Concealers -Sonia Kashuk - Hidden Agenda Concealer Kit
candystripelegs 9/7/2011 11:15:00 AM
Wow, this is probably one of the best concealers I have ever tried, and that includes MAC, various drug-store and HE brands. In this palette, you get a green, light cream and peachy beige concealer and one pan of pressed powder. I use my Ecotools concealer brush to apply this before my foundation. I LOVE the green shade, it's not that pastel green alot of companies try to pass off, it's a light skintone/olive green that, when applied to the skin, blends wonderfully and helps conceal redness. Using this product before foundation helps me avoid overusing foundation to conceal the redness around my nose and cheeks. I would buy this for the green shade alone!! I was always very wary of using color correcting stuff in the past b/c of bad expereinces but I am very happy with this. The other two pans are awesome as well for dark circles and general cover ups depending on your skin tone. I'm around NC25 and they all work well for me on various parts of the face..Has not caused any breakouts.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Rimmel - Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation
candystripelegs 7/22/2011 1:57:00 PM
I would never leave foundation on for 25 hours. That being said, this is my HG foundation. I keep attempting to try high end foundations thinking that I will find something better and I end up returning them and coming back to this. I LOVE the fact that there is no sunscreen in this, great for photos or a night out. No breakouts or skin irritation and covers redness well. Color selection is limited but I think I've found a good match with True Ivory 100, which isn't exactly ivory at all. I'm around NC 20/25 and this seems to blend well with my skin tone. I exfoliate and use a primer or serum before applying and have the best results with a damp sponge or fingers. I don't wear foundation everyday, but this seems to be adjustable enough for full coverage night out looks or natural looking daytime makeup. PROS: satin matte finish, looks natural not shiny/luminious/overly matte cheap, easy to find comes in a tube provides medium coverage but can easily build up to full coverage without looking cakey. compared to Colorstay,it doesn't set/dry as fast so you have more time to blend or add more coverage. CONS: limited colour range may not be matte enough for people with oily skin
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -St. Ives - Green Tea Scrub
candystripelegs 7/20/2011 10:49:00 AM
I have never been a fan of the Apricot scrubs, the scrub particles were too big and the creamy base of the cleanser left my skin feeling somehow more oilier than before even thought they claim to be oil free (I have slightly combo/normal skin). In comparison to their Apricot scrubs, this stuff is 100x better. Smaller particles, the base is more of a creamy gel and I find the scent more more pleasing. Was not rough on my skin and did not find any random particles stuck in my eye or hair like I often did with other scrubs that have larger scrubbie bits. Skin feels smooth and perfectly balanced and no breakouts or irritation. Will repurchase!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Aussie - catch the wave mouse+leave-in conditioner
candystripelegs 7/20/2011 10:40:00 AM
I have slightly wavy hair with flyaways. Most "moisturizing" conditioners for wavy/dry/damaged hair weigh down my hair and make it feel greasy so I thought this might help. I love it, seems to give a more polished look without making hair crunchy like most mousse products do. Make hair slightly easier to comb though as well. Smells nice and for someone like me who doesn't like to use a lot of product on a daily basis, this is a great option!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Avalon Organics Botanicals - Vitamin C Vitality Facial Serum
candystripelegs 7/15/2011 1:52:00 PM
I used the whole bottle, each day underneath my SPF30 sunscreen. To be honest, I didn't notice much skin lightening or brightening. However, this serum did give my skin an even texture before applying my sunscreen. I think this would be a good serum or primer for people who have oily/normal skin. It gave me just enough moisture in the Texas heat and I have normal skin. No breakouts, no irritation despite the fact that there is fragrance in the product. I think this a product that could work if you have minimal redness/spots and it is reasonably priced. Although I experienced no bad side effects, I didn't see an visible benefits and would not purchase again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Bath and Body Works - Dark Kiss
candystripelegs 6/16/2011 11:10:00 AM
Somehow, this smells like a teenaged version of the classic perfume Poison on my skin. While Poison just send up smelling like rotten fruit or wine on my skin, after about 10-15 Dark Kiss is darkly sweet, mossy woods and berries and musk and a faint hint of vanilla. Love the fact this isn't overly vanilla-ish!! I use the Shea Cashmere hand creams as they are still quite scented without the burst of alcohol you get from using the body spray and they are much more moisturizing than BBW's regular lotions. Would definitely repurchase!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -MAC - Zoom Fast Black Lash
candystripelegs 5/26/2011 10:48:00 AM
I told the SA I needed something really dark, and thick for that goth/ rocker look for my boyfriend. She instantly grabbed this and said this would be perfect. Last night we were going out and I needed some mascara so I used his. Whoa, this is super black! Yes it did make my lashes look thicker after 2-3 coats but the formula is kind of runny and my lashes seems to clump together as well. Very wet and the mascara has a funky smell I don't care for. I don't like the brush, it's very thin and narrow and I find that bigger fluffier brushes gve best results for volume. Zoom Lash didn't lengthen or curl by any means. On the other hand, he seems to like it. It's very black and I suppose he doesn't care too much about making his lashes longer or anything. Bottom line-, I think this is a total waste of money and is on the level with that Great Lash Blackest black mascara. both of which are runny and smear and don't do anything other than darken lashes. I would definitely not recommend this to anyone look for results other than extreme black lashes.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -MAC - Fix+
candystripelegs 4/29/2011 9:29:00 PM
Didn't make my makeup last longer by any means. And unless you spray it on a brush and then apply it to your face your makeup will look "wet" in some places and/or dry in others becuase there's reall no way to get an EVEN mist on your face. Used after my liquid foundation and pressed powder, this managed made me look both dewy and splotchy/dry at the same time. I used it over MSFN after spritizing on a kabuki brush and it felt nice but didn't make that much of a difference. All in all, I do not think this is worth $20 and I won't buy it again. There is nothing here that "fixes" your makeup to make it stay on longer, it is basically mineral water and glycerin. Simply paying for the MAC name on this one.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Physicians Formula - Happy Booster™ Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural
candystripelegs 2/18/2011 2:35:00 PM
Gives a beautiful pink glow! I am really suprised at how pigmented this stuff is and am glad I didn't get the Rose shade because that would probably be too much on my NC 20 skin. I like the brush actually, it's not the greatest but it get the job done. Plus it's nice if you are traveling or keeping it in your purse and don't want to carry a seperate blush brush. I applied this using the brush and it didn't look streaky or anything so I don't see a problem with it. I will note that I tend to wear blush more toward the hollows of my cheeks and not on the apples (does not look good on me) so I could see that alot of people may want a fuller, more rounded brush to apply it. Anyway, this is pretty. Yes there is a scent but nothing major. I think the pink metallic package is super cute. Would repurchase, wish it came in more shades!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Revlon - ColorStay Aqua Mineral Makeup
candystripelegs 2/18/2011 1:44:00 PM
Would I buy this purely as a foundation? No, but I really like it for setting makeup when you don't want a very matte, full coverage look. The closest thing I have in my MU stash that I could compare it to would be MAC's MSFN. This would be a loose powder version of that meaning it's medium coverage, not matte but luminous finish and doesn't look dry or cakey. Basically, if you like MSFN you will probably enjoy this as a cheap alternative. I am about NC 20 and chose the Light-Medium shade from Revlon since I've found that my Medium MSFN that the MAC SA recommend looks a tiny bit to yellow for me. I already have an HG matte longwear foundation & powder but I wanted to try a more dewy, natural look. I've found a foundation that I like already but was looking for a powder that would give a bit of additional coverage and make my skin look dewy. This fits the bill. I don't feel it's too glittery and I am usually opposed to wearing much products with glitter on my face. This is nice, obviusly not something to use if you are oily or going dancing or anything like that. My skin is at the point where yes, I still get oily at times but I'm also noticing that alot of matte foundation and powders can make my skin look a bit more "aged" that it really is. Ick. Anyway, the brush here is mostly useless. Ok for a touch up, but for inital application you are gonna want to use a kabuki. I don't like the fact that there is nothing to keep the powder from spillng out of the pinholes if you want to carry it in your purse. Bottom line: a good setting powder, not foundation option for women who want a more natural finsh with a bit of coverage. Compareable to MAC MSFN but in loose powder form. Yes there is a slight cooling sensation, but I like it.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Cargo - Mendocino
candystripelegs 2/17/2011 12:09:00 PM
I love Cargo's packaging. I love the texture and their blush doesn't seem to crumble or flake or break off like alot of blushes do (even high end ones) in the container. They are a bit more expensive than MAC (around $28) but I will gladly pay the price. I never used to wear blush (goth chick here) but I do realize that blush and highlighter or countour powder can sculpt the face so I've startying trying to incorporate them into my routine. This is a golden raspberry shade that can be built up without making you look like Bozo the clown. It is shimmery, but not too much glitter that you look like a 12 year old playing in your big sisters makeup. On my NC20 skin, a few stokes gives me a light, warm raspberry glow. This may not be a very unique shade, but I do like it.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Maybelline - Dream Liquid Mousse
candystripelegs 2/17/2011 11:15:00 AM
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this is one of the better drugstore foundation options (unlessyou are very oily and need matte foundation or full coverage). Very nice airbrush look (I always moisturize first) on my combo skin. Seemed to last 4-6 hours which is fine, I already have a matte longwear foundation and was looking for an easy, more nautral foundation look that still gave decent coverage and this fit the bill perfectly. I am about NC20/25 the thing is, even though I am warm toned, I have slght redness in the cheeks. I find that alot of shades that are supposed to be in the NC20 range are way to yellow and anything too pink/cool based makes me look ashy and weird because there's no denying I've got an oliveish skintone. The shade Porcelian Ivory is a good match since the next shade up looked to dark. I like the texture, the blendabillity and the finish (not glowly or matte) the pump bottle. About $7 and doesn't oxidize or turn into a greasy mess. I was very suprised by this one, normally maybelline foundation breaks me out and this hasn't so far. Been using for two weeks and will defintely re-purchase. It's not HG status but a really good option if you don't want to spend a lot of money but still want something that gives coverage without looking super matte.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Deluxe Shadow Box
candystripelegs 2/17/2011 10:50:00 AM
Honestly, this is the first Urban Decay product that I haven't been disappointed with and will buy again. And I have to agree with the reviwer below, Scratch is an HG color for me. The golden peach-pink colour really bring out my eyes (bllue & green with a hazel ring) and it's pigmented perfectly! I use all the colors which is very rare when I buy a palette so I would glad pay the $38 price tag. In the 90's when I was a teen, as much I loved the look and packaging of UD, I could never use their eyeshadows because of the over-the-top shimmer and glitter that irratated my eyes. My shadow box was a gift, and I was beyond suprised by the smooth, creamy, blendable, non-glitter bomb eyeshadows!!! The pacaking is ok, my box has held together well (had it for nearly a year now) but I don't like that the purple felt or velvet or whatver it is seems to collect every little piece of dust or fuzz. I deducted one lippie for the Honey shade, sorry but it is way to 70's disco gold on my NC20 skin and I have to use it very, very sparingly and blended with another shade. Would be a very good pigmented option for women of color though. Looking at the website, I see they have a line of deluxe shadows that contians a few other colors not in the box so I will definitely try those. And they have mattes?!*swoon* WAY TO GO UD!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Lucky Green
candystripelegs 2/17/2011 10:20:00 AM
Very pretty color in the pan but I seemed to have to pack it on to get it's vibrancy to show up on my lids. This could be because of skintone or because of the quality so I'm not deducting a lippie for it, I just won't buy it again becuase I have other green shadows that look better. Also, I noticed this one seemed to have more fallout that the other MAC shadows I've tried so far, so I deducted a lippie for that. The other lippie was deducted because of it's staying power, it seemed to fade quicker than other shadows from MAC as well. I know people will say "you need to use a primer" (and I do own both TFSI and UDPP) but I think that if you are paying more than drugstore prices, you should expect a better quality product and this did not meet my expectations when compared to other high end eyeshadows. I think $14 for this so-so product is a waste of my money but for some people it might look nice, just didn't work fo me.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Revlon - Age Defying Moisturizing Concealer (New) [DISCONTINUED]
candystripelegs 2/11/2011 12:38:00 PM
This is the BEST drugstore concealer that I have ever tried other than Revlon's now-discontinued New Complexion pan concealer (which was my HG). Works well with fingers or brush, did not seem to settle into fine lines like the majority of cheap concealers do. Also used a tiny bit on my face coverage was nice and didn't made my pimple look "crusty" (you know what I'm talking about!). This forumla seems great for both dry and oily skins and the few times I used it, there were no new breakouts. Offers creamy, opaque coverage if you can find a shade that works for you this. Personally, I think the medium shade is way too "fake tan orangey" for anyone to use, even for "color correcting". Would have prefered a pan pacakge since I use a brush to apply but the small tube does fine. Took of one lippy because of the medium shade, even if you are a medium skintone I doubt it would be very flattering.My problem is that it seemed to be marketed as an undereye concealer but yet there is no peach tone that is more appropiate for dark under circles and that's why I deducted a second lippie. This is insanely frustrating for those who shop the drug store for makeup! If you don't have very dark circles, this could be a great dual face & eye concealer if you find a shade match. For $11-12, it's a bit expensive for DS cosmetics but worth it. I would buy this again in a lighter shade for acne and facial redness but until they make a peachtone for dark circles, I will continue my search....
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No