Palettes -Coastal Scents - 88 eyeshadow palette
silverbrook 2/1/2010 9:17:00 AM
I got the matte version of this palette and I absolutely love it! I don't know why the rating is only 3.9 on MUA. The color payoff is great and there's such a huge variety. You really can't go wrong with this palette. It's prob the best makeup item I've ever purchased.
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Polishes -Essie - Mint Candy Apple
silverbrook 1/25/2010 6:38:00 PM
I got this at Ulta because I really wanted a mint green polish. I love the color. I took off a lippie because the application is a little odd. In the end the paint kind of evens itself out but as you're putting it on it looks very streaky. When it dries it looks perfect though. It's a very cheerful, trendy color. I think it's one of my favorites.
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Hair Styling Tools -Farouk CHI - Chi Ceramic Flat Iron by Farouk
silverbrook 1/24/2010 11:11:00 PM
I bought my Chi on Amazon for around $70, and I have had it for.... about 2 years now. It has been one of the best investments I've made. I have tried a lot of other straighteners which damaged my hair and didn't straighten it well. The Chi gets very, very hot but somehow I don't have any split ends. I had BILLIONS of split ends when I was using cheaper straighteners. The Chi will get my hair straight in less than half the time and leave my hair undamaged. I don't understand how one company designs their product differently from another so that it works so much better (it seems like such a simple concept - hot ceramic plates).
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Liquid -Revlon - ColorStay Makeup
silverbrook 1/23/2010 12:25:00 AM
I used this foundation when I was younger. I agree that the packaging really sucks. It could be much better in a pump, where amount is much more controllable. In addition, it would be much more hygienic. Anyway, for some reason whenever I used this foundation, I got good coverage like everyone says, but I always got a lot transferring to my clothing. Not sure if it's because it's not working well with my skin type or what, but I would not use this anymore due to packaging and staining my clothes. I think it also perpetuated breakouts. I switched to EDM which didn't seem to irritate my skin, and have switched from EDM to Sally Hansen Your Skin foundation because my skin has gotten a lot drier, maybe from growing out of my younger years.
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Lipstick -Maybelline - Superstay lipcolor
silverbrook 1/19/2010 7:46:00 PM
Not sure if I got a bad tube or not. I really wanted to enjoy this product since it's gotten good reviews, but when I apply it it starts flaking off really quickly and forming awful little clumps around the edges of my lips. I'm not sure if I'm applying it incorrectly or not (I let it dry for about 2 minutes then apply the gloss on top). The color is nice, I got it in petal. I will keep trying it to see if I get better luck. EDIT: I've tried this again, and the weird pilling didn't happen, but it did make my lips feel reaaaally dry. I think I would need to carry around lip balm whenever i use this, which I normally don't. Otherwise, I'm pleased with the color and staying power... it was really difficult to get off at the end of the day.
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Masks -Queen Helene - Mint Julep Masque
silverbrook 1/19/2010 6:19:00 PM
This is a great product. And it is SO inexpensive. I use it once a week to absorb oil stuck in my pores and it really helps keep my skin clear. When I go a few weeks without it I start to break out and get angry pimples. Everyone should try this. It's only about $3!
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Palettes -LORAC - Croc Case
silverbrook 1/16/2010 10:36:00 PM
I wanted so badly to like this. The packaging is really awesome, and the colors look great in the palette. Normally, LORAC colors are very pigmented. Unfortunately the lighter eyeshadow shades all wash out on my skin no matter what I do. They're basically useless except to add a teeny bit of shimmer. The pink does not show up at all. The darker colors are good, and quite pigmented. I'm pleased with the blushes, and have not tried the lip glosses.
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Eyeliner -Ulta - automatic eyeliner
silverbrook 1/16/2010 10:33:00 PM
These are amazing eyeliners. And they are frequently on sale for one dollar or are BOGO or are on some other sale. Get lots of them! They're very convenient, long lasting, do not crease, and do not smear everywhere and give you panda eyes. Very pigmented too. The black is super dark.
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Foundations -Sally Hansen - Inspired By Carmindy Natural Beauty Your Skin Makeup ] [DISCONTINUED]
silverbrook 1/8/2010 1:55:00 PM
I bought this at Ulta on sale for about $6 and so far I really like it! I've only used it today so I'm not sure if it'll break me out yet. I bought sandy beige. To put it on I dispensed the liquid onto the back of my hand and applied to my face with a flat-top brush. At the end I didn't even wash my hand because it had blended into my skin so well, lol. It feels like I'm not wearing any foundation and the coverage is quite good! It was pretty easy to blend too. I just used rapid stippling/short brushstrokes. I really like the feel of the product and also, the packaging is heavy and feels expensive which is a plus. And you can't beat the price. I think normally it's about $12. Run to ULTA and get this if you're trying to figure out a new foundation to try since there are mad clearance sales!
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Eye Primer -Too Faced - Shadow Insurance, Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer
silverbrook 12/23/2009 10:51:00 PM
I've used UDPP for a few years, the regular version and sin version, and find that I really like Too Faced Shadow Insurance more, and probably because the packaging is so much more logical. I never understood why Urban Decay decided to make it impossible to get any product out of their Primer Potion bottles. This is easier and more hygienic. If anything, get this product for the hygienic reason. lol. The consistency seems about the same as UDPP to me, and it keeps my shadow and liner in place very well. I will never go back to UDPP.
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Brows -Ulta - Brow Gel
silverbrook 12/23/2009 10:45:00 PM
Best product ever for keeping my eyebrows in shape! I usually find with waxes that the hairs start drooping down pretty soon after applying, but this gel keeps them dead in place. It also is invisible after you apply it. No gunk or shine. Love love love it. It's cheap too; $6 at Ulta. They usually have great coupons/deals that apply to their products (which are all mostly very good and worth purchasing).
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Moisturizers -Eucerin - Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Sensitive Skin Creme
silverbrook 12/23/2009 10:34:00 PM
Just picked this up and have been using it for two days. So far no break outs, and I will continue to monitor my skin for acne. It does look and smell like butter. However, I found the scent to be very minimal. Unlike other reviewers I cannot smell butter after I put it on. I only smell it when I stick my nose close to the jar and take a whiff. I think the trick to managing the thick consistency is applying sparingly, then going back for more if you need it. It does keep my skin very hydrated for a long time which is amazing, because I have very dry forehead/cheeks/mouth area that peel and feel awful, especially in the winter. This also seems to work nicely as an eye cream. If I break out then I will continue to pat it around my eyes. EDIT: I have been using this for several months now, and it never causes breakouts for me and seems to have very slightly eased some wrinkling that was starting below my eyes and on my forehead. I'm not entirely sure, since I'm young, and my wrinkles weren't substantial to begin with. At the very least, this is a solid creme and great if you have dry skin.
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Shampoo -Nexxus - Aloe Rid Shampoo
silverbrook 11/16/2009 5:27:00 PM
Over time I have realized that the performance of a shampoo is vastly dependent on the metal ion content in the water. I've been so frustrated trying to find a good shampoo to use at my apartment and couldn't figure out why nothing was working no matter how high the rating. I kept getting this nasty, nasty film on my hair that would not leave no matter how much I showered and what shampoo I used. I noticed that when I shower at my parents' house, my hair is gorgeous no matter what shampoo I used. This is because they have a water softener. If you have hard water, which means that there are tons of minerals in the water, then you will likely need a shampoo which contains EDTA such as the Aloe Rid shampoo. This substance will effectively bind to these minerals, keeping them from building up in your hair like they did in mine. There are a lot of other shampoos that have EDTA and I did not realize that this was the substance I should have been looking for in order to fix my hair. This is a great shampoo to give your hair shine and cleanliness that may be impossible with a non-EDTA shampoo in a hard water zone. Before I was trying to use Giovanni 50/50 clarifying shampoo, which was doing nothing to help the situation despite it being a clarifying shampoo since I needed to clear out metal ions, not silicon buildup. Edit: This is really my HG shampoo now. I use it in the shower with no conditioner, then smooth a dollop of got2b Smoothing Lustre Lotion into my hair after I get out of the shower and let my hair air dry. I never use a straightener or a blow dryer anymore - my hair has been looking better than it ever has before. My combo might now work for everyone, but it definitely works for me and it should help if you also have fine hairs in high quantity like me. Using regular shampoos and products my hair is very messy and sticks out in strange places. Not with this combination of products though! Now my hair is smooth, soft, shiny, and very easily manageable.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Full 'N Soft Mascara
silverbrook 9/17/2009 9:21:00 AM
I've used this mascara on and off for years now, trying other mascaras in between to see if there was a miracle product I could find that would be better. So far, I haven't found anything else. This is a great mascara and it's cheap! It does not clump and does not give me raccoon eyes. Application is very easy and forgiving and it does a nice job curling my straight Asian lashes. I will probably be a lifelong user of this product. Try it if you haven't already! :)
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Moisturizers -St. Ives - Collagen-Elastin Essential Moisturizer
silverbrook 8/11/2009 11:23:00 PM
I've been using this product for two nights now and so far I'm pleased with it. This formula is not very creamy; it has more of a watery finish but it doesn't feel greasy to me. If you massage it in it absorbs nicely. The smell is not too strong and it's pleasant. It hasn't broken me out yet and I like that it's in a big tub so I can grab some and slather it onto my face. I will continue using this product every night and report back if I break out. So far it has helped immensely with dry, peeling, and painful areas on my face where I was wiping with tissues.
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