Eyes -Unlisted Brand - Lash Card
devlynaskurt 3/15/2012 5:48:00 AM
i was sent a packet of Lash Cards as a gift from a school mate. honestly, i didn't have very high expectations for the product because i figured that i've had decades of practice perfecting my mascara application technique. oh, dear, was i wrong. Lash Card is an elegant, hygenic & chic solution to the business card trick (which i had heard of before but never bothered with. reference my earlier comment about perfected mascara technique). there are ten cards in a pack and suggested use is twice per card (tho i've honestly used one card four times with no adverse effect). the card helps keep your eyelid area clear so that you (1) don't smudge your mascara and (2) apply your mascara to your lashes more effectively. these cards are great! they greatly improve on my previously-believed-to-be-perfect application. i can more easily get at the roots of my lashes (which helps with volumizing) and my lashes get fanned out better as i pull the brush through from the base to the tips. my lashes look noticeably fuller & longer when i use Lash Card to apply mascara versus when I don't. also, i avoid smudging or accidentally screwing up my makeup with the Lash Card. i especially like using Lash Card on those days i decide to tightline my eyes because then i won't glob over my detailed eyeliner work with a mislaid mascara wand. i thought carefully about whether i'd take one lippie off: i'm a lazy creature of habit, and i find myself infrequently reaching for the Lash Cards. but that's not the fault of the product--that's a user deficiency. so i left it at five lippies, as it deserves. highly recommend--you can google Lash Card to find out where to buy in store or order online.
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Eyeliner -Hard Candy - hot smudge - dropout
devlynaskurt 10/21/2010 6:01:00 AM
bought this based on karen's review of the rocker chick color on makeupandbeautyblog.com. dropout is a combo of chocolate brown and a deep purple, and i wear one or the other at least once a week. for $6, i think it's a great value. i use whatever benefit creaseless cream i feel like (usually hunny bunny or rsvp) and i top with whatever eyeshadow i feel like and then use my ecotools angled eyeliner brush to apply. if i'm on the road, then i use the brush provided with the kit. either color is true to pan on me and very easy to apply. so far, i've only done a cat eye; i haven't tried smudging the eyeliner. i find that both the purple and the brown last all day on me without smudging unless i rub my eyelid. and what i mean by all day is 7:30 am til at least 7pm, if not as late as 10pm. i haven't tried using hot smudge without a primer but i generally don't wear eyeshadow of any sort unless i've got a primer or benefit creaseless cream underneath, so i don't know what these would look like or how how well they would wear over time without a primer. the bottom line is that for me, these are a great value, a cinch to use and last quite long on my eye. love them so much that i went back to get two more. i should point out that i avoid shopping at walmart for ethical reasons and shop there only for products i can't get anywhere else. i love these eyeliners that much!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Loose Powders -Coty - Airspun face powder
devlynaskurt 8/29/2010 2:07:00 AM
i've used the translucent version in the orange packaging as well as the unscented version in the green packaging. i think for the price, it's a great value. i use a big fluffy brush (sonia kashuk powder brush w/black handle) if i want to use it to set my makeup. i also use a flat top (sonia kashuk w/black handle or essence of beauty blender) to apply directly on my skin after moisturizer and primer if i am just out running errands and it's a shorts and tshirt kinda day. if i've been a little overzealous with the amount of powder, i just spritz a bit of rosewater/glycerin on my face and blend again. honestly, i love that this powder performs almost as well as my laura mercier loose powder for one tenth the price. in fact, i use this powder every day now and save the LM for special occasions like date night with my sweets or when i know i'll be in pictures. i should mention the unscented version seems a little bit more luminous of a finish versus the regular translucent, so if i feel like i want a bit more of a glow, i use the unscented. regarding a previous reviewer's comment about talc being associated with cancer: the talc that had asbestos in it was industrial, not cosmetic, talc. talc IS regulated for cosmetic use by the fda. see this page: http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/HBI/26 as it will give you links that go directly to the fda. lastly, sterile talc powder ( is actually used to treat pleural effusion (when there's a build up of fluid between the layers of tissue that line the lungs and chest cavity). i'm smart enough to know that (1) correlation is not the same as causation and (2) information from secondary or tertiary sources is never as reliable as primary sources. that said, i am definitely buying into the hype. coty airspun deserves it!
37 out of 38 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Chamomile
devlynaskurt 8/8/2010 7:44:00 PM
i love chamomile for its buttery cream tone and lack of shimmer. i wear this several times a week. i love it on my browbone and inner tear duct when wearing a smokey eye or a colorful eye. some combos i've done recently: benefit creaseless cream in strut on lid, mac club patted on top, mac paint pot in painterly from crease to brow with chamomile on top. chamomile from lash to brow, copperplate on lid with black tied in crease mac goldmine on lid, mac steamy to line, chamomile as highlight mac paint pot in coral crepe with paradisco over; sketch in outer v; chamomile in inner duct & highlight; freshwater to line chamomile all over; soba in outer v & crease; handwritten to line.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Nivea - Lip Care Sun SPF 25
devlynaskurt 7/11/2010 6:45:00 AM
i had read about this balm (spf 30) being prized in places other than the US (where it had been, until relatively recently, unavailable) and i had wistfully thought to myself i'd buy it the moment i ever saw it in stores--and i did exactly that. i live in hawaii and i've tried a good number of higher spf lip balms. this one is among the best in terms of texture, smell, taste, spf level. most lipbalms w/spfs higher than 15 that i've tried feel like crayon being scraped on the lips. nivea spf 30, in contrast, is very comfortable and smooths on very easily. i find it completely indispensible for me and my sweetie, especially on active days in or out of the water. i wouldn't wear this if all i needed was something to make my lips soft because it definitely has a tangible white cast. (duh--physical sunscreen!)
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Bronzers -Tarte - Hotel Heiress
devlynaskurt 7/11/2010 6:28:00 AM
i won't go into much of a color description because previous reviews have that covered and of course, whether a product works with one's skintone or not is going to be variable. what i will say is that this is one of the rare mineral products that does not irritate my skin at all. (MAC msfs & blushes, bare escentuals & many other brands' mineral products all cause me to itch). the only way i found this out is because some time ago, i got a sample of this bronzer from sephora via VIB and i gave it a try. if not for that sample, i would have stayed far, far away from this product. am very glad i got the sample since it also looked great with my skin (NC 30ish usually). in fact, if i remember correctly, within a week of running out of the sample, i went to sephora to pick up the full sized version. i use it at least once weekly and i haven't made a dent, even though i've had it for more than a year.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Unlisted Brand - cornstarch
devlynaskurt 6/3/2010 4:52:00 AM
i use cornstarch to degrease my hair on those mornings when i've slept in too long. i put some in an old laura mercier loose powder container and apply lightly to my roots using an old cheap kabuki. i then brush it out. at this point, i usually tease my bangs and crown a bit then pin my bangs back or add hairspray and put my hair up in a twist. i sometimes spritz a bit of body spray on my hair post cornstarch to help w/scent. strangely enough, my hair is most likely to be complimented on a day I've used cornstarch. my default clean hair style is to wear my very dark brown, mid-back length, lightly wavy & fine yet copious hair with bangs & layers around my face--yawn city, style-wise.. anyway, at the end of the day, my cornstarched hair still looks fairly decent, though I definitely have to shampoo twice to get the oil plus powder out of my hair. wish i could remember where i learned the kabuki brush trick--read it somewhere online but i am fairly sure twas not on MUA. a great many thanks to whoever posted that comment!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Viva Glam Gaga
devlynaskurt 3/15/2010 2:25:00 AM
for reference, i'm nc35. i have to say, i was pretty bent on picking up this lippy along with cyndi simply bcs i have all the other viva glams. still, i was fairly wary bcs the shade did not, at first examination, look like it would work for me. and to tell the truth, when i first tried it on, it was easy to see why there have been pepto bismol lip comments on MUA. applied straight from the tube without prep, i looked exactly like what someone else described: 80s music video in a bad way. i tried applying it lightly with a layer of balm underneath and that seemed to work, but it was so sheer it seemed almost pointless. don't get me wrong: it left a sheer wash of baby pink on my pigmented lips that have a bit of a darker outline, but that was it. nothing to be excited about. so i went back to mac and i asked one of the artists how to make it work for me. i made sure to wear very little makeup--just tinted moisturizer, simple cat eye over a sheer wash of mac vanilla e/s and clear lipgloss so the artists could really see what i have to work with. luckily for me, the MA and i are of similar coloring and she had similar lips to mine with the "natural lipline." she put gaga on me using an eyeshadow brush (!) but over creme o' spice lipliner and under fashion scoop lipgloss. i really liked the way that looked. in fact, i like the way gaga looks with just the liner or just the gloss. of course, i still use a light layer of balm underneath. even though i'm just sitting around at home, i'm wearing gaga now, with fashion scoop only. i'm really glad i went back to MAC to ask for help on this one, otherwise i would have had to return it. as much as i enjoy this lippie, i'm giving it a 4. this is because it wasn't easy to use for me. i'm glad i got it bcs it's not a color i would have thought would look good on me at all and i'm all for trying new things out.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - HiP Bright Duo - Showy
devlynaskurt 2/16/2010 5:04:00 AM
wore this today to cheer me up for having to work during an offce holiday. i don't have anything to add re the gorgeousness of the teal side of showy; everyone else covered that part. i do agree the dark blue side is harder to work with but i still enjoy it. i use it wet as a liner and the color somehow ends up a very intriguingly dark teal. patted mac club into the outer v and crease and used the dark blue side of showy dry to deepen the crease more. i brushed mac hush over the browbone and dabbed a little mac spring up (a frosty light yellow that might have been LE) right below the eyebrow and inner tear ducts. a light sweeping of mac seedy pearl went all over.
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Fragrances -Burberry - Burberry Classic EDP
devlynaskurt 1/16/2010 6:14:00 PM
bought this about ten years ago & loved it. the peach in it is very noticeable on me, but it doesn't smell "foody" or overly "gourmand-y." it's sophisticated & warm, but not so warm that it doesn't work in hawaii humidity. while at sephora, i tried it out again on my wrist and remembered how much i loved it. the sillage is crazy good. it's been 16 hours since i placed a single spritz of the eau de parfum on me last night and i can stil smell it faintly on my skin. am thinking of picking this up again, along with gucci by gucci.
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Liquid -Sonia Kashuk - Perfecting Liquid Foundation
devlynaskurt 1/8/2010 5:38:00 AM
i purchased bamboo but i think right now, i need to try the next shade lighter. bought this bcs i wanted a non-spf foundation. despite this shade being a bit darker than i want, it wins the "great value" seal of approval from me. stippled then smoothed on w/the blush/powder brush from the ecotools mineral 5 piece set, the finish is natural looking, even if there is more than one layer. looks work-appropriate with laura mercier's loose powder over it. i think the sheen w/p powder on top is pretty, but i can't wear it that way bcs my skin is oily. doesn't last as long as colorstay or doublewear but i expected that. didn't completely cover my one zit and one dark spot but i didn't expect it would. no caking or sliding after a 12 hour day. had to blot every several hours but i expect that given honolulu's humidity & my oily skin. fell asleep with this on last night & no new pimples resulted the next morning. won't call this HG bcs i like having several foundation options in my makeup case, but i will say that again, sonia kashuk did not disappoint. **UPDATE: i purchased buff (shade 01), which is strangely, according to the way it was displayed in store, is the next lighter shade to bamboo (shade 09). go figure. anyway, buff works better for my skintone.
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Polishes -Essie - Lollipop
devlynaskurt 1/3/2010 6:12:00 AM
pretty candied red--"lollipop" is the perfect name for it. lasted for about a week with base and top coat, and i'm not exactly gentle with my nails/hands. i know it's like, "whoopty; yet another red...meh!" but the finish on this one is super shiny and quite cheery. this particular shade of red isn't something i would have purchased since i go for vampier reds normally but it came in the essie winter mini set w/rock candy & mint candy apple (the shade i really wanted). i was really surprised at how much i liked it. as with all other essie polishes i have, the wear on this is 5 days or so with a not unexpected amount of tipwear but without chipping as long as i use a base and top coat and don't do anything too abusive to my nails (while i don't exactly baby them either).
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Polishes -Essie - Mint Candy Apple
devlynaskurt 1/3/2010 5:59:00 AM
others have described this perfectly with words like "seafoam" and "vespa scooter." got my mani done with this yesterday at the salon and i absolutely love it. against my skin, the color seems a skosh bluer than it looks in the bottle (NC30-35-ish, for reference). with shorter nail lengths and well-maintained cuticles, this color is fine for the not-so-conservative-yet-not-casual-or-artsy workplace environments.
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Foundations -Revlon - ColorStay Mineral Mousse Makeup
devlynaskurt 11/14/2009 4:33:00 AM
i like colorstay mineral mousse (CMM). for the record, i've used or continue to use different types of foundations from lancome, estee lauder, mac, revlon, loreal, laura mercier & others. when it comes to revlon, colorstay for oily skin and colorstay active (CA) are already regulars in my rotation. the texture of CMM is definitely mousse-like. i cannot get good results with this if i do not use a primer, which is not a problem for me (i use revlon beyond natural, monistat anti-chafing, or smashbox light, depending on my needs/mood). CMM's not as easy to apply as laura mercier tinted moisturizer (LM TM) or colorstay active; both of those i can dot on my cheeks, forehead, nose and a bit on my chin then sort of smoosh them where i need them, CMM requires more meticulous attention, and dries quickly. i can still use my fingers to do this, but i apply over smaller areas at a time. the tube packaging makes things easy. however, the finish is more matte than LM TM or CA, which lends it to being a slightly more "formal" base than CA or LM TM. i'd wear CMM if i were going to hang out with my girlfriends over a casual lunch, but choose CA or LM TM if i were going for a walk in the park with my sweetie during a humid day here in honolulu, for example. half the time, i don't bother using a powder over this, but i have used LM loose powder, colorstay pressed, and sonia kashuk mineral powder and have been happy with the results. coverage is light-medium, i'd say. i haven't tried building it bcs the first layer i all i've needed--if i wanted fuller coverage, i'd use another product in my arsenal. like other colorstay products, the thing stays on quite nicely--no slipping, even after a full day in humidity. i do have very oily skin in honolulu's humidity, so i expect to blot every two hours or so no matter what foundation i use. (my skin acts very differently when i visit another state or location for sure.) hint: you may see product separation via the window on the tube when you buy this. just massage the tube until everything's well blended, and all will be fine. also, be careful applying this near your hairline. the first time i tried CMM, i was using the ill-fated smoosh method and got some in my hairline. the product pilled and i had to use a slightly damp washcloth to get it out. i'm not afraid to spend more on a great product, and i think CMM delivers. if you get this BOGO, which i did, it's very economical. medium-deep worked well for my NC35, estee lauder double wear wheat, LM TM in sand-toned skin.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - 10
devlynaskurt 11/12/2009 7:30:00 AM
like appledee2, i'm medium-tan pinay. i can get away with using this at night--too sparkly for day, esp at work. mostly, i use the shades as eyeshadow during the day. i should have swatched this on my face and not just the back of my hand at sephora. i later ended up picking up a tarte bronzer. since i don't normally use this product for what i intended, i am a bit disappointed, but like i said, i should have swatched it on my face. i do enjoy it as eyeshadows, esp since i can use them that way for day. in fact, i often do use the dark shade on the lid to crease and the pink shade as highlight with dark brown liner. it gives a look sorta like mac soba and stila kitten. the combination is an easy and quick way to give me a wide awake look that's great for everyday. still, i doubt i'd repurchase.
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