Lipstick -Guerlain - Rouge G de Guerlain 02 Gardenia
Sun_Shine 4/23/2010 9:57:00 PM
I've finally tried this lippie, Gardenia (02), with F&F coupon, yay! Very nice muted nude color with warm pink and a bit brown in it. It's kind of sheer in one application but is buildable for a noticeable color on medium pigmented lips. It's relatively deep and cool, almost a light mauvey brown with some gentle pink on me. I have a strong cool pink tone to my lips. Gardenia should look much warmer on others. Definitely not a milky coral pink as I've been hoping for. It swatched as a light brown-pink on my hand. It's almost identical to Signature Club A #4 l/s and is extremely close to Estee Lauder Mocha Pink (50) l/s. Gardenia is also in a similar color family with Smashbox Master l/s (Gardenia is better pigmented) and with Chanel Bora-Bora l/s. Bora-Bora is darker and warmer with bronzey shimmer though. Among MAC lipsticks, Shy Girl would probably be the closest match out of all I have but Gardenia has a bit more brown in it and is darker. It's such an ordinary shade when you look at it in a tube but there is something special that keeps it from looking dull, perhaps that tiny shimmer Guerlain uses in meteorites, I see that pretty golden micro-shimmer on my hand once lippie wears off. Texture is great and smooth, not overly creamy so it shouldn't melt in a purse on a hot tropical day. Metal packaging makes it too heavy and bulky for carrying daily in a tiny purse for me. It's approx. 3.7 oz - about the weight of four MAC lippies with boxes or a cell phone. Yet, it looks totally cute overall. Scent is pleasant and soft. I might update after wearing it for a while. Wouldn't repurchase this shade just because I hardly ever run out of lip products, have at least two closest dupes, and the cost is too high. But am curious to swatch more lippies in G line.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Dsquared² Greasepaint Stick in V
Sun_Shine 10/13/2009 2:15:00 AM
I am loving it. Didn't test it in the heat yet. Be careful closing it, make sure to roll the stick all the way down after using so it hides inside the plastic tube completely. Otherwise, pencil's lid will ruin the tip into big mess like mine did. There is a spongy thing inside the lid that pushes on the tip, for freshness I guess, so no room is left on top unlike in other liners. Consistency is relatively creamy and similar to Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in 11L (maybe a bit darker in color with tiny shimmers) but doesn't seem to irritate my eyes as MUFE does. I apply it with a tip of a stiff synthetic lip brush (MAC 316SE from a gift set) and smudge the edges right away, this way it comes out more smoky and less crumby. Staying power is amazing without a primer. Color is a very dark violet with a touch of ultra-fine silver/violet shimmer. I love such chubby pencils for eye lining, you get an instant smoky eye with a single line. It is very similar to MAC Shadesticks, Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier Pencils and my HG 100% Pure Creamstick Eye Liners, just thinner in application. As with MAC Shadesticks, make sure to close the lid tight with two clicks to prevent drying. I decided to keep mine in a plastic baggie because the bottom is not sealed and comes off as a sharpener, so you can see the stick itself from the bottom and drying out is potentially possible. EDIT: After wearing this liner on two consecutive days, my upper and lower eyelids got itchy and bumpy on one eye and a bit irritated on the other. Not sure what else could have caused it but the liner does smell like Clorox bleach to me. Not a good smell for an eye product. I might give it another try after my eyes heal. I'm allergic to glycerin and glycerides and this product does have one glycerin-derived ingredient at the beginning of ingredients list (C18-36 Acid Triglyceride), so it might be the reason for my reaction. It also has another big irritant, Bismuth Oxychloride that may cause itching and acne for some people like myself.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Lustre - Red Full-Stop
Sun_Shine 10/13/2009 1:04:00 AM
I am so in love with this gorgeous pink color and creamy Lustre texture! Might be a bit drying without a gloss on top. It is one of those easy-to-wear brights for a warm skin tone. Nothing traditionally red about it, really. It only looks coral-red in a tube (similar to a bright Coral Polyp in a tube but applies about five times more sheer in one swipe). You could make it a relatively sheer-melon with only one layer or go for a bolder pink-melon with more layers. It is a great dupe for MAC Electron Pink Lipglass Stain but in a lipstick form. I have a gift set of four stains from a while ago, they are really old so finding a dupe for the prettiest of them is such a joy! On my cool-toned lips, Red Full-Stop is the exact color of Electron Pink in a tube and leaves a light stain after it wears off. It is also very close to Scott Barnes Whisper Flossy Glossy lip gloss but Whisper is a bit warmer and more coral with fine gold shimmer. Whisper looks great over Red Full-Stop making it even more gorgeous. For a lip liner, Wearable Melon by Bare Escentuals is a great match to RFS. Chanel Precision Lip Definer in Peony is a touch darker and makes it somewhat deeper, love that combo.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Prescriptives - All Skins Mineral Foundation spf 15
Sun_Shine 8/12/2008 7:52:00 PM
barbieH, thank you a million for the ingredient list! Bismuth Oxychloride is the one causing breakouts, I believe. It is the no. 1 ingredient in Bare Escentuals that made me itch with every sign of perspiration and caused breakouts. Some people might also be allergic to iron oxides, especially in eyeshadows. Are there any other foundations by Prescriptives that would have no Bismuth Oxychloride? The phrase "may contain" actually means "contains". BE started putting the phrase "may contain" instead of "ingredients" so people wouldn't get frightened by Bismuth Oxychloride listed as the main ingredient. What a shame.
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Lipstick -Bare Escentuals - sheer joy
Sun_Shine 7/21/2008 9:47:00 PM
This is a very pretty light beige color. I am so all over it. Unfortunately, it was discontinued. Does anyone know of a similar color in BE's 100% natural lipstick? Or, perhaps MAC makes a similar shade?
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Makeup Brushes -Laura Geller - Travel Brush Set
Sun_Shine 6/18/2008 11:37:00 PM
Save your money! After reading excellent reviews, I got this set on QVC on a waitlist. The brushes were extremely scratchy - just as cheap as BE brushes (not counting BE's feather light brushes - love those). Maybe, it was a bad batch or collection of worst ones from returns. As with most brushes, I did cut out many thick and pointy hairs at the base (with my tiny crafter scissors) and washed the brushes several times to achieve some softness. Some hairs were so thick that reminded me of bor hairs used for eyebrow brushes. Eye brushes were absolutely the worst - who would want a mix of bor hairs for sensitive eye area? Laura's full-size eye brushes are excellent though even in large kits. I guess, travel size and full-size eye brushes are made of different material. The only thing I loved about this set is portability and short handles. I'm picky with brushes but you do not want use something that hurts or causes micro-cuts. The ones that relatively lived up to my expectations were Armani natural-hair brushes in a set I got on eBay years ago and the best ever Manual Override face brush #2. MAC blush brush and Christmas gift set brushes, Tarte and NARS kabuki brushes and Smashbox #19 were way too scratchy for me. Smashbox Halo brush was nice. I also wish to try Sonia Kashuk brushes.
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Bronzers -Tarte - Sunburst Beaded Bronzing Lotion
Sun_Shine 2/15/2007 6:07:00 AM
I was very disappointed with this product. It contains both moisturizer and beaded bronzing powder. Both get mixed up under pressure of your fingers. The main problem is that it does not mix too well leaving black dots all over my face - I have to use a wet Q-tip and magnifying lighted mirror to remove those dots afterwards, which takes forever especially after they settled up in pores making them look like blackheads. The moisturizing component dries out so fast that even by mixing the bids in my palm I end up with more dry beads left than moisture. The only solution I found is to mix this bronzer with another moisturizer 50 x 50 (I use LORAC oil-free moisturizer) just to have enough lotion to mix up the bronzing bids in my palm. Even after rubbing it very hard, I am left with some non-dissolving black particles of bronzer on my palm and fingers. I guess, the reason for it is a poorly sifted bronzer. I wish Tarte would improve quality of this product by either making a finer bronzing powder with easily dissolving bids or premixing it for me. I still love Tarte glosses though.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Bare Escentuals - Lip Guard - Cocoa Beach
Sun_Shine 1/11/2007 11:35:00 PM
Bare Escentuals Lip Guard with SPF 15 in Cocoa Beach. Excellent bronze shade. Yummy lemon taste and slight tinging to plump my lips. Would look great with a sun tan, which I still cannot neither achieve nor fake - too lazy, I guess. To apply, I squeeze a tube just slightly watching for a bit of product coming out and only then apply on my lips. Otherwise, I tend to squeeze too much and make a big mess.
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Fragrances -Terra Nova - Rain Perfume Essence
Sun_Shine 8/3/2006 4:22:00 AM
TerraNova Rain Perfume Essence. First time, I didn't like it when I dotted a drop behind my neck as I used to do with spray colognes. It seemed somewhat heavy and old-fashioned. But a few months later, I put a drop on my wrist and fell in love with this fragrance. It smelled really nice, sweet and fresh for a long time. I'll keep it for evening wear. A tiny bottle will probably last me a few years if just one drop is enough for a whole day.
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Fragrances -Terra Nova - Plumeria Cologne Mist
Sun_Shine 8/3/2006 4:12:00 AM
TerraNova Plumeria Cologne Mist. Talk about wearing a real Plumeria lei, the one made of large white flowers with yellowish undertones in the middle. Unbelievable. Love it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Terra Nova - Pikake Cologne Mist
Sun_Shine 8/3/2006 4:08:00 AM
TerraNova Pikake Cologne Mist. It's so uniquely tropical and beautiful perfume, just as a real flower. I think TerraNova is the best in making tropical fragrances so real smelling. Pikake is a tiny Hawaiian jasmine flower with pointy petals used for local island weddings. It's so fragrant that a couple of small flowers would probably fill the entire room with aroma for a few hours. Someone told me that this line is sold in Hawaii stores only. Hope it's not true!
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Fragrances -Terra Nova - Tuberose Cologne Mist
Sun_Shine 8/3/2006 3:58:00 AM
TerraNova Tuberose Cologne Mist. Comes in a 2 oz. bottle. I am thrilled to discover this fragrance. It is lighter than actual tuberose scent and is so fresh. Can't get enough of it. It will probably be my daily staple after so many years of jumping from fragrance to fragrance in a search of a freash as heaven and flowery perfume. I just wish it would come in a smaller size to fit my purse. UPDATE on size: It looks at they changed it into a much nicer packaging but it got smaller :( The scent is still the same. Love.
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Fragrances -Yves Rocher - Pur Desir de Lilas
Sun_Shine 8/1/2006 4:41:00 AM
Yves Rocher Pur Desir De Lilas - Lilac Spray EDT. One of my favorites. It is a memorable gift from my husband. Uniquely shaped and beautifully colored bottle. Very true to a real lilac scent, which I miss dearly because lilac doesn't bloom in Hawaii.
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Fragrances -L'Artisan Fragrances - Mimosa pour Moi
Sun_Shine 8/1/2006 3:00:00 AM
Mimosa Pour Moi by L'Artisan. I got a sample of it on eBay and was amazed how true the scent was. Real spring from my childhood. I would take a bath in it if I could! Wish it would stay on longer and was cheaper.
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Foundations -Clarins - True Comfort Foundation [DISCONTINUED]
Sun_Shine 8/1/2006 2:55:00 AM
Clarins True Comfort Light Reflecting Foundation with SPF 15. I got a sample of it in 04 shade, and thought it is excellent (never used it without a primer though as it seems too dry on its own). Almost got a full-size version of it but came across Laura Geller's Phenomenal Foundation and couldn't give it up :-) Will probably try Clarins again if run out of Laura Geller's foundation.
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