Eyeliner -L'Oreal - HiP Kohl Eyeliner in Brown Kohl 803
sakecat22 4/20/2009 2:10:00 PM
This stuff is not for amateurs!!!!!! The ladies who recommended practicing with this product first were spot on. I've heard really good things about the Guerlain Kohls and how closely L'oreal has duped the product. CVS had a BOGO this week - so I figured I'd try something new. I picked up 2 colors - Brown and Burgundy. Today - wearing the brown. I can see why many people put on their eye makeup first, then put on their foundation. I used it with great care - making sure ALL of the excess was off the applicator and going very slowly. It took me about 5 minutes to put eyeliner on (vs. 5 minutes for my whole face). I still had some undereye clean-up to do when I was finished. Not an easy task since this stuff is sturdy. The applicator creates a much finer line than I had anticipated - especially if you use only the point and work very carefully. Still, I will probably wind up using my eyeliner brush for future applications since the line from the built-in applicator was still thicker than I personally like. Once you manage to get this stuff on your face, it wears nicely with minimal smudging or travel. (BTW - I did not use it on the waterline as many do. Too scared to put makeup of any sort there. A personal thing.....) The brown is absolutely gorgeous with just enough shimmer to lighten the color a bit and make it look more natural.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Dazzleglass Moth To Flame
sakecat22 4/18/2009 9:55:00 PM
Disappointed in the color of this one. Hoping for a subtle apricot sheen that I would not have to layer. Instead, my lips look like I forgot to wipe my mouth after vigorously brushing my teeth. It's a little too pale. I'll use it over my more orange lipsticks. Formula is the same as the other Dazzleglasses. The brush is still awesome.
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - Hard as Nails with Nylon nail polish
sakecat22 4/17/2009 8:14:00 AM
Just started polishing my nails again after a 4 year layoff and found a bottle of this in clear - still in good condition. I attempted to use it as a basecoat. One problem - it takes FOREVER to dry. After 30 minutes, it was still somewhat tacky. The reason I had stopped using nail polish was because I kept messing up the manicure. This stuff won't help. Threw it in the trash along with the old / aged bottles of nail polish I've been dragging around with me.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Luxe Black Cabernet
sakecat22 4/8/2009 7:50:00 AM
Like this product better than the Lash Blast waterproof. Much easier to remove and not as likely to create undereye smudges at the end of a long day. Doesn't clump. Creates nice lashes. My lashes are black - so this provides NO color whatsoever. Interesting, since the mascara formula is obviously not black - more of a plummy color. Really can't tell once I put it on my lashes. Even up close using a magnified mirror. Despite the lack of color - I wind up with a "my lashes but better" look. Fan of this mascara. Will need to try the original.
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Treatments -Paula's Choice - Skin Balancing Antioxidant Concentrate
sakecat22 3/26/2009 9:36:00 AM
I am using this as a substitute for my (former) beloved Smashbox primer. This is doing a much better job of keeping my makeup from feeling oily. Haven't needed to use blotter sheets since starting this product. That said - you really need to shake this before use. This stuff separates, and on more than one occasion, I've squeezed out straight liquid rather than the primer I was expecting. The best "mattifying" combination I've found so far - Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Antioxidant Concentrate and Shieshedo SPF 55+ sunscreen. Great stuff.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Paula's Choice - HydraLight Moisture-Infusing Lotion
sakecat22 3/26/2009 9:30:00 AM
She must have reformulated this recently. The scent of the lotion I received isn't bad. Very subtlely herbal, if that. This is a very straightforward moisturizer for oily skin. Between this and the 1% BHA - my skin has looked better than it has....ever. I am using this combination as a night treatment. The next morning, my skin feels....normal. Not greasy or oily or grungy. Big fan of this line.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Paula's Choice - Skin Perfecting 1% BHA Lotion Exfoliant [REFORMULATED]
sakecat22 3/26/2009 9:26:00 AM
This stuff does exactly what it is designed to do - lightly exfoliate and help give you beautiful skin. One week of use at night - and what a HUGE difference. My nose pores are practically gone. My skin looks less blotchy. Completely sold on this - and the rest of her skincare system. Don't even have to use very much - it spreads nicely.
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Cleansers -LUSH - coal face soap
sakecat22 3/26/2009 9:21:00 AM
Wow! This stuff is HARSH. I have oily skin. This stuff dried it right up...and then some. I was left with dry flakes in my T-zone. I have never had dry skin before. There are also little bits of coal(?) that feel like you are rubbing small rocks on your face. Right after cleansing my skin felt tighter than it has in years. Alarmingly so. The smell - maybe lightly licorice, but mostly unscented soap. My close-to-40 skin was not happy after a week long encounter with coal face. Unless you have extreme grease pits for pores - I would stay far away from this.
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Lip Gloss -Paula's Choice - Soft Shine Moisturizing Gloss
sakecat22 3/11/2009 2:58:00 PM
Got a sample of this in Ruby. Tend to be nervous about pink-based colors since they tend to go a weird magenta on my lips. This one didn't. A true, slightly cool red. No tackiness. Very moisturizing. Doesn't last long (about an hour with my normal round of coffee drinking). Currently on 50% off sale on the site. Even full price - less than $10. Will probably pick up a full size of this and a couple of the other colors.
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Lips -Cover Girl - Outlast Lipstain
sakecat22 3/11/2009 8:10:00 AM
Purchased in #435 - Flirty Nude. Color: More of a burnt orange on my lips. Attractive on me - but NOT a "your lips but better" color. Packaging: OK. The product seemed a bit dry (just like using a magic marker on your lips - including the texture). However, I had no problem applying and liked how exact I could get. Formula: After it dries, feels like you have nothing else on (unlike the Urban Decay Lip Envy, which feels tacky and sticky for awhile afterwards). Shocked at the color payoff - matte and more pigmented than I expected (again, using the Urban Decay Lip Envy as point of comparison). Lasts longer than most lipsticks on me (about 3 hours with gloss). Wears evenly (no weird rings). Won't last all day. (update - OK, so I didn't know what the Urban Decay lip stain was called. Lip ENVY not Lip Ink. Duh.)
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Conditioner -Aveda - Clove conditioner
sakecat22 3/10/2009 9:10:00 AM
When people say this stuff stains, they aren't kidding. Hands. Nails. Shower curtain. Bath tub..... What it doesn't seem to stain - my grey hairs. Which got BRIGHTER!!!! Even after 4 uses. I'm hoping it's just me.... I have to use an obscene amount of this product during each use. Admittedly, I have long hair (about mid-back) - but it usually doesn't take a golf-ball size amount of product (of any formulation) to condition my hair. I can normally get away with less than 1/2 that amount of other conditioners. Even more damning, this conditioner didn't seem to make my hair any less frizzy. Only reason for 2 lippies - it didn't set off my reactive scalp.
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Cleansers -L'Oreal - Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Towlettes
sakecat22 3/10/2009 8:53:00 AM
These things don't remove makeup very well. I used 2 towelettes to remove foundation (Sally Hansen Natural Beauty) and a bit of powder (Shisheido 30+ SPF) and I STILL had foundation on my face when I wiped with some toner (because I just didn't feel clean). Despite significant effort around my eye area, I got off very little of my eye shadow and eye liner. Didn't even make a dent in the mascara. Weird. The towelettes themselves are quite soft and feel nice against skin. I was also left with a fine film of product. Maybe not the best thing for my combination / oily skin. I think I prefer my skin to feel a bit cleaner after using cleansing wipes. I think I am going to use these AFTER I remove all of my makeup. Will update this post if anything dramatic happens to my skin as a result.
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Treatments -Burt's Bees - Naturally Ageless Serum
sakecat22 2/25/2009 2:07:00 PM
I bought this based on the rave reviews on this board. Sinks into the skin quickly. Smells nice, not overpowering. Tried both day and night. Sadly - there doesn't seem to be much improvement to my skin as a result of using this product. I find I have to be very careful about the amount I put on my skin. Too much and I break out. I also find that if I use it for more than 3 days straight, my pores clog. No difference in wrinkles. Didn't seem to make my skin oilier or drier or more balanced. Ultimately, an extra step/product I didn't need.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Waterproof
sakecat22 2/20/2009 10:48:00 AM
A good mascara. I have thick black lashes already so one coat looks like an amplified version of my natural lashes. A second coat makes them longer. A third - longer still. Almost looks like I am wearing high-quality falsies when I'm done. Lasts all day. Minimal under-eye smudges after 10 hours. Why I took off a lippie - When I pull the wand out of the tube, I get a HUGE peas-sized blob of mascara at the end of the brush. Without fail. I have to scrape this pea-sized blob off the brush before application. Seems like an unsanitary waste of product. Once that's taken care of, the brush itself does a nice job of applying product - but I find I have a hard time maneuvering the large brush. That's a personal thing and not a reflection of the quality of the brush. Overall, I would definitely buy this again - though I probably wouldn't go out of my way. Not a problem since it is currently in every drugstore in my neighborhood.
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Mascara -Tarte - Lights Camera Lashes
sakecat22 2/14/2009 2:29:00 AM
I already have thick black lashes. This mascara, on me, is a "polish" mascara. A step that makes my eyes look more "finished" rather than making a dramatic difference. The small sample tube I received with a recent Tarte order applied nicely - no clumps, easy to get to the inner lashes. At the end of a 9 hour day, some smudging under the eyes (I wasn't wearing eyeliner or eyeshadow) and a heavy lash feeling. Probably wouldn't race out to purchase a full size of this, but if a freebie crossed my path, I'd use it again.
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