Brows -BeneFit Cosmetics - Brow Bar - Brow waxing/shaping services
Catherin3 5/17/2012 1:12:00 PM
I live in the UK, and go to a brow bar in Debenhams. I have been to the benefit brow bar three times at the time of writing this. The first time I went was wonderful. It was my first time getting my brows done and I was really nervous but the woman talked me through what she was going to do, how she was going to do it etc. and was so nice that it made it a very pleasant experience. She was the resident brow expert and it showed. My brows ended up beautiful, thick and natural but tidier with more shape, just as I wanted them. I was pleasantly surprised at how much she listened to me as I stressed I wanted them natural, not too thin. However my next two experiences with the brow bar have been...iffy. My next appointment I had another girl and she was very friendly again, but she really overdid it despite me, again, stressing that I wanted them thick and natural. They were still nice, but not entirely what I wanted. The third time, yet another girl, my brows have ended up...very strange. They are still quite messy, and they don't seem to match. I quite like the shape, although the one brow the arch is way too sharp (yes, just the one...) As for the process, I do like how benefit go about it. They sit you down and give you an aftercare/warning sheet to sign, then they ask what you want, before they show you a mirror and show you the points on the brow and explain what they are thinking of doing to you, and ask you if it’s OK. They put soothing oil on the brows, and some on your hand to test the wax temperature. The actual waxing doesn't hurt, it’s fairly quick and painless, although the tweezing afterwards does, although that is to be expected I think. After the one is done they’ll ask for your opinion before moving on to the next, though I don’t know what they expect to happen if you say you hate it- not like they can do anything about it! After both are done they massage cooling gel over the area and apply concealer to cover redness, before finally filling in the brows with brow zings. I like how they use brow zings, and the oil, wax, and cooling gel all feel nice, and smell good too. I also want to appreciate how they conceal the redness afterwards, but the brush they use is of dubious cleanliness, and they do it so half-heartedly that it ends up cakey and disgusting. I wish they wouldn't bother with that. Afterwards my skin is a bit red, and sometimes I break out but I am fairly sure that’s part of the process. It’s a very minor irritation which calms down after a day or so. The second time I went they insisted on applying eye gel, blush and mascara on me...which was a bit random, but OK. They didn't make me look bad, at least. I would recommend that if you are still curious about using the benefit brow bar, that you ask if they have a brow expert and ask to see her, and that you go with a certain amount of trepidation. It could go either way! I'm likely to go back, but I am in a love/hate with this service. I really love the process, but the results aren't always what I want. And although it’s not expensive, it’s not exactly the cheapest out there.
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BB Cream -BRTC - Jasmine Water BB Cream SPF 30 PA++
Catherin3 4/22/2012 8:58:00 AM
I've been using this bb cream for about two years, and am coming to the end of my tube, and therefore having to make the decision of whether to purchase this again or not. Sadly, I don't think I will be buying this again. What I love about this bb cream is the color- it is very pale, with pink undertones, which is almost my exact match. It also gives a beautiful light to medium coverage, evening out my skin tone and giving a lovely dewy finish. It has never broken me out and feels quite comfortable to wear, and doesn't fade for a good part of the day. And of course, it has a nice subtle smell of jasmine. However the texture of this bb cream is extremely thick, and therefore it is very difficult to apply, and often I end up with streaks, or caking, or the bb cream settling into fine lines and clinging to dry patches. Primer makes no difference. It also takes a long while to set, so even if I manage to apply it nicely, it will still cake if I try apply anything over the top, therefore making it fairly bad as a makeup base (and not so nice for mornings when I am in a rush and don't have time). I love the overall finish with this bb cream, but it too often doesn't end up like that. This bb cream isn't the cheapest out there either. Overall, I really want to love this bb cream, but its thick, unworkable texture just annoys me too much.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -Garnier - BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector - Light/Medium
Catherin3 12/4/2011 8:46:00 AM
I was intrigued to see a western bb cream by a drugstore brand so when I saw this on sale I thought I might as well get it and try it out. Well, I'm glad I never paid full price for it and I generally regret buying it at all as its just sitting in my drawer now. This bb cream is very light, in that way it applies easily but it offers very little in the way of anything. It gives a bit of a glow for a little while, but does nothing for coverage, pore minimizing, evening out skin tone...it pretty much doesn't do anything. Also it stinks, a very strong and artificial smell that has a tendency to linger. My skin is combination, so I thought I'd try my sister with it seeing as her skin is much drier and has little she needs covering but it didn't do much for her either. The lightest shade was too dark for the both of us as well. I tried this on under other base makeup but it didn't make a difference as a base either. This stuff really is a useless product. I will stick to my Asian bb creams!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -Boots - No 7 "Colour Calming" Make-up Base
Catherin3 9/15/2011 8:29:00 AM
I have an uneven skin tone with red discoloration around my nose and on my cheeks and a few blemishes here and there. When I first heard about these green correctors I couldn't help but be intrigued. I found myself buying this one after getting a voucher for no7 products; I figured that for almost half the price it was worth trying out. I don't usually bother with using a primer, especially since my sunscreen functions perfectly well as one, but I wanted to see if this would do something about the redness. Well, it did nothing. If I apply a lot it may just slightly lighten the redness on my cheeks, but I find I start looking a bit yellow if I use that much. The packaging is not so great too- I find I have to store it upside down otherwise the product leaks out into the lid. However it doesn't break me out and it does make my makeup go on nice and smoothly. So as a primer it functions pretty well. I just wish it would color correct, like it says it does on the packaging.
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Pressed Powders -Kanebo - Kate pressed powder
Catherin3 9/14/2011 4:57:00 PM
I was looking for a new pressed powder and after reading the positive reviews on this I couldn't not get it. I bought it online for a reasonable amount, although it's not cheap. On buying this the one thing I noticed the most is the terrible packaging. The pressed powder I was using before that cost a third of the price of this one had better, more functional, and generally prettier packaging than this. This packaging is bulky, the black color shows dirt and scratches immediately, and it basically looks (and feels) cheap. And it's not functional either. I find the screw lid of this pressed powder annoying, and the puff it came with useless. However I would still buy this product again because regardless of the packaging the actual product is amazing. It goes on a bit darker than my skin tone but lightens to a perfect match. Likewise it goes on quite sheer but seems to 'settle' after a few moments and it gives the most perfect finish- covering the large pores on my cheeks, lightening dark blemishes and hiding redness. It really lives up to its name- “high coverage”. This also lasts for the majority of the day, without getting uncomfortable. It doesn't dry my skin out at all nor break me out. I really love this powder, even if the packaging is awful. I usually just wear bb cream with this on top and my skin looks amazing; bright/healthy and far more flawless than it actually is.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Skinfood - Salmon Darkcircle Concealer
Catherin3 9/14/2011 4:25:00 PM
I like the brand Skinfood - mainly for the fun concept of food for the skin and the cute (albeit sometimes cheap-looking) packaging of most of its products, not to mention being nice and affordable even with the mark ups of buying from overseas. However the products I have tried of theirs have been pretty hit and miss for me, with a lot of misses. Despite this, I was drawn to this product for a few reasons: it had a lot of good reviews here and on other blogs, I could get both the salmon powder and salmon concealer for the same price as the other concealer I had been eyeing, and this one little pot contains a LOT of product which would make it even more affordable. So I bought this in shade 01, the lighter of the two. After reading all the rave reviews about this concealer I really wanted to like it, but I find I can't. It's got a lovely creamy consistency, and it does a good job of brightening up the under eye area however I find it cannot cover up my extreme dark circles at all, and it sinks into the fine lines under my eyes. Neither does it last; it goes from vague brightening effect to nonexistent very quickly. I also agree with a previous reviewer about fingerprints showing in this when applying, which was something I wasn't expecting. Further, setting it with powder only makes it sink into my lines more. I do think if you don't have very fine lines under your eyes, and your dark circles aren't as extreme as mine then this product could definitely work for you though. I can't recommend it personally but for the price it is worth trying out. (Lastly - on a slightly unrelated note the Salmon dark eye powder is lovely for brightening up the under eye area, I like it much more than the concealer)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Canmake - Nudy Glow Rouge
Catherin3 5/17/2011 7:47:00 PM
The colors in this range are really pretty and perfect for nude lips. They give a strong, slightly glossy matte color when applied. It is also reasonably affordable, compared to brands like Candydoll although of course buying international prices are marked up. The gloss tends to be very unforgiving on dry lips though, it sinks into lines and accents dryness. Also it is a very sticky formula and I wish the packaging had a sponge applicator because it is very difficult to apply with the brush. I end up dabbing some on my fingers and applying it that way, which can be messy (it sticks to my fingers!) Further, it doesn't last very long. I currently own one of the colors and I was thinking about buying another but I am not sure anymore.
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BB Cream -Skinfood - Aloe Sun BB Cream SPF 20 PA+
Catherin3 2/28/2011 6:16:00 PM
This is my first BB Cream and I’ve been using it for about 2 or 3 months now. This cream has both good and bad points. The good would be that it really evens out the skin tone, covers minor imperfections and gives a nice natural finish. Also it typically lasts about 6 or 7 hours before the effects begin to fade. Oil control is good too and I like the fact it has SPF in it. Some of the things I don’t like about it would be the thick texture, which makes it quite difficult to apply (really got to blend it in) and also the smell isn’t as appealing as some other skin food products. The coverage isn’t great either. Although it gives a nice finish it doesn’t cover or even fade blemishes, nor does it do much to reduce the redness of my cheeks. My skin is quite sensitive and I do really like how gentle this BB cream is. I have never broken out because of this and it doesn't dry out my skin either. Overall a nice BB cream and one I’m quite happy with although I probably would not buy it again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Laneige - Multi-Cleanser
Catherin3 12/28/2010 12:01:00 PM
Like a lot of people I heard about this through Bubzbeauty! I had avoided buying this because it was quite expensive, but managed to get hold of it as an early christmas present. I have been using it for a couple of weeks and I'm very happy with it. It is expensive but the tube is large and you only have to use a very small amount each time so I have a feeling it will last a while. I have sensitive skin but this hasn't broken me out at all, it is very gentle and doesn't dry my skin out either. The only thing I don't like is the smell, although it is not too overpowering thankfully. [edit] I would have to say that after trying out a couple of other cleansers that I probably would not buy this cleanser again. I like it, but it is nothing amazing, especially not for the price [/edit]
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Moisturizers -RoC - New Hydra+ Bio Active spf15 Normal Skin [DISCONTINUED]
Catherin3 11/4/2010 11:47:00 AM
I have combination skin. My skin is very sensitive and prone to irritation. I had been given this moisturizer by a family member and decided to try it out. I have been using it for about two or three weeks now and I love it. It leaves my skin feeling very soft with only using a small amount. I also love the subtle smell, which isn't overpowering at all. It doesn't irritate my skin in any way. It's a very gentle moisturizer but very effective. I'd highly reccomend it.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No