Liquid -Chanel - Vitalumiere
LaraD 9/28/2011 12:06:00 PM
My one and only foundation. This product makes your skin look gorgeous. Coverage is sheer, but buildable. It is a bit yellow, but I have yellow undertones so it is OK for me. It doesn't clog my pores too bad, I try to only wear it once in a while. However my only gripe is that when I do like to wear this out at night, it makes my face super dewey looking, like I have a oily face all night. Gross. For this reason, I may switch to the matte formula, which I hope is just as good. Otherwise this is a very pleasant foundation. It makes your skin glow, evens out the texture and compliments your color. I would definitely re-buy when I get my oil production under control!
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Tinted Moisturizer -Laura Mercier - Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Oil Free
LaraD 9/28/2011 12:00:00 PM
This product makes your skin look beautiful! Skin looks like velvet and minimizes large pores. But it did break me out pretty badly. I have a oily t-zone and I don't think it lasted on me for more than 4 hours. The coverage is medium sheer, which is fine with me. Does anyone have a better alternative? Please share. Thanks!
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Crème -Cover Girl - AquaSmooth SPF15 Make-up
LaraD 9/28/2011 11:55:00 AM
The foundation is really smooth and glides on my skin really well. I feel like it lets my skin breathe when I have it on. Color is just perfect if you find the right match. However, I think this does break you out. I hardly never ever buy drugstore brand foundations, but this was a pleasant experience, other than the breakout. The coverage is very sheer, I wish it had a bit darker coverage. I would recommend it to anyone to try, but I can't promise you anything because it does break me out.
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Liquid -Smashbox - Studio Skin 15 Hour Wear Fdt.
LaraD 9/6/2011 12:56:00 PM
Picked up a generous sized sample at Sephora today. I was looking for something long wearing for my oily prone forehead and cheeks. I love love love Chanel foundation, but lately it has been too dewy for me. Howvever, that coverage is amazing all around. Smashbox is a really great cheaper alternative. Good color coverage, but as far as texture goes, I still see the little bumps under my skin. I am asian, so some of the sephora reviews says the color is too yellow- but this time my yellow undertones really worked well with this product. It comes on not dewy, not matte, but velvety. It is a little ehh, but it works well for me. I would repurchase this and use it frequently. ***update**** This foundation left my skin looking chalky. Good base color coverage, but poor texture coverage. Chanel makes my skin look beautiful when I apply foundation. Not so much with smashbox.
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Styling Products -TRESemme - Fresh Start Dry Shampoo for Oily/Straight to Normal Hair
LaraD 8/30/2011 2:20:00 PM
Pssst stinks. Like a wet dog. TRESemme smells lovely, and I actually adore the fresh scent. One spritz good, two spritz OK with a little white stuff, three spritzes and the thing CLOGS on me! I was so mad. What if I was getting ready for work one morning and was out of time and I relied on dry shampoo to get me through the day? I am so glad I bought Salon Grafix at the same time as a backup. I wanted to love Tresemme,but it just wouldn't give me the time or day. If you want to try this out, I recommend buying 2-3 bottles at once. It's cheap.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Hourglass - Illusion Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free SPF 15
LaraD 8/30/2011 2:04:00 PM
I was looking for something with some good coverage, and this product does provide more coverage than most tinted moisturizers I have tried. It's more on the foundation side.The smell is great and ingredients are great, but I noticed that after 6 hours, it kind of sucked. Not very long lasting. It does give you dewy finish. Would not buy at all for the price. Try a sample.
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Mascara -Hourglass - Film Noir Lash Lacquer
LaraD 8/30/2011 1:57:00 PM
Nifty little product that adds a little drama and flair to your lashes. The first time the sephora artist put this on me, it looked great. However, she dumped some product out on a sponge and painted each of my little lashes with this black goo using a separate flat horizontal eyeliner brush. It looked really good. When I brought the product home and try to apply it myself, it was a hard and not so pleasant. It takes some practice and getting used to the included brush . The stuff looks like oil or black tar, but it definitely gives a nice shiny effect. Coat some more on and you'll get spider looking lashes. Removing this stuff takes awhile. Be prepared with good eye makeup remover. It took me forever to wash it off.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Inglot - Freedom System Palette
LaraD 6/20/2011 2:14:00 PM
I like Inglot. I really do. The prices are fantastic and the color selection is amazing. The palettes are generous and the pigments are really fun. However, I wouldn't love this enough to use for makeup for special events or even for a extra special night out. I would stick with mac or chanel or shu uemera. Yes, the colors are pigmented, but they are really chalky. I use smashbox eye primer and inglot does stay on my eyelids all day. However, the quality of the color gradually fades a little bit to dull throughout the day. It's great for just everyday wear, you know running errands, light makeup for work, beach or just hanging. Most of the time I wear this, and after 4-6 hours I wash it off and start with a fresh face again.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - vivite travel kit
LaraD 6/20/2011 2:05:00 PM
I paid $25 for this travel kit to try out some of the Vivite products. Such a great deal! I like all of the products and would highly recommend. I am in my late 20s and I take care of my skin extremely well. I bought this package at a med spa. The night cream is great, tingles on my skin and the antioxidant facial serum is fantastic for day usage. I was experiencing breakouts and this stuff does not clog my pores nor make my face oily. Since the individual products are $$$$, I would highly recommend this to anyone to try this out. ***update*** the night cream still tingles on my skin. this product has removed 30% of my freckles after 1 month. Amazing! I wonder if it will remove my sunspot as well?I'll keep using it to see. Facial serum is OK. I'm not sure if its doing anything for me.
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Shampoo -Suave - Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray
LaraD 6/20/2011 11:50:00 AM
I like Pssssst! better. I bought Suave for really cheap at Target because I couldn't find Pssssst there. The good thing about this product is that it doesn't dull your hair, but maybe it's because it doesn't work so well, and doesn't remove all the oil? It really doesn't give much volume either. Smell is fine, I actually like it. The citrus/grapefruit scent is refreshing and smells clean. I did experience some white residue, but not as bad. For $2.29 in southern cal, that is dirt cheap! But I wouldn't depend on this product at all. It really doesn't do much but freshen up that smell of your hair.
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Eye Primer -Smashbox - Photo Finish Lid Primer
LaraD 5/23/2011 2:16:00 PM
I am surprised too, that not more people like this. Compared to previous primers that I have used, Laura Mercier and MAC paint primer, Inglot, Urban Decay, Bare Minerals- this is the best one I have used on my lids. It doesn't crease, color stays put for 12 hrs. I bought this at the recommendation of the Chanel makeup counter guy at Nordstrom, and he said it was the best product. He was right! Some people just wear primer and eyeliner, I am not sure if I would wear this primer by itself. The color is a bit too nudey dark. Doesn't brighten the eyes much, but it is great for its intended use- priming the lids before eyeshadow and eyeliner application.
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Conditioner -Kerastase - Reflection Lait Chroma Reflect
LaraD 5/20/2011 10:56:00 PM
I don't understand this product. I buy this in conjuction with the shampoo, yet the conditioner only lasts me 1/2 the time of the shampoo. I have long below the shoulder hair and only use conditioner on my ends. My hair is fine, and I don't have a lot of it, but it takes about 4-5 pumps for me to be able to run my fingers through my hair after shampoo and conditioner. When I first use this product, it makes my hair look fantastic. I always get compliments on how great my hair looks. However, 2-3 weeks later, I feel like I build an immunity to this shampoo/conditioner set and it just looks average. Once I switch up my product for a month and go back to this, my hair looks great again. The conditioner is so darn expensive, and it doesn't last long. Can anyone recommend a great conditioner to go with the bain mirror for my fine, color treated hair?
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Shampoo -Clairol - Psssssst Instant Spray Shampoo
LaraD 5/19/2011 12:04:00 PM
Love love love this product! I can't believe I didn't try this out until now. However, I noticed along with some others that my bottle says Freeman, not Clairol, and Pssssst! is spelled with 5 's instead of 6? I hope this is the same product everyone else is reviewing! I am one to wash my hair every day in the AM, and if I don't my hair gets super oily and unbearable the next day. My pet peeve is people with oily hair. This is a great after color product- my stylist always tells me to wait a few days after I get my color done to wash my hair. For me that is super hard to do, but I think it will be manageable now with Pssssst. Sprays in my hair quickly, evenly and doesn't leave that much of a white residue. I love that it helps pump up the volume and keeps my scalp dry and refreshed. I love the smell too- it does smell like artificial coconut. **update** smells disgusting. confirmed by others around me. how embarrassing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Shu Uemura - Phyto-Black Lift Smoothing Anti-Wrinkle Emulsion
LaraD 5/16/2011 6:19:00 PM
When Shu Uemera was still in the states, one of the sales girls sold me on this product as a daily moisturizer. It was the most expensive item in the store, but it has lasted me quite awhile. I'm not sure if she sold it to me because she thought it was a good product, or if she wanted to get a good sale off of me. The essence makes my skin oily than most other moisturizers, but I did notice that my laugh lines have significantly disappeared after using it. Not 100% sure if I would repurchase again due to the price, but I think it really does work a small miracle.
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Moisturizers -Shu Uemura - Phyto-Black Lift Firming Anti-Wrinkle Crea
LaraD 5/16/2011 6:15:00 PM
I really wanted to love this product. I spent $150 on the emulsion and received a couple of good sized samples of this when I ordered my last shu uemera haul. The cream is thick and clogs my pores. My skin looks good and I do see less wrinkle lines, but perhaps it could be the deep moisturizing ability that fills even the tiniest pores and lines on my skin.
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