Brows -Sally Girl - Brow Powder
BarbItalia 5/16/2013 1:40:00 PM
I bought this post-holidays in a clearance bin! I hope it's not discontinued - it's perfect! No red tones whatsoever. I don't use the brush but it's good in a rush.
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Eyeliner -Physicians Formula - Shimmer strips custom eye enhancing eyeliner trio
BarbItalia 5/14/2013 10:50:00 AM
I freakin' LOVE these pencils!!! I have always had oily lids and have never, ever been able to use a liner pencil for two reasons: 1. They'd smear and 2. I could never get down into my lash roots with a pencil (and that is a HUGE makeup peeve of mine). The new breed of liners - gel pencils - hit the market and I loved their staying powder, but I'm terrible at sharpening the !#$@ things! And still, the point was never fine enough for me to get down into my lashline (I have a bit of an edge at my lashbase that requires either a very sharp pencil point or a brush, which is why I've always loved and used gel liners). I first bought a set of these PF liners and it was LOVE, omg. The tip is small, the shades are amazing, they are automatic, the line lasts all day long in any weather and I can tightline with them and my eyes don't water (hello Prestige Total Intensity) and there's no transfer to my lower waterline. I have nearly every shade set and keep a black and brown pencil my beau's house too. I use the lighter shades beneath my lower lashes (and it LASTS). I do wish PF would make a TEAL color group! Love the blue, the green, the purple, the smoky, the nude; in spite of the name "Shimmer Strips" the shimmer is not terribly obvious, if it is at all. The colors are rich and pigmented. I have a serious passion for these things, you guys! Whenever they're on sale I buy more. I hope my gel pots don't dry up, but it's just too easy and effective to grab one of these PF pencils, line and go! You've got to try them!
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Palettes -Sonia Kashuk - A Kiss On The Cheek
BarbItalia 5/11/2013 8:30:00 PM
I read about this new palette in a beauty blog and literally went out and bought it for a month-long stay with my Mom in Florida. LOVE IT. More of a gel than a cream, I use my ELF's small stipple blush to apply to my cheeks and a lip brush to apply to my lips (I'm 55 with pale lips and a faded lipline). Perfect shades for any makeup look, PERFECT for traveling instead of toting different blushes and lip shades! I do find the blush sticky on my face (in FL and GA, very humid areas) so I apply a similar shade powder blush lightly or just a sweep silicone powder on top. I have an ELF 4-pan palette with 4 shades of blush/bronzer (which have now been discontinued) and these two thin cheek palettes are now what I keep in my travel makeup stash. If you love cream blushes and lovely palettes go find this at Target while it's still available. And I didn't realize that the pans are removable - ?! So one could create a color palette of their own design in a Z palette?! FABULOUS, MUA.
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Lip Gloss -TheBalm - BalmShelter SPF 17 Tinted Gloss
BarbItalia 4/29/2013 12:57:00 PM
I'm soooo disappointed in this product! I waited and waited for the postponed 50% sale on TheBalm's website: I love my Nude 'Tude eyeshadow palette and was eager to try some other items from this brand. I happily ordered one of the new Instain Blushes in Toile, described as a strawberry, and a BalmShelter gloss in Daddy's Girl, also described as a strawberry. Seriously? This provides less color and shine than most of my lip balms! It feels lovely on the lips but has no staying power and for some reason it's difficult to pick up enough product on the wand for application. It seems very similar in texture and appearance on the lips as Jordana's Lip Shines, but Jordana's product is less slippery and has more substance. I thnk I'll return this; my Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer is 100x better than this and it's $4.99 - it even stains the lips! Balm Shelter glosses are $19.00 each....what a shame. I will stick to eyeshadows and blushes from TheBalm for now!
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Lip Gloss -TheBalm - BalmShelter SPF 17 Tinted Lip Gloss in Daddy's Girl
BarbItalia 4/29/2013 12:54:00 PM
I'm soooo disappointed in this product! I waited and waited for the postponed 50% sale on TheBalm's website: I love my Nude 'Tude eyeshadow palette and was eager to try some other items from this brand. I happily ordered one of the new Instain Blushes in Toile, described as a strawberry, and a BalmShelter gloss in Daddy's Girl, also described as a strawberry. Seriously? This provides less color and shine than most of my lip balms! It feels lovely on the lips but has no staying power and for some reason it's difficult to pick up enough product on the wand for application. It seems very similar in texture and appearance on the lips as Jordana's Lip Shines, but Jordana's product is less slippery and has more substance. I think I'll return this; my Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer is 100x better than this and it's $4.99 - it even stains the lips! Balm Shelter glosses are $19.00 each....what a shame. I will stick to eyeshadows and blushes from TheBalm for now!
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Palettes -Pur Minerals - START NOW! 4pc. Kit
BarbItalia 3/17/2013 2:30:00 PM
EDIT 4/1/13 In Florida for a few weeks to care for my Mom and LOVING THIS SET EVERY DAY!!! My skin looks fabulous. If you are a mineral makeup user, do consider this for travel! This set includes three small compacts: 4-In-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup, Mineral Glow (bronzer), and Universal Marble Powder (neutral rosy-pink blush), and a travel flat-top brush. The brush is small - no comparison to my ELF Studio flat-top! - but certainly usable. While I've never been entirely happy with Pur Minerals' foundation shades, I must say that Golden Medium works fine on my light-medium olive skin (though it looks much too dark in the pan). I really love the coverage and ease of application; so much so that it's tempting to use this every morning rather than my messier loose mmu (which also takes more time)! Perhaps in the near future....when I've exhausted my Alima and Lucy Minerals foundation jars, lol. The bronzer and blush give a lovely, healthy appearance (you'll need your own brushes for these) and I can achieve a cooler pink or warmer look depending upon how I use the two (great for travel - less products/blush to bring). I purchased this on Haute Look for $15.00 plus shipping, a marvelous deal for a very generous travel or try it kit.
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Eye Primer -Maybelline - Superstay 24 Concealer
BarbItalia 3/17/2013 2:05:00 PM
A bit unorthodox but this works so well as an e/s primer, serving multi-purposes: First, it conceals skin imperfections on the lid area, making the skin look smooth and even. Second, it holds back oils and maintains my eyeshadows and liners all day. And now for a third: For me, by using one of the deepest shades (Deep Beige) this concealer becomes a matte cream eyeshadow & base (which is so very hard to find)! I originally began using SuperStay 24 Concealer as an undereye concealer in Light. I was very happy with it until I saw my undereye area outdoors, in a hand mirror. YIKES, I looked like Bette Davis as Baby Jane! My skin looked so dry and crinkly! I stopped using it that day......under my eyes. One day shortly thereafter I was staying at my gentleman's house and, applying my makeup, I realized I didn't have any e/s base with me. Finding my former concealer in my travel kit and remembering how dry it was, I used it on my eyelids. Viola! The peachy color perked up my dark lids and held my shadow all day. I was thrilled, and this has been part of my daily routine for a couple of months. If you wish to lighten your eyelid area use one of the lighter shades - peachy Fair works so well for this. Now, I have very hooded eyes and, in truth, the last thing I need is to add light to my puffy crease-to-brow area! So it came to me - try a darker shade, duh! So I did, and I love it! Using the lighter shade, my dark eye area was even-colored but I certainly needed to wear a shadow to recede my hooded areas. Now, using the deep shade, my eye area is even-colored, looks smooth, and it appears that I'm wearing a neutral mid-tone matte eyeshadow! Brilliant! If I want to add just liner and mascara my eyes look great! But if I wish to add contour, shimmer, etc. I have a great base to work from. So very pleased with this! Do try it.
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Eye Shadow -Milani - Baked Eyeshadow - Fusion
BarbItalia 8/5/2012 3:44:00 PM
I debated buying this for such a long time because of many so-so reviews, but I KNEW I'd love it so I finally bought it. It's exactly as I hoped, and perfect for the type of look I've been doing all summer: Neutral-plus eyes, high-color cheeks and sort of matchy lips with a touch o bronzer all over. Fusion's plum/purple shows clearly on my lids, with a bronzy tone overall; too pretty with brown eyes! A perfect single-shade shadow! And my suggestion to all: Apply as you will (I do a wash from lash to browbone), then FOIL IT over lid - omg, tiny gold sparkles appear, it's so beautiful! I have worn it with purple liner and coral cheeks and lips, or no liner at all and pinky-bronze cheeks and lips with tons of black mascara. Fresh non-fussy looks for steamy summer days. Come the cold weather Fusion will be wonderful with a warm matte bronze/brown in the crease/outer V, and a pale matte pink on the browbone. The compact is clunky, no doubt, but it's easy to find and the eyeshadow is perfection so I don't care. I adore shades like this especially on my 50+ eyes! Milani, how I love thee......especially your baked products! Give me more, more!
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Foundations -Unlisted Brand - Lucy Minerals Foundation
BarbItalia 6/17/2012 11:54:00 AM
8/19/12 I finished all my sample shades and ordered 2 full sized foundations. Really, really love this one!!! ********************************************************************************** I've been testing this foundation over the past two months; I'm currently on my second formula and shade. I liked the original formula in Pale Olive, but now I really love the Oil Control Foundation with Silica (OCS) in Creamy Olive, a shade darker than the previous and better for me in the summer. The coverage it provides is wonderful! It controls my oiliness so much better than my much-loved Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation (my recent return to liquid foundations after a decade or so). Soooo creamy to the touch and upon application to the skin! I just love it! Ingredients for the OCS formula: Ingredients~ zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, mica, magnesium stearate, silica dioxide, iron oxides, allantoin, Apple Poly® polyphenols, trans-resveratrol, green coffee bean extract, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate. When I've finished this sample jar ($2.50 ea), I will try the Oil Control with Calcium Carbonate (OCC) in Creamy Olive as well and then review that formula. www.lucyminerals.com - Scroll down for shades
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Palettes -Tarte - Achiote 3-piece Color Collection
BarbItalia 6/17/2012 10:42:00 AM
Fact: I have not yet even swatched two makeup sets/palettes I've purchased, and it's been nearly a year since I bought one of them. I love the inviting appearance of a set but I have to love and use everything in it to buy it; I have specific makeup needs (a deep matte the crease, blush/lip shades that are more neutral/bright rather than warm, etc) and not may sets suit me. However, Achiote Collection is so pretty, so workable, such a delicious color, I haven't stopped using it! I have a couple square Tarte depotted eye shadows but other than that I've never owned Tarte products. When I saw this reviewed, swatched and applied on Gouldylox.com and musingsofamuse.com, I knew this was made for me! Set includes: 1. Amazonian Clay Blush in Achiote 2. Lip Surgence Lip Luster " " 3. Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Gloss " " "Achiote" is the most GORGEOUS ripe rosey coral color and each of these three products share this shade with different finishes. While orange is the color of the year, this is a very practical, very flattering version for me. Combined, this old mug 'o mine looks SO healthy and fresh and pretty, omg! I love doing a taupe or muted purple eye with these shades. Perhaps that's why this set appeals to me so...one is free to do any kind of eye look with it and I love matchy-matchy lips and cheeks! The blush is matte, pigmented and blends on perfectly; the Lip Surgence - my first of this type of product (have since purchased a Revlon Just Bitten balm/stain) - has a bit of shimmer and one can control the depth of the shade by application...it feels lovely on the lips and lasts; the Divine Lip Luster is a bit pinker than the other two products but is the perfect compliment and finishing touch to the blush and lip stain. Yes, I will be repurchasing, either by set or individual product. The set is $42 at Ulta and QVC, which is a great deal considering the individual prices for these products and also that the shades are LE. Here's an indication of how much I love this set: I PAID FULL PRICE AT ULTA! lol Look at this color - to die for! https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=achiote%203%20piece%20color%20collection&biw=1280&bih=642&sei=l-fdT6yvFIOy8QSCpa39Cg PLEASE TARTE, ADD THESE SHADES TO YOUR PERMANENT COLLECTION! And make more sets like this for the Holidays! .
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Eye Shadow -Jordana - Color Effects Eyeshadow Powder in #10 Smoky Jade
BarbItalia 6/9/2012 4:52:00 PM
NARS "Rajasthan" dupe?! So I've been resisting these duos ever since they first appeared at my Walgreens...and that's taken alot of self-restraint because they're all so pretty! But one day I glanced at the display as I passed it and there I saw an odd one; a shade duo that is not part of the regular display. How it got there I've no idea (we don't have K-Mart here and it was still sealed), but "Smoky Jade" is one of the shade combos sold on www.jordanacosmetics.com. Talk about FATE, of course I had to buy it! "Smoky Jade" is a gorgeous neutral, midtone taupey-bronze with a slight pink tone, matched with a deep dark teal. This combination was MADE for brown eyes! Worn as a smoky eye with the teal on the lid and the taupey-bronze from the crease blended up to the brow, or traditionally with the taupey-bronze on the lid and the teal at the outer V, these shades perform and have a lovely soft sheen. This is lovely, too, with an apricot/peach shade on the lid, teal at outer V and bronzey shade in the crease. Though I haven't tried, I bet that deep teal would be gorgeous used wet as a liner. I use my BB Ivy Shimmer Ink. On my skin, the teal blends out to a fabulous charcoal teal; not at all obviously teal or blue, and that makes me love it even more - a deep smoky shade with a little subtle something extra, esp. great for brown eyes. Blogger Silverlipsbeauty.com compares this to Nars "Rajasthan" - and it's like, identical! And Jordana's is less than $4! THIS is why I love good drugstore makeup :) The compact is much thicker than it has to be, with a clear top and shiny silver that make this just under 1" high! But I don't mind.....I'll probably depot it anyway, and I do think the packaging is attractive. I encourage you to buy this, either at your K-Mart or Walgreens or online! This eyeshadow alone is worth the shipping price, but you'll find a few other fabulous things to order while you're browsing. Here are all the Color Effects Duos offered: http://www.jordanacosmetics.com/p-115-color-effects-powder-eyeshadow-duo.aspx
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Blush -Bare Escentuals - Blush Compatibles from Bare Minerals
BarbItalia 5/17/2012 1:53:00 PM
I have PINED for this particular duo - "Pink Ice & Ginger" - for years but always rationalized myself out of buying it. When, perusing a sale last week at bareescentuals.com, I saw this for $6+ I didn't think twice - "Add to cart"! And I am absolutely delighted with the product, oh my goodness! "Ginger" adds warmth and contour to my face and "Pink Ice" is the PERFECT shade of bright cool pink on my cheeks! Together they create such a finished, professional and heathy look, I just adore it. Today I'm wearing Smashbox l/g in "Candid" and it seems perfect with this blush combo. I don't know if this is discontinued; I will look on Sephora for a backup. This is the ideal single blush compact for travel, allowing for both warm and cool cheek shades. LOVE THIS!
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - Infallible in Amber Rush
BarbItalia 4/16/2012 4:33:00 PM
What a glorious shade this is!!! On my light olive skin, Amber Rush is a peachy-copper gleam. I love this on my lid with a touch of matte bronzer fading up from crease-to-brow; by adding Milani's Rose D'Oro Baked Blush on my cheeks and a soft peach shade (Stila's Mango Lipglaze is one) on the lips, I create a lovely sunkissed look to a face that spends very little time in the sun! Love the Infallible formula - I hope L'Oreal runs with this line and expand it like they did with the On the Loose eyeshadows. I also enjoy the dark brown and black shades as long-lastiing smoky liners...fabulous!
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Eyeliner -Milani - Eye Tech Extreme
BarbItalia 4/6/2012 12:45:00 PM
Here's why I LOVE this liner: 1. It has a very long, thin felt tip which is so slender that, as I tightline, I can slip the liner tip up inbetween my lashes nearly to the top lashline! So I'm tightlining and coloring inbetween my lashes up to the top lashline. What an effect this creates, like tightlining x2! 2. It's very waterproof. Lately my eyes water every morning and often I arrive to work with ruined liner. Not with this product. 3. Because of the length of the tip I can line my eyes without coating lashes with liner. I can reach down over my lashes to my lid so easily! 4. I can create the thinnest line or build up to thick cat-eye liner, again without accidentally coating odd lashes with the liner. 5. After application I can brush or press pigment or eyeshadow on top of my black line without disturbing it. Love this. One thing that surprised me is that, after I tightline, sometimes a light grey shade transfers to my waterline. This never happens when I tightline with Wet n Wild's H20 w/p liquid liner. But it's the only drawback to this product for me; the benefits greatly outweigh this one bad feature. And the transfer easily wipes off. I would love to see a nice navy and deep brown in this formula and applicator! So happy with it!
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Eye Shadow -Milani - Powder Eyeshadow Palette in Abstract
BarbItalia 3/31/2012 4:55:00 PM
IT'S A NUDE PALETTE IN A PAN!!! Omg I love this so much, I want backups! So remember when NYC had their Mosiac Eyeshadow pans? This is similar but much larger with all neutral/nude shades. The dominant shade is in the center, a light matte beige with a slight pink tinge. Then surrounding that are the following: 1. A gorgeous Kitten-ish shade, a neutral midtone pink shimmer with teeny sparkle! 2. A lovely midtone gold shimmer 3. A coppery brown shimmer 4. A large serving of a matte milk-chocolate brown 5. A neutral matte brown that's a shade darker/cooler than #4. 6. A deep, dark matte chocolate suitable for lining wet or dry The pigmentation is perfect, one can do so much with this shade assortment! They blend easily. Wearing this today with Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore and Revlon's Strawberry gloss - gorgeous! I found this hanging among the Milani display at Walmart for $7.99 in a hinged clear-topped compact. I am utterly, absolutely in love with it - how fabulous for travel!
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No