Blush -NARS - Cream Blush in general
claraflo 5/1/2012 9:39:00 AM
For some reason I cannot wear powder blushes. They look chalky and I never get the application right. This is why I went hunting for a cream blush, it needed a strong colour that would look natural and powder never looked natural on me. So I bought without ever testing a NARS cream blush. The texture was not what I expected. Its actually very solid in the pan and tacky rather than silken. Despite this I persevered and tapped my fingers in the pan until it had some colour on. It goes on quite tacky as well and if you are not careful you'll end up with a solid dot of colour on your cheek. Yet despite all that and quite surprisingly it blends rather easily. The colour payoff is fantastic and a single pan could last you years of daily use. The end result is a very pigmented yet natural looking blush. I have pale skin and wear constantinople, one of the more dramatic blush colours without a problem. Cream bkushes melt into my skin and make up for my horrible blending and application skills. They also last all day. Which is why I love them.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Rose Otto
claraflo 5/1/2012 5:12:00 AM
I've always wanted to try the famed essential oil of rose, rose otto. This is the elixir made through steam distillation of rose petals. Not through chemical extraction, known as rose absolute. This stuff is crazily expensive, more expensive than 24k gold. A mere 6mls will set you back a whopping $200! I bought rose otto in a 3% dilution of jojoba oil, which is a lot more affordable. In any case you shouldn't use any essential oil in a stronger concentration than this. I've been using this diluted oil as a straight serum on my skin to gauge it's results. First impression is that it's heavenly but strangely doesn't smell as rosey as I expected. I guess I expected to be assaulted with the same kind of smell you get from sniffing an actual live rose. Kind of green, pungent with a whiff of sweetness in the back-end. But rose otto is just all sweetness. In fact it smells almost exactly like honey. A beautiful smell to be sure but not what you expect after being trained to the chemical substitute of rose perfumes. In terms of results I'm divided on this one. I don't find it to be massively hydrating. In fact I don't find my skin to be any different in hydration stakes whether I use it or not. I've been using it daily now for 2 months and to be honest haven't seen any change in my skin at all. I like using though because the smell is incredible and I just love finishing my facial routine with something extremely pricey and heavenly smelling. I'm ever so glad I didn't shell out the $200 for 6mls of the unadulterated stuff though. I'm continuing to buy the dilution and I'm using it daily for it's soothing scent and niceness factor and also just in case some metamophosis in my skin does occur in 6 months time. In summary, it's a luxury item that has a large amount of feel good factor attached to it. It's wonderful to go to bed smelling the precious elixir of roses and it's certainly very relaxing. I've yet to experience any of it's famed skin care benefits though. I wouldn't buy a bottle of the undilited otto, for the price I don't think it's good value. But a 3% dilution is certainly good enough to smell the scent and make me relax at the end of my facial.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Full 'N Soft Mascara
claraflo 5/1/2012 4:57:00 AM
This is a competent mascara, it's nothing special but it's not bad either. It's very much a mascara in the tradition of 80's mascara's. The only options back then were black, brown, waterproof and regular. No-one tried to create a false lash look or add extra lashes onto your eyes. All mascara's claimed to do was colour your lashes and hopefully not clump. And that's all I can really say about this mascara too. It colours your lashes and doesn't clump neither does it do anything else. I bought this mascara after having a surprise reaction to another one I was using. I had to ditch that mascara pronto and buy a replacement on the spot. This was what was available in the local chemist. I've since repurchased twice on the grounds it doesn't irritate and it's easy to remove. My big negative on this product is it does smudge. Without fail I end up with the mascara smudge under my eye's whether I place this mascara on the lower lash line or not. I still use it simply because the mascara smudge is easy to wipe away and so far I've been too lazy to find another mascara that doesn't irritate or smudge. My big issue with mascara's is that I have sensitive eyes and a lot of the better performing ones either irritate or are difficult to remove. Hence I'm not keen to splash out $30 on a mascara I might have to bin immediately.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Unlisted Brand - Oil Cleansing Method OCM
claraflo 12/30/2011 8:41:00 AM
This cleansing method has been the saving of my skin. I am 40 and was just beginning to see the sudden loss of hydration and skin texture which seemingly comes along with this age. My skin got in such a state that it had dry scaly patches and the beginnings of dhydration lines on the cheeks. My skin had also recently become sensitive to many skin care ingredients I had previously used with impunity. I have also had lifeling bkackheads on nose and My foreheqd between the eyes. Although I was able to control them with diet Ive never been completely free of them. First things first. The oil you use makes or breaks this routine. If you have dry skin like me occassional use of just 10% castor oil will make your dryness worse. So will using this cleasing method as an everyday routine. I use straight extra Virgin olive oil only and it works very well. Castor, rice bran, apricot and almond oils were all to djying on my skin. Any oil has the power to dissolve sebum so castor oil isnt necessary. I also only steam my face a few times a week. On my off days I use the extra virgin olive oil as a makeup remover on a cotton pad and then use a warm wet facecloth to gently wipe any excess off. More isnt better, an steaming your face daily could lead to surface capillaries if you have sensitive skin. Now the results Ive receved from using the oil cleansing method.... Clarification of my black heads. They didnt all pop out or clear up. But I have seen a giod reduction in their appearance. Skin dryness if no longer an issue. The texture of my skin has improved. Enlarged pores are shrinking and oerall the skin has a dewy sheen. Reduction in the appearamce of fine lines. My skin is much better hydrated now and Ive lost crepey-ness under the eyes and a softenng of crows feet. This cleansing moethodnproves just how terrible commercial cleamsers are on the skin. A lot of the skin problems Id put down to aging have been helped tremendously with this cleansing method.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Body -Unlisted Brand - Egyptian Magic Healing Cream
claraflo 12/28/2011 10:27:00 PM
It is an oil and wax balm and will do what most balms do. Protect and soothe very dry skin. To decide whether or not to buy it, you can purchase $3 worth of olive oil and test it on your skin. If our skin responds well then this balm will be a good purchase for you. I actually think think it is quite well priced for the quantity and how long it will last you. This balm has great emoliiency and skin softening abilities. It is a good product. But its not anything magical or miraculous. Being a natural oil based product, you will need to use it daily for 2-3 months before you will get a true idea of what it will do for your skin. If you've nver experienced what natural oils and waxes can do for your skin you may be surprised by results. In comparison to most modern skin creams its extremely good in effect, but you probably wont like the initial texture or feel of it. I work on aircraft all day so the drying effects of being at altitude for up to 12hrs at a time make this balm indispensible. No cream can handle a relative humidity of 10% and chronic dehydration. It provides a good moisture barrier with bees wax which does slow the dessication of my skin on a daily basis. The balm would be perfect for anyone who's skin suffers in cold, dry winter weather. Its a worthwhile purchase but its not a cure-all or anything miraculous. Natural oils are a finicky thing. Some will work well for you, some not. Before you shell out for this item its helpful to know if olive oil is good on your skin as thats what gives the product 98% of its effect.
14 out of 19 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Hemp Seed Oil
claraflo 12/14/2011 10:11:00 PM
I'm a longterm user of rosehip oil which I happen to think is the queen of oils. But lately I've been imtrigued by the claims of hemp seed oil. Its supposed to be healing and more emolliet than rosehip so I decided to add it to my routine along side rosehip oil, just for fun. I purchased a virgin organic one from new directions. Its dark green in colour and has only a mild scent which reminds me of barley grass powder. It has the same consisency and feel as rosehip oil, being somewhat waxy feeling going on the skin, quickly absorbing to leave the skin moisturised and without any greasy feel. I like oils that do that, they dont interfere with makeup application. My first application I applid it neat to my face to test its properties. Update - after a week of solid use I'm confident to post an update of this oil. Hemp seed oil is extremely good at restoring he skins moisture barrier. It is much more emollent than many other oils but leaves a dry and non-greasy feel on the skin. But I also think thats the limit of its abilities. If you suffer from both oily and dry skin, which many acne sufferers do, then this would be a first choice oil to use. This is also THE oil for treating crepey skin under the eyes. After just a few days of use my undereye skin became much smoother and less baggy and crepey than it was. Very effective for that. Rosehip oil isnt a great help in that regard as its not emollient enough. If you are going to purchase this oil dont get sucked into buying a bulk quantity unless you intend to use it on our body and hair as well. Hemp oil is a volatile oil that does not keep well. Never buy more than you will use in a single month.
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Cle de Peau - Concealer
claraflo 11/28/2011 5:28:00 AM
I held off on writing this review in part because I didnt want to be dishonest. Did I like the concealer just because its $80 out of my pocket and not liking it would be a waste? Or did I like because it truly is an exceptional product. Let me preface this review by stating my utter hate for concealers in general. The creamy ones slide off your face or dont cover and the ones that cover have all the blending ability and consistency of window putty. Once you apply the rest of your makeup your concealer is gone or it just draws more attention to your imperfections. ugh! I never understood anyones love for concealers. Cle De Peau's concealer is basically wax, silicones, iron oxides and kaolin. Theres no natural oil in this concealer to mess with its performance yet kaolin clay on your skin has the potential to be drying. Its packaged like a lipstick, in a nice metal tube, thats unoriginal but a lot more convenient than a pot. Its solid not creamy but easily swipes with little effort and a concealer brush. Applying it is a simple matter of dabbing the brush in the relevant places. Its blends extremely easily as it has a silken feel on the skin. Although I'm one of the lucky ones that has a perfect colour match with Ivory so blending isnt high on my list of priorities. I tend to just place it and leave it. Colour - I'm not truly pale. I'm usually the 2 nd lightest shade in most foundation ranges. If you are really pale this concealer will be too dark for you. Its in the colour range that you really know this makeup line is made mainly for Asian skin. All the colours are yellow based and they come in the limit of North Asian skin tone ranges. Fine if you are yellow based fair to medium skin. Sucks if you are not. Texture - the stick itself feels solid but the on-skin feel is truly very silken. Its easy to apply, spreads without sliding off and blending with a brush is a breeze. Its also very highly pigmented so that you will use practically nothing each time. The stick is miniscule but I think mine will still last 12 months of daily use. Wear - I have no trouble getting this to stay put for a good 12hrs. Ive worn it both over and under my foundation and the wear is the same either way. So saying that I dont live in a really humid country, it might be different if you do. It doesnt cover 100% of skin pigmentation for example but it provides very good coverage at about 90% with a light coat. It does cover 100% of my dark circles though. I have no problems with caking or settling into fine lines under my eyes at all. I also use it as an eyeshadow base and it works really well for that too. Overall I am happy with my purchase because it proides very good coverage of the things I need to cover. Its easy to apply and it lasts the whole day. Finding all of that for a mere $80 seems like a bargain agaimst the backdrop of numerous $30 purchases which were utter failure. I've found no dupe for this product so far. If you are considering this product find a store with a tester to make sure you get a colour match and like the texture. I bought it sight unseen but it was with a very unsteady hand and a load of desperation that I clicked Pay Now.
21 out of 21 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - EXTRA VIRGIN Coconut Oil (All brands)
claraflo 11/22/2011 7:36:00 PM
I use an unrefined one from Fiji, it claims to be 'organic' but ho hum, who can really be sure anyway? A couple of points about coconut oil and particularly unrefined ones. Unrefined coconut oils are a cream rather than white oil, they are soft to liquid at room temperature having a melting point of only 24 C. If yours is hard as a rock and white at room temp you've got a refined one. At least one brand in Australia sells a 'virgin organic' coconut oil thats refined. The refining process bleaches it and also gives it a higher melting point. The health industry has adopted the title 'extra virgin' for coconut oil they want to market as being special. But all unrefined coconut oils are the same. I get mine for about $18 kg at the local vitamin store. You could possibly find it in an ethnic food store as well, although I've yet to find an unrefined one there. Now onto the oil itself. I use this topically for hair and skin and also as a food. Hence the reason why I buy it by the bucketful. Coconut is a silky oil that melts rapidly on skin contact and doesn't take much time to soak in as long as you're not putting it on like you're basting a turkey. It leaves your skin very soft and is one of the faster absorbing oils for skin use. I've been using it daily for about a year and haven't noticed an real miracles beyond it moisturizing. But I like it's feel and versatility of it above any other oil so I use it daily from head to toe after a shower. I live in a hard water area which tends to dry out the skin. Things I can truthfully attribute to unrefined coconut oil..... It is in deed antimicrobial. I had a skin infection on my leg which no amount of chemist creams could contain. Plain old coconut oil though kicked it's ass I'm about a week. After just one application the fungal infection dried up and then quickly healed. Good skin softener and excellent after shower lotion. I'd always failed to apply lotion or oils religiously after a daily shower. The texture and slip was always wrong and I spent the next hour walking around in an oil slick. Coconut oil has a lot of slip making it easy to spread over the skin very thinly. It soaks in fast and it's easy to use. If you live in a cold weather country pour melted coconut oil into a silicone muffin pan then pop out your solid bars of it. Store it where it won't melt then rub onto the skin for perfect application. If you live in a hot climate just store your bars in the fridge. Easy. Whether or not I like it as a hair oil is still to be debated. Makes excellent face creams. Unlike other oils coconut oil produces a fluffy but very creamy consistency of cream that's fast soaking in. It's the best alround carrier oil for making lotions and creams due to ease of use and the way the finished product acts and feels. Of course just applied neat to the skin is also very good if you can't be bothered making something out of it. Most commercial face creams and eye creams are made from coconut oil. MCT & Capric\caprylic triglyceride are coconut oil. Excellent makeup remover that's easy steamed off or washed off with another cleanser. I have normal to dry skin so I just use a warm face cloth to wipe it off and leave it. It's cheap enough to slather anytime your skin feels dry. It will cost you a lot less than a boutique body butter, which is mostly coconut oil anyway. I have cracked heels and very tough skin on the soles of my feet. Nothing I have ever used has made a spec of difference, until now. Since I've been rubbing my body down with it daily my cracked heels have healed and my soles are a lot softer. Certainly one of the better moisturizers for this purpose. When I first started using it, I found the sweet scent a bit nauseating to be honest. But now I've gotten used to it it doesn't bother me at all.
22 out of 23 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Unlisted Brand - Sea Buckthorn Oil
claraflo 11/22/2011 5:21:00 PM
Let me start by saying I don't thimk Seabuckthorn oil is a bad oil, or that it doesn't contain vitamins, phytonutrients and good oils. I does, and I'm sure it's great for the skin. I just don't think it good value for money given how much adulteration there is in it and what else you can buy for less. Let's start with adulteration issues. Due to the current market frenzy for it a lot of Sea Buckthorn oil is produced by extracting seed oil which is of considerably lower quality than berry pulp oil, when it comes down to amount of vitamins and nutrients it contains. The good oil comes from berry pulp but it takes a lot of berry to produce a little bit of oil, so most producers will also extract seed oil to bulk the product. That's just in the production stage. This oil is also highly coloured so it's a relatively simple thing to put say 10% SBT oil into a vegetable oil and still have it look like the real deal. You, the consumer wouldn't be any the wiser, because it stains like the dickens in any case. So to get the real deal you need to go to a specialist supplier with a pure product and find out that because of the low yield of SBT berries it's very expensive to buy. So that brings me to my next point. While SBT oil is full of goodies for the skin, there is another oil that has the same goodies in higher quantities and for a lot less money. Rosehip Oil. SBT only tops Rosehip oil on one account, Vitamin E. in the rest it lags far behind, but it costs 3 times the price! I think that some very good marketing along with it's relative obscurity is making someone rich. Consumers are fickle and no sooner have we found our holy grail then we are hunting for the next best thing. Enter the exotic SBT oil from the steepes of Mongolia (it's actually a common weed in much of Europe too but that kinda spoils the mystique). Luckily SBT oil is also used to make primitive dyes, as it stains everything bright yellow, and we can make outrageous claims about beta-carotene levels to sell it's big negative as a positive. This brings me to my final objection to this oil. It leaves a bright yellow stain on absolutely everything, clothing, pillows, sheets and towels. While the stain isn't colorfast and washes away in oxygen bleach it's just a right pain to be bleaching everything you own on a weekly basis. I was using this oil in a 5% dilution and it was getting on everything. So anything made with SBT oil will have a concentration of less than 5% SBT oil. At 5% a face cream will be egg yolk yellow, if your expensive SBT cream is a soft buttery yellow, chances are it contains about 1% SBT oil. If you use 100% SBT oil on your skin you will look yellow, so facial products made with it have only 'marketing purposes' levels of SBT oil in it. Commercially, it's a difficult oil to use. Rosehip oil while also strongly coloured does not stain at all and can be used at 100% without problems. Another reason not to spend 3 times the price for SBT oil. I used SBT oil on my skin everyday for the past year and witnessed no difference at all. I do realise that oils do not produce dramatic skin changes but a year is a decent amount of time to test a product. I found nothing about this oil that justifies either the price or hassle of using it. It has a slightly less waxy feel than Rosehip oil which might make it more suitable for oily skin types, but I'll continue to purchase Rosehip Oil instead.
13 out of 16 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Unlisted Brand - rosehip seed oil
claraflo 11/22/2011 5:16:00 AM
Rose hip oil has been the only thing I've consistently used on my skin for more than 5yrs and I highly recommend it. As a child I got so sunburnt every summer that my face would turn into a scab! Yes ouch! And yes what then hell was I\my mother thinking! Let's just say I'm from the generation before the sunscreen campaigns (I'm 40, not 24 as my profile indicates). So against that backdrop it's a real wonder that at 40 I still have a creamy complexion with only a few freckles. I've often marveled at that myself. Rose hip oil is packed with antioxidants and lipid soluble vitamins in the quantities and combinations that nature recommends. I've always found it highly amusing that cosmetic companies go to great pains to isolate vitamins as water soluble substances, find they oxidize and degrade too quickly then go to further lengths to create lipid soluble versions because they are kinder to the skin and more stable. Hmmm...seems a really stupid way to go about it when they are readily available in lipid soluble forms in natural oils. Anyway, rose hip does do all it is famed to do, it just doesn't do it on a deadline. Chances are you won't wake up after using it for 4 weeks and see a dramatic difference in your skin. It's the kind of thing where you look back in 5yrs time, like I did, and think to yourself.....It's really amazing my skin looks this good at this age! Looking back on things now I can say with confidence that Rosehip Oil has..... Protected my skin from further sun damage when used in conjunction with a sunscreen. Prevented my skin from pigmenting post sun damage. By rights my skin should look a lot worse for wear than it does. When I compare my skin to others of comparable age and background, I am streets ahead. Garnered me compliments and skin tip advice from women 10-15yrs younger. Given me a reputation for having beautiful skin. Trust me, no-one told me I had beautiful skin in my youth. Kept lines to an absolute minimum. I have no forehead lines and very minor crows feet. Comparable to someone ten years younger. My eye area is also very smooth and supple. Kept my skin toned, smooth and plump Prevented aging The only time in my life I have experienced aging at any real pace has been a 6 month period where I gave up using Rosehip Oil in favour of so-called proven skincare. AHAs, Vitamin C etc. In that 6 month period I experienced a horrific increase in fine lines, pigmentation, loss of skin tone and texture, and irritation. I've thrown it all out and am back on the Rosehip Oil. I don't use a specific brand, I source an Organic Rosehip Oil from a whole foods supplier.
35 out of 38 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Unlisted Brand - Microfiber cloths
claraflo 11/22/2011 2:53:00 AM
This is my beauty best buy. I cannot use chemical exfoliators or scrubs on my skin due to irritation. This is an exfoliator I can use. Microfiber has tiny theeth that grip and remove substances. It's actually quite abrasive, although it feels soft, and one should never scrub at the skin with it. A light pass or two is all that's necessary. I use the oil cleansing method and this is the perfect accompaniment, requiring only a pass or two with a warm cloth to completely remove all oil and debris on the skin. It leaves m skin silken soft and glowing. I use it once daily to remove makeup and it's a great tool. If you are tempted to buy a home microdermabrasion kit, try this first. I believe it's actually better.
12 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Max Factor - 2000 Calorie Mascara
claraflo 11/16/2011 2:18:00 AM
There's a reason this mascara has been I production for almost 30yrs, it works. I'm always one to shy away from volumising mascaras because I hate the clump. But I've been working my way through the Max Factor line, being impressed so far. So I had to try this classic. The one I got was the version with the curved brush. I have to say I'm happy for that because brush is enormous and if it wasn't curved I'd have the devils time applying this mascara. But the curved brush makes it easy indeed. This is the first volumising mascara that hasn't made my longish lashes look short. I'm fact I was quite shocked that they looked like they've been lengthened. each coat goes on quite thin, if you are looking for a one coat wonder, keep looking. Two coats gives you long, defined andnsomewhat volumised lashes. Three coats creates a dramatic look. This is the first and only mascara I've ever used that has curled my lashes. My lashes are very straight and I can't even curl them with a curler, but this mascara made them spring upright all on it's own. I honestly thought the whole curling mascara thing was a big con. What I like about ts mascara is it makes the most of the length you have, it doe thicken lashes but not in a clumpy way. It seperates and defines each lash. It curls and holds a curl. The brush is a big fluffy brush which may cause application woes but the curved version is quite easy to use. You can create natural and dramatic looks depending on number of coats. Where I think this mascara wins where others fail is in it's formulation. It's a very cream formulation without bits of fibre and gunk in it. It doesn't try to add an inch to your lashes or stick more lashes onto your existing ones. It just very nicely and evenly coats each lash to make them more noticeable. Te more modern formulations I find very dry, sticky and flake even while you are applying them. They dry so fast that you don't even have time to run a brush through your lashes to seperate them. This is a classic mascara that gives you more prep time. But by the same token it won't create a false lash effect in a single coat. Overall out of the 4 max factor mascaras I've tried, Volume Experience, Mastepiece Max, Lash Extension Effect and now 2000 Calorie, this is the hands down winner of the lot. The overall finish is more dramatic, nicer and it's easier to apply. If you are looking for a DiorShow dupe, give this a go.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -Guerlain - Terracotta Bronzing powder
claraflo 11/15/2011 2:47:00 AM
I had long envied the celebrity summer looks with shimmery eyes and bronzed skin. Alas my skin has only three shades, white, pink and freckled. A summer tan was never to be mine by natural means. I've also long stayed away from purchasing a bronzer because I was convinced it would look like shiny dirt on my skin. I could not imagine ever finding a bronzer that would look good on me. For reference I wear #02 I'm Guerlains foundations. When at last I discovered that my beloved makeup brand was supposed to the best for bronzers I went for broke. After reading that Natalia Vodianova wore my foundation colour and that they used #01 in bronzer for her, I bought it sight unseen. I purchased the permanent product line Terracotta Bronzer in moisturizing and long lasting formula. The compact is quite small for a bronzer, it's very slim an made in artificial tortoiseshell with Terracotta embossed within the laminate. It's the prettiest and classiest compact I've seen for a while. It's also slim lime and small making a perfect handbag throw in. Top marks for packaging. The powder itself is a rich caramel colour that appears completely matte, both within the compact and on the skin. Not a hint of shimmer, and it even lacks the glow of my Guerlain finishing powder. If you want a bronzer with shimmer youmcould try and get your hands on this seasons LE, Radiant Sublime powder or just layer some meteorites over the top. This powder is my ode to summer this year. So I use it as a contourer on my face, touching it to my cheeks, temples and the sides of my neck. The colour, while appearing scarily reddish brown in the compact is sheer and a very good colour for my skin tone. I have yellow undertones so the 01 colour is great. With a light application I look a little sun kissed, a heavier hand and I'm tanned. My skin developed some pigmentation this year which was a bit unwanted. But a touch of this bronzer helps to blend it in and make it less obvious. For a great look I used Nars Comstantinople cream blush on the apples of my cheeks to give the tan a bit of warmth. The deep red of this blush mimics my natural blush well and layered over the bronzer brings a healthy glow to my face. Overall I'm extremely happy with this purchase. It wasn't all just hype Guerlain bronzers are fantastic if you are looking for a very natural result. Well worth the $60 price tag. I'm glad I tried a famed product and even gladder it lived up to it's reputation.
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Guerlain - Precious Light Rejuvenating Illuminator 01
claraflo 11/15/2011 2:25:00 AM
I bought this beause heavy thick concealers always look dire around my eyes and slide off within 10min of being applied. This is my first use of an illuminating concealer and I purchased it on the recommendation of a makeup artist. Straight up the coverage power of this isn't huge. It's a very light liquid that will only brighten shadows, it won't cover them completely. I wear #02 foundation shades in Guerlain and the coloring of this is just perfect. It's about one shade lighter than my foundation and blends easily with fingertips or a brush. I apply it to the inner dark corners of my eye and run a very fine line under my lower lashes as well. The result is that it opens up my eye area incredibly and doesn't cake or settle into fine lines. While it doesn't my dark circles what it does is distract the eye away from noticing them. You are drawn to the brighter parts of the face. From that point of view I think it's worth it's weight in gold. Not too keen on the pen device it's housed in. A little pump bottle would be better, especially as so much product gets lost in the brush. But for an eye concealer it's one of the best for creating a very natural and bright look.
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Highlighters -Guerlain - Les Meteorites balls powder
claraflo 11/15/2011 2:03:00 AM
I bought these in Beige Teint, the new formula housed in the silver metal tin. Let me start by saying that I only would not repurchase because they are a duplicate product for me. There is nothing to complain about in the products performance, packaging or purpose. I wear Guerlain's foundations in #02 Beige Clair, and this version of the meteorites is perfect for me. The balls are lilac, peach, beige and white. Although the colour of them really is redundant since there is no colour payoff anyway. Sold as an illuminator I really think they will fall short in that category for most people. If by illuminator you want something that will give you an obvious pale sheen in a specific part of your face, the meteorites will not do that. This is actually a finishing powder that yes does add a subtle luminescence, but for the most part gives a satin sheen that hides pores. And here is why I won't repurchase. I already owm Guerlains Les Voilettes fishing powder so I don't really need another one. Both for these powders do exactly the same thing. Hide pores, give an airbrushed finish and provide a very subtle satiny sheen to the skin. If you own the meteorites you will not need a finishing powder for your foundation. It's worth noting however that there is zero coverage from the meteorites and I seriously doubt they even out skin tone regardless of what colour the balls are. It's a translucent finishing powder best applied with a large soft brush. The meteorites are such an iconic item for Guerlain that they will never retire them, regardless of how redundant they may be in the product lineup. The new formula is a lot softer. Previously you needed a fairly stiff brush to pick up the powder, but any soft synthetic brush of a decent size will work just fine now. The tin comes with a latex sponge inserted, this isn't for application purposes it's to stop the balls from breaking during transit. I love my meteorites just because they are so pretty and prettily packaged.I don't regret buying them but there is no need to own both these and a finishing powder as well. One or the other will do. Guerlains powder formulations are very consistent across the line. They all hide imperfections and give glow in the same manner, you are safe with any of them. as with all Guerlain products they smell like candy, fragrance haters beware. The meteorites would make a fabulous first makeup piece for a young girl, simply because they are so pretty and at the same time, extremely natural and light on the skin. There is no chance an inappropriately made up look could result. All they would do is enhance the already divine skin of the youthful without coverage.
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