Lipstick -Maybelline - 24 Hour super stay
Brunneria 11/26/2012 5:06:00 AM
I love lip stains - I've been using Lip Ink for about a year, and my only criticism is the way that some colours seem to change colour with my lip chemistry. Anyway, I thought I would give this 24 hr stuff a try, because the colour range appealed, and... It is fantastic! No colour change and brilliant lasting time. I put it on at 8am and go to work. Lunch, cups of tea, snacks, and by 6pm the inner edges have just started to wear off. The outer lip line and rest of the lips are still perfect. And that is with only one or two gloss applications. Astonishing. Even using my Liz Earle cleanser (v rich and creamy) won't get the stuff off, and I have to exfoliate with a micro fibre flannel at night. They say use a oil based makeup remover, so I'm going to find some. Could it be that the people who have problems with it 'crumbling' and peeling, are putting it on too thickly? Or using a lip cream underneath it? Those were two things I learned not to do with Lip Ink, because they both reduce the staying power A LOT! The thinner you get the product, the better the staying peer, and if you can feel a layer on your lips, then it is too thick. Anyway, I now have three lovely soft shades (if you have been colour analysed Soft Autumn then I recommend these); a very nude Creme Caramel, a deepish warm pink Forever Heather and a gorgeous deep brownish Pink Spice colour. The last two are EXACT matches to dots on my Sci Art Soft Autumn colour palette.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Unlisted Brand - Genie Instant Line Smoother
Brunneria 11/4/2012 3:02:00 PM
I can't help noticing that the negative reviews for this product are all by people too young to benefit from it! My mother uses this. She has just hit 80. It knocks about 15 years off, and virtually eradicates the crepiness. She loves it, and I love how it increases her confidence. I will probably get some in a year or two, when the lines around my eyes kick up another gear, but really, if you are under 45, please don't leave negative reviews for a product that cannot (yet) work on your young, firm skin!!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Laura Geller - Tartufo
Brunneria 9/7/2012 6:12:00 PM
This is the blush I wear nearly every day. Its a beautiful, soft, healthy colour (I have very fair yellow toned skin which gets overwhelmed with bright or strong colours). This makes me look HEALTHY, and I can't overload it, the colour is so natural looking that I can wear it on a no makeup day. Love it. I'll be heart broken when I finish the pan!
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Lips -Lip Ink - Lip Ink
Brunneria 2/11/2012 6:48:00 PM
I've been using Lip Inks for about three months now, and they have become my lipstick of choice. I love the fact that I can apply at 7.30am and arrive home at 6pm with my lips still looking exactly the same. During the day I apply the Shine gloss maybe 5 times, without a mirror. It is wonderful to know that my lips look good no matter where I am, and no matter what I have been eating or drinking - although I have noticed that some colours have slightly shorter staying power (reds), and that highly greasy or rough textured foods will wear the colour off quicker (understandably). I live in the UK, and bought a couple of Lip Inks on eBay from the US, but got absolutely clobbered for postage. Since then I have discovered that there is a UK Lip Ink website, and the lovely lady (Simone) there offers a service where she will send out testers, with wee little disposable applicators, for the colours you are interested in - before purchase - so that you never need buy a colour mistake. She will also give colour advice, based on skin tone, eye colour and preferences - and she REALLY knows her stuff. I put in an order to the website for one colour, and the next day (a Saturday) she rang me to say that, based on my previous purchases, she thought that colour would be wrong for me. In the end, she sent out samples of that colour and two others, for me to make an informed choice. And what is more, she was absolutely right - I ended up buying her suggestion. That level of service is astonishing, and so helpful - and saved me from a costly error! My lips tend to turn blue-based colours even bluer, and she also sent me additional samples to work out which colours work best to block the blue tones, etc. Marvellous service, and fascinating to discover how to layer the colours. Because you wear 3 layers, you can wear 3 different shades and totally customise your lipstick. I have 5 Lip Inks now, and wear them in any number of combinations, depending on whether I want a nude, a bright or a deeper final colour. I almost wish I wore deep reds, purples and dramatic goth colours, because these stains would be the best (and possibly only) way for those colours to stay looking good. The tingling was really quite stingy for the first day or two, but providing I use the Shine lipgloss several times a day, the following morning there is barely any sensation at all. I think the inks only sting (because of the alcohol content) if your lips are in bad condition - at least that is the way it works for me. Regarding how they last... I already mentioned that they last all day, but I have noticed a couple of things that affect their longevity. Firstly, if I use a rich lip cream the night before, no matter how well I cleanse, the ink doesn't stain so well. So now I use a lighter lip cream, and they last all day. Secondly, I have to make sure the layers are really thin. REALLY thin. If you can feel any 'weight' of product on your lips after application, then it will peel off during the day. Remember this is a light stain, NOT a thick gloopy lipstick or gloss. Instead, you should use three THIN layers, applied with a smooth sweeping motion, as fast as you can while staying accurate. That way, the product goes on thinly, there is no build up, and it lasts much longer. Ideally, your lips should feel as if there is nothing on them, at all. The colours tend to go on quite dark by the 3rd layer, so I use a paler colour (Maplewood, a yellow/cream tint) as a first layer. This blocks the acid blue tint, and keeps the 2nd and 3rd layer colours true. I am thinking of buying the Clear too - for when 2 layers creates the perfect colour, but I still need the 3rd layer for the best staying power. Last week, I used a standard lipstick for the first time in weeks, and it nearly drove me to distraction. I had to get a mirror out to re-apply, every couple of hours. I had to check my teeth and use a liner to prevent colour bleed. I also got lipstick all over my pen (I am an inveterate pen nibbler) and all over my coffee mug, which was embarassing when a colleague made me a drink. My hair stuck to it, when I went out in a wind at lunch time. All in all I was incredibly relieved to go back to Lip Inks the next day.
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Fragrances -Illamasqua - Freak
Brunneria 2/11/2012 5:57:00 PM
I was bought this as a present by my partner, who loves the scent - and luckily it stays fairly true on me. We both like it, but there is absolutely NOTHING freakish about it. (On me) it is a softish, slightly sweet, slightly woodsy floral. Nothing dark, purplish, goth or dangerous about it at all. I am spraying it on at breakfast time and use about 6 squirts, 2 to wrists, 1 to hair and the rest aimed randomly at my clothing. That is about twice as much perfume as I would use if I were spraying another scent. Freak just about lasts the day but it is never strong enough for even the most strenuous perfume hater to take objection. The bottle is gorgeous, the snail sooooo sweet, and it lives on my dressing table in the base of its original box. But (scents always have colour in my mind) it is a lilac or light mauve coloured fragrance, nowhere near the dark aubergine or blood red that it (and the advertising campaign) would like it to be! So, while I like it as a light day fragrance, there is nothing about the smell which justifies the advertising visuals. A bit disappointing, really, considering the Illamasqua brand image. Up until now I have always been impressed with the quality of their product, but since the named notes that are supposedly used in the fragrance are rank, toxic and frankly not something I want to put on my skin, I can only assume that either they have substituted synthetic and innaccurate smellalikes, or they have used such miniscule amounts that the smell is lost under the lighter sweeter notes. Obviously, that doesn't impress me with the 'authenticity' of its 'freakishness'. The bottle is 75mls, which is huge, and the price/ml is fairly standard, but since it is twice the size of an average bottle, it is also nearly twice the price. I was actually shocked that my partner had spent so much! It is a good thing I (quite) like it, and I will wear it regularly (for him), but won't repurchase - it simply isn't an interesting enough scent.
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Lipstick -Christian Dior - Serum de Rouge in Mocha Serum (910)
Brunneria 10/24/2011 12:11:00 PM
I love these serums. After I bought the first one I wore nothing else for weeks, they are so comfortable and the condition of my lips definitely improved. I now have two - Rosewood (740) and this one. They are my Go To lipsticks. The packaging makes them possible to apply without a mirror, and I can slip them into a pocket on my bag and pull them out without the usual rummaging and peering that is needed for a squat little lipstick bullet. I lost the Mocha Serum about 3 weeks ago, and have been actively missing it, which is not something that I have ever experienced with a lipstick before! HOWEVER, the price is BEYOND RIDICULOUS. I bought both my serums on eBay for half the RRP, and I STILL felt it absurd to spend so much on a lipstick. So, while I recommend these serums, I also recommend that you take the extra trouble to avoid the over inflated Dior price tag.
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Lipstick -Clinique - Long Last - Berry Freeze
Brunneria 8/10/2011 3:42:00 PM
My perfect red. I have been looking for the perfect red shade for 20 years (I kid you not). Always they were either too bright, too blue, too orange, too dark... you get the picture? Anyway, I was recently colour analysed as a Soft Autumn (email me if you want more details, it is something that I recommend to anyone). Soft Autumns have skintones that look their best with muted, soft colours, of med dark/lightness, which are slightly warm. Sounds complicated. It isn't. Think moss green, grey green, slate blue, soft desert rose, dusty gold, slatey grey browns, neutral grey/beige, dusty teal, gentle coral peach, brown-pinks. If you recieve compliments wearing those sort of colours, then believe me, this lipstick is the answer to your prayers! I could very easily just have this one bullet and wear it all the time - softly over lipgloss, lightly for a natural look, medium strength at work, and blotted and re-applied for evening drama. To be honest, I hadn't even identified the colour as 'red' until a read a few of the other reviews. Of course it IS red, but that isn't the first thing you think - in fact, when I look at my face wearing this lipstick, I don't think about the product at all, I think 'healthy', 'bright eyes' and 'flattering' - which is the goal of makeup. After all, if someone walks up to you and says 'hey, I like your foundation/lipstick/eyeliner' then you know you have got it wrong, haven't you? Because if you had it RIGHT, they would be saying 'you look lovely today', and seeing YOU, not the makeup.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Laura Geller - Balance-n-Brighten
Brunneria 8/10/2011 3:22:00 PM
I have been waiting for the Porcelain BnB for years, and it just hit the UK QVC, so I ordered. After trying the fair and regular shades, this was a delight - actually fair enough for my skin!!! Actually (and incredibly) it is slightly too fair and too pink, because I have fairly warm/yellow toned skin. So I am able to swirl my brush first in the porcelain, then in the yellow shades of the regular (which has been lying unused for AGES), and voila - the perfect match. I love the oil absorbing qualities of this powder, and the effect on the skin is delightful. So THANK YOU LAURA AND THE TEAM for listening to those of us who have been asking, for years, for the paler shade. I love it.
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Stick -Laura Geller - Real Deal Foundation SPF 15
Brunneria 4/22/2011 4:34:00 PM
Because I have very oily skin, I am always looking for something which will deal with the oil slick. My makeup needs to be well attached to my face so that multiple blottings throughout the day remove the oil and leave the makeup behind. This product did NOT help the situation. I used it with the Real Deal primer stick, and the effect, by lunch, was of a face devoid of makeup, covered in greasy sebum, with any enlarged pores acting as craters to hold little dots of foundation, like whiteheads. It was horrible. I retreated to the loo, wiped my face off with tissues, and reapplied my usual Meow mineral foundation from scratch. Haven't wanted to touch the Real Deal products since. The only plus I can think of is that the Light was an OK colour match, and it looked pretty damn good for the first hour. Of course, it went downhill VERY fast after that!
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Primer/ Corrector -Laura Geller - Real Deal Remedy Stick 3-in-1 Perfector
Brunneria 4/22/2011 4:32:00 PM
Because I have very oily skin, I am always looking for something which will deal with the oil slick. My makeup needs to be well attached to my face so that multiple blottings throughout the day remove the oil and leave the makeup behind. This product did NOT help the situation. I used it with the Real Deal foundation stick, and the effect, by lunch, was of a face devoid of makeup, covered in greasy sebum, with any enlarged pores acting as craters to hold little dots of foundation, like whiteheads. It was horrible. I retreated to the loo, wiped my face off with tissues, and reapplied my usual Meow mineral foundation from scratch. Haven't wanted to touch the Real Deal products since. The only plus I can think of is that it felt slick and smooth and my makeup looked pretty damn good for the first hour. Of course, it went downhill VERY fast after that!
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Primer/ Corrector -Mally Beauty - Perfect Prep Poreless Primer
Brunneria 3/21/2011 5:00:00 PM
I love most of Mally's products that I have tried, but this... It is claimed to suppress shine, but hydrogenated vegetable oil is about the 4th ingredient, and rapeseed oil is lower down the list. Then, to top it off, there is bismuth oxychloride in it too - which drives me made with itches. Definitely not a success on my oily skin, no matter what the temporary smoothing effect.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Elemis - Tri-Enzyme Facial Wash
Brunneria 3/17/2011 4:39:00 PM
I used this product inconsistently for a while, and thought it was a waste of time and money. Then I saw a demo on QVC UK where the presenter said that this should be used twice a day, after cleansing with a 'real' cleanser, since this isn't intended to clean the skin, it has a different function. So I started using it properly (my bad that I didn't read the instructions when I was given it). And within 3 days my skin was transformed. Really. So smooth, so glowing, so HEALTHY. After a week or so, I cut back to once a day, and have retained the benefits, but occasionally I kick it up to twice a day again, just to enjoy the effects. Oh, and NO irritation to skin or eyes, even with my hyper sensitive little beadies.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Mally Beauty - Visible Skin
Brunneria 8/27/2010 2:55:00 PM
I recently found what I thought was my ultimate hero foundation - Meow Cosmetics, Korat (golden beige), and while I absolutely adore that stuff, it still has all the disadvantages of a powder mineral foundation. So I was still looking for a neat little compact of powder foundation for my handbag - and here it is. I have fair, warm skin, with no pink at all, and it seems incredibly hard to find a FAIR foundation that hasn't been polluted with pink. Sorry to all those pink toned ladies, but why o why do most makeup manufacturers assume that fair = pink? Anyway, on a whim (and a 30 day money back guarantee) I thought I would try Mally's 'Visible'. I am delighted. Flawless, beautiful coverage, long lasting, not transferring when I blot, barely migrates into lines, no irritation, no clogging. The colour match is ASTONISHING - I could smear a great blob of the stuff across my face and it would match so well as to be invisible from 12 inches. The only teensy criticism is that it doesn't control oil - have to blot regularly. But then, I have oily skin, and I would rather shine then blot than have something plugging up all my pores. I am still using the Meow Korat (cos it is wonderful), but as a handbag touchup, or a quick weekend makeup, I don't think Mally's 'Visible' can be beaten.
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Lipstick -Estee Lauder - Double Wear Stay in Place Lipstick
Brunneria 7/29/2010 3:43:00 PM
My only gripe with this product is the limited range of colours. 16 shades and only two of them suit me, with a 3rd looking so-so. Otherwise, I LOVE this lipstick - lasts amazingly, never feels dry, precise application, intense colour. One tip - it will last longer if you don't eat and drink any fatty foods. A single application will last the whole working day, providing I have no milk in my tea and coffee, and eat salad (no mayo) for lunch. If I do eat those things then I will have to reapply at least once.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Estee Lauder - Pure Color Lipstick- Autumn
Brunneria 7/4/2010 2:25:00 PM
If you have had a personal color analysis, and been told you are a Deep Autumn, or a Dark Autumn, then believe me, this is the perfect colour on you! If I put it on lightly, or mix it with lipgloss, it is the flattering colour that my lips were when I was young and fresh and vibrant. If I put it on more heavily, it is the perfect work day-time shade that goes with almost any colour in the Deep Autumn clothes palette AND looks good. Then if I ramp it up and use liner, blotting and re-layering, it is an amazingly deep evening shade. Can't praise this enough (except for the smell). I used to use any one of 10 different lipsticks depending what I was wearing. Now, I can go weeks with just this one shade in my bag. And yet they discontinued it - so now I am buying up all the back stocks on eBay.
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