Moisturizers -Unlisted Brand - Steamcream
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 12:58:00 PM
I think I have finally found my favourite moisturizer with this one. It states that it is suitable for all skin types and I have to agree with that. I use it for my combo skin, which is oily during summer and drier during winter and it works alright. I love how it smells, it is lavender smell, but nothing too strong - I would say mild to moderate. Another lovable thing is the packaging, they have various containers to choose from, so you can have packaging according to your art taste. It contains 100% natural ingredients except glycerine, stearic acid, triethanolamine, cetyl stearyl alcohol, coumarin, geraniol, citronellol, limonene, linalool, methylparaben & propylparaben. (see their website http://steamcream.co.uk/Ingredients for explanation). It would be certainly better if they haven't used parabens, but as a scientist myself I can understand the usage for them. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with this product and I will definitely repurchase it again.
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Loose Powders -Bare Escentuals - Mineral Veil
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 12:45:00 PM
I think this works well with Bare Mineral makeup to set the foundation and to give the face luminous look. It is translucent and from my experience only a bit is needed for each part of the face. I don't have any strong pros or cons for it, it simply works for me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Bare Escentuals - Warmth All Over Face Color
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 12:43:00 PM
I got this in the Get Started Kit and I think it is great for summer. I only need a tiny amount to bronze my cheeks or other parts of the face, it gives very "natural" colour, nothing too vivid or too deep for fair complexion that I have. The only problem that I encountered is really the amount I have to apply - it is much butter to start with almost nothing and then build it up, because the product is very pigmented.
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Concealers -Bare Escentuals - Bisque
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 12:40:00 PM
I like this concealer a lot! I have also tried another high-end concealers, but this one works the best for me in the under eye area. I mainly use it to hidemy dark circles and it works very well for this problem. It has pinkish/salmon undertone to it, so it works on those hues of blue and deep purple under the eyes. I apply it with Bare Minerals Concealer brush. After that I apply my foundation.
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Powder -Bare Escentuals - Bare Minerals ALL
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 12:36:00 PM
I have bought my Bare Mineral Original Foundation in Get Started Kit in medium in summer. I have fair skin when I'm not tanned (I use Fairly Light), but during summer I use Medium or Medium Beige). Despite of what I have read, this foundation doesn't look cakey or flaky on me at all (bearing in mind that I often have dry patches on cheeks or forehead). I would say the coverage it medium, buildable. I use it with Bare Minerals primer and it stays on my face for a long time. The application can be a bit messy for a beginner, but one gets used to it after a few times, it is nothing horrible. The only con I can find out this is the high price, I honestly don't understand why it is so expensive.
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Liquid -Revlon - Beyond Natural Skin Matching Makeup SPF 15
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 12:26:00 PM
I bought this during summer in Belgium and I like this as an alternative of conventional foundation for summer (it has SPF 15, which is not much though during summer, but still better than nothing). I have it in shade Light - it comes of white from the tube, but oxidizes and changes according to your skin tone in matter of seconds. It is fairly easy to work with, I have to use moisturizer under it. It leaves only sheer coverage, but I think it would be buildable into medium coverage if desired. It has 30ml packaging, which is not much, but otherwise the packing is fairly nice and easy to use. It is not scented, which I find preferrable in makeup.
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Mascara -Helena Rubinstein - Lash queen
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 12:19:00 PM
My most favourite mascara ever (and the most expensive one I have tried so far). I have it in shade called Feline Brown, but I have seen that they don't have this shade anymore, so I think now it is called Black Brown according to the official website of Helena Rubinstein. This is my-lashes-but-better kind of mascara. This shade I have is very deep brown and it really looks like my natural colour of lashes (nothing like harsh black). It makes my lashes look longer, fuller, they separate nicely, and they are NEVER clumped with this mascara, neither it makes smudges. Simply awesome. The brush is very soft with dense fibers and the mascara has a neutral scent in my opinion. Finally it has long stayin power, but at the same time it is easy to remove. I have two of these - the older one is over 4 years old and it is still not dry! That scores big points and proves excellent quality. I also have waterproof version of Lash Queen, but I don't like it as much as the non-waterproof one, because the texture is a bit different in my opinion.
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Mascara -BeneFit Cosmetics - They're Real
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 12:10:00 PM
I like this mascara, but it is definitely the best mascara I have ever used. What I like about it is that it doesn't smudge, it doesn't clump my lashes (but you have to work quickly), it has nice colour payoff and it lasts for a whole day. The brush is okay to work with, but I don't like how it ends, because in my opinion this is what delivers unwanted emount of product to the inner corner of the eye and it simply looks horrible after that. I wouldn't describe it as your-lashes-but-better mascara, but it is very close to it. It definitely makes my lashes look longer and fuller, but it can become clumpy, as I stated before. I don't know what else I would exactly describe as a con, but it just doesn't fit to me for 100% like my most favourite mascara. Overall it is quite good mascara, but too expensive for what it does - or rather doesn't.
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Eye Primer -Artdeco - Eyeshadow Base
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 12:01:00 PM
I love this product. It goes on the eyelids very smoothly, it is not dry at all and it doesn't flake or anything like that. I usually have to dab my finger twice into the container to get the sufficient amount for one eyelid. The container seems really small in hands, but in fact there is LOADS of the product in it, because only tiny amount is needed to prime the eyelid. I have no problem with the container design, you only have to bear in mind that you have to wash your hands before using it, so you don't spread any dirt into the product. This product has a particular frangrance, it kind of reminds me as men perfume or something like that, I cannot describe it precisely, but it doesn't bother me at all. Also if you look at the primer on direct sunlight, you may notice it is sparkling, but this is not visible at all on the eyelid after you apply your eye shadow. The price is for the quality and for the amount of the product more than excellent and I fully recommend it, it will last you for ages.
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Concealers -Sephora - Concealer palette
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 11:54:00 AM
I have this palette for mostly 2 years now and it still has excellent quality. As I have fair skin, I almost never use the shade called "sandy", but despite that, these are very good shades from fair or light skin. The green shade covers redness in an adequate manner, so does the "nude shade" with other imperfections. I also almost don't have any yellow imperfections on my face, so I seldomly use the lilac shade. I usually use this on my blemishes or any other redness - I apply the green one first, dab it in, and then use the "nude" shade. The structure of these concealers is very smooth, they are not sticky nor too solid, the brush in the palette is also quite handy for application if you don't have any other concealer brush. Their scent is kind of neutral, which I like. With the quality, I would even dare to compare the "nude" shade to Boi ing 01 (Benefit) that I also own, I would say it produces pretty much the same coverage for less money than the famous Boi ing. Overall, I'm very pleased with these concealers. The coverage is not 100%, but I wouldn't expect it to be. The quality is reasonable for its price, so I recommend it and I will probably repurchase it when I run out of the product.
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Concealers -BeneFit Cosmetics - Boi-ing
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 11:43:00 AM
I purchase this after reading lots of reviews (some loving it, some hating it) and ended up being somewhere between those. Some pros: shades greatly matches my skin tone (I use shade 01, and I'm Fairly Light in Bare Minerals when I'm not tanned), it is not scented, it doesn't cake on my face BUT, honestly I expected much more from this concealer in several aspects: 1) it claims to be "industrial strength concealer" - where did they get it from? it is no way concealer with such strength, I would say mostly medium coverage, nothing more - it doesn't help to cover dark circles very much (yes to some extent, but not much as I expected from reviews) 2) the packing could be solved better, it is rather inconvenient 3) obviously the price - if it was "industrial strenght concealer", it would be so-so reasonable, with my experience from 1)? not really I won't repurchase it in future and will be looking for some better concealer.
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Lipstick -Clinique - Chubby Stick (all shades)
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 11:35:00 AM
I got my first Chubby Sticks in a Holiday 2012 set called Whole Lotta Colour. It contains small versions of shades Richer Raisin, Curvy Candy, Chunky Cherry, Super Strawberry, Oversized Orange. The richest colour payoff I get is with Chunky Cherry (my most favourite from the set) and Set Strawberry, average colour payoff from Richer Raisin and Curvy Candy and the least from Oversized Orange (more of just a very slight tint, nothing fancy like the first two). First I was sceptical about these products, but now I like them a lot, because they make my lips quite hydrated and with nice colour too. I usually have quite dry lips, but I don't have to use any extra lip balm under Chubby Sticks. I read that some people describe their scent as being "waxy", but it doesn't seem to me like that. I'm glad that they are not scented, because it prevents me from licking my lips because of the scent/flavour. I will most probably repurchase some shades later, when I run out of them. I only wish they would be a bit cheaper than they are now.
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BB Cream -Etude - Etude House Precious Minerals Bright Fit BB cream SPF 30
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 11:21:00 AM
This is the frst BB cream I ever got and I'm glad I chose this particular one from Etude House. I have fairly pale skin (Bare Minerals foundation in Fairly Light shade when I'm not tanned), so for this BB cream I chose #N02 Light Beige, which fits my skin tone perfectly (I haven't noticed any greyish undertone of it, it has rather cool undertone). I tend to have combination skin with occasional dry patches on forehead and cheeks and even despite this I can use this BB cream without any moisturizer underneath it (I mention this, because I heard some women still need moisturizer with their BB creams). It it applied very easily and smoothly. I'm very pleased with the coverage it offers, even though it obviously doesn't cover EVERYTHING - if I have some severe dark circles or redness from blemishes, I still have to use concealer). I mainly love how it brightens my skin, so it doesn't look dull and tired - perfect in the morning. It is not sparkly or anything, but neither completely matte, it leaves the skin with a dewy finish, which I prefer. If I want matte finish, I use translucent powder on the top of it and I'm ready to go. The staying power is also quite reasonable, for me it is about 6-7 hours before I start to be shiny on my T-zone. The only negative thing about this is price, but it is definitely worth it, because this product is awesome, in my opinion.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Sephora - Professionnel All Over Shadow Brush - Small #22
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 11:08:00 AM
This brush is very soft, I have had it for about 6 months and it hasn't shed yet, which I find excellent given the brand and price. It is good for overall applying of the eye shadow, it is also possible to use it for crease and blending, but I use it mainly for just applying the eyeshadow on my upper lid only, asi t is too big for lower lid. I would probably purchase it again if I couldn't find anything else, but I'm on the lookout for better eye shadow brushes at the moment.
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Treatments (Eye) -Sephora - Sephora Age Defy Eye Cream
astralpantheress 12/23/2012 10:32:00 AM
I got this from my mum as she didn't use it. It is not targetted for my age (me being 20+), but I still tried it and wasn't satisfied at all. It is probably no the worst eye cream out there, it does moisturize a bit, but that's all it does. It claims to reduce puffiness and dark circles, but it sure doesn't do that. The packing is also so-so for me, because bits of the cream tend to solidify in the pump, so it makes a bit of effort to pump it out. What I liked about this eyecream is that it had no significant smell.
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