Mascara -L'Oreal - Voluminous Naturale
kmbirkel 10/9/2008 12:20:00 AM
*Click "continued" for a picture!*
I generally am not a fan of plastic mascara wands, but I decided to put up with this one at least once because of how much I like the original Voluminous mascara. It actually pleasantly surprised me. I got the same uncomfortable sensation of scratching my eyelids that I always get with this type of wand; however (and this could have been due to the wand or the formula, I don’t know), I liked the end result much better than I’ve liked the results of Define-a-Lash, Lash Blast, and others with the same type of wand. It was really very pretty, and gave my lashes volume, length, and definition, which seems to be a combination that’s hard to come by these days! Because of that “scratchy” feeling, I don’t think I would use this as a daily mascara and it would never be an HG for me, but if you don’t mind the feeling of the plastic bristles, I think this is the best mascara out there of its kind and would definitely recommend it.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Wet 'n' Wild - H2O Proof Liquid Eyeliner
kmbirkel 10/7/2008 11:41:00 PM
I have never met a product like this one in my life. It might as well be a makeup tattoo - read on, and you'll see what I mean. I bought a bunch of eyeliners tonight: Rimmel (pencil, not waterproof), NYC (waterproof pencil), Revlon Colorstay (waterproof pencils and long-wear but apparently not waterproof liquid liners), and Wet 'n' Wild H2O Proof... swatched them all on my arm to see how I like them, and then went to try to wash them off - using my normally FAILPROOF makeup removing/cleansing combination of jojoba, safflower, tea tree and castor oils - and everything came off perfectly... except the WnW. When I saw it wasn't coming off with the oil, I tried soap. Then I tried scrubbing it with a washcloth. Then I tried exfoliating with microfiber and my L'Oreal ReFinish Microdermabrasion scrub. IT STILL LOOKS UNTOUCHED. Like I never even *tried* to wash it off. Freshly applied! And you can't even tell those other supposedly long-wear and waterproof liners were ever there next to it on my arm. I can't get over the sight of this indelible black stripe on my arm! I rated this five lippies because it does what it says it does - this stuff redefines the word "waterproof" - but to be honest, I'm a little scared now. How am I ever going to get it off?! At least now I know what to wear during allergy season... maybe... I'm not sure I'd ever be brave enough to put this on my eyelids, just for fear that it would Never. Come. Off.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -DHC - Make Off Sheet
kmbirkel 10/1/2008 12:58:00 AM
These are truly an HG for me. As a double-major/pre-med college student, I am perpetually sleep-deprived, and about 50% of the time I don't have the energy to wash my face and do my whole routine at night. I keep these by my bedside to ensure that at the very least I remove the superficial layer of makeup and muck that has accumulated over the course of the day before I hit the sack. I agree with a previous reviewer that they won't remove waterproof makeup or sunscreen, but why would you expect them to? In any case, I find that I break out less when I use these (as opposed to doing nothing before bedtime). Additionally, they aren't alcohol-y feeling, oily feeling, or drying at all, nor are they overly fragranced, so my face feels comfortable enough after using them that I can go right to sleep. Love love love, will repurchase forever and ever. PS - someone else recommended Pond's Clean Sweep as an alternative - those do work well for many, I hear, but were disastrous for my acne-prone, combination skin. Simultaneously made my face flaky from overly dry cheeks and blemished from overly oily t-zone. Yuck! EDIT: I just bought four more refills of these. I still LOVE them! And now my mom and sister are hooked on them, too :) I use them for everything - even swipe my makeup brushes across one between colors/applications to keep them fresh between washes. They are so useful!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Jardin Aires Pigment
kmbirkel 9/28/2008 8:15:00 PM
(Click "continued" to see a pic of this swatched on my arm!)
So, it looks like people either love or hate this pigment. I'm definitely one of those who loves it! To be fair, I haven't tried any other MAC pigments (I received a very generous sample of this from a sweet MUAer and have been using it since) so I don't have much of a standard to compare it to, but as far as eye shadows go, it's my favorite. I wear it alone or layered over other shadows, and I love that it's very buildable so I can have just a little shimmer or a *pop!* of color :) If you are someone who loves golds, bronzes, peaches, and browns like me, I highly recommend it!
EDIT: I have since tried/come into possession of *many* MAC pigments, and this one is still a favorite!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Rimmel - Lasting Finish - Temptation
kmbirkel 9/28/2008 8:10:00 PM
(Click "continued" to see a pic of this swatched on my arm!)
I really like this lipstick. It does bleed a little without a liner or dusting of translucent powder on top, but is manageable, and has *fantastic* wear otherwise. In the picture below (and on the lips), it looks similar to a more well-known red drugstore lippie, NYC Retro Red, but not quite the same - Retro Red is more orange-toned, and Temptation is more blue-toned (which works better on cooler skin tones like mine). If you have warm/golden tones, I'd steer you from this and recommend the NYC, but if you have cool/pink undertones, Temptation could be absolutely perfect for you!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -New York Color - Ultra Moist Lip Wear Retro Red 308B
kmbirkel 9/28/2008 8:06:00 PM
(Click "continued" to see a pic of this swatched on my arm!)
I like this lipstick, but I don't love it. It does bleed a little without a liner or dusting of translucent powder on top, but is manageable, and has pretty good wear otherwise. In the picture below (and on the lips), it looks similar to my favorite red lippie, Rimmel Temptation, but not quite the same - Retro Red is more orange-toned, and Temptation is more blue-toned (which works better on cooler skin tones like mine). If you have cool/pink undertones, I'd steer you from this and recommend the Rimmel, but if you have warm/golden tones, Retro Red could be absolutely perfect for you!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast
kmbirkel 9/28/2008 8:00:00 PM
(Click "continued" to see a pic of me with it on!)
I bought this in brown... if brown is what you're looking for, this is the mascara for you, because it's *really* brown, not a dark brown or an almost-black brown. I'm still out on whether I like it or not; it's not the worst mascara I've ever tried, but I can think of at least 5 or 6 other mascaras that I've liked better. It does an average job at volumizing, lengthening, and separating, but doesn't excel at any of those things. I think for the money it cost ($8) I could purchase a much better drugstore mascara (i.e., Maybelline Full & Soft) - or two! - so I won't be repurchasing.
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Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - HIP Jelly Balm [DISCONTINUED]
kmbirkel 9/28/2008 7:54:00 PM
(Click "continued" to see pics of Delectable and Succulent swatched on my arm and tried on my lips!)
Well, I seem to be in the minority here, but I really didn't like these much. I tried Delectable and Succulent, expecting that they'd be a rich, sexy red and a cotton candy-like pink on the lips, for a gloss that's supposed to be "highly pigmented." Apparently not - both looked almost the same, a muted pink, nothing exciting. I look better wearing plain Chapstick. I also hate the pot packaging - it's cute for novelty's sake, but really unsanitary. Yes, you could wash your hands before every time you apply it, but how is that conducive to reapplying it when you're out shopping or something like that? (And, for the record, it DOES need to be reapplied, and often!) These, along with my HIP liners, are going back to CVS on my next trip out - with the exception of a couple of shadow duos, this whole line has been something of a disappointment to me.
Delectable:
Succulent:
12 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - HiP Metallic Duo - Gunmetal #306
kmbirkel 9/28/2008 7:47:00 PM
(Click continued to see pics of Gunmetal swatched on my arm and applied on my eye!)
So far, this is my favorite of the many products I've tried in the HIP line. I posted FOTDs on the makeup board with this on two different times, and everyone really loved it. I also have the Wicked duo, which I don't like as a duo but I love the gold/bronze-y shade in it... I find they work really well together when I layer the gold shade from Wicked over/under the greens in Gunmetal. One other note about the packaging: I wish they didn't include the little tester wand on the underside. I NEVER use those, and the packaging could be half its current depth (and therefore take up a lot less space in my cosmetics organizer) without that little cubby there!
The next two pics are of me wearing Gunmetal with the gold shade from the Wicked duo blended in on top:
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - HiP Concentrated Duo - Wicked #818
kmbirkel 9/28/2008 7:40:00 PM
(Click continued to see pics of Wicked swatched on my arm and applied on my eye!)
Well, the jury's still out on this duo. I posted FOTDs on the makeup board with this on two different times, and some MUAers said it looked hot, others felt really lukewarm about it - and I have to agree with the latter. I definitely second a previous reviewer's comment that it can look like a bruise on the mend - both the yellow tone and the purple tone can lend to that, especially if not applied carefully and blended well. Unlike some other reviewers, though, I LOVE the gold/bronze-y shade and will more than likely keep this duo just for that - the purple shade is not super attractive and I will probably never use it enough to even make a dent, but I love layering the gold shade under and over just about everything. One other note about the packaging: I wish they didn't include the little tester wand on the underside. I NEVER use those, and the packaging could be half its current depth (and therefore take up a lot less space in my cosmetics organizer) without that little cubby there!
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Eyeliner -L'Oreal - HIP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in Brown
kmbirkel 9/28/2008 7:32:00 PM
(Click continued to see a pic of HIP Brown liner swatched on my arm!)
EDIT: I gave these another chance and love them - I now own all the colors. I suspect the ones I had before were dried out or something along those lines - perhaps an opened but unused return? In any case, these are my *third favorite* eyeliners - second only to the Jane Be Pure Mineral Gel Liners and the Stila Smudge Pots.
Original review: Hmm, I seem to have not had the same experience as other reviewers with this. I applied it with my Sephora professional eyeliner brush, which normally works wonders with cream eyeliner, but I had to put on multiple coats (I know, who does coats with EYELINER? I normally don't!) for the color to even show up and have a fluid line (the first time there was a faint line of color but the product wouldn't go on my lash line, just a couple of millimeters above it, if that makes sense). Once I could SEE it, after putting on a couple of coats, I still wasn't impressed; others have compared the HIP liners to Stila smudge pots, and I have to say that I vastly prefer the Stila. The brown color looks rich in the jar but dull and boring on the lid. My HIP liners, along with the Jelly Balms I bought, are going back to CVS in my next trip out - with the exception of a couple of eyeshadow duos, the whole line has been a disappointment to me.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -L'Oreal - HIP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in Eggplant
kmbirkel 9/28/2008 7:30:00 PM
(Click continued to see a pic of Eggplant swatched on my arm!)
EDIT: I gave these another chance and love them - I now own all the colors. I suspect the ones I had before were dried out or something along those lines - perhaps an opened but unused return? In any case, these are my *third favorite* eyeliners - second only to the Jane Be Pure Mineral Gel Liners and the Stila Smudge Pots.
Original review: Hmm, I seem to have not had the same experience as other reviewers with this. I applied it with my Sephora professional eyeliner brush, which normally works wonders with cream eyeliner, but I had to put on multiple coats (I know, who does coats with EYELINER? I normally don't!) for the color to even show up and have a fluid line (the first time there was a faint line of color but the product wouldn't go on my lash line, just a couple of millimeters above it, if that makes sense). Once I could SEE it, after putting on a couple of coats, I still wasn't impressed; others have compared the HIP liners to Stila smudge pots, and I have to say that I vastly prefer the Stila. The colors of Eggplant looks vivid in the jar but dull and boring on the lid - just any old deep purple, one you could easily mistake for black from a few feet away. My HIP liners, along with the Jelly Balms I bought, are going back to CVS in my next trip out - with the exception of a couple of eyeshadow duos, the whole line has been a disappointment to me.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -L'Oreal - HiP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner
kmbirkel 9/28/2008 7:22:00 PM
(Click continued to see a pic of Brown and Eggplant swatched on my arm!)
EDIT: I gave these another chance and love them - I now own all the colors. I suspect the ones I had before were dried out or something along those lines - perhaps an opened but unused return? In any case, these are my *third favorite* eyeliners - second only to the Jane Be Pure Mineral Gel Liners and the Stila Smudge Pots.
Original review: Hmm, I seem to have not had the same experience as other reviewers with these (I tried both Brown and Eggplant). I applied both with my Sephora professional eyeliner brush, which normally works wonders with cream eyeliner, but I had to put on multiple coats of each (I know, who does coats with EYELINER? I normally don't!) for the colors to even show up and have a fluid line (the first time there was a faint line of color but the product wouldn't go on my lash line, just a couple of millimeters above it, if that makes sense). Once I could SEE them, after putting on a couple of coats, I still wasn't impressed; others have compared the HIP liners to Stila smudge pots, and I have to say that I vastly prefer the Stila. The colors on the HIP liners, or at least in Brown and Eggplant, look vivid in the jar but dull and boring on the lid. These, along with the Jelly Balms I bought, are going back to CVS in my next trip out - with the exception of a couple of eyeshadow duos, the whole line has been a disappointment to me.
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Liquid -Laura Mercier - Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation
kmbirkel 8/13/2008 2:49:00 AM
I tend to bounce around between foundations - go through phases where I wear it every day, then don't wear it for a month, whatever my skin seems to need at the time - and sometimes one with shimmer, sometimes sheer, sometimes full coverage - but this is one I think I'll be sticking with for a while. I LOVE that I can layer it so it can be almost sheer or offer lots of coverage, and it matches my (very pale) skin tone beautifully. My skin is perpetually bumpy with that icky under-the-skin acne, and I usually have several big zits... thanks, mom and dad. The LM-OF foundation covers it all... even my boyfriend, who hardly ever notices changes in my appearance, tells me how good my skin looks on the days I use it. This foundation has fantastic staying power, too - I work as a busser at a busy restaurant and I can come home from a shift sweaty and exhausted but my skin will still look great! Shiny, as my oily skin always looks, but even and smooth. I haven't found anything that can completely combat that oiliness. Anyway, I think it's great and would highly recommend it. Its only fault is its price - $42 is so outrageous for a bottle of foundation! But a little goes a long way, so I think it will last me twice as long as a bottle of Neutrogena Visibly Even (my standby) might... so I guess it's not so bad, anyway.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -John Frieda - Sheer Blonde Spotlight
kmbirkel 7/9/2008 5:23:00 PM
This did *nothing* for my hair. I LOVE the JF Sheer Blonde Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner so I was hoping (and expecting) to love this stuff too, but it didn't detangle my hair, bring out highlights or make it shiny/smooth/whatever. It just gave my hair this weird, rather greasy looking coat and that was it. For reference, my hair is fine but thick, straight, and medium blonde.
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