Eyeliner -Urban Decay - 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
Aquinstar 10/2/2012 10:45:00 AM
First, I am a HUGE fan of Urban Decay's eye makeup. Their colors are gorgeous and pigmented, and their Naked Palette is without a doubt, the best I've ever had. So, I wasn't surprised that this liquid eyeliner is the blackest black eyeliner I've ever used. Ever. The brush is super tiny, and while it is a personal preference, I prefer a felt tip over a tiny brush, just for accuracy. As other reviewers have mentioned, this stuff is really really wet, so to use properly, you'd better have a steady hand. I do like this eyeliner and reach for it often, but everyone needs to know that you will have trouble getting this stuff off. Even after using eye makeup remover, and Clinique's zillion step system, I'll still wake up and rub my eyes and come off with flakes of black on my from lids. All in all, good one to have if you like liquids.
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Treatments -Clinique - Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum
Aquinstar 10/2/2012 10:31:00 AM
So, I've been on the hunt for the perfect facial care system. I'm 33 years old with oily prone Hispanic skin. I don't have any wrinkles (yet) but suffer from genetic undereye circles, large pores, and a never ending supply of blackheads on the chin and nose. What I need is a skin care line (and I'm willing to pay the price) that will minimize my pores for a more airbrushed look, get rid of the blackheads, and brighten my sometimes dull complexion. I went ahead and splurged on the 3-step system #4, Wash Away Gel Cleanser plus the Dark Spot Corrector and Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum (see my other reviews.) All in all, it set me back about $150.00. I decided to review each part of the system separately because some elements work better than others. The first step was to remove makeup with the Wash Away Gel Cleanser, then use the Liquid Facial soap, then the Clarifying Lotion, then the Dramatically Different Moisturizer, then the Dark Spot Corrector, then the Pore Refining Solutions. Holy cow, the number of steps in this routine is getting downright ridiculous. This review will be pretty short. For $40-$50 bucks for a small bottle, it doesn't really do anything. After a month's faithful use, day and night, it did not reduce the appearance of my pores. It worked fine under makeup, and may have even gave me a smoother canvas to work with, but that could have just been the moisturizer. It didn't break me out, it didn't smell like much, it seriously didn't do anything. When I stopped using it, I didn't notice a single bit of difference, so I returned it to Macy's. Don't waste your money, and for heaven's sake don't torture yourself with a 3-step system that turns into a 6 or 7 step system, just to clean your face.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Clinique - Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector
Aquinstar 10/2/2012 10:22:00 AM
So, I've been on the hunt for the perfect facial care system. I'm 33 years old with oily prone Hispanic skin. I don't have any wrinkles (yet) but suffer from genetic undereye circles, large pores, and a never ending supply of blackheads on the chin and nose. What I need is a skin care line (and I'm willing to pay the price) that will minimize my pores for a more airbrushed look, get rid of the blackheads, and brighten my sometimes dull complexion. I went ahead and splurged on the 3-step system #4, Wash Away Gel Cleanser plus the Dark Spot Corrector and Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum (see my other reviews.) All in all, it set me back about $150.00. I decided to review each part of the system separately because some elements work better than others. The first step was to remove makeup with the Wash Away Gel Cleanser, then use the Liquid Facial soap, then the Clarifying Lotion, then the Dramatically Different Moisturizer, then the Dark Spot Corrector, then the Pore Refining Solutions. Whew! That's a lot of steps, but I told myself I would do whatever it took to have great skin. Now I have a few dark spots that have developed as I've gotten older, mostly small pigmented sun spots and a couple of tiny freckle-like things. I really really wanted this to work, and I used it religiously, day and night, as directed, for a month. This did not lighten, fade, or even touch any of my dark spots. I've heard the hype, "you need buy three bottles and use them all up before you really start seeing results." Now come on, am I really going to spend $45.00 on a bottle of this crud more than once? To top it all off, it gave me cystic acne (something I am NOT prone to) on all of the places that I used it. Cheeks and temple, places where I'm not even that oily. This product is horrible and expensive, and a marketing joke. I returned it to Macy's and got my money back.
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Toners -Clinique - Clarifying Lotion #4
Aquinstar 10/2/2012 10:04:00 AM
So, I've been on the hunt for the perfect facial care system. I'm 33 years old with oily prone Hispanic skin. I don't have any wrinkles (yet) but suffer from genetic undereye circles, large pores, and a never ending supply of blackheads on the chin and nose. What I need is a skin care line (and I'm willing to pay the price) that will minimize my pores for a more airbrushed look, get rid of the blackheads, and brighten my sometimes dull complexion. I went ahead and splurged on the 3-step system #4, Wash Away Gel Cleanser plus the Dark Spot Corrector and Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum (see my other reviews.) All in all, it set me back about $150.00. I decided to review each part of the system separately because some elements work better than others. The first step was to remove makeup with the Wash Away Gel Cleanser, then use the Liquid Facial Soap, then use this "Clarifying Lotion." I put that in quotes, because don't let anyone fool you, this is NOT a lotion, it is a toner. The rep at Clinique corrected me more than once when I called it that. They are pretty hell bent on advertising it as the exfoliating step. So does it exfoliate? Well, when you put it on a cotton round and rub it on your face, I suppose it should exfoliate. And it does. It doesn't smell like much, and doesn't sting too much, and it gets the residue left over from your face wash and removes any makeup clinging to your pores. I've never really realized the purpose of such toners until I put it with a total skincare system, but for my skin type, it most definitely has its place. My skin is much less greasy, my pores are smaller, and I attribute it to this Clarifying lotion. How do I know this, when I bought the whole giant system? I've moved on to Estee Lauder skincare and bought their Balancing lotion, and it does the same thing. This Clinique Clarifying lotion works as it says, but since I want a skin care system that works all together, and I didn't like certain parts of this one, I would only buy it again if I haven't found my dream system.
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Moisturizers -Clinique - Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
Aquinstar 10/2/2012 9:52:00 AM
So, I've been on the hunt for the perfect facial care system. I'm 33 years old with oily prone Hispanic skin. I don't have any wrinkles (yet) but suffer from genetic undereye circles, large pores, and a never ending supply of blackheads on the chin and nose. What I need is a skin care line (and I'm willing to pay the price) that will minimize my pores for a more airbrushed look, get rid of the blackheads, and brighten my sometimes dull complexion. I went ahead and splurged on the 3-step system #4, Wash Away Gel Cleanser plus the Dark Spot Corrector and Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum (see my other reviews.) All in all, it set me back about $150.00. I decided to review each part of the system separately because some elements work better than others. The first step was to remove makeup with the Wash Away Gel Cleanser, then use the Liquid Facial soap, then the clarifying lotion, then this Moisturizing Gel. While the other products were so-so to downright terrible, I actually really liked this gel moisturizer. I used it for most of the summer, when my oil glands are at their peak, and I think it really did control the amount of oil I produced, but still moisturized my skin enough to prep a nice canvas for makeup. I am dying to find an entire line that I like, (still on the hunt) but if I can't find one soon, I may buy another bottle of this, because it works well.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Clinique - Wash-Away Gel Cleanser
Aquinstar 10/2/2012 9:43:00 AM
So, I've been on the hunt for the perfect facial care system. I'm 33 years old with oily prone Hispanic skin. I don't have any wrinkles (yet) but suffer from genetic undereye circles, large pores, and a never ending supply of blackheads on the chin and nose. What I need is a skin care line (and I'm willing to pay the price) that will minimize my pores for a more airbrushed look, get rid of the blackheads, and brighten my sometimes dull complexion. I went ahead and splurged on the 3-step system #3, Wash Away Gel Cleanser plus the Dark Spot Corrector and Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum (see my other reviews.) All in all, it set me back about $150.00. I decided to review each part of the system separately because some elements work better than others. The first step was to remove makeup with the Wash Away Gel Cleanser. The cleanser is a pretty thick gel. I did not care for the scent - it has a medicinal quality that reminds me a bit of Noxema. The gel does not foam at all as you add water, you just rub it in and splash water on your face until it is gone. It doesn't sting, but there is a slight cooling effect. Warning! Do NOT get this in your eyes, it hurts pretty bad and seems to take forever to get out, so I do not advise using it to remove eye makeup. Go with an eye makeup remover. There definitely feels like there is a film on your face after using, which I guess is ok, since you are supposed to follow up with the first step in the 3-care system, but I'm a simple girl who would prefer to get all the junk off with one product. For the price, this product is ok, as it does what it says, and you don't need a whole lot. I just don't find myself reaching for it.
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Cleansers -Clinique - Liquid Facial Soap - Oily skin
Aquinstar 10/2/2012 9:31:00 AM
So, I've been on the hunt for the perfect facial care system. I'm 33 years old with oily prone Hispanic skin. I don't have any wrinkles (yet) but suffer from genetic undereye circles, large pores, and a never ending supply of blackheads on the chin and nose. What I need is a skin care line (and I'm willing to pay the price) that will minimize my pores for a more airbrushed look, get rid of the blackheads, and brighten my sometimes dull complexion. I went ahead and splurged on the 3-step system #4, Wash Away Gel Cleanser plus the Dark Spot Corrector and Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum (see my other reviews.) All in all, it set me back about $150.00. I decided to review each part of the system separately because some elements work better than others. The first step was to remove makeup with the Wash Away Gel Cleanser, then use this Liquid Facial soap. While I didn't have any breakouts from this cleanser, it wasn't anything fascinating. I prefer a foaming cleanser, and this soap has the consistency of Dial hand soap. I guess it did the job, but my face did not feel uber clean. I've been more impressed with drug store washes. The packaging is really where Clinique drops the ball. I keep my face wash in the shower (who doesn't?) and the pump bottle somehow got water in it and the soap became very liquidy. By the time I got halfway through the bottle, it was mostly watery soap. For me, this was a dud.
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Fragrances -Jo Malone - Wild Fig & Cassis
Aquinstar 4/3/2012 7:57:00 PM
This was my first Jo Malone, and I think I'll keep it on my dresser until I gather some more scents to see if I like it better layered with something else. This scent is quite woody - I smell cedar and... twigs? It's not sweet by any means, so I can see why it might be unisex. For some reason, my boyfriend thinks it smells like unsweetened coconut, but I don't get that. On first blast, there's an unpleasant "unfinished scary basement" smell to it that I just can't get over. I don't care for it on its own as of yet, once I get more Jo Malone scents and layer it, I will update my review.
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Liquid -Lancome - Photogenic Lumessence Light Mastering & Line-Smoothing Makeup
Aquinstar 4/3/2012 7:50:00 PM
This foundation is lovely if you are looking for a light-medium coverage, and a dewy, natural finish. For me, this is a great every-day foundation. It never looks too powdery or matte, just looks like great skin. I also have a hard time finding a color match for my naturally tan Hispanic skin, and Bisque 6W is just perfect. (See my pic if you want to see my level of brownness :) In cooler weather, this works fine alone, but warmer weather, you might want to use a primer like MAC Prep+Prime or Smashbox Primer to keep it from melting off. The pump design is also very hygienic. I will definitely buy this one again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Prada - Infusion d'iris edp
Aquinstar 4/3/2012 7:07:00 PM
It just goes to show you that we all have our own tastes in fragrances, and perfume ratings can be subjective. What I can say is that if you like soft, close-to-the-skin, inoffensive, slightly powdery, teensy weensy bit sweet dry-down fragrances, you will love this. HOWEVER, I honestly didn't think I liked it upon first spray. For me, the first spray was almost...skunky? As in, roadkill skunk. Thank goodness this is VERY brief. What you are left with is a gentle, ethereal iris scent that is clean and soft and just a tad powdery. Don't worry if you aren't a big powdery-smell person, it's only a wee bit of powder - the rest is basically "just washed my hair and applied moisturizer" type of clean. I don't know how anyone could ever be offended by this smell, unless you took a bath in it.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Jean Paul Gaultier - MaDame
Aquinstar 4/3/2012 6:58:00 PM
This perfume is a sickeningly sweet, creamy, powdery, headache-inducing nightmare. I asked my 8 year old son to smell it and tell me what he thought, and he said, "Mom, I don't like it. It tickles my nose in a bad way. Don't make me smell it again!" Enough said.
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Scrubs -Neutrogena - Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power-Clear Scrub
Aquinstar 3/20/2012 9:24:00 PM
Another trial on my way to finding the perfect face wash (I now know that it's Estee Lauder Sparkling Clean Purifying Mud Foam Cleanser.) I bought this after seeing the great reviews, and I was sorely disappointed. One thing I'll give is that it does have nice scrubbing power. The granules are not too harsh and not too soft, but it left a nasty film on my face. I thought I needed an acne wash to clean up my blackheads, but it turns out I needed to stop being lazy and wash my makeup off EVERY night without fail. This stuff smells medicinal too. Yuck.
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Cleansers -Estee Lauder - Sparkling Clean Purifying Mud Foam Cleanser
Aquinstar 3/20/2012 9:14:00 PM
I've been on the search for the perfect face wash for quite some time now. I bought this due to the good reviews here on MUA and I have not been disappointed. First, let me tell you what I look for in a face wash. Different strokes for different folks and all. I have pretty oily skin, and I wear both primer and foundation daily. I wanted a face wash that FOAMED - and foamed well. I like that squeaky clean feeling after washing. Squeaky clean, not dry and tight-there's a difference. So here comes Estee Lauder Mud Foam Cleanser. I paid $20 for this at Macy's and while that's pretty pricey for a face wash, it certainly delivers. This stuff smells light and airy and pleasant. And you only need a little tiny bit to make a big bad foam. It removes all of my face makeup, and just about all of my eye makeup too. (I wear UDPP and plenty of eye makeup.) I'm in love. I ordered two more to keep under the sink in case they decide to stop making it. If you're looking for the same things I was in your face wash, try it, you won't be disappointed.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Neutrogena - Fresh Foaming Cleanser
Aquinstar 3/20/2012 9:03:00 PM
As of late, I am a face wash junkie. I've been buying both high end and drugstore washes to find that perfect one. I picked this one up due to the good reviews on MUA. It was about six bucks at Wal-Mart, so not too pricey, and I've always been a big fan of Neutrogena products. I have pretty oily skin, and I wear both primer and foundation so I needed a very foamy, makeup removing Godsend. After a week of use I felt like...meh. Nothing to write home about. Doesn't foam up very well unless you are vigorously rubbing your hands together. Does remove face makeup, but not all traces of eye makeup (I wear UDPP, but not waterproof eye makeup.) I had to wash my face twice. Did not cause any breakouts or alergic reactions, but not a stellar find either. I've found that if you want a truly great face wash, you have to pay the price. High end is the way to go. (LOVE my Estee Lauder Sparkling Clean Purifying Mud Foam Cleanser) Sorry, Neutrogena.
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Liquid -MAC - Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation
Aquinstar 3/20/2012 3:25:00 PM
So I bought this foundation in 5.0 - I did not go out on a limb, I was matched at the MAC counter. My hispanic skin is more like a light tan with yellow undertones, and I was under the impression this stuff would meld to my skin color. Wrong! Orange! Great coverage, and nice blending capabilities, but man, this stuff ran orange on me, big time. I had at least 4 co-workers ask me if I'd been tanning. Not good.
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