Liquid -BeneFit Cosmetics - "Hello Flawless!" Oxygen Wow
deliah008 10/23/2012 1:13:00 AM
I used the product for 5 months (approximately). It's dewy, medium coverage, lasts for 8 hours with minimal budging. All great, until recently I have been experiencing acne problems (which I haven't for a while) and pinpointed this as a culprit. So sad. Otherwise good product.
Unfortunately I can't tell you that you can try out the product for 1 to 2 weeks (that's how long samples usually last) and see how it works, because my problem started about a couple of months into the product.
I have combo skin, but I won't recommend this for dry skin folks either (tend to accentuate the dry spots). Good for people who are low maintenance (minimal coverage).
I felt that the color selection was not very good. I have the lightest shade, but it is a bit yellow than I'd have liked.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -NARS - Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer
deliah008 10/23/2012 1:09:00 AM
I got a sample in Alaska (which was a bit yellow for my skin). I ended buying Alaska and Finland (shade no. 1) because with Finland as a base and with Alaska on areas that need coverage, they do a very good job - comparable to a medium coverage foundation, actually. And, when I wipe at my face, there is minimal color that comes off on my face. Very breathable and wearable.
I can't say anything for the darker colors, but the two light colors are very wearable. No oxidation. Three dots cover my whole face. Minimal powder necessary (only on the nose). After 8+ hours, still look natural.
Even though this has sunscreen, please please wear a spf product underneath; this is not sun protection at its best.
I regularly use Benefit Oxygen foundation (very light, blendable), but lately has been giving me acne problems.
Many stores (including Sephora) are giving one week samples - I suggest taking one and use it for a week to see if skin problems occur.
Update: I have oily skin but has not seen acne problems. Been using this for 1 month+.
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Liquid -Shiseido - The Makeup Lifting Foundation SPF 16
deliah008 10/23/2012 1:02:00 AM
I have fair skin with yellow/pink undertones. I bought O20 (best match), and it was a good match in terms of color (very little oxidation). However, after wearing for 3 days, this went back to Nordstrom (sorry, Nordie's!). It had horrible staying power - moved and shifted after 3 hours. And, yes, it is shimmery. Glowy, but shimmery. I had a white film over my skin - not cool for any age.
The makeup lady did my mom's makeup with B40. It moved less on her skin (she has dry skin, 60+) but looked too glowy for her after 3+ hours. The glow-fish look for a non-party-goer is not the look she was going for.
Coverage was not medium - on the light side. Pinkness did not go away.
For the money, I bought myself Nars Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Finland. Does not budge and less glowy (I touch my skin and does not come away with color).
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Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Hurraw Balm
deliah008 8/16/2012 12:12:00 AM
Love Hurraw balms - natural and tastes great. One gripe: one tube lasts only 1 month on daily use (3 - 4 swipes per day). I also use Elemental Herb's lip balm (same size), and that lasts much longer even with the same usage. I like the sun balm - with the spf - all spf balm tastes has a spiced up / cinnamon-like taste, which is fine. The moon balm is nothing to write home about; I would same the extra cost and just get the vanilla or vanilla bean balm.
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Crème -Laura Mercier - Silk Creme Foundation
deliah008 12/4/2011 9:39:00 PM
Let me start off by saying that I very rarely give 2 star reviews, b/c I research all the products and try to get a sense of the products before I buy. However, this one is a real dud, at least for me. And, I am not writing the review after using it for a few days. Actually, I waited about a year after I stopped using it, so I can compare it to other foundations that I have used since. First, color selection was horrible - I chose the lightest shade, and it was too yellow. It looked fine in the store and initially on application, but oxidation made the color just too yellow. I have better selection with the Chanel and Nars lines. Second, after 2 hours, the oil from the product started to clump on my pores, and collected in tiny lines around my cheeks. Not cool. Third, it made me break out - small white spots and larger pimples. After 2 weeks of not using the product, my skin cleared. Fourth, the liquid separated! I bought a brand new product from Sephora, and after three months of use, even after much shaking with each use, the liquid separated released from the tube. Fifth, it looked very cakey, even with one coat. And, while it's a full-coverage foundation, if I applied heavily to achieve the so called full-coverage, I looked very orange and cakey; it just sat on my top of my skin. Even the Chanel Mat Lumiere, whose texture and thickness was similar, did not do this. Bottom line - for most people this is not going to work. Even those with mature skin, may want to avoid this as this would make you look older, not younger, due to this foundation's exceptional ability to emphasize lines.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Le Metier de Beaute - Classic Flawless Foundation
deliah008 12/4/2011 9:16:00 PM
I have been using Shade No. 1 for the past five months, and granted, while it is not a perfect foundation, I think this is one of the few ones with the least flaws, at least for me. Since using this foundation exclusively, I have not broken out (I tried the same skin care routine with my Chanel Mat Lumiere, and whenever I'm using the Chanel, there were minor breakouts). Le Metier de Beaute is a little expensive, and it is not a full coverage foundation. I normally use a SPF moisturizer, pat, and then wait 1 to 2 minutes before apply Le Metier with my fingers. This one coat lasts 8+ hours with no touch up, and no powder needed. Granted, if I go a little heavy on the application, it does look cakey, so it's best for a no-make-up look rather than a full-coverage look. When I want more coverage, I wait for the first coat to set, and then apply a coat of my Chanel foundation powder on top, which is less heavy than two coats of liquid foundation. For those who want a truly matte look, this foundation is not for you - this is semi matte at best and is quite dewy. Essentially, whether this product will work out for you will depend on your skin. I have used MAC's Studio Fix Fluid and Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation (as a reviewer mentioned below), and both of these broken me out badly. The Laura Mercier Silk Creme is not something I can imagine teens (18 yrs or younger) wearing, as it is very heavy and oily. I don't think Le Metier de Beaute's formulation is very heavy - yes, it is heavier than Nars Sheer Glow and many sheer foundations, but Le Metier goes on very sheer.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Posietint
deliah008 5/4/2011 1:12:00 AM
As someone who have previously used High Beam and Benetint, I can say that only Posietint still stay in my makeup stash and the re-purchase list. Posietint was what I was looking for in Benetint (which didn't show up on my yellow-based fair skin very well). High Beam was a nice highlighter, but sat on top of my skin like an oily film. Posietint is a good combo of both - it is a little more pigmented than Benetint but not as luminous as High Beam. On me, Posietint gives a slight flush (a cherry-raspberry color on bare skin and a light hot pink color on foundation). It turns luminous after several hours, but there is no highly visible sheen. When using on top of foundation, you'd have to blend it really quickly as it tends to dry rather fast.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Unlisted Brand - Mountain Rose Herbs - Skin Cream
deliah008 5/4/2011 1:04:00 AM
This is a review for the Melissa Cream and the Vanilla Cream. Raves for both. The Melissa Cream does not contain coconut oil and aloe vera gel, and has a more subtle lemongrass scent, compared to the slightly stronger (but very pleasant - actual real vanilla) smell of the Vanilla Cream.
At $14.50 (Vanilla) and $16.00 (Melissa) a pop for 2 oz, this price cannot be beat for such a lovely, chemical free product. I'm on my second jar of Melissa and first of the Vanilla.
The consistency is light, with the Vanilla being more creamy and the Melissa more solid, at least the ones I've gotten. The problem with hand-made creams is that batches are fairly unpredictable (as I've been told by Mountain Rose Herbs themselves), so consistency may vary. I find that the Vanilla is actually less oily than the Melissa, but the Melissa cream is more calming - great for reducing redness.
I first use the Rose Hydrosol from Mountain Rose Herbs after I wash my face, and then put on the cream. I also use the cream underneath my sunscreen and foundation, which keeps the dryness at bay for most of the day.
Update: Mountain Rose Herbs no longer make the Vanilla Skin Cream (problem with the vanilla absolute, they said). So, I switched to unscented.
Regardless, a great natural product with great skin benefits. In the time that I have used this, my redness went down by 50%.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Chanel - Mat Lumiere Long Lasting Luminous Matte Fluid Makeup SPF 15
deliah008 3/20/2011 6:47:00 PM
After using this and Pro Lumiere for several weeks, Mat Lumiere wins, hands down. I have skin with both yellow and pink tones, and am fairly pale (usually the second lightest shade in foundations). With Chanel, I've found that I need to go with the lightest shade, or else the foundation is too yellow once oxidized.
The SA at the Chanel counter mismatched me; she put on Mat Lumiere in Claire (which is the 3rd lightest shade) and told me that the other two lighter shades would be too white. Wrong. Under store lighting, the Claire was okay, but in natural light it was too bronze, although the coverage was fine. I then ordered Pro Lumiere in the lightest shade - Nude. Nude, I discovered, was just a touch lighter than Claire and just as yellow.
Mat Lumiere in Porcelaine is perfect - even though it has pink undertones, that offset the yellow tones in my skin, and no oxidation. I put it on at 8:20 in the morning, and there is no smears, settling into pores, or caking at 8:30 at night. No powder or primer needed; be sure to moisturize underneath though.
It was another story with Pro Lumiere. After 3 hours, my t-zone was super oily. The Pro Lumiere was more moisturizing, though, and needed no moisturizer underneath.
So, for dry skinned individuals with more of a tan, Pro Lumiere is the way to go. Mat Lumiere is a godsend for us with combo or oily skin.
update: downgraded this to a 3. Caused breakouts. Gave to mom (mature skin/dry skin); she is having more luck with it.
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Lip Gloss -NARS - Sweet Dreams
deliah008 12/30/2009 6:54:00 PM
The tube I owned has been used up and gone, and I discovered that I never written a review for this product. It is definitely not as orange-colored as it appears on online photos - it's a pink gloss with gold-infused sheen.
It would have been one of my favorites had it not been (1) so gummy - very difficult to scoop out of the tube with the doe-foot applicator (2) and the weird chemical taste, and (3) the drying effect. If you have chapped lips, I'd say forget these Nars glosses.
This is a bit pinker than the Orgasm gloss, but honestly on the lips, they are not very different.
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Lip Gloss -Chanel - Glossimer - Waterlily
deliah008 12/30/2009 6:50:00 PM
This is the pinker/sheer version of Volage, and the gold-infused version of Petunia (which is also very sheer). I guess it depends on the tube and also on the individual, but this appears on my lips with more pink-toned than golden-toned - the gold appears in the reflective sheen.
For some reason, my tube's gloss is thicker than my other Glossimers (might been the glitter).
For those of you familiar with Nars glosses, this is almost exactly like Sweet Dreams.
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Lip Gloss -Chanel - Bel Air
deliah008 12/30/2009 6:46:00 PM
This is a pinker version of Giggle (which is more brown-toned), and basically the non-glitter version of Wild Rose. Bel Air is very sheer, and goes on like a glossy lipstain, just a hint of pink-nude.
I like to wear Bel Air on top of a lip pencil, as it gives my lips more depth and color. For those who have more pigmented lips, the color may not show up too much, so definitely give it a whirl at the store.
I will try to upload pictures of Bel Air compared against Wild Rose.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Juice Beauty - Organic Facial Moisture Concentrate
deliah008 12/30/2009 6:41:00 PM
I've used Rodin's Olio Lusso/Luxury Face Oil (see my other review), which at $135 for 1 oz, is comparably more expensive than this product ($36 for 1 oz). I compared the ingredient lists, and Juice Beauty's Concentrate has many of the same oils, and lacks only some of the exotic ones. As I've written in my other review, some of the exotic oils may worsen eczema and sensitive skin.
I love that Juice Beauty's product goes on as a dry-oil and sinks in relatively fast. As with all natural products, there are no immediate effects; it takes time for visible results to show. I have combo skin, and this product is great for the winter months. I've also mixed this in with my tinted moisturizer, which provides a more glowy look.
Will give more updates as the months go on.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Laura Mercier - lip silk
deliah008 12/30/2009 6:34:00 PM
The product made a negative impression when I opened the tube - nothing would be dispensed. After multiple pokes with a toothpick, I finally was able to get the thick balm to appear (granted, it may just be my tube).
The product is very soothing and moisturizing; great for chapped lips - but it leaves a very chemical aftertaste. It is fragrance free, but it not taste-free.
For individuals looking to use a paraben free product, this is not for you.
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Powder -Chanel - poudre universelle libre(natural finish loose powder)
deliah008 12/28/2009 1:28:00 AM
I use the Clair - I use the lightest shade in Chanel powder foundations, and Clair is a great match. The powder is very finely milled, and silky to the touch, making it ideal to set makeup. It's not a heavy powder. If you're looking something more opaque and heavier, I'd suggest Nars loose powder.
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