Liquid -Urban Decay - Naked Skin
CaramelBae 7/28/2012 5:46:00 PM
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this foundation didnt work for me and I dont think this foundation will work for us darker skinned ladies. Just picked this up earlier this morning from Ulta, was uber excited about it since I don't have an exact match in the MUFE hd foundation =( I decided to look elsewhere for another hd foundation so I tried this on in the store and noticed right away that the shades are a little off. I am close to an Nc45 in mac (Nc47 would be my perfect match) and I was matched to a 9.0 in this foundation, which in my opinion looked VERY dark in the bottle but once pumped it looked lighter and like it would suit me undertone so I bought it, Big mistake! As soon as I tried this foundation on at home I was disappointed right away the shade looked like an excellent match but once I started to blend it in my skin it turned very light and ashy right away. The undertone was just completely wrong it doesnt have that "golden warm" undertone like it claims instead its quite neutral almost like the Mac matchmaster foundations. The darker shade in 10 had a very unappealing red/rosy undertone to it which I don't understand why since it is labeled with a .0 and not .5. Still dont think the cosmetic industry has caught on that not all darker skin ladies have red/neutral undertones. Besides that the coverage is about medium but buildable, I did like the feel of the foundation very light and comfortable and it had an instant smoothing effect once applied on the skin. It did give my skin a nice glow and the finish was very pretty. I would definitely say give it a try but for the darker skinned ladies it might be tough to make this work, I will be returning this foundation tomorrow and will stick to my handy hg foundation lancome teint idole ultra 24 hr.
15 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Gina
CaramelBae 6/21/2012 1:45:00 AM
Out of my 10 Nars blushes that I own this is my absolute favorite! I reach for this so often this has become my everyday blush I definitely recommend this as a must have for everyone! It is the most gorgeous peach color and it instantly warms up my Nc45 skin, I think this could work for a range of skintones from light to dark. Don't be discourage to try this because of how pale it looks in pan it does not translate that way to the skin at all! This is my favorite nars blush and I will love it forever! This is the only blush out of all the ones I own thats evenly remotely close to hitting pan I would definitely repurchase and recommend this to everyone!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Liberte
CaramelBae 4/22/2012 1:59:00 PM
Ordered this blush online as soon as it appeared on the Nars website...got it in two days and the first day I tried it out I wasn't really wowed like I thought I would be. The color is a brick orange and a tad darker than Gilda just underneath Exhibit A. Upon application it was very patchy and spotty and the texture was somewhat drier than the other Nars blushes I have. Even when I tried swatching it on my hand it barely showed up and took several swipes for it to appear. After applying on my cheeks it just appeared really red and didn't go to well with my skintone. I am about an NC45 in Mac with deep golden undertones and after seeing the infamous pic of Rihanna wearing this blush for the golden globes I thought it would be that perfect bronze/deep golden shade that would almost look like a bronzer but it didn't. I'm sure it would look amazing on paler skintones with a light hand just to give a flush to the cheek or even on deeper skintones it would really add a pop to the skin. But this blush just wasn't for me.
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Liquid -Lancome - Teint Idole Ultra 24h
CaramelBae 4/15/2012 2:51:00 AM
I must say after all the foundations I have tried (Mac, MUFE, Estee Lauder, Smashbox, Clinque, etc etc) I think I have found my HG foundation! Finally a good color match that is neither too light or too dark but just right! For reference to my previous foundation, I was using Mac studio fix in nc45 which I thought was wayy too cakey, heavy, light and turned orange on me. And with Mac foundations I am not a true NC45 but really a mix of nc45 and nc50. This is my first makeup product from Lancome and I really think for the $44 price its totally worth it and now I understand the difference high end foundation makes. I was matched by the SA to 460suede W which was a dead on match and literally melted in my skin. It covered my lighter acne scarring really well and gave really good coverage. With some of my newer acne scarring I still have to use a little concealer but I would still consider this a good medium coverage foundation. It goes on very silky and smooth and feels very lightweight I don't have that heavy cakey feeling that I did with my older foundations, it also doesnt transfer once I set it with my Laura mercier translucent powder. The lasting power is okay I don't think it lives up to the 24hour claim because I noticed after 6 hours or so my oilness is peeping through and i have to touch up with powder. Even though my particular shade still has SPF15 in it when I take pictures I don't get that ashy white cast like I did with my studio fix and this doesn't make me look completely flat. It leaves an almost slight glow to my skin and it looks like I don't have anything on at all. I would definitely recommend trying this out or at least getting a sample and after using this for 2 weeks now I am pretty much done with my other foundations and have ultimately found my new favorite HG staple foundation ^_^ **UPDATE** 8/13/12 Still in love with this foundation! Just finished my 2nd bottle and starting my 3rd! I have never finished any foundation and ended up repurchasing it over and over! With this foundation I'm not hesitant to do that at all. The finish is still beautiful and it literally matches my skin like no other its so natural and leaves me looking flawless with a beautiful glow. I recently tried Urban decay naked skin and that does not compare to this foundation what so ever! Darker skinned ladies I really think you'll find your perfect match in this foundation with its huge color selection. Will update if anything changes but I doubt it will. I LOVE this foundation!!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -MAC - Strobe Cream
CaramelBae 3/29/2012 1:48:00 AM
Omg I am so upset with this product that I had to write this review! This product is absolutely horrible!! For a while I was using it and noticed a slight subtle glow that it gave but it honestly doesn't do anything that major for your skin, once you apply foundation and powder I feel like that glow slightly disappears. I bought the smaller version to use under my studio fix fluid foundation that I noticed is wayyy to dull looking and flattens my face once applied but this really didnt help much so I stopped using it for awhile. Then I decided to give it a go again today under the new lancome foundation and omg I am so mad at myself that I did. I applied this in the morning and by the end of the night I had 6 large cystic blemishes on my chin area and nose! They were so red and painful and they came out of no where! I'm really strict with skincare regimen and use peter thomas roth's acne line and haven't broken out since until today! I can't believe how bad this product clogged my pores and caused this acne after one use! I'm definitely throwing it in the trash and wouldn't recommend this at all!
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Tinted Moisturizer -NARS - Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer
CaramelBae 1/31/2012 1:30:00 PM
Just got this yesterday and I am in love! I've tried a few tinted moisturizers from Mary Kay to Laura Mercier and I must say I am very pleased with this one. I picked it up at my local Nordstrom counter and tried the last few shades and two of them could have easily worked for me. The MA swatched it on my cheek and I fell for the shade Seychelles which is Med/Dark2. I am a Nc45 in Mac and this was the closest match for me. The shade range is pretty good I noticed more yellow in the shades than red so this will be great for WOC. There is 1.9 oz or 50ml of product in this and it comes in a squeeze tube bottle. It has SPF 30 sunscreen PA+++ and UVA/UVB protection. So I am very excited to use this during the summer! It feels very lightweight on my skin and gave a beautiful glow after application. It also has Vitamin C in it which is great for discoloration and dark spots on the skin. This is definitely good for sheer coverage but I used this with my sigma F80 brush just to add a bit more coverage to my skin and I noticed it covered up a majority of my acne scars. It left my skin feeling very moisturized and didn't leave that tacky feeling that you get from most tinted moisturizers from the sunscreen thats in it. It blends very well and is great for covering up redness. It has a lemon smell to it but the smell fades away after a while. I am excited to wear this out today and will be back with an update!!
20 out of 21 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Lustre in High Tea
CaramelBae 1/31/2012 1:22:00 PM
Love this lipstick! I am a big fan of Mac's lustre lipsticks as it almost feels like a lipgloss on my lips. This was recommended by one of the MA and she said it would be the perfect nude over cork lip liner. I tried it and fell in love. Definitely recommend this for WOC as a perfect nude and love the slight shimmer it has to it. Would definitely repurchase.
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Loose Powders -Laura Mercier - translucent loose powder
CaramelBae 1/31/2012 1:19:00 PM
I absolutely love this powder! I have been using this steady for a week now and I adore it so much! After using the Makeupforever Hd powder for a few times and being very disappointed in the powder and the white cast that occurred in my pictures I gave up on the idea of translucent powder. Then I read reviews about this one and decided to give this a go. I have in the past tried bobbi browns yellow loose powder but didn't like that one that much either. So I went in my local sephora and found this, grabbed the last one (which lets me know this is popular) and bought it for $34 bucks. Tried this the next day after my foundation and fell in love! It glides over the skin so smoothly and blends like a dream! The powder is very finely milled and has a tint of yellow/brown to it that isn't very striking like white loose powders. I noticed this gave me almost a glow to my skin and didn't have any white cast in my photographs! It also is great at controlling my oil during the day and it is a great touch up powder as it won't leave your face cakey like other powders will. There is tons of product in it that I'm sure will last me forever! I would definitely recommend this to everyone!!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Douceur
CaramelBae 1/31/2012 1:12:00 PM
Just bought this blush yesterday and I am in love! Women of Color don't be afraid to give this blush a try just because it "seems" like it won't show up on us trust me it will! I am NC45 in Mac and when I first applied this it gave a subtle natural look that I have been looking for in a blush. With another layer it made it more intense and gave off a rosy look on my skin. I own just about every Nars blush and was looking for one that didn't have shimmer and could be one that I could automatically grab everyday and knew it would complete my look easily. This is that blush. I would definitely repurchase again and I advise everyone to give this a try!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Peter Thomas Roth - Beta Hydroxy Acid 2% Acne Wash
CaramelBae 10/18/2011 7:10:00 PM
I love this product! I bought this after experiencing a horrible reaction to Philosophy purity cleanser and after receiving huge cystic acne I needed something to help clear it up. This worked wonders! First impressions...For the first week of using this it dried my skin up like crazy! I had dry patches everywhere and my skin felt very tight, but I didnt give up...with consistent use my skin got used to this. I know others have mentioned that it drys out your skin, yes this can be true for a while it will. Your skin has to get used to the hydroxy and salicylic acid so its best to use it every other day until your skin gets used to it. Also having a good moisturizer is key. Once my skin got used to this after 2 weeks or so I have yet to have another break out and my skin is so clear and vibrant. I love this acne wash and will repurchase again and again. Definitely recommend.
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Cleansers -Philosophy - Purity Made Simple (Real Purity Cleanser)
CaramelBae 10/18/2011 7:00:00 PM
Not sure how this product gets so many rave reviews. While i love the Philosophy line and what it stands for I absolutely hate this product. I have combination skin, oily in my tzone and pretty normal everywhere else, I got this after hearing so many rave reviews about it. My first impression was that it was very milky, kinda heavy and a tad oily. I used this with my Clarisonic for 2 months straight before I found out how bad this was for my skin. It broke me out like crazy leaving me with huge cystic acne and clogged pores everywhere. For the most part my skin is clear 80% of the time, I get an occasional cystic breakout close to my cycle and thats it never have I ever had consistant acne that occurred all over my face. I was thinking it was my moisturizer or foundation but it wasnt. I stopped using this for a whole week and my skin cleared up. I read the ingredients and it is filled with a million different oils. I would not recommend this to anyone at all especially acne prone skin. It could be good for aging, dry skin but this was horrible for me. I would never repurchase.
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Liquid -MAC - Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation
CaramelBae 10/10/2011 6:41:00 PM
Not sure how this foundation is getting so many rave reviews I find this foundation to be quite mediocre. For reference I am about a NC45 with deep golden undertones. The chart that they displayed with the corresponding shades does not match up at all.I got shade 7.0 because 7.5 is way to red for me and while 7.0 looks a little red in the bottle once pumped it looks a little bit golden so I thought this would be a winner but it is not. Not sure how Mac feels that one foundation can match up to 4 different shades because it does not. I also dont like the fact that Mac still hasn't learned that there needs to be a shade between NC45 and NC50, same with this particular foundation and that all dark women dont have red undertones. On to the foundation... 7.0 Is all wrong for me, while I do love the consistency of the foundation and the coverage is decent, the undertone is just wrong. It has more of a neutral undertone which turns very ashy and dull on me. I even went to the next shade 7.5 and it was horribly red on me. I will say the foundation is great at controlling oil and lasting throughout the day, I'm also a fan of the sleek bottle and pump it comes with. I'm just very disappointed with the color selection. Its on my swap list if anyone is interested in swapping for it.
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -MAC - Studio Careblend
CaramelBae 2/20/2011 12:39:00 AM
Just purchased this product today and so far I love it! I decided to try a new powder after using the mineralize skinfinish for a few months. I noticed the MSF oxidizes on me and has a strong pink undertone. I went in and was matched to Medium deep (Nc45 for reference) the same shade as my skinfinish.Also I noticed this line runs a tad lighter than the MSF's. It applied very well and left me with a matte finish but still very flawless. This powder is great for oily skin and after wearing it for an entire day It didnt oxidize at all. The price is a few dollars cheaper than the MSF's at $23, comes with a little powder puff and is apart of the permanent collection. I would definitely purchase this again and will update later once I try this for a full week. So far so good!
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Blush / Bronzer Duo in Sin / Casino
CaramelBae 10/6/2010 2:19:00 AM
Received this in a swap, I was very interested in trying the Casino bronzer but I was a little disappointed overall. Sin is a gorgeous plum blush with golden specks and looks really pretty in the pan but once I swatched on my cheek I found it wasn't as pigmented as most nars blushes are and I had to reapply several times to actually see some kind of color. The Casino bronzer gave me the same results it literally blends right into my skin and so it wasn't really useful for contouring. It is a little cool to me and it shows up a tad ashy on my skin. Its a pretty duo but I wouldn't recommend this for darker skin, I'm NC45 and It didn't show up to well on my skin color. I definitely think this would be great for someone with medium-tan skin.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Boots - No7 Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes - All Skin Types
CaramelBae 9/20/2010 3:21:00 PM
I love this wipes! They are definitely my HG product. This is my 3rd purchase and I will continue to purchase over and over again. These wipes smell wonderful and the packaging is really cute and convenient. I also love how the wipes feel on my face, not dry at all very moist and they leave a nice clean feeling to my skin. There only $7 at Target which is a great deal and they last about 3 weeks or so. I definitely recommend this to anyone!
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