Treatments -Neutrogena - On the Spot Acne Treatment Vanishing Formula
stellar 3/21/2013 11:25:00 AM
I'd always had totally clear skin up until I hit my early 20s. At that time I started getting the occasional hormonal pimple on my chin before my period. It didn't happen frequently and didn't really bother me. But for whatever reason, for the past two years it's gotten worse. I was on birth control (not for the breakouts) for a year which stopped them completely. When I stopped taking the pill, everything was still fine until I messed up my hormones with something else. The breakouts started coming at various times during my cycle, and the last one literally lasted my entire cycle. Typically I'd get a pimple and it would take a week/week and a half to clear up, and then I'd be left with discoloration for the next several months. But they were gradually getting worse and worse. These weren't just little annoyances; they were the huge, painful, under-the-skin type that sometimes never even come to a head and take a while to go away. My entire chin would swell when they'd start to form. During my last cycle, I got one the very day after my period ended (wtf) and it *would not go away*. I tried every home remedy out there and *nothing* would even make the slightest improvement. I finally kind of gave up and thought it would be gone within a couple weeks and would just wait it out. Three weeks into my cycle I realized that wasn't going to happen. By that point I just wanted to get rid of the damn thing and started searching for a product that contains a low amount of BP. I had tried the really strong ones in the past and paid the price. My skin *cannot* tolerate them. I figured I was willing to put up with some minor irritation if it meant finally getting rid of the pimple. I found Neutrogena's On The Spot to be the lowest I could find at the store, so I picked it up. Within two days the pimple was less than half it's original size and was no longer sore and rock-hard. I applied a super thin layer once in the morning and once at night for the first two days, and then I noticed the dryness kicking in so I started applying just once a day after that. I never experienced any actual irritation and within about 4 days the pimple was gone. I still have the discoloration but that's to be expected. This stuff is great and I'm definitely going to keep it on hand for when I start to feel the pimples forming! (I've been taking Vitex to straighten out my hormones though so hopefully the breakouts won't be a problem anymore. So far so good.) I would definitely repurchase and I feel a lot better knowing that I have a product that is actually effective against breakouts.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Tarte - Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful
stellar 3/20/2013 11:28:00 AM
Blissful is the newest addition to my Tarte AC Blush collection. I also have Tipsy, Glisten, Dollface, and Exposed. I love them all. On my NC15/NARS Gobi skin, Blissful is a matte (but not dull) healthy peachy/pink color. As with the other AC blushes, it stays on all day and applies wonderfully. It's the perfect spring shade! I love the packaging of these blushes and have absolutely no complaints on that end. I do wish they were a bit more affordable, but that's just because I want to buy all of them; not because I don't think they're worth the price. :)
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Lipstick -MAC - Coral Bliss
stellar 3/19/2013 11:21:00 AM
This is a very pretty soft coral color. It's perfect for spring and summer but can definitely be worn year-'round. It has a nice fresh glow to it that really brightens up my face. My only complaint about this one (and the other Cremesheens I have) is your lips have to be totally exfoliated in order to wear them or they'll show every dry spot. I don't usually have a big problem with that though and I feel it's a great formula otherwise. Very nice lipstick!
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Palettes -Kat Von D - Saint
stellar 3/19/2013 11:03:00 AM
When my cousin came to visit a few weeks ago, I noticed right away how gorgeous her eyeshadow was. The shades were very unique and I loved the finish they had. I asked her what they were and she said it was a Kat Von D palette. She said that the one she has isn't available anymore but that the Saint palette had those same shades plus more. I picked it up while at Sephora last weekend and I am SO happy I did! I've been looking for a neutrals palette for so long now, but so many of them just seemed like shimmer/glitter bombs. I do love some shimmer (not so much the glitter) but I don't like obnoxious shimmer. All the other palettes had loose glitter ALL OVER them and I knew that couldn't be a good sign. The Kat Von D palette is just perfect. I love literally ALL of the eyeshadows in the palette and the pigment is simply amazing with all of them. There's absolutely no fall-out. Everything stays put and looks just as great at the end of the day as it did when I first applied. (I do use UDPP.) They apply so smoothly and blend easily. Another thing I like about is that I've used it several times now and you can't even tell by looking at them. I can tell these will last a long time as they're not powdery and loose. This palette also includes a black pencil eyeliner ("Autograph Pencil") that I have also been using almost every day since I bought the palette. It glides on sooo smoothly and is easily smudgeable, yet it really stays in place and lasts. I've used it so much that there isn't much left! (I guess that would have to be my only semi-negative thing I could say about it - one pencil doesn't last extremely long, but that's just what you get with that type of creamy pencil/crayon formula.) The packaging is beautiful, unique, and solid with a very nice sized mirror inside. The price is awesome. This was the first Kat Von D product I've tried and I'm very impressed. I'm definitely going to try out more of her products!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Fleshpot lipstick
stellar 1/9/2013 10:20:00 PM
I've always been a sucker for nude lip colors. My go-to nude shades have been Myth and Crème d'Nude for a long time now. I was afraid Fleshpot would be too whitish for me but I really wanted to try it anyway. I'm glad I did! On me it's a slightly paler version of Crème d'Nude, and a very different finish, of course. I have to say that it nearly *is* too pale whitish for me, but not quite. I just can't apply a heavy layer of it or it will make me look like a corpse. For reference, I'm an NC15 (very golden undertones) with brunette hair and green eyes. So as I said, I'm really glad I tried it. However, I have to say that I know of (and already own) an exact dupe for it. I don't know if this has already been mentioned but e.l.f.'s Mineral Lipstick in Natural Nymph looks identical to it, even down to the finish. It looks the same in the tube, when swatched on my skin, and when applied to my lips, and it's $10 cheaper! So if you're wanting a cheaper alternative, go for that one.
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Lip Gloss -MAC - Pro Longwear Lipglass
stellar 1/7/2013 1:46:00 PM
I recently purchased this in Persistant Peach and Ready or Not! I absolutely love them both! I've been wearing the regular Lipglass formula for about 15 years now, and this is just a step up in amazingness. The two shades that I have are very opaque, so you get great color pay-off, and they're very smooth and creamy. I've read some complaints about uneven application but I haven't had that problem at all. They *are* rather thick and sticky, but I don't mind that one bit. That's what helps the gloss not move around or smear on your lips, and helps it last longer. It really stays put. Granted, you wouldn't want to have a make-out fest with your SO while wearing this (what a mess!) but if you're after a gloss that's going to stay put under normal circumstances, this is wonderful. The original Lipglass formula lasts a pretty decent amount of time on me, and these do last even longer. I wouldn't say they last much better through food and drink, but otherwise you really do see the longer wear. They smell soooo yummy. :) Persistant Peach is a beautiful light, fresh, juicy peach-with-a-hint-of-pink shade that would look beautiful year-'round. Ready or Not! is now my favorite go-to peachy nude shade. I already have three more of these glosses on my wish list. The only downside I can see to them is that you get less product (the packaging is quite deceiving) and you pay $4.50 more per tube. My solution to that problem is to buy a bunch of different shades so I've got them all in rotation, and therefore each tube lasts longer. ;) ETA: Just had to add that I received Patience, Please in the mail yesterday and it's my new HG nude baby pink lipgloss. :) I absolutely love it. I've been searching for this shade for so long! It's very hard for me to find baby pink glosses (and lipsticks) that I can actually wear because they usually seem to lean toward (or have full-on) blue undertones. This one doesn't though, and the end result is something that I think would work for both warm and cool toned people. Great with a smokey eye or with lighter, more natural makeup. My new favorite!
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Lipstick -Revlon - Color Stay Ultimate Suede Lipstick
stellar 1/7/2013 1:19:00 PM
I saw these last week at Target and immediately fell in love with the way Front Row and Private Viewing looked in the tube. Front Row looked like the perfect pink for my colouring (NC15/brunette hair, green eyes) and I'm always a sucker for a nude shade, so Private Viewing appealed to me as well. I was a little reluctant because I've never been overly impressed with the previous Relvon Colorstay lipsticks, but I thought I'd give it a chance. Unfortunately, they're not what I was hoping for. To start off, while I do appreciate longer-wearing lipsticks, I definitely don't believe any of the outrageous and unrealistic claims such as what these are advertised to do - last 16 hours! Yeah, right. So I was by no means going to be disappointed if these didn't last as long as advertised. In all honesty I bought these because the colors looked so attractive to me. What did disappoint me was the color pay-off of these two shades. It feels very thin and almost watery when I apply. Naturally with it being such a thin formula, the color is not rich or opaque at all. It looks more like a thin wash of barely-there color on my lips. It's also got a bit of a metallic or pearlescent finish to it that I'm not overly crazy about. It looks so creamy in the tube, and that's what I was wanting. As for wear time, these are just a mess. Not only does it feel thin and watery on my lips once applied, it also dries to a uncomfortable sticky finish. I can wear the thickest Lipglass MAC can come up with, but THIS drives me nuts. Once dried, it's very... DRY... and uneven on my lips. These accentuate every crease and crevice on my lips and make them look SO dried out. Not attractive. It fades unevenly, starting at the center of my lips and gradually moving outward so I end up with that unappealing ring of color on my lipline. I wish I had liked these more. Instead I ended up wishing I had saved the money and bought a MAC lipstick instead. I do think the darker, brigther, and /or deeper shades would probably look a bit richer and more even, but I can only imagine how horrible those shades would look with that dried-out, wrinkly-lipped finish they give. Yuck
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Garnier - Moisture Rescue Lightweight UV Lotion SPF 15
stellar 11/12/2012 4:08:00 PM
I really love this moisturizer! I started using the Gel/Cream moisturizer last winter (which I also love) and picked this up in the spring when I saw it on the shelf. I loved that it had SPF, though I do wish it was higher. This moisturizer feels great on my skin. Very lightweight - yet moisturizing - and does give a bit of a cool, refreshed feeling (but not in that synthetic menthol-y type way). It doesn't irritate my moderately sensitive skin at all, seems to give my skin the perfect amount of moisture in that it never makes my skin look or feel oily at all, and I never have any dryness. It's light enough that it helps my foundation and other makeup stay put. It's very affordable and comes in an attractive bottle with a pump. And a little goes a long way! I will definitely repurchase.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Neutrogena - Rapid Wrinkle Repair night moisturizer 
stellar 11/12/2012 3:58:00 PM
I should begin by saying that my skin is fairly sensitive to products that contain certain anti-aging ingredients, including retinols. But at the age of 29 I realize how important it is that I start using some prevantitive anti-aging products and I thought that a drugstore product should contain a small enough amount of retinol that it would be okay for my skin. When I started using it, I didn't experience any initial irritation so I continued using it nightly. I could feel a difference in my skin after the first application! My skin felt tighter and soft and I was excited about the results I thought I would experience! Unfortunately, after a few uses I started to experience a burning feeling around my eyes when I'd wash my face or apply makeup. I continued to use it and by the 5th night it was bothering me so much that I had to stop. After that my skin went through a very noticeable flaking and peeling process that left me looking weird for a few days. I'd like to try to use it again as I feel I just did too much too soon, but I'm scared of making my skin look worse! It had become so tight and flakey that all fine lines I had looked fifty times worse. Not exactly what I was hoping for. If I do decide to try it again, I'll report back with results. People with sensitive skin, beware of this product! Be careful with how you use it. One more thing I have to mention is that it doesn't smell too great. It sort of reminds me of the DHT smell in sunless tanners and it takes at least 30 minutes to fade on me.
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Cleansers -Garnier - Moisture Rescue Fresh Cleansing Foam
stellar 11/12/2012 3:28:00 PM
I have somewhat sensitive skin, especially when it comes to harsh ingredients in cleansers. It seems like I can never find a cleanser that does exactly what I want it to do, which is to remove ALL my makeup at the end of the day, not leave my skin feeling dry, and not irritate of course. This is one of the very few cleansers I've tried that actually does what I want it to. It removes all my makeup, even when I'm wearing my long-wearing foundations, and removes all my eye makeup! It leaves my skin feeling soft and not stripped or dry. And I've had no skin irritation whatsoever. I'm not quite sure why they say it's a foaming cleanser; it's much more of a mousse-y cream to me. I don't get any foaming action but that doesn't bother me at all. It has a pleasant smell and does leave my skin feeling refreshed and cool (but not in that irritating menthol-y way that so many others do). It's very affordable and a little goes a long way! My one and only complaint about this product is that you HAVE to be VERY careful not to get it into your eyes! It will burn the you-know-what out of them if you do. Sometimes even if I'm sure not to get any in there, just having it around my eyes will make them burn a little. Doesn't sound real pleasant, I know, but you can either use a separate eye m/u remover, or just be very careful with how you use it around the eyes. I have already gone through two tubes and will definitely keep repurchasing! I love the whole Moisture Rescue line. I wish they'd add an eye cream to it! ETA: After going through three tubes, I have stopped using this facewash. It just burns my eyes way too much and I don't feel comfortable using something that has that effect. I honestly feared I was causing damage to my eyes. I loved everything else about it and I'm sad that I had to stop using it.
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BB Cream -Maybelline - Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream
stellar 7/9/2012 11:20:00 AM
So far I've tried the L'Oreal Youth Code BB Cream, the Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream, and now this Maybelline BB Cream and out of all of them, I like the Maybelline the most. I almost didn't try it because so many people said it was *too* sheer and didn't give any coverage. I was so surprised to discover that it gave me solid light coverage and a lovely glowy finish! Most surprising of all, it actually lasted all day! So far I haven't worn it for more than 8 hours but it lasted very very well through that time, which is awesome for a BB Cream I think. It blurs and smoothes my pores and totally evens out my skin tone. The scent is very light and pleasant; not overpowering like the L'Oreal one. It feels so nice and soothing and moisturizing on my skin! I don't apply moisturizer before using this and I do use a bit more product than I normally would to get the coverage I want, but the great thing is that I can do that without it looking at all cakey or heavy. I also set with a powder. I love that it's great for the days I want to wear minimal makeup, but also suitable for wearing to work if I choose. I would definitely repurchase this. For reference, I'm currently NC15-20 (warm golden) and use the shade Light, which is a perfect match. I have normal skin with no breakouts or scarring to cover.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Wet 'n' Wild - Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection - Petal Pusher (736)
stellar 7/6/2012 4:59:00 PM
I'm a big fan of Wet 'n' Wild's products in general. Their Mega Last lipsticks are some of the best lipsticks I've tried - including HE. And I've always loved their eyeshadows - so pigmented, smooth, long-lasting, and easy to blend. This is the first of their bigger palettes that I've bought and I love it! I've been searching for an e/s trio or palette with purples that wouldn't make me look like I'd been punched in the face a few times. This one looks great on me! It really makes my bright green eyes pop. I will admit that I'll never wear the bottom darker shades (I'm just not into super dark e/s) but the light and mid-toned shadows work very well for me. I wore it today for the first time and the first thing my boyfriend said when he saw me this morning was that my eyes looked "amazing." I did a quick, simple light smokey eye and I really love how it turned out. It's been 8 hours since I applied and it still looks perfectly fresh. (I do use e.l.f.'s Eyelid Primer underneath.) I've also had no problem at all with fallout and I had applied a couple of the shimmery shades. Now I definitely want to go out and get Comfort Zone too. I wish there was a bigger variety of these palettes available where I live. Would definitely repurchase and this one has encouraged me to buy their other palettes as well! For reference, I'm currently an NC20 with golden/brown/slightly olive skin and bright green eyes.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -L'Oreal - Magic Lumi - Light Infusing Primer
stellar 7/6/2012 4:46:00 PM
This stuff is amaaaazing. It was first suggested to me by an MUAer who read a review I had submitted for Revlon's Whipped Creme Foundation, in which I stated that I liked the product but I thought it left my skin looking a bit dull or flat. She recommended this product to me as a means to correct that problem. I finally got around to purchasing it and I am so impressed. I tend to shy away from primers because they've never really done much for me. They don't make my makeup last longer, don't cover pores, etc. I don't know why that is. I did hear of this when it first came out but I figured that "luminous" equaled "shiny/greasy/oily/" etc. and would only make my makeup look worse. I was so wrong. Since other primers I've used didn't do much to, well... prime, I can't say whether or not this does the typical things a primer does. But I *can* say that it gives my face a beautiful, subtle and natural-looking glow! It's not *at all* shiny or greasy or even dewey-looking. So far I've worn it under my Revlon CS liquid foundation and it allows the finish to remain matte, but with this amazing glow to it. It in no way changed the finish or lasting power of the foundation (meaning it didn't make it wear off any quicker). The first day I wore it I ended up having a really busy day and every time I'd look in the mirror to check my makeup I noticed what a nice glow I had, but I couldn't figure out what it was from! I actually forgot I had used it because it was so new to my routine. I finally stopped and thought about whether I had used anything new or not and I remembered! So I noticed the awesome difference in my skin without "searching" for it, like I sometimes do with new products. I've also applied it after my foundation on certain areas that I want to add a subtle highlight to and it's great for that as well! The product dries into skin very quickly and after that, you don't even know it's there. The bottle it comes in is very practical and attractive, appropriately sized, and comes with a pump. The price is very reasonable at around $12. I couldn't ask for more and will definitely repurchase. I really don't think there's another primer out there like it.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Wet 'n' Wild - Mega Last Lip Color in Pinkerbell
stellar 7/6/2012 12:25:00 AM
This is SUCH a gorgeous lipstick! Against my light golden/brown/slightly olive skin and on my moderately pigmented lips, it's an almost-neon (or soft neon?) bright (but not obnoxiously so) clean, yellow-toned pink. It reminds me a lot of some of the yellowed pink/coral shades MAC has come out with in the last year and a half or so, only it's much more pigmented and opaque and has better staying power. And is honestly just prettier. It has a totally matte finish and is such an awesome pop of color that really brightens and flatters. For $1.99 it's just amazing. I purchased another Mega Last Lip Color at the same time that I got this one and I love it just as much. Sometimes I don't know why I even bother buying so many HE lipsticks. I've never once been disappointed by a Wet 'n' Wild lipstick.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -MISSHA - M Perfect Cover BB Cream
stellar 7/2/2012 1:05:00 PM
So far I'm disappointingly unimpressed with this product. After purchasing the L'Oreal Youth Code BB Cream and being fairly impressed with it, I ordered this because I've heard so much about how the Korean BB Creams are so much better than the American ones. I was hoping for something that would feel great on the skin and nourish it while giving me decent coverage. So far I can't seem to get much coverage at all from it (and I don't even have "bad" skin; just a slightly uneven skin tone, no breakouts or scarring) and it makes my skin look dry which emphasizes fine lines. It seems to emphasize my pores as well. The packaging has been a little bit of a PITA too. I ordered the 30ml size which comes in a squeeze tube with no pump. Sometimes when I take the cap off, the product will begin to ooze out of the nozzle very quickly. I've even stuck a pin down the nozzle to clear any air bubbles and it still comes out. I've wasted quite a bit of product because of it. On the positive side, the shade 21 matches my NC15-20 skin perfectly. And I love the fact that it has a high SPF. The price is also very affordable. I'm going to do some experimenting with it and see if I can't get it to work better for me. As of now though, I like the L'Oreal Youth Code BB Cream more than I do this one. ETA: Just wanted to update my review a little bit. I used this BB Cream several more times last summer and fall and could never get it to look right. I recently tried it again and realized I was applying it wrong. Instead of applying it with my fingers like I would a regular foundation in circular blending motions, I dottted it on and then just blended downward, like I would apply a regular face moisturizer. The problem was that I was trying to *blend* it in too much, when BB Creams should really just be smoothed and patted into the skin. This really gave beautiful, even coverage and helped blur my pores. I was so happy to have discovered the "right" way to use this, when I realized after a few days that it was causing breakouts on my chin. By mid day I would always have a few small pustules on my chin which for me is always a sign of a reaction to a product; it's not so much a clogged pore type of breakout. However, I can now see how beautiful this BB Cream can look so I've raised my rating to 4. My skin can sometimes just be picky about things, and something that caused a reaction at one point in time might not do the same thing several months later. So I'm going to keep it on hand and give it a try again later. For now, I'm loving Too Faced's BB Cream and Skin79's Orange BB Cream.
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