Lips -Bobbi Brown - tinted lip balm in pink popsicle
dakgirl 9/21/2008 5:01:00 PM
I tried this yesterday and it feels weird...moisturizing, yes. smooth, yes. But it has a weird texture which I can only describe as "silicone-y", a strange sort of slippery feel like I have a blob of solidified frizz ease on my lips. I LOVE the color, which is the problem. I love the color but I don't like the formula. I noticed it didn't apply evenly, it went on sort of choppy, later as I glanced in the rear view mirror I could see it was uneven. The more I gently pressed my lips together to even it out, the worse it got. This is too complicated to have to go through each day.
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Eyeliner -Trish McEvoy - Liquid Definer Gunmetal
dakgirl 9/13/2008 7:31:00 PM
SUPERB!!! Okay, now the specifics: This is packaged like the old skinny Stila Lip Glazes and you have to click til the product starts flowing. Not wanting to waste it by cracking away and having it ooze out uncontrollably I clicked it slowly the night before, waiting after each click til this gorgeous shimmering gunmetal/pewter liquid appeared. The next morning I gave one click and the perfect amount was on the brush. With one swift swoop I had a perfect line above each eye! The brush is just right, just long enough to give sufficiently against the skin and stiff enough to stay together and make a perfect line. In my review of JK Jemma Kidd for Target i-tech liquid liner the brush was a problem for a really good product. Here, the brush is perfect. Gunmetal is a beautiful pewter shade that shimmers and really flatters my brown eyes. It did not flake or smear, it dried quickly and stayed on. It came off with a dual phase eye makeup remover (right now I'm using Sephora Face Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover) While $28 is steep for a liquid liner, the time I save in the morning being able to apply it in one quick move and go on is priceless.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Stila - #9 Blender Brush
dakgirl 9/13/2008 7:18:00 PM
I use the short handled version of this brush to lightly dust a touch of powder over my concealer. Its slim enough to get in the inner corner between your eye and bridge of your nose without getting powder everywhere or poking your eye. The hairs are loose enough that it doesn't pack on the powder, creating a cakey look. This brush is perfect for me and seeing how Stila changed hands and is no longer under the quality control of Jeanine Lobell I've been snapping up Stila products on ebay.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Clearasil - StayClear Skin Perfecting Wash
dakgirl 9/6/2008 9:17:00 PM
My oily skin had hopes for this....first the exfoliating microbeads were virtually nonexistent, I think there were 5 microbeads in mine, so tiny that they did nothing. Then the "moisturizing ingredients", no matter how much I rinsed left a stick, tacky layer on my face. Lastly, it didn't clean well. Skip this, its a waste of 5 bucks.
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Eyeliner -Jemma Kidd Makeup School - JK Jemma Kidd for Target i-tech liquid liner in Sculpt
dakgirl 8/31/2008 3:56:00 PM
I put this review under Jemma Kidd Makeup School however this product belongs to the JK Jemma Kidd for Target line. Its $18.00 at Target which, lets face it, is department store pricing. i-tech liquid liner is phenomenal, however the packaging will make you hate it, so I am advising an option that has made it work for me. Its a typical liquid liner in a tube with a skinny brush, but the brush isn't skinny enough and I find the bristles too soft, which creates a huge fat line that looks like I'm trying to do an exaggerated 60's cat eye. (not exactly what I wanted for work!) I used to be a makeup artist and I do have a steady hand, so its not that this brush is for someone with more skill. Its just a bad brush. I solved the brush problem by using a super-skinny art store brush. (specifically an American Painter Taklon liner brush, 18/0 size, number 4350, from A.C. Moore for about $6.00) By opening the tube and swiping my brush against the stem of the brush they provide, I picked up enough product to be able to make one effortless swoop across each upper lash line to get a clean tight line exactly where I wanted it, right at the lashes, with no extra smudging or fixing needed. The product itself is A DREAM! Super smooth, highly pigmented liquid that really, REALLY lasts! I've been finding that Lancome Artliner flakes if you try to buff a little shadow over it to soften the look, after it dries. (I like a clean tight line, but not severe, so I soften it with a touch of dry shadow over it.) Bobbi's Gel Liner can be too thick and pasty, and MAC Fluidline seemed too sheer. This product lasts longer than anything I've ever tried, yet comes off with Bi-Facil on a q-tip when its time to come off. So the product itself gets 5 lippies from me, but the packaging is a big fat zero. Now if she makes a nice clean navy blue, I'd happily pay $18 for it. As of now they have a nice bronze shimmer with a touch of burgundy (which I think would be gorgeous on blue or green eyes) and a screaming bright shimmery purple which I can't see ever wearing. Go check out this product, put a swipe on your hand, walk around and let it dry then try to wipe it off. Its THAT long lasting. After all this, the color I got was Sculpt. A perfect pure blackest black. Update: I've been wearing this all week and its fantastic! No flaking, no smudging, looks fresh and just applied 12 hours later. I love makeup but once I put it on I want to forget about it and go about my life. I have no patience for products that have to be touched up during the day (except for lip products which, is logical).
17 out of 18 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Stila - Brown Sugar Lipglaze
dakgirl 7/20/2008 9:35:00 PM
I imagined Brown Sugar to be a coppery-beigey nude color. This is a grey-mauve that makes me look dead. I have no idea what to do with it since I tried it on. Yuck, this is my first Stila LipGlaze disappointment.
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Eye Shadow -Laura Mercier - Mineral Eye Powder
dakgirl 7/6/2008 9:25:00 AM
I purchased Crystalline on Ebay, and I'm glad I didn't pay full retail price for this. I'm an early 40's PPP who has used sunblock since I was 18, my eyes are just starting to get a bit of crepiness which only shows with certain shadows (brands of shimmer, not shimmer itself) I applied Crystalline on a bare eyelid and while it looks shimmery in the pot there was no shimmer on my lid, just crepiness! Very strange. I can wear Stila shadows, BB, LM but not Chanel shimmers because it makes my eyes look like you crumpled up a tissue and then tried to smooth it out, this was just as bad. Avoid Crystalline if your eyes are over 40, it won't be pretty. Colorwise, it looked like a dull muddy pink, not what you'd expect something named Crystalline to look like. I'm very disappointed. I also bought Sapphire hoping to use it as eyeliner but I'm thinking of not using it and selling it on ebay to get some of my money back. I might play with Crystalline, since I used it already, to see if it would work as a subtle cheek color. As an eyeshadow, this is a big disappointment.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Profumum Alba
dakgirl 5/21/2008 7:20:00 AM
This fragrance didn't last long enough on my skin for me to review it, it just disappeared...........
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Estee Lauder - Tom Ford Amber Absolute
dakgirl 5/21/2008 7:15:00 AM
I bought a sample of this on Fishbone Fragrances, I was looking for an amber for myself but it turned out this was much better on my husband. I loved the scent but found it too masculine, on him it has the warm amber with notes of fresh tobacco and fine leather...very sexy! Now DH has a new scent!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -L'Oreal - Bare Naturale Powdered Mineral Foundation
dakgirl 5/11/2008 8:38:00 PM
I'm a PPP with yellow undertones, no pink. I'm oily and my skin is in pretty good condition, nothing major to hide. I've never liked how powder foundations look on my skin, Chanel, Stila IPF, EL, Studio Fix, you name it. I find they look too heavy and when my oil comes up I can see oily dots in the powder especially on my forehead. I've made peace with my oily skin and wear liquid foundations, no powder, and people say I look "dewy" but I do blot with blotting papers when I cross the line from dewy to greasy. I wanted to satisfy my curiosity about this product so I bought Soft Ivory and Light Ivory. Light Ivory is too dark, but Soft Ivory looks perfect. The packaging is the most user unfriendly packaging I've ever seen. I applied with a very fluffy loose haired brush that had the excess tapped off. At first Soft Ivory was so opaque that I looked artificial, so I tried using Soft Ivory in the center of my face and faintly dusted Light Ivory around the edges. That helped it not look so flat and solid initially but no matter how lightly I applied it, it looked too heavy, and when my oil came up I looked cakey. Now what do I do with this stuff? I tried mixing it with moisturizer in my hand to make a liquid and that worked nicely, but THEN I had an even better idea! I love Shiseido Face & Body SPF 55 and usually to take away the bluish-white cast of the sunblock I add a squirt of concealer and shake it up (usually EL Max Cover Golden Vanilla). I added half the container of Light Ivory to a brand new bottle of Shiseido and shook it up well, it has a blender bead in it so that helps. VOILA!!! I now have a foundation with SPF 55 that covers beautifully, looks like perfect skin, is oil free and looks great all day. I apply a quarter size dab to the back of my hand and apply to my face generously. Once the silicone in it evaporates in about 5 minutes, I blend it with my fingers and I'm done! I'd only repurchase this to mix with Shiseido sunblock, which I do every 6 months. Otherwise I'd never buy this again.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Profumum - Acqua di Sale
dakgirl 5/4/2008 4:15:00 PM
I got my sample from Lucky scent and sadly, every whiff of my wrist makes me think of laundry detergent or bounce dryer sheets. Yes, its pretty but I can't get past the laundry association.
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Fragrances -Pilar & Lucy - Tiptoeing thru Chambers of the Moon
dakgirl 4/26/2008 6:50:00 PM
Yikes! One whiff and I get an instant visual: A really old lady wearing old lady perfume, wearing clothes with mothball smell, with tons of Ben-Gay on. Nuf said.
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Lotions/ Creams -L'Occitane - 100% Pure Shea Butter
dakgirl 4/16/2008 7:54:00 AM
I bought a 2oz tin of the Ltd. Anniversary Ed. that has Lavender. It smells divine! Occasionally I use Retin-A around my eyes which makes my eye area red and sensitive, making nearly every eye cream burn and sting. Straight Vaseline is good but can look too shiny and make concealer crease. I forgot I had this! I tap my finger on the surface and tap around my eyes (don't even TRY to spread this around your delicate eyes!) it moisturizes beautifully, doesn't sting AT ALL, looks matte, doesn't make my concealer crease, which makes it perfect for the daytime. (Using Retin-A makes the skin flake, its part of the process, but when you put concealer on sensitive flaky eyes, Whoa! you look like a reptile shedding its skin! But its worth it to see smoother skin after a few weeks.) This is a great all purpose intensive moisturizer, great for eyes, lips, cuticles, dry patches, anywhere.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Unlisted Brand - Il Makiage Eyeshadows
dakgirl 4/13/2008 6:25:00 PM
I don't know why Il Makiage isn't listed as one of the brands by itself? This is an excellent brand, based in its own boutique in Manhattan. Its always been listed in magazines as one of those "professional artist brands" and a friend who owned a makeup shop sold their products making it very convenient for me to stock up on my favorite shades, it also saved me the time of going into New York City to go to the boutique, considering I live out of state. I'm reviewing their eyeshadows, of which they have over 500 shades. I can get them each in a plastic case for $16, or as refills for $14, which I put on large Trish planner pages so I have everything at my fingertips. The pigment content is AMAZING! Its up there with Makeup Forever, but with 5 times as many colors. I use London Mauve (looks like a cross between Stila's Bouquet and Cassia/Cassat but matte) as a base color and it completely neutralizes the darkness on my lids that still comes through most other brands. I can use their colors wet or dry so I have endless liner options. I also have Shell (pale golden peach matte) and Ivorybase (vanilla matte), Lava (soft matte mauve) Mist (warm grey matte) Luna (shimmery grey the color of cigarette ashes) and Midnight Constellation (deep grey black shimmer the color of black pearls). I work long hours and the funny thing is when I get home, my foundation is usually gone but my eyes still look like I just did them! This brand is worth checking out. They also have a website but I like to touch and feel cosmetics before I buy them to really see the colors so I make yearly pilgrimages to the boutique. Their blushes are great too, every imaginable color, but I find the lipstick offerings not as extensive. This brand is worth checking out.
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Fragrances -I Profumi di Firenze - Chocolat
dakgirl 4/12/2008 3:40:00 PM
On my skin this turned way too Patchouli-ish, to the point where it crossed the line from a touch of patchouli to dirty hippie. Couldn't wait to scrub it off. I did not detect ANY chocolate at all. Conversely, Serendipitous smelled like I had rubbed hot cocoa on my wrist, way too simple smelling for it to be a fragrance. There must be a happy medium somewhere....
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