Mascara -Urban Decay - Cannonball
HannahTheScribe 7/10/2012 4:25:00 PM
Microcrystalline wax and beeswax are really the best waterproofing ingredients! This mascara literally does not come off after a wash--it takes me three washes to get most of it off, and then I still have some left! This mascara also does not contain many ingredients, but the ones it does are all high quality. I really can imagine someone swimming or surfing in this. The pros are: VERY waterproof/water-resistant, good value, high quality ingredients, very cute packaging (love the blue color and the name!), and it does not fade or smudge, leaving you with raccoon eyes. The only cons are that it smells like vetiver (like incense and dirt), and it takes many strokes to achieve decent volume and length.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Lancome - Hypnose
HannahTheScribe 7/10/2012 4:18:00 PM
Don't let the short bristles and thin brush fool you--this delivers quick and buildable volume to your lashes! It does not flake or clump, has a super light formula, and leaves your lashes very soft and flexible. With three sweeps of this brush on my lashes, I can apply more product than with ten sweeps of my LashBlast Fusion. I can tell that this is super high quality, worth every penny! I swear by this mascara! (And this one isn't even the waterproof one!)
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Makeup Brushes -Bare Escentuals - Handy Buki Brush
HannahTheScribe 7/10/2012 4:12:00 PM
The Handy Buki Brush is wonderfully soft and provides even, buildable coverage with mineral makeup. I use it with my BareEscentuals Fair, and it fills in all of the pores between my brows, on the apples of my cheeks, and on my nose. Mine doesn't shed, but it did when I first got it. If yours sheds, try washing it with a brush shampoo, buff it on a soft towel to dry it and get rid of excess hairs, and it should be fine. This brush is the best IMO for applying mineral foundation when you want fuller, buildable coverage, but it also works very well when you want to apply the perfect amount of color to your cheeks!
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Palettes -Unlisted Brand - Luna Twilight Palette in Bella
HannahTheScribe 5/21/2012 11:35:00 AM
To save a long description of my undying love for this product (no pun intended), I will get straight to the pros and cons. PROS: I do love the fact that this palette is great for fair skin tones. Because it consists of light, peach-undertone colors, it is not overwhelming on PPP skin. It is even buildable so you can get the coverage you want. The colors are also highly pigmented and very blendable, so you don't have to use a lot of product, which ends up lasting you. Lips: The peach lip gloss--oh, my--it is the perfect nude lip. It is a sheer nude peach-pink color that can be described as "my lips but better." (I have not tried the red shade yet, but in the palette, it looks like a warm cherry red. I have heard that this color is a sheer "cherry red.") These also smell like coconut (at least to me)! Eyes: The two eye shades are very similar, but perfect for a blushing eye look. The lighter pink one is great for the lid (but not as a highlighter!), and the darker pink one is perfect for the crease. Blended together on the eyes like this, I feel like a porcelain doll wearing them! Cheeks: PERFECT nude peach cheek color! It is a very summery shade, as it is gives a slightly bronzy, warm look when applied to the cheekbones and temples. It looks just like a sheer, natural blush for any fair skin tone. CONS: The palette is very small, exactly the size of a credit card (I measured it up to mine!). The powders also are very delicate, and while they can easily load up onto the brush, be careful not to press too hard or you will get fallouts all over the other colors. Also, for something so expensive ($28 at twilightbeauty.com), it uses mineral oil and other cheap ingredients (like talc). I would expect something so praised and so expensive to be a little more...high quality. In that case, you don't get what you pay for. However, the colors in the Bella palette are so beautiful that I just have to grin and bear it. It's worth the splurge if you don't care about talc and mineral oil in these products. If you do, the lippies are made primarily of mineral oil, and talc is one of the first ingredients in the shadows and blush, so it's really up to you, but do first consider all the pros!
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Polishes -OPI - Gold Shatter
HannahTheScribe 4/15/2012 3:15:00 PM
This formula is too sheer and very difficult to apply. It doesn't even shatter! It just looks like a dull sheer cheap polish when applied. Will not buy again.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Fusion
HannahTheScribe 1/25/2012 12:45:00 PM
Covergirl's Lashblast line is the only mascara that did not flake and had a moist enough formula for me to be able to say that my lashes are soft and bendable with mascara on. I wanted both length and volume (but mostly volume) from a dependable brand that was waterproof and not flakey. Volumizing mascaras are great, but many of them (especially Maybelline and Revlon!) are very flaky! I saw this in a drugstore on sale for $7.49, and I decided to buy it since Covergirl mascara has not failed me yet. Boy, was I ever right! This mascara has a great-textured formula that is very moist, leaving your lashes hydrated, extremely soft and flexible, and flake-free. It has buildable coverage, which is very important because a great mascara can give you long and volumized lashes for daytime or full-blown doll-eyed lashes for special occasions. The packaging is very cute and clean-looking, and the big brush is very soft and full of rubber bristles. Covergirl, thank you for giving me my HG mascara without having to spend a fortune! Never stop making this!
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Treatments -Sephora - OPI Drying Drops
HannahTheScribe 1/18/2012 4:47:00 PM
This is the professional stuff! I saw this kind of product in a salon, and boy, did it dry my nails thoroughly and quickly! All you need to do is aim in the center of the nail and squeeze two drops out. It doesn't matter if it covers the entire nail--it dries it very evenly. It does exactly what it says it does, too--in two minutes, your nails are dry to the touch; and in five minutes, your nails are rock-solid. I also use a UV nail curer, however, and am not sure if this increases the drying process of the drying drops; but I noticed that the drying drops increased the drying process of my UV nail curer!
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Eye Shadow -New York Color - Individual Eyes Custom Compact 940U Central Park
HannahTheScribe 10/4/2011 10:07:00 PM
I originally bought the compact for blue eyes because I saw Michelle Phan's video for "Day to Night Makeup," and I couldn't afford those gorgeous Lancome palettes she was using. This, I must say, is a great compromise to having a nice color choice with comparable colors without having to pay the brand name price. There are four beautiful shimmer colors and a base color and illuminator color covered by a little plastic sheet with labels naming each color. It makes choosing the right combination of colors easy not only because the colors match and go with each other, but also because the colors are all right there in a very beautifully designed compact case. The shadows are sturdy and pressed, thus capable of withstanding bumps, scratches, and minor drops without the shadows breaking and falling out everywhere. It does come with a sponge applicator, but I would stick to basic brushes for the best application. Though these are beautiful compacts, I would not pay more than $5 for any one. What I want to see from N.Y.C. (New York Color) is more colors and a separate liner shade for each of the designs. A very good product for beginners and pros alike!
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Lipstick -NYX - PENELOPE
HannahTheScribe 5/29/2011 6:31:00 AM
It's not even black! It's the same color as Revlon's Super Lustrous lip color in Va Va Violet! This color is basically a dark purple with a cool undertone. It has very poor staying power, and by poor I mean it wears off in just minutes without even rubbing my lips together or touching my lips. A mattifying powder will help prolong the power and eliminate any unwanted lip luster. It has a cute tube, but I guess at a price of $2.50 at cherryculture.com, I shouldn't expect much from a cheap lipstick. A waste of money.
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Lipstick -NYX - Iced lavender Round lipstick
HannahTheScribe 5/29/2011 6:27:00 AM
The color is a highly pigmented blue-undertoned and mid-toned purple. It is not too shiny like many people think, and if it is, you can put mattifying powder over it so it won't be shiny. It looks a little to young-girl, but still wearable if you wear the same color eye shadow maybe. It looks GREAT when you put Penelope over it to darken it a little. The staying power is a 1 out of 5 stars: it wears off way too easily and wipes off too easily. A good lipstick should wipe off but still stain the lips and have a greater staying power. I bought this online at cherryculture.com for $2.50, and I have to say, you get what you pay for. Perhaps the only two good things about it are the great color and the cute little tube it comes in.
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Lipstick -L'Oreal - Infallible
HannahTheScribe 5/25/2011 8:43:00 PM
The packaging is so cute and clean! It makes you want to put on lipstick. I have two shades, Perpetual Peach and Refined Ruby. Perpetual Peach is a lovely peachy-pink color, perfect for fair skin tones and those who want peachy lips. Refined Ruby is like Snow White's lips in a lipstick! It is a really dark, blue-undertoned red lipstick. Since it is such an extreme color, be warned that it stains and smudges. The price is very good, retailing $8-$10, depending where you go. The shades are long-lasting, moisturizing, and come in a natural finish!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Danielle by Danielle Steel
HannahTheScribe 5/25/2011 8:39:00 PM
Again, I scored this 3.4 oz. perfume from a consignment shop for $10. I cannot say how much it would cost originally, but fragrancenet.com would have the price. I LOVE THE SCENT. It kicks that old "women should wear flowery perfume" idea outta the market! It smells like fresh pines with faint flowers and pairs greatly with an orange lotion! The scent is strong and semi-long lasting. I'd say it dies after 5-6 hours. I love this perfume and hope it never will never be discontinued!
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Conditioner -Aussie - Hair Insurance Leave In Conditioner
HannahTheScribe 5/25/2011 8:35:00 PM
First off, the smell. It smells like aloe, coconut, and something else that I cannot explain and will just leave it as "exotic." It smells like an Aussie getaway! It has silk and aloe in it, both great things for your hair. It does not feel greasy or heavy in your hair. It is perfect for a pick-me-up for dry or sun-damaged hair. The purple bottle certainly gives it shelf appeal!
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Fragrances -Coty - Harajuku Lovers by Gwen Stefani - Love
HannahTheScribe 5/25/2011 8:33:00 PM
Why only three stars, people? I found this in a boutique, and on the first smell, I said, "I MUST OWN THIS!" It doesn't smell like flowers to me! It should...but it smells like a Korean person. I really can't explain it, but on fragrancenet.com, it shows that it is composed of different and many floral scents. The bottle is just too cute. You can save the little plastic figurine that comes off of the small bottle when the perfume's all out! I love how they come in different people!
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - Diamond Strength in Champagne Toast
HannahTheScribe 5/25/2011 8:29:00 PM
This is just the prettiest shade. The bottle has a little rhinestone on it, and the shape is just adorable! The color is very sheer and should be layered if wearing it alone, but if you wear it over another similar pink color, like OPI's Hopelessly In Love, it looks fabulous! This color alone reminds me of cherry blossoms, and I bought it only because it was the EXACT color of our old weeping cherry tree that we had to cut down last fall :'( It does not chip, either. 5 stars!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No