Polishes -Orly - Who's Who Pink
LexzCW 4/4/2008 4:12:00 AM
This is a pretty, light pink-nude, sheer with a nice opalescent sheen. I think that for the right person this would make a great French manicure shade, but it appears milky against my CCC skin so I will have to continue my hunt for a sheer nude. Like most Orly polishes this applied very easily without streaking and dried quickly. Also, I really like the rubber cap, it makes opening bottles so much easier.
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Mascara -Almay - One Coat Mascara (Thickening)
LexzCW 3/18/2008 1:39:00 AM
Pros: I bought this because I thought I wanted a natural looking mascara that wouldn't make my eyelashes crunchy. And this does do that. This doesn't weigh down my lashes too badly and it holds a curl reasonably well. Also, I like that I can take a nap in this and not get flakes in my eyes. (I wear contacts so my mascara can't flake on me). Cons: I have stick straight asian-type eyelashes, so I have to layer this on, or else you really can't see my eyelashes at all (so for me this is not one coat). Also, the "natural" look that this gives me is fine for everyday, but it doesn't really build for an evening look. I would basically like to have my cake and eat it too, so I'm not sure if I will repurchase this.
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Treatments -MD Skincare by Dr. Dennis Gross - Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel
LexzCW 3/8/2008 5:02:00 AM
I don't have acne, but my skin tone is a little uneven and I received a sample of this, so I decided to give it a try. First I have to say that it stings a little, but it's an acid peel, so I was willing to overlook that. Second, the first step has a really strong chemical smell that I didn't enjoy. I found the second step to be soothing, but after using it my face felt really tight, dry, and itchy. As an acid peel, I would say that this product worked, but I don't feel like it gave me better results than a plain sugar scrub; plus it was more irritating.
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Lip Treatments -Bath and Body Works - True blue spa watch your mouth lip balm
LexzCW 2/3/2008 7:18:00 AM
I received this as a stocking stuffer during the holidays and I fell in love pretty much instantly because of the SPF 45. I'm a firm believer that you can never have too much sunscreen and I like lip balms with it included. Compared to other lip balms with SPF, I think that this is very reasonably priced, so I have no complaints there. As a balm it's pretty average, but it gets the job done. Also, I like the fragrance. It smells kind of fresh and it's not overpowering (unlike certain other lip balms).
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Treatments (Eye) -Burt's Bees - Radiance Eye Cream with Royal Jelly
LexzCW 1/4/2008 10:59:00 PM
For the holidays DH and I went to visit our parents in the Midwest, where I promptly discovered that the the dry heat pumped into airplanes, houses, cars, stores, etc. does not agree well with my skin at all. I was really beginning to look awful, especially around my eyes, so I decided that it was time to look for an eye cream. Since I was just looking for moisture, and not a miracle, I decided that simple was best, and I picked this up because it had good reviews here, and a short list of ingredients that I could understand.
So far I've been using this for about a week and a half and it's doing it's job well. My eye area looks much better, and it doesn't look or feel dry or irritated. I sometimes wear a dab of foundation under my eyes to cover up dark circles and this seems to be helping my foundation apply smoother and blend better. I also like that this cream has a little bit of iridescence, which reflects the light back and makes my eyes look a little more awake. Since the air here is so dry and my skin is dry to begin with I tend to reapply thin layers of this at multiple times throughout the day (in much the same manner that you might reapply lip balm). This comes in a little pot so it's easy for me to tote around, but I do wish that it came in a more sanitary squeeze tube. Also, this has a slight fragrance. I haven't had any problems with it, but normally I do think that Burt's Bees products are more heavily fragranced than they need to be.
Update: The longer I use this the less well it seems to work. Recently I've noticed that this doesn't sink in so well and it doesn't feel as great as it used too, also I don't really want all that fragrance so close to my eyes. I received a sample of Ole Henriksen's Fresh Start Eye Cream recently too and by comparison that seems to work significantly better, so I will not be repurchasing this.
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Eyeliner -L'Oreal - Lineur Intense
LexzCW 1/4/2008 10:16:00 PM
I'm generally not a liquid eyeliner girl (I'm not very coordinated), but I like the effect, so I decided to try a felt tip. I was originally going to try Line Exact, but I kept reading reviews that said that the tip was hard, and that this had a much more flexible tip, so I decided to give this a go instead.
I'm really glad that I did too because this is probably the best liquid liner that I have ever used. The tip is flexible like a brush, but it disburses the product much more evenly, so liner doesn't drip or smear all over. I was able to make nice looking and symmetrical (I can almost never get both of my eyes to look the same) cat-eyes on my first try (I didn't even have to clean the line up with a q-tip). The ease of use also makes me more willing to try new things with my eyeliner since I don't have the anxiety that experimentation will result in having to remove all my eye-makeup and begin again.
I also like that this liner wears very well, It lasts nearly all day without fading and with very little flaking, and is very easy to touch up. And, at the end of the day it wipes off easily with water. This last part is interesting to me because while the liner cleans up easily it doesn't necessarily run when it gets wet either. I wore this to a movie and cried in it, and it was still nearly perfect when I got home. It seems like it's okay if it gets a little wet, so long as you don't smear or wipe it.
After using this I still prefer my pencils and creams, but this is the best liquid liner that I have ever used.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Max Factor - Eye Shadow Trio in Ravenous 
LexzCW 12/15/2007 5:41:00 AM
I received this as a free gift with my purchase of Max Factor's Vivid Impact Highlighting Mascara in 24 Karat Brown (which I love by the way), but on it's own I believe this retails for about $5.
I was excited to try this because it's a wet/dry shadow trio made up of pretty, bold neutrals (on fairer skin these aren't so neutral). The trio consists of a warm matte black followed by a shimmery bronze and a shimmery goldenrod.
In the pan the shades are rich and coordinate well, however, the problem for me has been getting that same rich color onto my eyelids. Used dry the shadows seem chalky and don't transfer well. They either won't appear on my skin, or they end up all over. So far the effect has not been good. The warm black looks sooty on application and the bronze virtually disappears. The goldenrod works reasonably well as a brow bone highlighter but it's nothing that other products can't do better.
When used wet, this looks about the way it should have looked when used dry. Basically, the colors, never actually get as bold as the pan color, so there's little drama, but they do show up and are easier to apply. However, now I look old; as the shadows dried they settled into every little crease on my eyelids, making my eyes look about ten years older. Unfortunately, I can't speak to the shadows' longevity, as I would never wear them long enough to leave my house like this.
Basically these are cheap shadows that look cheap and I'm giving Max Factor a lippy for effort. I wish that these worked a little better since they are so pretty in the pan, but clearly they don't. I would only recommend buying this trio in a state of emergency. Like if you're on vacation and your makeup bag gets stolen, and the drugstore is the only place to go, and everything else is sold out.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Max Factor - Vivid Impact Highlighting Mascara
LexzCW 12/15/2007 3:04:00 AM
The last time I tried a colored mascara was probably back in Junior high and I was generally not impressed, but when I heard about these I decided to give them a try because they looked like fun, and I love Pat Mcgrath. And I'm so glad that I did because they are unique and really work well.
I purchased this in 24 Karat Brown, because I figured that it would have the greatest contrast with my dark features. On my lashes the base color (a dark brown) doesn't have a huge impact, it just kind of defines my lashes and softens the color a little. The gold highlighter is the part that really looks dramatic and provides contrast. It does lighten your lashes, and against fair skin, it will make them look shorter, but against darker skin it offers a real contrast (I'm an NC 45) and emphasizes the eye area. In the right light the the gold really sparkles and pops.
I thought the application was very easy, and I didn't have any problems with smearing or clumping. The wand looks very similar to the Lash Perfection wand and separates well while adding definition. After I had applied both the base and the highlighter I found it helpful to gently touch a little bit more of the base color into the middle of my lashes, to help the two colors blend together. The end result was really fun, and about as sophisticated as a gold mascara can be. I can't wait to try Burning Bordeaux too.
UPDATE: I removed one lippy because as fun and great as this product is, it just doesn't get a lot of use (I could count on one hand the number of times I've used it since purchase). Usually, I need to look put together and not funky, so this mascara doesn't really factor into my life style. That being said, I really do like it, so when I have an event where I need to look funky, I'll definitely purchase again.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Clinique - Happy Heart
LexzCW 9/25/2007 9:20:00 AM
I used to wear this everyday, and I received a number of complements on it, but after my original bottle ran out I just didn't repurchase for a long time. Recently I decided to give it another try and while I still like the fragrance, it's sparkley, young, and floral. it just doesn't seem to do the trick that it used to. I'm not sure if it's because I'm older now, or if my tastes have just changed, but it almost feels too youthful and flirty. It's a great spring fragrance, and I'll pull it out again next year, but for now it just doesn't seem to have the sophistication that I crave.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Missoni
LexzCW 9/25/2007 9:02:00 AM
I'm really surprised by how many people don't like this. I for one really do. From the moment I tried it, it just really captured me, and I've worn it just about every day since. The top notes strike me as being very fruity and feminine while the notes underneath are deeper and more sexy. At first I didn't notice the chocolate, but once I started looking for it I could smell it, and I like that it's kind of exotic and not too foody. Somehow this fragrance is exactly what I would expect from an Italian fashion house; exotic and sexy while still being very sophisticated. I tend to only wear a light spritz during the day, so as not to be overpowering, but I like the allure of the scent and it's fast on its way to becoming a staple for me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Lovejoy
LexzCW 8/30/2007 5:40:00 PM
I purchased Lovejoy because another reviewer mentioned that it's the Orgasm for all the people that Orgasm doesn't show up on (and it really seems to be), and once I tried it at Sephora I instantly fell in love. It complements my NC 45 skin tone very well and doesn't look the least bit chalky or disco like. In the pan Lovejoy looks a little boring, but once it's on it gives me a very natural blush with a tiny bit of shimmer; it really wakes up my face, and adds just the right amount of color to make me look put together, but not overly made up. I could go on to rave about how I like wearing this with my Casino bronzer, or how finely milled it is, or how much I like the rubberized compact (it doesn't slip out of my clumsy hands as easily), but then I would just be gushing. So, I'll just end by saying that this is an HG product for me, and I'm not sure that another blush could ever look better on me.
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Carol's Daughter - Candy Paint
LexzCW 8/23/2007 2:42:00 AM
Carol's Daughter Candy Paint in - Park Avenue Pink (a soft pink color with subtle pink shimmer). This is a high shine gloss that goes on smooth and easily without being sticky. In addition to the ingreadients mentioned in the previous review (grapeseed oil, shea butter, aloe vera extract and vitamin E), this also contains castor seed oil, safflower oil, sunflower seed oil, and peppermint oil. Overall I'm impressed with the color selection of the brand. There are a lot of unique colors that aren't offered elsewhere, and I agree that it does last a long time. I'm not particularly impressed with the peppermint oil though. It's irritating to my lips, a slight burning sensation, and causes them to turn a deep crimson. The end result is that while the gloss appears very pretty on my hand, neither the color or the sparkles have any impact when it's actually worn on my lips. Some of the darker and bolder colors would probably still show up and I might try them if I can get over the irritation, but this particular shade will be going back to Sephora. For reference I'm an NC45 with mauve-y pigmented lips. Also, I would think that if you had sensitive lips the formula would really be an issue since the oils seem to get absorbed quickly and the burning sensation doesn't dissipate after the gloss has been wiped off.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Smashbox - Charming
LexzCW 8/17/2007 10:36:00 PM
Charming is a sheer nude pink color that, if applied carefully, makes for a perfect nude lip in my opinion. I really like the color and it's a regular in my make up routine. My only real complaint is the texture. I have the old version, in the black rubber tube without Sila-Silk, and it's kind of drying and can go on a little clumpy if you don't moisturize and exfoliate before hand, or if it's applied too thickly. Overall it's not the best lipstick I've ever owned because it's kind of high mainanance, but it is the best nude color I've tried (and I suspect that it really is flattering for a wide variety of skin tones, I'm an NC45) so, if I run across a similar shade with a better texture, then this is out. but, till then, I'll stick with this and repurchase when I run out. Also, the new formula, which is like $5 more, may have fixed some of the old problems.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Sephora - Gloss Lipstick 41
LexzCW 8/17/2007 10:09:00 PM
I purchased this kind of on a whim, and though I tested it on my hand (watching other women actually use the tester on their face doesn't really make me feel comfortable about using it on my face), I didn't have high expectations. Once I got this home and tried it on though, I knew I loved it. No. 41 is a pinky-mauve-nude color that's probably a tad cool for me, but it looks great worn with neutral or warm tones, and has the absolute best consistency of any sheer lipstick I've tried. It lays down just the right amount of color, and it doesn't sink into my lip lines, or wear away quickly.
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Blush -Flirt - Big Deal Lip and Cheek Tint in Beach Girl
LexzCW 8/12/2007 3:29:00 PM
I wanted to try a brownish blush that might show up on my NC45 skin, and the twist up stick appealed to me, so I decided to to give this a try. For me this really only works as a bronzer (it doesn't look right on me as a blush), and it's a shade that mimics the tone of a tan on me really well. The gel formula applies easily and blends well, but for it to show up on me I have to really layer it, and then the texture begins to feel a little greasy. This might work better for me in the winter, when I don't already have a tan, but I don't feel like this product really makes me pop or does anything fantastic for me. If you're lighter or don't tan easily this might be a great product, but for me it's just so-so and doesn't really have an impact.
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