Lipstick -Clinique - Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick - Berry Blush 415
amybecca 1/24/2008 7:51:00 PM
This is my go-to lipstick! It's a beautiful berry shade with a wonderful (not over the top) shine. It really works well on my pale, cool, NW15 skin, brightening up my face and accenting my hazel eyes. I love the buttershine formula, as it give the color of a lipstick, the slick of a gloss, and the moisturizing properties of a lip balm. The only downside is the need for frequent application, but I find that's the case with any lipstick that doesn't dry out my lips.
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Blush -Cargo - BeachBlush in Sunset Beach
amybecca 6/24/2007 9:33:00 PM
I love this blush/bronzer! It doesn't look that shimmery on me (or perhaps I'm in denial) and I love the stripes because the perfect arrangement means I can customize the look. I can swirl them all together to get a bronzed/pinky/peachy look, or I can swipe my brush across the lightest shade, the pink, and the bronze to accent my cheekbones (I pull the brush across the colors to keep them separate, tap the brush, then apply the blush so that the lightest shade is on the top of my cheekbones as a highlighter, the pink acts as the blush, and the brown contours - very cool, in my opinion). I use the Stila #21. This works great as a bronzer on my ppp skin (NW15 for reference). It's definitely a must-have in my collection!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Paula's Choice - One Step Face Cleanser-Normal to Dry Skin
amybecca 6/24/2007 9:10:00 PM
I use this cleanser in the winter months when my skin is dry. It leaves my skin feeling completely cleansed but doesn't dry out my skin. In the summer when I am oily I use the skin balancing cleanser, but this is my go-to cleanser to avoid the dry winter flakies!
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Cleansers -Paula's Choice - Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Cleanser
amybecca 6/24/2007 9:08:00 PM
I love this gentle cleanser. It is wonderful for my sensitive combination skin. It is light and effective - it removes my makeup and cleanses my skin without stripping it. I have repurchased several times, though it does become a little too much for me in the winter, when I switch to Paula's Choice one step normal to dry.
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Cleansers -Unlisted Brand - Glyderm - Gentle Cleanser
amybecca 6/24/2007 9:01:00 PM
This cleanser left my face feeling stripped of all moisture. The tight feeling wasn't just one that felt clean; it felt raw. A dermatologist recommended it to me -- I wouldn't purchase his services or this cleanser again.
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Blush -TheBalm - Hot Mama
amybecca 3/24/2007 4:21:00 PM
Do we really need another dupe of NARS Orgasm? Well, if it's as pretty as Hot Mama!, yes, we do. For $18 you get a blush book (reminiscent of Benefit or Too Faced packaging) that is about 3"x2" and has a tropical pinup girl on the front. Inside the admittedly cheesy packaging is a gorgeous peachy pink blush with hints of golden shimmer. When the SA at the boutique mentioned it to me, I casually dismissed her in my mind, but when I saw the blush I knew I had to have it. This finely milled, highly-pigmented, long-lasting blush outdoes Milani Luminous and NARS Orgasm (in my opinion). It's a must-have. (This is listed as a blush, but the packaging identifies it as a shadow/blush...you could use it as an eys shadow, but I think it's much more suited to live life as the blush it was meant to be).
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -TheBalm - Shady Lady Jealous Jordana
amybecca 3/24/2007 4:11:00 PM
This highly pigmented and very unique eyeshadow is a must-have, in my opinion! Jealous Jordana is a deep shimmery green that works beautifully as a crease color or liner (used wet or dry). It shows up as slightly metallic and looks different depending on what you pair with it. This is the color I wanted MAC Club to be. The packaging is a hard cardboard case that flips open to reveal a small mirror and the eyeshadow.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -TheBalm - Shady Lady Luscious Lani
amybecca 3/24/2007 4:04:00 PM
This peachy champaigne eyeshadow is gorgeous! The pigmentation is incredible - rich, vibrant, long-lasting. It is a shimmer eyeshadow in a carboard case (hard cardboard, small mirror inside). The quality and texture is similar to that of Stila's, though the pin-up girl on the cover gives you more of a Playboy feel than a posh one! This eyeshadow wears well alone as a neutral, or looks lovely paired with olive greens. This line doesn't get much attention, but it's great! The eyeshadow is $15 at Sephora.com, and I got mine at a small boutique for the same amount.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Perlier - Dark Chocolate Hand Cream
amybecca 2/8/2007 6:00:00 PM
My hands feel so incredibly soft after using this hand lotion. It is my new favorite by far! Of course, that's not the best part -- the luscious dark chocolate scent is. The rich scent of chocolatey goodness is quite long-lasting and does not turn into a sickly sweet one, nor is it fake or plastic-smelling. This stuff is divine.
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Moisturizers -Aveeno - Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer SPF 15
amybecca 1/24/2007 11:47:00 AM
I picked this up because Dr. Leslie Baumann recommended it for my skin type in her book. I'm an OSNW prone to flushing, though I don't have full out rosacea (and I'm trying to keep it that way). The texture of this product is smooth and it is a light formula. It does not feel as tacky as Neutrogena's ultra sheer dry sunblock. It is not a matte formula, but rather leaves your skin slightly dewy (but not oily looking!). This does not aggravate my skin, provides light moisture to my dry patches, and acts as a decent sunscreen. I have not noticed a reduction in redness, but neither has it increased the redness, which I appreciate! The smell is florally, which I don't love, but it fades quickly. A non-scented version would make more sense for sensitive skin types and would have earned it a 5 from me, but as it is, I'll give it a 4 and I will repurchase.
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Lipstick -Bobbi Brown - Lip Color Raisin #3
amybecca 12/29/2006 11:44:00 PM
This is a wonderful plummy-rose shade that makes my teeth look whiter! I'm a ppp, have fairly pigmented lips, and I have hazel eyes. The formula is long-lasting and is semi-matte on me - it has slight shine, and is slightly drying. If applied over a light layer of lip balm though, drying is not a problem. I have been looking for a berry shade that doesn't look brown, muddy, or turn fuschia on me, and this is it. I LOVE it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -MAC - Velvet 6 Smoked Eyes Holiday 2006 Palette
amybecca 12/28/2006 9:33:00 PM
This was the only MAC holiday item that I fell in love with, and for good reason! This palette is full of beautiful colors that are very versatile. This palette can take you from day to night, the shadows are highly pigmented and long-lasting, and if you can find one of these, it's definitely worth picking up! Colors: Malt is an excellent base color, vex makes a wonderful highlighter on the brow bone and inner corner of the eye (best applied with a pinky finger, I've found), and satin taupe is a lovely shade on the lower lid or in the crease, depending on the look you're going for. I use gentle fume (the only LE color in the palette) and black tied for an awesome gray smokey eye. The only color I'm not a huge fan of is club, but I'm in the minority on that one.
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Eye Shadow -Stila - Fall in Love Eyeshadow Trio in Forest Clove
amybecca 12/28/2006 9:16:00 PM
This trio is a lovely accent for my hazel eyes. The colors are excellent, though the shadows don't seem as finely milled or as long-lasting as the individual Stila shadows. A quick layer of primer on lids helps a ton, though, and the colors are so beautiful and complimentary that I would definitely repurchase this trio. It is one of my best makeup purchases of 2006!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Tarte - Frxtion
amybecca 12/28/2006 8:56:00 PM
I got suckered into getting this because it is just so damn cute. The purple tube is lovely to pull from your purse and the little mirror is both handy and annoying. It's handy if you actually want to use a mirror for a job that, in my opinion, doesn't require a mirror. It's annoying because it is designed to pop out each time you open the container. So if you don't want to use it, it's just sort of out there and in order to keep it down you have to hold it down to the side of the tube while applying the product. OK, that may sound petty, but when applying on the go it's irritating. As for the application...the gritty sugar scrub is sweet and does lightly exfoliate, though I'm not sure it's that necessary. A gentle scrub with some baking soda or a simple wash cloth is more effective. The emollient vitamin-E lip balm is a pretty basic, no frills lip balm that does a decent job of moisturizing but has no staying power and needs to be reapplied frequently. It's a fun gimmick that I will not be repurchasing!
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Mascara -Yves Saint Laurent - Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils
amybecca 12/28/2006 7:22:00 PM
This mascara is laced with a floral scent that is a bit overwhelming for me, though it does scream, "Hi! I'm high-end mascara!" The scent fades fairly quickly after application, but I am allergy-prone and have sensitive eyes, so it irritates them before it fades away. As for application, it gave my lashes a spidery look that, while unnatural, did not resemble fake lashes. After using a clean spoolie on the finished lashes, I did manage to get the look I desired - long, voluminous lashes. However, I have been asked before if I was wearing false eyelashes and it was when I was wearing Rimmel lycra mascara, not YSL faux cils. Not my favorite, especially when I can get cheaper drugstore mascaras that work much better!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No