Foundations -Bare Escentuals - Bare Minerals Ready Foundation
alm1217 9/12/2012 1:25:00 PM
I wanted to love this product. I love using powder makeup because it's easier to apply than liquids and creams. I've been a mineral makeup user for about 7 years, although I've tried some other types over the years. My current HG foundation is Pur Minerals, but when I heard there was another pressed mineral foundation on the market, I had to at least give it a try. The more makeup to play with, the better! Well, I'm less than impressed. It'll be quicker to go over the good things first...The compact is pretty slim, so it doesn't take up much space. It lasts all day, and I typically have makeup on from about 7am until 10pm. I don't need to touch up with powder, and I don't feel like I need to set it when first applied. Ok, now the not so great things...I feel like the coverage looks totally fake. It looks very mask-like on me. I've tried applying with a light hand, but it seems to look the same no matter how little I apply. It also clings to any dry spots around my nose and really emphasizes them. It doesn't look smooth, and I can see the makeup in some lighting. I also think it's started to break me out. At least I already know I love the Pur Minerals, so I'll just stick to that foundation.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -Bare Escentuals - READY SPF 15 Touch Up Veil
alm1217 9/12/2012 1:12:00 PM
This product mostly has cons for me. The packaging gets dirty easily - I don't buy NARS cosmetics anymore because the black, rubbery compacts always look dirty. There isn't a separate compartment for the powder and the puff, and it feels unsanitary to store the puff on the powder. When applied, it looks thick. I generally feel pretty cakey and powdery after I apply this. It does take away shine and leave the skin matte, but I'd rather have a lighter powder with a more natural finish. You can really tell you laid down some powder. I might keep this around for emergencies, but it's not a go-to powder at all.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Maybelline - Dream Lumi Touch
alm1217 5/9/2012 4:53:00 PM
Well, this is just ok. I have this concealer in the lightest shade. The shade suits me fairly well, but if I put anything over it, like a powder or bronzer, it looks a little dark and heavy. I also find that it doesn't blend well, so I work in small areas. It just doesn't seem to want to spread out. The coverage is medium, and when I try to build it, I don't really see a difference. The packaging works fine. It's a click pen, so it takes a minute to get the product out when it's brand new. The amount of product that comes out is easy to control. The price is pretty average for a drugstore concealer, so nothing to complain about there...but there are better options for the money.
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Lip Treatments -Maybelline - Baby Lips lip balm
alm1217 5/9/2012 4:47:00 PM
These are pretty good lip balms. My lips feel hydrated and smooth. I have the 4 tinted shades. They all smell nice and are a good consistency. It's easy to build color or have a very subtle lip. My favorites are Peach Kiss and Grape Vine. They last a few hours on my lips, which is pretty good...and the color fades evenly. The price is under $4, and I've even seen them under $3 sometimes. The packaging feels nice and sturdy, and I'm not worried about the caps coming off in my purse. I'm not a fan of the print on the tubes though, but that didn't keep me from buying them.
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Blush -Physicians Formula - Happy Booster™ Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural
alm1217 5/9/2012 4:07:00 PM
I love this blush! I'm always on the hunt for the perfect color I can use everyday that looks natural and brightens my face. This is it! My cheeks look like they have life in them, but it's not screaming "BLUSH!" I'm very pale and I have to be careful with all blushes as I can look like a clown quite easily. I also have some redness on my cheeks already, so sometimes I feel that I'm just making that problem worse. This blush, however, doesn't make my redness more apparent. If anything, it masks it a little. I can apply it lightly or build it up. You get a soft sheen and you can see a few bits of shimmer in bright sunlight, but it's understated. We all know how blush has a tendency to disappear as the day wears on, but this still looks fresh on me at the end of my work day. No touching up during lunch required. This also works well with my Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer. I thought the bronzer might overpower the blush, but they play nice together. The packaging is ok. I like that you can see the color without opening or turning over the compact. That saves a few extra seconds in the morning if you happen to have multiple shades of this blush. The compact opens easily as well. Of course, the included brush is terrible. The mirror is under the product in the brush compartment...a common design these days but I'm not a fan of it. Physicians Formula products tend to be rather bulky, which keeps me from buying them often, so I think it would have been a good idea to get rid of the brush and make the compact slimmer...just my personal preference though. The price is on the high side of a drugstore product, but I don't mind. With the frequent sales on PF products and coupons/rebates, it's not too much of a hit to my wallet. Plus, with the overall quality of drugstore products improving and my growing experience with sub-par high end products, the line between the two worlds is really blurring for me anyways. Overall, this is a great blush. The packaging leaves a bit to be desired, but it's so cute, I don't really care. Performance and texture are top notch!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -BeneFit Cosmetics - Instant Brow Pencil (All Colors)
alm1217 4/26/2012 11:44:00 AM
I have this brow pencil in Light. The color looks natural, and the construction of the pencil is nice. I like having the color on one side and a spoolie on the other; it's very convenient. The product itself is a little soft, which is good and bad. It's good because it's easy to deposit the color and doesn't tug on the skin. It's bad because it's easy to put on too much. After application and a little brushing with the spoolie, I can't tell I'm wearing a brow pencil. It just looks like my brows are a little fuller. I seem to go through these pencils very quickly, so it can get expensive. I also can't get a very good point when I sharpen it, but it doesn't seem to affect the application. Overall, I think it's a good option, but I'm going to try to find something else that maybe is a little firmer and cheaper. Physicians Formula used to have a great brow product (I think it was called Wonder Brow)...I believe they have a new product, so maybe I'll try that one.
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Lip Gloss -Urban Decay - Lip Junkie
alm1217 4/26/2012 11:36:00 AM
I have this gloss in the shade Naked. It's a beautiful, natural color that you can wear everyday. I do not have pigmented lips AT ALL, so I don't usually wear it alone since it's a little too sheer to provide my pale lips enough color...but I love to layer it over a sheer lipstick or use it to touch up when my lipstick has almost worn away. The consistency is thick. It's not really sticky so much as heavy feeling...but it doesn't bother me because I know it's still there...if that makes any sense. The color lasts a long time - a few hours, even with eating and drinking. I can't detect a smell or taste, so this should work for people who are sensitive to those things - which I am. I will definitely re-purchase.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express One by One
alm1217 4/26/2012 11:30:00 AM
This is my go-to mascara at the moment. I've purchased it a few times and I'm always happy with how my lashes look. The formula is neither too wet nor too dry. It never clumps, and my lashes always look neat and separated. It doesn't volumize as much as some others I've used in the past, but I'm willing to let go of a little volume if I can have zero clumps. Of course, I'll continue to try new mascaras, but I will buy this again as well.
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Makeup Brushes -Pur Minerals - Chisel Brush
alm1217 4/26/2012 11:28:00 AM
This brush is terrible. It's rough, scratchy, and basically just hurts. I've gotten several starter kits over the years and have tried the brush many, many times...but it's uncomfortable. It also doesn't hold its shape well. It makes the foundation look great, so I tried to make it work. Now I use the Eco Tools bronzer brush and it works very well. I'm also going to try the Real Techniques buffing brush.
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Lip Gloss -Pur Minerals - Pout Plumping Lip Gloss - Rose Zircon
alm1217 4/26/2012 11:24:00 AM
I love Pur Minerals, but I hate these lip glosses. The smell makes me so sick. I don't know what it smells like, but I get queasy every time. It's a shame because they have some lovely colors, and they look shiny and chic on the lips...I just cannot get over the smell. The packaging is also unattractive.
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Blush -Pur Minerals - Pur Minerals Pressed Powder Blush
alm1217 4/26/2012 11:20:00 AM
This company makes very pretty blushes, especially in the limited edition palettes they've been coming out with lately. The colors are pigmented, soft, and wearable. It really livens up my face. My only complaints are the lack of shade range and the packaging. While the packaging is sturdy and easy to work with, it looks very cheap. I'd like to see them re-vamp the blush packaging to resemble the new foundation compacts. One thing I do like about the packaging is the clear lid. I like knowing which color I'm grabbing without turning it over first.
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Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow in Tough as Taupe
alm1217 4/25/2012 9:49:00 AM
I wanted to like this sooo bad, but it just doesn't work for me. First, I'll go over the positives. The packaging is high quality, and it's easy to see which color you have. It applies smoothly and doesn't crease. It lasts all day. I really only have one negative. I end up with shadows under my eyes about 3/4 of the way through the day...and it's very obvious that it's this shadow. It almost looks like I lightly applied it under my eyes. I don't have oily lids, but it traveled nonetheless. Maybe I'll try a different shade - sometimes mattes and shimmers are a little different in the way they wear.
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Lipstick -Revlon - ColorBurst lipstick in Petal
alm1217 4/25/2012 9:44:00 AM
This is my favorite lipstick of all time. I think it's discontinued now. It's not on the Revlon site and I can't find it anywhere around town. Luckily I found it online, and I recently ordered 5 tubes. This is a beautiful, everday lip color. It's a peachy shade with a hint of pink and some golden shimmer. It's not sparkly at all and gives a great sheen to the lips. The formula is smooth but it's not incredibly moisturizing. It doesn't necessarily dry out my lips, but I find if I use it several days in a row, I get the urge to use a lip balm. My favorite combination to use with this lipstick is to layer Urban Decay's Naked Lip Junkie over it. It looks gorgeous!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -LORAC - Visual Effects
alm1217 4/25/2012 9:38:00 AM
The formula produces great results - my lashes look longer and fuller...and it looks very natural as well. However, I cannot get past the brush! It's oddly shaped, and it really affects my ability to apply it. I tried applying it a few ways, but I honestly don't want to put that much effort into applying mascara - I want to swipe and go. Also, drugstore mascaras tend to work better for me anyway, so I'm probably just going to stick with those. I got this LORAC mascara in a kit; that was the only reason I tried it.
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Naked 2 Palette
alm1217 4/25/2012 9:28:00 AM
This is a great eye shadow palette. I bought the original Naked palette when it first came out, and I returned it about a week later. I felt that the colors were too warm and dark. Although some colors in Naked 2 are similar, I feel that overall it's a more wearable palette, especially for those of us with fair skin. The shadows are in the new formula, which appears to be smoother and have less fall out. Although one shade is repeated from the original palette - Half Baked - it's a little different due to the new formulation. It appears less orange or coppery than the old one. I couldn't pull it off before, but with the very subtle shade change, I feel it works on me now. The packaging is nice. I don't feel that I have to be super careful with it, and I feel that the shadows are secure. This is a great palette for travel due to its sturdy case and great selection of colors. My favorite colors in the palette are Bootycall, Suspect, Snakebite, and YDK. I use Suspect as my go-to everyday lid shade when I don't know what to do. Snakebite and YDK are wonderful against green eyes and made great lid or crease colors. I've only used Bootycall as an inner corner highlight and brow bone highlight, but I want to try it as a brightening lid shade soon. I have mixed feelings about the Tease color. It's just an odd shade, so I find that I've experimented very little with it. I use it as a crease shade to blend out Suspect, but that's pretty much all I've done with it. I'll have to try some new things with it. Blackout is a very intense, matte black that I only use for liner since I'm soo pale. I do have some darkness under my eyes in the evenings when I use it, so I don't use it that often. The included brush is pretty good. The flat shader side is quite useful, and I use it to apply my lids shades. The other side is more of a blending or crease brush. It's ok, and I have used it for brow bone highlights, but it's not the best at blending. The Naked lip junkie gloss you get as a bonus is awesome. It's a perfect everyday color and gives a little pigment. It's shiny without looking too wet. I like the applicator as well, no brush or doe-foot, just the squeezy tube hole. I find it easy to control application and it lasts for a few hours. I plan on purchasing a full size when my mini size is done. $50 sounds like a lot of money, but it's a fantastic deal for 12 full-size shadows, a double ended brush, and a mini lip gloss...in a sturdy, attractive case. I would definitely buy this again.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No