Skincare - Face -L'Oreal - Futur-e Moisturizer Oil Free
CindyLou 4/2/2002 1:47:00 PM
First of all, this product has an amazing packaging! I love the pump style, and you get just the right amount out. This isn't my favorite drugstore moisturizer, but that's because it seems to get confused on my combo skin. Either it's not moisturizing enough or it doesn't sink in (on the oily areas)--which you don't notice immediately. However, I've found that this works REMARKABLY similar to my DDF Nourishing Eye Cream when applied lightly to the undereye area. It doesn't leave my skin as soft as the DDF, but it does help to slightly de-puff and de-wrinkle (mostly by moisturizing lightly) and it doesn't sting my eyes, hasn't caused milia, and no blurry contacts so far. This can fill in until I purchase another DDF eye cream. L'Oreal Future E is probably too light a moisturizer for really dry skin. This provides exactly the right amount of moisturizing for those ladies already blessed with normal skin types.
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Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - Glass Shine lipglosses
CindyLou 2/22/2002 2:45:00 AM
This product is similar to the Stila Lip Shine tubes. Same general grumble with the packaging (easily dented, get too much squeezing out--but not nearly as bad as the Stila counterpart). The gloss really does give your lips a glassy shine, but it is more of a sheer wash than a pigmented color. It has average to short staying power. But for a drugstore buy, at $6 a pop, it's MUCH cheaper (by half!) than the Stila version. and it comes in a great array of colors. I fell in love with the Bronze Shimmer color, it's beautiful over a variety of lipsticks. Go try this out if you haven't yet. There's bound to be a color you love.
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Treatments (Eye) -DDF - Nourishing Eye Cream
CindyLou 2/22/2002 2:42:00 AM
WOW! darn Sephora for offering this as a free delux sample. I'm officially hooked, but I can't afford to buy a full container of it! This creme really does hydrate your eye area, without any greasy or heavy feel (it's light, non-irritating, easy for contact lens wearers, smooth, not too oily), and lightly de-puffs some circles. Don't get me wrong, you'll still have some circles, but it makes a noticeable change in the skin around your eye. I love this stuff. I wish I was still working and not just a student! *sniff*
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Lip Gloss -Face Stockholm - Wand Lip Gloss
CindyLou 1/18/2002 1:56:00 PM
My first time trying thier glosses. This formula goes on really sheer and isn't at all tacky or goopy. Instead, it's more of a light/watery type of consistency. Not exactly UD XXX Shine, but it leaves a nice glassy finish for lips. The thin formula, which eliminates goopy lines of gloss, also means you have to reapply often. Especially after eating. There is also a strange taste to it upon first applying that leaves much to be desired. However, that dissappears after a while, and you're still left with a beautiful shiny color. Gets an average rating for lipgloss. Nice but nothing spectacular, and there are probably other more accessible (and/or cheaper) brands which would give better results.
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Lip Treatments -Sally Hansen - Lipcolor Sealer
CindyLou 1/18/2002 1:50:00 PM
Found this one at Wal Mart. Okay, this product says it will make any lipcolor last up to 8 hrs. The silver brush/wand tube looks like a tube of lipgloss, and the clear formula gets brushed over just applied lipcolor to lock it in. Well, I put it to the test. Can I just say *YEEEOOWWCH!*? Maybe I'm not using it right (though I did look at the directiosn). Maybe my lips are extra sensitive. Whatever the case, after applying my lipstick and lightly blotting my lips ONCE with a tissue, I applied a thin coating of this sealant. And thought I was burning a hole through my lip. What the heck? There is a (painful in my case) burn/tingle to the product once it hits your lips which dissipates as it dries. You're not supposed to touch your lips together for 15 seconds. Then you're set. This kept my lipcolor on for a bit longer, but my god the pain! and I found that even applying this sparingly, it leaves a strange film (the sealing part I guess) which eventually clumps/thickens and rolls it (and the lipcolor) off your lips. Needless to say, this hasn't been used much. I don't recommend buying it for anyone with sensitive lips. Just not worth it.
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Eye Shadow -Face Stockholm - Eye Dust
CindyLou 1/18/2002 1:42:00 PM
Thanks to a recent swapper I've finally been able to try these eyedusts. I have to say that I'm now hooked and want to purchase all of them! This is hands-down the finest milled eye shadow powder I've ever tried, it's like lightweight silk. You never get that clumpy, heavy feeling from applying it. I've found with other loose powders I have to layer it on to get high pigment-payoff. This eyedust from FACE glides on effortlessly. Because of the super-fine texture, I agree with a previous reviewer that these would work best with an eye base when used as a shadow. However, the fine milling also allows for superior control when lining eyes with a wet liner. It also would allow you (with lighter shades) to mix the dust in with some gloss or lipcolor to give it a little "oomph" without making it feel all grainy. This versatility gives FACE Stockholm's fine-powder formula the lead over other loose shadows (MAC pigments, L'Oreal On the Loose, among others come to mind) that have coarser texture. The only drawback to this product is it's awful packaging. I've found this to be true of many loose powders--why put these in such spill-prone twist off pots? If the companies are so sold on the container, then they should have a plastic "lid" with sprinkles holes over the opening as the folks at I Nuovi have done. Can't complain too much though. This is a winner. Highly recommended.
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Lip Gloss -Urban Decay - XXX Shine Lip Gloss
CindyLou 1/9/2002 3:50:00 AM
I own the XXX Shine in "Disco Inferno" and it just hasn't worked out the way I wish it would. The glitter in it is AWESOME, and when the gloss fades the glitter sets into your lip color and leaves a blue/violet glitter iridescence that is to DIE for. It's very unique, I've never seen anything quite like it on my lips. The glitter is very fine and subtle too, so you don't have garish chunks of foil like with BeneFit's Dancing Darlings or Charge It gloss. The peppermint is zingy and I love it! Gives you a little aromatherapy perk-up. The packaging, while a squeeze tube, hasn't proved that problematic for me. The product didn't leak, and I liked how the flat cap allows it to stand on end. Just a small squeeze will do for your lips. The consistency and staying power of the gloss is what I have issues with. It is SO gooey and gunky! Put on just a little too much and my mouth gets those nasty goo threads connecting my bottom and top lips whenever I smack them. :P Plus, the gloss wears off SO quickly that I find I need to reapply often. Lastly, for some reason it seems to dissolve or fade my lip color when I use this over a lipstick. Maybe this could be prevented with a lip liner or by using Urban Decay lipstick. With other lipsticks (MAC, Vincent Longo, Maybelline, L'Oreal) I've found the gloss makes the lip color slide off and spread unevenly on my mouth, especially in the center of my lip. So I deduct two points for the consistency and staying power. It gets 2 for the innovative sparkle color and 1 for the peppermint smell/taste that tingles your lips. Final rating: 3 out of 5
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Mascara -Clinique - Lash Doubling Mascara
CindyLou 12/18/2001 10:41:00 PM
I have to agree with the ladies who've posted already that this mascara has AWESOME lengthening powers! I noticed right away that it separated and coated each lash, so they honestly looked TWICE as long as usual! (they're really short to begin with) It opened up my entire eye area. However, unlike some people, I've found that this formula flakes and smudges a lot on me. Dunno why. Might be correctable with some Benefit She Laq, but because of the irritating flakes with my contacts, I have to give this a 3 instead of a 5.
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Lip Gloss -Revlon - Revlon Lip Glace'
CindyLou 11/27/2001 1:15:00 PM
I really did like these glosses from Revlon. They go on smooth and leave a REALLY nice patent-leather type finish on your lips--talk about high-shine! I have one in Nordic Nude and Polar Plush. Nordic Nude goes on a medium mauve pink on my skintone, and the Polar Plush is just a sheerish shimmer. So nice! The newest ones (I bought Lounge Lizard which has already been described, and a violet-red shimmer one whose name I can't remember) were also nice, but the colors were too similar to some Bourjois Effet 3D ones I had, so I returned them. I would recommend using some sort of lip liner with these or layering them over a lipstick to give them more staying power--for some reason they slide off the outer edges of my lips before the center. They are very similar to MAC lipglass for about half the price (even less if you get them on sale). I only wish that they would make this a part of their regular line with more colors to choose from.
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Liquid -L'Oreal - Feel Natural liquid makeup [DISCONTINUED]
CindyLou 11/27/2001 12:44:00 PM
WOW! Just when I thought I'd be devoted to my CG Smoothers All Day Hydrating Makeup, I decide to try this out! I bought this in Sun Beige, and it's a near PERFECT match for my skin. It goes on light and smooth, it hasn't broken me out, and it really DOES blend seamlessly into your skin. It looks very natural, just like your skintone is perfectly flawless. It's hydrating and not at all dry or cakey like some. It doesn't help mattify my oily T-zone (lots of pressed powder and clean n clear sheets to help with that), but it does make my skin look healthy and clear. A great drugstore foundation. ooh, by the way, I just realized I misspelled the name of this. It should be "Feel Naturale" oops! :)
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Eye Shadow -Origins - Eyeshadow (all colors)
CindyLou 11/26/2001 11:15:00 AM
I love the colors in the origins eyeshadow line, so I decided to pick up one or two and try them out. I'm glad I only bought two of them. The colors were BEAUTIFUL on me, they applied very easily and the compacts they come in are SOOO cute! They have a surprisingly nice-sized mirror in each one. However, they really don't have much staying power. I noticed that the lighter shimmers were the first to fade away. Also, the texture of the shimmers wasn't as finely-milled as some other high-ends. I might try these again in a swap or gift, but I won't be running to the store to get more. Stick with MAC, Stila, or even Revlon shadows over these.
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Skincare - Face -Estee Lauder - Resillience Lift
CindyLou 11/26/2001 11:08:00 AM
I received this in a GWP set, otherwise I probably wouldn't have thought to buy it. I'm one of those sworn drugstore skincare gals. I hate spending $40 and up for my skin. However, I'm glad I did get a chance to try this. The creme really moisturizes my skin. I don't know that it "lifts" anything because I'm still young, but it definitely worked on the texture of my skin, leaving it silky, dewy soft. It serves well as a makeup primer; all my cosmetics seem to apply smoother after using this. I probably STILL won't go out and buy the full-size at $40-odd dollars, but I might scavange Ebay and GWP sets once my sample runs out. :) I gave it a four because it's the only face-cream I've ever tried before (usually I only use face lotion). So I don't know what to compare it to. However, I'm very happy with this product.
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Eye Shadow -Estee Lauder - Two-In-One Eyeshadow Duo
CindyLou 11/26/2001 11:02:00 AM
I bought this duo in #03-Bordeaux, which is a shimmery dusty light pink rose, and a shimmer deeper rose-wine shade. The compact in and of itself is kinda cheezy looking, but I think that's because of the gold logo (reminds me of mary kay). The compact is also a tad difficult for me to open. At least you get two applicators (though I never use the sponge ones anyway) Once you get by the packaging, the product itself is actually pretty nice. Applied on a slightly damp lid, it had great, more opaque color and long staying power--minimal creasing. It also looked nice dry, especially the light rose as a sheer shimmer. All in all, this wasn't a bad purchase. I was pleasantly surprised by these shadows. You get two colors for about the price of a single shadow in other high-end lines. Plus I got the free gift! :)
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Palettes -Vincent Longo - Lip Sheers Palette
CindyLou 11/26/2001 10:55:00 AM
This was a little pricey for me to spring for myself, but I went and did it anyway once I saw the WONDERFUL colors that were in it! They look darker in the case, and in fact their tube counterparts seem to apply deeper than these do. The case they're housed in is a sleek shiny black, reminds me of a slim paintbox The colors are Cool Frost (a shimmer white) Sparkle Frost (a shimmer light nude) Chica Mokita (milk chocolate brown) Cherry (sheer berry) Belle Etoile (sheer brown-red) However, I have to stress that these go on MUCH more sheer than the tube version it seems. The palette comes with a nice sable lipbrush, though I like my Maybelline lipbrush better as far as picking up and depositing color evenly. The fun thing about this palette is that all the colors wear very sheer and natural looking. They'd work on ANY skintone. Once you layer in the shimmer colors, you get a very flattering neutral frost shade. You can even alter the color of the lipstick. I've found mixing the Cherry with the Cool Shimmer makes a sheer pink frost. My only complaint so far is that these colors don't seem to last very long. On a scale of one to ten, they'd get a 5 or maybe 6 on longetivity. Other than that, you really can't go wrong with purchasing this! Once again, Vincent Longo comes through for me, I absolutely ADORE this line!
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Eyes -Revlon - Eye Print Shadow - Animal Instinct
CindyLou 11/15/2001 4:31:00 PM
agree wholeheartedly with the other reviewers. I was SO unhappy when I learned I had been duped. And of course I had lost the receipt and couldn't return these. (bought the shimmery copper one and the shimmery green one, which are both plain blah underneath) They're currently sitting on my shelf collecting dust, I don't have the heart to pitch them out yet.
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