Lip Gloss -Stila - Lip Glaze Stick in Plum
clevereuphemism 12/11/2007 2:33:00 PM
I love the concept of the Lip Glaze Stick. I'm not a fan of the lip glazes as I find them way too tacky and don't like how they feel on the lips. I'm also not generally a lipstick fan, so this is the perfect in-between. They glide on effortlessly and have much more pigment than the glazes, and feel soft on your lips. I got one in Plum and one in Blackberry, looking for some rich fall colors. I wouldn't really call this plum. It's more of a berry color, and it reminded me of the same reason I'm not a huge fan of Stila lip colors (though there are some that I adore). For some reason, and maybe it's just me, I find that a lot of their lip colors have an orange-y undertone. Plum, on me, showed up like a frosty berry shade with orange undertones. I returned it, as it just looked awful, but I'll absolutely try the Glaze Sticks in other colors. I really like the packaging, concept, sheerness, and formulation. But I wouldn't call this color Plum.
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Eye Shadow -Stila - Fall in Love Eyeshadow Trio in Silver Maple
clevereuphemism 12/11/2007 2:24:00 PM
I am also a huge Stila fan and have just about every pan e/s out there, but I love wearing greys & silvers so I couldn't resist this one when the warehouse sale hit. I agree with everyone on the packaging (not too sturdy, but a huge amount of e/s). I guess I have a slight dissent in that I definitely think of the middle color as a blue. It's definitely silver, but has a lot of blue undertone to it. Having said that, it's about as close to a true silver-grey as I've found in a Stila e/s. (I'd put Slate, Shore, and Dapple in the "silver" category, with Slate having brown undertones, Shore having purple undertones, and Dapple having a taupe-y finish.) It is, however, a gorgeous palette and I love the silver shadow with the navy liner. But the highlight color -- a vanilla-champagne -- doesn't really work with the other 2 colors. I think it's too warm to work with the cool-toned smokey grey-blue. But the other 2 colors are gorgeous.
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Eye Shadow -Stila - Fall in Love Eyeshadow Trio in Forest Clove
clevereuphemism 12/11/2007 2:11:00 PM
I recently bought a Stila e/s pan in Irma la Douce, then got this trio in the mail. I returned La Douce and kept this. These compacts are huge -- equal to if not more than 3 individual pans. Like others have said, it's a shimmery champagne-gold, shimmery olive (very similar to La Douce), and deep brown with green undertones (not as shimmery and very similar to the brown in the Jade Lookbook from years ago.) I agree that they don't feel very secure -- the magnetic closure can kind of slide around. I'd been wanting colors in this shade, though, and even with my fair complexion and grey eyes, the colors actually work.
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Lip Gloss -Smashbox - Capture
clevereuphemism 12/11/2007 1:56:00 PM
I was looking for a replacement for the LE gloss "Magnify" from last year's Totally Fab Collection, which was one of my favorite glosses I've ever owned. It's not exactly the perfect substitute, but it's close. It's a beigey-bronze with rose and peach undertones. In the tube it looks like it's going to be one of those uber-shimmer mirror-type glosses, but on the lip it's much more subtle. I'd put it in the neutral category, but it has a lot going on. Every time I put it on I'm kind of fascinated by all of the shades and tones. I'm a big fan of Smashbox gloss, and this is a winner in my book.
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Lip Gloss -Vincent Longo - Di Vino
clevereuphemism 12/11/2007 1:44:00 PM
This is a really neutral rose color without shimmer -- not too pink, no red or orange undertones -- just simple and pretty. I generally look for glosses that are moisturizing and sheer. This is more like a liquid lipstick that has sort of a laquer-like finish. Others have commented on the "plastic" smell and feel of the VL glosses, and I totally see where they're coming from, but it doesn't put me off. This is a very wearable shade that looks good with both cool and warm palettes. It's more of a "practical" color that's subtle, straight-across, and would look good on nearly anyone.
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Palettes -Stila - CLUB STILA palette
clevereuphemism 12/11/2007 1:15:00 PM
I love lip palettes as you can carry multiple colors around with you and only take up a small space in your handbag. The Club Stila set is an absolute stunner! It has 6 gorgeous shades ranging from peach to pink to berry. I bought it at the warehouse sale (for a song! $7 maybe?). I've never been a fan of the lip glazes, so I was kind of on the fence, but I bought this one and the Cafe Stila palette. Every single color in both palettes are not only wearable, but beautiful. The Club Stila screams spring/summer and I was going to hold out until then to use it, but I couldn't do it. The Cafe series is more fall, with bronzier colors. I am absolutely thrilled with the color selection in both. I prefer the Glazes in the solid palette form -- they're not as sticky, have more pigment, and last longer on the lip. I took one lippie off, as with other Stila palettes I've used, they do have this kind of gritty texture. But other than that, they're the best palettes Stila has put out yet.
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Lip Gloss -NARS - Gothika
clevereuphemism 12/11/2007 12:55:00 PM
I bought this on the recommendation (sight-unseen) from a pal who works at Sephora. I was looking for "the" lip color I'm always lemming for in the fall, when I want to stray from my usual pinks and crave a wine/berry/plum to fit the season. This fit the bill, but it's a little too intense for me, as I prefer colors that are more sheer. I would also say that it looks better in the tube than it does on the lips. In the tube it's this complicated mix of raisin-wine-rose-gold shimmer, but when I put it on, it just kinda looks like a dark wine. I'm giving it 4 lippies, though, cause it's a nice product and pretty color, just not for me.
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Palettes -Stila - Just My Luck Palette in Lucky Peach
clevereuphemism 12/11/2007 12:46:00 PM
I got this at the Stila warehouse sale and I couldn't be more in love. I like wearing peachy colors, but if there's too much of a red undertone, it makes me look ghastly. All the colors in the palette have pinky-peach undertones and used together make for a very polished & put-together look. The lightest shadow is a really pretty shimmery wash (champagne-peach), the middle is a pinky-peach (similar to Shell), and the darkest is a gorgeous brown with rose undertones. The peach blush compliments perfectly. After I put the look together, I want to reach for a sheer peach lip color (better for a daytime look), but the included lip color sets everything off perfectly and sort of intensifies it.
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Styling Products -Bumble & Bumble - Straight
clevereuphemism 10/26/2007 10:45:00 PM
I'm a hair product junkie, and this is a great product. However, I recently discovered its doppelganger for less than half the price. Prawduct Flat Factor seems to me to be an identical product (thick, viscuous, silicone-y goodness that makes your hair shine like glass) but it's $14 for 5 oz. The guy who makes them is a goofy nutjob who calls himself RAWbert, but he's seriously on to something. I also love the Shine Drops and my aunt (who has mega poufy frizzy hair) is a convert to the Shine S & C. The website is http://www.thekitchenbeautician.com.
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Treatments (Eye) -Erno Laszlo - TranspHuse Eye
clevereuphemism 10/26/2007 10:56:00 AM
I've tried many, many eye creams and never really found one that I *loved*, until Erno Lazlo TranspHuse. The skin around my eyes tends to be really dry, but can't tolerate "anti-aging" ingredients (I just tear up and it comes off), so I always look for something rich & emollient, but gentle. This is so nice and creamy and rich, and I don't get a bad reaction to it. I ran out recently and my eyes are suffering! I've used La Mer, Skinceuticals, and Astara, which were nice, but not great. Finally, I've found my HG!
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Tinted Moisturizer -TheBalm - BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer
clevereuphemism 10/26/2007 10:40:00 AM
I recently changed-up my whole skincare/makeup routine and added this to my arsenal. I'd been using liquid mineral makeup over primer, sunscreen, & moisturizer (plus C serum, toner, etc.) and started feeling like my skin was really caked-up. This covers so well and goes on so flawlessly that I took out the primer. I has SPF so (for the winter & fall), I took out the sunscreen. And it's moisturizing, so I use about half the moisturizer I used to. It's really natural-looking, dewy, and glowy, but camouflages as well - if not better - than any makeup I've ever used. My skin looks and feels healthier. Now when I put on liquid minerals, my skin looks dead and lifeless by comparison. Too bad about the color selection, but beyond that, love, love it!
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Lip Gloss -TheBalm - BalmShelter SPF 17 Tinted Gloss
clevereuphemism 10/26/2007 10:30:00 AM
I have this in Pin Up Girl, a sheer YLBB cherry red. It's really moisturizing, glossy and I love that it's SPF 17. Both my mom & aunt have had lip cancer from sun exposure, so I try to find protective products. I love this gloss and can't wait to buy more.
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Hair -Barex - Hair products
clevereuphemism 10/26/2007 10:18:00 AM
I ran across this line on the hair boards -- I'd never heard of it, but it seemed to have quite a following. I got the Colourlife S & C and the Redefine Creme from the Frizzy line (I'd love any hair company that makes a line just for frizzy hair!) I now recommend it to everyone I know. I was totally blown away at how amazing my hair feels and looks when I use it. The S & C makes my normally dry, damaged, frizzy hair soft as silk and manageable. I use the Redefine after heat styling and it defrizzes, as well as defines, weightlessly and without any sticky/oily residue. Seriously, when I started using it, I felt like I got "new" hair. I used to have a serious addiction to Kerastase -- especially the antiusure conditioner and the masquintense. Discovering Barex was like using Kerastase for the first time - an Aha! moment, when the heavens descend. But it's about half the price. It does smell like men's cologne, but it dissapates once it's dry. Absolute HG!
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Lips -Bath and Body Works - Goldie Whip it
clevereuphemism 3/10/2007 4:28:00 PM
I'm always looking for an HG pink gloss. I love this one -- Barbie pink with tons of pigment, super glossy, and really moisturizing. It's a nice saturated color without being garish or over-the-top. I also find that it goes with a lot of different looks & color combinations. Generally, sugary sweet scents make me gag, but somehow this one I actually kind of like. I guess I don't want to smell like cotton candy, but it's okay if I taste it on my lips!
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Lip Gloss -Smashbox - Totally Fab Lipgloss Collection
clevereuphemism 3/9/2007 1:48:00 AM
I'm proud to be the first reviewer of this Totally Fabulous product! It's 4 glosses in a cigarette-style case. I love, love, love, Magnify (nude-rose-brown-pink with subtle gold shimmer -- the best gloss I've found for a nude face) and Stage (sheer watermelon pinky red -- hard to find color done to perfection). They have brush applicators, are super hydrating (I don't use balm anymore for my dry lips -- just Smashbox gloss). Both of these colors are quite subtle, put have tons of pigment and lasting power. 2 gorgeous hard-to-find is a bargain (kinda) at $35, but they also come in a fabulous cigarette-style case that I put 2 other SB glosses in, so the package itself is almost worthe the price. Major downside? NO mirror. ??? That just seems like a ridiculous oversight. Otherwise, all thumbs up.
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