Misc Beauty Tools -Shiseido - Eyelash Curler
anjalimakh 11/9/2010 8:29:00 PM
WHOA. This is the best, most successful impulse buy I have ever made. I had been using an E.L.F. curler off & on (mainly b/c I wasn't that impressed with it). With this curler, I pressed gently and UP, UP, AND AWAY went my lashes. I love the way it looks as well - an unassuming pewter color, the construction is light and functional, the actual curler area is nice & wide so I can get most of my lashes in there. Yes, @ $19, it is quite a splurge, but considering that mascara is an integral part of my look, it is worth it. I imagine that with proper care, one shouldn't have to replace the actual curler - just the pads. My counter MA told me that replacement pads cost $6 for 2. That's not cheap, but not outrageous either, considering the brand, I suppose. Bottom line, it's an eyelash curler & performs its job well, so it is worth it. It's not like you'll need to replace this every 3 months or something like mascara - which is often just as pricey. Would recommend.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Sable Eye Shadow
anjalimakh 10/23/2010 1:28:00 AM
This is EVERYTHING I wanted Satin Taupe to be. Everyone raved about Satin Taupe, but it turns a very unflattering silver-grey/kind of ashy color on my olive skin tone (it seems on lighter skin tones, the plum tones show up better). Well, Sable - welcome to my life - where have you been???? I should kick myself for waiting so long to buy this. I'm ~ NC 42-43 in MAC (but I don't wear MAC foundations). If you are olive skinned, go out & buy this. You won't be disappointed. I am a neutral e/s fiend & this one could be one of my favorites - I can see this being very versatile! Earned a spot in my "most used" palette.
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Eye Shadow -Lancome - Opal Mystere
anjalimakh 10/10/2010 10:01:00 PM
I love this color. It's a beautiful satin pearly off-white color w/ sutble, non-chunky shimmer that doesn't fall off the eye when blending. It gives a soft, polished look. I was looking for a semi-matte color for all over the lid & when I found this, I said "Yes!" I was pleasantly surprised w/ the shimmer because it's understated yet noticeable. It's enough to brighten my eyes, yet doesn't look ashy like so many other colors do. I wouldn't put this in the white family - I would say it's more pearl, but no iridescence, just a shimmer that gives a glow. I can see how this might not be appealing to some women, but for me, it works. Thank God. I bought this at a DFF&Co outlet (Lancome brands) for $7 (reg. price - $17)
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Lip Gloss -Bobbi Brown - Shimmer Lip Gloss - Spun Gold
anjalimakh 9/13/2010 2:26:00 AM
EDIT: I've found a better one: Estee Lauder Electric Ginger Pure Color gloss. First, it's shimmer is slightly less chunky & sooo smooth. The doe foot applicator is soft (softer than MAC, btw). Electric Ginger certainly doesn't have a lot of color payoff - it's designed to be a sheer shimmer, but after wearing BB Spun Gold, I've realized that it doesn't have a ton of payoff either. I must have been packing it on to get it to show up, but that increased the stickiness A LOT. EL is just barely tacky & not sticky at all, so I'll just put a browny-bronzey lip liner underneath it or something, to give my lips a slight color. Spun Gold is still nice, but I definitely spoke to soon. ------------------- This color is perfection in a tube. I've recently been on a lipgloss high, after finally finding a "perfect" foundation, I've been able to finally move on in exploring more makeup. I tried this on a whim while @ Nordstrom hunting for the perfect foundation & it was like the heavens parted. On my C6 MAC Studio Fix powder skin (~ MUFE HD 153 & NARS Sheer Glow Syracuse - kinda), this is the perfect shimmery, non-sticky, browny, peachy, GOLDEN! lipgloss. I'm in love. I just bought 2 from an e-tailer because I am absolutely unwilling to pay $20 for the tiny tube this comes in. I happened to find it much cheaper (thus the "3" rating for price), but if not for this stroke of luck, I promise you, I would have been dreaming of this without ever buying it, because I think the amount-for-price is such a con for this product. Also not crazy abt the brush - I also much prefer the doe-foot applicator as most others do, but I will take it - it'll give me a chance to use my otherwise useless lip brush. Overall, the color makes this a hit for me - for people with olive skin/neutral undertones, this works like a gem.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -MAC - 227 Large Fluff Brush
anjalimakh 9/9/2010 10:10:00 PM
Where have you been all my makeup life, 227? My reasons for hunting down this brush were as follows: I needed a LARGE brush with which I could deposit a good amount of color quickly across my entire eyelid (as in 10 seconds). The 239 is good - deposits color well, but it's so small for me that I need a couple minutes to get a nice even wash of color - which is hard because it doesn't cover the whole lid so I have to blend to make it all even. Not good. This brush is soft yet dense enough that it picks up adequate color with just a tap and deposits it evenly - basically, NO WORK INVOLVED - just swipe & pat a little, and you're good to go. I'm a "neutrals with a kick of color" kind of girl. I usually go w/ a wash on the lid w/ a slightly defined crease - that's it. So when I need to be out the door fast (and who doesn't?), this is the brush I go to. My 239 is still great. I love it for more precision on my lid (if you can believe that) & lining my lower lashline - that's where it really excels for me. This brush is a must have if you have larger lid space & need a wash of color. If you pack 8 colors on your lid and blend a lot, this probably isn't for you, I'm guessing. I don't highlight my cheekbones or anything, so I can't speak to that, but the MA did mention that as a purported use of this brush. I have also tried it for a browbone highlight, but it is slightly too big for that. BUY THIS BRUSH. You will not regret it. I regret not getting this sooner as a must-have in my collection - coulda saved myself a lot of time!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Satin Taupe
anjalimakh 7/24/2010 12:53:00 AM
After quite a few attempts at using this, I've started to warm up to this e/s - it's not the easiest color to go w/ my Indian color (in my opinion - b/c it just doesn't give off the same undertones as it does on other ppl), but I continue to try to make it work. Texture wise, it's great & payoff is wonderful; it's shimmery but not too over the top that I can't make this work during the day. This comes off more grey w/ purple rather than taupe w/ purple as many others have said - it just doesn't give off any taupe/brown on me. Again, I attribute this to my darker skin color - just be aware that it comes off differently on different colors. I have found a pretty spot-on dupe for this color, which seems to be the aim of many women out there. It's Lorac eyeshadow in the shade Reverie. I actually bought it on HauteLook during a Lorac Blowout sale for $4 (I believe they normally retail for ~ $19). I wouldn't pay more for a dupe of Satin Taupe, obviously since its permanent, but in my opinion, it does exist, just fyi. Hope this helps...
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Makeup Brushes -Chanel - Foundation Brush (Synthetic Fibers)
anjalimakh 7/7/2010 12:49:00 AM
Edit. Returned this brush (and believe me - the Chanel lady was NOT pleased). This brush literally ONLY worked w/ my NARS Sheer Glow probably b/c it is quite a runny foundation & the texture is so awesome that it works. however! when I tried this with my MUFE HD, Eve Pearl Cream, and a few other samples of foundation (EL Double Wear light, Smashbox HD, & NARS Sheer Matte), this brush performed horribly. It would drink (read: SOAK) up the product even after I tried spritzing it w/ Fix+ prior to application or applied moisturizer first w/ it to "prime" the brush as I've heard many makeup gurus on YT suggest. When I went to wash the brush (twice during the time I had it), my sink would be stained brown with foundation - that's how much product was still stuck in there. Basically, the product would not transfer to my face & whatever did was extremely streaky. I would start to apply the foundation and within half a stroke, it would not budge. I'm not kidding. The bristles were so stiff (not hard or abrasive), but stiff. As in, inflexible. It simply wasn't working. I don't know how else to say it. I spent $40 on this baby & I was not pleased when I had to hang my head down in shame to return this. When I went to the counter, the lady literally said to me "I've never had someone return a foundation brush" with a condescending attitude, & "Well, you know, our brushes are meant to be used specifically with our foundations." Now, that is fine, but lady, c'mon. I see you're trying to sell me something else to make my brush work, but that is ridiculous. So I'm supposed to have 2 foundation brushes - one for every other fdtn & one for the non-existent Chanel fdtn that doesn't exist in my color? I was really miffed w/ her at that point. The point of this long rant is this: I truly believe that I got a bad brush. I say that because I see nothing put A+ reviews on this brush here on MUA & the tester brush that they use at the counter looks and feels completely different than the one I got. Having said that, I do not blame the brush or design or hairs - I really believe it was a crap single item. However, I was not willing to exchange it for another and take the chance again. Too bad. I went right over to the MAC counter, bought a 190 & am very pleased. It is about $8 cheaper, but it's not about that - my 190 works. It's not stiff, it doesn't drag in a nanosecond, and it washes well. It also doesn't soak up product like there's no tomorrow. -------------------------------- I bought this brush thanks to a YouTube video by a favorite guru of mine (MakeupAdikt) and all of the other reviews on this brush here on MUA. I'm extremely pleased. When I found myself wanting a foundation brush to use w/ my NARS Sheer Glow, I wanted to buy ONE brush that would last me years & keep me happy - I hate trial & error w/ brushes. I've learned from experience that buying cheap brushes that supposedly dupe for the good, proven ones is just a recipe for wasting more money on crap brushes. (I'm not being snobbish - its true. I've wasted $50 on art brushes that either did not work at all or sufficed until they got too scratchy to use on my lids. With that money, I could have just bought a MAC 239 + 217 & been done with it). I've used this Chanel Foundation Brush (#16) & it makes the application so much better. I use less product out of the bottle because I'm not pouring the stuff out on my hand or soaking it up with my fingers. For being synthetic, this brush is so soft & the bristles don't eat up the product. NARS Sheer Glow is $42 - I don't need to be drinking the stuff; with this proper bush, my product will probably last me a year, rather than 6 months. I also love how the handle is "normal sized". I hate the unnecessarily long handles that a lot of MAC brushes have because I like to get really close to the mirror when applying my makeup & they just get in the way. This handle is very appropriate & to scale, which is much appreciated. All in all, $40 well spent. I will guard this brush with my life but should anything happen to it, I know where to go to get a replacement. Lastly, THANK YOU!, fellow MakeupAlley reviewers, for guiding me in the right direction -- toward this brush!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No