Lotions/ Creams -Korres - Body Butter - Guava
Nekura 11/6/2011 4:43:00 PM
Guava seems to be one of the more subtle scents for Korres body butters but I agree with the reviews below it smells nothing like the name it depicts. There's a similar situation with a few other scents with Korres, it just comes off perfumey, distinct and hard to describe... however ignoring that fact this stuff is rather amazing for me. It's thick, but not greasy and offers good moisturizing properties... however what I did discover is that it can work wonders on eczema for some cases. My little brother has had horrific cases of eczema last year and we don't want him to use prescribed chemically creams with steroids and such so we gave this a try figuring what's there to lose? For the past 2 years, he has ONLY used Korres body butter (on a daily basis) and I've seen no skin rash/irritations since! It may be just average if mediocre if you have normal skin but for someone with skin sensitivity and product sensitivity, this is a miracle product and is a healthier option. I have bought many tubes/bottles since. Even my mother with itchy dry skin loves this stuff. I just wish the scents were a bit better. I've tried various, they can be really strong at times.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -LUSH - Pow Wow Lip Scrub
Nekura 11/5/2011 2:55:00 AM
Unlike the previous lip scrubs by LUSH, Pow Wow has popping fizz candy with it's usual sugar scrub ingredient. This product is supposedly a limited edition product for winter/holiday 2011. The lip scrub is a quirky lime green color with a strong lemon/lime scent. The scent reminds me a lot of the green and yellow skittle candies or a glass of 7up/sprite soda. It's pleasant, very unique, and has a subtle tartness to it. I was attracted to this due to the nostalgic feeling I have for popping candy and the overall quirky kitsch concept of this... However my main problem with this scrub is due to the popping fizz candy. While the idea of using this is very original, it makes the scrub really hard to use. There is a constant possibility of a hard layer on the scrub due to it melting if you're in an environment where the temperature changes a lot plus the popping candy itself is really chunky like random shards of sugar. Sometimes it's impossible to pick up the scrub and if it is, it's hard to apply. There isn't much essential oils in this either... it's just a really dry jar of sugar and popping candy. My tip is to lick your lips before applying, this way you get the interesting popping effect on your lips and it'll work decently. Overall for $8/95, it's cute but not a product I'd buy a backup of. It takes a lot of work and gives mediocre results. It's a gimmicky product and good as a stocking stuffer as it's "fun" but for a lip scrub there's plenty better out there.
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Lip Gloss -E.L.F. - Hypershine Gloss - ALL
Nekura 10/30/2011 1:21:00 AM
I had one of these many years ago from ELF before their booming popularity in the shade "Honey". The shade was gorgeous, a bronze-nude color with gold flecks. Formula is thick, but nothing too extreme and much more tolerable than Stila's lipglazes which these are a package dupe of. Unfortunately my first hypershine gloss had a synthetic/plastic odd sugary smell and left a disgusting soapy taste. I swore off to never repurchase one of these again... however recently I got "Berry Cherry" as a free gift. Berry Cherry is a nice 'my lips but better' type of shade with a subtle hint of red undertone but very natural. The formula is still sticky however the scent is different on this one. It has a fruity cinnamon note. Not too noticeable and doesn't leave any awkward taste in my mouth. After reading several reviews, it seems the scent is really consistent on these that as much as I'd like to try out more... I rather not take the risk. These glosses can be nice but it seems like a big hit/miss on shade and batch. .
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Blush -Hard Candy - Living Doll
Nekura 10/14/2011 12:05:00 AM
Living Doll lives up to it's name and gives you a nice pink glowy sheen with the right brush, otherwise there's a huge risk of it being a bit too frosty. I don't find it glittery at all but this isn't a color I pick up often. Staying power is nice on these and it's packaged nice however the package is bulky, and the product itself is fragile (especially since it's baked). I have another Hard Candy blush that was shuffling with others and it crumbled inside the compact. I'd also like to point out I own the full size Living Doll and the Living Doll mini version that came in one of the kits with the black packaging. Both blushes are NOT the same color. The small one in the kit is much darker and 100x frostier. It's no where close to identical.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Revlon - ColorStay Makeup
Nekura 6/1/2011 11:38:00 PM
Due the humidity of the summer I'm running into a lot of problems finding a stayput foundation due to my extreme oily skin and hot weather so I decided to finally pick up a bottle 10 YEARS later since I first tried it because I'm still hearing a lot of raves on this old gem these days. I'm pleasantly surprised with the results now. Yes, the foundation has a few kinks here and there however with the proper application it applies and sets like a dream much better than many foundations out there that cost 5x as much. It wears well over the day without "melting" off. Instead of looking greasy and cakey throughout the day, it just looks very natural. No need to touch up my face with a powder during the summer almost every hour!! The key to this foundation though is application. It works best applying with warmth of fingers or with the use of a damp sponge. Apply in sheer layers and build coverage...do not cake this on or it will enhance every (dry/patchy) flaw on your face. It doesn't well with brushes because of the quick drying time nor does it work well with a dry sponge as it'll just eat this foundation up since it's very liquidy (dampness prevents this and allows it to blend better). The finish while matte, isn't too flat either. For a more dewy finish, I'd suggest a light setting spray. Color options are wide and the undertones aren't too strange (not too orange/pink like most drugstore foundations)... I just wish Revlon would make these with a pump. Quite disappointed a decade later it's packaged nearly the same... but overall I'm glad I looked back into this product a decade later as it provides coverage and can withstand summer heat without breaking the bank.
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Fragrances -MAC - Hue-Turquatic ]
Nekura 12/17/2010 10:06:00 PM
I've grown to love this scent over the years. I always turn to this during warmer seasons or on the run. Generally I prefer heavy scents as well and don't really go for "light" fresh scents much as they come off too artificial, soap-like, or smells like laundry detergent but Turquatic has a good balance of being a clean scent with a bit more depth and warmth in it. I've always gotten compliments for this and it's one of the scents in my collection people notice often. My only gripe is that staying power is mediocre which is a shame.. the other downside is that I really -dislike- the spray nozzle. It's not a fine mist and shoots this stuff out like a watergun... but it still has basic staying power even though so much comes out of it! Considering the price and quantity it's not exactly as cheap as it seems however the scent is distinctive enough for me to rebuy.
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Fragrances -Victoria's Secret - BOMBSHELL
Nekura 11/9/2010 5:10:00 PM
I like this scent a lot however it's not very unique or suiting for the name. It's just very light and clean on me with a subtle fruity tartness and hint of vanilla warmth... It's girly definitely but the personality of this scent makes me think of "the sweet girl next door" rather than "sexy bombshell". This also reminds me of YSL Babydoll as someone mentioned but definitely not as sugary. Initially I thought this scent was nearly identical to Bath & Body Works White Citrus. They're very close except Bombshell is sweeter whereas white citrus has more fruity notes but there's definitely a huge similarity in scent and a huge price difference for sister companies that White Citrus is worth looking to if one doesn't want to pay $45 for Bombshell. The packaging to this is very cute though. I'm glad it's not in the vintage style sprays like some VS fragrances (while thats nice they break easily). This is a simple bottle design, with a slight girly flare with the pink gradiant that makes it standout on a vanity.
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Polishes -Wet 'n' Wild - #414 - Red Red
Nekura 2/19/2010 3:28:00 PM
This is true candy cherry red with a creme finish. Not too blue tone, not too orange tone, pretty neutral which is great since this leaves me a fresh vibrant manicure that doesn't enhance the pink tones to my hands and fingers.
Application is wonderful, you can get good even opaque color with 1 coat! however because I have long nails and prefer 100% opacity, I apply 2 coats just for a more solid look. Any more coats is unnecessary. The formula is thin but very pigmented and dries under 5 minutes.
Generally I wear dark polishes so I apply 2 layers of base coat by habit (usually Orly or Sally Hansen Nail Quencher) and haven't experienced any sort of staining from this. There is a bit of tip wear from this after 1 day however I didn't experience any excessive chipping as reviewers stated below. The top coat I use was actually just the cheapo Wet n Wild clear coat and had this manicure for a good week without much chipping or cracking. Red Red is a classic retro but vibrant and funky shade, an absolute bargain for $1. Dry time and pigmentation is as good if not better than China Glaze and OPI. Will buy again.
Swatches Below:
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Pressed Powders -Cover Girl - Clean Pressed Powder Fragrance Free
Nekura 2/14/2010 8:01:00 PM
I actually am reviewing the new Clean pressed powder for sensitive skin in the clear + teal packaging. I'm not sure what the old ingredients to this power was as it never intrigued me for years but the new packaging is quite modern and eye appealing. However the ingredient list seems pretty minimal with the add of oat powder which is a bit unusual (but I assume logically this might help sensitive skin stay calm?) As for the powder, I'm quite surprised with the quality. Keep in mind this is sheer. It can even out minor discoloration but I don't see how this can be used as a foundation unless you just need a subtle tint. For keeping the oilies away, covergirl has always done a great job with this in powders from what I have noticed but I only have steered away because a lot of their face powders contain a high level of bismuth and irritates my skin. This senstive skin powder however seems to be bismuth free, fragrance free, controls the tzone nicely, leaves my skin soft AND non-itchy unlike their other products. The overall texture of this reminds me a lot of MAC Blot. It does come off a bit chalky (just like the MAC) so if you have super dry skin I wouldn't suggest using this (try Maybelline Dream Matte instead). The only difference between this and MAC blot is that this cakes less, has a bit more color to it, but overall works just as great. A $7-8 price tag for a Covergirl powder seems a bit steep (weren't these like $5 before?) however it works so well I don't regret buying it at retail. Will definitely buy a few extras next time I see a BOGO sale.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Maybelline - Expert Wear Blush
Nekura 1/10/2010 9:52:00 PM
Can't say I was the biggest fan of these at first. I tried one of the duos (Pair 'o Plums) and it was awful/pure shimmer. My second purchase was for a limited edition one (Punk Princess), a better improvement but a tad too chunky/glittery. Recently I ran into a lot of these in the dollar tree and let me say the four I picked up are real gems (Pinch 'o Pink, Gentle Rose, Rose Silk, Dusty Rose). I suppose like any brand, their products are hit/miss by shades however the recent four I've bought are really pigmented satin finish. Not super shimmery with no color or chunky glitter like the first two I've tried. Instead the colors are very natural, easy to blend, with a bit of sheen that adds more oomph to the face without looking greasy. I give these a 4 lippy rating because some of the colors are really worthwhile to try out. Oil-free blushes are hard to come by especially in the drugstore world (other than NYC and their small tiny selection). I did run into 2 misses and the packaging is awful but I'll excuse it since I have 4 great blushes now! Please don't use that really bad brush it comes with and use your own powder brush! I don't toss mine out but never touch them. They just sit in the compact so the lid cover will have less of a chance of cracking.
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Eye Shadow -L.A. Colors - 5 Color Metallic Eyeshadow in Tease
Nekura 10/21/2009 8:09:00 PM
The texture to this palette is particularly a bit "waxy" compared to the others so the colors are hit/miss and can be hard to control. The 2 most pigmented are the hot pink and bright blue (these 2 are INSANELY metallic-neon).. the yellow, orange, green are very non-pigmented and require a lot of packing on for it to get the potential color. I can't even say they're chalky, but just hard to pick up in color/product since these shadows aren't very dry. Overall, Tease kind of turned me off from these L.A. Color palettes for a long time until I found them at the dollar store recently for $1.50 and decided to give them another go. The rest are quite amazing (I'm shocked) and the quality is 100x better that this particular one (even though this one is popular for being the brightest). I would only suggest getting this one if you'll be able to find it for $1-$2 (for the pink and blue) but at Cherry Culture's price of $4 this is definitely a pass.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Sally Hansen - Beyond Perfect Collagen Lip Lift in Sheer Spa Sandalwood
Nekura 10/3/2009 7:57:00 PM
This a slightly glossy sheer pale pink-nude color that lightens my natural lip shade. My lips are medium-pigmented and I generally don't have an issue with lipsticks not showing up on me. Nothing too opaque or concealer like. Very nice for smokey eyes but because the color is sheer I can use this during the day time as well easily. The more layers I apply, the more color build up I get. Two problems: 1) is the scent/taste... which reminds me a lot of Clarins lipsticks. It's kind of a sweet dessert like scent, nothing really overly offensive however the downside is that you taste it too (I have the same issue with Clarins lipsticks). I don't mind the scent as much but to taste it isn't my cup of tea. 2) While the packaging is awesome, love the little mirror on the top of the cap. Why don't these lipsticks turn fully down? The package is super fancy for a drugstore lipstick however it doesn't turn fully down like a dollar lipstick when these retail for $8-$9. It's not in a cheap flimsy casing either... This irritates me because I knicked it already. It'll be a different story if these actually retailed for $1 which they don't.
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Highlighters -Stila - All Over Glow in Peachy Keen
Nekura 9/8/2009 6:32:00 PM
I actually like this product... I admit at first the face color was a bit awkward but I've run into similar products with such problems so I "broke in" the top layer of the cheek color with a stiff brush and a stippling/pouncing motion to pick up the product. While you won't get a strong cheek from this, it does provide just the right amount of color for me on low key days. A very sheer natural peachy cheek that just leaves me looking fresh and awake. The highlighter is a very beautiful pink shimmery sheen. The staying power is pretty good even for Stila (I generally don't have the best of luck with Stila cheek products). I wouldn't use the peach color as an all over face color but it's lovely for a light blush. The packaging is cute but it is faulty, I notice the slide compartment for the highlighter was a hit/miss for each so I had to choose one slid out easily when I bought this. I got this on sale for really cheap (like $5) however I'd consider paying a bit more.. just not the retail of $28. This does remind me of those Benefit powders, so I'm happy to own this.
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Eyeliner -NYX - Felt Tip Eyeliner Pencil
Nekura 9/3/2009 11:51:00 PM
This is one of the first NYX products I can actually say I really dislike. I bought this in Extreme Black (which is blue based, and quite dark). At first when freshly opened this is extremely runny and difficult to control unless you want a thick line. I had it stored in a pencil cup capside down as NYX suggests and used it about 2-3 times. Last time I checked, not even a month after owning it it wasn't runny anymore but now it's dried up instead!!.I tried flushing the outside of the tube in hot water hoping it'll help a bit (which it did intially but dried up a day later again). The felt tip and the formula just doesn't work well together as I am 100% certain the cap was fully closed and stored correctly. Also NYX call these a one-day tattoo giving the impression it's waterproof however it's really not. Infact if you wear this liner and end up outside on a rainy day I'm sure you'd get the running racoon eyes sadly. It is easy to wash off though but just smudges too easily... I really wouldn't suggest this for those with sensitive eyes or anyone really. Retailing at $7 on average, this isn't super cheap from NYX especially considering it's a mediocre product you won't get more than a week's use from... I had a longer product life span with Jordana's Fabuliner which is only $2 and lasts about half a year or more. While that one isn't waterproof either, it smudged a lot less and worked better. Sorry NYX, your felt tip liner is full of fail.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Stylish Smokes in Natural Smokes
Nekura 8/24/2009 7:10:00 PM
This smokey quad appealed to me the most compared to the others. I've wanted to try that old infamous Chai Latte quad for a long time but it seemed too warm and coppery.. I was excited to see Natural Smokes because finally there's a true neutral tone quad, not too warm or cool that it seems ashy. The lid color is a bit glittery however works fine with a base (it's gorgeous though). Overall the quality is a huge improvement from Maybelline. Well pigmented, not chalky, not too soft/hard, not too much fall out and very easy to blend. Almost perfect. The mixture of finishes, 2 mattes and 2 shimmery colors gives the overall outcome a very sophisticated and dimensional look much more complex than the standard drugstore palettes which are pure frost/shimmer. You can easily go from a daytime look to a night time one in 1-2-3 with this quad. This is an ideal quad for me to carry in my purse, cheap but effective. It's well worth it for the retail price of $5-6 not to mention these are on sale often. Good job, Maybelline. I'm intrigued now to try the other smokey quads now!
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No