Toners -Laura Mercier - Perfecting Water - Light
GimpyPoop 2/27/2013 12:54:00 PM
I bought this from a blog sale, not really knowing much about it. It was deeply discounted, being used a few times. Anyway, after unsuccessfully trying to swap it away, I decided to go ahead and try it. I've never been one to use toners or moisturizing waters and the like, but did occasionally read that it was good practice to regularly apply toner. I have combination skin, my T-zone can morph into quite the oil slick during the hotter months, especially my forehead. I initially applied the Perfecting Water to my entire face because I figured the "Light" formula would be suitable for my combo skin. Wrong. Something about the residual texture of this stuff, my forehead progressively became stickier and oilier throughout the day. It was almost as though a thin film of something was agitating my pores all the more. However, I will say that this stuff is decent for my cheeks and dry area around my mouth. As luck would have it, my dry spots become extremely parched during the winter months - sometimes to the point where the skin hardens, flakes, and/or tear. Sexy, I know. I noticed that with this past winter, the Perfecting Water used in conjunction with facial moisturizer (I teeter between a light sunscreen facial moisturizer and deep moisturizing night cream) has really minimized the extreme parched-ness I usually experience. Admittedly, this could possibly be because I've been more scrupulous recently because of the unpleasantness that comes with dry skin patches. I've always continued using the Perfecting Water year-round, but only on my dry spots. I squirt a small amount (what weird packaging) into my hands and splash it onto my face, let it dry, the top off with moisturizer. This application method, in lieu of the suggested cotton pad saturation method has really extended the life of this bottle. Which is good because its retail price is a bit much considering what it is. I don't think I will repurchase - once I deplete this, however many months, maybe years from now, I'll likely purchase a drugstore toner that will accomplish the same task and outcome.
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Top/Base Coats -Sally Hansen - SalIy Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat
GimpyPoop 2/9/2013 7:12:00 PM
I love Seche Vite, but I've been heavily relying upon Insta-Dri as it's more inexpensive and it's just as effective and awesome. I've noticed that Sally's brands are often on sale at drugstore and grocery stores so I usually try to stock up then. Yes, it definitely provides some quick drying action, although I want to say that Seche Vite might dry a minute or so sooner than Insta-Dri. Insta-Dri does provide a beautiful gleam and I haven't noticed much shrinkage. I don't think this exacerbates the rate of my nails chipping - I am generally pretty hard my nails so my manicure stays perfect for like three days, tops. So I wouldn't say that this is "anti-chip" so to speak. Like Seche Vite, this does become thicker and goopier over time after the bottle's contents repeated exposure to air. In which case, nail polish thinner is your friend. My Seche Vite and Insta-Dri bottles have been good until the last drop thanks to nail polish thinner.
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Polishes -Zoya - Kendal
GimpyPoop 2/7/2013 2:02:00 PM
Kendal is a neutral light lavender creme. It perhaps has a tinge of lilac as it's lacking a touch of blue to qualify as a lavender to me. I am generally not fond of pastels, but the two stars mainly stems from the watery formula of this nail polish. Granted I'm no the most precise painted, but cuticle pooling is bound to happen whenever I use Kendal. Two thin-ish coats usually leaves me a bit of streakiness, I do end up applying three layers - which increases the chance of pooliness! I actually prefer American Apparel's L'Espirit, which is bluer, but a nicer formula and more opaque.
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Eye Primer -Too Faced - Shadow Insurance, Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer
GimpyPoop 8/9/2012 9:02:00 PM
Essentially, this is the same thing as Urban Decay Primer Potion (the bottle-contained one), but made in China and runnier. Mind you I haven't tried the new UDPP in the squeeze tube so maybe the consistency is in fact as runny? Anyway Shadow Insurance seems to go on fairly sheer, given it's runny consistency and does indeed prolong eyeshadow wear and stave off the creasing. I have fairly oil eyelids, so I definitely need to wear an eye primer every time I decide to actually wear eye shadow. And this does perform decently. However, I will say that it's not the most effective with matte eye shadows. Maybe UDPP suffers from the same shortcoming as mattes tend to be less emollient-rich and less able to adhere to my skin, thus kind of flake off more easily when I swatch them on the back of my hands? Not sure if that's the legit scientific explanation, but anyway! However, I faintly recall UDPP faring somewhat better overall, in that I would negligently fall asleep without removing my eye make up and wake up with it all still mostly perfectly intact! TFSI doesn't seem as miraculous . . . This is definitely a good product by all means and it's going to last me awhile, but when I've finally depleted it, I'm going back to UDPP since they wisened up and repackaged the stuff in a squeeze tube.
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Lip Treatments -Maybelline - Baby Lips in Cherry Me
GimpyPoop 7/14/2012 12:05:00 PM
I purchased this with Peach Kiss because although I strongly favor nude lips, I thought there wouldn't be much harm in picking out a sheer bold-looking lip balm. Good for me for making good decisions (as rare as they are?). It's a cooler bright darker pink tone. Definitely scarier-looking in the tube than actually swatched. However, if you have pale lips or even pigmented lips, like me - it does a fine job of escalating your lip look to the next level, without the risk of looking garish. It's also nicely glossy and without shimmer of any sort, but not "wet" and overbearing. I tend to wear this whenever happen to slap on just mascara and blush. I'm accustomed to my eyes being the dramatized part of my face, so extremely bold lips scare me. I do kind of wish I had chosen a warmer color, but this is sheer enough that it doesn't offend and clash too severely. And hey, no lip liner needed! As others have started, this is quite moisturizing and hey, SPF 20! Not that my lips have ever sunburned . . . does this actually happen often to other people? Or is this more like a marketing scheme. Anyway unfortunately for me, I dislike cherry-scented anything, so the scent does provoke images of cough syrup and drops for me. Bah. Probably wouldn't repurchase, but this is lovely bolder balm for anyone wanting to transition into more color-intense lip products without going overboard. Baby steps with your Baby Lips.
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Lip Treatments -Maybelline - Baby Lips in Peach Kiss
GimpyPoop 7/14/2012 11:54:00 AM
Now I have fairly pigmented lips. And I'm pretty darn tanned right now (darn you summer sun!), but I love me bold to smokey eyes at all times, that is on the rare occasion I wear make up these days. But this lip balm/product/whatever it is has been great. It pales down my lips just a tiny bit, but not to the point where I'm resembling deranged ganguro gal (ugh, gotta be more diligent about the SPF!). I dislike wearing lip products because of the irrational grossed-out-ness thought that I'm inevitably just swallowing the balm with each word I speak and it feels restricting and weird whenever my upper and bottom lips catch on one another because of goopy gloss or what have you . . . (I HAVE ISSUES!). So this is quite the nice lip product for it's light texture and super moisturizing quality. Plus, it's sheer, so it's not really an issue when it fades or I reapply it in a less-than-perfect manner. Packaging is cheap and repeated use of the balm in the same angle has pushed the stick off to a side of the tube. The lip balm hasn't unattached itself from the base yet, which does happen with this type of packaging. Acceptable considering the inexpensive nature of this lip product (CVS BOGO 1/2 off plus $3 off cosmetic coupon = WIN). However, because it is paler than my normal lip color and I'm not the most conscientious, I do get the unsightly inner white lip rings ever so often. Ick, I know. The lip balm does have barely discernible pearlescence to it, so maybe that's what causes the white rings? Also, the peach smell is okay, but I do wish it was less potent . . . it's definitely starts smelling artificial and chemically if you happen to apply several layers. Will I repurchase? No. Because I don't really use it that often and I'm not completely enamored with it. But it was definitely a good addition to my stash.
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Fragrances -Stella McCartney - Stella- Eau de Parfum
GimpyPoop 7/14/2012 11:47:00 AM
This is my go-to ~more sophisticated~ fragrances as my daily go-tos tend to be on the sweeter, more vanilla side. I actually didn't care too much for Stella when I initially purchased it. I think I had opted for it strictly because my a couple of my girlfriends had worn it and I thought it was a pleasant scent on them. Initially, a little too robustly floral for me. Maybe a little sharp in the bold rosewatery overtones? I'm not even sure where this visual originates from, but reminds me of flowery lily pads . . . yeah. But within an hour or two, the oils kind of meld into my skin chemistry (or whatever it is) and becomes a more tolerable pretty feminine scent. As I'm not really a fan of the more grown up womanly fragrances, such as Chanel No. 5, this is about as "fancy" as I'll ever! Not sure if I would necessarily purchase this, but I've been using it quite regularly. There's a scent at Anthropologie that's nearly identical to it, not sure which one, but just FYI.
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Fragrances -Hanae Mori - Hanae Mori Butterfly EDP
GimpyPoop 7/14/2012 11:41:00 AM
This is probably one of my favorite scents. It's the first fragrance I've bought the full-sized version of in pretty much forever (I mostly subsist on samples) and I used it up in less than a year. That being said, it is a bit on the sweeter side - so if you're not a fan of such an aroma, steer clear! I personally love it. It's girly, but yet a touch of soft floral tones. It's not ridiculously sweet, like say Pink Sugar. But definitely vanilla-y and slightly fruity. As I've mentioned in other fragrance reviews, I'm not the best at using the proper fragrance terminology . . . but anyway. I actually started mixing this with Demeter's Angel Food Pick Me Up because it was running low and Butterfly was effective at minimizing the sickening sweetness of the Angel Food. Kind of was my signature scent for several months. The only gripe I have is the metal piece that overlays the base of the nozzle kept unhinging randomly. I think the piece became worn at grooves after repeated capping and uncapping of the bottle. I could easily snap it back in place, but kind of a poorly designed/implemented component. I'm definitely re-purchasing this one, no doubt.
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Eye Shadow -Sally Hansen - Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy Instant Definition Eye Shadow Palette – Earth
GimpyPoop 6/9/2011 2:46:00 PM
I finally scored some Carmindy products and I was actually pretty excited about this eye palette after hearing so many raves about this Sally Hansen line. I will say the eyeshadows are extremely fine milled and satiny – not frosty or even starkly shimmery. That’s kind of awesome for more neutral and office-centric looks. Staying power is not as great, but with a decent primer, it’s passable. My problem with this palette is plum and olive shade are similar in depth so when blending, they end up looking bruise-like on me! However they are both very gorgeous shades and look great when paired with other eyeshadows – medium in tone and speckled with subtle shimmer particles. The creamy beige highlight color is the star of this palette. It applies perfectly buttery and sincerely looks satin! It may be a bit much for some on the browbone, but it’s gorgeous lightly touched upon the inner tear ducts. Overall I think this is a great palette, but the colors aren’t just working out for me.
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Lip Gloss -Paula Dorf - Petal Lip Slides
GimpyPoop 6/9/2011 2:38:00 PM
This soft peachy nude lipgloss has been my go-to weapon of choice for many nights out with the girls. I was gifted a mini of this and just when I thought I had depleted it, I removed the stopper and voila! Tons more product bound to last me at least a month. Paula Dorf lipglosses seem to be on the tackier side, which can be slightly uncomfortable, but it has longer staying power. Petal is quite sheer and possibly neutral, but I feel it’s slightly warm. It’s very sheeny and has a fine shimmer to impart a nice subtle dimension on the lips. This color works well for me because I tend to wear very smoky eye looks. Nonetheless, I don’t feel this is a particularly unique color or product so I probably won’t repurchase (I’m not very picky with my lip products anyway).
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Makeup Brushes -MAC - #219 Pencil Brush
GimpyPoop 5/18/2011 1:19:00 PM
This brush is indispensible to me for placing a nice light shimmery pop of color on the middle of my eyelids, or at the corners of my eyes. It’s also great for smudging out your liner – whether it be kohl or powder based. It’s one sturdy little brush that can pack a punch. It’s especially great for us Asian girls with smaller eyelid space. When wielded lightly, it’s great as a “crease” brush. I imagine it is also pretty awesome for you ladies who like the defined crease look? So far no shedding or deteriorating - the bristles on this brush can hold up to a rather intense scrubbing/washing. I realize that other brands probably make an equivalent, possible for less than this retails, but I am quite satisfied with this brush – so much so that I have two of them.
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Polishes -China Glaze - Lubu Heels
GimpyPoop 5/9/2011 4:48:00 PM
I wore this on my toes recently and it’s difficult for me to avoid comparing this to Lippmann’s Ruby Red Slippers. Nonetheless, this is a nail polish worth having on its own because well, it’s far more inexpensive than RRS and it is still a stunner of a nail polish. I don’t know how it looks so maroon on online swatches, I suppose because of the flash, but this looked pretty nearly jelly black on me. The tiny tiny red glitter particles weren’t evident unless I was in stark sunlight. It lasted a little bit over a week as a pedicure and I think it looked rather nice. I am not so sure I would purchase it on my own (I used it at my friend’s), but it’s pretty all right in my book.
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Polishes -China Glaze - lemon fizz
GimpyPoop 5/5/2011 1:02:00 PM
I tried this one out at my friend’s because she thought it would look great under Cracked Concrete (the grey shatter). And by golly, it does! So anyone with Cracked Concrete – try it! It is reminiscent of streets. Lemon Fizz is a pastel yellow crème. It’s fairly light, not very bright at all, as with most pastels. However it still manages to maintain a vibrant presence. It took two coats for this to be nicely opaque on me. I honestly prefer brighter yellows, hence the three stars, but it’s not too bad. With Cracked Concrete on top, this lasted three or four days with Seche Vite top coat.
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Polishes -Lippmann Collection - Ruby Red Slippers
GimpyPoop 5/4/2011 12:51:00 PM
My first Lippmann – hurray! I have been coveting this forever and a day. And as luck would have it one of very good friends was kind enough to send it to me for my birthday. So no lie, I always always receive compliments from friends and strangers when I wear this. My friend borrowed it from me and she received the same much attention! Basically it’s red glitter – small and large hexagon, suspended in a very dark brown, nearly black jelly base. The smaller of the glitter particles is still larger than the ones in China Glaze Lubu Heels. Lippmann somehow got the jelly to be at the “just right” transparency so that the red glitter really sparkles through! The bold red shininess against the black is really quite striking, to say the least. Just gorgeous! I often wear a single layer of this over a darker red hue, such as Revlon Vixen, to conserve this nail polish (it’s on the pricier side). I find this really amps up the color as well – having an opaque base to lay the jelly-based glitter on top of. The wear on this is quite excellent. It lasts a day or two more than my usual manicures, well maybe because it’s because I am all the more meticulous to wear it with manicure extender. My only gripe is that I have the deluxe size of this and the brush came a bit splayed, so that makes application a bit annoying at times. Anyway, adore this nail polish, highly recommend to everyone!
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - insta-dri petal pusher
GimpyPoop 5/3/2011 10:01:00 PM
Quick dry nail polishes and I don’t play well. I have the nail painting skills of a six year old, so “quick dry” nail polishes only work against me to amplify every single mistake as they set before I have the opportunity to smooth out my irregular brushstrokes! However, a lovely MUA friend of mine kindly RAOKed me this as I expressed an interesting in trying mode nude colors. It’s a sheer barely ballet pink (it’s too flesh-toned to seem like a true pink to me). Ideally if I could properly apply an even one coat on all of my fingers – this would be a semi-sheer color. However, I’m not the most skilled nail polish applier, so this turns out being a nearly opaque nude pink on me. So anyway, not too crazy about the formula, but I’m going to try to play with this a little bit more to make it work since it’s one of few nudes I have.
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