Eye Primer -Bare Escentuals - bareVitamins Prime Time Eyelid Primer
brandylee 4/24/2009 6:07:00 PM
This is a pretty good primer. I have used UDPP but it was far too drying on my sensitive lids, so I settled for Too Faced Shadow Insurance which is still pretty good since I really didn't need my shadow to stay on after 12 hours anyway. TFSI isn't as drying, but lately I've been having a weird feeling in my eyes so I decided to cut out some things and try new things so I can figure out what the culprit might be! I also bought like 60+ mineral samples from Pure Luxe Cosmetics and was looking for something sticky for them to adhere to since I don't like using them wet. This primer is definitely stickier than TFSI, my mineral pigments went on great and stayed bright. It's been 8 hours so far and no creasing yet! I'm really suprised so many people are saying this is too thick (concealer like) and it makes it's presence known...This is the reason I HATED painterly paint pot by MAC...I think the consistance of this is wonderful and feels alot more comfortable on the lids than UDPP and I guess it does have a bit of color to it, but nothing crazy so please go to Sephora or something and sample this before automatically assuming it's concealer like! Now the cons of this product! As others are saying, I am not a fan of the packaging. Your better off twisting to get a tiny amount out, and then as your doing that lid, look down at the applicator and you will probably see that some has oozed out so you can use that for the other lid. I use my finger for application. Secondly, the amount you get for $16 is ridiculous (I think it's like 6 times LESS than UDPP and TFSI or around there). It's unfortunate that things that are good for your skin are more costly than stuff that has harsh chemicals- kind of like how you have to be rich to eat health food these days, it's so much cheaper to get a huge meal at McDonalds than a crouton at Panera Bread! But anyways, I am just hoping this lasts ATLEAST a month (update..it's lasting me over 2 months using it 4-5 times week!), and I might end up using this only when I use mineral shadows aslong as I find out that TFSI isn't causing my eye problems.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shave Products -Aveeno - Ultra-Calming Shave Gel
brandylee 4/22/2009 6:04:00 PM
This doesn't help me or hurt me anymore or less than any other shaving cream. My issue seems to be that after I shave my legs are fine, but that night/the next morning there are red bumps, ingrown hairs, and stubble. I NEED to shave daily or the stubble rubs against my jeans and makes the area under my knees very sore. Even if my legs are red when I shave, all shaving creams seem to calm and smooth the irritation, it's just the fact that it comes back and it's really annoying when it happens on my bikini line or on areas I don't shave daily. However, as another reviewer mentioned, it does seem to last longer than other shaving creams but it also about $1 more expensive. I also agree with everyone else, I previously bought the Theraputic Aveeno kind and it worked the same as this and did not help with ingrown hairs like I think it was supposed to which is why I decided to try this kind the battle the redness! Not sure if I will repurchase soon, but i'm supposed to go on Accutane in the summer and I may end up needing this then when my skin is very sensitive and dry!
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Fragrances -Aquolina - Pink Sugar Hair Perfume
brandylee 4/22/2009 5:56:00 PM
This is a decent product, but it didn't work out for me (to consider repurchasing) since I really need volume in my hair. The perfume version of Pink Sugar has a black licorice note in it that makes me sick but luckily I don't smell it in this! I bought this because my hair always smelly funky from over-straightening it so I thought I could use this to help. This does work good and smell great, but it makes my hair soft and it falls flat. Like I said, I think it's a good product. Smells good, makes your hair soft and shiny, and is an ok price. I'm not returning it because I have found that if I put this on after I blowdry but before I straighten, it allows me to have nice soft and shiny hair but I can still keep some of the volume (though it doesn't help the scent of my burnt hair as much vs. using it after I straighten).
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Primer/ Corrector -Pure Luxe Cosmetics - Powder Eraser - Medium
brandylee 4/22/2009 5:45:00 PM
I don't consider myself very pale, but the powder eraser in medium (which is supposed to fit most skin tones according to the site) was too dark. It looked like I had applied bronzer which I tend to stay away from after I used a d/g brand and my bofriend asked what was up with my face (and he is not a guy who notices much!) lol. I'm a little dissapointed since this sample was $2 (vs. the $1 pigments) and I cannot find a use for this. I even though maybe I could use this to even out my lids on days I don't wear eyemakeup but in natural lighting it just looked like crap. Then I thought I could apply it over the banana split PL corrector that I use under my eyes (sometimes I put too much) but the mix of those together just created a darker yellow mess :-( If I ever place another PL order again (I'm on the fence about their shadows, loved them at first but now I'm having problems getting them to apply/stick to my lid properly), I might get a lighter color or something and try to mix them so this doesn't totally go to waste but oh well.
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Fragrances -Aquolina - Pink Sugar
brandylee 4/21/2009 11:35:00 PM
*sigh* I don't know if I'm going to keep this or not. I sprayed this in the store and I swear it smelled good! I sprayed the tester on me at 2 different malls and on 2 different occasions and it smelled like delicious cotton candy. So I bought a small bottle of it and immediately put it on when I got home and the initial spritz smells like freaking black licorice! Now I know that IS a note in the fragrance, but I didn't smell it when I tested it! I can't stand black licorice, I work in a candy store and hate when I even have to smell it, so this is a no no. The only reason I am not 100% returning this yet is because the licorice smell dries down pretty quickly and once that is gone, it's an ok fragrance- but the fact that I even THINK I SMELL LICORICE is enough to turn me off :-( I also want to thank a reviewer for mentioning that Prince Matchabelli's Cotton Candy is very much a true cotton candy scent. I bought this years ago (in the spray can form) and it smelt great, I just forgot all about it but I've found it on amazon and will be returning Pink Sugar and buying that :-)
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Eyes -Unlisted Brand - Mehron Pastel Palette
brandylee 4/18/2009 10:59:00 PM
I got this after seeing ladies on youtube use it. They said it was terrific to use as a base and great for mineral shadows especially. Since I have about 60 Pure Luxe Cosmetics mineral samples, I am always on the lookout for something to make them pop even more. I'm very glad I got the pastel palette, all of the colors totally scream *ME* lol, I love pinks and teals and purples. The brown seems like it doesn't belong but I wear a lot of copper so I will probably use the brown a lot too! I really like the packaging (very sturdy and there's a good sized mirror inside) and the brush it comes with works fine for me. Great value at $25-30. My advice for using these is to do little sections on your eye at a time. I tried loading up my brush so I could do my eyelid quicker, but it ended up being smeary and I got some bare spots that I just couldn't cover when I tried to go back over it. Now for the negatives about this palette (well what I have experienced anyways). These doesn't really blend once they dry, so when I go over it with shadow, you can tell where this base stops and it can't really be blended out. Secondly, these colors are so bold that I do think they alter your shadow a bit. Because I love these colors and I have mineral pigments in similar colors, these definitely work for me for the most part, with these you can have eyeshadow on crack! It like never fades or creases and your eyeshadows will not budge all day! Not sure if I will buy another one of these palettes (in more colors) because I'm pretty happy with this one and I'm pretty sure it will last a while! Update: I have found that you can blend them with your finger while wet or go over the harsh line with a damp blending brush to get rid of it. If you don't put alot on and blend right, it's less likely to alter your shadows and is a great product!
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Makeup Brushes -Sonia Kashuk - Synthetic Flat Top Multipurpose Brush
brandylee 4/17/2009 10:32:00 PM
Ah, the only downside to MUA- I did not need this! I bought it simply because I was heading to Target and saw that this brush got great reviews :-) With that said, I picked it up for $15 to use with blush (eventhough I'm content with my Ecotools bamboo blush brush). I think this brush is good for blushes that aren't that pigmented because the blush doesn't get 'lost' in the bristles. I really like the way this looks and I like the hard packaging (I keep it in it). However, I'm not sure what technique works best with this, it feels weird when you try to blend blush like you would with a normal blush brush in my opinion so I kind of stipple it on and then blend but it still feels a little weird to me. I also used this with a darker blush and ended up putting way too much on. I need to practice a bit with this but for me, it's not a must have so far. However, I don't regret my purchase and I will definitely use this for certain blushes that don't show up as well using my Ecotools brush!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -Pure Luxe Cosmetics - What Red?
brandylee 4/16/2009
I am neutral to this product and am fairly happy with what I currently use on my face, but these samples are so cheap that I figured I'd try this out, especially since I do have alot of redness on my face. Because my face gets flushed, I should have known this probably wouldn't help since it's not like I'm covering up a red pimple. I also have extremely oily skin that needs blotting and powdering hourly- so again, I should have figured that this wouldn't be an HG for me. I tried applying this all over with a kabuki brush and aslong as my face was really matte and I applied lightly, it worked fairly well- I looked pretty pale (NOT RED) lol. However, most of my time my skin is oily so when I tried to put this on then- too much got stuck in one area and you could defnitely see the green! My current makeup routine (skin wise) is as follows: Revlon Colorstay foundation Covergirl Powder Foundation *Every hour to an hour an a half I blot and apply a fresh dusting of CG powder To conclude, there is no purpose for this in my routine. It would have to go on top of the Covergirl Powder Foundation (as if my makeup isn't cakey enough after 8 hours!) and because it's loose, it's messy and a pain to travel with (which I have to do since I have oily skin- it fades so fast). It was worth the buck to try, I will probably save my sample for when I have a specific area I want to try to cover!
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Eye Shadow -Pure Luxe Cosmetics - Aura Collection-Blue Aura
brandylee 4/15/2009 11:47:00 PM
I own all the colors of the aura collection and this one just doesn't seem blue to me, I guess more of a violet. When I first got it, I swore it was purple! Then I compared it to the purple one and realized that they are very different, but this still isn't the blue I was hoping for! I will definitely use it but I was really looking forward to a true blue color because I love these as highights or using them to blend out looks.
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Primer/ Corrector -Pure Luxe Cosmetics - Banana Split
brandylee 4/15/2009 11:31:00 PM
I'm changing my review on this because I overly applied it the first time. I typically don't wear under eye concealer because the bags under my eyes don't bother me that much and I already spend too much time doing my makeup in the morning lol. But I picked up a sample of this because it was cheap. I think it works pretty well, especially since it's powder. Creamy based concealers always tug on the skin under my eyes and settle into fine lines. This goes on so quickly and blends well and makes me look more awake and brighter. Just be careful not to overapply and check yourself in natural lighting (I just take my mirror to the window) to make sure it looks ok. Unless you plan on using this on large areas of your face, the sample will probably last like a month if you are just using a tad under your eyes. I would say give it a try! I apply with a Ecotools Bamboo concealer brush.
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Eye Shadow -Pure Luxe Cosmetics - eyeshadow - Sunny Side Up
brandylee 4/15/2009 10:57:00 PM
I never expected myself to like yellow eyeshadow but I have 50+ samples and this is one of the those that I'm considering buying a full size of! I love the shimmer in PL pigments and I love paring this with sour apple! This is still very bright applied dry (which is much easier for me opposed to applying wet) and with the right sticky base, it goes on with ease. A must try!
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Eye Shadow -Pure Luxe Cosmetics - Bad Girl
brandylee 4/15/2009 10:21:00 PM
I have 50+ samples and this is probably one of my least favorites. It's kind of a dull purple in my opinion (though it's better when it's applied wet), but I am a shimmer addict and I think PL has some of the best shimmery shades so since this one isn't nearly as shimmery, maybe I'm not the best one to be reviewing it :-) I'll pass on this one. BUT for $1 a sample, give it a try if you like purples.
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Misc Beauty Tools -Sonia Kashuk - Blending Sponge
brandylee 4/12/2009 1:54:00 PM
Decided to redo my review since I've been using this for about 3 months now. As others have said, this is NOT like the typical cosmetic rounds/wedges. I've never used a brush to apply foundation, but I used the cosmetic rounds for the past year to apply my Revlon Colorstay and wasen't crazily happy with the results, but I didn't know any better :-) The cosmetic rounds soaked up SOO much foundation, I never realized I was wasting so much! I really like this blending sponge, I use so little foundation, and my foundation goes on SO FAST! I spend alot of time every morning on my eyemakeup so I don't have alot of time to do my foundation- this makes it so easy! All you do is bounce it over your face. The downsides to this product (that I have experienced while using it with Revlon color stay) is that I can't build my foundation or it gets smeary. I also can't use alot of foundation at all on the blending sponge of my makeup just looks smeary and gross and accentuates my pores. However, I think this might be a personal issue because I've watched girls on youtube apply foundation with this and I feel they can use alot more foundation and have it apply smoothly. I also feel that $10 every 3 months (maybe sooner if you are rought with it!) can be a bit steep if a MAC 187 really does what people say it does and can last you years. For me, if I wash with antibacterial soap or baby shampoo, the color of my foundation doesn't come all the way out of the sponge but if I put makeup removed on a towel and then wipe my sponge against it, the color comes out. However, I feel that rubbing it like that might make it fall apart quicker so I will probably try some people's tips on how to clean it properly. I just bought my 2nd one today so I would recommend this because it's the best thing I've found so far, especially since I want to try the MAC 187 but heard it's time consuming to stipple and blend and I don't want to drop $40+ on a brush right now!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -MAC - Cream Color Base in Pearl
brandylee 4/9/2009 9:16:00 PM
*sigh* yet another product from MAC that I will be returning (so far my Coppering eyeshadow is the only product out of like 10 that I don't regret purchasing from MAC). I bought this in hopes that it would be the perfect solution for getting my mineral shadow to stick to my lids. I use Too Faced Shadow Insurance always so I wasen't concerned with this being a good primer, I just heard that it was a good sticky base. It helped a little bit, but was no miracle product and it creased (over TFSI) after about 7 hours. I find that my NYX Jumo Eyeshadow Pencils work MUCH better than this for getting my eyeshadow to stick, and then don't crease on me till 9+ hours. I figured I would try other uses for it, but I really didn't like it much for anything else. I hate using this as a highlight because I hate how it stays wet. I have oily skin to begin with, and I did not like feeling my brow bone and few hours later and feeling like I had to blot there (though it was just the CCB that was still moist). Also applied it on my cheeks to try to make my powder blush last longer but I just didn't like how it felt. I have oily problematic skin to begin with that flushes easily so maybe for someone with better skin could pull this off but it was just a waste of money for me. I also attempted to use this on my lips like some reviewers mentioned, but I didn't like the look of that either (I have a light pink frosty lipgloss I tend to put in the center of my lips that looks way better then this stuff).
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Pressed Powders -MAC - Hello Kitty Kouture - Sheer Mystery Powder (Light Medium)
brandylee 4/9/2009 12:04:00 AM
This product is funny because when I looked it up on here, my boyfriend was next to me and was like "OMG $90!? FOR THAT!?" and I tried to justify it saying you could refill it with powder pans and that it was probably adorable in real life and you could keep it for years. Then I learned that it's smaller (blush size) and I immediately decided not to get it. The powder appears to be nothing special (MAC blot powder does nothing for my severly oily skin) and like another reviewer said, IMO, The crystals looked kind of dull when I finally saw this in person. I DO NOT understand why they couldn't have made this bigger, even if they took away the refill, I might have considered it if I could have refilled it time and time again (who wants to refill it with blush!?) I guess I am a bargain shopper at heart, but geezzz. If you are a Hello Kitty fan, go for it :-) I am a carebear collector so if it was carebears- I would have gotten it. But everyone else needs to let this one go. **If they were to come out with refills of this powder that you could buy at any time, I would consider this a more appropriate purchase, especially compared to expensive perfumes that you use up and then they are gone!**
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