Lipstick -Bare Escentuals - Big & Healthy Lipstick in Brooklyn
AS437 12/2/2012 8:43:00 PM
In the past, I've tried Bare Escentuals lipglosses and have not been a fan (the mintyness is a bit over the top in my opinion), so I have not really bothered with the brand since. However, I recently received a sample of the Big Healthy Lipstick in Brooklyn from Sephora. I was very pleasantly surprised! The lipstick is a dark brownish-pinky/mauve color and goes on sort of matte yet is not overly drying. I find that it looks amazing with my skin-tone and lasts quite a long time (which is unusual as lip products do not tend to last long on me). As it wears off, it sort of fades (in a good way). Additionally, the minty tingle is definitely not as intense as the lipglosses which is a huge plus for me. After trying out my sample for a month or so, I ended up purchasing the full sized product. Although the packaging works well (it comes in a silver twist-top stick that resembles an oversized lipliner), I thought that they could have put more effort into the design as it is sort of ugly in my opinion. Other than that, I have no complaints about this product and will definitely purchase it again -I'm looking forward to try out some of the other colors :)
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Polishes -Butter London - Yummy Mummy
AS437 11/24/2012 3:17:00 PM
I was in the market to buy a nice nude nail polish and have been looking for one for a while. I was on Butter London's website and saw this shade. They advertise it as being a nude shade that's perfect for everyone. On the website (and in the bottle) the nail polish looked beautiful so I purchased it. My biggest complaint with this Yummy Mummy is that it does NOT look good on medium-brown skin tones!!! After putting it on, it looked as if I had no fingernails, as the color blended well with my skin tone (not really a look I was going for). I think that it could be a beautiful color for those with lighter or significantly darker skin. Also, the online pictures make it look like a nude with some pink undertones. I found that there was no pink in it whatsoever (more nude-brownish). The two stars off are for the inaccurate description of the color (online and in pictures), and the fact that it looked sort of blah when it was on. I think it's important to note that the formula is good for Butter polishes in general (they last about 4 days with no chips for me) and they apply nicely with a streak-free finish. For those who are unsure about this color, I would avoid it if you have medium-brown skin. Also, All Hail the Queen is a very similar color, however, has a shimmer to it. In my opinion, it is nicer than Yummy Mummy.
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Makeup Brushes -Too Faced - Powder pouf brush
AS437 11/16/2012 4:50:00 PM
I purchased this brush after I had enough with my previous powder brush loosing bristles and I couldn't be happier with my purchase! I've had this brush for over a year now and I honestly feel that it is in the exact same condition as when I purchased it (and I use it every day and cleanse it regularly). The design is super cute (it has an adorable elastic bow on the handle) and is the perfect size for applying face powder. Additionally, the bristles are super soft and do not shed at all. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an excellent quality face/powder brush.
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Eyeliner -E.L.F. - Liquid Eyeliner - Black
AS437 11/16/2012 4:43:00 PM
As far as liquid eyeliners go, I found this to be decent. Having said that, I actually have WAY better results using gel eyeliner and an eyeliner brush. I found that this liquid eyeliner was fairly easy to apply. The applicator is great and give you the thinnest black line. My biggest issue with this liner (and other brands of liners that are packaged like this) is that after the product gets a bit old (10-15 uses) or gets even a little bit dried out, it is way harder to apply (can go on streaky) and can be flaky if you try to layer it or put on too much. However, for the price, this product is of decent quality and (in my opinion) comparable to the MAC liquid eyeliner.
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Polishes -Illamasqua - Jo'mina
AS437 11/16/2012 4:34:00 PM
I received this nailpolish in Sephora's Illamasqua Mystery Box. It is the first Illamasqua nailpolish that I own. Compared to the other brands that I use regularly (OPI, Ciate, Revlon), I feel that it is a great quality nail polish. This color applies evenly and looks decent with just one coat (which, in my opinion is rare for a nailpolish as I find most requre two). I liked the brush and found that it applied the polish evenly. I did not experience any streaking when it dried. As far as chip resistance goes, I think that it is comparable to most other decent quality nail polishes, although, doesn't compare to Ciate (which has been the longest-lasting for me). It lasted four days without any chips on my fingernails, and is still going strong on my toes.
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Pressed Powders -E.L.F. - Translucent Mattifying Powder
AS437 11/5/2012 2:05:00 PM
Overall, I found this product to be a great value for the price. I mostly use this pressed powder for touch-ups during the day to control shine. I have medium-brown skin and I found that it seems to work well on me as long as I don't over apply it (in which case it starts to look a bit chalky). However, it's fairly easy to blend in or wipe off so that isn't much of a problem. I really like the packaging, and as other reviewers pointed out, it looks sleek and a lot more expensive than it actually is. My biggest complaint with this product is the sponge that it comes with. I find it to be a bit thin and I wish it were thicker and of better quality. However, for the price of this powder, that certainly isn't something that would keep me from purchasing this again. Overall, I think that this is a great value for the price and I will definitely be purchasing a few more to leave at my office and in my purse.
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Deodorants -Lavanila - The Healthy Deodorant
AS437 11/3/2012 7:09:00 PM
I did not have a very good experience with this deodorant. I really liked the smell and found that it applied nicely to my skin. However, the benefits stopped there (at least they did for me). This product did NOTHING for me. I'm not a smelly person at all, however, I found that I certainly did not smell "fresh" halfway through the day while wearing this. I used it for a week consistently because I thought that perhaps I needed time to get used to the product, but I had no luck with that strategy either. I really wanted to like this product because I like the idea of a natural product, however the fact of the matter is that this does not work the same as 'regular' deodorant, so if that's what you're looking for, save your money and buy something from the drugstore!
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Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Iconic High Definition Lash Curler Mascara
AS437 11/3/2012 7:02:00 PM
This is one of my favorite mascaras! What makes it really great is the brush. I find that it captures every lash and doesn't clump as much as other mascaras (including diorshow). The formula is pretty good too. I've not had issues with flaking or anything like that. I find that if I am patient with application and comb it on repeatedly, I can get AMAZING results. When I apply it like this, I get complements on my lashes, with some people asking me if I'm wearing fake eyelashes. I always use eyemakeup remover to remove mascara, so I have not experienced any difficulties taking this off. This is my favorite mascara and in my opinion, better than diorshow.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Foreplay Cheek Palette
AS437 11/2/2012 4:58:00 PM
I really like this selection of powder blushes! I purchased mine from Sephora. I had originally gone there to buy a blush from another brand, however, the sales lady recommended this because the color I was looking for was essentially the same as one included in this palette. I find that the darker rose and bright pink colors are very pigmented and are lovely upon application. Although many people seem to be a fan of NARS orgasm, I find that it doesn't show up as well as I'd like it to on my skin (medium-brown skintone). I haven't really used the highlighter, although it seems to be a nice color and also applies nicely to the skin. My only complaint is that the pans of blush are very small and are consequently difficult to get at with the larger brush that I use for application. Also, I find that tiny flakes of color seem to find their way into the highlighter as well. I feel that this palette would be better if NARS provided a larger amount of each blush and spaced them out a bit more in the palette. However, apart from this, I am very happy with my purchase and would definitly buy this again. I feel that it's a good value and provides the opportunity to try three different blushes, all of which are beautiful colors.
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Treatments -E.L.F. - Shine Eraser Blotting Sheets
AS437 11/2/2012 4:46:00 PM
These blotting sheets are super thin (I find them to be a lot thinner than the Sephora and Bosca ones that I have used in the past). They do seem to work, although I have had better results with other brands. I find that sometimes I need to use more than one. However, this isn't really a problem for me as this product is very inexpensive. Overall, I think that the packaging and amount (50 sheets per package) is ok. I wish the blotting sheets were a bit thicker, but for the price, I feel that they are a steal. I would definitley purchase them again and recommend them to anyone looking for inexpensive blotting sheets.
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Lip Treatments -Christian Dior - Creme de Rose 001
AS437 11/2/2012 2:55:00 PM
I absolutely LOVE this product! My lips are constantly dry, and this is one of the few lipbalms that actually provides long-lasting moisturization for me. I have found that this product seems to last a bit longer than others on my lips. Creme de rose has a heavy rose scent to it. I find that it's strong enough that I can smell it as I'm wearing it (although the smell fades after awhile). I actually really like the rose smell a lot, however, can see how this would be problematic for those who do not like the scent/ are sensitive to scents. Although it is a light pink in the package, it goes on colorless. I think that the packaging is both simple and beautiful, however, I do find it to be a bit unhygenic as you need to apply the product with your fingers. This was difficult for me to rate because although I absolutely LOVE the product, I hate that the packaging requires me to stick my fingers in it. It would be great if it came in a tube! I will definitely be purchasing this again as it works very well for me and I feel that the quality is great. Therefore, 5 stars :)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Clean - Clean
AS437 2/13/2010 9:01:00 PM
I bought a set of 3 roller-balll fragrances from Sephora since they were on sale for $12CAD (clean original, simply soap and provence). I really expected these scents to be a lot better than they were! Clean Original smells like some sort of cleaning product and provence smells like a cheap perfume. I found simply soap to be the least offensive of the 3, but I still wouldn't buy a full bottle of it. Not worth the money.
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Mascara -Smashbox - Lash DNA
AS437 1/18/2010 8:37:00 PM
I really wanted to love this mascara!! I actually really liked the formula, however, I found the brush quite hard to use. It's shaped like a double-helix, not like a regular mascara applicator. I found that I got a lot of mascara on my eyelids during application... that may be because I have long eyelashes, but I don't usually have those problems and the awkward brush was really hard to use. I also found the brush made it challenging to apply mascara on my lower lashes. As I mentioned earlier, I felt that the formula was really great... it doesn't flake off and it gave my lashes a nice thickness but it's such a hassle to have to clean mascara off my eyelids and deal with the annoying brush so I won't be buying this again.
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Bronzers -Christian Dior - Dior Bronze Essential Bronzing Powder
AS437 8/24/2009 11:05:00 PM
I absolutely LOVE this product! I've had mine for at least a year or so now (in 020, light tan). The packaging is great, and the brush works well for me. It gives my face a natural, beautiful tanned look. I also love the smell of the product. I would definitely buy this again when I run out.
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Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Posietint
AS437 8/24/2009 10:59:00 PM
I received this product as a free sample at sephora. Unfortunately, it doesn't show up too well on my skin. Maybe it works better for lighter skintones? If I mix it in with clear lipgloss, it gives my lips a slightly rosey glow. Anyway, since it didn't really show up, I'd give it a 2.
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