Blush -Black Radiance - Artisan Color Baked Blush in Warm Berry
AndreaJunelle 9/16/2012 2:34:00 PM
I absolutely love this blush & am really surprised to see it doesn't have a higher rating! :( Several months ago I got on a bit of a red blush kick & picked up EVERY red blush in my path! Lol ;) -I have 3 RiteAid stores in my area but only one of them carries Black Radiance & Black Opal products. I never really gave either of these brands a 2nd look in the past, having very pale skin, I never expected any of these products to work well for me or flatter my fair skin (as they are meant for darker skin types) Until I found a great mattifier & translucent mattifying powder from Black Opal at the beginning of the summer(2012) so began checking out these brands more & more every trip to that RiteAid. One day I looked at the blushes & immediately was drawn to this one. It *kinda* reminds me of Milani Red Vino MINUS the glitter/shimmer (if that makes sense?) The price was just under $8, plus my RiteAid had some $1 OFF stickers placed on the blushes so I paid around $7 for this which is a great buy. This blush is EXTREMELY pigmented, I mean extremely! More pigmented than any other blush I own (think NARS or NYX powder blush quality) -So it is very easy to go overboard with this. You can not just swirl your brush around on the product then rub it on your cheeks, no no no.. it'll give the "clown cheek" look. What I do is take my fluffiest blush brush, lightly dab it on the product, dab the brush onto the apples of my cheeks, then quickly take a jumbo cotton ball & blend blend blend it back. I say "quickly" in reference to the cotton ball because this blush also has great staying power. It's like a blush stain in powder form -it's quite amazing (I've fallen asleep in this blush & woke up with it looking like it was *just* applied, no lie) Once you apply it is THERE, and not going anywhere, not even in 100degree heat! So blending quickly is key. If I apply lightly and blend well, it's one of the most flattering blushes I've ever owned, the color is an amazing deep berry red that I think would look great on literally any skin tone. (For ref. is right around MAC NC15) I also have oily skin, so a lot of drugstore blushes don't hold up well or last all day but this holds up very well on me. This blush has no hint of shimmer or glitter, it's matte but if overapplied I do notice a slight sheen, but not an overbearing sheen or any shimmer which I also like because I have enough shimmery blushes, and not everyone wants to wear shimmer on their cheeks all of the time. Overall, I think this is a steal for $8 USD. The pigmentation and staying power make it good enough to pay $20 for, then if you add in the beautiful shade that Warm Berry is, it makes this blush priceless to me! It's one of my most reached for blushes and will continue to be because there's nothing else like this paticular blush out on the market :) I will definately repurchase. 5 lippies for Black Radiance Warm Berry!!
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Treatments -Neutrogena - Oil-Free Acne Stress Control 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment [DISCONTINUED]
AndreaJunelle 9/15/2012 2:07:00 AM
This is such a wonderful product! I have 30yr old, picky/finicky, acne & clog-prone, very oily skin (that was a mouth full Lol ;D) Oily skin & clogged pores are usually my daily issues though..Some time ago I read on the makeup board several people using this product for oil control under makeup (like a primer), so I got one for myself at my local drugstore for just under $7. It comes in a small squeeze tube & is green in color while in the tube & also slightly green when squeezed out until applied to the skin, then turns completely clear. The day I purchased this I had a painful under-the-skin cystic zit just beginning to form. Normally I would hurry & slap some of my sulfur mask on it to stop it in it's tracks, but I had this in my hand & decided to give it a go & see if it could *really* perform to treat acne like it claims on the box.. And NO LIE, 6 hrs. later I looked in the mirror again & it was like magic -practically gone!! It was no longer painful, no longer red, no longer inflamed, and no longer stuck under the skin! After 6 hours it had become just a teeny tiny, (not even noticeable) whitehead that was completely gone the following morning! I thought, heck, who cares if this works under makeup as a primer or not at this point because this stuff is frickin magic for pimples! So does it help acne? Yes, absolutely :) For oil control, it also helps. It's labeled as "hydrating" & instructs that you use it as a moisturizer type treatment. On days I'm wearing no makeup, I'm able to wear this alone as a moisturizer, and it controls my oil for hours & hours beautifully, I'm very pleased with those results. However on days that I *do* wear makeup, I have a tough time making this product work under it. I can not use this hydrating treatment as my only moisturizer under makeup because it's too drying.. I need to use a regular moisturizer + this, then still have a tough time controlling flakies/dryness with several of my regular/daily foundations :( I do plan on experimenting w/this more now that I found it again, and plan to try with moisturizer + silicone based primer under my makeup & may have better results? -If I do I'll definately update! :D Regardless, this stuff is amazing at tightening my pores, healing up any TTOM pimples/zits, and perfect as my moisturizer on no makeup days, ALL for less than $7, I've already repurchased once & plan to continue to do so as long as Neutrogena continues to produce it! :) UPDATE 11/1/12 I'm still using this several times a week and it's my *go-to* for spot treating anything that pops up. It truely is a miracle treatment :) So I was going through reviews for this product and noticed that some of the other reviewers are having a hard time finding this at brick & mortar stores and wanted to share that this is *always* in stock at all 3 of my local WalMart stores. I know everyone's area stores are different but if you've looked at the regular drugstores in your areas with no success try WalMart :)
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Skincare - Face -Stridex - Triple Action Pads, Alcohol Free
AndreaJunelle 9/13/2012 1:24:00 AM
I've been using these alcohol free Stridex pads on & off for years -they're great!! I have 30yr old, very oily, acne/clog-prone skin (but also used & loved these when I was 20!) When I got pregnant w/my daughter 5yrs ago I got lazy with my skincare routine & didn't get back "into" skincare until about 12months ago. I started getting clogged pores all over the sides of my face (again, like in my teens & early 20's) so started hanging out on the SkinCare Board looking for ways to get my skin back in shape, read a reccomendation about these, remembered the wonderful results I got when I'd used them in the past, & picked up a new box for (approx.) $3-5 at my local WalMart. I began using them every other day, alternating this w/several AHA treatments & I don't even have words for the amazing results I had (& am still having 8+months later!) I am now using them daily in the mornings & at the same time I began using these again I also started oil cleansing. Baby Oil for makeup removal, GrapeSeed Oil for regular cleansing. I truely believe that oil cleansing along with this product & my AHA toners (Neutrogena & Equate) my skin has done a total 360 & I have NEVER been happier! I suffered with mild acne & severe clogged pores through ALL of my teenage years, &have delt with clogged pores ever since.. But now recently my old marks have faded away to nothing, my pores are tighter & produce less oil, & I have virtually no clogged pores whatsoever! :) These are definately worth 5 lippies & I plan to repurchase again, again, & again!
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Eyes -Revlon - Photoready Eye Primer + Brightener
AndreaJunelle 9/13/2012 1:11:00 AM
This is another one of those products I picked up on a whim, got home & tried it, loved it, then the love didn't last.. I had a $5 off Revlon face product coupon & already have back ups of my beloved ColorStay foundations so decided to give this a go since it was only $8-9 USD at my local WalMart (so I only paid $3-4 for it -steal!) I also wanted to try this b/c it is labeled as an "eye primer" & I'm always looking for something from the drugstore that performs as well as UDPP(my HG eye primer) As an undereye concealer this is ok. I've definitely tried worse, and a lot of those "worse" ones were higher end. It's not as full coverage as the Maybelline Dream Lumi pen or the original Revlon PhotoReady Concealer -(the one in the black twist up tube, like lipstick -two of my favorite drugstore undereye concealers), but I feel that this does have better coverage than some of my drugstore undereye concealer fails like NYX Yellow Concealer In A Jar or Rimmel Match Perfection. This does NOT give me the reverse panda eye look (you know what I mean right?! ;D) -which is a problem that I often have with having very dark undereye circles while having very pale skin. It comes out having cooler undertones which concerned me at first b/c I have warmer undertones, but this blends like a dream. The first time I tried it, I loved it. The second time I tried it, I didn't have any moisturizer under my eyes & it caked/creased :( So I now know that I can only use this product if my undereyes are well moisturized. I plan on keeping this in my purse for undereye touch ups as I feel it's best suited for that rather than use alone, especially for someone (like me!) with massively dark undereye circles.. As a primer it does an ok job. I was definitely pleasantly surprised that my shadow went 6+ hours before I noticed just the *slightest* bit of creasing, but it wasn't anything major. Is it as good as UDPP? -No. But it's better than the terrible $1 ELF eye primer that had my shadows creasing in less than an hour! &While it helped my shadows from creasing, it also gave a nice base, helped my shadows "pop" & didn't require me to hurry & blend blend blend the way that UDPP does. Overall I'm very happy with my purchase, but wouldn't repurchase. I don't like the "clicky pen" that this comes in.. I had to prime it/click it for like 3 mins straight to get some product out, then it kind of squirted out, and ever since I can't ever seem to get out just the right amount - it's either always too much or always too little..*ugh* But last week my back-up Maybelline lumi pen started leaking *another UGH..* so I clicked all of the product out into a plastic sample cup & have been really happy since doing that, so I *may* do the same thing with this if it keeps giving me a tough time (& I also highly reccomend this method if you have any click pens that leak or dispense too much / too little product! :D) Overall this is just a basic under eye concealer with slight brightening aspects to it. It's not terrible, but it's not the best bang for your buck. If you have dark undereye circles like mine, look into the original Revlon PhotoReady one, Maybelline Dream Lumi Pen, or Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser and save this one for touch ups :)
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Crème -Revlon - ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup
AndreaJunelle 9/12/2012 3:35:00 PM
This has been my favorite foundation for the summer 2012. I have 30yr old fair, warm toned, acne&clog-prone skin and wear "Buff" (the 2nd shade,which is the same shade I wear in the original CS) -Buff is an *almost* perfect match, I think I would actually wear the 1st shade, "Ivory", but it's way too pink for my yellow undertones :( Other than that, this is perfect in my eyes. It has amazing staying power, never rubs off, doesn't "oxidize" or change colors throughout the day, hasn't broken my finicky skin out, & definately helps keep my uber oily skin matte. Having super oily skin it's not always necessary for me to wear moisturizer before foundation, but with this one I do have to or it can appear flaky -but that's not an issue. I have several ways I like to apply for the best look -A damp wedge sponge using a "dabbing" motion, a damp beauty blender, or if I'm SUPER moisturized underneath I like to use my Real Techiniques Stippling brush & buff it on. I've found that the biggest difference between this & original colorstay is that this one has a bit more "dimention" to it -if that makes sense? The original seems a bit blah right after applied (which is ofcourse always easily fixed with blush, highlighter, & m/u setting spray like MAC fix+ or a RoseWater toner like Boots) but this one has a *kinda* dewy look to it without actually being dewy (is the best way I can describe it?) -It also doesn't require very quick blending like the original which is nice ofcourse to have a longwearing fndtn that you have time to work with before it "sets" :) My only minor gripe is ofcourse the packaging.. I don't care for things that come in tubs (I'm a total germ-a-phob.) so don't like sticking my fingers in there over & over again. But I was able to fix that but decanting this into another bottle with a small baby food spoon ;D But not only is the tub not fun to stick your fingers in, it's also huge & bulky.. When I think of all the amazing positives to this foundation though, it makes the negatives seem quite minor. I highly reccomend & will definately repurchase. This is my HG full coverage foundation to-date!
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Lipstick -Wet 'n' Wild - Mega Matte 907C Mauve Outta Here
AndreaJunelle 9/12/2012 2:35:00 PM
Mauve-y shades like this one are definately very hit or miss for me, having 30yr old(aging, I guess ;D), very pale skin (NC15 in MAC) I'm happy to say this is a definate hit! My local RiteAid store recently had WnW products BOGO50%off so I decided to try this (as well as 3 other items that I'm very happy with) I really have to say, WnW has come a long way since the mid-late 90's.. I remember being in HighSchool, my girlfriends & I would go makeup shopping at the drugstores & tried several WnW products, all with poor pigmentation as well as poor staying power :( After some time passed, we never even took a 2nd look at WnW simply b/c they didn't perform. Over the past 10+years I've been SO happy w/the majority of my WnW purchases (starting w/the Comfort Zone palette 4-5years ago) & now I'm totally on the WnW bandwagon! For this shade I didn't expect to love it -Mauves on my super pale skin most times makes me look kind of dead(for lack of a better word lol) but this shade has just enough pink in the undertones to brighten up my complexion without looking scary or over the top pink. It was listed at $1.99, but U.S. drugstores often have sales on WnW products so it's possible to get it even cheaper than that which is an absolute steal. I'd highly reccomend this & plan to repurchase :)
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Primer/ Corrector -L'Oreal - Magic Lumi - Light Infusing Primer
AndreaJunelle 9/9/2012 1:24:00 PM
For reference I'm 30yrs old with oily, clog prone, fair, warm skin. (If I wore MAC, I'd be between NC10-15, and in the L'oreal TrueMatch Lumi fndtn, I'm W1-2) I knew that I was going to either really love this or really hate this ;) I haven't been using this as a fndtn primer though..(At this point, if I had to rate it as a primer ALONE, I'd probably give 3.5 lippies..) It didn't to much for controling my oil, and under my heavier foundations the *glow* it gives barely showed up unless I use a lot. So not sure yet if it's worth $11 as a primer alone just yet.. I was looking for a reasonably priced liquid highlighter that is white in color. After some reviewing, I read this was a dupe of the Lancome Miracle highlighter I'd heard raves about and grabbed it up at my local Walgreens. I'm glad I did. My local Wags had a tester so I applied some to the back of my hand and I really like the sheen it gave. It comes in a pump bottle (who doesn't love that?!) and the bottle is also very thin and sleek. It is a bit on the small size when you consider the product's weight vs. the price, but you only need a very small amount at a time(if you use it as a highlighter like I've been) so it will last longer than you may initially think. There are no pink or yellow undertones to this, just glowy goodness! ;) To use as a highlighter you only need a DAB for your entire face.(and I mean ONLY a dab! Lol) I dab a bit under my eyes, (maybe a 1/2 pea size) Then another half-pea sized drop for the rest I want to highlight, which is usually my cheekbones, bridge of my nose, mid forehead, and cupids bow above upper lip. The first time I tried this (as a highlighter) I over did it big time and ended up a shiny-shimmery looking mess :( So time #2 I took a small concealer brush (Mally's from the Cancellation Concealer collection) and just dabbed a itty bitty bit in those areas & viola! -Got a great glow from within look that we're all looking for highlighters to give. This is still a rather new purchase for me as I just got it last week, but so far I haven't had any issues with breakouts (I have very finicky skin that clogs VERY easily and can be prone to acne cysts with certain products..) -I'll definately update! :) **UPDATE** Unfortunately I had to take this from 5 lippies down to 4 since finding my HG Highlighter (Hard Candy Glow All The Way in Doll Face -please see my review on it if interested :D) I've taken this from 5 lippies down to 4 simply because until finding the Hard Candy Doll Face highlighter, this was the best I'd found, but the other is just better(for me). Less expensive, not as drying, and easier to apply. Overall, this is still a good product. Whether you're looking for a liquid highlighter, or a luminizing primer, this is still the best choice. I've just personally found something I like better, but I'll continue to use this, would still reccomend this,and will most likely repurchase. *FINAL Update 10/10/12* If you've been reading the reviews on this product, then you'll already know that I've changed my rating from 5 down to 4, and now back up to 5 lippies LOL. I've had a bit of a love/hate/like relationship with this since I purchased it several months back and my *final* verdict is love. I've finally found my favorite way of applying which has made all the difference. For a very subtle highlight I use as a regular fndtn primer. For more of an intense, noticeable highlight I use lightly as a primer, then mix 1/2 pea size amount in with my liquid foundation. As a highlighter alone, I'm still having a difficult time making this work and am still using the Hard Candy Doll Face H/L. But for an overall glow, this is an awesome product. I'm all about "dewy skin" lately, and after having oily skin my entire life & being told I need to be "as matte as possible" at all times, this dewy/natural look thing is pretty new for me :) This primer has really helped me dip my feet into this kind of makeup and I love it :) It's not the *best* at controlling oilies under fndtn, but at the same time if I use it while my skin is a little dehydrated, it can cause dry patches :( It must have some kind of oil blocking properties in it to do that I assume...? But as long as I moisturize well and don't use an extremely mattifying foundation+powder along with it I can easily avoid those terrible flakies :) If you've tried this alone as a highlighter or a light layer as a foundation primer and have been unimpressed, I highly recommend mixing some in with your liquid foundation. I especially enjoy mixing it in with Revlon ColorStay, as this foundation tends to look very matte and one dimential on me. So this primer adds some depth to my face that ColorStay tends to take away. Great stuff that I WILL be repurchasing! Also, for reference with many more uses (30+) of this I'm still experiencing zero issues with clogged pores or breakouts from this product. It plays very nicely with my clog-prone skin :)
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Bronzers -Revlon - PhotoReady Bronzer - 100 Bronzed & Chic
AndreaJunelle 9/9/2012 12:48:00 PM
I highly reccomend this to anyone who tried NYX Taupe for contouring without success. I found Taupe to be a little "dirty" looking, not a good look for me. For reference (if I wore MAC) I'd be between NC10-15 (I'm typically the 1st or 2nd foundation shade -whichever has warmer undertones) I recently received a $5 off Revlon face product in the mail & had heard good things about this so only paid $6 (yay!) -however I would pay full price now that I know how much I love it, and I do plan to repurchase when I run out :) I prefer my actual "bronzer" to have a little shimmer to it (Rimmel Sun Light is what I've used all summer) & this bronzer is completely matte so is perfect for contouring (in my opinion at least ;D) When you open the compact (the rather LARGE compact I may add.. ugh -why do companies need to make packaging so bulky??) -It comes with a brush (the same brush that comes with the Revlon PhotoReady Pressed Powder -if you're familiar..) It's not a *bad* brush(when you consider most scratchy brushes that come with drugstore products) but I'd definately reccomend using a different brush if you have a nicer one available to you :) The bronzer is in a circular "palette" form, and is 4 different colors around. Top right is the lightest, bottom right is the darkest (think NARS Laguna minus the glitter/shimmer..) and the 2 on the left are medium brown colors that are just a *tad* different than eachother and close in color to NYX Taupe (I compared side by side) but Revlon's are just a bit lighter & also much more warm toned. All 4 are totally matte though which is what drew me to this in the first place! In my experience, matte bronzers can be tough to come by -they all seem to have glitter/shimmer/sheen or something to them, so even though this is $11-12 USD & seems expensive in comparison to NYC & Rimmel for a drugstore bronzer, it's definately worth the money because there are many ways to use this :)
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Blush -NYX - Taupe
AndreaJunelle 9/9/2012 11:24:00 AM
NYX products aren't available at any B&M stores in my area so I've been purchasing all of MUA's best loved NYX products online :) Up until this point I'd been very happy with all of my purchases & totally think that for the price, NYX makes great products with great pigmentation, nice packaging, and at a great price as well. I'm NC15 for reference (to be specific, if I wore MAC I'd probably be between NC10-15 but haven't actually been matched at a counter in more than a decade lol) Regardless, as the rest of you pale ladies out there know, it's quite difficult to find a good product to contour with, so as this is recommended constantly on the makeup board, I purchased it for $6 via Amazon.com. It comes in a sturdy little black compact with a clear/see through lid. No mirror, no enclosed brush but those are not deal breakers for me :) For contouring, I *am* able to contour with this but it takes A LOT of work :( To be honest, much more work than I have the time to put into contouring being a mother of two.. For me, it comes out kind of gray, but still manages to look a little dirty at the same time so it requires me blending with a pressed powder that's also slightly "off" for me, then a ton of blending with a kabuki brush into my skin :( Due to that, Taupe sat & sat in my makeup stash for 1-2 months and I used other products for contouring (Revlon Photoready Bronzer "Bronzed & Chic" and L'oreal True Match Pressed Powder in "C8/Cocoa" are the 2 best I've found for me personally to date) Until several days ago I whipped it back out and gave it another go but used it for toning down a blush that I had applied too much of (NYX Red -I had the clown cheek thing goin on ;D) I found that this works beautifully for toning down scary blushes and giving ANY blush a much more neutral/natural look. To be truthful, I'd probably rate this 3.5 lippies if that were an option, but since it's not and sooo many other's have luck contouring with this, I rounded it up to 4 lippies but do not plan to repurchase. Even though I find it useful for toning down scary blushes, I have pressed powders that can do that for me. I will try to use this up to get my six bucks worth and may still recommend it to someone with a cooler skintone for contouring (it worked very well for my mother who is fair-medium, with neutral leaning cool undertones) because it's *definately* one of those "YMMV/Your Mileage May Vary" products and at least $6 isn't a ton to spend to give it a go if you are fair-medium in skintone and are trying to find an inexpensive powder to contour with. *UPDATE 11/26/12* Several weeks ago after seeing more raves other places on the internet for NYX Taupe I decided to give it another go round as a contour powder. It *almost* works for me in the hollows of my cheeks, sides of forehead, and other "regular" contouring areas, so I continued use and continued working with it, hoping to get my technique better in the process. Unfortunately after about 3 days of use I noticed some new clogged pores popping up ONLY in the areas I used this :( (And yes I'm *sure* this is the culprit, I'm someone that is very religious with skincare and hadn't used any other new products in those areas other than this..) When I noticed the clogged pores I flipped the compact around to check the ingredient list and this contains "Isopropyl Myristate" which is a common clogger (YMMV with all "breakout ingredients" ofcourse) -but Isopropyl Myristate in face products breaks me out everytime, I can't believe I never checked the back of this compact to notice it sooner :( It's strange to me though because I own two other NYX powder blushes(Red, Mocha) and they do not contain this ingredient and have totally different ingredient lists than Taupe? It's strange. So after I noticed that I did a little research on Google and found there are others out there with acne/clog-prone skin who have suffered breakouts from NYX Taupe so I took my rating of 4 lippies down to 3. Since the breakout I've found another use for this product though and am excited about it! I'm recently getting into contouring my eye area. I have wide-set eyes, and contouring the "inner" area of the eye (where the eye brow begins and down to the lash line area. -there are tutorials & pics you can find on Google if interested) -will make them appear "closer together" and kind of bridge the gap (if that makes sense?) Taupe works great for this! Contouring this paticular area of my face has made a huge difference overall in my appearance, and thankfully that area of my face is not prone to any kind of breakouts so I'm safe lol ;)
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Concealers -NYX - Full Coverage Concealer Jar
AndreaJunelle 9/8/2012 3:28:00 PM
I purchased the "Yellow Concealer in a Jar" from Amazon.com several months ago because I needed to get my order up to $25 for the free shipping (lol ;D) &am not able to purchase NYX products in my area so am always adding them to my Amazon orders as they are so inexpensive :) -I've been really pleased with 98% of my NYX purchases but I'm still unsure on how I feel about this even after all of this time... For reference Im 30yrs old with very fair oily skin and HORRID undereye circles. I was hoping the yellow shade would help my undereye circles to disappear but this definately underwhelmed me.. First of all I find it a bit "thick".. when applied to the skin the thickness makes it a bit hard to blend, but I could get past that if there weren't other issues w/this as well.. It also doesn't cover much of my dark circles..and I know that my undereye circles are dark & un-flattering, I don't expect any one product to completely make them disappear, but this doesn't do much.. So I grab more product to try to get better coverage, but as I do it becomes cakey & creasey on the skin, and several times even gave me the "reverse panda effect" of *SUPER* bright undereyes (you all know what I mean Lol..) So needless to say my *initial* reaction was a negative one.. but then after an hour or so goes by, for WHATEVER reason, it starts to look not as bad? I'll glance at myself in the mirror & notice the "reverse panda eye look" has toned down & the creasing isn't as bad as it initially looked. And this has happned to me EVERY time I've used this! I apply, I hate it, I wait a while & look again, then think it's not so bad! Lol -WTHeck? &That is why I'm on the fence about how I feel regarding this item. I *can* definately say I won't repurchase this (the yellow shade at least) Since buying this I've found my beloved Maybelline Dream Lumi pen that easily conceals my dark circles, gives the brightening effect without looking like a panda bear, & has yet to crease or cake on me :) I do like the packaging & price of this item though -you can't beat paying $6 for such a large amount of product. The little tub is packed full of concealer & I also find the tub to be very sturdy.
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Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Stylish Smokes in Emerald Smokes
AndreaJunelle 9/6/2012 3:57:00 PM
This wathe FIRST eyeshadow quad that I ever completely used up and repurchased! In 2006 I moved in w/my b/f (the man who is now my DH ;D) &This was the only e/s I had for several weeks in my m/u bag so used it daily & found many creative ways to wear it :) I've since repurchased it once & am still working on my 2nd one. I own (approx-ish) 50-60 eyeshadows, ranging from $1 dollar store e/s up to $40 department store shadows.Completely using one up then repurchasing it is kind of a big deal for me ;) &Maybelline's shadows are always very hit or miss for me,but this is a definate hit. Dugstore e/s quads seem "mismatched" sometimes but in my opinion, all of these shades compliment eachother nicely, & you can *truely* use all of the colors the way they're labeled (these are labeled, "lid, crease, outer, brow") Are these as pigmented as Wet 'n Wild? NO. But IME ther aren't any ds eyeshadows (that I've tried) that compare to the pigmentation of WnW.. If you want to wear these *heavily* they do require a heavy hand OR a little water on your brush/applicator to get that effect. Without, they're very natural looking. All of the shades have a slight bit of shimmer to them when looking at them in the pan, but they don't go on quite as shimmery/glittery -much more natural once applied. It includes a taupe-ish shade that's labeled as "lid" (when I look at it I see a warmer version of WnW Nutty), then the "crease" shade's an emerald color, the"browbone" shade that is an off-white, and "outer"corner shade that is a soft black. I find this quad to be very flattering on me whether I apply it the way it "says" (using the lid shade as a lid shade, crease shade as a crease shade, so on/so fourth..) but I also think it's very flattering mixed/matched with other eyeshadows :) For reference I'm 30yrs old with fair, warm toned skin (if I wore MAC fndtns, I'd be between NC10-15,&I wear Buff in Revlon ColorStay) I also have dark brown eyes & hair. I give this 4 lippies out of 5 simply because of the pigmentation -these are all such lovely shades, very complimenting & flattering together or separately, but as I said above, if you want a bolder look w/this quad, you need a heavy hand or to dampen your applicator -other than that, no major gripes.. The packaging isn't the most sturdy (I had another of the "stylish smokes" quads where the lid popped off & broke immediately after purchasing.. but that's not a HUGE deal for me when products perform well :)
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Primer/ Corrector -Revlon - PhotoReady Perfecting Primer (color 001)
AndreaJunelle 9/2/2012 9:43:00 PM
I find this to be a very nice, but basic primer. It gives nice smooth base for foundation application, and helps makeup last longer. I don't like that when it's first applied, it gives you that kind of, "poreless" look, but after a few hours that poreless look slowly fades away :( I also don't find it to be *incredibly* mattifying, but it's not bad, and it doesn't add to my oilies which is important for me. (I feel it's much better than the L'oreal Studio Secrets one though, in my experience at least ;D) But I recently found my HG primer (I have very oily skin & have found that Biore UV Face Milk + a mix of aloe gel & silica powder mattifies me beautifully) So this had made it's way to the back of my makeup stash for several months until just 1-2 wks ago. I brought it back out to give it another go before deciding if I wanted to pass it along to my mother or not (she & I share cosmetics often :D) Not long ago someone on the MakeUpBoard reccomended using silicone based primers over TOP of foundation for a matte/poreless kind of look, so I gave it a go with this & was SO pleased with the results!! My face stayed matte much longer than it normally would have, my face looked poreless for a lot longer, and my overall makeup look lasted longer as well :) So needless to say I've decided to keep this primer & use it for that purpose, and I'm quite happy with my decision! I love the pump bottle (gotta love anything with a pump) as well as the fact that this has caused no breakouts or clogged pores for me (That's always a big issue for me as I have very finicky skin) I just don't care for how bulky the pump bottle is.. ugh it's impossible for travel and also immediately after purchasing, the lid popped off and hasn't fit correctly back on ever since..It won't stay on so I had to use electrical tape to tape the back side of the cap down, then I can lift up the front where the pump is to dispense product. I also decanted some into a 1 oz travel container to keep in my purse for touch ups. Just get a small amount on the tip of your finger or a wedge sponge and apply(dab) to oily areas -works like magic! ;) It's a *tad* on the pricey side for "drugstore", but Revlon is one of the more expensive drugstore brands, and you get a large amount of product and a pump bottle for your money. I paid right around $10 USD for this and feel it's well worth it :) Overall I do think that this is one of the better (if not the best) overall drugstore primer. From the US Drugstores I like Black Radiance's Complexion Perfecting primer for mattifying, but it does nothing for my jumbo pores.. And I like this one for blurring my large pores, and it's also good for mattifying me in the fall/winter, but when the weather becomes hot/humid in my area(June,July, August) then this one doesn't do much for my oil control.. So overall, I give it 4 lippies and do plan to repurchase. It's not my "holy grail", but it is pretty darn good, ESPECIALLY for camoflauging large pores over makeup! ;)
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Toners -Boots - Face rosewater toner
AndreaJunelle 9/1/2012 1:32:00 PM
This is a fairly initial review, I've only had this product about a week now but so far so good :) I didn't purchase it to use as an actual "toner", like with a cotton ball, after cleansing (I already have my washing/toning routine down pat, not looking to change it right now) but want to use this as a makeup setting spray. It doesn't come in a spray bottle, but it's easily decanted into one. Target has them for a buck ;) -which is also where I found this, for just under $9 which is not a bad price considering what C.O.Bigelow & other companies sell their rosewater toners for. The Burt's Bees RoseWater Toner(which was also avail.@my Target) was $11, &the last time I purchased C.O.Bigelow's (more than 5yrs ago @ B&BW) I remember it being more than $15! Since I'd used the C.O.Bigelow one in the past I know that my acne-prone skin doesn't have a sensitivity to rose water, the only reason I quit repurchasing that one was because they quit selling their Rose Cold Cream & entire skincare line for oily skin (which were HG products of mine 8+yrs ago) & I swore once I finished up all of the C.O.Bigelow products that I owned, that I was never purchasing another. And I haven't. So after noticeing Target had this for a reasonable price, I came home & checked out the reviews (right here on MUA ;D) &with a lot of positive things being said about this working just as well or better than MAC's FIX+ makeup spray, I had to give it a go too! I've recently switched from heavy full-coverage liquid foundations to lighter weight liquids, BB Creams, & powders. I noticed with a couple of my powder fndtns that I get a "powdery" look along with them & remembered reading raves for Fix+ to fix this problem. But I don't have a local MAC counter in my area & also don't care to spend upwards of $20 for a product that may or may not work (MAC stuff has always been very hit or miss for me..) So all week I used this to set my powder makeup & have been very impressed! It definately takes away that "just applied powder" look from my skin and I'm hoping it will aid with flakies when the colder weater rolls around (like my old rosewater toner used to ;D) Overall I highly reccomend this. Even if you're looking to use it as a facial toner it probably won't do you any harm :) Not to mention it smells divine! If I didn't love it so much for my face I'd probably just spritz it around my house Lol ;D 5 lippies all the way!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Great Lash Lots of Lashes
AndreaJunelle 9/1/2012 1:08:00 PM
I'm surprised this mascara doesn't have a higher rating :( I tried this on a total whim close to 3yrs ago because I liked the way the little brush looked. I didn't expect much because I remembered my experience with the Original Great Lash, and it wasn't a good one.. The Original Great Lash is ALWAYS talked about in fashion mags but I've never seen what all the hype is.. ANYWAY, this was only $4-5 USD so I grabbed it, my initial reaction was WOW! I couldn't believe how well the little brush grabs all of my lashes and one coat gets a very natural look, but you can apply several coats & get a much more dramatic look. It also has nice staying power & doesn't smudge like crazy (the way you do L'oreal Carbon Black Voluminious!!!) I've since repurchased maybe 5-6x? I currently own the "blackest black" shade as well as "brownish black" & still wear them regularly. I love brownish black for "no makeup days" because it's almost the identical color of my natural lashes & one coat gives such an enhanced lash look without any clumpies. I've also found that I love this mascara as like a primer/base coat for other mascaras on more dramatic lash days. One coat of this followed by one coat of CG Lash Perfection, followed by one coat of Jordana Best Lash Extreme (sounds like overkill, I know :D) -gives VA VA VOOM lashes!! So if you are like me & tried the original great lash, disliked it & think that you'll dislike this as well, you just might love it! ;D I haven't yet compared the ingredient list on the packaging between this & the original to see if they're the same ingredients, but I imagine that they are or Maybelline would have given this a different name, right? It's just that little brush that makes all the difference!
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Eye Shadow -Milani - Paint EyeShadow Palette 01
AndreaJunelle 9/1/2012 12:55:00 PM
I had heard good things about Milani's "Neutral" eye shadow palette in Spring 2012 but couldn't find it online so purchased this one instead. I didn't expect much from it, because when looking at it, it doesn't look like the kind of shades that would normally look flattering on my MAC NC15/fair skin. (dark brwn hair&eyes &am 30yrs old for reference) -But I absolutely love it! This is the palette that pulled me out of my shell of wearing "neutrals/browns" on a daily basis to wearing brighter shades! My cell phone takes very poor picture quality so I don't have a pic to upload (hopefully someone else will!) but I'll describe it as best I can :) The shadows come in a circular flip top (clear lid) compact (and it IS a bit on the bulky side *ugh* -my only gripe...) and all of the shades make a circle around the compact, all circled around the "White" shade. It's a pure white, not cream, not off white. Directly above White is Orange. Not the color of the fruit though, more of a pink-toned orange, which I love BTW :) Next is a fushia toned Pink shade, then Lime Green, Purple (a light, pink undertoned purple), Yellow, and the biggest "hunk" of color (aside from white ofcourse) is Blue. I can best describe it as a cool toned dark sky blue.. None of these shades have any glitter/shimmer (thank goodness -I have enough shadows with shimmer!) so they go on matte & have nice staying power. (I actually wore several of the shades from this palette to a wedding & did a little crying. It held up well :D) It does NOT come with an applicator or sponge. I've found I like to use these as all over lid shades, and apply with a fluffy e/s brush :) For me, the only purpose for the White shade is as an inner eye brightener (if used lightly) & as a base for other shadows. Overall I really love it though & like I said above, it's the palette that eased me into brighter shades. The Orange & Yellow are colors I NEVER would have tried otherwise & I'm so glad I did :) They're so pigmented I haven't even made any dips in the product yet & have had it for almost 6months, using it several times a week. So I imagine it'll last a lifetime -but even if it didn't, I'd repurchase. The price was only $6 USD on the WalMart.com website which is a definate steal for seven, very pigmented, matte eyeshadow shades :) 5 lippies all the way!
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