Blush -Tarte - Cheek Stains
ashleynewcomb 5/18/2008 5:08:00 PM
I've always had a problem with powdered blushes coming off within a few hours of application so I decided to give a cheek stain a shot and Tarte was what I arrived at. This stick is far more preferable to me versus a liquid stain (like Stila's Cherry Crush) since you have a LOT more time to work with it to get the coverage you want. And there's not a whole lot that transfers off at any one time so you can build it up easily without worrying about getting too much on. And this stays through the day with only minimal fading. It's a godsend for me since I look quite zombie-like without blush on. I absolutely adore this product. I have this in Blushing Bride (the color is NOT as dark as the container or even the stick look. it comes out a beautiful tanned pink color)
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Blush -Tarte - Cheek Stain in Blushing Bride
ashleynewcomb 5/18/2008 5:05:00 PM
I've always had a problem with blushes coming off on me throughout the day and I don't want to carry a thing of blush with me to reapply it once I look pale and tired again. I thought I'd just have to deal with it until it occurred to me to try a cheek stain rather than a powder. I'm very pale and I can't tolerate a whole bunch of pink on my face because it just ends up looking garish. This is the perfect color for my face. It's a tanned pink color. It does NOT look like the color of the container or even the stick. Looking at that, I thought it would be dreadfully dark, but that's not the case at all. I swatched all Tarte's colors on my inner forearm and decided on this one and I'm so glad I did. This is my HG blush now. It goes on a little sticky, but it doesn't stay that way. I can tell there's something on my cheeks if I make it a point to feel them, but as far as breathability, it's been okay. And it hasn't made me break out which is great as my skin's been very finicky lately about that. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who is sick and tired of their blush coming off within a few hours.
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Eye Primer -Too Faced - Shadow Insurance, Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer
ashleynewcomb 5/18/2008 4:57:00 PM
I have now tried both UDPP and this product and I have to say this outperformed UDPP for me. The Urban Decay Primer Potion worked fantastic for the first week or so and then it started creasing on me. I was elated to find a similar product in Shadow Insurance. I've used this for about three or four weeks now and I haven't noticed any creasing unless I've had my shadow on for 14+ hours or so. And I really couldn't ask for much more than that. I was so excited that this product has excellent packaging. Whoever thought of the packaging for UDPP must have been a little too sleep deprived. It's cute, but you can only end up using about half of it unless you take apart the container and put it in a jar. Shadow Insurance is more sanitary than either of those situations. As it just squirts out in a tube, there's minimal contact with unused product. Fantastic! Great packaging, great product, great results. Better than UDPP in my opinion. Almost the same exact price, if not exact... I can't remember if this is $16 or $17...
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Makeup Brushes -Sephora - Large Eyeshadow Brush
ashleynewcomb 4/9/2008 1:35:00 AM
This is a great quality brush. The bristles are nice and dense and I haven't really noticed any shedding. It's nice and soft. This brush is perfect for highlighting under the brow. That's really all I use it for unless I'm applying one solid color over my lids, which isn't generally too often.
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Makeup Brushes -Sonia Kashuk - Small Eye Shadow Brush
ashleynewcomb 4/9/2008 1:27:00 AM
I've had this brush for probably... six years? And it still works amazingly. It was my only eyeshadow brush for quite a while before I discovered the different styles and whatnot. I still use it quite a bit with or without a mixing medium for the shadows. Since it's been so long, I don't recall any initial shedding, but I don't ever notice it. I'm doubting it shed much in the first place. And you can't beat the price. Very durable, might as well buy several for the price these sell at. In fact, I'm planning on going to get a couple more in the near future. :)
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Lips -C.O. Bigelow - Mentha Lip Balm Stick
ashleynewcomb 4/6/2008 5:56:00 PM
I love this balm. The only reason I took off a lipstick was because it's a bit expensive just for balm. However, even though that's the case, I always have one on hand. In my makeup kit, beside my bed, in my purse. I'm the kind of person that always have to have some lip moisturizer on hand and this fits the bill perfectly. I love the way this feels on my lips. I read that some people didn't prefer it, but I just love it. Some balms just feel like I might as well have water on my lips while others just feel like sticky wax. For me, this is the perfect mix. It feels protective (and it is, it's got spf 15) and oh so moisturizing. Plus, the minty smell and taste is a nice bonus to me. So many balms either have a gross chemical smell or a sickly sweet smell. Mint is nice and neutral, imo. I loved B&BW old lip balms that they used to make and I mourned for a long time when they stopped making them. (WHY?!) And to me, this has the same feel that they did. Only it costs about 70% more. To me, that's the only downside to this balm. The cost.
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Eye Shadow -Bourjois - Multi Shimmer Eye Loose Powder 01 Praline Rose
ashleynewcomb 3/3/2008 10:03:00 PM
As far as color and pigment quality, this is fantastic! If it weren't for the packaging this would have a five. Looking at it, I thought it would be too dark, but it's great. I use it in my crease and along with Urban Decay's Deluxe Eyeshadow in Scratch, it's a great, natural day look. In fact, one thing I loved about it is that you can apply it to the entire lid and crease, yet it looks like you're wearing two different colors. I guess it's the way the light hits it, but it works for me. Now, I've never cared for the way these are packaged. I'd rather have something loose just like MAC's pigments. When you get to the bottom of these you have to really shake it to get anything on the brush. They really should think of a better way for this. And they are rather expensive, but I get over it. This is comparable to MAC's Gold Stroke pigment, in my opinion. And when you can get a TON more in better packaging I guess I'd recommend the MAC pigment over this if you can get your hands on it.
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - YDK eyeshadow
ashleynewcomb 3/3/2008 9:56:00 PM
If you're looking for a great frosty medium-brown this is great. And it hasn't got the loads of glitter that some other UD shadows have which, to me, is a plus. I accidentally dropped it a while back and shattered it. I'm sure I could go to Sephora and swap it out, but I've just got it as a broken up powder in a little tub and it's worked perfectly for me. Kind of like a pigment. It kind of reminds me of MAC's Gold Stroke pigment. A whole lot actually. Maybe Gold stroke is a bit more pink-hued. A tiny bit. Overall, I really like the color. It's great for the crease.
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Flash
ashleynewcomb 3/3/2008 9:53:00 PM
I love Urban Decay shadows in general and this one is no exception. It's the perfect purple. All the ones I've previously tried have all held a pinkish undertone. This, to me, is just pure purple. Not blue-purple, not pink-purple. Just purple. And that's what I was looking for. Excellent pigmentation and coupled with UD's primer potion, it stays on from morning 'til night. Wonderful!
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Primer/ Corrector -Smashbox - Photo Finish Light
ashleynewcomb 3/3/2008 9:34:00 PM
Prior to purchasing this product I'd used the regular Photo Finish primer. I can definitely tell the consistency difference between the two. The one with oil (any of their primers but this product) felt super super smooth. Guess that's from the oil. Not that this is bad, but it just doesn't smooth my skin out to the degree the regular primer did. However, as my skin has been prone to breaking out lately I thought I'd give it a try. This did help my makeup stay on longer, which I guess is the main aim of this product. If it can accomplish the same thing without putting unnecessary oil on my skin, then all the better. It doesn't do much in terms of long-term mattifying of the skin, but what product can? :)
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Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
ashleynewcomb 3/3/2008 9:21:00 PM
This is the first eyeshadow primer that's actually kept my shadow in place perfectly from morning to night. It's absolutely miraculous!! And you only have to use a teeny tiny bit. The only gripe I've got is the shape of the bottle. One would think that the inner tube would still be straight like the wand. Nope. There's a tone of stuff you can't get to in the curves in it. You can get a lot more out of a bottle by following a tutorial I saw on youtube. You destroy the container and put it in a tub, but you get probably twice as much as you would otherwise get out with just the wand. Fantastic product though! I'm so thrilled I finally tried this. **edit** After the first week this product started creasing on me and since I paid for it to NOT do that, I took it back and got Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance. I've used that for about a month now and it's yet to crease on me in a regular day's wear. I recommend that over UDPP.
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Blush -Urban Decay - Afterglow Blush in Fetish
ashleynewcomb 3/3/2008 9:16:00 PM
I love this color. I've got really pale skin, dark hair and dark eyes so it gives me just the right shade. I can't go too pink so this is a nice blend of neutral brownish and pink. Great! As far as staying power, though... It comes off by the end of the day, but doesn't everything?
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Deluxe Eyeshadow - Scratch
ashleynewcomb 3/3/2008 9:14:00 PM
I just finished my first compact of this and bought another one. I use it everyday for highlighting the brow bone. I'm incredibly pale so I like to have a little pink under the brow to give me a little more color (as opposed to just white/beige). It's fantastic and goes with any color combination imaginable. I can't recommend this highly enough! Just wonderful. Coupled with the Urban Decay Primer Potion it's just great.
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