Lipstick -Laura Mercier - Audrey
Seattlemama 7/31/2012 7:49:00 PM
I LOVE this color! A very wearable red/deep berry that isn't too harsh on my NC15, superpale, yellow-undertoned skin. I've had issues with LM lippies in the past because many of them have brown undertones which make me look sallow, but not this one. It's cool toned, heavily pigmented, and not a harsh, loud red. Moist, comfortable formula. Wish it lasted a bit longer. Highly recommend - must go buy backup now!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Styling Tools -Solano - Supersolano
Seattlemama 7/29/2012 1:37:00 PM
I have naturally curly, fine, highlighted hair and I have a LOT of hair. I blow it out 2-3 times per week and I've been doing this for around 20 years so I've been through a lot of dryers. This one's pretty good but I won't repurchase because I prefer the T3. Pros: this dryer lasted longer than any other high-end dryer I've bought. Cons: expensive, heavy, LOUD, air blast is too strong for me and I think it makes my hair frizzy. I prefer a lot of heat and less air, so I've switched to the T3, which is hotter and quieter than the SuperSolano. Unfortunately, the T3 also costs a fortune and breaks after a year of my use (abuse?).
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Quimica Alemana nail hardener
Seattlemama 7/28/2012 5:51:00 PM
Holy ouch! Good grief this stuff is really hurting me as I write this. This is my third time using it and every time I apply it, it makes the ends of my fingers throb with pain. Yes, it does make my nails stronger and I do like that but I don't think I can use it anymore after this. I was desperate because I've tried every nail strengthener and none of them have helped my superthin, weak, bendy, constantly-peeling and breaking nails. (I think this is related to my hypothyroidism.) Maybe this stuff is the reason I've had an awful headache for the past two days as well?
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Satin Taupe
Seattlemama 7/28/2012 5:42:00 PM
I find this too bronzy for my yellow undertoned NC15 skin. I thought it would be cool toned and more taupey (meaning a grayer brown) and less bronze. After so many glowing reviews, I was sure I would love this but I was a bit disappointed by it. It's very similar to Too Faced's Sitcom Siren, which I already had. That one works better for me because it's a little cooler-toned. I'll probably keep this but I won't repurchase. I don't recommend it if you have strong yellow undertones.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Vichy - Capital Soleil 50+ sensitive skin sun cream face
Seattlemama 7/25/2012 7:38:00 PM
Horrible product for sensitive skin. Heavy, occlusive, greasy, shiny, leaves a white cast, heavily fragranced, causes breakouts. Couldn't get it off my skin fast enough. Yuck!
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - SACHAJUAN Hair Repair
Seattlemama 7/22/2012 7:54:00 PM
I'm torn about this product and I'm not sure if I'll be returning it. The pros: It makes my hair bouncy, healthy, shiny, and adds moisture and volume and doesn't weigh it down in the least. The cons: It's expensive and This. stuff. STINKS. You know it's bad when your 5-yr-old tells you that you "smell like Grandpa." This stuff smells exactly like my 70-yr-old dad, who smokes cigars habitually and tries to cover the smell with lots of cologne that was popular in the 1980s. It's horrible. Not to mention that my husband does not want to be kissing on his father-in-law so he's not thrilled with it either. Why would the manufacturer think we want to smell like old men? Sachajuan, if you're reading this, we're girly and we like to smell that way!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Bobbi Brown - Shimmer Blush in Pink Coral
Seattlemama 7/21/2012 9:06:00 PM
After seeing the positive reviews of this, I had to see it for myself. After several recent duds, I was afraid to order any BB product online - just seems like the swatches on her site are way off. I couldn't believe how pretty this was when I saw it in person. The name is accurate - it is a bright, warm, corally pink with lots of almost-undetectable microshimmer that gives it a subtle glow. It's very similar to Bare Escentuals Fruit Cocktail loose blush, and brightens my pale (NC15), yellow-undertoned skin in a very cheerful way. The BB one has a more refined texture, more shimmer, is less bright, and leans more orange than the BE one. It's very heavily pigmented, so that's a challenge because I'm so fair. It's really beautiful and I've been reaching for it daily. I almost never like warm-toned blushes as they are generally unflattering with my yellow undertones (they make me look sallow) but this one is pink enough that it works and the color is definitely special. The pink in it is pretty dark and can look red when I apply too much so I avoid the center of my face and apply it lightly. Be warned: this does that weird blush thing where it looks like you need more so you keep adding layers, then you come back to the mirror 5 minutes later and you look like a clown. On me, it looks like I'm having a major rosacea flare when I overdo this. If you're fair, just be sure to go easy at first and give it a few minutes to develop the color.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -MAC - #219 Pencil Brush
Seattlemama 7/21/2012 2:54:00 PM
Like all Mac brushes, this is well-made and wonderfully soft. The size/shape of it probably works great for lots of people, but I don't find myself using it very often. It seems to lay down too much color/too precise a stroke for my crease preference, and for some reason I always have fallout issues and uneven application when I use this. I actually use it more often for lining with shadow but it's a little too soft and full for that. I'll keep it because I haven't found anything I like better, but I definitely wouldn't call this one a have-to-have brush.
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Makeup Brushes -Sephora - I.T. Smudge Shadow brush
Seattlemama 7/21/2012 2:40:00 PM
I was hoping to use this for smudging liner for a smokey effect. Unfortunately it is too big and fluffy for that use. I have small hooded eyes and the bristles are too long, and there are too many bristles, and they're too fluffy so they just end up messing up all my eyeshadow. It also rubs the liner off completely, no matter how lightly I go. I plan to return it and get a Trish McEvoy smudge brush instead.
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Eye Shadow -NARS - Tokyo Duo
Seattlemama 7/20/2012 7:20:00 PM
I just got this and I LOVE it so much. I have NC15 superpale skin with strong golden undertones. I tend to wear cool eyeshadow colors because warm color all make me look orange. These are such beautiful, soft, subtle colors, perfect for daytime/office. They're so soft light that they might not show up on darker skins. I've ben using the pale shade for lid and browbone, with the grey/purple shade in the crease and outer v. The purple shade is definitely light enough for an all-over wash of color as well. There is a slight shimmer to this but the overall appearance is pretty matte. I was worried when I first opened it that the purple was too similar to Lhasa but I held it up to it and Lhasa is much greyer and less purple than the Tokyo purple. The quality of the formula is the usual Nars quality - no fallout and an elegant feel, with scarce microglitter. The usual sturdy, sleek, sophisticated Nars black packaging. Highly recommend this duo if you like soft, cool-toned eyeshadows and your skin is light.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Amore Pacific - Rejuvenating Eye Treatment Gel
Seattlemama 7/20/2012 7:08:00 PM
I got this in a sampler of Amore Pacific products, all of which are nice formulas but way too heavily fragranced for me. With my sensitive skin, I try to avoid scents in all of my skincare products. I don't understand why they would think it's a good idea to add perfume to an eye cream. Pros: lovely gel texture that isn't greasy but moisturizes perfectly. Cons: exorbitant price, heavy fragrance that smells like old-lady perfume, jar packaging (unhygienic). If you're OK with jar packaging and the crazy price, the product itself is really nice.
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Lipstick -Maybelline - Super Stay 14 Hr
Seattlemama 7/20/2012 4:41:00 PM
Have this in Never Ending Nude and it's a dud for me. I saw it on Anne Hathaway in a magazine and it looked beautiful on her. The problem is that being so pale (NC15), the nude lip thing just doesn't work on me and it makes me look like a corpse. With my strong yellow undertones, this pulls orange on me and is really unflattering. It also has very large glitter sparkles in it and after the color fades, the big glitter sparkles remain on your lips all day. That's the only part that's longlasting - the actual color disappears after only a few hours. This also bleeds like crazy, and is very drying if used on its own. I'll be throwing it out because the store where I bought it doesn't take returns on used cosmetics. What a waste of money.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -SkinMedica - Redness Relief CalmPlex
Seattlemama 7/16/2012 12:30:00 AM
I bought this because my dermatologist thought I might get some benefit from it because several of her patients with skin like mine (dry, flaky, sensitive, with moderate rosacea) have liked it. Pros: pleasant fragrance, does not cause breakouts, moisturizes well, has helped with flakes. Cons: costs a small fortune ($80 usd for a tiny jar), jar packaging is unsanitary, is heavily fragranced (a huge no-no for sensitive/rosacean skin), very greasy (just sits on top of my skin), separates into a cream layer on the bottom with a layer of oil on top. Because of the greasiness I can only use it before bed - there's no way you could apply makeup over this. I haven't noticed any reduction in redness but then again, I only use it once a day and you're supposed to use it twice a day. Not a terrible product, just a nothing product. For this price, it should be better.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -eos - Smooth Sphere Organic Lip Balm in Honeysuckle Honeydew
Seattlemama 7/15/2012 3:44:00 PM
I bought it because it's cute but this does nothing for my chapped lips - no moisture at all. The product is really hard and dry. And now that I have it, I realize the shape of it is annoying for tucking into my purse's little pocket. I would return it if I could.
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - Wear Infinite - Morning Light 805
Seattlemama 7/15/2012 11:43:00 AM
This is perfect as a browbone highlighter - I use it everyday for that. It's very subtle on my pale NC15 skin, but would show more on medium-darker skin. I love it because I like my highlighter to be barely noticeable. It's a lovely formula and the packaging is nice too. I got this from an Amazon seller for less than $2 usd - it's a great value. I've already ordered a second one.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No