Crème -Revlon - ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup
helloroo 7/22/2012 6:53:00 PM
EDIT 2/2/13: recently tried this again and sorry it just does not look natural no matter how i try it. le sigh. worth a try though. EDIT 8/24: this broke me out and i am in no way acne prone. i wore this to a dinner party and woke up with 2 fresh pimples ugh. EDIT 8/8: i wore this to a wedding with my mac msfn on top and it looked fabulous in photos. i don't need full coverage every day but for that time of the month or for a random break out or something i will definitely be reaching for this!! oh crap. another foundation that i really like. this is a quick first impression review...it's definitely medium-full coverage and i applied it with fingers. nc30/5 and 320 warm golden was the way to go. i went to four stores before i found this color though. got it at walmart with a $3coupon so it ended up being around 7$ for me. doesn't feel as if i was wearing a mask like how the original liquid colorstay is. the reason why i'm writing a quick review is to let people know...this is awesome as an undereye concealer. i used it with my mac f&b and it covers completely..way better than thebalm concealer, benefit erase paste, or my laura geller real deal concealer (though i love this one for discolored spots and blemishes). heard that this photographs well and i'm excited to try it out for a wedding i'm attending. finish is a little too matte for my liking so i follow up with mac MSFN which gives a more glowy look.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Make Up For Ever - Mat Velvet PLUS Matifying Foundation
helloroo 7/19/2012 7:14:00 PM
I bought this for the summer because I work outside all day with little kids. I purchased it online and decided to go with #35 which is PERFECT for my light-medium skin with neutral undertones. For reference, I am NC30-5 and MUFE HD foundation in #125. This is definitely a full coverage foundation, which I like. You know those pulsing pimples you get around that time of the month? This covers it. Light acne scarring or hyper pigmentation...this covers it. The pimples that you (shouldn't but already) picked so they get all dry and crusty? This covers it! Just pat it on instead of rubbing it in. I have normal/combo skin but tend to get a little bit more oily in the summer and this keeps my face dewy all day long even in very humid weather. It also goes along very well with my MSFN Medium Dark which tends to make someone oilier than usual but not for me! Poreless perfection all day long. I like the squeeze tube because you can somewhat control how much product you want. I find myself reaching for this quite often but I do use my MUFE HD foundation for going out because I'm not sure how this one photographs. As for application, I used to use a stippling brush but now I find it easier just to use my fingers and kind of pat it on. It blends in seamlessly with my skin. I would recommend & buy this again. Price is around $36...add a couple of Jack Black lip balms to your cart and you'll get free shipping from sephora.com!
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Sunscreen -L'Oreal - Sublime Sun Advanced Sunscreen Liquid Silk Sunshield For Face SPF 50
helloroo 7/13/2012 11:20:00 PM
I bought this after I decided I needed a higher SPF in my moisturizer other than Coppertone's Faces which has SPF30. I work outside all day with kids and I tan easily so I needed something that would protect my skin. I really, really love this. I used to use Oil Olay's moisturizer with SPF 15 but found that it left me a little bit "shiny" in my t-zone. Since it's summer time, I don't want to add shiny on shiny. The L'Oreal Sublime Liquid Silk Sunshield (ugh the longest name in existence) has a milky texture and on me, it goes on matte. It is a perfect base for make up and I don't have to put an additional moisturizer on top of it...I usually would with other moisturizers so my skin would feel hydrated. It does protect my skin and I have noticed an improvement in my skin's texture when I don't have make up on. It's softer and my acne scars aren't so obvious. A little bit goes a long way and again, this is a little bit of a runny/milky texture. I bought this with a $1 coupon so I think it is usually priced around 9-10$. I think the packaging is really sleek too...could fit in any compartment!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -Maybelline - Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream
helloroo 7/5/2012 12:34:00 AM
Update 2/2/13: Knocked down a lippie because I did end up returning it. It just made me look too oily. I ran out and bought this as soon as I read the reviews on here and I'm pleasantly surprised that I like this product. A lot. For reference, i am NC30-5 with neutral undertones and Medium, though at first when i squeezed it out looked too dark, is the PERFECT color for me. With that being said, this offers sheer to low coverage..it's definitely not a BB cream in the traditional sense. I have very light/fading acne scarring and this did not cover it. But the color match was so great I can put on a little concealer, a finishing powder, and there is my summer time routine! I do plan on wearing additional sunscreen underneath just because I'm not sure how stable the sunscreen in this is. I have normal/combo skin but get a little bit more oily in the summer in my tzone area. This product didn't make any of the oilies worse and kept me natural looking throughout the day. Packaging is cute, you get 1 fl. oz. for a little less than 8$ at WalMart. They have testers and the tubes are sealed (thank god) to prevent people from ruining it for the rest of us! I also think their color range is better than most...there five shades: light, light/medium, medium, medium/deep, deep. Not perfect but definitely more inviting than other brands. I will update if this photographs well or oxidizes throughout the day, but so far so good! UPDATE: no oxidation but this in combination with my MAC MSFN setting powder made me look a little bit oily so I am rethinking this
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Too Faced - Shadow Insurance, Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer
helloroo 6/29/2012 11:51:00 PM
2/2/13 update: knocking it down two lippies because as time has gone on...this product just doesn't seem to work for me anymore. i'm not sure why. i recently tried the NARS primer and it has definitely outperformed TFSI. UGH OMG where has this been my whole life?? I don't have oily lids or anything so I didn't think I needed an eyelid primer but I wanted my eyeliner to be a little bit more long lasting and non smudgey because I work outside all day and with little kids. I tried the ELF primer because I was hoping it would become my HG and it was cost effective. That definitely did not work for me. I decided to try the TFSI after noticing that emilynoel83, youtube guru, uses it all the time and I LOVE IT. My eye shadow and eyeliner stays completely intact throughout the day with NO smudging. That is huge for me. No raccoon eyes whatsoever. Also, the eyeshadow I use for the inner corner of my eyes even stayed on. UM what?? I'd be lucky if that stuff even lasted when I walked out the door before TFSI entered my life. I also dot some of this on my undereye area before I put on concealer and it definitely helps the concealer stay put longer. Would buy again and again. UPDATE 7/8/12: i didn't take off my make up last night (i know so bad) after a night out and when i woke up, my eyeshadow and eyeliner were COMPLETELY in tact. i couldn't believe it. it was perfect.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -E.L.F. - Eyelid Primer
helloroo 6/28/2012 12:20:00 AM
Maybe I'm not doing it right but this actually creased my eyeliner (which has never happened to me) and made it more difficult for my eyeshadow to stay on my lids. I usually pull out the wand, put some on a clean finger, and tap it on my eyelid then wait for it to dry. The color payoff was worse with this primer than without. I don't have oily eye lids or anything like that. I just wanted something to make my eyeliner smudge proof throughout the day because I work outside with little kids! This was only a dollar so I guess it wasn't a huge loss. I'll stick with just using a translucent powder as a primer.
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Blush -MAC - Harmony
helloroo 6/23/2012 12:22:00 AM
I am a NC30-5 with neutral/peachy undertones and found this to be too light as a contour. It didn't really do anything for me actually in terms of contouring..also thought it was a touch orange on my skintone. I didn't try it as a blush. I would prefer BeneFit's Hoola as a contour/overall bronzer. Retails $20 and comes in standard MAC blush packaging.
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Blush -MAC - Sheertone Blush in Blushbaby
helloroo 6/23/2012 12:19:00 AM
I was very excited to get this because I thought this would be IT. My HG blush..the blush to end it all. I'm on the never ending search for a blush that doesn't turn orange on me. I've tried lots of beige/pink colors and decided to give Blushbaby a go. It comes in standard MAC blush packaging and retails 20$. Everyone else has described the color pretty accurately so I won't go there again. First of all, it did end up turning my NC30-5, MUFE #125 (neutral undertones), NARS Punjab cheeks slightly orange. Not as bad as others but still noticeable to me. Secondly, this is INCREDIBLY sheer. Must build it up to get a noticeable amount of color. Could be good or bad depending on your taste. Very natural looking and work friendly. The staying power is straight up god awful in my opinion. I use primer, setting powder, etc. the whole nine yards and have never EVER have had a problem with a blush fading (from drugstore to MAC to NARS) on my normal skin type cheeks. When I looked in the mirror, I found patches of this blush on my face and was horrified. Back to the MAC store it went.
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Concealers -Hard Candy - Glamoflauge Concealer
helloroo 6/23/2012 12:13:00 AM
Purchased this in Medium. For reference I am a NC30-5. I thought this would be the concealer that would end my concealer binge-ing but sadly it has not. It does get cakey and does not cover my under eye circles well. The worst part is that it oxidized on me..I've never had this problem happen to me with a concealer..a foundation sure but never a concealer. Sorely disappointed and swapped this away. It is only available at WalMart and I believe pricing is around 7$? Comes in a squeeze tube. I do use the little pencil it comes with for rimming my inner eye to make it brighter but I would not repurchase the whole package solely for the pencil.
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Pressed Powders -Maybelline - Instant Age Rewind Protector Finishing Powder [DISCONTINUED]
helloroo 6/8/2012 8:29:00 PM
I bought this on sale at Walgreens for $4.50. I think it is usually 8-9$. I'm NC30, MUFE #125, and wanted to get Buff Beige but accidentally grabbed Classic Beige instead. I went back and got Buff Beige and it turns out that Classic Beige was the best fit for me! It comes with a puff and is kind of like a compact except that there is no mirror. I use a big brush to dust it on after my foundation and concealer. It looks really natural but I don't see the "glowy" aspect. I liked it a lot when I first used it, almost became HG. But throughout the day, it gets kind of cakey and noticeable and I'm not one of those people that touches up throughout the day. I have combo/normal skin and this made my t-zone much oilier than when I use other products. Overall, I'm not won over by all the "instant age rewinding" claims. It is a nice finishing powder but not just for someone like me who doesn't like to blot or touch up. I'll just stick to my MAC MSFN!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -MAC - Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Medium Dark
helloroo 6/1/2012 5:26:00 PM
HG material right here! I put off buying this for so long because of the price tag and even tried to find dupes for it (the Revlon Colorstay Mineral Finishing Powder is not one). Finally, I caved in and bought it..so glad that I did!! I'm a NC30 and initially thought I wanted Medium Plus but the SA suggested Medium Dark would better suit me. Good thing I listened to her! I received Medium Plus in a swap just to try it out and my sister in law & boyfriend both said it was too light for me. I looked up different ways to apply this. At first, I used a kabuki brush like everyone suggested but I felt that my face was a different color than my neck. So I just lightly dust it all over my face after I apply foundation and concealer. The end result? Poreless, polished, and glow-y skin! My boyfriend even said that it didn't even look like I was wearing make up. Isn't that how make up is supposed to look?! I love this and there's quite a lot of product for a 30ish$ price tag so I don't see myself running out anytime soon. Does not come with mirror or sponge and I don't carry it around in my make up bag so I can't say anything about it's durability. This is a SETTING POWDER, not a foundation people! Remember that. It has sheer-low coverage. Also, I'm combo/normal and this didn't exacerbate any oilies and actually keeps me normal all day. Didn't break me out either, thank goodness!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -NARS - Laguna
helloroo 6/1/2012 5:19:00 PM
I received this in a swap and I was pretty excited about it because of the cult following. I tried it on and it barely showed up on my skin - I had to layer it on. But once I did get enough color, it was very pretty and natural. It's definitely not a contouring blush. The color tends to lean on the peachy side for me...it's not BeneFit's Hoola that I feel is just straight brown matte-ness. For reference, I'm NC30 in MAC, NARS Punjab, and MUFE #125 - so pretty much medium skin tone with neutral/peachy undertones. There is the tiniest bit of shimmer in this product but nothing overwhelming. I can totally see how fair-er skinned girls would love this. I honestly am on the fence about this one...I'll give it one more try and if I don't like it, then it's up for swaps. Can't say much about the price but the packaging is the standard NARS rubber casing which I actually enjoy.
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Liquid -NARS - Sheer Matte
helloroo 6/1/2012 5:13:00 PM
Received this item in a swap and I really like it. I got the color Punjab which is for medium skin with peachy undertones. I am a NC30 in MAC but I do have neutral undertones. I have combo/normal skin and this does keep me matte all day. As for looking too matte, I use MAC MSFN as a setting powder and it's wonderful for giving a finished, little bit of glow-y look. Mine came with a pump and I think they all do now. I use a stippling brush to apply. Price tag is quite hefty...in the 40's I believe. Easily dupe-able and there are probably otherand better foundations for a cheaper price. The coverage for me is light to medium. You will need a concealer for this! My HG foundation is MUFE HD and that offers medium-full and NARS Sheer Matte definitely offers less than that. Overall, I wouldn't repurchase it again but I would swap for it again if that makes any sense! For me, I use it on days where I want to conserve MUFE HD and know I am not going to be in any pictures or anything. There is nothing particularly special about this product other than it's a NARS product.
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Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow
helloroo 5/23/2012 2:26:00 PM
Since all the packaging/price has been heavily reviewed, I'm just going to talk about color. I wanted to like Bad to the Bronze so bad. SO BAD. It had been raved about in Allure magazine and everyone seemed to love it. Texture is very creamy and it honestly does stay on all day. I tried time and time again to get the color to look natural but it's too frosty/shimmery for my taste. I think I expected more of a darker color (hence the name "bronze") but it turned out to be more of a gold pink color. I attempted to use it as a brightener on my water line and that didn't work out either. "Tough as Taupe" was a matte, flat gray that didn't look natural or appealing. "Pomegranate Punk" was a beautiful red/purple color but I can't see myself wearing that for an every day look or even going out since I am partial to a smokey eye. I wish this line had more natural colors because I really do enjoy the sturdy packaging and texture.
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Powder -NARS - Powder Foundation
helloroo 4/30/2012 9:25:00 PM
UPDATE: I tried to use MAC Studio Fix because it was more cost effective...nuh uh. Broke me out and the NARS powder foundation out performs it. I have stopped using it though because I find that it fades throughout the day even with primer. This is HG material for me. I was in a foundation rut and discovered this on a whim. I was color matched in Santa Fe (which has peachy undertones) but I chose to get Barcelona which suited my NC 30-5 skin a lot better. I can't describe how this powder literally melts into your skin...it's like you're not even wearing make up! I use a flat top brush to apply one layer, put on concealer, then add another layer of foundation and this does not get cakey at all. NOT ONE BIT. I love it so much. I've honestly never felt this way about a powder foundation before. Looks great in sunlight, those awful bathroom lights, etc. For reference, I have normal/combination skin and this did not make me any oiler. Also, I have light acne scarring and this covered it seamlessly. The price is quite hefty...$45. Packaging: I thought I would hate this because it is really bulky but the large mirror inside is a definite plus. It comes with a sponge, which I don't use.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No