Palettes -Christian Dior - Shimmer Powder 001 Rose Diamond, Spring 08
VenusReinvented 2/4/2010 3:18:00 AM
Oh what divine intervention led me to this blush that day. I had gone to the mall in search of something completely different, braving rain and hail in the middle of a freezing Pacific NW winter day shrouded in its typical depressing grey, never knowing that fate was about to smile on me. And if anyone had told me even an hour before that I would walk out of Sephora that day gladly paying $47 for an overpriced, psychedelically blue compact of frosty white-pink highlighter I would not have believed them! But such was the case and just like that, a HG was born. I can't say much about this product that others haven't already. It comes in a blue oblong Dior compact. Inside there are several strips of what appears to be very shimmery almost frosty colors. They range from a white (which actually flashes pink on skin - very cool), to a pale silvery pink, to a slightly darker silvery-taupey pink to finally a single narrow bar of a bright, vibrant rose pink at the very end. I can and often do use the first 3 colors as highlighter on my eyes but mostly I use this straight up as a blush. I swirl a big fluffy blush all across the pressed powder (it is a hard powder so you can swirl with devilish abandon - it won't pick up too much) & then I sweep it up and down my cheekbones and a little on to the apples of my cheeks. This gives the most honest to goodness natural flush I have ever had from a blush. It looks like my skin and if it flashes a golden sheen in some light it manages to do so without accentuating every little flaw in my skin. I love, love, love this and despite the quite outrageous price tag will buy this again and again if I ever run out or *gasp* something mischievous happens to part me from it, my one true love!
15 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Cargo - Blush Laguna
VenusReinvented 2/4/2010 2:57:00 AM
While I love the pigmentation and smooth feeling of Cargo blushes this is a puzzler. I purchased this and Gotham at the same time & love, love, love Gotham for its subdued yet unique pink flush(see my review for Gotham separately). Laguna on the other hand is a very rich, deep orange-red color in pan, bright & happy, but because of the richness it is difficult to use. I have tried a regular fluffy brush, an angled brush and a skunk brush. Depending on the brush you can control how much goes on. However, even with controlled application I still find it overwhelming for my NC20 winter pale face. It's not a cold weather flush but more like an 'I took a dip with the polar bears in winter wonderland' kind of flush! Pretty but a little too much. The color, pigmentation and formula will be lovely on someone darker I am sure and for that reason I have to give it a 3 at least. It's a really fun, happy, bright blush that I wish I liked more.
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Blush -Cargo - Gotham
VenusReinvented 1/18/2010 7:07:00 PM
In the pan this looks quite dark for a pink blush, a medium true pink that is blue based. On your cheeks (or my cheeks) it turns into an almost doll like baby pink hue with subtle blue iridescence that is only visible if you look closely. From a distance it just looks like a pale pink glow that is very natural. Understated and beautiful. After owning 40+ blushes this is the first blush that has made me feel awake & pretty, confident as if I could walk out the door with nothing else but just wearing this blush. I also really like the simplicity of Cargo blush packaging. It's a silver tin many know well with a top that pops on and off. I don't know how secure the top may be during transportation but on my vanity I find it both easy to open and close and when closed the cap stays on securely which gets a big thumbs up. For reference: I am MAC NC20 with pale yellow undertones and look best in cool colors.
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Fragrances -Marc Jacobs - Daisy
VenusReinvented 12/30/2009 6:57:00 PM
I have a bottle of this ....somewhere. That doesn't sound very auspicious, I know. I first smelled this at Nordstrom's one day while aimlessly browsing the beauty counters. The first spray on my wrists reminded me of day old flowers outside a Hindu temple I had once visited in India. Cloyingly sweet and stale. Later that same day going about my home I suddenly caught a whiff of a pleasant, sweet scent. It smelled like the waft of a fresh breeze on a summer day that may come in through a open window next to a flower garden - light, delicate, umistakably floral and pretty. For the next few hours I kept smelling it over and over and had no idea where it was coming from. I checked my window, stepped out on the balcony, even sniffed my new body wash. It was only when I was getting ready for shower and raised my hand to pull my hair back that I realized what it was - lingering traces of Daisy on my wrist. Naturally, I went back and bought a bottle. So why is it that after so much ado I have a bottle, only, "somewhere"? Well, it's because it still smells like rotten flowers on me when I first spray it. In a few hours it transforms into something beautiful and if I were able to get up at 4 am every morning to spray myself with it I would wear this daily. But, sadly, I have neither such dedication nor madness and so it remains relegated to the back of my perfume cabinet. I do bring it out whenever I know I have a few hours to get ready and cannot bear to give it less than a 4 although I probably wouldn't buy it again. If you like sweet, innocent yet polished scents give this a try - if it smells like it does on me once it has dried down you have a winner.
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Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Coralista
VenusReinvented 11/28/2009 4:04:00 AM
I am fairly resistant to hypes and so, having originally purchased Dandelion when it first came out and been underwhelmed by the product itself, I found it easy to ignore the variations that have hit the market since. Until Coralista that is. It is a beautiful coral-pink color that goes on sheer but can be built to a gorgeous lit from within glow. On my light-medium slightly olive toned skin it shows up as a peachy-pink flush and makes me look subtly brighter. Blends smoothly, doesn't accentuate anything it shouldn't and highlights everything it should. A lovely blush or highlighter, depending on your coloring and use, and I absolutely will buy again if I run out although I don't think that will happen anytime soon. On the surface this is a pricy product but you get quite a lot in the little box. At 12g/0.42 oz it is almost twice the amount of most blushes and so quite a good value to boot. One thing - as others have said - use your own brush.
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Fragrances -MAC - Creations Fragrance Blend Variation Parfumee MV3 [DISCONTINUED]
VenusReinvented 7/29/2009 10:21:00 PM
This is one of my favorite evening scents. It is a sharp, spicy-sweet scent - a combination of heady bergamot, sensual jasmine and sweet vanilla - utterly delicious. It starts out sharp and melts into a softer but still unmistakably pretty scent hours later that is intoxicating. Definitely powerful but eminently feminine. I read reviews saying this is masculine or unisex. Does not smell masculine on me but as a grown up, sophisticated scent. I don't smell any leather in this on me but I do smell the bergamot, jasmine and a less-sweet spicier vanilla. Love. It's a keeper. This is a fragrance for a woman rather than a girl. One caveat - not all perfumes work with everyone's body chemistry. I have heard some perfumes praised highly that were awful on me so definitely try first if you get the chance.
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Lipstick -Maybelline - Color Sensational - Madison Mauve
VenusReinvented 7/29/2009 8:36:00 PM
This is a gorgeous color. It looks dark goth purple in tube but goes on a sheer metallic mauve that can be built up. I don't get plum from this but everything looks more pink on my lips so that may be why. It has a slight metallic sheen but takes gloss very well on top without any color loss, lasts a while, fades uniformly, smells faintly sweet and has no discernible taste. Love it.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Maybelline - Color Sensational
VenusReinvented 7/29/2009 8:21:00 PM
I have two of these - Madison Mauve and Copper Charm. Originally, I had got another nude color but it smelled and tested awful. I feel bad about returning an used product but I couldn't stand it it was so bad. Before buying another color I decided to carefully do a sniff test - yes, I am the crazy woman you saw at Target sniffing lipstick tubes. Actually, I just twisted the lipstick up and held it close to my face but not so close to my nose that I look like a lunatic. To my surprise these two colors smelled faintly sweet. I noticed most of the nudes smell awful but somehow not Copper Charm and the plums/wines (Madison Mauve) all seem to be pretty nice. Overall, I really like the color and formula both of the two tubes I got. Madison Mauve is a medium dark slightly metallic mauve and Copper Charm is a copperish brown (more medium brown than copper on me). The colors look gorgeous, are work appropriate, last a decent amount, fade uniformly and have a pleasant smell and no discernible taste. Huge win for me. I will buy again - in fact, I plan to check out a couple of the lighter colors next.
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