Top/Base Coats -Seche Vite - Dry Fast Top Coat
carissarose 12/31/2012 2:11:00 AM
Truly do not understand the hype and praise of this top coat. Yes, it makes your nails dry super fast. Yes, they are ultra shiny. But my nail polish literally peels off all at once a day or two after. Not to mention it gets super goopy and unusable once you get halfway down the bottle. And they expect you to pay MORE money to get the thinner? No thanks. I've tried to make this work on and off for years and it's always been a fail. My favorite top coat is CND's Ultra Shiny and along with their Sticky base coat, my nails last at least 7-10 days with little to no chipping. With Seche, it would be 3-4 days at the most, and that's pushing it. CND's top coat might not be as fast drying, so if you want one that is as fast drying as Seche's then try Poshe. It's very similar, but it lasts longer (on me).
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -LORAC - Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
carissarose 3/18/2012 8:58:00 AM
I purchased this at Ulta on sale for $10!!! It's 50% off for the 21 days of beauty....and since I work at Ulta I got a discount off of that so I ended up getting this for $7. Amazing deal! I was in need of a new eye primer since my Benefit and Urban Decay primers just suddenly stopped working on my lids...now I've only used this a few times, but I will tell you why I already love it. I put this on at 9am yesterday morning, worked a 9 hour shift, went out after work and ended up sleeping in my makeup (yuck) and just woke up a little while ago to take it off and can I please tell you, my eyeshadow hadn't creased AT ALL. A little fading, but surely that's warranted as I had it on for literally 24 hours exactly. NO CREASING!!! I am over the moon right now, as with my Urban Decay PP which used to work alright, suddenly I cannot even wear liquid or cream eyeliner without getting smears all the way past my crease. The tube is great too, this will surely last me forever. If you really want to try it, get it at Ulta now because it's an amazing price!! I'm always on a hunt for a bargain, and this proved to be such a gem :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -BeneFit Cosmetics - "Hello Flawless!" Oxygen Wow
carissarose 3/4/2012 9:44:00 PM
Wow! I surprisingly love this foundation. I use the lightest shade, Ivory. NOTE: This foundation seems to run slightly dark and a bit yellow, but nothing major. I quite like it since I have a lot of redness in my skin so the yellow helps to cover that. Anyway, back to why I like it. This foundation is a light to medium coverage foundation that is buildable. When then say buildable, they mean it! This looks virtually undetectable on the skin, it NEVER looks or feels thick or caky by any means. That's why I love it. It has a satin/dewy finish, and even though I have oily skin this foundation doesn't make it more oily. In fact since it's so hydrating, I find that my skin is less oily and I need less moisturizer. Maybe this is giving my skin the extra moisture it needs, so that my body doesn't make its own? This lasts all day on me, and even though I do need a bit of concealer to cover any scars or redness I may have, I'd rather do that then put a thick layer of full coverage foundation on. I love how it feels, I love how it looks, everyone should try it!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Makeup Artist's Choice (MUAC) - TCA Peel
carissarose 1/25/2012 11:24:00 PM
One of the best TCA peels I've tried. Please let the record show, YOU DON'T HAVE TO 'PEEL' FOR A CHEMICAL PEEL TO WORK!!! That is one of the most annoying things for an esthetician to hear. You don't have to shed like a snake for the next week in order to get results from a chemical peel. Just because you don't experience major peeling means absolutely nothing. It's going to work exactly the same. In my experience you don't peel as much with TCA's but the effects are much more prominent and worthwhile.
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chanel - Coco Mademoiselle
carissarose 12/23/2011 11:29:00 PM
I'm really trying to love this. I enjoy how it smells in the bottle, slightly musky yet sweet and feminine with a little bit of floral, but on me- that sweet floral bit completely vanishes within 10 minutes and I'm left with a strong, musky, 'dirty' smell that mildly resembles moth balls. I don't know what it is, but SOMETHING about how this perfume smells I find utterly creepy. Yes, creepy is the word. I don't see how this is popular at all. And this is one of the 'younger' Chanel fragrances! I only did 2 sprays on the wrist, and rubbed it in with the other. At first I love it, but within 10 minutes it gets more musky and then develops nowhere. After spraying my arms with rubbing alcohol and wiping with paper towels, I finally got the scent off, but I'm not sure completely. It is about 11 hours later from when I sprayed it, and there is a slight hint of what may be Mademoiselle that I like, but I can't remember if I put anything on after it. I'm so, so torn on this scent. Maybe it's just too strong for my body chemistry? Maybe I need to just do ONE quick spritz, and see what happens from there? Beneath the intoxicating sweetness of this perfume lies a stinky odor that I find nauseating. Very confused. I will update this review for further opinions. UPDATE 2/5/2012: I came upon Dior's 'Miss Dior Cherie' and found that MDC smells almost exactly the same as Coco Mademoiselle but not as heavy and 'dirty'. It has that apparent patchouli scent that I love about Coco mademoiselle but it's more sweet and light. The only downside is that is doesn't last as long as Coco but I'm willing to sacrifice as the scent is exactly what I wished Coco Mademoiselle smelt like.
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Loose Powders -Bare Escentuals - Mineral Veil
carissarose 11/27/2011 3:50:00 PM
Complete and utter garbage. All this is, is a translucent powder filled with tiny particles of shimmer. If you believe that putting this over your already POWDER foundation will 'set' your makeup, you've been truly brainwashed into the Bare Escentuals marketing hype. You cannot set powder with more powder! It doesn't make any sense. Putting more powder over powder will literally do nothing. It's just more powder that you're caking on your face. All you'll end up looking like is a shimmery, powdery dry mess. And for the record, ALL makeup is mineral makeup. The claims that this makeup is more 'natural' than regular powder are completely and 100% false. They are lying to you. Traditional loose powder is made up of the same exact 'minerals' as mineral makeup: zinc oxide (which by the way is not made from the earth, it's actually synthesized in a lab), iron oxides, titanium dioxide, mica, starch, bismuth oxychloride, etc. It's all the same. Powder is powder is powder.
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Tinted Moisturizer -TheBalm - BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer
carissarose 11/24/2011 1:11:00 PM
I'm so happy to say that I purchased this (along with many other 'TheBalm' products) at Tj Maxx for $9.99. This is hands down, the best tinted moisturizer I've ever used. You get a lot of product for your money, which is nice. I have it in the lightest shade. A little goes a very long way, just a dime sized amount is good enough to cover your whole face and then some. The reason why I love this is because of the coverage. I have far from perfect skin, hyperpigmentation due to past acne and still suffer from the occasional breakout here and there. This stuff works like a charm at giving me an excellent medium coverage finish. I use any type of foundation brush to apply it, think MAC 187 or Sonia Kashuk flat top brush. If I apply it with my fingers, the coverage is less. Since my skin is oily, the ONLY foundation that truly lasts all day is Revlon Colorstay, everything else I need to touch up around the 6th hour or so. No worries, just a little face powder dusted over this not only gives me more coverage, but makes it last longer. I'd say on it's own it will last me 5-6 hours until I start looking a little shiny. To be honest, I haven't touched any other foundation in the past month or two because of how much I love this. I even went back to TJ Maxx and snagged another tube (luckily) so I wouldn't have to shell out full price for this anytime in the next few years, lol. This stuff will seriously last me a lifetime! Highly recommend.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Benetint
carissarose 11/24/2011 12:55:00 PM
Oh Benetint, I love you so. This is my go-to blush color, hands down favorite. After getting this a month ago I don't know how I went without it for so long. I don't even want to use any of my powder blushes anymore, and boy do I have a nice sized collection. I don't do the 'dots' on my cheeks as Benefit suggests, instead I take the brush and do one or two stripes along the apple of my cheeks up to my cheekbones and blend with my ring finger. Unlike Posie Tint or Cha Cha Tint, Benetint is ultimately foolproof. It's hard to overdo it, as instead of giving you extreme color you're left with a subtle rosy stain. It blends out super easy, and no you won't end up with stripes along your cheeks! It looks like blood in the bottle, but on my skintone (super light- think the lightest color in most foundations, with cool undertones) it leaves a beautiful light pink color that looks as if I don't have any blush on at all- just naturally born with rosy cheeks ;) I do have to be careful though, since I have a lot of redness in my skin especially on my cheeks, if I put too much on, that light pink will lean more red and I'll end up looking a little sunburnt. Not to fear though, I've found the best way to apply this is start off with either a tinted moisturizer or cream/liquid foundation, put the Benetint on, and THEN do a light dusting of some finishing powder over it to give it a flawless, blended look. I just love the finish of this blush, so natural and pretty. On my lips it gives a 'just bitten' look. Definitely don't be scared to experiment with this and try something new, as the color is beautiful, it's easy to blend (despite what other reviewers may think) and the color truly does last all day until I take it off at night!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Maybelline - Baby Lips lip balm
carissarose 11/16/2011 11:36:00 PM
I purchased this to find relief for my extremely dry, chapped lips and figured this might do the job as well as give me a little color for day to day. Unfortunately there was no such luck...I purchased the cherry one, I forgot the exact name. Upon application (in the car, sitting in the Ulta parking lot of course hehe), I immediately took note to the intense burning sensation these gave my lips. Similar to the sensation you get if you use certain 'plumping' glosses. The color was decent, a healthy, slightly red 'stain'. But my lips were stinging! Definitely not a good first impression. I gave it many other chances, but I couldn't get over the irritation this caused. Not to mention it smells and tastes like straight up plastic. It definitely didn't feel all that hydrating either, it had a very thin, wax-like consistency (if wax could be thin, does that makes sense?) that just seemed to sit on top of my lips and just kinda, well, sit there. My lips actually felt more dry and in need of moisture now that I think about it. I gave it 2 lippies for price, I think I paid 3.99 for this? I gave it 2 for packaging, it's nothing glamourous, but that doesn't really concern me as I'm more looking for something that will PERFORM, cheap packaging or not. In conclusion, this product has poor moisturizing capabilities (in my eyes anyway), and if you're someone like me who needs something that is going to treat chapped lips, skip this. I can usually handle products that don't smell too pleasant, but I can not get over the smell of these and how they taste like plastic if god forbid you lick your lips on accident. All that, on top with the stinging/burning my lips experienced, this wasn't worth the $4 I paid. I won't even give this to my 14 year old sister. In the trash it goes.....I highly recommend Revlon's new Lip Butters over these.
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Lips -Revlon - Colorburst Lip Butter in Red Velvet
carissarose 11/16/2011 10:06:00 PM
LOVE THIS RED!!! As others have mentioned, this is the perfect red lip as it's subtle enough to wear everyday, yet packs enough punch that I have no problem calling this an actual lipstick. But I stop there, because this (and the entire line) is so much better than regular lipstick! They are very hydrating, have absolutely no smell or taste, and offer a silky sheen. Perfection! I sluggishly walked into my local CVS today thinking they would be nowhere in sight as others have mentioned that they were pretty hard to find, but there they were, glaring me right in the face with all of their lip-luscious glory. I got 6 of them, and Red Velvet has got to be my favorite. I can't wait to try more! If you've been curious about trying red or a bolder lipstick but don't want something too over the top, your search ends here. It's a deeper red, more of a blue based red so it compliments my cool toned skin.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Peter Thomas Roth - Gentle Compexion Correction Pads
carissarose 8/14/2011 11:26:00 PM
Just bought my second container of these. Don't understand all of the not so positive reviews...but nonetheless, these pads have definitely made a difference in my skin in a very subtle way. Past acne scars have faded, my skin feels softer and the texture has definitely improved. I also break out much less than normal since I've started using these. Of course you can't rely on one specific product to do all the work, so I've found a great cleanser, exfoliator and moisturizer that work great with these. I've gotten tons of compliments on my skin and it's been surprising since I didn't realize how glowy and even my skins been until people started pointing it out! I think with long term use these pads will eventually become a staple part in my skincare routine. A tip with these is since they are so saturated with liquid, is to squeeze them out in the container before each use and then dip a regular cotton round into the excess liquid when you are done with them so that you use up all of the product.
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Crème -Laura Mercier - Silk Creme Foundation
carissarose 5/31/2011 1:25:00 AM
I hate giving a bad review unless I feel necessary...but I just don't understand all the positive hype about this foundation. I bought it and was so excited and ready to love it, but unfortunately this foundation just NEVER blended in with my skin. The color I got was a good match, but no matter how I applied it (numerous brushes, fingers, sponges) it applied very streaky and just sat on my skin (and I used only a little). It accentuated any dryness I had and I have OILY skin! You could actually SEE that I had foundation on. It looked streaky, caky and dry. I can't say anything about how long it lasts because I never wore it for more than a few hours. I gave it a fair chance but I can't keep something on my skin that looks so bad. Probably one of the worst foundations I've ever tried, and I've had this problem with Rimmel's Lasting Finish as well. For something so expensive, I expect it to perform much better than a foundation 1/4 of the price. I like a foundation that isn't drying, yet works well with my oily skin, gives good coverage, with good staying power. I love Laura Mercier's line, but this foundation stuck to any 'dry patches' (more like it created dry patches if you ask me), never blended in- and I do mean never- and even after giving it enough time to settle I could still wipe all of it off with a tissue. I'll stick to MUFE HD thanks!
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Polishes -OPI - Black Shatter
carissarose 5/8/2011 12:55:00 PM
Cool concept, but I don't like how this looks- messy. I understand why this is all the rage with young girls, because that's exactly what I feel like when I wear this. Also everyone I've seen that wears this, it looks silly. Sorry, I know this is just my opinion and a lot of people like this because it's trendy, but I like to be taken seriously and it's especially hard when you have bright sparkly nail polish on that looks like a 5 year old ruined with a black sharpie marker.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Paint Pot - Constructivist
carissarose 1/27/2011 12:14:00 AM
Beautiful color. A deep, brown burgundy shade. Looks great on blue or brown eyes. Absolutely beautiful and richly pigmented.
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Makeup Brushes -Smashbox - Powder #1
carissarose 1/27/2011 12:03:00 AM
I got this brush in a limited edition set a few years ago, it is white bristled, with a clear handle. I assume they are the same thing, since it says it is the #1 brush. Needless to say, this brush is amazing quality. I've had this brush since around 2007, and it's still going strong. This was the first 'real' brush I bought when I first got into makeup. It is slightly stained, since I admit I didn't wash it as much as I should have when I first got it. But this brush has not shed ONE hair since I bought it, not one. It is so incredibly soft, dense, doesn't scratch my face, and is lasting a long time. I'm used to having to throw out brushes after about a year or so (ahem, Sigma) even with daily cleansing and weekly deep cleaning, but I can't see myself getting rid of this brush anytime soon. Since the handle on mine is clear, the handle is shot to hell with scratches, and you can barely read the name of the brush anymore (more-so due to my lack of TLC when I first purchased), but that is not what's important. I prefer this brush for blush or bronzer, as it is quite fluffy and is good for lightly diffusing product on the face. Good quality brushes will last you years, and this proves it to me after having it and all the other brushes that came in the set for the past 3-4 years. Good job smashbox.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No