Powder -Laura Mercier - Foundation Powder
Chorus 11/29/2010 3:06:00 AM
Found my new HG - WOW. This is an amazing powder foundation - I've tried SO many. It is an extremely finely milled, high quality powder. This gives such a smooth, flawless finish - poreless & airbrushed! I thought I was getting a nice finish before with other brands - but this takes it up another level! (I used it dry with a flattop brush and applied sparingly), does not settle into lines. I just looked in the mirror; it has been over 12 hours since I applied this morning and still no settling in lines - totally stays put! Controls oil very well without drying - even with the heater going during wintertime. I first purchased #3 but that was a bit too dark, so I went back to get #2 (I am NC 25/C3). Love , love love - it is pricey but well worth it - I also apply sparingly so it really lasts a while. Has no SPF so it photographs beautifully. SO much higher quality than MAC (didn't break me out, but left me an oily mess, yet at the same time it also badly dried and tightened my skin uncomfortably), and has now replaced my MUFE and Napoleon Perdis too. Shiseido and anything with SPF gave me a ghost face/"made up mask" look in photos and certain lightings. Give Laura Mercier a try.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Make Up For Ever - Duo Mat Powder foundation
Chorus 3/24/2010 4:47:00 AM
I really like this powder foundation for days when you want a bit more coverage. When pitted against MAC studio fix, this controlled oil better (the MAC side got much oiler much faster!). Duo Mat did not dry out my skin (and I have tendency for dry skin). Studio fix made me oily AND dried out my skin! I wear #202 and it is perfect match (MAC C3/NC20-NC 25 for reference). At first I tried #203 and it got orange on me, but that is because it was a shade too dark. Sephora was great and let me exchange colors. This is very quick & easy to apply and needs no powder to set - yet it stays all day and requires little to no touch ups. Beautiful, smooth, finish; the look of liquid foundation without the hassle and takes mere seconds to apply. I've only applied it with a brush. Photographs absolutely gorgeous! I liked it better than La Prairie cellular treatment powder foundation, which I tried for a whole week (1/2 of my face with Duo Mat, 1/2 with La Prairie.) Will be returning the La Prairie which has a funny smell and offers less coverage so you need to layer it, and it dries my undereye area just a tad more - this is much better!! If you want a powder foundation with good coverage without the titanium dioxide/white geisha look in photos, this may just be your HG! EDIT - a year later - still love it, but found something even better - controls oil better but even less drying and NO settling in lines under eyes - Laura Mercier powder foundation #2.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Revlon - Lottabody Setting Lotion
Chorus 3/24/2010 4:37:00 AM
I have straight, thick, bra-strap length hair with long layers. I spray this on my wet hair after showering, and before spraying heat protectant. Then I do my blow out with large brush and blow dryer to get soft, big waves. Thanks to Lottabody, I don't need to use any hairspray to keep the big curls, so they are soft and move. The Lottabody seems to help cut down on my blowdry time. There is no scent to the product. Only 4 lippies as I have not been able to try this out in higher humidity yet (it's spring in L.A. and has not been rainy lately). Will update; hopefully my curls will hold even in hot weather and sweat!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Anastasia Of Beverly Hills - Line Erasing Serum
Chorus 2/27/2010 3:23:00 AM
Runny, sticky, and balls up like crazy under makeup. No thanks.
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Hair Styling Tools -Revlon - RV544 Tourmaline Ionic Hairdryer
Chorus 2/21/2010 8:22:00 PM
This review will pit the T3 Featherweight (full size, not travel size) against the Revlon RV544 Ionic Tourmaline (which is a dupe for it). I actually ended up with TWO brand new Revlon's (long story) so decided to try them both out against a brand new T3. Initial impressions: T3 is a tiny bit quieter on the "High" setting than Revlon on the "High" setting. It is only imperceptibly quieter on the "low" setting than Revlon, so T3 wins for quietness but only by the *tiniest bit*. Weight: On a scale, the T3 weighs 1 lb; heavier than either of the the Revlons which consistently weighed 0.8 lb each. I can tell by holding them a short time, that the Revlon is lighter so I was not surprised this was the case when put on the scales. Incidentally, I weighed the dryer itself with its nozzle attachment (not diffuser attachment) with the cord hanging off the scale. I did not weigh the entire product which would also include the cord and plug. Dry time is for very long, thick, layered hair (Longest point is just beyond bra strap. Tresemme Heat protectant sprayed in prior to drying unless otherwise noted. No other products used until after blow drying): T3: 1) 17 min 29 seconds. (blow hair straight) 2) 24 min 30 seconds (approx) Blow out with curling 3) 18 min 14 (approx) Blow out with curling Dry time with Revlon #1: 1) 17 min 14 seconds. (but I forgot to put on the heat protectant though - hair blow straight) 2) 18 min 28 seconds (Blow out with curling) compared with Revlon #2 Dry time: 1) 17 min 29 seconds (Blow out with curling) 2) 19 min (Blow out with curling, but rolled 1st layer under this time so it took longer as I'm not used to that) Overall impressions: Several times during my first hairdry with the T3, I turned off the dryer accidentally due to the placement and size of the buttons. This dryer gets VERY hot, so much so that I could simply not tolerate it for long periods of time on the "high" setting. Even in the wintertime, with the window open and the bathroom door open, I was breaking out in a sweat (and I *like* hot weather!). Anyway, the fact that the T3 gets so uncomfortablely hot may have contributed to its slower dry time when compared to the Revlons. I cannot imagine using the T3 in the summertime when it is hot; right now is the dead of winter!! Although the Revlon puts the buttons in the same location as the T3, the buttons are "flatter" and I did not have the problem of accidentally turning it off as I did with the T3. Other impressions: The T3 has a very long cord; about 2 feet longer than the Revlon; I can see how some folks would like this feature although I don't need such a long cord. The Revlon comes with both the nozzle and a diffuser attachment included which I love. Although the T3 comes with a nozzle, you need to separately purchase the diffuser attachment. I think it runs for approx $25 more. My personal pick: Revlon RV544. On my hair, it does a better, FASTER job. It is 20% lighter than the T3, easier for me to use as I don't keep shutting it off accidentally, and it does not get uncomfortably hot - all of which are true of the T3. Also, it is $170 less than the T3, although I happened to get both of these products for free from ULTA, thus price was not the issue. I chose the Revlon because it works better for me, not because it is cheaper.
19 out of 20 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Styling Tools -Unlisted Brand - Tourmaline Featherweight/Travel Hair Dryer (Original and Bespoke versions)
Chorus 2/21/2010 8:18:00 PM
This review will pit the T3 Featherweight (full size, not travel size) against the Revlon RV544 Ionic Tourmaline (which is a dupe for it). I actually ended up with TWO brand new Revlon's (long story) so decided to try them both out against a brand new T3. Initial impressions: T3 is a tiny bit quieter on the "High" setting than Revlon on the "High" setting. It is only imperceptibly quieter on the "low" setting than Revlon, so T3 wins for quietness but only by the *tiniest bit*. Weight: On a scale, the T3 weighs 1 lb; heavier than either of the the Revlons which consistently weighed 0.8 lb each. I can tell by holding them a short time, that the Revlon is lighter so I was not surprised this was the case when put on the scales. Incidentally, I weighed the dryer itself with its nozzle attachment (not diffuser attachment) with the cord hanging off the scale. I did not weigh the entire product which would also include the cord and plug. Dry time is for very long, thick, layered hair (Longest point is just beyond bra strap. Tresemme Heat protectant sprayed in prior to drying unless otherwise noted. No other products used until after blow drying): T3: 1) 17 min 29 seconds. (blow hair straight) 2) 24 min 30 seconds (approx) Blow out with curling 3) 18 min 14 (approx) Blow out with curling Dry time with Revlon #1: 1) 17 min 14 seconds. (but I forgot to put on the heat protectant though - hair blow straight) 2) 18 min 28 seconds (Blow out with curling) compared with Revlon #2 Dry time: 1) 17 min 29 seconds (Blow out with curling) 2) 19 min (Blow out with curling, but rolled 1st layer under this time so it took longer as I'm not used to that) Overal impressions: Several times during my first hairdry with the T3, I turned off the dryer accidently due to the placement and size of the buttons. This dryer gets VERY hot, so much so that I could simply not tolerate it for long periods of time on the "high" setting. Even in the wintertime, with the window open and the bathroom door open, I was breaking out in a sweat (and I *like* hot weather!). Anyway, the fact that the T3 gets so uncomfortabely hot may have contributed to its slower dry time when compared to the Revlons. I cannot imagine using the T3 in the summertime when it is hot; right now is the dead of winter!! Although the Revlon puts the buttons in the same location as the T3, the buttons are "flatter" and I did not have the problem of accidentally turning it off as I did with the T3. Other impressions: The T3 has a very long cord; about 2 feet longer than the Revlon; I can see how some folks would like this feature although I don't need such a long cord. The Revlon comes with both the nozzle and a diffuser attachment included which I love. Although the T3 comes with a nozzle, you need to separately purchase the diffuser attachment. I think it runs for approx $25 more. My personal pick: Revlon RV544. On my hair, it does a better, FASTER job. It is 20% lighter than the T3, easier for me to use as I don't keep shutting it off accidentally, and it does not get uncomfortably hot - all of which are true of the T3. Also, it is $170 less than the T3, although I happened to get both of these products for free from ULTA, thus price was not the issue. I chose the Revlon because it works better for me, not because it is cheaper.
15 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No