Eye Primer -LORAC - Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
artemistzitzikilakis 4/5/2012 12:52:00 AM
A few reasons why I have tried them all and settled on this: first, it really, really works. It is as good an eye primer as they make, though I like Nars just as much. However, this one is almost half the price if you look at how much in oz you get AND the container for Nars seems to almost make the product disappear, it is the wand. The Lorac container is more like the too faced one where it seems to last forever, you squeeze out what you need. If you have dry eyelids like mine this will, like all primers, exacerbate that problem but your shadows will STICK.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Fig. 1
artemistzitzikilakis 3/29/2012 10:03:00 PM
What a great color for the outer V or crease. Caution, this is not as bright and light as it shows on your screen. It is dark enough for me to use on the outer third, but you won't get a smoky look from it, not unless you are bold enough to use it on your lids, and it's not too dark for that. However, like the beautiful Handwritten, these are just too hard to blend. I do better with the darker colors from Lorac, they have MORE pigment and yet blend better. Fig is better to blend then handwritten, but gosh, why can't MAC make a decent e/s texture, these are Matte2's. Either too sheer, hard to blend, etc. But so man colors, what a shame. Well, people keep buying them I guess.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -Lancome - TEINT MIRACLE INSTANT RETOUCH PEN
artemistzitzikilakis 3/23/2012 11:58:00 AM
I love this, especially in number 2 as it has pink in it to counteract darkness. It has more coverage than the Dior or YSL touch pen. However, it lasts only a month if you used it every day, and at 30 bucks that is too much.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Bobbi Brown - Long Wear Cream
artemistzitzikilakis 3/22/2012 5:03:00 AM
So confused about how I feel about these. The color selection is great. But the pots dry out much quicker than mac paint pots and the jars are so tiny, unlike Mac's wide jars, that you have a hard time getting the product out. And even a BB SA's told me to not expect to get more than one half of the product as useable as it dries out so badly. Also, you really have to dig into these little jars to get enough out, you will go through one if you only use one in a month easy. So, except for the excellent Bone and Ballet Slippers and maybe Sandy Gold, though Bare Study by Mac is a dupe, go to Mac, better quality, easier to use, cheaper. Limited color selection though.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
artemistzitzikilakis 3/22/2012 4:57:00 AM
I love the paint pots, though I wish they had more colors. Currently I use Painterly and Bare Study, then add my color in the liner or crease as these are both pretty neutral. The paint pots are miles better than Bobbi Brown because they are so easy to get out of the much bigger, wider pot. Even a SA at BB told me not to expect their cream shadows to last more than half a jar as they dry up. But soft ochre is such a boring color. I have neutral skin, a little warm, and it does nothing to bring out my green eyes. It is just the color of flesh or my foundation. Try the other colors before you go for this one.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Handwritten Matte2
artemistzitzikilakis 3/21/2012 11:21:00 PM
Good brown color, but more than just brown. I use it in the corner and crease of my eyes. TWO things I love about this: it is the Matte2 formula (the best with veluxe Mac makes) and it has tones of red and mauve that come out depending on what you pair it with. I love Fig for the outer V and this in the crease and I get a purplish hue from it. With tfsi this lasts 8 hours, it will work in the day time but I think of it as a night time color. Like all Matte2's, it's smooth, blendable and does not fade. Very dif from the regular matte colors, of which there are more, unfortunately.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Annick Goutal - Gardenia Passion
artemistzitzikilakis 3/17/2012 11:22:00 AM
I am suprised this does not have a better review. But her fragrances are more subtle. This was described to me as an "intense flroral" and the Eau De Parfum lasts much longer than her other scents. I think it is really beautiful.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Bobbi Brown - longwear gel liner in black mauve
artemistzitzikilakis 3/17/2012 2:59:00 AM
What an amazing color. It is my staple to replace black as it DOES come out quite dark/black, but with just a different undertone. It does not look like brown or grey and makes just as much a statement as black, but has something special. And of all the gel liners, Bobbi's are still the best.
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Liquid -Bobbi Brown - Skin Foundation SPF 15
artemistzitzikilakis 3/17/2012 2:56:00 AM
This was a great foundation, if you have good skin and yellow undertones, UNTIL HD came out. Now I use Smashbox HD and there is no comparision. The Skin foundation, while lighter in look then most, looks so much more like makeup then the HD. I like Smashbox as I have dry skin, if you have oily I think MUFE is best. These HD foundations truly look like you have nothing on, they just will not sit in any lines. So Bobbi Brown just is not moving forward. One other thing: I always used her foundations and the SA's convinced me I was yellow toned as that is all they have, but I took the foundation test at Smashbox.com and came up with a neutral. Light 2, and it looks so much better. Another point with Bobbi Brown, she is convinced we all should have yellow skin. When this came out it was great, but technology has improved beyond it.
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Lipstick -Lancome - Color Design Matte Lipstick
artemistzitzikilakis 3/14/2012 4:27:00 AM
I have this in Red Haute and Plum Show. Simply put it is the best lipstick not labeled long lasting you will find. I put LipChic over it, a sealant, and it lasts for hours, but would last quite a while anyway as it is labeled matte. This is not the Mac matte, however, this has some creaminess to it and is in no way uncomfortable. If you have dry lips you will want the Rouge Nu, but better to deal with the dry lip situation then get a lipstick that will last, I think. Red Haute is the perfect Red, not orange or blue based, but a mixture that makes a statement, but not one that screams "clown". I strongly suggest these, the mattes. If not the mattes go with the creams, the others will last a half hour.
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Treatments -Estee Lauder - Advanced Night Repair (Serum)
artemistzitzikilakis 3/14/2012 3:56:00 AM
NOTE: this is for the new concentrate version, 1 oz $80, not the one that is 1.7 oz for same price. Okay, I never believed in skincare hype, especially from a cosmetics brand. I do use Retin A, but always thought that it's better to save money for surgery and injections. WELL, I am wrong. THIS stuff is amazing. I have given it a full month and my skin has never looked better. How can I explain, it is just smoother, clearer and maybe firmer. I'm hooked. But do go for the concentrate as it has three times the potency, though it is more pricey. I use this twice a day but will go down to once soon due to the high ingredient component compared to the regular night repair and the price. Go tomorrow and get this. Amazing.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Bobbi Brown - Violet Ink Long-Wear Gel Liner
artemistzitzikilakis 3/14/2012 3:42:00 AM
The color in the pot and in pictures is misleading big time. It in no way looks this purple on your lids and is too light for me, though I will keep it. I have tried all gel liners I think: Stila, Lancome, Tarte, Buxom, etc. and Bobbi Brown really has it, the performance, perfected. You would think a cream would go on like any other cream, but not so. I use the Sephora IT brush and this somehow just doesn't clump on the brush like others. I don't know how they do it, but just the right amount goes on the brush using the same technique as other lid gels.
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Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Lipchic Lipstick Sealer
artemistzitzikilakis 3/14/2012 3:34:00 AM
I would like to give this a 4.5 as 5 is perfect and NO lip sealant is going to be perfect. I have tried LipCote and this is better. I have also tried something like this from MUFE, and that was awful. If I use this on a good lipstick, like Lancome Color Design (over 40 colors and not labeled long lasting but creamy and as lasting as creamy will get...expecially the Mattes) and wait for it to set it does fade the color a bit. So put a few coats of lipstick on, more than you really want to show, then add this and get every little corner, and wait five to ten minutes. If it is uncomfortably dry that may be just a trade off you have to make, or you can try a gloss over it. I prefer to just trade super comfort for reapplication. And it works! Not for eight hours exactly. You will at best be left with the outlines of a stain at that point, but it will look very good after three or four. Lipstick just does not last long on me, so I do believe others will have a better staying range. One caveat: do not use this on lipsticks marketed as "long wearing" like Lancome In Bloom or Mac, Outlast, etc. I personally would not go anywhere without this for more than a day.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Christian Dior - Dior Blush in Rosebud #939
artemistzitzikilakis 3/5/2012 4:59:00 AM
Dior blushes go on absolutely beautifully, not blotchy like Nars. This is a lovely color but hard to describe, kind of natural with a hint - just a hint - of mauve. More natural looking then something like Sin by Nars. I also have this blush in Peachy Keen, which is like the Nars "O" with sophistication. I even tried Laura Mecier to get a better finish then Nars and still the Dior is better.
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Primer/ Corrector -Smashbox - Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer - Adjust
artemistzitzikilakis 3/5/2012 3:06:00 AM
I have some redness from Retin A and the green color really does work. I asked the SA at Smashbox, by phone, why so many negative reviews here and at Sephora and she said those are from people that really do not have redness in their skin. Well I do and I would say the difference, as I tried this on one side and the regular on another and asked a few people at sephora without telling them which side the green was on (they both picked the side that DID have green on as less red), is more the subtle but less than perfection. And for a primer this is a decent price, as I had been using HourGlass and Cover FX. Update: I am still loving this, and I have continured to try to find the perfect primer/TM combo, but his primer is still the best for me. I don't get the bad reviews, but don't try it or review it if you don't need skin that needs to be adjusted. It absolutely does take redness away significantly, at least on me.
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