Mascara -Pop Beauty - Smokey Lash Kapow!!!
Dekilah 3/5/2013 6:46:00 PM
I got this in my Feb 2013 Ipsy bag. I was pretty happy with my other mascaras and this one is not super notable beyond any others, but I do like it. This is definitely a lengthening mascara, but it does give some volume. You definitely need to wiggle the wand as you apply as it can make your lashes stick if you do not, but almost every mascara I have every used does that. It lasts very well. I have had no issues with it loosing shape or flaking. I have only had it smudge one time and I think that may have been due to another product. It does take a little extra to remove, but nothing to cause any issues. Overall, I really like it and any time I wear mascara now, I usually wear this one. I will probably not repurchase I feel it is just too expensive for something that is quite similar to other less expensive ones I own.
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Blush -Stila - Love at First Blush Palette
Dekilah 3/5/2013 6:30:00 PM
I got this on sale for about half the regular price and I had been looking for a pink blush (my every day go to is peach). I cannot see that I would have paid full price for it, but I am so glad I got it. The packaging is simple, but nice, nothing to complain about or rave about there. There are three colors: a light pink, a medium pink, and a dark pink, all of the colors are a bit shimmery with very fine glitter. Swirled together and applied lightly it gives a pretty pink flush on my pale skin, but can be built for brighter color. The color lasted nicely for the couple hours I had it on, but I have not tried it for longer times. If that changes I will update. I would probably buy this again, even at full price now that I have tried it. The full price is a little bit much for me, but I think a palette will last me quite a while so it is worth it.
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Primer/ Corrector -Pixi - Flawless and Poreless Primer
Dekilah 3/5/2013 5:25:00 PM
I got this in my Ipsy Glam Bag and I was pretty excited because I had been wanting to try something by Pixi. I have combination skin, but it is fairly easy to deal with and I really do not have issues with my foundation. On the whole, it did not really do what I think it is marketed to do, but I did find a nice use for it which I will mention at the end. But first I want to talk about using it as a primer in general. There is a very light tint to it, but once I spread it out and gently rubbed it in, I could not tell it was there. It really did not do much. It kind of made my skin a bit different, but it did not help with the foundation settling into my laugh lines or anything like that. At the end of the days I used it, my make-up looked exactly like it does without the primer. Granted, I had the same results when using another primer so maybe my foundation just does not work with primer or I just do not need it. Now, I did find a use for it yesterday: sometimes I use a concealer as a foundation and if I apply this primer first I can use even less of the concealer and still get pretty full coverage. I think I probably used half as much concealer, but got 80%+ of the coverage. It just seemed to help the concealer glide on better. Not really worth buying it again for that since I have others, but at least a good use for it while I have it. It is also quite pricey and there are other primers that do the same job for much, much less.
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Moisturizers -Yes To Carrots - Yes To Cucumbers Daily Calming Moisturizer
Dekilah 12/30/2012 1:35:00 AM
This review is for the Daily Calming Moisturizer with SPF 30. I picked this up because I needed an SPF moisturizer and this was on my list to try. I had seen some reviews complaining about it being too white, but I pumped a bit on my finger and streaked it on my cheek, then rubbed it in. Yes, I did have to massage it in, but it did fade into my skin. After that I removed it and tried it again, this time with a fan brush on one cheek and a stippling brush on the other. Actually the fan brush did a really good job of applying a nice, even, light layer. The stippling brush did as well. I could tell it was on my face, but it blended in quite well. I wore it out for a full day after applying with a flat top brush and brushing over it lightly with a bit of powder. It looked quite natural for the first few hours. At the end of the day there were some areas that looked a bit white, but I did not touch up the powder all day. I will say that I am fairly pale/light. I would imagine people that are tanned or dark skinned might not be able to get it to completely blend into their skin the way I could. Nothing special about the packaging, but I like the pump instead of a tube. Seems cleaner to me. I think I might have found the perfect moisturizer with SPF.
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Masks -My Beauty Diary - Royal Jelly Mask
Dekilah 12/28/2012 9:10:00 PM
I wanted to try this brand of masks and I picked this one because of I have a thing for royal jelly products. I usually put the mask on for about 5 minutes, then take it off, squeeze the liquid out to rub on my face and neck and tap and massage it in with my finger tips. I find the mask is definitely moisturizing and makes my skin feel quite soft. The only issue I have is that peeling the plastic off the fabric part of the mask requires a tiny bit of skill, but I really do not know how that would be fixed or changed. It certainly does not deter me from using them. I use these about once a week after I wash my face and before I apply my toner and moisturizer.
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Mascara -BeneFit Cosmetics - They're Real
Dekilah 12/28/2012 12:54:00 AM
I have come to like this mascara those it does take some technique (only minor) to apply. It will make you look like you have fake lashes, so do not expect this to look real, but rather dramatic. I have the smaller size, not the full size. The formula is somewhat thick, but creamy. The brush is different than a lot of mascaras in that it has tiny spikes instead of bristles and it has a long section, then a round tip. I like this mascara for times when I want a more dramatic look and for photo shoots. For me, it is a little too much for day time or natural look use. But it gives me gorgeous thick, fake-looking lashes for dramatic smokey-eyes and evening looks. Here is my technique: I pull the wand out and wipe the extra off the ball tip on the edge of the tube (usually swipe and rotate and swipe again, four times total). I then wiggle the long part on the outer two thirds of my top lashes. I generally keep the tip angled out because I prefer my inner lashes less coated. I then use the long part to get my inner lashes. Then I use the ball tip to lengthen out the tips of the outside ends. While I do like this mascara and will continue to use it until I run out, I doubt I will repurchase it, especially in the full size.
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Mascara -E.L.F. - Studio Lash Extending Mascara
Dekilah 12/21/2012 2:21:00 PM
This is the best mascara I have ever used! I used to skip mascara because every time I tried to apply it, it ended up clumpy and uneven. I think a big part of it was that I just do not apply mascara well, but even so. Then one day for some reason I picked up the E.L.F. Lash Extending Mascara. Since then I have stored away all of my other mascaras and I only use this one. It does not clump and very rarely do I have separation issues. I can apply one coat and get a nice pretty subtle look, two coats for something a bit more, and three coats for more dramatic, thought I rarely do more than two. The price is great as well so I really cannot see myself ever buying anything else.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -Rimmel - Stay Matte Pressed Powder (ALL)
Dekilah 12/5/2012 10:44:00 PM
I had a bit of an emergency while out of town. I need a powder and had left mine at home. I have issues with powder as most of them tend to make me look ghosty. I am pale, but not a ghost. Anyway, I needed a powder to set my BB cream/tinted moisturizer and make it last longer so I was not constantly reapplying and to prevent creasing around my fine smile lines. I bought the 011 shade Creamy Natural and it was a perfect match for my skin over the liquid foundation. I apply it lightly with a brush in a buffing motion right after applying the BB cream/tinted moisturizer. It sets things amazingly well and wears nicely. I like the packaging style although the screw on top does not seal that securely. This is probably the best powder I have bought so far and I will definitely buy it again when this runs out.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Sugarbomb
Dekilah 12/5/2012 10:33:00 PM
The way I came to buy this product is a bit odd I guess. I went into the store looking for a matte peach eyeshadow. Apparently that is not something that exists in any of the lines the store had. So the salesperson suggested that I might try a blush instead and showed me the Sugarbomb. I went back and forth between the Sugarbomb and a similar product. I ended up going with the Sugarbomb because the other product had only two shades I would use and the rest were bronzers which I do not use (they look odd on my very pale skin). Anyway, there are four shades in it: the peach I wanted, two kind of rose pinks, and then a taupe-ish color. I have used both the taupe color and the peach as eye shadows and I do like the sort of soft pretty look I get. The colors are quite subtle. I have also recently used the colors swirled as a blush and they look lovely on my pale skin. I apply it upwards sort of next to my eye then down along my cheek bones. Usually I have to go really, really light on blush, but with this I can apply normally and get a nice glow or build to get a slightly more intense effect. The more times I use this the more I like it as a blush. It makes my face look quite pretty and sculpted and sort of aristocratic really. The shades are great on my skin, however, I do think that on some skin tones this might not show up. I will mention that this is not a matte powder in terms of matte like you might see in eye shadows, but the shimmer is very subtle. The packaging is nice although the box is a bit thick to carry sometimes. The enclosed brush is pretty nice as well. I am not saying you will want to replace whatever brush you already use, but it certainly is not bad at all. Because of the price I am not sure I will buy this again, but I do like it.
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Cleansers -Kose - Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil
Dekilah 11/6/2012 9:24:00 AM
I have been using olive oil as my cleanser for some time but there were two things I did not like about it: 1) it left my skin oily and 2) I had to really work at it to get eye make-up off. So I decided to stick with the oil concept, but also went to the Japanese method and found this cleansing oil to be well recommended. I love it! It takes everything off so far including waterproof eye make-up, face paint, and body paint without me having to scrub hard. And it wipes away quite easily. I have used it both over the sink and in the shower and it works equally well. I have also gone with nothing afterwards (no cleanser) and still no oily feeling. I prefer to use a cleanser afterwards, but I do not feel I have to. It is more expensive than olive oil or drugstore cleansers (I think, have not bought those in a while), but that may be because I purchased online instead of trying to find it locally. I still do not consider it "expensive" just more so than the standard stuff. And I think it is every bit worth it. I will definitely be repurchasing!
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BB Cream -Maybelline - Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream
Dekilah 10/28/2012 10:06:00 PM
The label claims it is 8 in 1 so I thought I would review it based on those things. I have it in "Light Sheer Tint." 1. Blurs Imperfections: I would say yes. It covers any minor redness, even that around my nose and chin. For any more obvious spots I might still use a concealer, but even most foundations require that. 2. Enhances: Maybe. To me that is a subjective thing and hard to really quantify. 3. Brightens: In a way, yes. I feel my face looks a bit smoother and the color is nice on me, definitely not the flattening effect I get with some foundations. 4. Adjusts to skin tone: I think the fact that it is a "sheer tint" makes this true. I apply by stippling on and then buffing a bit and it blends right in. 5. Smoothes: similar to #1, yes, I feel it smoothes out my skin tone. 6. Hydrates: Yes, as in it does moisturize. I would consider the moisturizing effects light, but the do last. I do not get that dry feeling even after 8+ hours of wearing. 7. SPF 30 Protects: I assume it does this. I tend to avoid long sun exposure, but I like the fact that it has sun screen in it and that was a significant factor in my purchasing it. 8. 0% Oils/Heavy Ingredients: I guess. It does not make my face feel oily and it does not feel heavy on. One thing I will mention is that the sunscreen (titanium dioxide) is a physical barrier sunscreen which is the type that people with sensitive skin often use (versus chemical barrier types which cause reactions in some people like myself). I recently wore this as a foundation with a powder over top for two 8+ hour nights while I was running around managing an art event. It stayed well, and gave me light, even coverage which was perfect.
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Concealers -NYX - HD Photogenic Concealer Wand
Dekilah 9/18/2012 11:58:00 AM
I bought this product in CW03 Light at Ulta. I was looking for a new concealer because the cheap drugstore brand I had was not doing it for me. I do not generally use a lot of concealer, but I do get some redness around my nose and the occasional blemish. I applied this by swiping it on with the wand and then patting it in and out with a make-up sponge. The coverage was quite good and it blended in to my skin nicely without losing coverage. I could barely see the difference between the concealer and my skin other than the redness being gone. Once I applied my powder over it, you could not see any difference with the skin with concealer and without. To me, that is all I wanted and that is exactly what a concealer should do. I tend to only wear make-up for shorter periods of time so I cannot comment on the wear.
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Lips -New York Color - Smooch Proof Lip Stain
Dekilah 9/10/2012 10:01:00 PM
I really like lip stains and this one is the best red I have been able to find in drugstore brands. The applicator is great and allows for both wide and precise application. The color wears fairly well, but I find I have to reapply ever hour or two to keep the color vibrant. Overall, though, I really like this stain and will probably try some other colors as well.
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Lips -Maybelline - Super Stay 10 Stain Gloss
Dekilah 9/10/2012 9:54:00 PM
I have the Luxurious Lilac. I was looking for a purple lip color and this was the closest I could find. Most of the colors I find tend to be more red or burgundy purples. I like the color once I get it on well. However, it fades quickly and tends to go on unevenly. I have to actually spend some time applying. The applicator is not that great. It is kind of wide on my lips and picks up the color unevenly. I think a better applicator might make it wear more evenly. I love the color, but the fast wear and uneven staining will probably keep me from buying it again.
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Lip Gloss -Bare Escentuals - Lana
Dekilah 9/10/2012 9:47:00 PM
This was given to me by an MUA friend. I probably would not have purchased it myself due to the price. I love using this over a red lipstick to get the blood red color I love for events. It smells kind of like chocolate and honey to me which I like. It does have a slight plumping effect and leaves my lips feeling a bit cool (like mint gum or toothpaste, but not as strong). I do love this product, but I will probably look for a less expensive alternative when I run out.
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