Polishes -Chanel - Le Vernis Nail Colour in Malice #637 (Holiday 2012 Collection)
Pyretta5 11/19/2012 9:10:00 AM
I was so excited to get this from the Debenhams web site, as the pictures I've seen were fantastic. This polish doesn't disappoint. Goes on like a dream and has a 'depth' to it that none of my other polishes have and is a perfectly balanced darker red. I used two coats, but if done carefully I think you could get away with one. Is definately worth the cost and, as another reviewer raved, if I could give this more than 5 lippies I would.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - DSC-Dead Sea Facial Peeling Gel
Pyretta5 11/19/2012 7:58:00 AM
This review is for the Dead Sea Facial Peeling Gel by Deep Sea Cosmetics. I first tried this when my husband got cornered at a mall while on a business trip and was talked into buying it, along with a couple moisturizers. As he only brought the jar back, there weren't any instructions, so I just put it on and let it sit for about 10 minutes and washed it off. After doing that a few times, I started to wonder if there was supposed to be another way to use this because it really wasn't doing much of anything. Went on Google and found out you're supposed to put a thin layer on, and then start massaging your face until balls of skin start forming and coming off. Once I did that, wow! This stuff is fantastic. Yes, it's a bit messy. And I've found that it's best to let it sit for a minute or two and then start to massage in circular motions. When it starts to feel like the gel has turned to water, it will then start exfoliating the skin. Once you've gotten most of it off, rinse with warm water to remove the remains. I follow it up with the Rodial Dragons Blood Tonic spritz and then a moisturizer...nothing else. I wouldn't recommend using any type of astringent after this, only something gentle. I love this because my face literally feels like it's been covered in a whole new skin that is smooth and soft. There's a bit of tightness once your face is dry, so it's important to get the moisturizer on soon after. I use it about once a week. I can't get this here in the UK, but I loved it so much I ordered some from Amazon and had it sent to a friend who in turn sent it to me. It's not cheap, but for me it's totally worth it. If you don't want to deal with those pushy SAs in the mall, just order it online. I didn't give it a 5 because I think the packaging could be better (see photo of open container). The jar needs to have a wider top to make it easier to get to the product, and the way it's designed makes it difficult to reach any that might be on the underside of the top. You should get a curved spatula with this, but it's still a bit of a pain.
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Liquid -MAC - Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15
Pyretta5 11/18/2012 4:19:00 AM
I keep wanting to like this foundation, but I just can't. I matched myself on their web site and got NC20. Probably should've gone with 25, but I do get pretty pale during the winter. And I can just use tinted powder and/or bronzer to darken it a bit. So that's not my problem. I think it has good coverage and is fairly buildable. My problem is that, after having this on for 3-4 hours, I can't wait to wash it off. My skin feels...weird. It sits kind of heavy on my face and my skin feels a little tight after a while. The only way I can try to describe is it's almost like that feeling you get after you've been cleaning house all day and your face feels like it's covered in grime, and you're aching to wash it. I'll just stick to my Clinique SB and UD Naked Skin, and only use this if I have to. I also don't like that it doesn't come with a pump, but I purchased one with it so I can't complain too much.
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Mascara -Givenchy - Noir Couture 4-in-1 Mascara
Pyretta5 11/17/2012 7:16:00 AM
I've been curious about this, so when my husband was going on a business trip I asked him to get me some at a duty free since they have a twin pack of them for £34. I think this mascara is fantastic. The brush isn't a problem or hard to get used to, IMO. The color is a nice black that stays that way. True, you have to be careful how you apply it and have a lash comb ready just in case. When I first tried it, I only did one coat, just to test it out and it looked pretty good...not too dramatic and nice for daytime. But I put on about 3 coats yesterday and it looked like I had falsies on (my lashes are pretty 'meh'...not very long, dark, curly or thick). So this one would be good for day or night, depending on how you apply it. I had curled my lashes prior to the 3 coats and the curl did remain. The only con was that it did flake off a bit after about 5-6 hours, but it did otherwise stay put and the color stayed the same until I took it off after about 10 hours. And because of how much I'd used, it was a bit of a job to remove all of it. I suggest baby oil, if your regular remover doesn't get it all. No idea if the other benefits it claims will hold true (I.E-helping my lashes). I don't think I'll be a candidate for that as I don't wear makeup everyday...maybe 3 x's a week at the most. Maybe someone who wears it everyday can comment on that.
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Eyeliner -Revlon - Color Stay Eyeliner in Brown
Pyretta5 11/7/2012 4:26:00 PM
Picked this up to complete a 3 for 2 that Boots had running cause I figured I could do with a brown eyeliner since my current one was running out. Boy, am I glad I did! Nice color, easy to draw a thin line and stays put. Will def. buy again when it runs out. The only reason I'm giving it a 3 is because it doesn't have a smudger. It comes with a sharpener in the end, which is nice, but sometimes I want a softer look and being basically a pencil liner, it should def. come with one.
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Mascara -Estee Lauder - Sumptuous Extreme
Pyretta5 11/7/2012 4:14:00 PM
I wanted to hate this mascara. I got it as a GWP and after not one, but two bad experiences in a row with sales reps at the EL counter of the dept. store I get most of my stuff at, I swore I wasn't going to even look their way for anything. I tossed it in with a couple other GWP mascaras and forgot about it. But then one day I was doing a basic makeup and felt my other ones were a bit too 'dramatic' for a plain ole day time look. So I used it. No angels singing or disco lights, but it did the job. So I kept going back to it, again and again. Without a doubt, this has become my go to mascara. It has a nice black color, and def. gives my sparse lashes volume and gives a multiplying effect. If I'm going out at night and want a bit more drama, I'll top it off with some 'They're Real' by Benefit. Every time I reach for it, it does exactly what I need it to do. Rarely clumps, which is more than I can say for some of my Lancome and the Benefit one. I'm comforting myself with the fact that I can just order this online from the dept. store I frequent and not have to suck it up and deal with the crappy EL SAs, who seem to think they're doing you a favor by acknowledging your existence.
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Misc Beauty Tools -Boots - No7 Illuminated Make-Up Mirror
Pyretta5 11/3/2012 10:53:00 AM
I think it's hilarious that this mirror, supposedly just marked down from £49.99 to £19.99 was the same discounted price a year ago going by the other review. Had a choice between this one and a 4 bulb Revlon one for the same price. Against my better judgement, I went with this one because it sits higher up than the Revlon one did. Something inside told me to not bother with it, and I really should have listened to my gut on this one. Got it home and plugged it in...barely any lighting at all. Thinking it may do better in a darker room (it was afternoon), I took it in my sons room, closed the drapes and turned it on. OMG...how they expect anyone to use this mirror is beyond me. You would get more illumination by holding a night light next to your face in a mirror. Needless to say, this is going back tomorrow and I'll try the Revlon one. And don't make my mistake....if something is discounted from £50 to £20, there's probably a reason for that. Especially if there's about 30+ of them stacked in a display. Don't even consider this mirror. Just turn around and walk away....trust me.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -BeneFit Cosmetics - They're Real
Pyretta5 11/2/2012 6:29:00 AM
I'm turning into a bit of a 'mascara ho' and have been very curious about this one after seeing so many good reviews about it. So when I was in line for the checkout at Boots and saw a travel size version, I snapped one up. Okay, the Pros: -Very black -Curls lashes nicely -Tip of brush makes it easy to get the harder to reach lashes -Does give a lot of length Cons: -Doesn't do much for making my lashes look thicker...just longer -Can be messy and clump (but so can any mascara), so you have to be careful when applying and not in a rush. -HORRIBLE to wash off. After using Cliniques TTDO, an Olay wet cleansing cloth AND a wash cloth, I still woke up the next morning with faint black smudges under my eyes. I'm very particular about getting all my eye makeup off before bed, so this is a big problem for me. Basically, I think it's an okay mascara and the wand is handy. I actually tried it on top of a EL volumizing mascara and it worked really well to give my lashes some added 'oomph'. Since I didn't use a lot, I didn't wake up to smudges. So using this to get some extra length/curl on top of another mascara is probably going to be the only time I ever use it.
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Eye Primer -BeneFit Cosmetics - Stay Don't Stray
Pyretta5 11/1/2012 5:31:00 AM
I got a sample of this and really like it a lot. I love that it does a fair job at concealing my under eye circles as well as being a primer. I had problems with it creasing on the top lids too, but I reduced the amount I used (only 2 little dots instead of the recommended 3) and corrected my mistake of dabbing it on the lid. Since I've been putting 2 dabs above the crease and blending it all over, I haven't had any issues. I agree with others that the doe foot applicator is better than the pump in the full size version. After looking at both bottles, I'm planning to wash out the sample bottle when it's empty (as well as the applicator) and then pump some from the normal size bottle into it so that I can continue to use the doe foot. This will also make it ideal for the next time I'm travelling.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Urban Decay - Naked Skin
Pyretta5 10/26/2012 3:26:00 PM
Love it, love it, love it! I've been aching to try this since I started hearing about it, but we've only just gotten a UD in my local mall. I had considered just ordering a bottle online, going by the foundation finder on their web site. I had guessed my best match to be 1.0, and the main place I order makeup from was out of that color (you can't buy anything off the Urban Decay UK site). So I pouted and ordered some MAC Studio Fix in the meantime. Boy, am I glad I wasn't able to order this online! My match actually ended up being the 5.0, which looks fantastic on me and covers wonderfully. I let her do my entire face and it's been on about 3.5 hrs. now and I still don't feel like I have anything on and the coverage is holding up well. Will def. repurchase when the time comes!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Decleor - Aromessence Ylang Ylang
Pyretta5 10/24/2012 6:23:00 AM
I love this stuff. Smells wonderful and makes my skin very smooth and mattified. Still in the early days of it, so I may update later on. I agree though that the bottle is horrible for something you're only supposed to use 2-3 drops of. I got extremely lucky in that one of the pharmacies in town sells all sorts of odd things, incl. supplies to make beer, and I found a couple of small dark tinted bottles w/a glass dropper in the lid. I poured about a 1/2 inch worth into one and the dropper makes it much easier to use w/no waste. It would be worth googling around to see if you can find some if you have this oil. I don't understand why it's not packaged w/a dropper in the first place.
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Makeup Brushes -Urban Decay - Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush
Pyretta5 10/21/2012 12:38:00 PM
Ordered one of these because of all the positive reviews on it. I do think it does a great job with foundation. However, when I opened it there were a few bristles sticking up above the others (and they were intact, not loose ones) and it shed a few when I used it the first time. I know that may sound petty, but for the price I would expect the bristles to all be even and not shed. I have one from TBS that was slightly less, and one from Boots that cost about £5 and neither of them has ever shedded. Different style of brush, true. But the point still stands. I also agree with another reviewer about the packaging...it's a bit of a pain to get the plastic cap on the cardboard tube with all the bristles inside. I've heard some say it didn't work too well with non-UD foundations. So far I've used it with my MAC Studio Fix and had no problems. I think I'll give a try with my Clinique Super Balanced next time to see how it does with that. Would've liked to given it more than 3 lippies, but the shedding and few uneven bristles are issues for me when it comes to a higher end product such as this. Though I will point out that there's always a chance I got the bad one out of the lot, so I wouldn't hold that against it too much unless there ends up being a lot of reviewers with the same problem. UPDATE-Went ahead and used this w/the Clinique SB and OMG it did a wonderful job with it. It worked well w/my MAC, but the Clinique was 10 x's better than that. Also, brush is still shedding a bit.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Seche Vite - Dry Fast Top Coat
Pyretta5 10/12/2012 12:18:00 PM
I've been hearing about this one and came across it in Boots earlier, so I figured what the heck and grabbed it. Wow! This is def. my new HG top coat. High shine, dries quickly and didn't smear my Konad stamps. A little pricey for a top coat, but worth every cent!
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Treatments -The Body Shop - tea tree oil
Pyretta5 10/6/2012 8:29:00 AM
I was sent a sample of this with a recent order. I've heard of TTO, but never used it. By chance, I happened to have a pimple that kept lingering around as well as a couple red bumpy spots on my chin below each side of my mouth. I decided to dab some on these areas, figuring it wouldn't hurt and at worst it wouldn't do anything. Wow, after a couple days of doing that twice a day all of those areas cleared up...redness and all! I will def. be buying a normal bottle of this when the sample runs out. I looked up TTO and there's so many uses for it, it's incredible. This is going to be a mainstay in my medicine cabinet from now on.
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Nails -Bourjois - Magic Nail Polish Remover
Pyretta5 10/4/2012 2:24:00 PM
I kept hearing all the hype about this, so I grabbed a bottle. Was all excited and couldn't wait to get home and test it out. This is, without a doubt, one of the biggest loads of false advertising I've ever seen. I don't understand how they can say it's a '1 Second' remover and actually get away with it. Under no circumstances does this take polish off in 1 second. If you only have on 1 coat, it *might* work in about 10 or 20 after twisting and rubbing your nail against the foam insert, and then you can add additional time w/a Q-Tip going around the edges of your nails to remove the polish still there. Keep in mind also, that this is a non-acetone remover...which usually doesn't work as well as a normal acetone one would. The smell is fairly nice, and what's said about oil in it is true. It does seem to moisturizer the nails. But unless you want to spend the better part of 20 minutes taking off your polish, do yourself a favor and put this jar back on the shelf...especially those of you who wear glitter nail polish, as this stuff is horrible for removing it. UPDATE-I've recently had acrylics put on and since I forgot to pick up some non-acetone remover, I had no choice but to use this and I have to say it's really good at taking the polish off of them. While it wasn't '1 Second', it did get all of it off (even around the edges). I still maintain this stuff is rubbish if you have natural nails, but it seems to work well on fake ones. Recently tried it w/glitter polish and it was useless.
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