Cleansers -Neutrogena - Naturals - Purifying Facial Cleanser
LuthienTinuviel 4/28/2012 2:07:00 PM
Yikes! I've never suffered with skin sensitivities but this stuff gave me an immediate, very negative reaction the very first time I used it. As I was cleansing, I noticed a burning sensation and so I rinsed the product off. For the next hour or so, my face was an angry, irritated red. It truly looked like I had a bad base of rosacea! Plus, it felt terribly dried out. Thankfully, I seem to have suffered no long-term ill-effects. Back to CVS it goes! Guess so-called natural doesn't mean gentle.
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Lipstick -Guerlain - Rouge G de Guerlain 66 Gracia
LuthienTinuviel 7/13/2011 1:29:00 PM
Well worth the exorbitant price! Gracia is a subdued yet sophisticated, highly wearly medium plum with very faint luminescent shimmer. Extremely flattering on me (45, very fair, cool-toned, light brown/dark blonde, green eyes) and perfect for everyday wear. Texture is very creamy & moisturizing, applies like dream and wears very well. LOVE the silver bullet-shaped packaging with mirror, even though it is heavy and takes up a lot of room in my purse...it makes each touch-up throughout the day a little luxurious, pampering event.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - Colorburst in Plum
LuthienTinuviel 7/9/2011 12:57:00 AM
Really like this lipstick. Beautiful very deep, pigmented cool-toned plummy semi-matte wine that looks very elegant and a bit sophisticated on me (very pale, cool-toned skin, dark blonde, green eyes) and it's one of those shades that does seem to make your teeth a bit whiter. Applies a little dry and slightly unevenly though...definitely need a light layer of lip balm underneath. Willing to overlook that for the reasonable price and lovely flattering color. The color is everything I had hoped Chanel RA in Lover would be...only wish the application and finish was more like Chanel. Also, for reference, this lipstick is highly similar to MAC Dark Side, only IMO better as it applies a little lighter and less intense and, surprisingly, more evenly.
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Lip Gloss -Chanel - Spark Glossimer
LuthienTinuviel 7/1/2011 8:57:00 PM
I cannot think that anyone can go wrong with this beautiful gem of a lipgloss. A very generous MUAer gave me a mini of this as a swap extra a few years ago and I was a little put off by its deep red appearance in the tube (I'm am very pale and very cool-toned) and (unbelievably!) it sat in my drawer for a couple of years. Brought it out in the midst of a purge and put it on and instantly fell in love. Now on my second full-sized tube and will always, always go back for more. Goes on as a lovely sheer red with a scintillating fine glinty gold shimmer that is absolutely perfect...not at all over-the-top; just a luminous, virtually universally flattering soft sexy red. And the texture is is singularly ideal which so many other brands fall short of achieving - never too sticky nor too slick. Well worth the exhorbitant price and I invariably feel a little sexier after slicking this baby on.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Essie - A-List
LuthienTinuviel 6/30/2011 3:19:00 PM
Picked this up on a whim now that Essie is more easily accessible at Rite Aid and am anything but disappointed. Such a great TRUE RED, as other reviewers state, neither leaning too far blue or orange, nor too bright or too dark. Definitely has taken it's place in my Top Five favorite reds of all time as I find it a little more flattering on my super pale, cool-toned skin that that other beloved favorite of mine...OPI Vodka and Caviar (which to me, is a little brighter and slightly warmer than A-List). Great shiny finish in only two coats and undoubtedly very elegant and classic.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express The Colossal
LuthienTinuviel 3/12/2011 1:37:00 PM
Nice mascara for a nice price. Already on my second one. Applies very smoothly with very little clumping and has that desirable characteristic of being neither too wet nor too dry. My only complaint is that for me, the brush is just a tad too big and lush for my long but fine lashes so it takes me a little longer to get a good thorough coverage. Also, it does seem to dry out a little sooner than expected although the relative reasonable price (my HG, DiorShow Iconic, is $30) makes this a lesser issue.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Lancome - Hypnose Drama
LuthienTinuviel 1/6/2011 10:16:00 AM
Ugh! I had hopes for this one but what a waste of $30. I have long but very fine lashes and am more in need of volumizing. This gives me clumpy, yet long, tarantula lashes. I think too much product adheres to the brush after being pulled out of the tube resulting in a wet, clumpy mess. If I do carefully wipe off the brush with a tissue before application, however, it does give acceptable results but still nothing that would justify the outrageous pricetag which I would gladly pay if it worked. I get MUCH better results from drugstore mascaras such as Maybelline The Colossal, L'Oreal Voluminous and CoverGirl LashBlast although my personal favorites are still Shu Uemura Classic and DiorShow Iconic.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Lustre in Syrup
LuthienTinuviel 9/7/2009 9:46:00 PM
Such a great go-to everyday lipstick! Shows up as a flattering medium dusty mauvey-pink on my very pale, cool skin (light brown hair, green eyes). Without a doubt, a great, very natural looking MLBB lip color. Very creamy finish, never drying and always loved the light signature vanilla-y MAC scent. A definite staple in my makeup bag.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Prunella eye kohl
LuthienTinuviel 9/7/2009 8:59:00 PM
A MAC MA at the Boston Newbury St. store suggested this for my green eyes and I was a bit skeptical at first but he was right on. The smoky deep eggplant/burgundy really intensifies the green and makes my eyes stand out. Applies beautifully, very smooth and easily blendable and although the staying power is decent enough it could be better. Love this with Poison Pen, Seedy Pearl and Beautiful Iris. I'm using this about every other day so will definitely be repurchasing at some point.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Iconic High Definition Lash Curler Mascara
LuthienTinuviel 9/7/2009 12:53:00 AM
After 30 years of wearing mascara I've truly found my HG in this! I have very long yet fine, thin lashes and am more in need of volume without any annoying clumps. This does exactly that! Gives amazing volume with nary a clump and even lasts all day on my underlashes without ever a smudge. I especially adore the brush --- not too big yet not too small. Perfect size for smoothly & evenly applying the gel-like product and perfectly distributing on my lashes. Bought this back in June 09 and with daily wear still have plenty left in the tube w/o any unwanted thickening. Will repurchase without a second thought to it's somewhat exorbitant price. It's that worth it! UPDATE (Feb. 2010): Yes, I love this mascara so much that I again shelled out the $27 for it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Guerlain - Loose Kohl in Bleu - Blue
LuthienTinuviel 9/7/2009 12:47:00 AM
What a stunningly beautiful product all around! The lovely, feminine packaging and most importantly, the striking deeply medium pearlized tealy blue which is so lovely and flattering on my green eyes. Takes a few times to get used to applying. I use a tissue under my eye when applying to catch the fallout and it lasts for hours and hours if when applied to your waterline you also push into lashline as well. Also, never irritates my eyes even though i wear contact lenses. Such a lovely, lovely product giving an unusually smouldering, dramatic smoky look. Always feel a little prettier when I wear this.
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Lipstick -MAC - Lustre Lipstick in Plumful
LuthienTinuviel 9/7/2009 12:40:00 AM
Within a few weeks of purchasing, this has become a much relied upon staple in my purse cosmetics bag...I adore it that much. Applies with such a lovely creamy finish as a deep pink with plummy undertones and is beautifully flattering yet never overwhelming on my cool, very pale skin. I find it to be very professional yet a little sexy at the same time and always feel just a little more confidently feminine when wearing. What a beautiful winner MAC came up with in this shade!
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Lippmann Collection - Bitches Brew
LuthienTinuviel 9/7/2009 12:33:00 AM
Beautiful deep mulberry burgundy with faint silvery & goldish shimmer and my perfect vampy cooler weather shade. Looks just stunning against my pale cool skintone and often get compliments and inquiries. Applies so dreamily and wears very well (use OPI Natural Base coast and Seche Vite). Definitely one of my top five mani color choices.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Vodka & Caviar
LuthienTinuviel 9/7/2009 12:27:00 AM
Quite simply one of the most beautiful, elegant reds ever. Shows up as a somewhat bright medium cool-toned red on my very pale, cool skintone. Highly flattering but just a little too bright for my hands (I prefer Lippmann Lady Is A Tramp as my HG red mani) but I utterly adore Vodka & Caviar as my pedi. So much so that I'm down to barely a half bottle and will have to be repurchasing soon. Applies almost perfectly in two coats and wears very well (use OPI Natural Base & Seche Vite as a topcoat). Easily my go-to HG pedicure shade. ♥!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Self Tanners -Jergens - Natural Glow - Light
LuthienTinuviel 8/23/2008 11:09:00 PM
For reference, I'm very fair and religiously use gobs of s/s year-round. Even w/ year-round use of s/s, however, my upper body tends to get some color by mid-summer as I'm an avid biker and gardener. My legs, especially my shins and calves, tend to remain fish-belly white which isn't the most attractive look with my favorite professional attire, the pencil skirt. This product has nicely resolved this issue. It applies with relative ease and even the day after my first application I noticed a light golden tone to my legs (that's how pathetically fair I am). I'm not overly fond of the smell, which seems to be the overwhelming opinion of this board, but I don't find it to be prohibitively offensive. I've found that applying every other day gives me the natural looking color I need without any hint of undesirable streakiness or orange tones. This is a very effective product at an affordable price & I will definitely repurchase.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No