Makeup Brushes -Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman - Powder Brush
bobadreamer 5/22/2013 4:42:00 PM
Very large fluffy powder brush for a good price. It feels very soft when you SWEEP it across the face, can be a bit pokey/scratchy if you use a patting motion.
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Misc Beauty Tools -beautyblender - the sponge
bobadreamer 5/18/2013 12:31:00 AM
I really didn't want to like this sponge, but I do like it. I like it for powder foundations, it made my Burberry powder just melt into my skin giving wonderful coverage, not cakey, not powdery in the least. The trick is you need to use this with the right foundations, I used this with my bb cream and thought it was crap, but with my Koh Gen Doh foundation it is gorgeous. No streaks, no blending, you don't end up looking cakey or using too much foundation either, wonderful :)
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Concealers -Make Up For Ever - Full Cover Concealer
bobadreamer 5/13/2013 5:04:00 PM
I really like this concealer for covering blemishes (I haven't tried it for undereye circles since it's a matte concealer and my eye area is a tad dry). It's not SUPER full coverage in my experience, for example, it has less coverage than my urban decay 24/7 concealer. I would say that it's a high-medium coverage concealer, which is generally more than enough for most people. I'm a little bit darker than a MAC NC30 and I use this in shade 6 and 7 which I mix, 7 is a bit darker, and I'd say most girls around NC30 should be able to use it. The reason I have two shades is because I noticed this concealer can occasionally oxidize when I apply it to my bare skin and turn a bit darker/orangey, so I mix with the lighter shade to counteract this effect, I find though, when you use this over a foundation/bb cream it doesn't oxidize. There are three things I love about this concealer: 1) It doesn't break out my very acne-prone skin 2) don't melt or transfer off my oily skin 3) looks very skinlike and noncakey. I highly recommend this concealer for people who wish to cover up acne marks/blemishes
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Mascara -Shiseido - Nourishing Mascara Base
bobadreamer 5/9/2013 10:30:00 AM
Love. I have thick lashes that are decently long, but they are SO STUBBORN and hate holding a curl. I hated the Dior mascara base because as soon as I would apply it, my lashes would uncurl, this Shiseido base doesn't do that. It's a rather dry formula, which is probably why it works so well. It's one of the only products that actually holds my curl up and for that, I give it a 5.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Ponds - Luminous Clean Wet Towelettes
bobadreamer 4/24/2013 10:55:00 PM
I guess I'm the only person who didn't like these wipes. Pros: Removes makeup well, gentle, doesn't sting eyes Cons: The SMELL is overwhelming, the packaging is kind of leaky, the wipes look soapy, which I personally find really disconcerting
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Liquid -Chanel - Vitalumiere Aqua
bobadreamer 4/20/2013 6:18:00 PM
Skin type: Acne-prone, oily, with acne pigmentation and occasional breakouts Color: I'm around an NC30 at MAC and I got this in B30 because B40 was just too dark. B30 ended up being just a touch light. Coverage: Medium, not very buildable. Review: I didn't like this foundation. It applied easily, with a good amount of coverage, it muted out my acne scars pretty well. I had a few problems with it however: 1. The scent is very strong, and lingers for a couple of hours 2. When I powdered over the foundation, it looked very cakey, even though the foundation without powder looked great 3. The lasting power was pretty abysmal, it would start to go patchy on my oily skin within hours, looking really obvious on my skin and transferring everywhere 4. It didn't "meld" with my skin or melt into it for that seamless second skin effect that it promised. I could always tell I had foundation on with this. Overall: I'd say this might be a nice foundation for less-oily ladies, it does have a lightweight feel and a pretty finish while still imparting a good amount of coverage.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Midnight Fantasy Britney Spears
bobadreamer 4/14/2013 6:11:00 PM
This is one of my favorite perfumes. For starters, the lasting power on me is amazing, it lasts all day, all night, and then some. I don't love the initial spray of this, it smells like sweet berries, and potpourri, but after it wears a little bit it settles into a delectable, youthful, creamy comforting berry scent. If you don't like fruity, sweet, but somewhat creamy smelling gourmands, avoid this.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Giorgio Armani - Maestro Fusion Makeup
bobadreamer 4/6/2013 3:09:00 AM
I was SO excited to try this new revolutionary foundation but it simply did not live up to my expectations at all. COLOR: For reference, I'm NC30 (perhaps a tiny bit darker) and I got this in the shade 6.5 and the match is pretty good, slightly darker than my neck but not terribly so, not orangey at all and decently yellow for my Asian skin tone. COVERAGE: This is definitely a light coverage foundation that's minimally buildable. I use two drops per cheek, and two drops for my t-zone. I use one drop at a time, blending quickly with my fingers and it is enough to blur my acne scars a little and mute out my minor redness. For the apples of my cheeks and around my nose I need two layers to cancel out the redness. Even after two layers, this foundation does not look cakey whatsoever, it really mimics the texture of my skin, and neither emphasizes or drastically minimizes the appearance of my pores and fine lines. Concealer is definitely a must-have for any acne scars or dark circles. The finish is a natural finish, not too matte, but not glowy at all. TEXTURE: This makeup feels incredibly light on the skin, and you really don't need much to cover your face. It feels silky when you rub it in, the most comparable feeling I know is the Hourglass Veil primer. I find it fairly imperceptible on the skin, and to me it feels like a more mattifying version of the Estee Lauder invisible fluid. THOUGHTS: I really wanted to love this foundation, BUT, it doesn't last on my skin at all. I've used it over both an oil free and oil based moisturizer. Topped it with different powders. Sprayed it with my all nighter setting spray. Nothing makes it last on my skin. By the end of the day my foundation and concealer seem to have worn off almost completely, and my blush is totally gone. It doesn't really separate on the skin like some foundations do, it just wears off and looks like you applied nothing in the first place. My skin type is oily and acne prone, and I found that after a few days of using this foundation the area between my eyebrows began to develop a bit of redness (generally an indication that it's thinking about breaking out) as this is the only product I've introduced, I've got to suspect it's to blame. Furthermore, this product DOES flash back in flash photography, so if that's a dealbreaker for you, don't get this. All in all, this foundation is not worth it for me, I love the texture, coverage and finish, but the way it wears off so quickly just makes it not worth it at all.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Ponds - Luminous Clean Cream Cleanser
bobadreamer 3/30/2013 4:25:00 PM
I like this cleanser, before this I was using Purpose, but occasionally Purpose would make my skin feel dry or stripped. This cleanser doesn't do that at all, my skin feels balanced and clean, without feeling stripped. This cleanser is great at removing makeup, and works well with my clarisonic. I can even use it on my eyes, and it removes light eye makeup without burning and stinging my eyes. It has a pretty strong floral scent that people may not like, but all in all, it's a good inexpensive cleanser that gets the job done.
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Treatments -Christian Dior - Diorsnow Anti-Spot Serum
bobadreamer 3/30/2013 2:42:00 PM
So I've been using this serum for a few weeks now. First off, the serum comes contained in a silver, metal pump bottle, the bottle is quite heavy and quite gorgeous to look at, but attracts fingerprints, so this may annoy some people. The serum comes out as a clear yellowish fluid, not quite water-like, but not a thick serum either, more like a thin gel. The product absorbs quickly, leaving a slightly tacky finish at times but is never greasy. It doesn't feel heavy on my oily skin, but dry skin types may want to top with a more hydrating serum and moisturizer. I am very acne prone and this has not aggravated my acne, however if you are sensitive to fragrance I would avoid this serum because like other Dior serums, it contains a rather potent perfumey scent. I bought this product to help reduce the red acne pigmentation on my cheeks. The product claims to reduce pore size as well. The marks haven't significantly faded within the month I've been using this product, however they do appear to be less red and my complexion as a whole is less ruddy looking. Overall my skin tone appears more even and smooth and glowy. My pore size is about the same though. I will update this review once I've been using this product for a longer time period.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -MAC - Blot Powder
bobadreamer 3/30/2013 2:38:00 AM
This is a nice mattifying powder, it's easy to pick up onto your brush, doesn't look cakey unless you overdo it and controls oil well. It doesn't look seamless or invisible on my skin, so if you want to truly look like you have nothing on, this probably isn't the powder for you. The compact doesn't have a separate compartment for a sponge, which is why I marked that down. All in all, a solid powder for oil control and setting foundation.
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BB Cream -Unlisted Brand - Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB Cream
bobadreamer 3/29/2013 3:48:00 PM
So I'm about a MAC NC30 and I have this product in shade 02, which is the darker shade. It's a little light on my skin, but nothing a bit of a darker powder can't fix. I have acne-prone, oily skin with acne scarring and occasional breakouts. This doesn't cover any of those imperfections but it does do a great job of creating an even skin tone, masking minor redness and creating a smooth matte (but not overly matte) finish. I would say that it's a light-medium coverage. When I top off with my powder and UD All Nighter spray this BB cream lasts all day, I don't have any issues with its longevity. Be careful, a little goes a long way with this, and one little dab with the spatula is enough for me most days. It WILL look cakey if you use too much. I like using this with my Real Techniques brushes (buffing brush or expert face brush both work well) and I don't suggest using the sponge it comes with, the water based bb cream just absorbs way too much. I wore this to the gym once and while it did rub off, it didn't separate or look disgusting on my face, so this would be good for humid climates/summertime. The interesting think about this BB cream is it doesn't gunk up my brushes at all, even after many uses with the same brush, the brush still feels fluffy and soft. The scent is a floral-fruity soapy scent, quite pleasant, not cloying to my nose and doesn't linger. Overall, it's a nice, lightweight BB cream appropriate for oily-combo skin types and women no darker than NC30.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -St. Ives - Green Tea Scrub
bobadreamer 3/27/2013 11:49:00 AM
I like this product. I have acne-prone oily skin and I like to use this about once a day for gentle exfoliation. It has a nice fresh, kind of sweet scent (doesn't smell like green tea to me at all) and very fine grains, almost like extremely fine sand. My skin always feels very soft and smooth after I use this and I hasn't caused any adverse reactions. It neither prevents nor causes acne, I just like the gentle and thorough exfoliation it provides.
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Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Hervana
bobadreamer 10/17/2012 3:24:00 PM
I like this blush. One problem that I have with a lot of pink blushes is that they pull red on my yellow-toned skin, and I hate it. This blush never pulls red on me, instead it imparts a girlish pink flush to my cheeks that looks quite youthful. Looking at the blush itself, it appears that there is some shimmer, but when applied the effect is more or less matte, but just a tiny bit of a "glow" that wakes up your complexion. This isn't that unique of a color in my opinion, but the cute packaging makes it a joy to use. I'd recommend this blush for medium to fair skin tones just because on my NC30 toned skin, I do have to build it up for color.
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Blush -Tarte - Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed Tarte Blush
bobadreamer 10/17/2012 3:19:00 PM
I like this blush, but I don't quite love it. I have yellow-toned NC30ish skin and this blush looks very natural on me. I don't know if it's just my blush that is a bit hard, but I find that I need to sweep my brush over it quite a few times to pick up a sufficient amount of color. Though, in a way this is a good thing because the blush is really buildable, which allows you to get your just right around of color without over-applying. This is a really good every-day, work appropriate and all-seasons appropriate blush. It's a mauve color that translates as a natural, neutral flush on my skin. I love this blush for days when I want to apply my blush without having to think too much about it. However, the one caveat that prevents me from giving this blush is the staying power. It is marketed as a 12-hour wearing blush, but I find that on my oily skin it fades noticeably at the 6 hour mark. I would however still recommend this blush because it's a really nice, easy to wear color that would complement many skin tones.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No