Treatments -L'Oreal - EverStrong Deep Replenishing Masque
lizzea 7/24/2012 7:23:00 AM
I like this except for the awful old lady smell and the packaging. If it didn't smell at all and came in a normal bottle it would be perfect. Very conditioning and lovely for my dry ends but the smell is strong and lingers and I hate tub packaging for items that are meant to be used in the shower (impractical).
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Eye Makeup Remover -Garnier - Clean Sensitive 2-in-1 Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover
lizzea 7/20/2012
I buy this over and over and over again. I've tried the Neutrogena eye makeup remover that's very popular online and a number of other Micellar-style solutions (ones you mix up like this) and none has beat this. I am curious to try the bioderma but hear it's not all it's cut out to be. If I could try the Sonia Kashuk and the Clinique removers and compare it to this, I would assume it would be in the same league! Really good remover, excellent for sensitive eyes and cuts through my waterproof makeup like no other I've used (I've tried L'Oreal, The Body Shop and another Garnier cream style remover and they were rubbish compared to this). Very worth the try if you find your eye makeup stubborn to remove.
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Mascara -Unlisted Brand - Blinc Mascara
lizzea 7/18/2012 3:33:00 AM
PROS: Doesn't smudge, smear, or flake! Lasts all day CONS: Doesn't lengthen or volumise much at all Expensive I wouldn't recommend this if you want something really voluminous and lengthening because it just won't do either of those things. So what's the point even using it? Well, it truly does last all day and is a tubing mascara which means it won't smudge, smear or flake off, but will easily be removed with warm water or a waterproof eyemakeup remover (but seriously, warm water is the best for this). I have pretty lame, poker straight, short lashes, but I have very oily lids so I need a mascara that won't make me look like flakesville. I find that I can use this on my bottom lashes to give them definition and a tiny bit of length without too much volume, then use a regular or waterproof mascara on the top lashes. I don't get any smudging or flaking or smearing when I use this on the bottom lashes. Pretty useless as a top lash mascara as I find it doesn't do much! If they could make this mascara tubing AND volumising AND lengthening, it would be my HG. Maybe they'll get there one day :)
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Half Baked Eyeshadow
lizzea 7/17/2012 10:00:00 PM
Beautiful soft gold, should suit every skin tone - great pigmentation and staying power when applied with a primer underneath. UD are excellent at producing their neutral metallics!
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Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow in Bad to the Bronze / on and on bronze
lizzea 7/17/2012 9:55:00 PM
Great product and colour, the lid of these colour tattoos are flimsy and my 'bold gold' one broke when i tried to open it the first time around so I had to tape it back together! I worry that these may dry out quickly but we'll see! Love it otherwise.
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Lipstick -Chi Chi - Drama Queen
lizzea 7/16/2012 11:41:00 PM
Very dramatic, bright colour, not for the faint hearted! Chi chi lipsticks are totally underrated and worth a try - affordable and good pigmentation and great if you're starting out your collection :)
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Smog
lizzea 7/16/2012 11:31:00 PM
One of my favourite UD eyeshadows... it will suit all skin tones and wears long with a primer and not too badly without one. Really lovely colour, pigmentation and application. Think of a 'metallic neutral' and you have Smog! :)
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Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
lizzea 7/16/2012 11:14:00 PM
Got this with the Naked Palette and am pretty happy with it! It doesn't crease and it does increase the longevity of all the shadows and pigments I've used it with so far. It does feel like it has some slip to it initially but rubbing it in gently will get rid of that feeling and help it set. I haven't tried other primers but have used matte concealers in the past and they *always* crease... this one never does because it's properly formulated to be an eye primer, and it does a really good job.
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Primer/ Corrector -Paula's Choice - Shine Stopper Instant Matte Finish
lizzea 7/16/2012 12:09:00 AM
Quite outstanding, I tried the milk of magnesia trick but was never totally satisfied with the result.. it was matifying but I felt like I could see the product on my skin (which is not what I wanted!) so I'm glad Paula's Choice has formulated something to address the shine issue. When I wear this as instructed with no makeup over the top, my skin is kept mattified for half the day which is extraordinary as I have very combination skin (leaning towards very oily on my t-zone) especially in warm weather. When I wear makeup on top though, it only stays matte for 3 hours or so, which is still longer than it would without this on underneath. It's a great product and would be suitable to spot treat oily areas or for people like me with quite oily skin. I think the performance of it underneath makeup will depend on what foundation you use. If you're using an extra matte foundation it might keep you matte for longer than if you were to use a slightly dewy-finish foundation.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Paula's Choice - Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Lotion Exfoliant
lizzea 7/16/2012 12:02:00 AM
I had been avoiding using this for a long time because I had tried the gel version about 5 years ago and hated how tacky it made my skin feel... I felt like I was wearing a mask that I couldn't remove and it didn't seem to help my skin much. Fast forward to now and I reluctantly tried the liquid version because my skin has been terrible lately and my AHA (also from paula's choice) has started to irritate my skin quite suddenly after using it for 6 months with no problems. So I'm treating aging skin and cystic acne and this is helping a lot, although it still leaves a thin film though not at all as sticky feeling as the gel. A little goes a long way and this is best applied at night before bed. Highly recommended.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - Couleur Infallible Permanent Kaki
lizzea 7/9/2012 8:57:00 PM
Wonderful, like all of the other infallible colours, simply perfect. Wish there were matte shades in this line too!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - Infallible in Goldmine
lizzea 7/9/2012 8:57:00 PM
I think this is my favourite colour out of all the infallible eyeshadows and I simply cannot fault any of them. Great pigmentation, staying power and texture. Would only say that it sucks that I can't apply them with a brush (fingers only) but that's a small price to pay for such an outstanding product.
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - Infallible Eye Shadow - Golden Emerald
lizzea 7/9/2012 8:56:00 PM
Gorgeous colour, staying power and pigmentation, pretty much like all of the infallible eyeshadows. I gotta get them all! Amaze! :D
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Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow
lizzea 7/8/2012 10:59:00 PM
Really nice product, a good eye base but actually not 100% what I thought it would be in terms of living up to the hype (only around 99% instead :P). I have this in bold gold and bad to the bronze and they are gorgeous as bases and will work on their own but I find they're super shimmery so I prefer to use them underneath eyeshadow to make the shadow pop and to keep it staying all day. I am afraid this is going to dry out super fast though since when I opened mine (quite carefully I might add!) the lid completely broke and I had to tape it back together! Quite disappointed about that, but I suppose its not a HUGE deal, but will effect the longevity of my pot of product. Still, it is worth the hype but isn't as pigmented as I actually thought in one swipe (but i'm not saying it's not pigmented at all - it's quite amazing). I actually prefer the l'oreal infallible shadows but in terms of price, the color tattoos are far cheaper here in australia so on that point, the tattoos win out... just :) An excellent product except for the flimsy lid packaging, I would say it's quite worth the hype :)
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Other -Paula's Choice - Beautypedia.com
lizzea 7/5/2012 10:28:00 PM
Paula started off as a consumer advocate, but now with the growth of her own products, the line of independence on her behalf, is starting to blur. Of course she's going to review her products favourably or point you to one of her own as an alternative to a product she doesn't review well, but I've just taken that as the cost of providing an excellent and FREE service to savvy shoppers. I discovered her reviews via her original books and was shocked to learn the level of deceit and plain out lying that happens when marketing beauty and makeup products and how blatantly companies get away with making such absurd claims! Even my most skeptical and logical friends, often with science backgrounds, have a hard time not buying into the hype simply because it's so seductive and surely 'the product says it does this so it must do this'. Sigh. So for that reason I am SO HAPPY beautypedia exists. The site isn't perfect nor is the app, and she does recommend her own line of products a lot, but come on, it's a small price to pay for a FREE service that has saved me probably THOUSANDS of dollars on unnecesary beauty buys over the years. There are a few gaps in the site in so far as providing reviews for *every* brand of skincare/makeup but they're often quite niche brands and I think the variety of content is very extensive and robust overall. I hate that people are saying her reviews are 'psuedo science' - if you read a review, you'll notice she always provides links and references to scientific journals/publications SCIENTIFICALLY PROVING statements where she needs to. Since when do other companies do this? I have yet to find one that backs up their research definitively and with as much thoroughness as beautypedia/paula's choice when making claims or giving information. The only downsides for me are the fact that a few brands are missing and sometimes I find her reviews a little scathing, but given the amount of deceit companies will go to in order to basically steal our money through thinly disguised LIES, she has every right to be as scathing as she wants! In the end, she remains a consumer advocate and I applaud her for giving people such important and thorough information so we can go off and make an informed decision about our beauty buys.
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No