Mascara -Lavera - Volume Mascara
monsterbeans 5/28/2009 4:48:00 AM
Okay, so this isn't going to make your lashes look like amazingly falsies in one swoop, but equally, it won't make them brittle, clumpy and spidery either. I bought two tubes about two years ago, and even using them everyday I still have loads left, so value for money you get! But yes, the mascara. Despite the reviews saying 'made my eyes water', I'm a contact lens wearer and don't really find it does, unless I poke the wand into my eye! The formula isn't as thick as 'conventional' brands, but it goes on smoothly with no clumps. It lengthens quite a bit, but doesn't add too much thickness in the first coat, so this a good natural looking mascara. Second coat adds a bit more oomph. I tend to use this not on it own though, though I still think it looks nice on its own, depends on the look. I use it as a base for Urban Decay's Big Fatty (also not animal testers, yay!) mascara and for using my Eyecurl II (best routine: Manual curler, Lavera, Eyecurl, Urban Decay). With the Lavera mascara underneath Big Fatty goes from being a terrifying thick gloopy mess to something great!
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Eyeliner -Barry M - Liquid Eyeliner
monsterbeans 5/25/2009 1:04:00 PM
Unlike a lot of people, I can't get on with the felt-tip applicator on this, but I can see why it works for other people. The formula for this liner is super-opaque matt-black, and it goes on smoothly and dries quickly to prevent smudging. The price si also very reasonable and most importantly for me Barry M do not test on animals. My favourite black eyeliner is Urban Decay's shimmery charcoal-black 'oil slick' but on a budget and for the classic wing flick, Barry M's eyeliner is also great
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -LUSH - Eggsnog
monsterbeans 5/18/2009 5:37:00 AM
Oh, I don't get the negative reviews! I realise this review may be a tad redundant, as Lush did not release this for Xmas 2008, so it may be discontinued. Okay, bad points first: Don't put it in your pocket, because it will melt and make a mess when you open it. Good points: The smell is great, dunno what it is, but I love it Its super moisturising Unlike some of my other fave Lush lipbalms, this one is a glossy one (Lip Lime was like this also, but discontinued) and was great to layer over tints and lipcolour
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Bath Treatments -LUSH - Twinkle Bath Bomb
monsterbeans 5/18/2009 5:33:00 AM
LOVE! Shame that as with a lot of Lush, my favourites are Xmas only. Nevertheless, this is a cute, shimmery lovely bath ballistic, that I used last year as a pre-prep for going out for the night. The smell blends amazingly with my American Cream conditioner and I always think life is best with a few sparkles. In 2007, this was a standard size bath ballistic, not sure why last christmas it got small. Nevermind though, its still great.
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Gels/Soaps -LUSH - Angels Delight Soap
monsterbeans 5/18/2009 5:29:00 AM
Ahhh, Angels Delight, my favourite soap from Lush, which I buy in massive quantities every Chrimbo! This isn't a "sophisticated soap" smell, it smells like a sweet shop, jelly babies and sugar! But I am a sucker for all things bright, sweet and sparkly, so I love it. It's a good pick-me-up smell Like all Lush soaps, its lasts for ages, and the smell doesn't disappear, even when sat in the damp bathroom for months on end.
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Fragrances -LUSH - B Never 2 Busy 2 Be Beautiful -- 1000 Kisses Deep
monsterbeans 5/18/2009 5:25:00 AM
My favourite perfume. I'm really limited in my choice as I refuse to wear perfumes produced by companies that use animal testing, but ethics aside, 1000 Kisses is gorgeous. Unlike a lot of perfumes for women on the market, which are sickly sweet, this one is different. Its fruity but sultry and the scent changes as it lingers on your skin, and I always get compliments when I wear it. Okay, B Never aren't cheap, but I I don't mind paying for quality, ethics and most importantly, something I would like to smell on myself!
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Eyeliner -Urban Decay - Liquid Liner - Oil Slick [DISCONTINUED]
monsterbeans 12/29/2008 4:25:00 PM
I took the plunge with this, as the reviews are so mixed. I'm glad I did. The colour is gorgeous, a vinyl black with charcoal shimmer that is so much more ace that basic black. Unfortunately, UD have changed the brushes since their liquid liner update, and like many, I prefer the old brush for precision and fineness. That said, it you brush the new brush against the side of the bottle, it gets rid of excess product and flattens the brush out, so you can then use the thin edge. Yeah, the shape of the bottle is a little annoying, as I expect that when this starts to run out, getting the dregs is gonna be tricky. Also, despite my trick being to use the edge of the bottle, the neck is a lot wider than on the vintage liners, and I hope not too much product is wasted on the edge! But all this is nothing for the bold or subtle (how you wear it!) opaque kittenish look of this eyeliner, yum!
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Midnight Cowboy
monsterbeans 12/29/2008 4:20:00 PM
Got this as part of the Book of Shadows and was excited as this is always hyped, but: 1. I love the colour, but am sticking with Sin/Scratch 2. I love glitter, but not this sort of cockroach size! 3. The glitter played havoc with my contact lenses! So yeah. I tried PP, applying it before face makeup, nada.
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Maui Wowie
monsterbeans 12/29/2008 4:18:00 PM
You know, I never noticed the large amounts of glitter in this til I was absent-mindedly reading MUA. This has not got the level of obvious glitter that Midnight Cowboy does, but it does have some. Luckily I'm known for glitter and shimmer so its okay! Ha, but the colour is beautiful, so its worth it!!! Though, I have noticed Sin and Smog/Underground blended over one another give a Maui Wowie-esque colour with shimmer, rather than glitter. Its not as gold-toned, but it has that sandy colour.
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Liquid -Urban Decay - liquid Surreal Skin
monsterbeans 12/29/2008 4:13:00 PM
Firstly, let me just say that this lasts a helluva long time. I wear some amount of foundation nearly every single day. I bought my first bottle of this in April of this year and there is still a fair whack left. I have only moved on to my new bottle because..well...read on, haha! I don't know if its just me, but the only downer for me is even though I bottle 2 bottles of the same shade (dream) a few months apart, the newer bottle is a slightly lighter colour, that is an even better match for my skin tone. The original bottle was good, but I had to be super careful with blending because it was slightly darker! If I could add one thing to this product, its SPF, but I'm content using my SPF-moisturiser for that purpose. Apply SS with a skunk brush for best results. I've tried with my fingers and its still a superior product, but the finish is just not comparable. You do have to be quick with the blending, and you can't load the brush up to save time, but thats okay, cos I'm sticking with this lovely cruelty free foundation for as long as UD make it!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -Urban Decay - Brow Beater
monsterbeans 12/29/2008 4:06:00 PM
I have dirty dishwater brown hair, and use the 'blonde' shade of this pencil, which is a sort of mousy brown colour. As a result, the blonde turns out to be a great match! Perhaps even the blonde would be too dark for a 'proper' blonde? Anyway. Apparently Urban Decay have discontinued this, according to the sales assistant, who wanted me to try the Brow Box. Buuut, I checked UD's website and its still current so I am sticking with the Brow Beater. What I like, as well as the 3-in-1 tool is the very variable application. You have have stylised drawn on brows if you want, or you can fill in the little gaps and make everytjing look neater. I always think the look comes together when I use this, and for £4 (yes, ebay, I know...) which lasts a long time, I'm happy. And no animal testing...yay!
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Pressed Powders -Urban Decay - De-Slick Mattifying Powder
monsterbeans 10/5/2008 12:15:00 PM
I was not happy about spending £15 on a face powder, but I was having no joy with face powders from other non-animal testing companies. Either skin-tone powders weren't right, or I had to buy on-line without trying first. So what attracted me to De-slick was the colourlessness of it. And the packaging, of course. The puff is ok, and I would have carried on using it, except I dropped it on the floor of a club toilet and left it there, not really wanting to pick it up. I use a big powder brush now, but if I want to touch up during the day its not very convenient without the puff. Okay, £15 is a lot, but this stuff looks like it hasn't been used, and I've used practically everyday since...July? So I can see this lasting a long time. As for performance? I don't have particular oily skin, but my nose and cheeks have a sheen without powder. This gets rid of it, and also sets my make-up lightly without disturbing the finish or changing the colour. I'll repurchase this powder again when it eventually runs out!
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Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
monsterbeans 10/5/2008 12:07:00 PM
I will only reiterate what others have said. UDPP is great, and has really changed my mind about my eye shadows now I can get maximum colour pay-off with less product being used!
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Mascara -Urban Decay - Big Fatty Mascara
monsterbeans 10/5/2008 12:04:00 PM
I'm on the fence with this product. I actually like the big brush, but I try to remove as much product from it as possible before application. I use Lavera's mascara before this (I use heated eyelash curlers inbetween). The first few times I used Big Fatty were a horrendous clumpy mess, but with practice you do get more of the 'falsies' look. I think this product would really work for me if I could be bothered to get myself some sort of lash comb, as there are clumps sometimes and it would prevent any 'spider effect' lashes. I think the formula for the coloured Big Fatty mascaras is different, as my Purple Haze applies better, quicker. I will buy this again if I see improved results with use of a lash comb.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Hard Candy - Stain & Shine in Stop
monsterbeans 8/17/2008 12:40:00 PM
I think this shade has been discontinued, which isn;t so good! Anyway. I love the stain, but am not so keen on the gloss. My HG of glosses is Lavera's No.4, which is a goldish clear shimmer that is so smooth and not sticky. Unfortunately, the gloss portion of the S&S is quite gloopy, and its easy to go overboard. That said, the shimmer gloss is a cool, blue toned colour, which really complements the berry stain colour. I bought this because I was looking for a version of Benetint that I was 100% sure wasn't tested on animals. The Hard Candy tint works equally well on cheeks and lips and stays put. Word of warning, the bottle of the stain is made of glass, which is how I smashed my only, nearly full one (serves me right for running at work with it in my pocket!). I would buy this again for the tint alone, if I could find this shade easier in the UK.
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