Eye Shadow -Chanel - Soft Touch Eyeshadow - Safari
Laura22 12/17/2008 3:10:00 PM
OMG...I never thought I could fall in love with a powder eyeshadow, especially at my age (when I thought powders would only create more crepiness). This eyeshadow is perfection on me. I actually find it creates a youthful, brightening look (I'm 43), while remaining subtle and professional. Its by far the most gorgeous eye shadow I own...period. Since I received it as a very generous RAOK, I simply can't stop wearing it and I feel abit disappointed by all else I try on. I would describe the color as a grayish taupe (but this is not my best skill) and the color lasts well on me. I have brown hair and eyes, nc30/35 in mac, chanel beige 2 (or 40) and about GA 6. I'm olive skinned. I would suggest you run, don't walk, to pick this puppy up. If I ever heard it was being dc'd, I would buy 5 back ups :) ( I already have a big dip and its only been a month or so).
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Prescriptives - All You Need
Laura22 12/16/2008 3:56:00 PM
Let me start by saying that I think that this is overall a lovely product. But for anyone with even slightly sensitive skin, I would stear clear. Although I used up my whole bottle, with each use my face turned bright (almost flourescent :D) red and there was a tiny bit of discomfort. For those with no issue with sensitivity, I think this is a great, light, daily moisturizer. It has no SPF so will not cause problems with your photostable sunscreen. It soaks in very well and has a very pleasant (mild) scent. I wish it could work for me but alas, the redness was too much. But I write this for all you who are tougher then I. Enjoy !
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Concealers -BeneFit Cosmetics - Powderflage 
Laura22 12/11/2008 12:16:00 AM
I am very disappointed to report that this product does absolutely nothing, at least for me. I had high hopes for this and couldn't wait to try it. I thought it might be similar to the LM secret brightening powder with an additional oomph of brightening. There was none at all. In the one eye on, one eye off test, there was simply no difference and if forced to say, I would say the powderflage eye might have looked abit more creasy. So, this is a big no for me ladies. For brightening, I'll stick with eye bright and ooh la lift that have been serving me well for afew years now. I am 43, have early signs of aging, and some dark circles (but was not trying to use this product as a concealer and I would certainly not recommend that for anyone).
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Sally Hansen - Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy Always Perfect Liquid Eyeliner
Laura22 12/11/2008 12:09:00 AM
Well, I seem to be one of the sole voices of praise for this new product. I have tried two of the colors (slate gray and sapphire blue) and found them both to be easy to apply, a nice consistency and with a reasonable staying power. I did not have the problems with the brushes described in some of the other reviews but if I find that this changes over time, I will update. In fact, quite the contrary, I was quite pleased to find that the brush was not the marker-type but rather like a real brush (which I far prefer). I found it quite easy to draw a straight and thin line. In addition, both of these colors are gorgeous on brown eyes and are exactly what I was looking for to replace my ecriture de chanel in navy (that was dc'd). I have searched high and low for these types of colors in liquid liner and I am very satisfied with both. If I had to choose one, I would go with the gray which is actually quite brightening (much to my surprise). If I could improve these liners, I would make them waterproof or slightly longer lasting.
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Makeup Brushes -Ecotools - Powder Brush
Laura22 10/19/2008 9:50:00 PM
The ecotools brushes are wonderful and I think the powder brush may now be my HG powder brush (even compared to H/E brushes). These brushes are extremely accessible and affordable (you can get them at drugstore.com, duane reade in NYC, walgreens, ulta and more and more places all the time). The very soft, thick and lovely powder brush is about $9 on drugstore.com. I have never seen a single bristle separate from its home (meaning, the bristles don't fall out lol). And the fact that these brushes are a way for us to ever so slightly decrease our carbon-footprint on the planet makes these brushes a real must.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Ecotools - Bamboo Blush Brush
Laura22 10/18/2008 9:12:00 PM
The ecotools brushes are wonderful and I love the blush brush in particular. I reach for it almost as much as much as my more expensive MAC slanted blush brush. These brushes are extremely accessible and affordable (you can get them at drugstore.com, duane reade in NYC, walgreens, ulta and more and more places all the time). The very soft and lovely blush brush is about $9. And the fact that these brushes are a way for us to ever so slightly decrease our carbon-footprint on the planet makes these brushes a real must.
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Concealers -TheBalm - Time Balm
Laura22 10/17/2008 10:05:00 PM
I heard alot of raves about this product and so decided to forego my usual HG (Laura Mercier Secret Concealer) to give this a try. I was unfortunately abit disappointed. Its not a horrible product, but just not great and certainly nowhere near as good as LM sc. The main problem for was the creasing. The second problem is the consistency (which is not quite creamy enough). It is a good price (about $17) but for me won't be worth the few saved dollars. I am in my early 40s and dealing with fine lines and wrinkles so I wonder if this product might actually be better for younger people. FYI...I'm MAC nc30/35 and the medium color was a good match for me. (I'm also medium in LM)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Estee Lauder - More Than Mascara
Laura22 10/16/2008 11:39:00 PM
After falling in love with Estee Lauder Magnascopic, I was eager to try this other EL mascara. I was seriously disappointed though. The effect was far less dramatic (neither here nor there...nothing special). The real shocker came when later that evening I had mascara all over my face! I have tried dozens of mascaras and have never had raccoon eyes for no reason (ie. no crying, no sleeping, no showering :). This one is going straight into the garbage for me.
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Mascara -Estee Lauder - MagnaScopic Maximum Volume Mascara
Laura22 9/19/2008 8:29:00 PM
This mascara was sitting in my swap box for ages because usually EL is not my thing. After seeing a rave about it on the boards I just tried it today and wow!!, my lashes went from nothing to gorgeous in two seconds flat. I was shocked to see that the reviews here are not nearly as enthousiastic as I am. I am pretty picky when it comes to mascara and just panned two others (besame and annabelle) and my other hg is lancome definicil pro for comparison purposes. I will continue using and see if this was some kind of first time fluke but I was really blown away by both the lengthening and the volume! Created a totally dramatic look (not OTT at all...wore it to work).
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Mascara -Besame - Gingerbread 1930's Waterproof Mascara
Laura22 9/18/2008 9:57:00 PM
I'm very reluctant to pan this mascara because the packaging is sooooooo darn pretty, but unfortunately, thats about as far as I can go with this one. I find the initial effect underwhelming at best (not dramatic in the least). If your going for a very natural look this may work up to a point (no clumps at all). But, if you bought this mascara because you want something waterproof (or at least long lasting), you will be sorely disappointed. I find this mascara lasts less then my other hg non-waterproof mascaras (lancome definicils pro, vincent longo) and absolutely pales in comparison when looking at my hg waterproof mascara (loreal voluminous). I would say, if you want something pretty for your makeup display, buy this. If you want a good mascara, save your money.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Besame - Boudoir Rouge in Raspberry
Laura22 9/17/2008 10:14:00 AM
Once again, though I thought I was die-hard Chanel JC fan, I have found another brand of powder blush to LOVE. Where I did I get this?: I ordered this as part of the Besame-sale-frenzy without knowing anything about it (besamecosmetics.com). Packaging: It came in the trademark adorable gold packaging (although I believe they will soon be coming out with new packaging). It came with a tiny puff included but it is essentially useless (and I suggest if ordering that you don't consider buying any backup puffs, they are just ridiculously small). The quantity is much less then all other standard blushes I have seen but since its powder, it will probably last forever anyway. This can be seen as an advantage when traveling or if you want it in your purse. Another advantage for travel and purse is that the little devil is pretty hard to open and I can't imagine it opening in your purse. Color & Consistency: This is a simply gorgeous combination of berry, plum and brown. It is absolutely perfect for fall and for more sophisticated but still natural looks (I would feel very comfortable wearing this to work). It has some similarities to MAC blushbaby and it is actually what I had hoped Chanel Mocha would be (which did not work for me at all). The powder is very fine and applies very easily (no blotching). The color lasted me all day long without any re-touches. Overall: Overall, I would highly recommend this blush in more or less every way. The only down side that I have seen so far is that the pot is so small its abit hard to get the color onto your brush. My skin details: I am 43 years old, normal skin with early signs of aging. My skintone is medium olive. (Mac-nc30/35, Chanel 2 (or 40 in Canada/Europe) and GA 5.5 or 6)
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Hair Styling Tools -Mason Pearson - Pure Bristle Brush
Laura22 9/12/2008 10:48:00 PM
Well...I'm in love. I have the pure boar bristle (recommended for fine hair) pocket version and although the price is just crazy, I am now totally and completely committed. I have fine, thin medium length hair and I use this daily to help stimulate oils (and hopefully growth and overall health). The bristles are very stiff (abit scary at first) but it works like a dream. I also use it on my 4 year old dd's very fine (and sweet) hair. We have made it a "hair health" ritual. Just fyi, the childrens brush is almost exactly the same as the pocket (except for color and a very few bristles). IMO, the pocket is a perfect size and for my hair type, there is no need for anything bigger. The pure boar bristle is recommended for those with fine hair.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Styling Tools -Mason Pearson - pocket comb C5
Laura22 9/12/2008 10:41:00 PM
It took me a long time to decide to shell out the $14 dollars for this comb (its just a comb after all :) but I must say its well worth the price. Its a high quality product and you can see it in the way its made, the way it lasts, and the way it works. This comb glides through my medium length fine hair and does much to reduce breakage, and discomfort. I will never, ever turn back. FYI, the comb is approximately the size and shape of a standard $1 drugstore men's-style comb. There is no handle.
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Mascara -Annabelle - volumelash.com
Laura22 9/9/2008 11:19:00 PM
I received this as a free promotion and unfortunately it still wasn't worth the price :). This mascara does next to nothing...I guess you could call it an incredibly natural look because I honestly looked like I had nothing on. I had to add some lancome definicils before I walked out the door. The thing they are promoting with respect to this new mascara is the "revolutionary" wand. It is half regular wand (more or less) and half an eyelash comb. For me, this was not a huge plus. It made it abit harder to apply in my opinion. I prefer to apply mascara and then use a comb if needed. Overall, I would say, save your money.
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Sunscreen -Shiseido - Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 55 PA+++ [DISCONTINUED]
Laura22 9/1/2008 10:08:00 PM
I'm reviewing this product after one use to add to the growing evidence that this product is indeed drying (and therefore mattifying). Unfortunately, since I do not have oily skin this product did not work at all well for me. My skin felt tight and uncomfortable all day. I was actually aware of it alot of the time and wanted to wash it off. It also had a smell I found unpleasant and chemically. Now having said all this, for those of you oily gals out there, this review should be taken as positive for you!!! I just can't give it a high rating because it really does not work for me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No