Polishes -Illamasqua - Lament
audrey12299 9/15/2010 6:39:00 PM
Absolutely beautiful! I am fair skinned (NW20 skin tone) and this color is gorgeous for summer pedicures! I saw this on Temptalia's site and I just had to buy it! On her website she says it is a bright coral-orange. When I received Lament in the mail, mine was more of a creamy pink/coral in the bottle (even better!). Sephora describes Lament as a flamingo coral. On my toes, it is not as bright as in the bottle. Just slightly darker, but still bright and bold. There is no shimmer in the polish. I was afraid it was going to be too bright against my fair skin, but it is perfect. Quite opaque with two coats. In the 2 weeks that I've had this on my toes, I've had no chipping or fading. This is my first Illamasqua polish and I am very impressed! Price is steep at $14 a bottle at Sephora. If I run out of this color I would buy it again :)
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Mascara -Yves Saint Laurent - Faux cils - noir radical
audrey12299 8/13/2010 11:52:00 PM
I could not wait to try this. I used to love the original Faux Cils in black but stopped using it due to the fact that it dries out so quickly. I saw this presented on QVC and the fact that the color was so rich and so super black, I had to try out this mascara again. It was very expensive at $30 a tube. I fell in love with this mascara the first time I wore it. My results were super dark, longer, and slightly thicker lashes. Very dramatic! I even received compliments on my lashes due to this mascara! Seems perfect right? Nope! After using this daily for about a month, this started to dry out and become super clumpy on my lashes. This is a wet formula to begin with, so once it gets thick & goopy, your lashes become clumpy. I tried everything I could: run the tube under warm water, wipe the mascara brush, use a lash comb, etc. I just could not get the same results as I did in the beginning. Towards the end, this stared to smudge on me as well. If this was a drugstore mascara, I wouldn't mind constantly replacing (since the results were amazing). But at $30 a pop, I just can't justify replacing each month. I ran into the same trouble a few years back. I really was hoping YSL improved the lasting power in the tube, but I guess not yet :(
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Polishes -Essie - Knockout Pout
audrey12299 8/13/2010 11:28:00 PM
Very pretty color! I am very fair (NW20 skin tone). Knockout Pout is a creamy bright pink (neon). Perfect for summer pedicures! I had a very streaky application with this. I eventually got it to even out by carefully adding a 3rd coat. The color looked great with my skin tone! I gave this 3 lippies since the streaky application was a huge setback....it was very time consuming trying to get it to even out.
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Polishes -Essie - Haute as Hello
audrey12299 8/13/2010 11:19:00 PM
What a disappointment :( I am very fair (NW20 skintone). I fell in love with this color in the bottle. A gorgeous neon-like pinky coral with a creamy-like texture. Application was very streaky, had to redo several nails to get an even coat. My biggest gripe is: the color that appeared on my nails was COMPLETELY different than the color in the bottle! Not even in the same color family! I have never had this happen before. This gorgeous pinky coral was now a warm shade of PUMPKIN ORANGE! I went out shortly after painting my nails and I was mortified to have this color on my toes. I took it off the second I came home. I put the bottle next to my toes and showed my husband. He could not believe they were the "same" color. Huge disappointment :(
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Melon of Troy
audrey12299 1/22/2010 5:56:00 PM
One of my favorite pedicure colors! Melon of Troy is a gorgeous, frosty coral color. Pigmentation is wonderful~ this isn't too sheer at all. Looks great on my pale skin tone (NW20). For me, this color is great to wear all year long. Application is a dream. Never streaky, always an even application. Never any chips as well. I will definitely buy this again!
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Polishes -Color Club - Blue Light
audrey12299 1/22/2010 5:50:00 PM
Beautiful color! I am usually into pinks and corals, but my 4 year old niece begged me to paint my toes blue. It is her favorite color. Since this is not the usual color for me, I had to find a decent color blue to suit my pale skin tone (NW20). Blue Light is great for pale skinned ladies. It is a creamy medium toned blue, but a very bright blue. The reason why I gave this a 3 lippies is because the texture was very streaky upon application. Most polishes "even themselves out" by the second coat, but this one remained streaky. Also, this color chipped on me within 1 day. My polish NEVER ever chips on my toes. I was shocked. This color would be beautiful in the summer~ the color is so bright and vivid! If the texture and wear was a little better, I would have given this polish 5 stars. On a side note, my niece absolutely loved it ;)
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Lip Gloss -MAC - Feeling Dreamy
audrey12299 1/14/2010 11:41:00 AM
Very pretty color! I am NW20 with very pigmented lips (pale l/s and l/g hardly show up on me). Feeling Dreamy is a light pinkish nude lip gloss with purple/pink shimmer. This looks beautiful over a pale lipstick shade. The pigmentation is sheer on me. When I wear it by itself, it lightens my lips slightly and adds a pretty, shiny sheen to them. This color is definitely on the frosty/sparkly side. If you wipe this off your lips there will still be tons of shimmer/sparkles left over. In the tube, this color reminds me of Pastel Emotion from the Emanuel Ungaro collection, although Feeling Dreamy looks slightly (very slightly) lighter. I do not see the resemblance to C-Thru honestly....C-thru is more like a pale beigey nude with no shimmer. I doubt I will use this up so the chances of a re-purchase is slim (and yes, this is LE, shocker!). I think Feeling Dreamy is a very pretty shade and I will use this to top off some of my favorite l/s colors.....but don't stress if you miss out on this one.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Clean & Clear - Morning Burst Detoxifying Facial Cleanser
audrey12299 1/14/2010 11:16:00 AM
Hated this cleanser. I have had some good experiences with C&C cleansers (I absolutely love their Oil-Free Deep Action Exfoliating Scrub), so when I saw this I decided to give it a try. Mistake. I have acne prone sensitive skin which tends to be drier in the winter months....although I can still use exfoliating products in the winter when using a good moisturizer. When I saw that it "gently exfoliates for visibly healthier skin", I thought it would work well. Wrong. The smell is lovely, very fresh smelling. This did not lather up well at all and had a gel-like consistency when I was washing my face. It took forever to remove. I felt like no matter how much I washed off, it still left a film on my face. I didn't worry though because I always follow up with my rose water toner. Before I could even apply my toner, my face felt as tight as could be and very itchy. I decided to wash my face again with just water thinking there STILL may be some cleanser left on my skin. I used this for 3 days and every day have the same experience (even when using less product). I have broken out terribly from this and my whole face is dried out. Yikes~ I will throw this out. Update 01-20-10: I cannot believe how bad my face has broken out from this. My whole face has broken out into cystic pimples. I have 2 on my cheek, 2 on my forehead and 3 on my chin!!! Bad reaction to say the least.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Modelette (Warm & Cozy 2009)
audrey12299 1/14/2010 11:05:00 AM
Love Modelette! I am NW20 with blue eyes and this is a gorgeous warm, neutral caramel color. Similar to Era (one of my faves) although slightly warmer, this has quickly become a staple of mine. For a neutral daytime look, I like to wear MAC Luna CCB as a base (yes, I know I am in the minority with using this as a base, but I do not have any creasing issues), then apply Modelettte with my 239 brush all over the lid. Once I apply my e/l and mascara, you can tell that Modelette really brings out the blue in my eyes. It is a Satin formula so it has very little shimmer to it, very little. I did not find this to be chalky at all. I actually went and got a back up of it because I loved the color and texture so much. I am sure there is a dupe out there, after all, this is a caramel colored neutral shade, but the quality is top notch to me.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Equality
audrey12299 1/14/2010 10:41:00 AM
Beautiful color! I am NW20 with very pigmented lips (looks like I am wearing mauve lipstick all the time....pale l/s and l/g hardly show up on me....very annoying). I knew I would love Equality because it reminded me of my HG nude LE l/s 2N. Equality is a beautiful pale golden nude color. This is quite pigmented on me. Remember, I have very pigmented lips and one swipe of this, yes one swipe, covers most of the pigmentation in my lips. This is a lustre formula so it leaves this beautiful moisturized sheen on your lips as well. I have to say though, if you have pale lips to begin with, this may look like concealer on you. Perfect to pair with up with a smokey eye, yet still suitable for a daytime look for the office. I stocked up on these, bought quite a few. I wish MAC would make this a permanent edition to their lustre line. I cannot rave enough about this color!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Chapstick - Lip Moisturizer SPF 15 Original Flavor
audrey12299 12/8/2009 12:34:00 PM
My lips have been so painfully dry lately, I was desperate. I have tried everything: Burts Bees, Blistex, Flavored Chapstick, Softlips, Nivea, night treatments, etc. Those were great for moisturizing my lips for the moment, but it did not help heal them long term. I noticed a difference after the 2nd time I applied this...my lips were still soft and moisturized from the first application! And I am talking hours later I tried to apply a 2nd swipe. Some ladies have mentioned that this has a pleasant scent to it, but mine seems to be unscented to me. Even better! I cannot stand lip balms that smell or taste "off". This was on sale at my supermarket for .99 cents so I grabbed it. The word "Moisturizer" caught my eye. Never tried this one before surprisingly....I guess because it was so "original" and no frills. Well that is what worked best for me and I now have smooth lips and can wear lipstick like a normal person again :)
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Bronzers -100 Percent Pure - Cocoa Pigmented Bronzer
audrey12299 8/30/2009 2:15:00 PM
Great bronzer! I bought this in Brown Sugar. The color is a light/medium matte cocoa brown. When I first got it, I tried it once, wasn't impressed and put it up for swap. After a mishap with the swap, I decided to try it again. I was blown away this time. I am very acne prone, NW20, and this bronzer actually helped clear up my current acne that I was getting from the blush I was using at the time (NARS Madly). My skin just loves this stuff! It is very natural looking on me. It goes on very lightly, so you can definitely layer for more color. The packaging is adorable. It comes in a plum colored reflective circular tin that when you take the top off is the mirror in the cap and bronzer on the bottom. Not too bulky, I keep in my make up bag and take it where ever I go. The brushes I like to use with this is my Flirt skunk brush or my MAC fan brush. The texture seems quite fragile. When I run my brush over the bronzer, there is a lot of fall out in the pan (can be a little messy). Didn't justify taking a lippie off in my opinion. I will definitely repurchase. The price is VERY steep at $25 a pop, but with my picky acne prone skin, it is worth it. Here are the ingredients: Cocoa Powder, Cocoa Butter, Powdered Pigments of Cacao, Apricot, Peach, Pomegranate, Blackberry, Raspberry, Coffee, Papaya, Tomato, Black Tea and Acai, Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Lavender Flower Powder, Rosehip Oil, Avocado Butter, Mica (natural mineral shimmer), Vitamin A (a-palmitate), Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Front Lit
audrey12299 8/27/2009 12:39:00 PM
Sadly, I wasn't a fan of Front Lit. The color is beautiful, it is a light golden beige color with an iridescent pink sheen to it. This is a Frost formula, and although I usually don't mind them, Front Lit was just WAY too frosty to me, even with a gloss over it. This felt very gritty while on the lips. I wore this with MAC Young Thing l/g on top and after an hour or so, I could see that the fine microglitter was settling into the lines in my lips (I have full lips so I have some creases in the center of them, not on the lip line). Pretty color, but this was way more frosty than my other MAC Frost l/s. I am NW20 with very pigmented lips. This color did not wash me out at all, but it looked very metallic-like when on the lips. I put it up for swap :(
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Young Thing
audrey12299 8/27/2009 12:12:00 PM
Love this color! Young Thing is a gorgeous light golden nude color with peachy undertones to it. This is similar to C-thru, although Young Thing is a tad bit darker and has more golden shimmer to it (not frosty at all). I am NW20 and have super pigmented lips. I use a swipe of foundation so the true color of the gloss can show through. Perfect nude color to wear with a smokey eye and it doesn't wash me out at all. I love C-thru, but I have to say I like Young Thing better. I am buying a back up for sure.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -MAC - #217 Blending
audrey12299 8/18/2009 1:40:00 PM
My favorite blending brush. I always apply my e/s with my beloved 213 brush, then blend with the 217. The results are great! Hands down the best blending brush out there IMO.
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