Mascara -Max Factor - Masterpiece Max
ameliemay 4/9/2011 6:41:00 AM
I LOVE this mascara. Love love love - my absolute favourite to date. I love it even more than I loved Diorshow Extase, and that was beautiful. I don't really care much about length and volume, since I think pretty much any mascara can handle that no problem. My biggest want in a mascara is definition - I want my lashes to look separated, fluttery, and lush. I HATE clumps, I think it is the most unattractive part of makeup: when women mistake clumpy spider lashes for "voluminising". The brush on the wand is rubbery and quite large , the exact same brush as on CG's lash blast (Cover Girl is owned by the same company as Max Factor - no wonder they come out with the same products all the time). The formula is a lot better than lash blast, though - it's creamier, smoother, and just glides on so wonderfully. It's a super rich black, too, nothing dusty like you find in some mascaras. It leaves lashes pretty soft (not as soft as Dior Extase, but still soft), holds a curl, and does not smudge or flake. It's not waterproof, so it comes off in the shower, but it's never really started smudging when my eyes have watered. My one annoyance is the price: $25AUD feels like a lot for a student to fork out for something that only lasts a few months (after two months, I found that masterpiece flakes off like a tube mascara after 8 hours or so). I've picked up Cover Girls' volume exact again - this time in waterproof in order to avoid the smudging I experienced with the original - for pretty much half the price of masterpiece max, and I hope it'll do almost the same thing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Max Factor - Xperience Weightless Foundation
ameliemay 12/31/2010 8:54:00 PM
I have this in no. 40 Light Ivory. It's still slightly too dark for my super-pale skin, but since nobody notices except me it doesn't matter. In fact, I probably prefer it, since it's summer and when my foundation matches my neck everyone thinks I'm sick >.< This foundation has the most amazing gel-like texture. I don't know how they made it so smooth and silky feeling, especially since it's oil-free and has SPF in it, but it glides over skin issues (flakies, pimples, etc.) like they're not even there. It's extremely easy to apply with fingers and looks positively airbrushed when I apply it with a flat-top kabuki. I look pretty flawless even without concealer, so unlike others I feel it's medium-full coverage, and if I'm in a rush I can just put this on and run out the door. I love that it doesn't crease around my eyes and still holds up in the face of oil and sweat, even in an Australian summer. The finish is definitely natural and mimics skin perfectly (except without pores and flaws :D). The scent definitely isn't unpleasant, but it does linger a bit, and I prefer my makeup completely scent-free. At first, I thought this was breaking me out - after I took my makeup off I'd have all these tiny little irritation pimples, which could've been a reaction to the fragrance or one of the ingredients. I was completely dismayed and thought I'd have to relegate this to the 'special occasion' section of my makeup shelf, rather than being able to use it as an every-day HG type foundation. However, either my skin became immune to whatever it was that was irritating it, or it was something else breaking me out, but I gave it another chance and wore it all week when I was on holiday over Christmas (its packaging is the most travel-friendly of all my foundations) and there was never a pimple in sight. The only con I can think of - and it's not even a proper con - is that it's very tacky and transferable. The fact that I use setting powder anyway, effectively removing that con, means that I can say I'll be repurchasing this for a long, long time.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Neutrogena - Fresh Foaming Cleanser
ameliemay 11/27/2010 1:45:00 AM
This is a staple in my skin-care routine! I do change cleansers occasionally, because of seasons/skin immunity, but it's wonderful to have something I can rely on. I like this because it's pretty simple - it gets rid of my makeup and doesn't dry my skin out too much. The smell was a bit weird at first, but it's so faint you get used to it really quickly. I think my skin's improved a lot since I started using this because it really does get every bit of makeup off (I don't use it around my eyes though). It seems to help my exfoliator's effects last longer, washing away more dead skin cells or something, and it works really well with the matching moisturiser, Oil-Free Fresh. I use a little bit to clean my brushes, too, it breaks makeup down so well.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Lash Stiletto Voluptuous
ameliemay 11/22/2010 5:22:00 AM
Once you get used to the brush, this gives really good results. The definition's nothing spectacular, which is something I always look for in a mascara, but the length and volume are pretty amazing. Leaves lashes pretty spiky looking but otherwise its comfy to wear. No flaking or smudging either, and comes off easy with just water :)
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Mascara -Max Factor - 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper-Waterproof
ameliemay 11/22/2010 5:17:00 AM
I originally wanted to try Masterpiece mascara, but I thought I'd test Max Factor out by getting this one. Mostly 'cause it was 50% off. At first I was a bit 'meh' towards this, it clumped my lashes and made them feel really spiky and was kinda uncomfortable to wear. But after a while the formula seemed to change, as it so often does with mascaras, and it got a bit softer and easier to manipulate. I think the formula just got creamier or something. It does give me nice, natural looking lashes - separates, voluminises and lengthens pretty well. It doesn't seem particularly waterproof; I haven't tested it in the pool or at the beach but a little comes off just in the shower. Overall though, it is a good mascara.
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Naked Palette
ameliemay 8/29/2010 2:01:00 AM
I ADORE this palette. Even though I had to pay extra for shipping on ebay, I think it was worth every dollar. Not only did I get the palette, I got to try out the famous Urban Decay liners and primer potion, too! I really like every single colour and I've found a bunch of looks I absolutely love. Their shadows seem even more pigmented and silky than MACs - especially the mattes! The liners are gorgeous, too, and really do last all day. I had now idea how much more pigmented shadows could be with the primer potion underneath them. Best thing I ever bought in my opinion ^.^
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Eye Shadow -Physicians Formula - Shimmer strips for Blue eyes
ameliemay 6/14/2010 9:20:00 AM
I got this on a half-price sale at priceline, otherwise I don't think I'd have bought it. Pigmentation is pretty good, and the shimmer isn't over-the-top, just quite glowy. It's not as intensely blue as I'd hoped, more grey-blue, but I use a blue base underneath and they do intensify my eyes without overpowering them :] I love the blue in the 'natural' section, and the navy blue liner is pretty too. The packaging isn't fantasic in terms of colour separation and whatnot, but its not terrible either. I don't think I'll be repurchasing, though, because I do think there are better blues out there.
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Eye Shadow -Chi Chi - Eye Dust in Door Bitch
ameliemay 6/14/2010 9:17:00 AM
I love the packaging! Lots of product, and even a cute little mirror, which is interesting to see on an eyeshadow. This is a deep steel-blue silver colour which I like using as a liner as a softer alternative to black, or in the crease of a grey-silver smokey eye. Since it's blue-based grey, it really plays of my blue eyes and intensifies them nicely. I love it with pink lips :] Great pigmentation, and really silky smooth! Never have any trouble blending.
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Concealers -MAC - Select Moisturecover
ameliemay 6/14/2010 9:12:00 AM
Sigh. I will never understand why, upon finding something I like, I insist upon trying something else. When I lost my Maybelline Mineral Power concealer (which I had taken to using, on rushed mornings, as a foundation on the bus ^^) I decided to try MAC's Moisturecover, since I knew they'd be very similar. Not even the fact that it was twice the price could deter me. Well, I picked this up along with a lipstick. The lipstick being the main purpose of my visit to MAC, I just grabbed the shade I was in Studio Fix concealer - NW20 (though I do buy NW15 if its winter) - and thought nothing of it. Wrong. Turns out Studio Fix concealer runs light - why did I not know this, when Studio Fix foundation in NC15 had always been that bit too dark, yet NW15 (which is darker than NC15, technically) matched me in the concealer? So not only is this product too dark and too orange on me, it doesn't really have the same affect as Maybelline's did. Mineral Power was very natural looking, whereas this just looks like its trying to be skin and isn't. It's just too shiny. Also, the coverage isn't great, which isn't really desirable in a concealer. So I'll give this to my mum and come crawling back to Maybelline.
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Powder -Chanel - Mat Lumiere Luminous Matte Powder Makeup SPF 10
ameliemay 6/14/2010 9:00:00 AM
I received this and a sample of the liquid formulation of this foundation from the lovely ladies at the Chanel counter :] The liquid in the lightest shade was far, far too dark (the texture and finish were beautiful, I couldn't leave it on to see how it held up throughout the day, but I was sad it didn't work for me), so I was apprehensive about trying the powder. The saleslady had expressly told me it was a full-coverage powder foundation and to use it on its own, not over a liquid foundation, or I would cake up my young skin unnecessarily. However... when I put it on over bare skin, not only did it seem to add only the slightest increase in colour depth, it was very hard to treat as a powder foundation. Using the sponge applicator supplied deposited enough colour, but it had to be applied in a very small area else it would be sheered out and its purposes as a foundation reduced to slight colour change and mattifying, in the manner of a finishing powder... which is what I ended up using it for, with a fluffy kabuki brush. This is a beautiful powder - like the packaging says, there is nothing overly matte about this product. It imparts something beautifully glowy on the skin without detracting from the mattifying properties, and as added bonuses I get a slight golden increase in colour on my face and extra coverage ^^ it's nothing that people will distinctly notice and comment on - therefore not earning, to my mind, its rather expensive pricetag, nor a place too high above my other setting powders. I might buy it for a special occasion though. Or I might not. It's a generous sample :]
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Eye Shadow -MAC - All That Glitters
ameliemay 5/30/2010 6:42:00 AM
This is a GORGEOUS colour! Kind of hard to describe, though... I suppose on its own it's a pinked beige with pale gold shimmer, but when paired with Bronze and Nylon it just looks like a very pretty champagne gold. I LOVE it! I have blue eyes, but one of them has hazel in it, and it makes both shades look so bright and pretty :] get tonnes of compliments with this colour, and its so easy to work with, too - very smooth with no creasing, intense colour payoff with a little amount. Love love love :3
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Eye Shadow -Inglot - Freedom System Palette
ameliemay 5/30/2010 6:35:00 AM
I own two trios of eyeshadows from Inglot, one of which I bought for my school formal, and I was so impressed :D True, some of the shades they sell are less than satisfactory (too much glitter/shimmer and too stiff a consistency), but I think with a little improvement this company could rival MAC for colour selection and value for money. The reason MAC's so popular is because of its range of not only colours, but finishes, shades and its quality for price (high-end but not designer). It's a makeup artist's haven, but you don't have to be a makeup artist to get access to their level of quality. However, I can get 3 Inglot shades in Australia for the price of one MAC shade, and in my opinion they are just as good quality as MAC ^^ Neither crease, fade or have fallout and both are smooth and velvety to use - I own one MAC shade, All That Glitters, and I actually used other MAC shades I admired as a reference for the colours I wanted from Inglot. So I ended up with dupes for Bronze, Amber Lights and two colours from Inglot that were exactly what I wanted but couldn't find in MAC's extensive range - a true gold and a beautiful pale gold with bronze shimmer :] All That Glitters' veluxe pearl finish is superior to Inglot's simple shimmer, but there are no visible glitter particles in the gold shades I got from the second trio I purchased, its just a very attractive glowy shimmer. In the first trio, the one that contained the pale gold, I also got a pretty pale brown that I later discovered had gold glitter in it (I hate glitter, I think it looks childish, which I can't afford at my age xD) and a matte cool brown shade that made me look bruised. So I wasn't too happy with that first trio, apart from the pale gold (which I adore and use as a highlight all the time with All That Glitters on the lid) and I think that you'd have to choose your shades carefully so as to avoid anything you really didn't like. Inglot also has an extensive brush range, almost as large as MAC's and less expensive, as well as a huge lipstick and gloss selection. Like I said, with a little improvement, Inglot could provide a small outlet for those of us who adore MAC but don't have the cause to spend buckets on brushes, eyeshadows or lipsticks.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast
ameliemay 5/30/2010 5:53:00 AM
Eh... this looked... kinda weird on me, I guess. Yeah, it lengthens and voluminises, but it seemed to lengthen my center lashes the most, giving a sort of uneven effect. I tried this on one eye and CG's Volume Exact on the other, and I have to say aside from the flaking I liked the effect of Volume Exact more... it gave a softer, prettier effect, I think. And soft and pretty is generally what I go for, rather than uneven kinda messy in-your-face makeup. Still, I can see its appeal :] just not what my preference is in a mascara.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Define a lash volume WATERPROOF
ameliemay 5/30/2010 5:48:00 AM
I actually swapped my LashBlast for this with a friend because I liked it so much more. I like a kind of... fluffy eyelash look, with no clumps of lashes. Length and volume aren't a big want for me in a mascara, but definition is, and this does define really nicely. I don't actually know if its waterproof or not but it lasts in the shower pretty well so I'm guessing it is. Volume is really good, so is length, but its the definition and lack of flakes/smudginess/clumps that makes me like this so much. I don't think I'll repurchase since mascaras just one of those products I never stick to. I'm going to try one or two mascaras from every drugstore brand I can find, I think ^^
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Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Lucas' Papaw Ointment
ameliemay 5/19/2010 6:11:00 AM
Yup, I'm Australian too. I use this when my skin gets dry in small areas in the winter and needs something more longer-lasting than most moisturiser, and as an in-depth lip treatment. I wouldn't recommend it for every-day use, though, just as a quick fix every now and then. When I used it for the first time as a lip balm overnight, i woke up with lips like silk. But if you keep using it, I don't know what happens - it still moisturises, but not as well. Maybe your lips get immune to it or something? A friend told me that an ingredient in this made your lips dry out in the long run, and maybe it does, but in any case I'd really only use this once in a while.
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