Mascara -Max Factor - Masterpiece Max
lollsazz 8/15/2011 11:21:00 AM
First off: I use this as a natural, every-day mascara. I don't want my eyes to be dramatic, just defined. . I have thin, not very long, OK curl-wise lashes. Why I like this: Usually I don't like rubber wands, but his mascara has a wand that separates my lashes really well, and that is really important if you have thin lashes like mine. It's also not very wide, which makes it easy to coat the corner lashes at the top without touching the bottom. This doesn't scatter! :D REALLY important to me, because I don't want to check for panda eyes throughout the day or if it's humid. I usually wear mascara from about 9-12 am to 12 pm. It doesn't clump. I got this for cheap (considered here) - 12 $. I absolutely love the wand, and actually use it for a different mascara for totally awesome definition - it's precise and separates well. This doesn't give volume, if you're in the search for that. This doesn't curl lashes well. . All in all, a decent mascara. Not HG material, but totally decent. Do not regret buying. Would recommend.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NYX - Rouge Cream Blush - Tea Rose
lollsazz 8/15/2011 9:48:00 AM
A long-lasting and animal friendly powder dupe for this colour is the Tarte Exposed blush, which I'm in love with! - This has also replaced my NYX Tea Rose. Although Tarte's blushes are a bit expensive they're totally worth it! . I've had this since about February. I do also have this in Glow 05, and also another cream blush: Creme Rouge Wheel from Ben Nye. . States: cruelty free and hypo-allergenic - yay :D I have never reacted to it, although my skin is kinda sensitive. Also: the price is great, and the product would probably last a year with every-day-use. Paraben free. . First off: this is a perfect natural colour (my skin is now NC20 in MAC foundation, after oxidation). When i first saw it in the packaging (ordered it online), I was like "this is so brown and greyish compared to my other blushes :(" But no! This is actually a dusty rose, and looks very much like a real flush of colour - the natural type - the type not even my mum would detect as makeup! I would say most people would suit this well, up to medium skin tone (I don't know how much it would show up on medium-dark ones). . This has a mousse consistency, not like Ben Nye's blush or Glow (other ingredients than this one), which are more "waxy". This makes it really easy to spread. I use my MAC 187 brush for this, although a smaller duo brush or fingers or some other type of application would probably work well too. Because of the consistency, I would say that it's not drying - at least it doesn't accentuate my dry patches. . In longevity I would say that my other cream blushes are longer lasting in general, but it also depends what you use the blush over. Some of my foundations (Visible Lift - L'Oreal, Vitamuliere Aqua - Chanel, Sensai Fluid Finish - Kanebo) made it disappear really fast, and I didn't have a trace of it left at the end of the day, while some (Pro Longwear - MAC) makes the tiniest amount of this last all day. I would say a general rule would be: long lasting foundations makes this last just as long. I haven't tried it out on bare skin, so can't say anything 'bout that.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Unlisted Brand - Lucy Minerals Ultimate Retractable Kabuki Brush
lollsazz 8/1/2011 3:45:00 PM
So awesome! Soooo awesome!! I second the reviewer under me. This is a fabulous brush! Love it! It's very soft, which is good for my sensitive skin (although it will be great for any skin type). I have stopped using my MAC kabuki, because it feels sooo scratchy and stiff compared to this. Because it's so soft, it's also very nice to use to put powder over foundation, because it doesn't drag it off. It's dense, which I like. I've had no fall out. It's hygienic and travel friendly, which is important to me. I have nothing negative to say about this. And because I like it so much, I think it's worth the $17.50.
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Loose Powders -MAC - Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
lollsazz 8/1/2011 3:29:00 PM
Really like this powder! . When I had dry skin on the cheeks but oily t-zone, this powder wasn't enough to control the shine, so I used the Blot Powder on the t-zone (this is not as finely milled, and therefore slightly noticeable). What actually impressed me about it was that it didn't make my dry cheeks drier, so I do believe that people with dry skin would like this. It has also never made my sensitive skin break out. Right now i have normal/dry skin, and don't need to use any other powder than this over my foundation, and do not end up oily in the evening. . This powder is very finely milled. Some people were complaining about it flying everywhere, but that's not really a problem I get. Even though it's white, it doesn't give me a ghost-face, and is hard to overdo. I have now had it for 5 months, and still have about 1/3 of the box left, if not even a little more, so I think it's economical. I like to use it with the very soft Ultimate Retractable Kabuki Brush (highly recommended) from lucyminerals.com. With this brush, I can even swirl the powder into my foundation without ruining it. This makes my foundation last longer that with the powder sitting on top of it. . This doesn't make my face matt, but rather gives it a very nice natural glow, while not containing any shimmer. Since it's so finely milled, it doesn't make my face look powdered. It covers pores very nicely - my face looks so much smoother with this :) . I do believe that there's more powders similar to this out there, but this is a good one, so I will still give it a 5. . Don't know why this gives some people a whit cast - it hasn't happened to me, even when I was NC30 in MAC...
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Got 2 Be - Smooth Operator Smoothing Satin Drops
lollsazz 7/30/2011 2:02:00 PM
Seems like I'm one of the few not liking this. It does give OK results, but I just can't handle the smell. It smells like peaches, which I usually like, but it's such a strong and sweet smell that it sickens me. It also lasts for a long time, which is good if you like it, but irritated me a lot because I didn't like it and it interfered with my perfume. The bottle is in my opinion nothing special - I like more discrete packaging. the pump pumps out very small amounts and isn't very good, as the amount decrease with each pump (at least mine did). But you get a lot of product for pretty low price.
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Blush -NYX - Rouge Cream Blush - Hot Pink
lollsazz 7/30/2011 1:47:00 PM
UPDATE 18. March 2012: upgrading this to 5 lippies - I like this because it lasts on me longer than my other cream blushes. I have Tea Rose by NYX too, and t has a more mousse-consistency, but doesn't last as long as this one on me. I still use it just like described under: on my cheekbones, do not bring it much downwards, but rather towards the side of the face, do not go close to centre of the face. I DO like it, but a small duo-fiber brush would me much better to apply this with than my big MAC one... Oh, and the colour is pretty pigmented, so one should be careful with the amount - I think this would last me probably 10 years using it daily with the amount I use...! This would probably work really well for dark-skinned girls :) . I don't really want to give this a bad review, because it's a good blush, but sometimes a bit difficult to wear, as I have to place it slightly different than my regular blush (which by the way is the same type, just another colour). With my regular blush I can make a very natural cheek colour, and just swipe it over almost the whole cheek, while with this I have to concentrate more on the cheekbone to make it look nice, and also can't bring it as close to the centre of the face as with my regular one. It DOES look nice on me (NC20-25), but I just don't use it as often because it needs a little more work, but it's definitely a good blush - easy to use, nice staying power and brightens the face.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Insolence
lollsazz 7/29/2011 1:04:00 PM
Very violet-y and sweet, with a lot of raspberries. I actually liked it in the winter, when it was dark and cold, because it's such a warm and heavy smell (you should be VERY careful with how much you put on!). Has good staying power. This is an invasive smell, I would say simple and not very mysterious... Smells both a bit childish and sophisticated. Probably not for shy girls. I liked it for quite a while, but got tired of it, which is why I won't repurchase. But I'm probably going to try it out in the winter again.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Desert Essence - Jojoba Oil - 100% pure
lollsazz 7/28/2011 11:47:00 AM
I have tried this on the ends of my hair before to reduce frizzyness, and it worked pretty well, not making it too heavy like for example olive oil (that also smells weird to me...) or coconut oil (that after some time also changes in smell). I do not like to use this as a makeup remover at all - my L'Oreal one works much better and it's cheaper for the same amount. . Right now I'm using this as a face moisturiser because the last moisturiser I bought broke me out in small white bumps after about two weeks use. I thought the bumps would go away, waited for 3 more weeks using my regular cream, but they actually turned hard under the skin, so I actually had to squeeze them out!!! :G I had them all over my face, and of course got a little bit of scarring left behind :( I NEED to moisturise my face, because after the cream that... I don't know - gave me an allergy (+) my skin is now dry... Since I just don't have money right now, and because the bottle said that this was a non-pore-clogging oil, I decided to try it. Also, I have pretty sensitive and thin skin, and I'm afraid of experimenting more with moisturisers. . First off: Many people say that this is good because it is like the skin's natural oil. If this is true, I'm not sure I would recommend this product to the people that already have oily skin, because it can cause even more clogging (which oily skinned people is known of often experiencing). I have dry skin, and therefore a lack of natural oil on the skin. . Jojoba oil is mildly comedogenic (2 on a scale of 5, but many things people regularly use is much worse than that). This does not mean that everyone will get clogged pores from this. I don't have much problem with pores - I both regularly exfoliate my skin, and just have always had small pores. This oil is considered as 0 on a a scale of irritating chemicals. This does not mean no one will react bad to it. Some bacteria feeds of oil (especially vitamin oils), and therefore, much oil can cause more bacteria on the skin. . The way I use this: wash my my face (with a soft sponge and facial soap) and then taking 3 drops of this on my palm, rubbing my hands together, pat on the oil, and then massage it in a little. . Now for my experience: I have been using this for 3 weeks now. This is a non-tacky, non-greasy-looking oil. It has no smell. Till now it has definitely not broke me out, and have been working pretty well for moisturising my skin, but I'm not sure how it would work on skin that's very dry. I wear foundation every day right now, and this oil haven't interfered with it or made my face becoming oily faster. I have noticed that my pores doesn't get bigger at all using this - they're just as small as after an exfoliation - very impressive! . For the first week I wasn't feeling that this oil was doing anything for my face - which it really wasn't. My skin felt dry and slightly oily at the same time. So why have I given it a 5? Because after about 2 weeks I started noticing a difference: my skin slowly began to normalize and regain moisture while it wasn't becoming too oily oily, no clogged pores and no irritations. . One bottle will last me sooo long, and I certainly will use it again! I would suggest other people trying it out if they have dry skin, want a natural product, have sensitive skin, or want to use this for the same purpose as me or another.
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Eye Shadow -Unlisted Brand - Lucy Minerals - Vanilla Shadow
lollsazz 7/19/2011 11:40:00 AM
This is a loose shadow, so it's limited how much one can do about the packaging. This is matte. I have 2 other shadows from Lucy Minerals, and I really like them, but I don't like this one. The colour is nice in the pot, but it does not show up AT ALL, because it doesn't adhere to the skin. It's almost like putting corn starch on your lid. It may work with primer, but I doubt it will. Wouldn't recommend this.
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Liquid -Kanebo - Sensai Fluid Finish foundation
lollsazz 7/9/2011 11:50:00 AM
Background: oily t-zone, slightly dry cheeks, especially after I get occasional breakouts, sensitive, acne prone but fairly clear skin, some pigmentation from old scars, small pores, visible about only on my nose, some redness around nose and chin. . When I bought this, the seller told me that this is better to use with some other products from the same range, and I think it may be so. Some moisturizers are good with it, while some make this cake, streak, ball up and never dry. It can work over bare skin for people that have normal skin. I really disliked this foundation before I found a cream that this actually can apply over without problems. . I like this because it looks natural, but there is one big con for me: I have reeeally smooth skin texture - almost invisible pores, very even - my problem is a little hyperpigmentationa and a little redness, and I'm not that happy about my skin tone. This foundation makes my skin look like it has MORE texture to it - it looks more gritty because of the powder partiles(basically the opposite of what a BB cream does). I use only ONE PUMP for my whole face - this tends to look really caky and uneven on me if I use more. By uneven I mean that it patches pretty bad (especially if I brush powder over it) and rolls up in tiny balls. The coverage you get out of one pump is light/medium. You could use a concealer if you need more coverage on certain areas. You should have this in mind: if you don't get the desired coverage out of approximately one pump, you probably should buy something else. I would recommend this for people with pretty good skin. . Without any cream under, it works very well if you have normal skin, but if your skin is dry, it may accentuate this. It will definitely accentuate flakiness - that's a con. It's supposed to be hydrating, but I wouldn't say it does that; at max, it doesn't dry your skin out further. This isn't a foundation for the people that have really oily skin either, unless you have found a primer that works well with it (maybe one from their range), but personally, I felt this has no oil control (despite being powdery). I usually don't like to use powders, but I need to when using this foundation, especially with my regular moisturizer. . The colour range of this foundation isn't great - in the winter I tend to be more yellow-toned, and the undertones of this are either too pink or orange, but fits me in the summer. When I'm approximately NC25 in MAC, I use this in FF203, which has a neutral undertone. Else, I just correct this foundation with Kett yellow colour corrector to get the colour right. Review here: http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemId=151847/Kett-Cosmetics---Hydro-Proof-Color-Theory-Yellow/Unlisted-Brand/Primer/-Corrector . Still, I have given this a 4, because this lasts OK on me, but may rub off a bit and transfers a little. This didn't seem to clog my pores. This doesn't cover all of my redness, so if that's your problem, this may not be for you. . I may repurchase this foundation but I wouldn't say that it's the best foundation I've tried. I would still recommend you trying it out though. You may like it. . UPDATE: I rebought it. At first I really regret it, because I couldn't manage to make it look good. It has been a year since I finished my bottle. Then I went back to this post and used my own tips. And they worked XD
5 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -MAC - Pro Longwear concealer
lollsazz 7/9/2011 11:48:00 AM
Don't get why people like this so much. I don't like the container - wastes and it's a glass bottle, which can break, so I wouldn't like to take it with me on the go. This IS drying, especially under the eyes, which makes that area look old and ugly. Seriously people - be careful about what you use for your eyes, you probably don't want to get wrinkles later! This IS long lasting though, which is good, but it didn't look too good on: oxidized to an ugly orange colour, actually slid of my nose and it was pretty obvious that I had it on. It can also be hard to work with since it dries fast... It also clogged my pores. Bottom line: do not like, would not buy again. . UPDATE: gave this 1 more lippie. This is still not for under the eyes, but it's good to use on those days I have one of those bad break-outs, or the pigmentation I'm left with after. my skin is now drier than it was before, so this doesn't slide off as easily. This still clogs my pores, but it's a nice solution when I'm in desperate need for full, all-day-lasting coverage. A bit strange with the "good for only 6 months after opening", though...
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Moisturizers -The Body Shop - Vitamin E Moisture Cream
lollsazz 6/30/2011 6:14:00 PM
Broke me out. When I applied it to the skin, I felt a stinging sensation, but it went away pretty fast, so I thought it was OK, but after a couple of weeks use I now have a rash of tiny pimples all over my face and a big pimple on one of my cheeks. I didn't realize it was this breaking me out right away; I thought it was my new foundation. It has now been three weeks since I stopped using this cream, but my skin still look bad. I didn't use to get pimples on my forehead, but got them all over, and also on my neck!!! This was a bit pricey, and I haven't been allergic to the other creams from this range that I've tried, and I'm so mad at this one >:( It also somehow made my skin sticky and greasy - almost like it started sweating underneath the cream, which could have been a warning from my skin that it does not like this... I have never reacted so badly to anything, and would not recommend this to people with sensitive skin. . UPDATE: when I found out that it was this thing breaking me out, I stopped using it, in hope that the pimples would go away. But no. I waited for 3 weeks, using my regular cream, and the pimples actually just got hard and my skin dry. I actually think this not only was irritating for my skin, but also clogged the pores. The only way I got my skin to normalize was squeezing out all of the pimples (insane amount!), which caused a bit of scarring that went away after about 2 weeks, and used jojoba oil to moisturise my face for the next 3 weeks. So now, I finally have almost normal skin again. Horrible experience. . UPDATE: This is also way too overpriced for what it is: it costs just as much for the same amount that my drug store moisturizer for sensitive skin, which helps with redness, has MUCH better ingredients and sinks right into the skin instead of sitting on top of it.
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Brows -NYX - Eyebrow Cake Powder Taupe/Ash
lollsazz 6/19/2011 1:02:00 PM
Looove this, and highly recommend! :D I really wanted a taupe colour for my brows (my hair is currently red-ish brown), because grey colours look like a shadow, which make them easy to work with, while undetectable as makeup. I never use the wax that comes with this because I've never liked the feeling of waxes. I think that the brush that comes with the wax is pretty bad - too hard, while the small mascara brush is good. I've had this for about half a year, and don't think I will ever run out. Only thing: you need an angled brush with this (the one that comes with this powder is bad, as said before), but that's not a problem for me. Stays on all day without fading :) Also: I use the lightest colour for my brows, and the dark brown one for my eyes, as eyeliner. . UPDATE 01.19.2012: Still loving this! Also: it takes such a long time to use up - I haven't made a big dent in the pan, but using this almost every day since I bought - I don't think I have used one single product for this long without getting bored! It's just so good! :D When it comes to powders, this is one of the really good ones out there, and I'm a person that usually buy stuff from MAC, Chanel, Dior, YSL, Kanebo etc.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Boots - No7 Stay Perfect Foundation
lollsazz 6/15/2011 3:35:00 PM
I only bought this today, so the review may change. . This is an interesting foundation... We've all seen oompah-loompah-orange, but I think this is actually what the Simpson's family use. I have this in "New Ivory". I knew the colour was yellow, but this is truly the most yellow foundation I've ever seen (compared to my NC20 skin). . On the other hand, after I was done scaring myself in the mirror, I put some of my Visible Lift Firming foundation on top of this, and the colour was perfect! I think this can be a saver for those people who can't find a foundation that is yellow enough, that can just mix a bit of this in. This is actually yellow/olive, and doesn't oxidise to orange. It's also pretty light on the skin. . I don't really like that one can't wear this alone, and therefore it a 3 for that. And because of that I won't repurchase this again.
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Shampoo -John Frieda - Anytime Volume Refresher
lollsazz 6/13/2011 7:31:00 PM
I would call this a dry shampoo rather than hair spray. I think the smell is nice, but else, it's a small can, relatively expensive, and I don't like the product - it doesn't add much volume and my hair gets greasy really fast after. For those who want a good dry shampoo that's also a little bit cheaper, try Batiste - best I've tried so far (good reviews on MUA too). I, by the way have normal thickness hair, and this didn't work at all for me; could be better for people with fine hair.
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