Lip Gloss -Stila - Blackberry Lip Glaze
alixnaiq 10/7/2012 5:32:00 AM
I bought my first tube of this a year ago, and am on my second. This is the best MLBB gloss I've ever had - doesn't last so long, but goes with practically all my eye makeup looks, and is enough to add a bit of polish on its own. The shade is a medium brownish berry that goes on quite sheer, and complements my Stila TM warm skin. It doesn't last long, but glosses generally don't, and the shade works too well on me for this to be a major drawback. Will definitely buy again once I'm done with my second tube.
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Treatments (Eye) -The Body Shop - Fragrance-Free Elderflower Eye Gel
alixnaiq 6/16/2010 4:23:00 AM
I'm giving 5 lippies because this product serves its purpose in my skincare routine. I've been using this eye gel since my teens - back then I hoped it would reduce dark under-eye circles, but when it didn't, the refreshing effect was enough for me to repurchase. Now that I'm not particularly fussed about my dark circles, I like using this at night, and sometimes on days when I'm not wearing eye makeup. It's really hydrating and gentle, and I feel very refreshed after applying it. It's also good for humid tropical climates, I think - it doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy or heavy. I've never used any eye treatment daily and can't be bothered to, and I don't have a problem with puffiness, so I have no idea what effect daily use would have. But I find myself using this several times a week, and plan to keep it on hand as a pick-me-up.
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Lip Treatments -The Body Shop - Born Lippy Lip Balm
alixnaiq 6/16/2010 4:13:00 AM
I used up 2 pots of the raspberry one, partly because I liked the smell & taste. I haven't tried a whole lot of lip balms, so FWIW, this is sufficiently moisturising and stays on the lips for quite some time, which I liked when I had to survive New York winters. Once I started using my MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner, I stopped using this in the daytime so I can't tell how (in)convenient it is, but it made a good lip treatment for night. I didn't quite like the tint though - a bit too fuchsia for my fairly sallow East Asian complexion. One caution - by the time I hit pan on my second pot, I noticed that it started stinging my lips a little bit (something which hasn't happened before), so I tossed it out. Not sure if it's because the pot is around 3 years old - it smells fine (not rancid), but perhaps my lips started to react to some active ingredient in it? I plan to try other lip balms, but would repurchase if I couldn't find one that I liked better.
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Moisturizers -Unlisted Brand - Hazeline Snow Moisturising Cream
alixnaiq 6/15/2010 6:35:00 AM
For my night moisturisers, I'm not asking for miracles - I just want to my cheeks to feel less dry, and reduce the slight flakiness around my nose & mouth & between my eyebrows. This product is effective on both counts, and feels sufficiently light on my combination skin. I also use this as a primer under Benefit Foundation Faker, and it's allowed me to finally get some use out of a fairly expensive foundation - I'd stopped using it for ages because on bare skin, it highlighted all the flaking skin. I got this last August, and I've barely reached the broadest part of the jar after using it 4-5 times a week, so it's really good value for S$3.45. Might try other moisturisers, but I'll probably buy another a jar of this with me as a backup when I run out.
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Lotions/ Creams -Jurlique - Rose/Lavender Hand Cream
alixnaiq 6/15/2010 6:26:00 AM
I have the lavender one, and find the scent very pleasant & not overpowering. I agree with all the reviewers who said that the cream sinks quickly into the skin - makes it good for the tropical, very humid climate I live in now. It's definitely even less sticky than my Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream, & I'd thought that was good! I use hand cream just when the skin on my hands feels a bit tightness, not intense dryness, so I can't say how well this would work for very dry hands or in very dry climates. But if your hands are just a bit dry, or you're looking for a light hand cream, this is a good bet. I plan to compare the price per unit with that of Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream to know whether I'd fork out for this (the one I have was a gift). I wish there was a "maybe" option - I might repurchase if I feel the scent, feel & amount of this product was worth a little extravagance. I've barely started my 4 oz tube of this stuff and I don't use it every day so I don't know how long it will last. If it lasts me a year or more, I might be willing to pay a bit more, and keep my Neutrogena for travel.
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Moisturizers -Nivea - Creme
alixnaiq 6/15/2010 6:07:00 AM
I first started using this when I was at school in New York. I was looking for a cheap & effective drugstore face moisturiser for fall & winter (I used it in spring too), and got this after reading reviews on MUA. It was excellent as both a night cream - a thin layer was all I needed for the dryness on my cheeks & around my nose and mouth, and to protect my skin against chilly winds. (I'd use my tinted moisturiser for day.) I don't know how this feels under foundation, but I'd certainly recommend this for night. Now that I'm back in my tropical home country, I find this product a bit heavy for the face, but I'm using up the one I bought as a foot cream. I bought the tube version so I've given the packaging a 4, but when that's gone I'll be breaking out the tub I asked a family member to get for me when she was in the US. I intend to get another tube of this stuff to protect my face if I visit a temperate climate during the colder seasons.
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Lip Gloss -TheFACEShop - lip gloss
alixnaiq 6/9/2010 6:42:00 AM
I got this last year in their darkest shade - a very deep berry pink, the least glittery shade I could find. The colour turned out to be too cool-toned for my complexion, but would probably be flattering on darker complexions. The worst thing about this product is that the tube sprung a leak after about 4 months - I hadn't even been carrying it around with me (good thing, otherwise my makeup pouch would have been ruined), just left it standing upright in a container with my other tubes of lip gloss. I tried mending it with scotch tape, but had to throw it away in the end. There was a lot of product and the gloss was fairly pigmented & smooth, but it's useless if the packaging is of such poor quality.
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Mascara -Rimmel - Lash MAXXX - Waterproof
alixnaiq 6/9/2010 5:24:00 AM
I bought this when I was on holiday in the UK - the Rimmel counter in my country doesn't have this particular mascara. I agree with the reviewers who said that it doesn't hold a curl, and needs a lot of product to give lashes any extra length or thickness. (I'd have rated this 5 lippies if not for this.) However, this makes it perfect for when I want to look a bit more polished but not "I am wearing mascara". It feels like a more watery formula than some other mascaras I've tried - perhaps that's why you need multiple coats to get any volume or thickness. I didn't begrudge the time needed for that when this was my main mascara, but that's probably because I only wore it a couple of times a week on average. The main thing I look for in mascaras is how waterproof they are, because I have extremely oily skin around my eyes. After going through a lot of brands over the years, this is definitely one of the most truly waterproof mascaras I've used. (People with oily lids, don't bother with Maybelline VolumExpress WP, YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils, or Max Factor Volume Couture waterproof. Strangely the MF Volume Couture WP mascara was much more smudge-prone than the 2000 Calorie WP mascara.) Barely any smudging after a whole day out in humid tropical weather. I used to have a different Rimmel WP mascara (can't remember the exact product name) that was also very smudge-proof while not being great for length/volume, so it seems that Rimmel is onto a good thing when it comes to waterproofing. I intend to keep a Rimmel WP mascara on hand for non-made-up days. I have to add that the comb applicator for this product is a gem - it really was zero clump on me. I'm keeping it to use with my Shiseido Majolica Majorca Lash Enamel Glamour mascara (currently my HG).
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Eyeliner -Revlon - Colorstay Eyeliner - Teal
alixnaiq 5/5/2010 12:36:00 PM
The colour of this liner wasn’t nearly as intense as the box promised, unlike the other Revlon Colorstay pencils I’ve tried. When worn on its own, the teal didn’t suit my skintone (I’m East Asian, Stila tinted moisturiser in Medium 01) at all - the green was much too warm for me. Tried layering under eyeshadows – the pencil is fairly dry so if I applied matte eyeshadow over it, my eyelid looked leathery, but after some frustration, finally discovered a look that works - this liner under my Body Shop Chocolate shadow (dark cool-toned brown satin) blended with the darkest shade of Revlon’s Midnight Garnet eyeshadow quad (a cocoa brown satin). It adds a nice bluegreen undertone (a bit like one of my favourite shadows, L’Oreal HIP pigment in Intrepid) to otherwise ordinary brown shadows, and the shimmer sticks nicely onto the pencil. But I'm not repurchasing this after I run out (which will be a while, because I've just started using it), because it takes more time to do this green+brown iridescent look, and I might as well just brush on Intrepid as a wash rather than take the time to put on three products.
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Lip Gloss -Urban Decay - Big Fatty Lip Plumper
alixnaiq 1/13/2010 3:39:00 AM
This is the first and only lip plumper I've ever used - it came in a palette given by a friend. I have no problems with the plumpness of my lips, but thought I'd give this a try anyway. The burning sensation is incredibly painful, and confirms my belief that lip plumpers are a waste of money. I have UD XXX shine gloss in Naked from the same palette, and theBalm gloss in my grapes, and both of these seem to contain plumpening ingredients (which I prefer not to have, but I liked the colours of both those glosses) without being as painful & unpleasant as this product.
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Crème -BeneFit Cosmetics - Some Kind-A Gorgeous
alixnaiq 12/30/2009 8:01:00 AM
This is the first "proper" foundation I've ever used. I bought this a while ago, but have barely started using it because when I first tried it, I didn't like the way it emphasised all the dry places on my face, and found my Stila SPF 15 tinted moisturiser (which I usually use) more convenient. But recently I tried using this after moisturising my face beforehand (with Hazeline Snow) and letting the moisturiser sit a bit, and that seemed to be the secret that will allow me to use up this foundation. After moisturising, it worked quite well - gave me enough coverage, and the shade blends quite well into my skin tone (East Asian fair-medium). In fact, being a TM devotee, this foundation initially felt a bit too matte, and it took me a while to get used to that. It feels very light, and sits nicely on my combination skin even after several hours. For some reason, despite my combination skin, I didn't have the problems with greasiness that other commenters have noted. But I haven't used this for many days in a row, so I'm not sure how well my skin would react to that. Packaging-wise, I agree with other commenters who found the sponge unsanitary - I wash mine every so often, and might change it soon. I don't know if I will buy it again because it sells for SGD$60 here, and I'm planning to try MAC foundations, but if those other products don't work out I would definitely consider repurchasing this.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Stila - SPF 30 oil-free tinted moisturizer TM
alixnaiq 12/30/2009 7:46:00 AM
I'd used the SPF 15 version for about 4 years, and was planning to replace it at Sephora when this was recommended to me. It gave me about the same coverage as the SPF 15, which probably isn't that much, but I don't go for the porcelain-perfect look anyway. This TM covers up slight reddening and reduces the appearance of my pores, and the SPF level makes me feel more secure, especially now that I've moved back to my tropical & humid home country. I've been researching other brands of TM on MUA out of curiosity, but will probably repurchase this. I don't wear it every day, so the amount of product here lasts me for about a year.
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Eyeliner -Revlon - ColorStay Eyeliner - Navy
alixnaiq 12/10/2009 2:03:00 AM
I like the texture & staying power of Revlon Colorstay eyeliner pencils in general. I think this is an excellent version of navy eyeliner because the colour is a true navy that won't be mistaken for black, but for various reasons I don't find myself using it very often (when I do, it's usually with dark eggplant shadows like MAC Shadowy Lady or i nuovi velvet), so I probably won't repurchase this shade, although I would recommend it strongly to those who are fans of navy eyeliner.
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Shotgun eyeshadow
alixnaiq 12/10/2009 1:55:00 AM
A friend gave me an Urban Decay makeup palette for my birthday, and this was one of the shadows inside. The glitter in Shotgun is far too chunky and unsubtle for me, and the pink is too chalky for my medium East Asian skin tone, especially when I tan. Certainly not a shade I would repurchase.
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - HIP Loose Pigment-Intrepid
alixnaiq 9/5/2009 2:02:00 PM
I was seduced by the colour, and it didn't disappoint - brown with iridescent green. The lasting power isn't great, but it's okay if you build up the colour a bit. [Edit: Discovered that applying it with a damp brush makes the iridescence pop!] and I forgave it because that shade is very flattering to me (East Asian, medium complexion). I also like the packaging - a small sort of "shaker" and a special brush. I wear Intrepid alone as a wash all over my eyelids (although I might try it as a liner and with my other brown shadows after reading some of the reviews). At the moment I'm still figuring out how to make my eyeshadow last longer on my oily eyelids - most shadows fade on me even with MAC eye primer, so when I review the shadows in my existing stash or update my reviews, it's a question of how they look when they fade. Intrepid does fade a little, but it fades in a fairly flattering rock/grunge-chic way, if that makes any sense. Given that I don't go for the immaculate airbrushed look, I don't mind if my eyeshadows fade in intensity after a long day. One good thing is that it doesn't crease noticeably. I probably won't repurchase it because one tub seems to contain loads of shadow. Since I'm increasingly inclined towards simpler looks and also am facing budget limitations, I don't know if this shade will be essential enough to repurchase by the time I run out, unless I start using it more often (which could very well happen).
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