Fragrances -Giorgio Armani - Mania (re-release 2004; beige cap, not black)
esmeralda1977 6/12/2011 6:34:00 PM
This scent is so adorable. "Mkinthecity" gave a perfect description of it! It's soft and yet powerful, comforting but never to simple. Pure pleasure for my nose!!! A true feel good scent! It also reminds me of the time I met my husband (7 years ago) and this smell is like being reminded of falling in love and feeling so good about myself! Give it a try!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -L'Occitane - Immortelle Brightening Shield spf 40
esmeralda1977 6/7/2011 5:12:00 PM
Unfortunately, I have to agree with some of the reviewers: this left a white cast on my face (NC25). :( The first day I used it, my husband asked me why I looked so pale. The second day I used a little less and the brightening effect wasn't as strong but still visible. It's really sad because the texture of this sunscreen is like a fluid which applies easily and is absorbed very well. It is neither drying nor has it an oily effect on my skin. I will try to mix this fluid with a tinted moisturizer and hope that it will darken a little bit because my attempt to use more bronzer to balance out the whitish effect went wrong, it just looked to obvious and fake. Not the natural look I am after! Update: I'm so happy that I found the perfect way to make this work :) I mix it with Lancome Tropiques Minerale Bronzing Fluid Smooth Tan Effect SPF 10 in 01 Ocre Doree and it takes away the withish effect. Instead, I have a lovely sheer bronzing fluid with high SPF. I just add 3 squirts to the bottle, shake it well and it lasts me for about 4-5 months.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -LORAC - Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder in Spotlight
esmeralda1977 5/26/2011 6:58:00 PM
I have to agree with the rave reviews! If you want to imitate the effect of a soft candle light that is reflected on your cheekbones, this is it. While Dior's Amber Diamond is a very beautiful highlighter, I find it WAY to shimmery to apply it to your cheeks. I ended up using it as an eyeshadow because I can't stand the artificial detectable frosty highlighter look. Spotlight is a great match for my NC 25 skin with yellow undertones. Yet, this powder by LORAC has to be applied with a very light hand. The first time I used way to much and ended up looking like the tin man. After several experiments I found out that the best way it works for me is with the MAC 224 (windshield wiper eyeshadow blending brush) ONLY on the top curved part of my cheekbones where the light would hit. You have to blend it in. This way, I can achieve the lightdiffusing effect that looks so natural!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Unlisted Brand - Lucy Minerals Blush in Healthy
esmeralda1977 5/26/2011 6:44:00 PM
This is the blush / bronzer I have been looking for all my life. The first time I used it, a friend of mine ridiculously commented on how "healthy" I look (Mere coincidence? I don't think so!). This is exactly the way you look with this blush on your cheeks. Healthy! It is a very finely milled brown coloured powder, that looks like Bare Minerals Faux Tan but goes on so much smoother and is easier to apply (with Faux Tan, my skin sometimes looked blotchy or I easily overapplied the powder). It looks extremely natural on my NC25 skin when applied with a light hand. It's very pigmented, so you can easily itensify the tone if you like. I look so naturally sunkissed and fresh (I suppose there must be a pigment other than brown to give you this fresh look but I can't detect it because it is so subtle), like having played tennis all day long on a spring day (if you know what I mean) and not like a pale tired woman that has spent her whole day in an office. I can perfectly contour my cheekbones with this powder that is not matt and not shimmery, I'd rather describe it as a satiny, glowy texture. All you need to do is to apply a very thin layer to your cheekbones and you're good to go!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Orly - In A Snap
esmeralda1977 5/26/2011 6:27:00 PM
Thank god somebody has invented this stuff for impatient active people like me! I can hardly wait for my polish to dry and used to end up with a lovely square pattern of my bedsheets on my nailpolish the next morning because -after a long day- I just couldn't make myself wait 2 hours before going to bed. This topcoat has solved this problem effortlessly. I apply a thin base coat, two thin (!) coats of nail polish and immediately afterwards this top coat. After 15 minutes everything is dry and hard. Really hard, so I don't have to be careful anymore. Problem solved :)
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Lip Gloss -Christian Dior - Lip Polish Smoothing Lacquer 002
esmeralda1977 5/18/2011 4:13:00 PM
This is indeed a very nice nude beige lipgloss that plumps up your lips in a beautiful and lovely way and I don't mind if high end cosmetics are pricey as long as they deliver excellent results that can't be achieved with drugstore brands. Yet, I found a much cheaper replacement that even works BETTER than Dior's Lipgloss. It's L'Oreal's Glam Shine Gloss in Sheer Papaya. I suppose that only the colour names with "sheer "in it have this fantastic texture to make your lips look fuller (no more liplines). Of course Dior's packaging is nicer, but I can live with that because I have found my much more affordable HG for a youthful pout. :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Ecotools - Bamboo Bronzer Brush
esmeralda1977 5/12/2011 8:36:00 PM
Oh my goodness!!!! I collect brushes and this is the best! Soft, dense, my mineral powder melts into my skin so effortlessly. See and believe for yourself that other famous brands can't compete with this one. I wonder what their secret is... and how they achieved that this brush delivers better than my squirrel kabukis. I will never have to buy any other brushes by another brand again!!!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Got the blues for red
esmeralda1977 5/10/2011 6:34:00 PM
This is the MOST AMAZING red I have ever seen! For me, it's a true Hollywood red, intense and deep, but not too dark. Classy, flirtacious and descretly sexy at the same time. Goes so well with my yellow toned NC 25 skin, it's highly pigmented and has a wonderful texture. A timeless grown up elegant colour that can be worn in summer or winter. I'm in love!
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -MAC - Cleanse Off Oil
esmeralda1977 5/10/2011 4:12:00 PM
I bought the Cleanse Off Oil based on the reviews of MUA. I used one bottle and thought that it was a decent cleanser. Regarding the price tag I found I could do without it and go back to my OCM with olive, baby or sesame oil. After one week of using olive oil as a cleanser (I always use Dove soap and the Kanebo cleansing sponge afterwards to get rid off the residues) I saw one or two little pimples appear and saw the amount on blackheads slightly increasing, (even though I wiped off the oil thoroughly.) Nothing serious, but to my own surprise my skin DEFINITLY looked better with MACs cleanser. So yesterday I bought another bottle of it, although I must say the price did hurt a little bit. At least one bottle lasts me around half a year because it is very concentrated, so I can justify to pay so much for something that has such a huge impact on my skin (I would rather spend it on lipstick or foundation, blush or highlighter, but cleaning your skin is so crucial for a good look.)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -Weleda - Sea Buckthorn creamy Body Wash
esmeralda1977 4/23/2011 8:43:00 AM
This is REALLY expensive but now and then I need a special treat. This is the best body wash in the world for me because of it's DIVINE smell. It's a soft wake me up with a warm breeze, the golden sun kisses my skin, mousse de limón/ naranja aroma kind of body wash. It's very moisturizing and gentle, so that I can even use it on my face with my clarisonic (I didn't want to buy an extra cleansing gel so I use this gentle wash which works perfectly for my combination skin). Go and get this one! Such a sensual experience!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Unlisted Brand - Lucy Minerals Shimmer Shadow in Mocha
esmeralda1977 4/19/2011 2:08:00 PM
Holy Moly, Jesus Christ!!!!!! Sorry for that but it was really necessary. This is the most beautiful eyeshadow in my whole collection of MAC and Dior eyeshadows, it just blew me away, surprised me although I had considered myself to be an old hand and here is why: - it's a soft slightly golden (neutral) peach that makes my dark brown eyes glow like no other shadow that I have tried before -the soft metallic effect of this luminous golden peach goes SOOOOOO well with my yellow undertoned skin (NC25) -it is very pigmented and has a creamy consistency -I can compare the quality and consistency to my Mineralize blush (Grand Duos) Earth to Earth which I love more than words can say (and this is from the same colour family). I'm totally blown away!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have also ordered Lucys mineral powder and several blushes which are very nice but I have to test them first for several days to come up with a review. Only this eyeshadow blew me away immediately so I had to let everybody know about this little gem!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -La Roche Posay - Anthelios XL Face Fluid TINTED SPF 50+
esmeralda1977 4/19/2011 8:11:00 AM
This is indeed a very good sunscreen that absorbs very fast before I use my moisturizer and protects my skin very well! Doesn't leave a white cast and is leightweight, so you don't have several layers of cream sitting on your skin. It melts into your skin with a very natural finish, not powdery and not oily. Definitely recommend it for those who use retinol or AHAs!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Yves Saint Laurent - Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils
esmeralda1977 4/3/2011 6:06:00 PM
Excellent mascara for volume and length! As it is very expensive, I don't use this on a regular basis because there are cheaper alternatives out there that can give you wonderful results!
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Mascara -Chanel - Inimitable Mascara Multi-Dimensionnel
esmeralda1977 4/3/2011 6:01:00 PM
I can honestly say that this is one of the worst mascaras I have ecer tried. The wet formula weighed down my lashes and left me with spider lashes. Not my idea of looking natural. So definitely not the kind of look I was after!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Rimmel - Sexy Curves
esmeralda1977 4/3/2011 5:54:00 PM
This is a very nice mascara if you already have relatively full lashes. It doesn't give you volume but it separates your lashes perfectly, elongates them beautifully and gives you a fantastic curl. For a polished daytime look this is fine, but as I am a lover of full lashes I don't think I would buy this again.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No