Liquid -Bobbi Brown - Skin Foundation SPF 15
arissamay 11/20/2012 10:09:00 PM
Being extremely pale, I don't have a lot of choice when it comes to foundation. I would normally just use tinted moisturizer instead with a separate concealer. Until now! Now I wear this over a primer. With the primer I hardly need to use any at all to get a really even skin tone, which makes the price more bearable. I have an oily T-zone, so other foundations would eventually melt off and transfer to jackets, etc., and this one does not. Where I want more coverage, I either build using the foundation or I use a separate concealer. Even better, I can barely tell that I have it on.
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Polishes -OPI - Silver Shatter
arissamay 6/2/2011 11:25:00 PM
This polish takes more skill and more time for experimenting than I have! I had thought that this polish would be similar to the black shatter in terms of formula and application, etc., and it was the total opposite. Black shatter was easy to apply, had a lot of room for error, and didn't overpower the color underneath. Silver shatter was very thick, difficult to apply, had a very small margin of error (my swatch with a thin layer barely "shattered" at all). A huge disappointment since I was hoping to find a less demonstrative version of black shatter and instead got a completely different product that was not worth the price that I paid. I would not buy it again at the same price.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream
arissamay 5/11/2011 12:11:00 AM
I don't know which was created first, Yu Be or Carmex, but they smell and feel almost exactly the same. The difference is that I would never put Carmex all over my hands. I have never been a fan of Carmex's extremely strong smell, so when I started using a sample of this cream inside of a car and the strong smell of menthol and some sort of chemical/herbal smell began wafting in the air in front of me and hanging there, I knew that I was never going to use this product again. Unfortunately for the other people in the car with me, the odor moved to all areas of the car and stayed there for 20 minutes despite excellent ventilation. It also didn't absorb quickly at all. As a Carmex-like lip balm or a salve, it's probably not a bad thing to have around, but Carmex and other things like Smith's Rosebud salve are cheaper purchases for those purposes.
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Treatments -Essie - 3-Way Glaze
arissamay 5/9/2011 1:23:00 PM
This glaze is a must have for me - I use it as a base and top coat all of the time. I had never had polish stay on my nails for over a week with no chipping before I started using it. It takes a bit longer to dry than other top coats, but if you can give it that time to set effectively (20 minutes or so without a fan/UV) you should be able to type with reckless abandon.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -BeneFit Cosmetics - Dr Feelgood
arissamay 5/9/2011 1:17:00 PM
I absolutely hate this primer. It didn't make me feel good, it made me feel ripped off. The sponge that comes in the container is useless, removes too much product during use and then fails to actually apply the product effectively, so a lot of the product crumbles off of the sponge during application and is lost. I basically had to apply this product with my fingers and even then it did not go on smoothly, was difficult to even out and did nothing for my skin that several less expensive primers couldn't do. It also did not absorb well on my face in dry areas - takes too much work and too much money for too little payoff.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -BeneFit Cosmetics - Stay Don't Stray 
arissamay 5/9/2011 1:12:00 PM
This eye primer would be fantastic for someone who tends to have oily eyelids or for people who live in very humid areas during the summers. Right now it dries out my eyelids, so I wouldn't personally use it except during the summers when something like UDPP would get melty, but it's definitely an excellent product for those specific purposes.
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Lipstick -BeneFit Cosmetics - Silky-Finish Lipstick in Make Nice
arissamay 5/4/2011 5:23:00 PM
A nice neutral lipstick with a gloss feel on the lips. It doesn't dry out the lips, but it does manage to somehow evaporate fairly quickly. That has never really bothered me, though, because the neutral color makes it really easy to throw on throughout the day without a mirror. I haven't experienced the glitter remnants, probably because the glitter is very tiny- sort of like a shimmer. It's definitely a more casual and understated look unless blended with other darker lipsticks, but for me it's a safe bet that I can always throw in my purse that will go with anything and never leave color on my teeth!
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Lipstick -NARS - Belle De Jour
arissamay 5/2/2011 5:52:00 PM
I have been looking high and low for a nude lipstick - (I'm NC15, if not paler!) - I love doing smokey eyes, and this lipstick is perfect for toning down my natural lip color to bring more attention to my eyes. It's also a little peachy, so it doesn't make my lips look dull or unpigmented. It's not drying at all and doesn't rub off super easily on glasses or straws, etc. It's a great warm nude for a pale person, since it doesn't wash me out, but it's not super opaque, so I'm sure it would look great and give a nice muted look on most skin tones. Definitely going to repurchase this one!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - The Multiple in Maui
arissamay 5/2/2011 5:43:00 PM
I'm pretty disappointed in this multiple - it's creamy but it doesn't absorb quickly, leaving my skin tacky, especially when used on the eyelids. It's buildable, but requires several reapplications to get a normal amount of color - this really surprised me because I had thought that my paleness would mean that I wouldn't require as much product to get a color payoff. It made my eyelids super greasy feeling, went on streaky and very, very sheer on my cheeks. All in all, this product required too much time to be spent actually applying and reapplying it, then it wore off on my lids and my lips very quickly and faded on my cheeks despite reapplying several times. The stila creams and tarte cheek stains are much higher quality and will last a lot longer.
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Eye Shadow -Sephora - Colorful Mono Eyeshadow - Aspen Summit (23)
arissamay 5/2/2011 12:56:00 AM
This shadow is the first Sephora brand product that I have been impressed with. I swatched it next to my MAC Crystal Avalanche, and it actually provided more pigmented coverage. I'm not sure how large the regular sized version is for the $12 price tag - I received a mini of the shade in a swap that is about the size of a regular MAC pro pan, so I imagine you get more for your $ with the regular size than you would with a MAC pro pan. Good buy for a highlighter!
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Palettes -Just for Redheads - Redheads Rule Compact Book
arissamay 5/2/2011 12:47:00 AM
I sought out some Just for Redheads stuff since I have heard about the company for years and had never known anyone who used it personally. I swapped for this (not the night out version) and swatched each of the four shadows and the two blushes that were included. Three of the shadows were mattes and were very crumbly and dry with less pigment than I had hoped for - this meant that I had to go over the color several times, each time creating more loose eyeshadow dust. Still, once applied, the dryness wasn't a problem and they created a very sheer and smooth color.The one shimmery green color had gold highlights in it and was very heavily pigmented and one of the prettiest and most flattering olive-type greens that I have ever tried. The two blushes (one matte, one with sparkles) were very natural looking and flattering and applied smoothly without the same dryness that the matte shadows had. I would repurchase just for the green shadow and the blushes because it'd be cheaper than buying all three of the items individually.
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Blush -Mary Kay - Sunny Spice
arissamay 4/11/2011 1:35:00 PM
This shade is my go-to blush - it matches my skin tone regardless of my stage of paleness, it always looks completely natural and complements any lip color or eye shadow that I use. I used to use Clinique Fig as my go-to blush, but it's less versatile. When I want a stand out blush color I use Nars Orgasm, but I have yet to find a more versatile and natural blush than Sunny Spice. I'm not sure how good it would look on people with more pink undertones, but for my yellow undertone it's a complete hit and I imagine it would look great on more olive and darker tones as well.
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Eye Primer -Mary Kay - Eye Primer
arissamay 2/27/2011 12:25:00 PM
Use it every day. I love this primer! I used to use Urban Decay's primer or tarte's primer, but the MK primer blows them out of the water. Dries evenly, isn't tacky, allows for blending and lasts forever.
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Eye Makeup Remover -Mary Kay - Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover
arissamay 2/27/2011 12:20:00 PM
My favorite product from this line - 110% effective every time! It doesn't take much of this product to remove even the thickest application of the most resistant eye color. I definitely stock up on these and recommend them to friends. I have tried numerous other brands - Lancome, Clinique, etc., and none have worked as effectively as the MK one. Love it!
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Cleansers -Peter Thomas Roth - Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel
arissamay 2/10/2011 6:15:00 PM
I love this product because: a) it smells delicious; b) you only need a small amount to really cleanse your skin; c) it helps with my acne without drying out my skin at all. It's definitely not a super deep cleanser, so it's best if you remove any heavy makeup before use. My skin always looks super healthy and never gets irritated after using it, and so far mine has lasted over 6 months with both my husband and I using one bottle and it's still 1/2 full!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No