Powder -It Cosmetics - Celebration Foundation
Missmilli 5/12/2013 3:26:00 PM
After watching several demonstrations of this foundation on QVC, I finally decided I just couldn't live another day without it. When it finally arrived, I couldn't get that box open fast enough! Well....what ensued was the biggest disappointment since being suckered into buying the Genie bra, which resulted in a droopy uni-boob. Why do I fall for these tv demos? The creator of this foundation has horrible rosacea. She even scrubs off her makeup live on tv, leaving her face even redder than usual. She takes one fell swoop of the foundation (the same Light shade that I ordered), and voila-redness be gone! I don't have a fraction of her redness, nor rosacea, yet this foundation did nothing more than a light dusting of any other powder might do. It did not cover, it felt/looked drying to my skin (although it's touted as anti-aging), and it itched. The color seemed "off" also, as it was too pink. I am completely befuddled by the positive reviews on QVC that also led me to buy this. I have worn powder foundations for many many years, so I'm no newbie to applying them. I can't help but wonder if when doing the live demo, she uses a wet brush or something else that makes the foundation apply heavier? There is no way that one swoop of this would ever remotely cover redness of that magnitude. Pros-the brush that comes with it is extremely soft and non-irritating. That's the only pro I can think of. Cons- Price, color, coverage, feel. I'm now faced with paying to return this, which adds insult to injury. YMMV, but for me, it's something I definitely cannot recommend. My Honeybee Gardens Mineral Powder from Vitacost far exceeds this. And it only costs me $7.49.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Revlon - ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup
Missmilli 8/5/2012 2:02:00 PM
I was so excited to get my hands on this foundation, after reading some very glowing reviews. I found it at CVS, and although there were spots for the various testers, only the very darkest shades remained. It appeared that somebody had removed the lighter tester shades, as evidenced by dirty sticky residue remaining where they should have been. Well, if somebody felt the need to take them, then I can only hope they experienced a reaction like I did, as karma for stealing them! Based on reviews, and where I generally fall within foundation shade levels, I figured I'd be either Buff or Sand Beige, or even a combination of the two. But, Buff looked pasty, and Sand Beige was too gray and made me look sickly. Had I really like the foundation itself, I would have pursued a better match, but my skin hated the stuff. I can only assume it was salicylic acid, as it caused a burning/itching feeling, especially on my chin. Just to make sure it wasn't coincidental to something else going on with my skin, I tried it several days after the initial use. Nope-it was the foundation. Within minutes, I couldn't run fast enough to the bathroom to wash it off. Not only did it cause a reaction, but I just didn't like the way it felt on my skin in general. I could feel it laying on the surface of my skin and it it was just plain uncomfortable. I couldn't imagine wearing it out in the CA heat either. I haven't been a fan of the original Colorstay, and this new whipped version did not impress me either. Based on shade selection, price, and the clunky jar packaging, I absolutely could not recommend this. I believe there are far better drugstore options.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -C.O. Bigelow - Ultra Mentha Lip Shine
Missmilli 4/23/2011 6:35:00 PM
I am pleasantly surprised that I love this! I received this in a swap and hesitated trying it for quite awhile. I've experienced major drying of my lips from some products containing peppermint oil. I was just sure that this would have the same effect. But it didn't dry them out one bit! Quite the opposite-it felt very nice and moisturizing. The product stayed on my lips a decent amount of time and there's no disputing that the fresh minty taste is a winner in my book. Great little lipgloss and I would definitely purchase another when this runs out.
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Shampoo -Suave - Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray
Missmilli 4/23/2011 6:25:00 PM
I'm not sure why, but this had the opposite effect on my hair. Rather than leaving nicely-refreshed hair, it left my hair feeling coated and limp. I tried it on three separate occasions and each time I had the same disappointing results. I use silicone products to straighten my hair so maybe it's due to that? The scent is fairly nice and the price is reasonable, but it just didn't do anything positive for my hair. I didn't find that the bottle emptied out after a few uses, as others have reported. It still feels and sounds fairly full after three uses. But this is certainly not a product that I would recommend or ever repurchase.
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Sunscreen -Neutrogena - Pure & Free Liquid Daily Sunblock, SPF 50
Missmilli 4/17/2011 5:07:00 PM
This stuff was terrible for me! It sounded like a good choice, as I have had bad luck with chemical sunscreens in the past, and especially ones by Neutrogena. This was no exception. Within minutes, my face became flushed and warm. Just to be sure that it wasn't a fluke, I tried it yet a second time a few days later and had the same reaction. For something marketed "pure and free", this was extremely disappointing. Now, I will say that for someone who does not have this type of reaction to the other Neutrogena sunscreens, you might be ok with it. It does dry to a nice feel and didn't feel overly drying nor oily. But it's very runny, and for the price, I would think you would go through a tube fairly quickly with daily use. And since I couldn't tolerate it, I can't attest to if it really even provides good sun protection. I think there are way better products out there and I would not recommend this to anyone, based on my experience with it.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Too Faced - Papa Don't Peach
Missmilli 7/27/2010 1:41:00 AM
Thankfully a MUA member sent me a link to the reviews here for this blush. I had not heard of this particular Too Faced product before. I am so glad that she did! I've been looking for a nice slightly-shimmery blush along the lines of Milani Luminous. Papa Don't Peach is more peachy/bronze than Luminous, which leans more pink on me. Exactly what I was looking for though. My cheeks tend to flush easily and so many blushes can look garish on me if the color is too bold. I don't have that problem with this. I find that I prefer to use this on top of a matte blush to give just a bit of sheen and highlight, along with a bit more color. I can wear this on it's own too, though, and it's pigmented enough for me. I like the theme of the packaging and although it's basically just cardboard, it's fairly sturdy and functional. It has a magnetized lid which is convenient for use, but might not withstand a lot of wear and tear in a makeup bag or if you travel. But in my makeup drawer, it's perfectly safe and cute! This is a definite winner for me. I would repurchase this.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Physicians Formula - Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation
Missmilli 7/26/2010 2:36:00 PM
I was lured to this product for two reasons. I like powder/mineral foundations and I like a high SPF. I was hopeful that this would be a wonder product for me. Sadly, it was not. I got this in Translucent Medium first, but found it to be too dark on my NW20-25-ish skin. So, I got the lighter shade of Translucent Light. This one looked odd on me and made me really pasty-looking. I imagine, as with pretty much every foundation I use, I need two shades to get a proper match. I would have considered that had this product not irritated the heck out of my face! I thought perhaps a heavier moisturizer would help. I'm slightly oily in my t-zone and consider myself to have combination skin. No matter how I tried this, my face felt itchy, irritated and unusually dry. I could not wait to wash it off! It could be the octinoxate, which can be a skin irritant to some, or it could be the very high titanium dioxide content (21%). Maybe those who are super oily/not sensitive will find this to work well, but for me, it just did not work.
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Moisturizers -Cerave - Facial Moisturizing Lotion - PM
Missmilli 6/7/2010 10:41:00 AM
Being a fan of both the regular CeraVe lotion and cream for ages, I couldn't help but try the nighttime version as well. My assumption was that perhaps this newer version was simply a marketing strategy and was essentially the same as the others. But, I felt the need to compare for myself and went ahead and bought it. To find that I was paying slightly more for the 3 oz. PM version vs. the big 12 oz. regular version, I was certainly entering into this with skepticism already. However, my once combination skin had really taken a turn for dry this past winter, so I was really in need of something different. CeraVe cream works really well for me but is too heavy for a daytime moisturizer and the regular CeraVe wasn't cutting it either. I'd read that the PM was being used both day and night, so I was hopeful. My skin is not breakout-prone but can be a bit sensitive and reddens fairly easily. I use Retin-A several times a week and also use a combination of products to keep melasma from rearing it's ugly head too badly. At the time of purchase, I was experiencing tightness and flakiness. Really, the most dry my skin has felt in a long time. To be honest, I wasn't all that impressed with how it moisturized after the first few nights of use. I just thought it was so-so and figured I'd need to mix it in with the cream and make use of it. However, I started using it under my makeup too and found it worked really nicely and didn't make me greasy at all. I continued using it (alternating some nights with oils and HA's from GOW) and my skin took a turn for the better rather soon. I can say wholeheartedly that I really like this PM version and find it to be different and necessary, in my arsenal of CeraVe products. I've tried other costlier moisturizers and disliked them for their scent, feel, and price. For the cost of this nice drugstore find, with a convenient and sanitary pump dispenser and no real scent that I can detect, I'm very pleased. I can't find a reason to dislike it. My bottle is feeling like it's getting low so I will definitely be repurchasing this here very soon.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Chamomile
Missmilli 1/15/2010 6:18:00 PM
I initially passed on this at the MAC counter. I figured I didn't really need another ivory-type shade in my drawer. However, I got home and kept thinking I wished I had gotten it. The yellow tone to it reminded me of Bare Escentuals Soul, which I like as a base to neutralize any redness in my lids. And I prefer pressed and especially MAC, so figured why not. I ordered it and must say-I like it! It leans yellow in comparison to Blanc Type and does just what I had hoped it would do. It evens out my lids and makes a nice neutral canvas for applying other shadows over. It's somewhat sheer yet not so much that it doesn't show up. I'm not as much of a fan of Shroom and Brule as most are, so Chamomile and Blanc Type serve more of a purpose in my stash. This isn't exactly a must-have color for many I'm sure. But for me, it's a nice base shade and I'm glad I had second thoughts and got it. It'll get lots of use by me.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Revlon - PhotoReady Makeup
Missmilli 1/3/2010 9:27:00 PM
I was hesitant to try this, based on some of the reviews I've read. But then again, some give it rave reviews and I was still curious. So, when I saw the cosmetics manager putting these out on the last day of the BOGO sale at CVS-I caved. Thought I may as well see what all the hype is about. I was fairly sure I'd need to mix shades as I do with Colorstay, although I was hoping Nude might work on it's own. I'm medium-light with slight peachy undertones. Tried Nude but it was too light. I blended a bit of Medium Beige into it and applied it. The color was ok but seriously-I do not understand how anyone could not say that this is sparkly! Not shimmery, not glowy. Sparkly! Silver sparkles that look like eyeshadow fall-out, but all over your face. I don't even have the best eyesight and under my bathroom lighting, silver sparkles! I can't even imagine how bad this would look out in natural light. I know there are those that don't find it shimmery/glittery/sparkly, but I am here to tell you-it is. Perhaps there is a quality control issue and some bottles do not have this amount of sparkle, but both of mine did. Back they go for a refund. As has been stated by most, the best thing about this is the pump bottle. I am really disappointed,as I was truly hoping I'd find another great drugstore foundation to love (I love Rimmel Lasting Finish). But it's not to be. :(
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -NYX - Lipstick- #529 Thalia
Missmilli 12/22/2009 7:28:00 PM
Blech!!! I've been wanting to try NYX lipsticks for quite some time,as I'm a fan of many other NYX products. Aside from the color looking pale and ghastly on me (I'm surprised, as I'm blonde and fair), the taste was horrid. As others have described, it is soapy. Absolutely the worst-tasting lipstick I've tried in ages. I'm disappointed, as I had hoped that this would be the start of many more to add to my stash.
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Powder -BeneFit Cosmetics - Hello Flawless!
Missmilli 8/5/2009 1:17:00 PM
I almost always wear a loose mineral foundation and have done so for many years. I'm somewhat hard to match and always have to blend two shades. I've been looking for a pressed foundation that not only matches my skin perfectly, but feels good and wears well on my combination skin. Most pressed foundations feel terribly drying on me or don't provide the right level of coverage for me. I can't seem to find a good match in most brands either. I was able to feel the texture of this before buying, but the tester for the shade recommended to me was missing. I have subtle warm undertones and also some redness in my cheeks that I like to tone down. Petal was the shade recommended by the counter manager. For a pressed foundation, the price seemed a bit steep for me, but I had read some really good things about this foundation and just had to try it. I've had this for going on about three weeks now and I can say, without a doubt, this has become the best pressed foundation I have ever tried. I would have given it a 5, but I think I'll go through it rather quickly for the price. I like the coverage I get with using a flocked sponge to apply, rather than a brush. I apply a light layer and have learned after the first few times that less is definitely more with this. You can easily get heavy-handed and it just ruins the effect. I lightly pat it on and then buff it with a kabuki. I use a concealer brush to spot cover any marks or redness around my nose and it covers so nicely. The Petal shade does a nice job of toning down redness for me without making me look yellow. This wears extremely well for me and has a beautiful finish to it. My t-zone does get a bit shiny after awhile, but that's the case with most anything for me anyway. I blot with my Clean and Clear blotter and I'm good. One more thing- some powdered products can make me itch and I haven't had any problem with this at all.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -BeneFit Cosmetics - Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in R.S.V.P.
Missmilli 8/5/2009 12:48:00 PM
I bought this shade without being able to see how it looked and felt it on my hand (yes-I'm impulsive!) There was not a tester and the counter manager told me it was her favorite shade. It looked pretty in the jar and I went ahead and got it. After trying it a couple of times, I have to say that I was disappointed. All I could see was glitter on my lids and I didn't want that at all. I had told the gal that I wanted a good pale base shade and she said this had a better texture than MAC Paints, which I had mentioned really liking. This was not the case at all. It didn't apply as smoothly as I expected and the glitter just looked garish on me. I could see where someone might use this as a little bit of shimmer to their inner lid, but for me, it just wasn't anything I'd use. Back it went.
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Deodorants -Unlisted Brand - Arm & Hammer Essentials Natural Deodorant
Missmilli 3/1/2009 5:17:00 PM
Worst stuff ever for me! I used this one time only and it made my underarms get a red rash. It actually burned and eventually, I had peeling. It also smelled horrible after a little while. I don't normally even have much in the way of body odor, but it's as if this deodorant actually caused me to stink. In the garbage it goes.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -mark - I-Mark Custom Shadow - Fairy Dust
Missmilli 12/26/2008 5:57:00 PM
I've tried a couple of these shadows in the past and they were pretty good, for the price. Based on many good reviews, I decided to try Fairy Dust. I have to say, I am very disappointed in this shadow. Not only is the color quite a bit darker than it appears on the site, but it doesn't seem to be the same shade that many have given positive reviews for. I gathered that it was a lighter shade than what I have here. Maybe the color was changed in this batch? In any case, it's not a shade that I'll use. I usually love pinkish-based shadows, but this is a really blah color and the obvious chunky glitter in it is just awful. To be fair, I tried it both dry and wet, and both ways produced equally disappointing results. I'm glad I only ordered two of these shadows this time, as both are going in the trash.
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