Lips -Revlon - Just Bitten Lipstain-Blood Orange
3blindmice 9/1/2007 6:57:00 PM
It's incredibly rare to find a lipstain in any other colour family than pinks and plums. Hence the reason, I, a cool toned brunette bought Blood Orange. I will admit to being quite afraid of the colour when I swiped it on my hand, but on the lips it's a really pretty orangy-red. It has a very interesting see-through quality, so pretty when topped with gloss. Revlon really developed a gorgeous colour with this stain, it's so well done that I really want to go back and pick up Berry Juicy. I wear a lipstain almost daily, so I've had lots of practice in putting them on, even the roller ball ones. My first Lorac lipstain had a roller ball applicator, even if it was about two times smaller than the large one stuck on the Revlon stains. The secret to getting a lipstain to last is to apply then to dry clean lips. I exfoliate my lips the night before, and go to sleep with some sort of treatment balm on them. In the morning, while I'm doing the rest of my makeup I apply a bit of balm to my lips to keep them soft and smooth. When I'm done all my makeup, I take a bit of Vaseline, rub it all over my lips, and then take it off with a tissue. You'll end up with dry, clean lips. They'll feel tight and like they need a balm. This is the way you want them. With roller ball applicators I find it easier to pucker my lips slightly and apply the stain to both the top and bottom centre of the lips. Then you take your finger and you fan out the rest evenly. It should stick, and leave enough even color so that nothing looks patchy or blotchy. Stains are always sheer, if you want more colour, you have to build up the layers. I always start with one sheer layer, then step back and check the progess. Then I wait about a minute or more so that things are good and dry and when I stain has set, I apply a lipbalm. This helps lips not feel dry, and adds shine, so that it looks like you have pretty shiny lips instead of dry crackly stained lips. Depending on how well the stain took in the morning, or the number of coats, a stain can last the better part of the day. I pull about six or more hours out of one application. As the day progresses, I just keep layering either a gloss, balm or lipstick over the original stain colour. The texture of this stain is kind of oily I find, so it slips around a bit more than usual. Smoothing with a finger helps keep it in place and pat into the right spot. You will have to wash your fingers though, as this one produces a pretty intense stain on fingertips that can't be wiped away easily.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Julie Hewett - bud of rose
3blindmice 8/26/2007 10:50:00 PM
I think this is a really nice blush. It's a cross between peach and pink. Not too peachy, but not a bright pink either. It has enough pigment that I can just swipe it on in the morning and go. I use this blush quite often and am very pleased with it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -BeneFit Cosmetics - PocketPal
3blindmice 8/18/2007 9:35:00 PM
Another purchase that was part of my 20x the points crusade at Shopper's Drug Mart. I love lip stains, and had never tried out the famous BeneTint, so this seemed like a great idea. I quite like the colour of the gloss, a sweet popsicle type pink, not too deep, but not too washed out. I did notice that layering it a lot produced a very flushed hot red pink colour, that was quite bright. But one very thin coat results in pretty soft pink lips. The gloss on the other end, even though it's listed as made in France, is quite odd. Very solid, in a way, it hardly spreads. I would say this is a good thing once it's on, since it imparts a super shiny non goopy glossy look, sort of like a glaze. But getting it on is another story, as it takes a bit of work. I thought the teensy little brush applicator would cause me problems but it's an good way to paint the stain on, especially around the lip line. All in all I'm very happy with this purchase, as I can see myself using it regularily.
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Lipstick -Smashbox - Decadence Photo Finish Lip Luxe in Socialite
3blindmice 8/15/2007 10:40:00 PM
Shopper's Drug Mart was having a 20x the points event, so this lipstick ended up as being on of my purchases to qualify. I really liked the colour, a very pretty nude pink, but I was really taken with the gloss in the lip of the lipstick tube, Goldish vanilla, so pretty. The lipstick itself is almost the exact same colour as my natural lips so this works quite well for me. It's a touch pinker than my natural lip tone, but the end result is glossy and pretty. The lipstick on it's own is nice, if not a bit matte, but with the gloss it's just wow! I love the dimension the gloss add to the lipstick colour. I find the lipstick to be super creamy, but not so creamy that it slides everywhere. The packaging is ok, but tube itself is quite fat, but it does have a sleek titanium/pewter colour and looks quite posh. I did choke at bit at the price, about 32$ CAD, but I guess it's because there is a gloss at the end. Only time will tell how much gloss is actually in the tube. It's a really pretty gloss colour though, I'd love to own a single tube of it one day.
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Styling Products -Ojon - Shine and Protect Glossing Mist
3blindmice 7/31/2007 10:43:00 PM
If I would have had a computer with me this morning to write out a review of this product, it most likely would have resulted in a lot of swearing. As it's now the end of the day, and I can barely smell the putrid mess that was on my head this morning, I can maybe tone down the vehemence of my words. I have no problems with the actual glossing mist, because it's nice. It makes hair velvety, shiny and super soft. My issue is with the horrible horrible smell this comes with, and I can't imagine why on earth anyone decided to scent this product so strongly. I can't detect any sort of strong base scent in this that would make someone put into it the most vile fragrance known to man. It's like cheap tacky strong perfume. Two pumps of this on my super thick hair, resulted in pretty soft shiny hair yes, but also in the worst smelling hair I've had in a very long time. I was ashamed during the day that someone would think that I actually sprayed this scent on myself on purpose. And the more I would move my head the more it would waft throught the air. I really think this product needs a re-vamp, not for the actual mist, but for the putrid smell. Did no one think to smell this stuff before it was marketed?
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Bobbi Brown - Long Wear Cream
3blindmice 7/29/2007 5:22:00 PM
I have four Long Wear Cream Shadows- Orchid. Galaxy, Sand Castle and Beach Honey. My first purchase was Orchid, and I never wore it, because the colour, (a cool pinky lilac) is not typical shade for me. Nevermind that I bought it because I don't have any colours like it, but that's a different story. When the new summer cream shadows shades came out, Sand Castle and Beach Honey looked more up my alley. I loooove these cream shadows. They wear like iron, but don't look dry or crispy on the lids. I've wore these in the dead heat of summer, in very high humidity and they don't move or crease. I like that they can be layered for a more intense effect or applied sheerly. I bought the cream shadow brush to go with it, but found that it applied very sheer coats and was honestly kind of useless. I use my finger and get great results. What I really like about these is that they look like creme shadows on the lids, they have that sort of velvety moist texture, that looks creamy even if it's not. Unlike oily cream shadows that disappear or crease within a half an hour, or dry cream shadows like MAC paints that just look crispy, the Bobbi cream shadows are lush and velvety.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Bobbi Brown - Extra SPF 25 Moisturizing Balm
3blindmice 7/18/2007 11:46:00 PM
Bought this because my counter has been sold out of the Protective Face lotion for months now. At first I regretted it, because it's a pretty dense cream and I bought it as the weather was getting hotter, so I thought it would be much too heavy. I must say, I quite like it. I apply an even thin layer in in the morning, then let it sink in for a few minutes, and use a non-silicone based primer over it and that cuts the shine especially in the t-zone. I have no problems putting foundation over this, it's very nice indeed. The texture of the spf 25 Moisturizing Balm is much runnier and has greater slip than that of the Extra Moisturizing Balm (non spf). The only issue I have with it, and with all Bobbi skincare is that it's very expensive. But the jar is large, and the product very spreadable, so I'm guessing it will last me a good long time.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -DuWop - Revolotion Face
3blindmice 7/18/2007 11:34:00 PM
I bought Revolotion Face during the late winter months, and promptly shelved it until I knew that my face could wear it with ease. In reading the reviews I see that a lot of oily skinned girls like this one, and I can certainly understand why. It's not dry or matte, per se, but it goes on almost without a trace of moisture. I personally have dry skin, so even in the summer I use a moisturizer with spf under this and it still stays fresh and good looking all day. I love that it goes on with a bit of a glow, I sometimes set it with powder mainly in the t-zone, to keep some glowiness in the cheeks. I'm actually quite surprised as to how much I like this, it's really not bad at all. I have it in Nanci.
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Lips -RoC - enydrial moisturising lip balm
3blindmice 6/16/2007 7:28:00 PM
I think this in one of the very best in stick balms. Unlike normal stick lip balms, it's not waxy, but creamy. I never get any white film with this and the stick itself never gets so waxy that it doesn't want to spread anymore. I often wear this on its own around the house, and every morning put it on over my lipstain for moisture. It doesn't melt or alter the colour of my stain in the least. And I can apply gloss over it, if I so desire without any sort of creepy product build up or pilling. I love the fact that it's in a tube, if you work in an environement where you can't was your hands to often, it's very practical. I'l totally buy this one again, it's very nice to have around.
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Blush -Morgen Schick - Schick Stick - cheek & lip stain
3blindmice 6/11/2007 10:53:00 PM
I am a HUGE fan of Morgen's lip stains. I use Pink almost every single day to add colour to my non-pigmented lips and then top it with either lip gloss or simply a moisturizing lip balm. I presently have three colours- the oft-used Pink (a really pretty sheer pink, not too bright, not too pink, just pretty pink), Ruby (more of a cherry pink, colour can be deepened and reddened up with multiple coats and Berry (grape purple, totally unwearable), I've worked this one a number of ways and it always makes me look dead. I've seen Morgen on tv talking about Berry and how it's really good under nude colours, but that doesn't work for me either. Too bad really, because the product itself is wonderful. Morgen has one other colour presently in rotation Healthy, more of a flushed redddish tone, that I've not had the pleasure of using, but that I do plan on picking up in the future. All of the existing colours are packaged in lip gloss tubes with a doe foot aplicator. The old package was sort of a bingo dabber type sponge tipped wand, which wasn't as easy to control. The texture of the stain is liquidy, and the colours are all so pretty. All shades smell like rose petals. Single new, sealed tubes or all colours are often available on Ebay, and I really can't recommend these enough. I use mine every single day, and have done so since September and still have almost half a bottle left of Pink.
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Blush -Vincent Longo - Vincent Longo Pearlessence Gel Stains
3blindmice 5/31/2007 12:49:00 AM
I'm a huge fan of lip stains, mainly because I have quite non-pigmented lips, and a stain usually allows me to get a nice "base" of colour, and then layer glosses or lip balms overtop. Most of my daily use lip stains are all matte, so the idea of a shimmery lip stain was quite intriguing. I chose Bellini Love, mainly because I couldn't imagine what the other colours would look like and it seemed the safest, I mean how can a person go wrong with pink? My go-to daily lipstains are by Morgen Schick and they're the typical liquid stain texture. The Vincent Longo Pearlessence Lip Stain is more watery. I have to shake the tube before each application, or else none of the colour shows up. I'm not sure if it's an actual gel texture, as the consistency is not as thick as a gel, it's more like colour suspended in water. Colour glides on smoothly and is just a really pretty shimmery pale pink. Not pastel pink per se, but a really pretty sweet sheer pink. It has enough colour to add a bit of pigment to my almost colourless lips, but is not so pale that it washes me out. I do agree that the colour can have a heavy frosty cast if layered on thickly, but a one of two thin coats just produces a sheer shimmery colour. Where I think this stains excels as a base for other lip colours. I can layer any gloss over this, and because of the shimmer, it looks like I've spent hours layering lipstick and gloss and then going back and highlighting the center of my lip for extra poutiness. I'm not a huge fan of the scent, I think it's supposed to be some sort of cake note, but I find it somewhat sweet and icky. Bellini Love is a really pretty summer colour though, it has a really pretty "lightness" that goes well with the lazy, hazy days of summer.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Bobbi Brown - Pot Rouge SUMMER PINK
3blindmice 5/25/2007 11:46:00 PM
Beautiful, effortless, glowy colour. Fabulous on lips as well.
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Eye Shadow -Scott Barnes - Illumineye Eyeshadow in Lilly
3blindmice 5/24/2007 12:37:00 AM
I apply Lily everyday as a highlight colour under the arch of my brow. Every.single.day. And that's because it's a mix of both white and gold, so I don't ever have to vary my highlighter colour. I don't even use a brush, I just lightly tap my ring finger into the shadow (which is just sooo creamy) and blend it under my browbone. I love it, it's one of those no-brainer colours that just makes me look instantly better when I use it.
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Lips -Julie Hewett - Camellia Balm
3blindmice 5/11/2007 7:08:00 PM
I went on a huge Julie Hewett kick a while back, and amassed quite a few of her products. I've always been a huge fan of balms, in particular, Bobbi Brown Soothing Face Balm, which has been sitting in my makeup drawer for going on three years now. The JH Camellia Balm sounded so yummy on the website, and I love multi-purpose products, so it seemed like a good idea to get one. I opted to get the pot, since I love to pat a bit of balm onto my cheeks after applying my blush, and didn't really need another portable (lip) balm stick. The texture of the Camellia Balm is quite thin. It's not runny or anything, but slippy, almost like a dense, smoother and thinner Vaseline. Though it doesn't have the heaviness Vaseline has. It's really quite a pleaseant texture. And one of the reasons I love to use it on my lips. It just glides on, it doesn't sit on top like a traditional thick balm. It's more fluid, not liquidy but very smooth. And it makes an excellent lipstick or gloss primer, as it's not so thick that it just sits there, and not so runny that it slides everywhere and interferes with lipstick or gloss. I think it's the light texture that I find misleading, since I do often pat a bit on my cheeks after blush, but because the formula is so soft and light, it doesn't stick around for the remainder of the day. I think my skin absorbs it. Same if I put it around my cuticles, it's like an invisible moisturizer. It feels nice and soothing, but it's not heavy in the least. I personally like my face balm to be dense and thick, but as a lip treatment, Camellia Balm really is stellar. It also has the prettiest scent, very soft sweet orange, almost tangerine. Nothing fake or cloying. I'd totally buy this product again, it's really very nice.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Paula's Choice - skin recovery hydrating treatment mask
3blindmice 4/26/2007 3:07:00 PM
I find this facial mask to be excellent. I love using it when my skin has just had enough- either too much exfoliation, or else just stubborn dry patches that won't go away, even after intense moisturization. The winters are very cold here, and I also use Retin-A micro, so about three times during the winter months I whip out this facial mask and just slather it on. What I really like about it, is that it goes on kinda slick, but then sinks into my skin in about five minutes. I usually leave this on for about twenty minutes, and can actually see the moisture pouring itself back in. My skin always looks plump and radiant after I rinse this off, and it feels satisfied. I've never broken out from it, and I know I can count on this to take my skin back to a normal texture each time I use it. I wouldn't say this is for the hot humid summer months, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have a tube of this during the fall and winter.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No