Top/Base Coats -Sally Hansen - Insta-Dri
GeekChick 4/19/2013 4:45:00 PM
Great product! The top coat I used to use was great at preventing chips but took forever to dry, and I don't have time for that any more. This top coat dries in less than a minute -- you can still mess up your nails for a few hours after painting them if you really beat them up, but this works great for painting my nails late at night. No sheet imprints in the morning! It also seems great at preventing chips -- I've used it three times now with Gelous basecoat and three different brands of polish (China Glaze, Sally Hansen, Sinful Colors), and each manicure lasted 5-6 days with zero chips, and still only had 1-2 tiny chips for a day or two after that. I do let the base coat and nail polish dry for about 2 minutes between each coat, and the instructions for Insta-Dri do say to let the color dry for 2 minutes before applying.
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Lotions/ Creams -Avon - Moisture Therapy Intensive
GeekChick 1/25/2013 3:32:00 PM
I have the hand cream version, and I'm afraid I found it completely useless. It is very greasy, and if I apply it at bedtime my hands still feel greasy (but moisturized) in the morning. However, the second I wash my hands, they are back to being just as dry and cracked as the night before. This must just sit on top of my skin and never sink in.
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Eye Primer -NARS - Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
GeekChick 1/9/2013 5:29:00 PM
This is a great eye primer! I have very oily lids and deep-set eyes, and even eyeliner creases in an hour without a primer. This primer makes my eye makeup last perfectly until bedtime! The product looks white but goes on clear (but I do have very pale skin so I'm not sure if it would leave a white cast on darker skintones). I like the doefoot applicator and find application quick and easy. It dries almost instantly so you don't have to wait long before doing the rest of your eye makeup. My only complaint is that it's pretty expensive for the small amount of product you get -- LORAC is a better buy and works nearly as well for me.
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Concealers -Maybelline - Dream Lumi Touch in Radiant
GeekChick 1/9/2013 5:23:00 PM
This is probably the best undereye concealer I've tried. Radiant is a warm pink shade and does a great job at cancelling out my blue-ish dark circles. I am very pale with warm undertones and this concealer is the perfect depth for me: not too dark, not too light. It has a liquid consistency and I use it as a color corrector -- I apply Dream Lumi first, then set it with my regular mineral foundation to help blend it into my skintone and make it last all day. Like most other reviewers, my only complaint is the annoying click-pen packaging. I would much prefer this in a regular squeeze tube.
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Eye Primer -LORAC - Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
GeekChick 7/10/2012 12:26:00 PM
I have very oily lids and deep set eyes. Without primer, eyeshadow and even eyeliner creases in an hour. This primer works great and makes my eye makeup last all day long until bedtime! It's easy to apply and blend with my fingers, and is invisible on my pale, warm skin. My only complaint is that the tube has started to crack and I've only used about half the product. It's not leaking yet but I'm worried it will later, especially since I have so much product left to use!
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Shampoo -Suave - Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray
GeekChick 7/10/2012 12:22:00 PM
This dry shampoo works better than any other I've tried -- it does make my hair look less oily (and my hair is normally very oily so this is an accomplishment!). It can leave a bit of a white cast but I'm always able to brush it out. My only complaint is that it has a very strong artificial citrus scent (reminds me a bit of lemon household cleaners) and the scent stays all day long. I've gotten so sick of the scent that I'm currently looking for a new dry shampoo even though this product otherwise works great.
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Styling Products -TRESemme - Fresh Start Dry Shampoo for Oily/Straight to Normal Hair
GeekChick 7/10/2012 12:18:00 PM
This is the worst dry shampoo I've ever tried. It leaves a white cast if I don't brush it out well, and even once I get rid of the white my hair looks no different than it did before using the dry shampoo. It also makes my hair feel even more dirty and greasy than it was before -- my hair is downright gross to touch! The only good thing about it is that it has a mild scent that disappears soon after applying it -- I tried this product because I don't like the strong long-lasting scent of Suave's dry shampoo.
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Eyeliner -Physicians Formula - Shimmer Strips - Gel CreamLiner Trio - Blue Eyes
GeekChick 8/10/2011 2:22:00 PM
Like all of the Physician's Formula gel liners I've tried, these are nice and creamy, very easy to apply (although I do use my own skinny round brush), and last all day on my lashline (I don't line my inner rims). They're usually $9-10 which is a great price for 3 colors! --- Regarding the colors... the navy blue is a lovely true navy / dark blue, not too purple, not too green/teal like some "navy" eyeliners. The brown goes on cooler than I expected, like a dark taupey-brown. However, the black with blue sparkles just looks like plain black once it's applied, which is true for all of the black with colored sparkles liners that PF always includes in these sets. I don't need a black eyeliner with every set, I wish they would quit doing this! --- Overall, these are nice eyeliners, although I don't find them to be the most flattering colors for my blue eyes. (Warmer browns, burgundies, and plummy purple liners make my eyes pop much more.) But that's true of all of the eye color kits from any brand in the drugstores -- I don't know why they keep including colors that match your eye color, when contrasting colors usually work much better! But since I like a nice variety of colors and don't just wear contrasting shades, I still like this set. So I would still recommend it, just don't think you have to buy the set designed for your eye color! --- I've also seen some reviews that say you have to travel with all 3 colors -- totally not true! The three pots separate, so you can store them separately, travel with just one color, or keep all 3 stuck together :)
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - Xtreme Wear in Twisted Pink
GeekChick 6/27/2011 12:24:00 PM
Twisted Pink is a bright mid-tone pink; probably just a hair warmer than a true fushia, but still a very neutral pink. If you look very closely, you can see a tiny bit of pink/gold shimmer, but from a distance it just looks like a cream finish. This polish was extremely thick and difficult to apply -- I have several Xtreme Wear polishes and none of them are this thick, so I don't know if all bottles of Twisted Pink are like this or if I just got the one bottle that had been sitting on the shelf for 3 years. Like all the other Xtreme Wear polishes I've tried, this lasts much longer than most drugstore polishes, especially if you use a good topcoat! This isn't an extremely unique color, but since it's so inexpensive ($2-3 depending on the store) and long-lasting, I would cautiously recommend it (it depends on whether all bottles are this thick!)
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Polishes -Nicole - Rich in Spirit
GeekChick 6/20/2011 11:35:00 AM
Rich in Spirit is a light, silvery blue/teal with lots of silver sparkle and a metallic finish. Depending on the lighting, it can vary from a silver color with just a hint of blue, to more noticeable blue or blue-teal tones, but always with a silver, metallic finish. It's a bit sheer and looks ok with 2 coats, better with 3. It reminds me of an "ice princess" color and would probably be great for winter, but it could work in warmer weather, especially if you have a cool skintone. It looks nice on my pale, warm skin (likely due to the slight teal tone instead of being a true ice blue) but it is cooler than most of my nail polishes! This polish comes with a wide, flat brush instead of the typical round nail polish brush. I found it easy to use, although it does hold a lot of polish so make sure you wipe the excess off on the side of the bottle! It's available in most drugstores, Target, and Walmart, but costs $7-8 which is pretty pricy for a drugstore polish. I found it on sale one day at Target for about $6. This is a pretty unique color though, at least among drugstore brands, so you find the extra cost worth it! UPDATE: This seems to be one of those polishes that appears to change colors depending on the environment. If I hold my hand next to something grey, the polish looks grey/pewter; next to blue, the polish looks light blue; next to teal, it looks light teal...
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Lipstick -Wet 'n' Wild - Silk Finish Lipstick in Sunset Peach #516C
GeekChick 6/13/2011 1:47:00 PM
I would describe Sunset Peach as a lovely sheer coral. On my pale skintone and lightly pigmented lips, it adds a wash of coral color while still being plenty subtle enough for the office or everday wear. It may not show up well on darker lips, though. Like the other Silk Finish lipsticks I've tried, this one is more moisturizing than your average lipstick (it doesn't dry out my lips like most lipsticks do!), and it lasts for a few hours if you don't eat or drink much. I got it for 93 cents at Walmart and I like better than a lot of more expensive drugstore brand lipsticks I've tried, so I definitely recommend you give these Silk Finish lipsticks a try!
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Polishes -L'Oreal - Coral Starfish (Summer Siren Collection 2011)
GeekChick 6/13/2011 1:40:00 PM
Coral Starfish is a bright, true orange with lots of fine microglitter. (Not a coral color as you might expect from the name!) From a distance, it just looks like a sparkly orange, but if you look closely, the glitter appears to be a mix of orange and gold/yellow. Two coats is okay, but it looks best with three coats. It lasts just fine with a good top coat. The brush is nice; not as skinny as some cheaper drugstore polishes. I found this polish at Ulta; I think it was about $5. Overall, it's worth a try if you like orange!
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Lipstick -Wet 'n' Wild - #528 Pink Ice
GeekChick 6/8/2011 6:28:00 PM
This review is for the Silk Finish lipstick in Pink Ice #528A. Pink Ice is a light but not pale pink, on the cool side of neutral but not the coolest pink in this line of lipsticks. It has a bit of a shimmery finish but not super frosty or glittery. I'm extremely pale with warm undertones, and this is probably about the coolest pink I can pull off. On my lightly pigmented lips, it adds some pink tones but isn't significantly lighter or darker than my lips. I found it to be fairly moisturizing (it didn't dry my lips out like most lipsticks!) and it lasts for a few hours without eating or drinking. This was only 93 cents at Walmart, so it's definitely worth a try -- I like it better than a lot of more expensive drugstore brand lipsticks! I'll definitely be trying more colors in this line.
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Polishes -New York Color - In a New York Color Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish - Central Park 216
GeekChick 6/6/2011 6:10:00 PM
I would describe this color as a frosty light peach with just a hint of pink. It's a great natural color for my pale, warm skintone and perfect for when I want a very neutral polish -- the kind of color that goes with any outfit and is subtle enough to not compete with any other colors. (I would call this nude since it's very similar to my skintone, though I think most people's definition of "nude" would be a color that has more beige/brown than this one.) It is a bit sheer; I used two coats and it was *almost* opaque, next time I'll use three coats. I had no problems applying it, and it dried at about the same speed as any of my other polishes from other brands. With a good top and base coat, it lasts a long time without chipping. Afterwards, the polish came off with nail polish remover much easier than many of my other nail polishes, which was a pleasant surprise! Overall, I can see how some people would think this color is "boring," but if you're looking for a subtle color on the warm side of neutral, give this one a try! Despite some of the negative reviews below, I was actually quite impressed with the quality for the price -- this is the first NYC polish I've tried.
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Polishes -Zoya - Dannii
GeekChick 5/23/2011 1:00:00 PM
Dannii is a lovely mid-tone bright purple with pink undertones and lots of shimmer. (Tiny micro-glitter, not big chunky glitter.) When I saw the bottle in the store, I thought the shimmer was mostly silver and gold, but now that it's on my nails, in most lights the shimmer is actually a warm copper color that creates a gorgeous contrast with the purple base! Unlike some sparkly polishes, Dannii is pretty opaque -- I could almost get by with one coat, and two coats is completely opaque. It lasts just fine with a good top coat. I *love* this color on my fingernails, and it's ok on my toes but a bit lighter than what I usually use on my toes. This color is a must-have if you like purple nail polish! To compare, Zoya's website describes this color as: "Medium orchid purple with pink and champagne highlights and flecks of silver metallic shimmer. A unique metallic with a pop of fun color to keep your look fresh."
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