Crème -Revlon - ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup
ahraffarha 12/31/2012 3:28:00 AM
The only gripe I have with this foundation is the color selection. Revlon really does not work for NC 30-NC 35 skin. I have the same issue with Revlon colorstay in its liquid form. It is a pretty expensive drug store foundation and I haven't found that mixing two colors results in a more yellow or olive tone.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Boots - Lifting & Firming Foundation SPF 15 [DISCONTINUED]
ahraffarha 6/20/2011 2:45:00 AM
I think this is a winter foundation for me. I like this foundation because it is pigmented. Most drugstore brands aren't as pigmented as this foundation, of course, it costs more than most drugstore brands. I am 24 years old so the 'lifting and firming' wasn't really why I bought this. I have this in Nude and it has a good, strong yellow undertone for NC skin, I am NC 30 to 35 and this foundation looks a little light at first but matches after a few minutes. Lasting power--most liquid foundations don't last at all on my skin (combination), but this one does without a primer. I think you can get a good 5-6 hours out of this one, no primer, just powder to set.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Everyday Minerals - Pink Ribbon Blush
ahraffarha 6/8/2011 4:36:00 PM
I got a sample of this and it's just light pink glitter-shimmer. I am NC35 and really dislike light, cool toned, shimmery shades on my skin. Was not impressed. Looks like something fit for those toy makeup kits for the under 10 set.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Maybelline - Line Stylist
ahraffarha 3/22/2011 3:25:00 PM
This eyeliner was terrible. It is so hard that it breaks even when you press lightly, trying to warm it up doesn't help. It lasts, the problem really is the application- it breaks with even the slightest pressure. Total waste of money for me.
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Lipstick -NYX - Lipstick- #529 Thalia
ahraffarha 2/25/2011 11:54:00 PM
Wow. This color looks very good on some people [who compare it to MAC Viva glam V] but on me the grey undertone really overwhelms my NC 35 skin and makes me look kind of like I'm dead.... I'm sure this could look great on someone else. $2.50 on cherryculture so no biggie.
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Loose Powders -Ben Nye - Bella Luxury Powder: Banana (formerly known as Visage Poudre Luxury Powder)
ahraffarha 11/12/2010 1:31:00 AM
You have to use this very sparingly, if you use too much you will look scaly. Best powder I have ever used to set my foundation. Translucent powders give me a white cast because I have very strong yellow undertones. This doesn't! Plus the bottle will last forever. Seriously. $7 for 1.5 oz on makeupmania.com EDIT: can't help it but I end up looking scaly... grr. So this only gets a 2.
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Powder -Meow Cosmetics - Flawless Feline Mineral Foundation
ahraffarha 10/28/2010 2:48:00 AM
This powder manages to have an extremely drying effect on the skin. Even with moisturizer you can end up looking scaly. Meow doesn't accept returns or exchanges which I think is obnoxious. They should at least accept unopened items. I would not recommend this to anyone with dry or combination skin because it will make you look flaky. I have normal to dry skin and I can't use this HUGE shaker (30g) for anything. There's some temptation to buy this product because it says full coverage, but it looks like a mask. It's better to just buy a different foundation that's sheerer and build up. Their website is a mess. The colors don't show up very true to life. I don't think I am purchasing anything from Meow again.
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Crème -Graftobian - High-Definition Glamour Color Creme Foundation
ahraffarha 10/26/2010 10:11:00 PM
1. I am an NC35 but not quite because my skin is not all yellow undertones- there is a significant olive undertone. I bought Vixen (W3) I believe, and it was too light when I initially applied it. When it blended in to my skin it matched better. It matched my face which is less olive than my neck and hands, so it exacerbated the lack of olive in my face. I think I will have to try Temptress to see if I can make my face look more matched with my body. The Graftobian site has a "color equivalent" chart and NC 35 and Vixen are said to be equivalents. 2. Coverage: good, yes a little goes a long way. However, I think the learning curve is high on this foundation. I've been playing around with it for a few days (foundation brush, damp sponge, fingers, buffer brush) and although it glides on like butter I am not quite sure how to use this foundation as concealer and have it stay in place. My skin is sort of flaky right now so setting powder (like Ben Nye's Banana Visage powder) just makes my skin look dry and cakey. Primer and moisturizer before hand help the foundation melt in to the skin, but can you really go without setting a cream product? 3. Lasting power and water resistance: It's relatively water resistant but again, I can't really say that it lasts "all day" 4. It gets in your fine lines in your under eye area, so wouldn't recommend this as an under eye concealer. I've buffed it out with a small dome eyeshadow brush and then applied concealer over it and that worked decently. 5. The price is actually not that cheap. You get 1/2 ounce for $9 plus shipping if you buy online. This is a cream product and it is well pigmented so I still think it's worth it. 6. Broke me out, so will not be repurchasing.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Rimmel - Moisture Renew - Vintage Pink
ahraffarha 7/21/2010 3:55:00 AM
It's darker in the tube then it is on. AND OMGOSH is it purple. I have dark red lips so maybe that's a part of it, but "pink" is not what it looks like alone on me. If I want to make it look pink I have to use a nude lipstick underneath I agree with other reviews here that the moisturizing properties are fantastic-even if it doesn't last quite that long... The smell doesn't bother me at all, however I generally don't have a problem with the scent of cosmetics. I also do not have a problem with the taste...
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - Xtreme Wear - Celeb City
ahraffarha 7/20/2010 1:22:00 AM
It's pure silver sparkle like others have said.. It can be a bit overwhelming, but I really like it! It didn't chip or fade for 2-3 days on me without a topcoat. I think that's pretty great because everything chips or fades on me within 1-2 days. It looks much shinier when you first apply it and it wears down without a topcoat. It's a really unique color and I bought it for only $3.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express The Falsies
ahraffarha 7/7/2010 1:08:00 PM
I HATE THIS MASCARA. The brush is ridiculously shaped for such a heavy mascara. It clumps like crazy and does not hold a curl. Every other mascara I have ever tried in my life holds a curl on my eyelashes. It doesn't even begin to give a false-eye lash look. It looks crazzzzy. Don't buy this, the volume express colossal that comes in the yellow tube has a MUCH better brush.
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Liquid -Neutrogena - Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup SPF 20 (2009 formulation)
ahraffarha 4/21/2010 3:53:00 AM
1. I am not sure what I'm doing wrong but this product doesn't work for me. 2. When I put it on it looks really great, dries to sort of a satin finish, but within maybe 30 minutes it kind of balls up in places and wears off everywhere else. It also accentuates dry patches on my face, dry patches that for some reason are not accentuated when I use my glycerin-rosewater spray-mineral foundation flat top kabuki buff method. 3.I have even tried this foundation with primer, albeit a cheap one (Maybelline Instant Age Rewind)...this primer works fine for with my mineral foundation. 4.I have also tried mixing this foundation with Revlon Colorstay in warm golden, which you'd think would make this foundation last longer but I achieved the same end result: it wore off incredibly quickly and sort of became concentrated in certain areas. 5.It's a shame because the coverage (in the first five minutes) is very good and the color natural beige-60 is very yellow and matches my skin tone exactly. 6. I have also tried various methods of applying this foundation: foundation brush, flat top kabuki to stipple, sponge...and honestly only applying it with my fingers gave me a smooth application. 7. I have tried mineral foundation as a setting powder and it seemed to work, it reacted badly to setting powder with talc. ***If you have any suggestions for me, please help!***
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Makeup Brushes -Sonia Kashuk - Foundation Brush
ahraffarha 4/17/2010 6:02:00 AM
I feel like this brush is ideal for under eye concealing. It is very small for a foundation brush. I don't really think there is much to say about a regular filbred cut foundation brush, but I don't ever reach for this because I think I would need to have a larger brush of the same kind to do my foundation with... Also because I feel like I get better coverage with other types of brushes (a blush brush for stipple and swirling liquid foundation or a stippling brush or a flat top kabuki)...
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Masks -Unlisted Brand - Aztec - Indian Healing Clay
ahraffarha 4/17/2010 5:41:00 AM
I bought 1lb of this off of vitacost.com for about $7, it's cheaper on Amazon I believe you can get 2 lbs of this for only $7. I mix it with apple cider vinegar in to a paste. I have been using it for about three weeks, once a week. The very first time I used it I was really pleasantly surprised at how much smaller my pores looked. I do believe it has helped a lot with my blackheads/whiteheads. I don't really have any visible blackheads because I use differin, but for some reason even with witch hazel (which I have been using for months) and differin (retinoid), I haven't been able to really get rid of all my clogged pores. I use mineral makeup too! bismuth-free! Sigh, in any case, this really helps. It does leave my face red afterwards but that subsides within 30 minutes. Also-side note and it might just be me--but the apple cider vinegar has helped lighten my acne scars (I use differin too, but I've been using it for years so I know that's not it) and I didn't think that only a few spoonfuls once a week for three weeks would make any difference although I believe with green tea it makes a good acne toner--haven't tried that because I have combo/dry skin with eczema so I am sticking with witch hazel. There is so much product, they claim 1lb will make only 10 facials but I am pretty sure it will make 20+. I have used it 4-5 times and I haven't even gotten past the cap.
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Top/Base Coats -Sally Hansen - Insta-Dri
ahraffarha 4/17/2010 5:31:00 AM
The only way to use this product is over wet polish, that's the only way it makes your polish last. If you dry your polish even a little it will cause some major chipping. I have not tried seche vite because I don't believe it's big three free (DBP tolune, one last one)... so right now this is all I have! This gives your nailpolish a nice thick glossy finish. I like the brush, it paints the top coat on rather thick, and the product itself thickens over time. My nails always chip within about 4 days, esp. my right forefinger which I guess I use to open packages and what not...so as far as the prevention of chipping goes I would put it at 3 days, which is a long time for me. It does dry your nails in about one minute, which I like. note: there is still some fading of nail polish with this product...
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