BB Cream -Garnier - BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector for Combination to Oily Skin - Light
Ancatje 11/1/2012 2:59:00 PM
I've got fairly dry cheeks and a very oily T-zone, and nothing ever works to keep the shine off my T-zone at bay. THIS DOES! Fine, it doesn't keep me 100% matte, but whereas with everything else I've tried before, I'd need to blot/ powder within literally 1-2 hours max, this keeps me shine-free for hours and hours. I usually feel the need to powder once in the early afternoon, but don't always bother to. (FYI stuff that I've tried before for oilyness: countless oil-control powders, anti-shine primers from No7, Smashbox etc, Origins zero oil, different foundations...) Having dry-ish cheeks, I always put a light moisturiser under this, only on my cheeks. Works for me. I apply this BB cream with my fingers and the result is very natural, but flawless! - very good coverage, even for under the eyes (I'd really say this offers medium coverage)! The "light" matches my NC15 skin perfectly and doesn't oxidise. It does apply a bit white-ish initially, but quickly adapts to my skintone. As others have said, yes it's runny, but I just keep my bottle upright, so when I need to use it I turn it a little bit to its side and pour however much I need. No problems so far. All in all, happy days!
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Mascara -Rimmel - Scandal Eyes
Ancatje 10/29/2012 9:18:00 PM
Got this as GWP so thought, it was free, of course it's gonna be crap. But I actually quite like it! The formula is a bit wet so takes a few seconds more to dry, but I find that nice because that means you can go over all your lashes properly, without it drying in the meantime. Also it's gonna take longer for it to dry out in the tube, so you're not gonna need to toss it as fast as you would other mascaras. Had mine for a good 4-5 months before it started getting a bit flaky! (and I'm always fast in throwing old mascaras out) Gives good volume and length, separates decently as well and it's a nice black. I find I only need one layer to give me the desired dolly lash effect. The only problem I have with this is that the brush really is too big! I put my mascara on in the morning before I go to work, when my eyes are still a bit puffy (top lid included), and this tends to get on my top lid, close to my lashes, so it's hard to wipe it off after. I'd still repurchase this, however I just bought the Scandaleyes Show Off, the pink one with the ball tip at the end, so will give that one a go first.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Max Factor - Masterpiece Max
Ancatje 10/27/2012 1:26:00 PM
I love this mascara! Great brush, tapered towards the end, with silicone-y bristles that are quite short but not so short that they don't grab your lashes. It's a good medium length and quite slim, so it's easy to work with and get all the lashes. Works well for bottom lashes too. I find that it both lenghtens and volumises my lashes, holds a curl rather well, doesn't clump or smudge and looks very black (I use the colour Black). Perfect! I also like the formulation, it's not too wet but not so dry that it makes your lashes hard. It just leaves them still looking natural and supple. The only downside perhaps is that it's quite stubborn to get off. With this, I aways use one of those dual oil-based makeup removers and hold the cotton pad on my eye for a few seconds first, then it comes off easier.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Rimmel - Sexy Curves
Ancatje 10/27/2012 10:56:00 AM
This mascara gives me spider lashes every single time, without fail! The brush is one of those rubbery ones, which doesn't bother me at all and in fact I seem to prefer rubber bristles. However, the bristles on this brush are SO short, that they can't seem to be able to catch and separate my lashes at all, or add length. The curved shape of the brush (think the humps on a camel's back) makes things worse I think and adds to the spider lash effect. Needless to say there is no volume either. The one thing I will say is that it does hold a decent curl to my lashes, but it is in no way sexy! More like a bunch of lashes clumped together with an added bend to them. YUCK all round.
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Mascara -Avon - Supershock MAX Mascara
Ancatje 9/30/2012 9:39:00 AM
This mascara is rubbish! My lashes are pretty good and any mascara usually does at least a decent job on them, but this one is just disappointing! PROS: Just one, the fact that it does indeed volumise. CONS: - Unlike what others have said, I actually find the formula a bit too dry. - It doesn't lenghten - It doesn't hold a curl - my lashes are basically poker straight half an hour after I put this on - It's not black enough, looks more like a washed out black to me - It's expensive (again, unlike others have said) - This is £10 from Avon's website here in the UK! NEUTRAL: The brush. It is massive, and has rubbery bristles, but I don't mind it. However my lashes are quite good as I said so the brush is never really a problem for me. I haven't tried the normal Supershock, so can't compare, but ladies, please don't waste your money on this!
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BB Cream -Maybelline - Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream
Ancatje 9/30/2012 9:24:00 AM
My problem with this product is that it has absolutely no coverage what so ever. "Blurs imperfections", as it says on the tube? I don't think so. I have slight redness on my face these days, that for example my Bourjois 10 hr sleep effect covers fairly well even though that's the sheerest foundation ever, but this BB cream just doesn't do anything for it, it doesn't even slightly cover it, not one bit. So that being the case, I'm wondering what's the point of using this product at all. Yes, it feels nice on the skin, like a regular moisturiser, and it doesn't look like you're wearing anything, but in that case you might as well just buy an SPF that actually has some beneficial ingredients in it and, instead of using this all over your face, just use a concealer/ light foundation to cover where needed. I also feel like you need quite a lot of this to cover your whole face, at least 3 times more than I would need to cover my entire face with a regular foundation. All in all, it feels nice but has zero coverage so I would not recommend this. If you don't need coverage, then why not buy a nice moisturiser with SPF instead!
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Eyeliner -Maybelline - Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner
Ancatje 9/30/2012 9:03:00 AM
I have really oily eyelids AND hooded eyes, so everything I put on them just smudges. Not so with this! Granted, towards the end of the day, there can be a very slight transfer onto the crease, but I am so so impressed with this. It lasts so long, I can put in on in the morning before I go to work, and if I want to go for a drink in the evening it'll still be there, just as black and with minimum or even no transfer onto the lid! It doesn't flake either, and it hasn't dried on me yet even though I've had it for about a year. I've recommended this to a friend of mine with asian eyes who previously had problems with eyeliners transferring under her eyes, and she loves it too. Definitely recommended!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -La Roche Posay - Effaclar A.I.
Ancatje 8/25/2012 11:47:00 AM
I discovered this by accident, in my boyfriend's case of toiletries and unused stuff. So I gave it a go and OH. MY. GOD does it work! I have combination skin, and altough I don't have major breakouts, I always have 2-3 blemishes on my skin, some bigger and nastier than others - you know, the red swollen ones that can't be squeezed out and take forever to go away, and when they do, they leave a darkened flat mark for aaages. Not anymore! I swear I put this on and the swelling goes down in HOURS!, only leaving a red little spot, that usually goes away overnight. I haven't noticed this drying out my skin, but I do only pat it on the small area where the spots are. Not sure how this works for acne, but for the odd blemishes it is a miracle in a tube! It's about £9 for 15ml here in the UK, which I think is reasonable, especially considering the effects! (The tube has lasted me ages as well, since it's one of those metallic ones you can squeeze all the product out of.)
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Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - Veet - Hair Minimising Body Moisturiser for Normal/Dry Skin
Ancatje 8/22/2012 7:00:00 PM
This is quite a runny lotion that is light and gets absorbed easily into the skin, so you don't have to keep rubbing it in when you're in a rush/ too lazy to moisturise. Moisturises fairly well and I feel it's quite convenient and easy to use. However I haven't noticed any slowing down of hair growth... so if you're looking to buy it because of that - don't. Smells weird too. Wouldn't say extremely unpleasant, but definitely not pleasant. And I expect my body products to at least smell nice if I'm gonna go through the bother of putting them on!
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Masks -Ren - Invisible Pores Detox Mask
Ancatje 8/22/2012 6:41:00 PM
This mask makes my eyes sting like hell!!!! And yes, I am avoiding the eye area! But it's just that the product itself releases some sort of strong minty-ish vapours and within 2 seconds of getting this on my face I can feel my eyes burning. I've still used the product up (as I hate wasting products), but I've kept my eyes closed whenever I have this on - which to be honest I find inconvenient to do. As a mask, it's just your general draws-out-impurities/ cleans-pores sort of mask - similar to a clay mask. It makes my face feel cleaner for a few hours after I've put it on, but I haven't seen any long term benefits. It is quite gentle though, it does make my face feel slightly tight and dry when I take it off but nothing too awful. It's pricey though, £18 for 50ml. Even if it didn't burn my eyes, I'd never repurchase this - there are loads of cheaper masks out there that work better!!
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Foundations -Avon - Ideal Flawless Invisible Coverage Liquid Foundation
Ancatje 8/6/2012 7:06:00 PM
I've got quite dry skin on my cheeks and a really oily T-zone. I apply this foundation straight after moisturiser, without letting it sink in completely, otherwise it looks cakey. Once applied, it looks quite flawless, and I don't feel like it's heavy, even though applying it it feels a bit thick. I mean, it's not a light foundation, it's a good medium-to-full coverage, so I wouldn't use it for everyday, but for special occasions or when you'd be photographed, it's great. This definitely needs powdering all over to avoid looking greasy. I tried not powdering it a few times, and every time I'd look greasy literally within a minute, not just on my T-zone, but all over i.e. even on my dry cheeks! So do powder. On me this lasts all day, even on my T-zone where other foundations tend to fade a little through the day. Overall, I'd recommend this, but only for dry to combination skin types.
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Lipstick -Revlon - Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - Honey
Ancatje 8/3/2012 12:48:00 PM
Finally a stain that lasts but doesn't cling to dry patches on my lips, and doesn't wear off leaving a ring around my lips! On my medium-pigmented lips, this shade shows up as a nice nude pink, my-lips-but-better kind of thing. It's not purple-y, or fuchsia, as some other people experiences, just a nice medium pink. I find this doesn't last as long as the darker shades I have, but if I put two coats on, it definitely lasts through a few drinks with my friends down the pub. Definitely recommending these (I've got 5 of them)! UPDATE: 27 Oct 2012. The lids on these things are very flimsy! Three out of the ones I have and use frequently have cracked so they came off in my bag, leaving some delightful stains. If you've used quite a bit of the lippy and are careful to twist it back into the tube, then I guess it's less of a problem, but very annoying nonetheless.
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Lips -Revlon - Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain- Romantic
Ancatje 8/3/2012 12:39:00 PM
I've got 5 of these and this shade has to be my favourite one! On my medium-pigmented lips it shows up like a summery coraly red. I get dry bits on my lips all the time, no matter how much I exfoliate and moisturise, so stains or long-lasting lipsticks have never really been my thing, since even with lip balm or what-not on top they still cling to my dry patches and end up looking horrible. This however really is different! I'm not gonna say they don't emphasize my dry patches at all, because they can do once the balm wears off and you're left with just the stain, but it's definitely not as bad as with any other stains I've tried. And also, I found that if I apply a lip balm as soon as my lips feel dry, then I don't get the clingyness to dry patches at all - win! In my experience, if I apply just one coat for a sheerer look, this wears of rather quickly, and it can apply a bit uneven as well. But if I apply two coats for the full bright colour, this lasts sooo long - literally lasts me through a meal and a few drinks, without getting patchy and leaving me that ring on the edge of my lips that other products can do when they wear off. I am in love. UPDATE: 27 Oct 2012. The lids on these things are very flimsy! Three out of the ones I have and use frequently have cracked so they came off in my bag, leaving some delightful stains. If you've used quite a bit of the lippy and are careful to twist it back into the tube, then I guess it's less of a problem, but very annoying nonetheless.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Estee Lauder - High Gloss - Honey
Ancatje 8/3/2012 12:22:00 PM
I wouldn't say this is high "gloss", more like high glitter! It has loads of glitter particles in, that when the gloss has just been put on looks nice enough, HOWEVER, when the gloss starts wearing off, the glitter still remains on your lips, and transfers everywhere. I hate hate hate the smell of this, sweet cheap smell that you can feel for ages after application. It's a very sheer (pretty much no colour-payoff) gloss, so don't expect this to give you a nude lip. It's not too terribly sticky. The packaging is terrible as well - a few times that I've used it the gloss wouldn't stop coming out of the tube! Even when it was only about 70% full! So you can end up wasting lots of this also, which is not great considering it's abour £15 here in the UK. Either way, wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
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Treatments (Eye) -Unlisted Brand - tea bags
Ancatje 7/26/2012 8:28:00 PM
Make yourself a cup of tea (regular black tea), take the bag out, squeeze the excess liquid, put it in the fridge/freezer to cool down. When it's ice cold, put it over/mainly your eyes for 5mins. I usually press gently as well, to get the caffeine in my skin. De-puffs my under eye area like nothing else I've tried before! And I've got quite puffy eyes, especially under one eye (because I sleep on my side). The effect lasts a good few days as well - if not a whole week!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No