Lipstick -MAC - strange hybrid
beauty_junkie_04 2/25/2010 8:57:00 AM
While I can't say that I dislike this color, I can't really say for certain that I like it, either. Pretty pale pink with silvery shimmer in the tube, but on my lips, it's almost completely silver. The pink is barely noticable! In dimmer lighting conditions, this color looks super hot on my lips...kind of a "glow" more than an actual color, if that makes any sense. But in brighter light, it's just barely pink, mostly silver frost. I think if this color were a Lustre or Glaze formula, it might work better. This is a Frost formula, but IMO, it's *too* frosty. Also, it's difficult to apply evenly, because of the extreme frostiness of this color. It's also very dry. I've tried layering this over lip balm, and I've tried layering clear gloss over top - neither helps. In fact, I find that layering clear gloss on top makes it look even more streaky and uneven. It's too bad this color doesn't look as good in bright light as it does in dim light...apparently I can only wear this color in the dark! Grrr...
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Lipstick -MAC - Rubia 
beauty_junkie_04 2/25/2010 8:50:00 AM
Gorgeous honey/mauve with subtle golden shimmer. Not necessarily a "nude" color, but definitely neutral and can be worn with a wide variety of eye looks. It appears darker in the tube than it does on my lips, as the Lustre formula of this lippie is somewhat sheer, but not *too* sheer, you still get a good color payoff on the lips - it's just not completely opaque. I think the sheer-ness helps, as I don't think this color would be as flattering if it were, say, an Amplified or Frost formula. It's too bad this color was an LE and hasn't been re-promoted, it definitely should! I received this in a swap, but if it were available for sale again, I would definitely buy another.
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Lipstick -Clinique - Butter Shine Lipstick - First Love
beauty_junkie_04 2/22/2010 7:13:00 AM
First Love is my go-to lippie when I want to go for a "healthy, glowy" type of look. The color is a very pale, shimmery clear pink...adds just enough color for a MLBB look, very glossy and healthy-looking. When someone says they want a lippie to make their lips look "kissable", this is the color I think of first. Just lovely!
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Lipstick -Clinique - Colour Surge Butter Shine- Shhh
beauty_junkie_04 2/22/2010 7:07:00 AM
LOVE this Buttershine! At first, in somewhat dim lighting, Shhh looked like very glossy Chapstick on my lips...until I saw it in sunlight and bright indoor lighting. In better light, this color reminds me very much of MAC Pink Opal pigment....very, very, very tiny pink and gold shimmers combine to create an "opal" effect on the lips. Gorgeous! I see this lippie working well with a smoky eye look and pinky-peach blush. As always, the texture of the Buttershines is heavenly.
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Blush -Tarte - Cheek Stain in Blissful
beauty_junkie_04 1/14/2010 1:39:00 PM
Absolutely beautiful peachy-pink blush, and very natural-looking. I have been super impressed by these cheek stains so far, I can't believe I waited so long to try them! The staying power is amazing, no mid-day fading like with powder blushes when you have oily skin like me. The color looks very natural and flattering. You can wear it as sheer or as dark as you want, and it blends very well. I find myself completely ignoring my powder blushes these days!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Tarte - Cheek Stain in Flush
beauty_junkie_04 1/14/2010 8:40:00 AM
PROS: Natural-looking color, staying power, blends well.
CONS: Container is a bit messy.
Flush is my first cheek stain purchase, and so far I really, really love this. I was skeptical at first because I have oily skin and large pores, and I was sure that this blush would "settle" into my pores and that this blush would disappear by lunchtime.
I was wrong! It did not settle into my pores at all, and it lasts all day even with my crazy skin!
The color is very natural-looking, although in the container, it's a scary dark magenta. It goes on very sheer, and you can build up the color if you want it a little darker. I find that it dries quickly and doesn't leave any stickiness behind. My method is to apply Flush to clean, bare skin, applying it a little darker than I would normally wear on my cheeks. Then, I apply foundation and finishing powder OVER the cheek stain. The result is an incredibly natural-looking "lit from within" blush to my cheeks. It doesn't look like I'm WEARING blush, rather it looks like I'm naturally blushing. Awesome!
The container is a bit wierd, being that it's a push-up type container with a screw-on top. The product inside tends to "sweat" a bit, and sometimes the excess moisture leaks from the container. But it's not a huge nuisance.
There's a lot of product in this container, and since a little goes a very long way, this blush will probably last me forever. I seriously doubt I'll ever have to buy a replacement. This being the case, I think the $28.00 price tag on this blush is worth it.
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Lipstick -MAC - Lollipop Loving - Heatherette
beauty_junkie_04 1/13/2010 3:34:00 PM
Picked this up at my local CCO for $10, it looked so pretty in the tube and when I tested it in the store. It was a sheer, light coral-pink...very pretty. However, once I left the store and saw the color on my lips in natural light, it was ghastly. It looked like I put shimmery foundation on my lips! There was NO coral-pink to be found, just a wierd beige with slight shimmer, and the color was lighter than my skin color! I'm fairly pale with freckles - how is this possible that the lipstick appears lighter than my skin?? Besides, after having this lipstick on for a few minutes, my lips felt really dry and the texture of the lipstick was gritty. What appeared so lovely in the store's lighting became the total opposite when I walked outside, sorely disappointed in this.
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Lipstick -MAC - High Top
beauty_junkie_04 1/13/2010 2:19:00 PM
What is it about store lighting that makes things look better in the store than they do outside the store? I tested High Top in the store, and it looked nice...sheer lilac-y color with cool multidimensional shimmer. The texture was a bit on the gritty side, but understandable because of the pretty, sparkly glitter. BUT, once I left the store and saw this color in natural light, my opinion changed drastically. In natural/bright light, High Top looked like a glittery GRAY on my lips. No more lilac, just wierd dirty-looking gray with sparkles. Not flattering. Not at all. I'm pale with blonde hair and blue eyes...perhaps this shade would work better on someone with darker skin/hair/eyes?
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Scrubs -St. Ives - Elements Microdermabrasion
beauty_junkie_04 1/27/2009 9:26:00 PM
I have oily/combination skin, and pores big enough to park a car in. I've tried many different scrubs and nothing really worked like I hoped. Most scrubs have too-big particles in them, and it feels like it's scratching my face. But this stuff is really great. The particles or granules or whatever you call them are very small, but there's a LOT of them, so it does a really good job of exfoliating without over-scrubbing or seemingly scratching your face. I've used this every other day for 2 weeks, and I see a huge improvement in the texture of my skin. My face feels so soft, and my pores are MUCH smaller - I don't know why, but somehow this stuff has smoothed my skin and made my pores barely noticeable. My skin is clean and clear and smooth now - just what I was looking for. Will definitely purchase again!!
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Crème -L'Oreal - True Match Super Blendable Compact Makeup
beauty_junkie_04 1/27/2009 9:20:00 PM
I just bought this today, and wish I hadn't. As a matter of fact, I need to check on whether CVS accepts returns on cosmetics, because if so, this sucker is going back!
I exfoliated and moisturized my face earlier this morning. This evening, when I brought home this foundation, I put some on. Suddenly, I looked like a flaky mannequin. For some reason, this stuff made my skin look super dry and flaky - when it WASN'T before putting this on! And the color is wayyyy off what it looks like in the compact. On my skin, it appeared several shades lighter than the color in the compact, and made my face look like a mannequin or a mask.
Will not buy again!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - Infallible Lip Gloss
beauty_junkie_04 1/16/2009 8:08:00 AM
My favorite lipgloss at the moment. I have three colors of this, and love them all. Staying power is GREAT for a lipgloss. It's on the sticky side, and tends to get more sticky as it "sets". But, of course, that's why it lasts so long. The colors are great, packaging is decent. No complaints.
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Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - HIP Jelly Balm [DISCONTINUED]
beauty_junkie_04 1/16/2009 8:05:00 AM
I really like this gloss. I only have one so far - Ripe - but I'd like to get a few more. Has decent staying power, I think because of the stickiness. But it's not ridiculously sticky, just enough so it stays on. The color is wonderful, very natural looking. Looks like I ate a red popsicle and stained my lips a little pink. My only gripe about this gloss is that it comes in a pot. I have long-ish nails, and if I try to apply with my finger, I end up stabbing my nail into the gloss. Grrr... Otherwise, I really like the gloss.
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Lip Gloss -Revlon - Colorstay mineral lipglaze in overtime wine - 555
beauty_junkie_04 1/16/2009 8:02:00 AM
Overtime Wine was my first purchase of this lip gloss. I'm pretty happy with it and have since purchase more colors. I like the consistency/texture - it's a little on the "sticky" side, which is OK by me because I prefer gloss that actually adheres to your lips rather than sliding right off. In my experience, this gloss has lived up to the Colorstay name - if I put this on in the morning before I leave for work, it's still on my lips and looking quite good by noon, and this after I've had several cups of coffee. I generally only have to reapply once during the day. The color is nice, too. It's not as dark as it appears in the tube, but more of a sheer berry color. Very lovely!
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Mascara -Maybelline - Great Lash Mascara Blackest Black
beauty_junkie_04 1/16/2009 7:58:00 AM
I tried Great Lash many years ago with great disappointment. I saw a 2-pk. of Great Lash Blackest Black in the drugstore, and on a whim decided to give it another shot. I'm glad I did! I don't know if they reformulated it or what, but I did not get the same disappointing results as I did years ago. The consistency of the mascara is just right - not too thin, not too thick. It glides on easily and doesn't clump like crazy if you apply more than one coat. The brush is a little on the small side, and the bristles are kind of spaced far apart, but it does provide nice separation and definition. This has become my daily "go-to" mascara, and I'm glad I bought the 2-pk.!
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Mascara -L'Oreal - Double Extend Mascara
beauty_junkie_04 1/16/2009 7:53:00 AM
I'm on my second tube of this mascara. In order to get the full benefit of this mascara, you have to follow the instructions! One coat of the white primer, and one coat of the black color - and you have loooooong, separated lashes! You can't really do two coats of this, it ends up clumping and creating a mess of stuck-together lashes. But if you use as directed, there shouldn't be any problems. I get compliments on my lashes frequently when I use this mascara.
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