screw on cap. The net weight is 5g/.17 oz. Obviously the price for these is completely fantastic. Really, you can't for wrong spending six bucks on a gel liner that can cost anywhere from $10-$18 in a high end brand. While the color choice is quite small, the colors that are available are staple colors that everyone should have. I purchased all four and immediately swatched on my hand. the color payoff was truly fantastic and the consistency was so smooth and cool. You can easily get a straight line without dragging across your eye. I do think though that the black and brown colors are a bit more smoother than the other two colors. The Navy and wine ones seem a litle bit drier in consistency, but still extremely smooth and easy to apply. I applied the navy color on my waterline at around noon and it was still there at 11pm. It stayed just as well as any of my mac fluidlines ever have and you get a lot more product for a cheaper price. I was extremely surprised by the brush that came with the liner. I thought it was just going to be a crappy brush, like with the HIP creme liners, but i was pleasantly surprised. The brush hairs are almost exactly like the hairs from my 263 MAC brush and it applied the eyeliner almost exactly the same way, the only real difference being the cut of the angle on the brush. I will definitley be replacing most of my mac fluidlines with this Jane replacement. If i could give more lippies for this product, i would. They are utterly and completely fantastic.
19 out of 20 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - HIP Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss in Romantic
masqued_dreamer 5/20/2008 11:15:00 AM
I really wanted to like this lipgloss. I only rated it a 2 because the colors i have are so pretty. This lipgloss retails for $8.99 at walgreens and i purchased a few colors on clearance for $2.29. Pros: Like i said, the colors i have in romantic, pixie, precious, dreamer and adoring are all gorgeous colors. I love the way the color shines on my lips. On clearance, i would definately purchase a few to try. You're not hurting if you don't like them when you're only paying $2. And they really do smell fantastic. Cons: Let's start with the packaging. I dislike glosses in squeeze tubes in general because i think you waste a lot of product. I dislike these even more because of the round top applicator as well. If you're applying straight from the tube to your lips, it's nearly impossible to precisely apply it. You almost have to use a lip brush and that defeats the purpose of what i purchased it for. Then there's consistency. This stuff is just way to thick for me to like. I could handle it if these were a little bit more sheer like the color juice tubes. And if there's any glitter at all in the gloss, it will look and feel gritty on your lips. I understand the point of a sticky gloss as it stays on a little bit better. Unfortunately these just feel like i shellacked my lips.
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Liquid -Cover Girl - TRUblend Liquid Makeup (12/2007 reformulation)
masqued_dreamer 4/11/2008 1:57:00 AM
If i could give this junk no lippies, i would. It's the most god awful foundation i've ever tried. I applied it with a mac brush like i always apply foundation and it left my skin looking dry flaky and scaly. It was the worst thing ever. I know it was the foundation because i removed it and put on another foundation and it looked fine. BOO Covergirl!
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Moisturizers -MAC - Moisturelush Cream [DISCONTINUED]
masqued_dreamer 3/28/2008 12:46:00 AM
This very rich, very thick moisturizing cream comes in a 1.7 oz jar for $32.00 USD. I never really liked MAC's skincare products so i was wary of this one. I'm glad that i was pleasantly surprised. I've suffered from dry skin most of my life. I tend to get very dry, flaky patches on my forehead and nose. I've tried many moisturizers and not many things did the job. The one thing i was using was discontinued so i was forced to look for something new. This product was recommended to me by a MAC MA friend of mine so i thought i'd give it a try. I was very pleased with the packaging, as i always am with MAC packaging. The jar of cream is in a plastic white jar with a black top. They fill this stuff up all the way to the top so you're getting your money's worth here. Upon opening it, one of the first things i noticed was the scent. The scent was light enough for me to put on my face without irritation, but fragrant enough to be pleasant. The thickness of this product was amazing to me. A little bit truly does go a long way. I just put a little dab on both my cheeks, my forehead and nose and i was set. Most other moisturizers i would have to slather on in order to get the moisture that this gave in less than a quarter-sized amount. So i put this on at night before i went to bed and i woke up in the morning and had no flakes. needless to say it met my expectations. Now i do think it might be a little too thick for me to use as a day cream. I put it on after cleansing in t he morning and it took a good 5-10 minutes to soak into my skin before putting on my makeup. On some days this is okay, but there are days where i just want to let my moisturizer soak in for a minute or two and start putting on my makeup. Because of the length of time it took me to soak in the foundation, i think i will stick to studio moisture fix. I've been asked several times by several different people if this would be suitable for oily skin. And i've come to the conclusion that it would be just too much moisture for oily skin. My mom gets pretty oily and this did not work for her. She used this after applying green gel cleanser at night and she woke up feeling like she had an oil slick on her face. I think this moisturizer was targeted for those with dry, flaky and sometimes itchy skin. Oh and the itch relief, let me tell you. For as long as i can remember, i've gotten itchy skin when i get out of the shower, it's nothing major, but it's pretty uncomfortable. This cream certainly did calm the itching very quickly after i applied it and it also soothed the redness that i tend to get from the itchy skin. Overall, i think this is a fantastic product, but i only think it'll work for you if you have dry skin. Like i said, oily skin will just get oily. If you have oily skin, try MAC's oil control lotion. It's a great moisturizer that won't leave you feeling greasy. Also, if this product is giving you too much moisture, i would suggest only using it only at night and use a lighter moisturizer like MAC studio moisture mix during the day. For me, this gets 5/5 because it's everything i could have wanted in a moisturizer and more.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sinful - Pinky Glitter
masqued_dreamer 3/26/2008 11:38:00 AM
First of all, i LOVE sinful nail polishes. I would own them all if i could. Plus they're cheap. I bought this and Daddy's girl at Walgreens on sale 2/$3 after a fellow MUAer pointed them out. Let me just say this color is GORGEOUS. It's a bubble gum sheer pink with multicolored glitter. I recently redid my acrylics and put this over the french manicure. It turned my plain old manicure into something really fun and pretty. I highly recommend this color to you if you're looking to spice up your nails. It's a little bold, but not too bold.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Jane - Max Lash 2
masqued_dreamer 3/15/2008 1:34:00 AM
First of all, let me state that i essentially got this for free with a combined bogo sale and coupon. But i do have to say it's one of the better mascaras i've tried. While i'm usually not a fan of the dual ended mascaras, this one is actually really decent. step one is a lengthening primer and step 2 is the colored mascara that curls and thickens. The mascara does everything it's supposed to do. However, the consistancy of the formula is a little bit thinner than my usual mascara so it takes a lot longer to dry. Sometimes i end up getting mascara on my lids because i don't wait long enough for it to dry... when this isn't the case with other mascaras. This reason and this alone is the reason i give this mascara a 4 insteead of a 5. If they would shorten the drying time, this would definitely be a 5.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -MAC - Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Light
masqued_dreamer 3/15/2008 1:27:00 AM
When MAC finally came out with a matte version of their illustrious MSF, i knew i had to have one. At first i wasn't overly pleased with it bc i think i was using a much too heavy foundation with it, but after a while i experimented and found that it worked exceedingly well with select spf 15 and my favorite Revlon Colorstay. I am now on my second compact and i must say that i'll never go back to regular powder to set my foundation again. It goes on so smooth and silky and has a semi-matte finish. It doesn't cake and it's extremely long-lasting on my skin. The one problem i have with this product is the packaging. While the product itself is amazing, I do wish the packaging had a mirror like all the other pressed powders do. The packaging of the Laura Geller baked powders would be absolutely perfect, that way i don't have to bring along another mirror just to do a little touch up.
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Stick -Max Factor - PAN - STICK
masqued_dreamer 3/14/2008 2:29:00 AM
I bought this foundation for $8.99 for a .5 oz tube. I found this to be very reasonable for a foundation that seems to get such great reviews. The first time i applied it, i seemed skeptical because it seemed so thick, but after i blended it out, it covered everything like magic but it still looked natural. It's a really good price for the size. Most stick foundations are less than .5 of an ounce and don't deliver quite as well as this one. For future reference, i applied this foundation straight to my face from the tube and blended it out with the MAC 182 and MAC 190. I think the 190 blends it out a bit better than the 182. This stuff is great as a full coverage concealer too. I suffer from dark circles and blending a dab of this under my eyes, makes my dark circles disappear without leaving a cakey mess. The only problem i have with this foundation is the brand that makes it. Max Factor is no longer as easily obtainable as it used to be. I just happened to be in a grocery store that carried it (Jewel-Osco), but the only other retailer in my area that carried it is wal-mart, which is unfortunate because max factor makes some pretty fantastic products. Professional quality that's still affordable. Overall rating: 5 Price: 3 Packaging Quality: 5
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Isadora - Sheer to Cover Foundation
masqued_dreamer 2/7/2008 12:17:00 PM
Well, this is an IsaDora foundation that has buildable coverage and it oil-free and fragrance free. It lasts all day and comes in 10 shades, the lightest being porcelain rose (not sold in the US) and the darkest being Soft Caramel. I bought the color Ivory Beige since it closely matches my NC 15-20 skin. I purchased this for $2.19 at Walgreens when it went 70% off so it was a great deal. When i got it home, i already liked it. The squeeze bottle was hygenic and the color matched me perfectly. As for coverage, it's pretty sheer, but you can build it up to get the desired coverage. I just use foundation to even out my skin tone so this stuff was great. This foundation never gets cakey or runs, unlike the MAC i was using prior to this. I liked it so much that i went back and bought all that they had since it was being discontinued. The only reason this foundation isn't getting a 5 is because i can't get it anymore due to it being discontinued. Edit: unfortunately i had to stop wearing this foundation because something in it was making me break out, but i still love it. I'll have to put my extra bottles up for swap because someone else may enjoy it as much as i did.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Define A Lash Volume Mascara
masqued_dreamer 1/20/2008 11:41:00 PM
Aside from the packaging in a pretty pink container, this mascara is crap, IMO. I got absolutely not volume from this mascara. There is only a negligible difference between this and the original define-a-lash.... the difference being... this mascara doesn't really lengthen. The good points about this mascara are that it does separate the lashes quite nicely and thicken them pretty well. However, it is packaged and marketed as a volumizing mascara and it doesn't live up to that. I'm going back to my Last Blast!
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Liquid -L'Oreal - infallible never fail makeup
masqued_dreamer 1/9/2008 1:48:00 PM
I had really high expectations for this product since my best friend tried and really liked it. For me, it was WAY too thick, a lot thicker than what i'm used to. I usually use MAC select spf 15 and this doesn't even compare. I put it on at 7 in the morning and by noon, it's completely cakey and gross. It makes me feel like i'm wearing a mask, which is a problem i've never really had before with any liquid foundation. I dislike the packaging as well. Within a couple of days of using it, the pump broke. For the price, i really don't think it's worth all thr trouble at $12.99 a bottle.
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Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - Infallible Lip Gloss
masqued_dreamer 1/9/2008 2:24:00 AM
While these glosses weren't what i expected them to be, i still LOVE them! i was expecting a pigmented long-wearing lipgloss. What i got was a more sheer semi-long wearing lipgloss that smells like carmex. These retail for $10 each, but i purchased them on sale. They were buy one get one free, i had my 15% employee discount, plus 2 $2 coupons, The total for the two glosses i bought was $4.49. I probably would have never bought them at their full price. The applicator is like something that i have never seen. It is in kind of a rain drop shape that applied better to my lips than the regular doe-foot applicator. While i was expecting the gloss to be super sticky like the HIP glosses, it's still sticky but in a slightly different way. i think the stickiness is a key factor in the long-wearing ability of the gloss. I think the consistancy, however, is perfect. It's not too thick, but it's not runny like some other glosses can be. I first applied the gloss right before i left to go to the coffee shop. After eating a bagel and cup of coffee, the gloss had rubbed off a little bit but was generally still in place. It stays in place a lot longer than your average lip gloss, but i don't think you would call it a long-wearing lip gloss, due to the fact that you would have to reapply it after a couple of hours. I was expecting the colors i bought to look really pink on my lips but they applied a lot more sheer than i expected, but it's a gloss so that's pretty much how it should be. I really do love the packaging of this product. It's in a curved long bottle with a silver cap and different doe-foot applicator (as i mentioned before). The silver cap has a mini mirror on the top of the bottle. I think it's an overall sleek and stylish packaging choice. I like something that looks more unique. My only gripe about this product is the smell! these smell just like a jar of carmex, which i can't stand! I love glosses that smell good but this wasn't one of them. If they could fix the smell of these, i think that they would be the perfect product. I would definitely buy these again, but only if i could find them on sale again.
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