Eyeliner -Tarte - LE - SmolderEyes Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner Collection
Ruth 12/13/2011 3:18:00 AM
Soft, easy to apply color with the convenience of pencil form. The colors are Silver Black (black with silver micro glitter), Espresso, Golden Beige (coppery), Moss, Violet, and Smoke. They have micro glitter which gives teensy sparkles. Looks more metallic than glittery and catches the light in a good way. These are the same full-size pencils sold year round for $25 each. The colors are slightly different with different names. Comes with a pencil sharpener.
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Makeup Brushes -Sephora - Professionnel Platinum Air Brush #55
Ruth 7/19/2011 5:55:00 PM
A MIRACLE WORKER! I picked this up on impulse. Airbrushing is something I hadn't thought to apply to my own skin because I am not appearing on television and I don't want to buy a machine. Recently I have been looking for something to conceal large pores which have suddenly become the most dominant feature of my face. This is supposedly a consequence of aging. The collagen in your face shrinks leaving the pores more exposed. I tried primers, liquid, powder and cream foundation applied with fingers, sponge or brush. Everything, including blush both cream and powder, made me look like a peg board. There are also some cover-ups on the market designed specifically to fill in these little holes. Nars has one. But reading about them on Makeup Alley (which I now ALWAYS do before any purchase) showed some users were not satisfied. I dot on liquid foundation with my finger in a small area and brush in several directions with the air brush. It's like hundreds of tiny fingers blending it onto my face. In a second, I have a softly veiled skin free of imperfections. Since my naked skin has loads of imperfections, this is pretty neat! Note that I don't dip the brush itself into the product. I feel it would pick up too much. What I use if for is blending.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -L'Oreal - Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base
Ruth 1/20/2011 3:14:00 PM
A fluffy mousse-textured primer in pale pink. My skin tone is light. I hope it would blend out as invisibly on darker skin tones. It does what it says and covers a little bit better than the liquid primers.
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Liquid -Revlon - PhotoReady Makeup - Vanilla
Ruth 1/20/2011 3:04:00 PM
Considering how very sheer this is, it does an effective job of coverage. A teensy dot per area is enough to blend out. Too much shows as streaks. The color is too light and too yellow to match my skin; but that doesn't matter since it looks fine once blended.
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Primer/ Corrector -Smashbox - Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer - Adjust
Ruth 1/20/2011 2:57:00 PM
This is the green one which is supposed to tone down redness. It is too sheer to do that on my skin. It's a nice silky texture. The product dries out in the bottle.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Unlisted Brand - Primitive - Natural Lipstick - Sahara
Ruth 2/25/2010 10:57:00 PM
I was looking for a natural or organic lipstick. Something without harmful ingredients. I use Cosmetic Database a lot. The Primitive selection of lip colors was at my local natural foods store. It has a simple list of ingredients. Sahara is a MLBB. The company describes the shade as "adobe pink". The case is oval plastic in black with white tribal designs.
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Lip Liners -Unlisted Brand - mineral fusion - splendid
Ruth 8/7/2009 3:05:00 PM
I bought this because I'm looking for natural cosmetics. It's as good as any other lip pencil. Not the softest texture; but in a lip pencil that's a plus for staying power and sharpening. I use it for outlining and filling in, then lip gloss in Bobbi Brown's Bellini shimmer lip gloss. splendid looks darker and browner in person than the sample on their website. It becomes pinker on me (ivory/porcelain, PPP) when applied; but still not as light as the website. I'd call it almost a neutral but not quite. It still has a rose cast which looks natural on me. But keep in mind most people with my skin tone have pink undertones. It has a very subtle metallic finish which is not described on the packaging or website.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Sally Hansen - Natural Beauty inspired by Carmindy Sheerest Cream Blush in Beaming
Ruth 12/8/2008 11:19:00 PM
It's not sheerest. It's not even sheer. It is a nice lightweight opaque blush. The sleek container with a green metallic rim has a clear window to view the product. With drugstore displays, the lack of testers make it imperative to see the product to judge color. Although the top of the compact is clear, there is a leaf etched on it and plastic wrap shrink fitted. Those coverings make it difficult to see the color. The cream to powder formula leaves a soft powdery finish. It can be wron over bare skin or foundation.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
CD/Books/Movies -Unlisted Brand - Get Positively Beautiful - Carmindy
Ruth 12/3/2008 11:35:00 AM
Scheda's review interested me in Carmindy's latest book, a hardcover manual of makeup instruction which has a list price of $21.99 USD. But I got it for FREE from the new Ulta store as a gift with purchase of $18 worth of Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy products. Best thing about it: Carmindy is a positive and encouraging makeup artist who appreciates faces. If you have ever mourned having fat cheeks, lashless eyelids, skinny lips, pockmarks or a receding chin, you will enjoy "Carmindy's vision" describing sweet cheeks, almond eyes, dramatic style, natural sophistication and breathtaking honesty. And it's true that people don't notice your scars and wrinkles as much as you do yourself. If you apply a bit of makeup you will look finished and groomed and people see that you made an effort to look nice. The book has a lot of white space and only a few sentences per page when it is not occupied by a photo of a model/ordinary person or Carmindy herself. It's not a bad thing by any means. I just want you to know that the content of the book is merely moderate. On almost every page are pictures of actual cosmetics dropped, smeared, crushed, cracked, gouged, shaved and brushed. This same style is featured in most magazines. It took me a while to realize the purpose is probably to illustrate the texture. I do recommend this book for fans of Carmindy's trademark minimalist style as seen on "What Not to Wear". She achieves a good effect from some foundation on the middle parts of your face, some concealer and maybe powder, no more than one or two eye shadows, liner and mascara perhaps, a lttle lip gloss and "a pop of blush on the apples of the cheek" as she so often says. This is not a book about fantasy makeup. It presents an approachable natural and well groomed look for the office, running errands and just hanging around the house. There are a very few trendy eye designs such as the smokey eye and colored eye liner. There are about 12 pages in the back detailing the names of products she suggests using. There are only two or three for each category; one expensive $$$ and one less so $. Surprisingly, these are not exclusively Sally Hansen's Carmindy line of products. This info will be obsolete in about a year as products are dropped or reenvisioned. But I'm glad to have them as a guide. As you may expect, the whole thing is mostly an ad for Carmindy's stuff. Yeah, I actually like that because I want to have an entire book of techniques on how to use those products myself. If you are a beginner in makeup application this book and viewing some YouTube.com videos will get you started.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Revlon - Makeup Eraser Pen
Ruth 11/6/2008 12:34:00 PM
Magic! It eliminates the stray mascara marks I always get during application. Somehow it does not disturb my undereye concealer when I use it during the day to eliminate mascara smudges. I, too, wipe it on a tissue after each use.
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Lipstick -L'Oreal - Colour Riche in Tender Pink
Ruth 11/5/2008 5:06:00 PM
Walgreen's was having a "Buy One, Get One Free" sale and I suckered myself into buying four L'Oreal lipsticks I don't need. Regular price $8.99 and the other one is free. Color 114 Tender Pink is a MLBB for me. No frosting or glitter; it is a cream shade. It is a bit lighter in color than what I have been wearing daily. I love it! Yes, it has a strong perfume odor when applied. By the way, it is the scent of violets. That scent fades quickly while wearing it. L'Oreal has a user friendly drugstore display. Colors are presented by group: pinks, browns, mauves; then sorted from light to dark. A problem is that the packaging, while attractive and expensive looking, hides the color. You have to uncap the lipstick to see the true color. No, they are not sealed. This is a problem. While I carefully peek inside, other consumers have jammed the lid on while the lipstick is screwed up, mushing it. BE CAREFUL when you purchase one. Inspect it. See if it looks used or damaged. I can't see how a lipstick can get any better than this for any price.
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Concealers -Physicians Formula - Gentle Cover Concealer Stick (Yellow)
Ruth 11/5/2008 2:29:00 PM
Even in extremely outdated packaging this can be a good product. It is styled like a lipstick in a screw-up tube with a clear cap. I never apply it directly from the tube. I use a concealer brush from Sephora to take a very small amount from the tube and brush on my face. I use skin colored concealer over this and a thin application of powder to set it (dip the brush in loose powder, tap a few times on the edge of the powder jar). The key to success in using this product may be in using a very small amount. I really wanted a yellow color corrector for a low price. I also use the mint green in a pot from Physician's Formula. I take a small amount on my finger and tap on the reddish areas of my face only until the color seems to balance (neutralize). I put on foundation first and only apply color correctors to the parts that still seem purple (for yellow corrector) or red (for the green).
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Maybelline - Brush 'n Comb
Ruth 11/5/2008 2:10:00 PM
My brush/comb has been on my makeup table for years! Still as good as it ever was. I use it daily to brush my eyebrows and sometimes the comb end for lashes. Wash it once in a while and it lasts forever! A very inexpensive necessity.
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Lip Liners -Clinique - lip-shaping pencil - 08 perfect amber
Ruth 11/5/2008 2:06:00 PM
A natural looking color which I use for both lining and filling in before lipstick. Firm textured for lining yet soft enough for filling. Sometimes it becomes difficult to get color from it; then it is time to sharpen it. Attractively packaged as are all Clinique products.
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Blush -Maybelline - Dream Mousse Blush in Whipped Strawberries [DISCONTINUED]
Ruth 11/5/2008 1:10:00 PM
Too bright for my pale skin. I use it in minute amounts and blend it out to sheerness with mattifying primer under it to prevent it settling in my pores. Then I powder over it. With those modifications it is a fine blush for me. I use my fingers to apply it. The glass jar with colored plastic cover is a problem in shade selection. You can't tell what the color is through the distorting glass and the plastic cannot represent the color accurately. The first Dream Mousse Bush I bought was too light to show up on me. One warning: this does dry out unless the cap is screwed on tightly every time. I have had this for a while and I occasionally put moisturiser in it to revive the consistency. Gel moisturiser does NOT work; it becomes hard. At the rate I am using this product in teeny amounts daily, it will last me forever.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No