Brows -BeneFit Cosmetics - Instant Brow Pencil (All Colors)
alousek 4/12/2013 4:50:00 AM
I have super fair and soft blond brows so even the ligtest brow products are often too dark for me. I have heard amazing things about the Brow Zing Palette, but the light option was obviously too dark for me... I tried this pencil in light and it seemed to be ok, so i bought it. Next morning i tried to use it on the daylight and I was very surprised, it was super dark on me! I have to use it veeeery lightly and be extremely careful and even like this i cannot wear it during the day to work. It looks really unnatural and dark on me. What I like using it for is evenings out when i have overall heavier makeup. What I like about it - it has a waxy texture so it holds the brows in shape, but if you are not careful with it the brows stick weirdly on to the skin. What I dislike and was literally shocked about is that I have to sharpen it every 2-3 uses and the pencil is gonna be gone very soon. When daily used I think it would last maybe a month or so, which makes it really expensive. It is a shame they dont have more options for the really light brows, i would probably be using it, but the color problem is a major one for me.
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Concealers -Christian Dior - Diorskin Nude Skin Perfecting Hydrating Concealer
alousek 4/8/2013 5:21:00 AM
My skin is currently something inbetween MAC NW15 and NW20. I am usually using as allround concealer the Select Cover Up from MAC in NW20. In winter I usually get paler than that and also drier. If I wasnt suffering from the dry weather, I would probably buy NW15 as well and would mix them together to get the right shade. As the Select Cover Up can accentuare dry patches sometimes, I was searching for something hydrating and a bit lighter in color. This concealer is perfect, the color (001 Ivory) is just right - a tiny little bit lighter than NW20, but not as pale as NW15. The coverage is medium I would say, bit less heavy than Select Cover Up, but still very good and buildabe. The finish is super natural and it does not accentuate lines in the eye area and it also does not make dry patches (ex spots) visible and even more dry. I definitely see the hydrating effect there without making the spot/dry patch oily or super shiny. It is only healthy even skin that is left behind. Edit: Just wanted to add, that i tried several brushed with this concealer - MAC 217 and 286 and Real techniques ones and have to say that you achieve best results when applied with fingers. It blends more easily and looks like skin with nothing on (given you have the right shade).
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Makeup Brushes -MAC - #217 Blending
alousek 4/2/2013 7:00:00 AM
A very nice brush for blending or for a wash of color on the lids. I use it every day and I already did repurchase several times. I dont wear a lot of eyeshadow and if I wear some it is never a sophisticated smokey eye. I tend to use only one light color all over and deepen it a bit in the crease. This brush does both quickly and well. I find that in time (after a couple of years and many many washes) it looses its shape and becomes harder, but that is probably normal for a real-hair brush. I used to use it for my undereye concealer, but I changed to Real Techn. eye brushes. The syntetic hair blends liquid formulas way more easily and effortlessly. I cannot really compare to other brands, only to Real Techniques. Real Techniques Eye kit of 5 brushed is amazing too, I can blend well with the two eyeshadows brushes, but in terms of picking up colour i still prefer the 217, the taklon bristles do not performe the same.
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Stick -Max Factor - PAN - STICK
alousek 4/2/2013 6:47:00 AM
I bought this foundation stick with the intention to use it as a concealer on spots and discolorations. It is supposed be very heavy in terms of coverage and be available also in light enough shades. I bough it in the shade 121 Nude Ivory which was a pretty good match for my Mac NW15-NW20 skin. It did cover things up, but the problem was that it did not look very skinline and also even set with powder it would crease and become super oily (I dont have many wrinkels and my skin is actually more normal to combination to oily).
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Foundations -Max Factor - Pan-Stick in Nude Ivory
alousek 4/2/2013 6:43:00 AM
I bought this foundation stick with the intention to use it as a concealer on spots and discolorations. It is supposed be very heavy in terms of coverage and be available also in light enough shades. I bough it in the shade 121 Nude Ivory which was a pretty good match for my Mac NW15-NW20 skin. It did cover things up, but the problem was that it did not look very skinline and also even set with powder it would crease and become super oily (I dont have many wrinkels and my skin is actually more normal to combination to oily).
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Makeup Brushes -Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman - Powder Brush
alousek 4/2/2013 5:53:00 AM
A huge powder brush that is surprisingly not as soft as other Real Techn. brushes.... (i own the Blush one and several others). It is a decent brush, that does not shed and washes and dries easily and quickly... The handle is too big and not really practical if you wanna keep your brushes in a glas jar, it takes so much space... Nothing to complain really, but also nothing to be cheerful about.
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Makeup Brushes -Sephora - Professional Mineral Powder Brush #45
alousek 4/2/2013 5:50:00 AM
An amazing soft brush, that does not shed and keeps its shape after washings. I own currently 3 of these (to alternate - I wash it after every use, every day basically) and use it every day with my tinted moisturizers or lighter makeup formulations. Also use it for my powder makeup and blush sometimes. When I travel it is often the only face brush I would take with me. A great quality brush that distributes the product quickly and easily in such a natural way, gives a super skin-like finish. The only thing I would not recommend it for is a thicker BB cream type of product, in that case I still do prefer my Real Techniques Stippling brush.
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Treatments -Essie - apricot cuticle oil
alousek 3/26/2013 10:30:00 AM
It is my first Essie treatment I bought and i am very happy about it so far. I have very dry hands and nails, my cuticles tend to be very dry and fragile especially in winter. This oil moistures nicely and i see already a difference after 2 weeks using it once to twice a day. It smells nicely and soaks in relatively fast - i usually apply it before going to sleep so I would not mind if it took longer. I cannot compare it much to other cuticle oils as I have used only one before Essie - an organic drugstore one from the german brand Alverde. Essie has definitely more effect I find. The only disadvantage is the structure of the brush, I would have wished something softer.
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Powder -Clinique - Almost Powder Makeup SPF 15
alousek 3/18/2013 11:14:00 AM
I am NW15-NW20 and have this in "Fair". I like Clinique products because they are not scented and i never was disappointed with them. This is not an exception. I like that this powder makeup is very finely milled and matches my skin color perfectly. I use it either only as a powder over a tinted moisturizer (Clinique Moisture Surge shade 01 or Nars Radiance in Finland) and add a bit to the places where i need some more coverage - chin, nose area where i tend to get some redness. Or I also use it on its own to create a no-makeup look. This is doable only it you have pretty good skin or if you have already used concealer on your redness and acne. I dont have any major skin issues, so it works very well for me with a bit of concealer underneath. I also find that over the tinted moisturizer it mattyfies my t-zone for a long time, the skin stays matt for a longer time then with a regular powder. I am a clinique skin type 2 though only - dry combination, so no idea if it would act the same on really oily skin.
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Blush -NARS - Douceur
alousek 3/18/2013 10:51:00 AM
I was searching for a nice, neutral and subtle blusher, that would also add a bit of contour. I am NW15-NW20 and all the other recommended contour color such as Chanel Notorious or Nyx Taupe didnt seem to be seemless on my skin to me. They seemed too ashy somehow. I was very happy to find Douceur which was supposed to do kinda both - add some color and sculpt a tiny little bit. I love the colour, its a light brown with a natural old pink to it that flatters very fair skintones. I apply it on my cheeckbone and also a bit below and it looks amazing, it creates a natural shadow under the cheekbone and brings forward the apples of the cheeks. I wear it often just like that, but when i really want to look put together i would add a bit of Deep Throat only on the apples of the cheeks. Creates a very nice subtle natural and healthy look.
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Blush -NARS - Deep Throat
alousek 2/15/2013 9:24:00 AM
So, I also got into Nars Blushes apparently... I never was a blush person, i always used one, but had just one two i chose quite randomly when i was buying other stuff - typically at the Clinique counter... Now that i have seen, how popular these are, I went to see the shades and to investigate, what shade i could try. I am NW15-NW20, quite fair and i like subtle look on the cheecks, so i chose Douceur, but it wasnt at the shop and i wanted something immediately, so i asked the SA to recommend something for me. She recommended Orgasm, but to me it was too glittery and obvious so i had a look around and found Deep Throat that really to me seems to be a subtle easily wearable version of Orgasm. It is more pink than peach on me and reminds me a bit of my old Clinique Cupid blush. The differnce is though that DT is much finer and it is super easy to blend and is very pigmented. I am happy about the looks (a nice medium pink with a healthy sheen) it does provide and definitely will try some other Nars blushes in the future.
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Gels/Soaps -L'Occitane - Amande Cleansing and Soothing Shower Oil
alousek 1/25/2013 3:19:00 PM
I got this in a huge Amande Gift box for Xmas from my fiancee. I absolutely love this, the bottle is beautiful and practical, the shower oil has just the right consistency and smells amazingly. It leaves my skin soft, i also use it for shaving my legs and after using it i dont need any cream afterwards, because my skin is well moistured. I also find that a small amount goes a long way, but still this product is super expensive. But as long as i receive it for my birthday etc., i will keep on using and loving it.
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Moisturizers -Clinique - Moisture Surge Intense
alousek 1/25/2013 3:15:00 PM
I am skin type 2 in Clinique and normally i do not need so much moisture, but this winter has been very dry and my skin did not react well to the dry heating air and dry cold outside. I bought this and was positively surprised, that it is not really a cream but more a gel cream, that absorbs quickly and does not leave any excess or oily feeling. I use it morning before my makeup and evening and it does help my skin, it looks very nice and feels super soft and good. The only disadvantage is the packaging, i prefer hygienic tubes over pots.
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Lipstick -Guerlain - Rouge Automatique
alousek 1/25/2013 3:09:00 PM
First of all, let me say, that i am not really a lipstick girl, i usually find lipsticks too drying, so i do prefer lip balms with color such as the Clinique Chubby sticks... I always wanted to try a really expensive and luxurious lipstick and was searching for something light and hydrating. I found this lipstick with the unique beautiful packaging, I do not mind it, but it is not the most practical one too say the least. I am very fair /NW20/ with reddish hair and chose shade 169 which is a perfect nude color for me. I really enjoy using this product and will have a look at some other shades!
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Moisturizers -Clinique - Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
alousek 12/17/2012 7:35:00 AM
I love this, use it mainly as part of my 3 steps Clinique routine - skintype 2 (which i tend to use only in the evenings). My skin is quite sensitive and currently combinantion to dry.. It moisturizes nicely and prepares the skin for further creams or treatments (usualy the Super Moisture Rescue, Turnaround concenate or Moisture surge intense - depending on the mood and current needs) . The skin feels super nice and hydrated. I like also the fact that is has no scent to it.
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