Eye Shadow -MAC - Mineralize Eye Shadow - By Jupiter
styrch 7/24/2007 10:48:00 PM
I am a sucker for goldish taupes. This shadow is definately that. Yes, you can pull individual colors out of it if your shadow's veining is well defined. The darker brown in this is quite nice and the creams make a nice compliment. I could see someone with the right pot being able to pull a whole look out of it but I don't think that will be possible with mine. The downside on this shadow is really that you're not going to get the same look per pot. The veining is too varied to be able to say if this is a brown or a gold shadow, in my opinion. Swirled together, yes it is taupe. I wouldn't repurchase because I think I'd rather turn toward my other browns like Mulch. But yes, this shadow is fun for a neutral. I am NC15 with blue-green eyes, for reference.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Mineralize eyeshadow in Lovestone
styrch 7/24/2007 10:44:00 PM
I was most excited about this shadow out of the Flashtronic collection. I love reds and dark pinks so this seemed like I would love it. I was a bit dissapointed, however. I thought this color would be more berry and mine actually seems to have a bit more brown-red in it than I thought. It's primarily the dark red of the veining in Norther Lights MSF if you have that. The color doesn't match my coloring as well as I had hoped. I'll keep it, but I am dissapointed. However, it doesn't make my eyes look tired like some reds can. If you have Techtonic and By Jupiter like the MAC sight suggests, I urge you to play with it first. These shadows did not mix well on my lids and wound up looking rather muddy. I am NC15 with blue-green eyes for reference.
Comparison to Cranberry: For those of you who have heard that this color is similar to cranberry, while it looks like it could be in the pot the swatch I just did on my skin actually came out looking closer to Apricot Pink pigment. For those of you who missed out on Apricot Pink, I'd suggest picking this up. I know it sounds crazy...
Added an image with a comparison shot of several colors. Top to bottom: In Living Pink, Revved Up Pigment, Apricot Pink Pigment. Left to Right: Lovestone, Cranberry.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Mineralize eyeshadow in Ether
styrch 7/24/2007 10:39:00 PM
I'll admit I was not expecting to purchase Ether when Flashtronic actually rolled out. During the weeks leading up to it I had talked myself out of wanting most of the shadows, including this one. For Ether, I was specifically worried about the black veining, nervous that no matter what I did with it the color would come out muddy on me. The swatches you've seen are indeed true to color, but muddy this color is definately not! It's a rather muted blue (I don't really think it's teal as some have suggested). I was pleasently surprised that the "black veining" really came out more of a very dark blue. This really uncomplicated this shadow for me - especially since I was able to obtain one of the shadows where the different blues were clearly defined. Using a brush with an edge or a smaller tip I can pull out individual blues, which is really nice. The blues in this shadow are really not all that different though, so I don't think you could get a great "complete" eye out of just this one shadow. I am just very happy it's wearable, a sort of denim color. I am very glad I went to the counter to view this after my first Flashtronic purchase because I do think it will be my favorite of the Flashtronic shadows. I don't own any other blue like it so I am happy. However, I do think you could probably find something to duplicate it and I am taking away a point because of that. Well, that and there seem to be such variance between pots that my Ether may not look like your Ether. For reference I am an NC15 with blue-green eyes who really rarely wears bright colors.
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Cleansers -Philosophy - Purity Made Simple (Real Purity Cleanser)
styrch 7/15/2007 9:04:00 PM
I hate to give this a bad review because I *really* wanted to like it. I purchased this with the Best of Sephora kit, so thankfully not the full size. The cleanser itself feels very nice and your face does feel clean after using it. It's as good as (if not better) than the cleanser that my dermatologist was having me use that I can only purchase through her. It does not foam, which is fine, and my skin felt smooth after using it.
THE BAD: my eyes got really irritated by this. I didn't wash anywhere near them but the scent and/or chemicals of it clung to me I guess. Maybe I didn't wash it off as well as I thought but after several days of using this like I use my regular cleanser my eyes had that irritated "gook" in them, tears everywhere, etc. I even flushed my eyes with eyedrops after using it once and it didn't help. Anyway, I stopped using this cleanser and went back to my regular cleanser and everything cleared up so I'm pretty positive that is what set my eyes off.
Sadly I will not be purchasing again.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Rose Gold Pro Pigment
styrch 7/12/2007 9:45:00 PM
Lots of gold, very little (if any) rose. I was dissapointed by that. I was hoping for so much more. Plus, at the end of the day it started to sort of look like mud on my eyes. I wore it with UDPP and it still creased like crazy and got clumpy. I think I'll just stick to painting my Molton Sol liquidlast on my eyes when i want this type of gold. Sorry MAC - I knew I couldn't love all your pigments.
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Lotions/ Creams -Philosophy - Red Delicious Apple Body Butter
styrch 7/12/2007 8:58:00 AM
This is my first Philosophy product that I'm reviewing so let me preface this by saying I do not know what Philosophy's quality is like normally. I also purchased this on Sephora.com so I did not smell it beforehand.
The Scent: Red Delicious Apple Body Butter is true to it's name -so true that I think it's a bit overwhelming. I like the scent of apples but, and I never thought I'd say this, I don't think the scent of apples that is true to life is all that great. Now, I'll admit that this scent smells better once it's on than while it's in the tub, but truthfully - do you really want to smell like you cut an apple open and spread it's juice all over your body? it's nice, but strong. And for it's strength I expected the scent to last longer.
The Quality of the Moisturizer: "Your skin is incredibly soft!" - my DH. That should say it all right there.
The Packaging: I don't like tubs, but I can deal with them.
Bottom Line: Though more than I want to spend on a moisturizer, the way this makes my skin makes me feel is worth it. I would buy other Body Butters from Philosophy before I purchase this scent again, but overall very nice.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Liners -MAC - Cremestick liner in Pink Treat
styrch 7/10/2007 5:26:00 PM
I love this Cremestick Liner! I'm NC15 with pigmented lips and this is great for me for giving me just a hint of pink to line my lips. I love the ease with which Cremesticks apply in general (almost like using lipstick as a liner) so I was happy with this. It also blends in very easily with lipsticks and glosses so if Pink Treat doesn't quite match what you want that's ok.
This color IS light and it can be a bit difficult to get it to show up. Then again, it's a liner - I don't want it to show up THAT much.
About packaging - the color indicator tip on mine fell off, which makes it dry out a bit. Yay me... guess I got lucky on this one.
I would definately buy again when I run out. In fact, I find myself using this more so I WILL run out so I can buy one where the top hasn't fallen off.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sinful - Gorgeous
styrch 7/10/2007 5:20:00 PM
The color of this polish is pretty. It's sort of an aqua-green-teal that is slightly metalic. It's a nice color to have un with.
The Cons: It's got that same goopey formula I've gotten from Sinful before, though I hesitate to complain too much for the pice. It tends to apply pretty unevenly on me the first coat, and unfortunately it takes FOREVER to dry (even with help from drip dry drops).
The Pros: Pretty color, lots of pigment.
Would I Buy Again? Probably not. Not unless I had a reason to need this specific color. One bottle should be just fine.
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Polishes -Sinful - Shausha
styrch 7/10/2007 5:16:00 PM
This is a gorgeous color! It reminds me of what MAC Nymphette would look like as a nail polish with lilac liner. It is pink with a touch of violet for a base then has gold overtones. The end result is a pinkish tan with lots of gold shimmer that is just beautiful. It's actually like the lighter, little (cheaper) cousin of China Glaze Awakening, if you want a similar comparison.
The Cons: The formula is a bit goopey. It was hard for me to get an even application. It also takes FOREVER to dry. I had tip wear in less than a day as well.
The Pros: Aside from being a beautiful color, the price is really good. The polish is pigmented enough you might be able to get away with one coat if you are able to get an even application. I could see this being a very nice go-to polish if you want something fun, yet somewhat professional. You won't go wrong purchasing it.
Would I buy it again? Yes. It's too pretty (and cheap) not to.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Rose Pro Pigment Powder
styrch 7/10/2007 5:09:00 PM
I got this pigment as a sample recently. As others have said, it's pink with lots of gold/copper sparkle. On me this doesn't show up terribly dark. I can use it as a wash but if i want any depth I need to go to a different shadow. The texture of this one is chunky, as others have also said. It's not as smooth as others and can be a little bit more difficult to apply as a result. I recommend doing your eyes FIRST if you plan on using this on your eyes because then you can clean up all the shimmer that falls onto your face during application. this one was a bit tough to get to stay put, but it doesn't matter if it gets on your face that much because it will blend in with your blush. I do wish the color on this was a touch more pink than gold-bronze, but it is pretty regardless. I can see why so many people have this pigment. It's a good standby. But those of you who want more color and punch better look at something else because this is just a support color. NC15 for reference.
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Lipstick -MAC - Cockatease
styrch 7/9/2007 5:41:00 PM
For reference, I'm NC 15 with pigmented lips and blonde-brown hair.
This lipstick is gorgeous! I got it in a swap after many moons of longing for this color and it did not dissapoint! It has the same consistency of most MAC frost lipsticks I've tried and wears very well. The color is sort of light orange/pink in the tube but it comes out the perfect coral shade on my lips. I like wearing it over Mac Prep + Prime because it tends to lay a bit better. And by the way - BEST NAME FOR A LIPSTICK EVER!!!
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Primer/ Corrector -MAC - Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50
styrch 7/4/2007 8:33:00 PM
Reasons for Purchasing: I have combination skin, that usually leans toward oily. It is summer right now and I decided that trying this product would be the best way for me to work in some better SPF protection.
Packaging: I must say that for the price you really do get such a small ammount. However, a little appears to go a long way so i am not that worried about this. Please be aware that the bottle is very small.
Performance: I was shocked at how long my makeup lasts when I tried this. I recently purchased Mac Afterdusk blush from the Moonbathe collection and the only way this gorgeous beauty stays on is if I used this Prep + Prime first.
I was concerned over whether or not this would clogged my pores. I can't say for certain if it's the Mac Prep + Prime, the Mac MSF Natural in Light, or simply the hot summer weather but I've had a few more breakouts since I started using this. It's not bad though. I suspect it's mostly due to an adjustment period.
Will I Buy Again? I don't know. I sort of want to see what other primers are out there and if they are worth it before committing indefinately to spending this much continuously for such a small bottle.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Long Stem Rose Slimshine
styrch 6/27/2007 7:52:00 PM
I have been in LOVE with slimshines since I purchased Scant. Long Stem Rose is my second slimshine and it is not a dissapointment. I was worried that it would be a little too cool for me (a problem I seem to be having lately with lighter pink shades) but to my surprise it wasn't. The fact that Long Stem Rose is a little sheerer than other lipsticks made it so that my natural color wasn't too overwhelmed by the slight hint of cool. It reminded me of Bombshell a bit, but without the frostiness. It's actually more neutral than Bombshell so it's worth owning both, but that's the closest lippie I have to Long Stem Rose for comparison's sake. I am a NC15 with pigmented lips, for reference.
On the packaging, I love the slim style of the lipstick. Each day I carry it with me I love it even more. It's just a bit more elegant and the shape is closer to actual lip width than the regularlipsticks.
Bottom Line: Long Stem Rose is a great pink to have. It's very fresh looking and well worth the purchase. Yes, I would purchase it again, but that's more for the Slimshine formula than the color itself.
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Eye Shadow -Fyrinnae - Bombshell Bath Arcane Magic - Sorceress
styrch 6/26/2007 5:28:00 PM
Sorceress was one of the shadows I anticipated the most when I ordered from Fyrinnae. It's supposed to be a very dark shimmery purple/teal shadow. It's from the Arcane Magic collection so it has sort of a duochrome effect. Swatching it on my hand I didn't see the duochrome for this one as much. It was just sort of blue. Using Fix + and my trusty 209 I applied it as a liner and it still looked like a straight blue. Granted, it's a very pretty blue, but I'm not getting as much of the duochrome effect as I would like.
Texture: The texture of this is very chunky. When I used it as a liner I had little bits falling off all morning and getting in my eyes. For someone with contact lenses it's sort of like an irritating torture. I could have had too much on my brush or whatever, but I haven't had this happen as much with other loose shadows/pigments I have tried.
Wear: I am impressed with Sorceress's wear. My eyeliners usually rub off by the end of the day but Sorceress was still alive and kicking. As a shadow I think it would be equally as durable since it took forever to wash off when I swatched it.
Bottom Line: It's pretty, but I wouldn't buy it again because of the texture and irritation. If you're already ordering from Fyrinnae and like them, you'll probably like this. If you don't, don't go out of your way to get it.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Tendertone Lip Balm SPF12 - Pucker
styrch 6/26/2007 12:08:00 AM
How in the world is it that so many people could rave about Pucker on the boards but no one has yet written a review???
Pucker is described as a "sheer raspberry pink" on the MAC site and that's very accurate. Picutre a shiney raspberry pink in a pot that smells like strawberry vanilla and you've got Pucker. The color is a slight bit on the cool side and it does go on sheer. If you layer it over things like lipliners you can bring the color out more.
The texture of Pucker is a dream. I didn't find it as goopy as Softnote. It's not sticky and it doesn't feel like you've smeared vasaline all over your lips either. Most importantly, it's not "heavy" feeling like many balms with SPF in them can start to feel.
Bottom Line: I would make Pucker a must have for the summer. But I would also suggest checking out the other colors of tendertones becasue they have a lot to offer. The only downside is that these are a little large to carry in a pocket and cause the dreaded "goopey finger" from pot use. Well, at least with a blam this nice I don't mind "Goopy Finger". Enjoy!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No