Pressed Powders -MAC - Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Light
Alexa19 8/5/2011 12:19:00 PM
This gives me just the right amount of coverage. It can be built up from a light to an almost heavy coverage, which is obviously based on how much you use. I prefer a light to medium coverage and don't have any problems with it becoming cakey on my face. Someone wanting a heavy coverage may encounter some cakeyness. I use the shade LIGHT in my MSF Natural and it is a very good colour match for me. I find alot of mac powders/foundations to be very much on the orangey side but the MSF doesn't seem to have that problem. This looks extremely natural on my skin when worn at a light coverage and alot of people don't even know that I have makeup on. It takes literally seconds to buff this into the skin. I use the MAC 182 Kabuki brush and find that it is the best brush to apply the product. I can go through one of these powders in just over a month and this isn't ideal due to the price but I have repurchased this over 10 times at least and can honestly see myself using this for at least the next 20 years. I have oily skin and so I find a powder foundation helps to control the oil. I have had dry patches on my face in the past and this MSF hasn't coped well with that. As with all powders, any dryness will be accentuated.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -L'Oreal - Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base
Alexa19 8/5/2011 12:06:00 PM
This does what I thought no product could do. It manages to make my over-sized pores almost completely disappear. I use it on my nose, the tops of my cheeks and my chin and it fills in any pores/lines that I have. It does not cover them completely but the improvement in my skin is massive. This can be worn alone as well as under your makeup. The product is not visible once you have rubbed it in. Without makeup over the top it makes my skin looks almost flawless. And almost is good enough for me for a drugstore brand. The texture of the product is mousse like. I have found through testing this out, that using too much can cause your the areas of your face in which you put the product to be slightly tacky. You only need the tiniest bit of product. Simply rub it in over the areas you need it in small circular motions. I am not keen on the packaging design. It seems slightly unhygenic to have to dip your fingers into the pot to get product out. I think some sort of pump would be a better dispenser for this. But I think as long as your hands are clean and sanitary before use then this isn't a major problem. In my opinion this product does not make your skin oilier as I have heard it said by a few people. I have the oiliest skin and it really doesn't affect it in any negative way. I find it possibly, very slightly, can prevent oiliness in the areas in which you have used it. I have purchased this product several times and will continue to do so. One pot, even when it is used every day, will last you for months. So the price, although more expensive than the regular L'Oreal line, is worth it.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -L'Oreal - studio secrets - anti shine mattifying
Alexa19 8/5/2011 11:53:00 AM
This mattifies my skin better than any other primer I have tried. My skin gets so oily during the day and only this product helps with that issue. I used to have to blot several times a day. Within hours of applying my makeup I would be shiny. The L'Oreal primer isn't perfect but it holds off the oil for at least a good six+ hours. That's amazing for someone with my level of oiliness. Sometimes I even wear this primer on it's own with no makeup. It works just as well and you can't tell I have anything on my face as it dries to a clear finish. The product is in a gel form and can tend to smell slightly waxy. Though this smell completely disappears after you have rubbed it into your skin (circular motions). With a product from L'Oreal you would expect drugstore prices but the Studio Secret line is slightly more expensive than it's regular products. It is just over 10pounds in the UK to buy, which I think is a little too expensive but this has been my favourite mattifying primer for years now. I have repurchased at least 10+ times and will continue to do so for many years to come.
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Eyeliner -MAC - Chromagraphic Pencil NC15/NW20
Alexa19 8/5/2011 11:42:00 AM
I can't live without this. Simple as. It brightens my waterline without being stark and unnatural like for example fascinating eye kohl from MAC. The colour is on the peachy side but still seems completely natural on the waterline. For someone like me with a slightly pink/red waterline, it manages to freshen up my eyes and even also makes them appear bigger. This pencil lasts longer on my waterline than anything I have ever tried before, even though I have quite watery eyes. It also doesn't irritate my etes in any way. I really only use it for the reason of lining my waterline but I have heard of a few people using it as concealer, among other uses. I tried it as concealer under the eye and it didn't do a bad job. I think I still prefer my regular concealer but maybe if you can't afford both then this is a good option. The price isn't the best. I mean it really is just a pencil but it is something I am willing to pay for, for the benefits it gives me. I will be buying alot of these next time they are re-released. I only bought one when it was first released with one of their mac collection launches and I regret it (These are available to order from MAC Pro, at any time, as far as I am aware).
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Clarisonic - Pro Skincare Brush
Alexa19 8/5/2011 11:33:00 AM
Like everyone else in the make up community I wanted one of these as soon as I started hearing all of the amazing reviews about it. And I actually managed to swap for a pink full size clarisonic through make up alley (so glad I didn't fork out all that money for it). But it definitely didn't live up to expectations. I will say in it's defense that it did a reasonable job of cleaning my face but honestly I think to clean my face as well as I possibly can that using my hands is the best option. The clarisonic struggles to clean round certain angles of your face e.g. around your nose. I had to go over my nose with cleanser after using the clarisonic just to make sure that it had fully cleansed the area, which it hadn't most of the time. The clarisonic is good in the sense that it gives you an allotted time to clean each area of your face, as for most people simply not spending enough time cleansing means that they are not fully removing all dirt on the skin. But for me, knowing how important skin care is, have always known to spend at least a minute cleansing my face anyway. The clarisonic did make my face smooth when I used it but in my opinion the smoothness wasn't comparable to when I used an exfoliator. The clarisonic also slightly irritated my skin. Thankfully I didn't break out like alot of the negative reviews say but it did damage my skin. And yes, I was using it correctly. It took my skin a good few weeks to return to it's normal state. So overall, I genuinely wasn't impressed. The cons greatly outweigh any small benefits gained. Cons: 1. Ridiculous cost for what is essentially a big beeping electric toothbrush 2. You need to replace the brush head at least every three months and that isn't cheap either 3. Can be too harsh for the skin on your face 4. Cleanses well but not well enough Pros: 1. It's pink 2. It looks nice in your bathroom
14 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No