BB Cream -Physicians Formula - Super BB Cream
Ms_Stressa 2/27/2013 5:57:00 AM
On the PF bandwagon once again. Picked this up in Duane Reade while on a quick trip to NY (why doesn't DC have Duane Reade? They're so great!) The color is a bit dark on my pale skin, but with translucent powder and a bit of highlighter, it looks absolutely wonderful and feels great. Seriously, my skin looks poreless with this stuff. I even check the color in my car mirror and I can't stop staring at my skin (I try not to do this while driving). Feels good and lasts all day without touchups. I don't think that this BB cream has sunscreen or other good-for-your-skin ingredients like some other brands, but it looks so good on my skin that I still like it. Plus - a first for Physician's Formula! - the packaging is nice and not sleek! I will probably buy this again, I just wish they had a better range of colors.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express The Mega Plush
Ms_Stressa 2/27/2013 5:18:00 AM
This is one of those love/hate products, with the final score ending up more in the "love" category than the "hate" one. The mascara is super wet, so it is tricky putting it on and not getting it all over your lids or eye area. The tube is a little too thick and chunky to be ergonomic. The wand is a bit tricky as it wiggles all over the place. But - and this is a big but - the mascara looks and feels amazing once you have it on (provided you got it on correctly). This gives you big soft feather lashes that are ridiculously long and dramatic but still somehow don't look overdone (I use the brownish black combo to soften the look). It's also super lightweight on the eye, vs. feeling like you've glued rabid spiders to your lids. And I don't know how this works, but somehow this lengthens my lashes just to the point where they don't hit my glasses. So: wet product, annoying application, but amazing results. I'll take it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -TheBalm - Cheater
Ms_Stressa 4/23/2012 2:30:00 PM
Bandwagon time! Like everyone else, I got this as part of a kit at Marshall's, and like everyone else, I was blown away by the quality of this mascara! I get a lot of length and thickness, without crunchy or spiky texture. It cleans off easily at the end of the day as well. It is a black color and I usually wear brown-black, but this doesn't look harsh at all. I am usually pretty frugal on mascara (okay, I'm frugal on everything these days), but I may even throw down for full price on this once this tube runs out. It's really, really good stuff! Raid your local Marshall's for it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Physicians Formula - Youthful Wear Concealer Light + Yellow
Ms_Stressa 1/25/2012 12:07:00 PM
Ah, my long love/hate relationship with Physician's Formula products continues! I spotted their new line of "Youthful Wear" products at my local CVS, with the banner that it is a "cosmecutical" that will take 10 years off of my looks. Take 10 years off of my looks? It can be made with baby seal's tears or from whipping angels in heaven - sign me up! I started with the concealer, as I am still mourning the loss (and my soon to be depleted stash) of Maybelline dream matte mousse concealer. I've been using it for about a week, and although it is far from a perfect product, I like it. Here's the pros and cons: Pro: this is a combination of a cream concealer/corrector (I chose the yellow) with a doe foot applicator, and a tube of light moisturizing concealer (I'll get into the rollerball "blender" later). Using the two together, I got flattering coverage without it settling into fine lines under the eye area; using the concealer stick alone on the nose area, it made a nice highlight/contour that is the next best thing to my old dream matte mousse. You can cover dark circles pretty easily with the combo without looking overdone. The stick product reminded me of the old PF Magic Cube concealer (which I loved), and the cream is similar to their Cover Tox Ten concealer in soft yellow. Is this just a clever repackage? Maybe, but the products work well together, so hooray for that. The packaging is nice and thin, so I could see using this for travel or for touch ups, along with my regular mineral powder compact foundation.
Cons: 1. Color range:As with many PF products, there is almost no color range to this product. If you are anything other than pale (even their medium in this is pretty damn close to ivory), you are out of luck. I am ghostly, so this works for me, but it's disappointing this is so limited. 2. Packaging: As always, PF goes for the goofy, gimmicky packaging that belies the quality of the products contained within them. Although I like the compact tube packaging of this concealer, the cream concealer doesn't have a plug to keep you from dipping out way too much product, and the cheesy plastic rollerball blender is beyond useless. Just use a foundation brush or concealer brush with this and ignore the roller. 3. Beneficial ingredients: For a product that markets itself as a "cosmeceutical" (a made up term, I know), there are no anti aging or protective ingredients in this makeup - like sunscreen. Of course this makes you look "10 years younger"; you're wearing makeup, so duh! But it would be nice to have something in here to help prevent further damage to the skin.
Cons aside, I think this is a good product that works well for under the eyes and for contouring. I'll repurchase it if PF is still making it when I run out. I really do wish, however, that they would smarten up about how good some of their products are, and quit trying to gimmick them up with stupid names and stupid packaging. I'm not a physician, but I'd write a "prescription" for them to expand their color line and lay off of the gimmicks!
30 out of 31 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Nailtiques - Formula 2 - Nail Protein
Ms_Stressa 1/25/2012 11:25:00 AM
LIFE CHANGING PRODUCT! I have had thin, weak nails that peel and chip and break (in the same damn spot every time) for all of my adult life. I bit my nails through my teens, and whether that weakened them or not, I have never been able to grow them any longer than a very short manicure length. After reading the reviews here, I finally spent the $10 for a teeny tiny bottle of Nailtiques #2, and I've applied a single coat every day. Amazing! My nails already look and feel so much stronger, and without any yellowing or brittleness! I cannot stop staring at my nails, as it is that much of a change in how they look and feel. This is the only nail product I have ever used where I have noticed a significant difference, so I will keep buying it and using it. Even if my nails don't get much longer, just the difference in their health and quality right now makes this worth it. I will update this review if I see more results, but for now I am super happy!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Sally Hansen - Complete Care 4-in-1 Treatment
Ms_Stressa 1/25/2012 11:15:00 AM
I used this product for a solid three months, but I saw absolutely no improvement in my nails. I still have issues with peeling and breakage. This is okay as a base coat, but nothing else, and for $10 I can do better. Tossing it out today.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - A-taupe the Space Needle
Ms_Stressa 12/29/2011 12:17:00 PM
I got this taupe/grey/brown color as part of an OPI gift set. Unfortunately, although the color looks great in the bottle, the brown in this has some green in it, and with my skin tone it looks like baby poop brown. I think this might look fantastic on someone with gold or olive undertones - but that is not me. Gave it away.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Nails -Wet 'n' Wild - FastDry - Party of Five Glitters
Ms_Stressa 11/11/2011 10:26:00 PM
I found a bottle of this at Five Below for a whopping $1.99 and decided to give it a try. It's a multilayered glitter polish in a clear base. It dries pretty quickly (fastdry formula) and looks really pretty when layered over a dark color (I used OPI's Black Cherry Chutney for the base color). I think if you use it with darker colors like purple or black it helps get rid of the "Christmas" vibe of this polish. That said, I can't wait to use this with a white pearl base or a deep green in December. It's cheap thrill if you find this - I like it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -John Frieda - 3-day Straight Semi-Permanent Styling Spray
Ms_Stressa 11/11/2011 8:14:00 AM
I've only used this once so far, but I am already hooked! Bought it and was sorely disappointed at how small the bottle was inside of the packaging (it's kind of pricey for a non-salon product), but after using it while drying and flat ironing my hair last night, all I can say is "wow"! It was rainy and humid yesterday, but despite the weather my hair looked great all evening long, and it still looks good this morning. My hair is super thick and wavy, and it never stays straight no matter what I do -- but this is the closest I have come. There's no way I'll test the "three day" claims of this product, as I wash my hair every other day. Still, for hair that feels with smooth and straight (but with body and bounce), I will definitely buy this product again. Heck, I'd buy it in a gallon drum if they sold it!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -E.L.F. - Eyelid Primer Collection
Ms_Stressa 10/17/2011 1:07:00 PM
I have used UDPP for the past couple of years and I loved it, but we are having an ugly breakup of the "you cost too much and your packaging dries out your wonderful product" variety. I've had both the wand and the pro tube packaging, only to lose over half of the product to the packaging. So - I had a cheap tawdry affair with this little $1 E.L.F. product from Target. And you know what? I'm in love again! This primer definitely is thinner and has more slip than UDPP, so it takes a minute or so to dry, but once it has set, it works great - colors pop and don't crease all day. And did I mention that this product is one dollar? Honestly, if part of the tube dries up, I can go buy 17 more of them before I reach the cost of one wand of UDPP. Sometimes you've gotta love the one you're with, and with my current economic situation, I'm going with my cheap fling primer and dropping the pricey product. If you have a spare four quarters, give this a try.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Sally Hansen - Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy - All Over Brightener
Ms_Stressa 10/14/2011 6:10:00 AM
Age and insomnia are taking their toll on me -- I haven't really had bags under my eyes before this year, but I am definitely working on acquiring them. This stuff is great: very creamy, doesn't settle into lines, gives a lift to dark shadows and circles. For casual days, I just pat some on and cover it with a tinted moisturizer; for "wow, I haven't slept at all" days, I put a bit of regular concealer over it. This product is keeping my friends from realizing that I am turning into a zombie, and for that, I am grateful.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Wet 'n' Wild - Color Icon Trio - Silent Treatment
Ms_Stressa 9/18/2011 6:39:00 PM
Okay, this trio was a solid score for me! Unlike Walking on Eggshells, this wasn't too frosty or glittery on me, and the taupe color has a bit of a lavender undertone that is just beautiful with my skin tone. I use the taupe and the pink/peach highlight color for everyday wear, and the dark crease color as a liner when I am going out -- it's a bit more glittery than the peach or the taupe, but still good. The colors go on smoothly and are well-pigmented. You can easily do a neutral eye or smokey eye with this trio. And all for a whopping, what, $4.00? Way to go, W&W!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Rimmel - Lasting Finish - Airy Fairy
Ms_Stressa 9/11/2011 10:29:00 PM
I love this lipstick. It gives me a perfect YLBB look; neither too pink nor too brown. It's creamy without being heavy, shimmery without being glittery. It's very forgiving (i.e., "I can put it on in the train during the morning commute without needing a mirror"), it goes with 99.9% of my makeup looks, it is neutral without being dull. And now I am having a hard time finding it! Dammit Rimmel, take a look at this site and how many people love this lipstick? Will you dare deny us? I swear I am going to start just rubbing dirt on my face, because I'm pretty sure dirt won't get discontinued. Rimmel, hear my plea, because I love this lipstick!!!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Confetti #013 Pink Paradise
Ms_Stressa 8/29/2011 10:08:00 AM
I bought this as an "emergency" nail polish - was at my boyfriend's place, and I had a job interview the next morning. It's great! A perfect neutral/sheer pink nail. It's cheap! $1.99, are you out of your mind. It's durable! I can chip nail polish by just staring at it, but this seems to work on my nails. Best two bucks I have spent in some time. It's a keeper.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Hawaiian Tropic - Shimmer Effect SPF 20
Ms_Stressa 6/7/2011 2:01:00 PM
Another summer staple for me -- this smells nice (light coconut scent), has a pretty, subtle shimmer, doesn't feel sticky or tacky, and keeps my arms and chest from getting burned during my commute to work. I walk a lot downtown and do everything I can to avoid sun damage (or the city version of a farmer's tan.) HT also sells a cute 2 oz. bottle of this that is good for trying it out, travel, or carrying in your bag for reapplication. It's good and good for you!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No