Makeup Brushes -Sephora - Pantone Stroke of Nature Brush Set
Caprig 6/7/2012 12:05:00 AM
The package is really extravagant and lovely to look at. Comes in a box, then in a case that is hinged with large mirror. There are plastic molds for each brush, but in my opinion it is pomp and circumstance. Even if you travel with it, it is WAY too big for saving space in the suitcase. ANGLED LINER BRUSH- very soft and more precise than any of the three angled liner brushes that I currently have. Only disadvantage is if the liner is thick and hard to get on the brush. Probably one of my favorites of the bunch. SMUDGE BRUSH- my favorite of the entire collection. Just a tiny bit longer than my all time favorite brush- NARS Smudge brush. It works just as nice and I love it. CREASE BRUSH- not as precise as the tapered crease brush from MAC that I love, but it does do the job. Very nice if someone wants a crease brush- would be sufficient even though I prefer a bit more of a precise brush. SHADER BRUSH- Like the 239 brush but a bit longer. Very soft and pliable, but does the job decently. Works well as a shader, but I do prefer a bit more spring to my brushes. This still is decent and good to have in a collection if you have few brushes. SHADOW BRUSH- My least favorite of the brushes- very soft and pliable, but excellent if you want to cover the entire eye area with one color from lash to brow quickly and easily. It is very soft and comfortable. On the whole the liner brush and the smudge brush are excellent and I like them a lot. Paying full price for them from another line of brushes would probably be more than the price of this whole set. The other brushes are not terrible by any means but they are not as exacting as some similar brushes I have from MAC, Trish McEvoy, and a few other companies. The bristles are not at all prickly or scratchy- they are as soft and luscious as the Too Faced Retractable Kabuki. Very soft and plush. On the whole, I think it is an excellent set, but if you have a ton of brushes already, you might want to look at it first and play with it in the store to see if you still want it, even for half of them. http://www.sephora.com/productimages/sku/s1416536-main-Lhero.jpg
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -Too Faced - Tinted Beauty Balm Multi-Benefit Skin Care Makeup
Caprig 3/20/2012 8:35:00 AM
I have dry skin and do not like foundation. My idea of a perfect makeup look is using MAC Mineralize Skinfinish on my face using a Chromagraphic pencil or concealer to touch up blemishes if I have any. With that I look just right
Recently I was given a huge sample of Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm. I was not really that excited about it, but I took it anyway. I started wearing it last week and although I despise the sunscreen in it, I did find that it left my skin with the same kind of glow that I love with MAC MSF.
It wears beautifully all day and gives my skin a perfect healthy glow. I don't get any oiliness and my face stays looking great all day. I have not used it in the summer yet, however, which is the only time of year my skin could get a bit oily now and then.
I have used this stuff for about a week and a half now and still love it. I will update as I continue to use it. Someone gave me a nice sized deluxe tube of Nude Glow. I am between NW25 and NC37 (when tan) right now since I have had some sun. Looks perfect. If only it had no sunscreen in it, it would be PERFECT.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Sephora - Pantone Universe Tangerine Tango Cream 
Caprig 3/17/2012 9:49:00 AM
I couldn't wait to try this lipstick- the orange color got such rave reviews that I was excited to try it on. When I finally got the chance I was thrilled and frustrated at the same time!
The container is a really cool white and silver boxy container. The container is magnetic (keep away from credit cards). The lipstick itself is in a really fun design with ripples in it.
The color is just like MAC Lipmix in orange with a tiny twist of pink to make it wearable- but you don't see pink unless you compare the two directly. Otherwise the color looks Tangerine orange.
The texture is featherweight and has a bit of an oily feeling instead of feeling dry at all- it is not unpleasant though. The coverage is opaque with excellent pigmentation. I vary between NW25 in winter and NC37 in summer. I can wear this orange beautifully- colorwise anyway.
Having said all of that, the caveat. Clearly this lipstick was designed by a man or woman that has never worn lipstick in their life, or their tastebuds are completely dead. The fragrance is very similar to the fragrance of the horrible Milani gold container lipsticks. It is AWFUL. It also is reminiscent of the fragrance that is included in the TKB Trading lipstick kit that no one likes if you have ever smelled that one too.
Although somewhat lighter than the icky Milani smell, I still can taste it on my tongue and it is annoying so much so that I am not sure I will be able to wear this delightful color. That makes me sad, because I love it! The bright light at the end of the tunnel, however, is that perhaps I can make my own version that tastes GOOD since I have both pink and orange lip pigment that is the same color.
This one will not be residing in my home. I just don't think I can tolerate the smell. It is terribly disappointing, however. I really wanted to like this one.
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Tarte - True Blood Cheek Stain
Caprig 11/2/2011 7:34:00 AM
I want to begin by saying that I am a cheek stain fan. I love Tarte Cheek Stains and feel that they tend to look more natural and especially on older mature skin- bring a youthful glow to the skin. I also want to say that I love iridescence, glitter, and crazy things that many people find overwhelming or tacky.
Having said that, I was so excited to receive True Blood Cheek Stain. The color red was perfect and just enough blush to make me feel glowy, pretty, and when I looked in the mirror- IDIOTIC.
Again, remember, I LIKE glitter but True Blood Cheek Stain is AWFUL. It looks like I was running around, got all sweaty and had a crash in the glitter department of a craft store.
This glitter is not fun or interesting- it is chunky craft looking glitter. Yes, even for me it is tacky. I tried to wear this quite a few times to make it work, but finally returned it. If they had left the glitter out of this, or turned it into a subtle gold shimmer, it might have worked. As it is, it looks ridiculous.
The glitter applies in clumps and randomly and looks really bad unless maybe you are seven years old playing dress up.
It takes a lot to get me to not like a Cheek Stain but True Blood was a big fail when they decided to add the chunky craft quality glitter.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -LORAC - Bejeweled Day & Night Jewelry Box (Sephora)
Caprig 10/7/2011 10:39:00 AM
The LORAC Bejeweled Day & Night Jewelry Box Christmas Collection is one of the best collections to come out in a long time. Not only is the jewelry box gorgeous and fun to look at (despite the holographic glitter fallout), but for the first time they have made the palettes slim and removable from the kit so you are not bound to the huge box.
There are two palettes- one is warm, the other cool. The cool has a pink blush and the warm has a peachy pink blush- both very wearable. The bronzer is reminiscent of Wonder Woman Pink Power - the center natural MSF stripe. The lip glosses are very wearable, but on the semi sheer side. They are like their liquid lipsticks in texture. The selection of shadows is great- there are mattes, pearls, and satins- some dark and some neturals. All of the colors have a skintone added to them so that they look great when put on- they are not like crayon type colors. I will say, however, that the pans are about 2/3 the size of last year's pan size- smaller than I expected but probably more than enough to use up before you get tired and want to get something new again anyway. I did not get a chance to use the liners so I can not comment on them.
Of all of the special collections to come out in 2011, this is my favorite so far. The colors are very wearable yet flattering and the fact that you can remove the palettes from the box and carry them easily with you THRILLS me. I get tired of the palettes that are stuck into huge boxes. The pigmentation of these shadows is fantastic, although they are very soft, you have to lightly touch them or they could get smooshy. You don't need to touch them more than lightly- these babies are pigmented and buttery smooth. For the price it is a great deal.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Urban Decay - Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color ALL SHADES
Caprig 9/3/2011 10:18:00 AM
Although I can not stand lip pencils, the quality of the Urban Decay Super Saturated Lip Glosses is so good that I will tolerate the lip pencil and Urban Decay which I usually do not do well with at all. All of the colors are somewhat moisturizing and stay on VERY well. I don't have problems with peeling lips and feathering like I do with many other brands.
BIG BANG- nowhere near MAC Fun N Sexy, a more subdued raspberry pink metallic color. Not at all gritty and stays on well.
CRUSH- hot pink cream that is reminiscent of Stila longwearing Exhilarating lip color. A little bright clearer cool hot pink- almost neon.
PUNCH DRUNK- similar to MAC Lipmix Orange- very beautiful true crayon orange. Cream finish- not overly shiny but flattering. If you are cool, you may be able to pull off this orange, unusual for most oranges.
ADRENALINE- a warm red fuchsia color metallic which is in the direction more of MAC Impassioned in color, but not exactly. It is not gritty and is also flattering on me which am between NW25 and NC37 right now (due to tanning, but cool colors still work on me).
FBOMB- the most perfect red I have ever seen. Although it does work on cool and some warm people, it is a cool red and a TRUE red that does not seem to pull pink or orange like so many reds to. Cream finish not overly glossy- this is the most perfect red I have ever seen, and I have tried a ton of reds. It is what I had hoped MAC Russian Red would be but wasn't.
These are exclusives to Sephora at this time and cost $19 which is a bit steep, imo. Also, no other sharpener seems to work like the Urban Decay Grindhouse which also irritates me because it is $10. But it does save product and not waste it.
I rarely like anything from Urban Decay, but the FBomb lip color is so perfect and hypnotizing that I made an exception and got one. Every time I wear it, people go nuts over it and want to know what it is.
Fbomb and Big Bang were sold out at our store a couple of times so far.
If they could get Fbomb in lipstick form instead of lip pencil, it would be PERFECT. There is no other red I have ever tried which looks like this one. It has an extra punch that no other red seems to have. The finish is perfect too- not too matte and not too shiny.
I really am not fond of the packaging, it is easy to lose and misplace and I hate wasting product when sharpening. However the quality is so amazing that it is still worth having!
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Urban Decay - Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Adrenaline
Caprig 9/3/2011 10:11:00 AM
Although I can not stand lip pencils, the quality of the Urban Decay Super Saturated Lip Glosses is so good that I will tolerate the lip pencil and Urban Decay which I usually do not do well with at all. All of the colors are somewhat moisturizing and stay on VERY well. I don't have problems with peeling lips and feathering like I do with many other brands.
ADRENALINE- a warm red fuchsia color metallic which is in the direction more of MAC Impassioned in color, but not exactly. It is not gritty and is also flattering on me which am between NW25 and NC37 right now (due to tanning, but cool colors still work on me). The point makes it easy to line and put on this color.
These are exclusives to Sephora at this time and cost $19 which is a bit steep, imo. Also, no other sharpener seems to work like the Urban Decay Grindhouse which also irritates me because it is $10. But it does save product and not waste it.
I rarely like anything from Urban Decay, but the FBomb lip color is so perfect and hypnotizing that I made an exception and got one. The finish of Adrenaline makes it also very glamorous and not tacky looking.
If they could get this in lipstick form instead of lip pencil, it would be PERFECT. There is no other lip color I have ever tried which looks like this one. It has an extra punch that no other brand seems to have. The finish is perfect too- not too glittery and not too shiny. Sparkles don't tend to migrate as much as they do with most sparkle lipsticks. I would say this is reminiscent of MAC Dazzle Lipsticks but a little more durable.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Unflappable Mega Metal Collection
Caprig 1/15/2011 7:01:00 AM
Unflappable was the biggest surprise of the Mega Metal Eyeshadow collection. In pan, it is a dark charcoal gray. When put on the skin it is a light gray with plum pearl in it. Very beautiful on mature women with gray hair, it is glowy and gorgeous, but unfortunately, it does not have the pigmentation the others in the Peacocky collection have.
I would give it five stars with most of the others, but I find that it just is not easy to build up and it is too hard to use if you want any kind of shadowing.
Having said that, however, for women with gray hair or who are mature, it is a perfect smokey eye color. Very light and subtle, Unflappable is really beautiful. For me, I am not really loving it, but I am keeping it to use on others- esp for a mature smokey eye.
You can use it wet and it will go on darker and stay on better, but I don't like to have to work so hard to make a shadow work. If only the texture and pigmentation had a little more oomph, it would be perfect.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Tarte - TEN limited edition cheek stain
Caprig 7/27/2010 10:30:00 PM
I have a collection of Tarte Cheek Stains, but the only thing missing was a true beautiful pink. I have Dollface, but it is very shimmery and although I like it, it still is not pink enough for me- too icy shimmery.
TEN is a gorgeous baby pink but it has a yellow undertone to it which is what makes it work on both cooler and warmer skintones. Very highly pigmented and smooth, there is no shimmer in TEN at all. It is the natural formulation so there is not the heavy glycerine stickiness that some of the regular formula of Cheek Stain has.
TEN rounds out my Cheek Stain collection perfectly. The texture of this stick is a bit softer than Green Siren, but nowhere near as soft and sticky as like Bliss or Cloud 9. The fruity fragrance is very slight and fades quickly, but it is too icky to wear on the lips.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Accessories -Tarina Tarantino - Multibead Stretch Bracelet
Caprig 3/10/2010 12:53:00 PM
Piece of junk. Got this for my daughter and it broke the first two hours she wore it. Ridiculously cheap looking and made too. Don't spend money on this- it is not worth it. You can get better made stuff at Icing or Claires for a lot less.
15 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Blush Ombre -Azalea Blossom
Caprig 2/27/2010 6:43:00 AM
I adore purple and lilac blushes. When I saw they were coming out with a new blush with cool toned pink and lilac ombre, I couldn't wait to try it.
The texture is velvety soft and the color is gorgeous. The problem is that the blush does not stay on me well. It is gorgeous and icy lilac purple/pink, but within an hour it is gone and I am frustrated.
I wish it was a bit more pigmented and less powdery. For the price, I expected more. LOVE the color though.
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Blush -Tarte - A Perfect Whirled
Caprig 2/26/2010 12:20:00 PM
I LOVE cheekstains. I was so excited to get PERFECT WHIRLED because it is a lovely pink color and looked fabulous swatched in the store. When I got it home, however, I was horrified. During the day I tried it on and when sheered out on my skin, I was left with tons of SILVER SPARKLES on my cheeks. It looked awful.
I tried everything to make this work, but the silver sparkles made this look terrible- even for me who loves glitter and sparkles. I tried it as a lipcolor and it was a gorgeous icy pink, but it still did not justify keeping it. I returned it sadly.
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Palettes -Tarte - treasure chest
Caprig 12/10/2009 9:11:00 PM
I was on the verge of buying the Urban Decay Book of Shadows 2 when a friend told me to put it back and get the Tarte Treasure Chest. Let me tell you, I had never been impressed by Tarte and I thought she lost her mind.
I knew that look though, so I put the Urban Decay back and she brought out the Tarte Treasure Chest and I was SMITTEN. The colors are sophisticated and not like any other palette out there that I had seen up until then.
What I absolutely LOVE is that the top level is shimmery, but the 16 shimmer shades have a lot of unique colors in them. If patted on gently, they keep their shimmer. IF blended out too much, they will sheer right out.
The matte layer has 16 fabulous colors which look AMAZING on me and others I have tried it on. The quality is top notch. With a primer (without one forget it) they last all day long. The look is fabulous. I have had more compliments on my makeup when using the TARTE TREASURE CHEST than with any other palette yet (LORAC being in second place).
The lipglosses are FANTASTIC. Sheer, yet moisturizing- no peeling lips which is a problem I tend to have. The colors ALL look fantastic on me which is unusual. The problem is that the drawers might all come out of the unit, but there is no way to carry them with me to reapply when going out. I plan to try to get a case and remove some of the colors to put in the case if I can.
The blushes are deceiving at first- they look very light- but they aren't. VERY PIGMENTED- go easy.
All in all, despite the annoying case that I have to put a rubber band around to keep me sane, I totally LOVE this palette and use it more than any other palette I own. It really is amazing. Both shimmers and mattes are fabulous and I hated mattes until I got this kit. On me they looked awful- but Tarte is different. For $52 it is a fantastic deal. I can not be more excited.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Nails -Sephora - Sephora by OPI - 212
Caprig 12/8/2009 11:49:00 AM
I expected to hate this polish. I got it because it was unique and hard to get. When I put it on the first time- OMG I am in LOVE with it
The base color is black, but the shimmer is gold. There are small holographic glitters in it, but flakes of copper that are extremely thin as well. It sounds awful, but on the nails, the whole thing comes together with nuances that are absolutely gorgeous. I need about two coats to look really nice- not the usual three that many polishes need which drives me nuts.
Stays on well, and the marvelous part is that this is the one black that I can wear with warm autumn colors even as intense as metallic rust. I really love this color. It is one of the most beautiful nail polish colors that I own. I would buy it again in a heartbeat.
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Deluxe Eyeshadow - Frigid
Caprig 10/16/2009 10:30:00 AM
I fell in love with FRIGID when I first got it. The dark violet purple base with the blue violet shimmer was PERFECT for what I was looking for. I love doing peacock looks and this seemed to be the perfect dark purple with iridescence.
I bought it and took it home. As time has gone by now that I play with it, I am so disappointed. It is very chalky and if put on regular skin it blows off the skin! When I tried it on the first time, I was summer and my skin was damp so it looked good at first. On my eyes, it does not stay put which is so disappointing for me.
When I play with the testers in the stores- it is HORRIBLE. So chalky that it does not stay on the skin either. I have to give this one lippie because what good is a shadow that won't stay on the skin? I would rather give it NO lippies.
I have tried it over bases and it just does not cut it for me. It is going back to Sephora. I want this color to work SO bady but it just doesn't. :(
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