Lipstick -Revlon - Colorburst Lip Butter - Berry Smoothie
earlyonemorning 11/14/2012 11:13:00 PM
Beautiful color, and as many have said, a perfect or close to perfect 'my lips but better' for many people. Except, you know, it has the most subtle glimmer to it. For a drugstore lipstick, I've seen these go for anywhere from 6 (on sale) to 11 US dollars, depending on sales and region. It goes on sale often enough if you wait, I would say don't buy it at retail price. The staying power is not very good, but the texture is smooth and emollient. The pigmentation is sheer, more sheer than some of my tinted lip balms surprisingly, but you get that grown up feeling of using a lipstick because of the container. A good starter lipstick for your teen. The packaging cannot stand very much wear and tear. It's one of those easy shades you wish you could stick in your usual jacket pocket or purse, but the plastic is cheap and cracks easily. Mine has cracks all down the side and the black cap on the bottom with the logo has fallen to pieces, making the product harder to access. In the summer the product will melt at very little above body temperature.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -The Body Shop - Vitamin E Moisture Cream
earlyonemorning 11/3/2012 5:33:00 AM
I have combo to oily skin and this by itself never makes me oilier than I would be normally. The trick is to not apply too much- I need less of this stuff than I need foundation. The texture was more gel-like than expected, but it absorbs into freshly cleansed skin that much easier. I prefer the smaller 'travel' pots that are only 0.5oz. That way I don't have to worry about things growing in the pot as much as they might if I were dipping into the larger pot. (If you like to buy large pots of skincare but are worried about how hygienic it is, just decant it into a smaller jar, simple.) They used to be 3/$10 which if you're measuring by how many fl oz you get, was cheaper than buying one reg size. Now they're $4 a piece, but that also means that it's available for the store wide promos (b3g2, b2g1, etc). I don't use this everyday because I like to switch things up, but it's never broken me out or otherwise irritated my skin. It's not the best hydrator, but it provides a comfy barrier that I'm content with.
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Misc Beauty Tools -Revlon - Eyelash curler
earlyonemorning 10/22/2012 3:28:00 PM
I really like this eyelash curler. It fits my eye shape well enough that I can use it without peeking in a mirror. It's much flatter than some other drugstore eyelash curlers. For example the ELF one was much too round for me, but the revlon fits great, and is better quality than the physician's formula curler. For reference, my eyes are deep set and a round almond shape. It's attractive too- mine is black with red pads. It provides a decent curl at moderate pressure and the pad is sturdy and hasn't worn down even after a year's worth (maybe more) of use. It comes with an extra pad in the box as well. I recommend for medium sized asian eyes or anyone that needs a curler with a flatter curve than the one they're currently using.
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Concealers -Physicians Formula - Conceal RX
earlyonemorning 10/11/2012 4:35:00 AM
Ehh.... Great if you can use it. PROS: Great Coverage. It will cover just about everything. The consistency is nice liquid and easy to spread and easy to blend IF you're using a high coverage foundation. Rec'd for blemishes. Better under foundation than over, IMO, don't worry, it WILL stay put if you blend fdn gently over it. CONS: limited color selection. CAKEY, I've heard of cakey concealers and have experienced a few but HOLY COW. This will exaggerate any fine lines and creases in undereye area. I'm only 22 and its not even like my undereye area is abnormally dark or dry. Maybe over a moisturizer +primer&UNDER a foundation. I would not purchase again, and I returned the tube I bought.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -L'Oreal - Youth Code Regenerating Skincare Serum Intense Daily Treatment
earlyonemorning 8/16/2012 12:55:00 PM
I'm only 22 so I wasn't really watching for wrinkle repair or anything, but I got this in a 'best of....' box and decided to try it. This has repaired dry and tired skin, and helped calm my acne. My hormonal acne barely made a blip on the radar this month too! I don't need moisturizer after using this and the only thing it lacks is spf for daytime use, or I would use it all the time. I have some acne scarring that has lightened, but I can't say for sure that this was because of this product, but either way this is well on the way to HG status!~
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -New York Color - Smooth Skin Liquid Makeup
earlyonemorning 7/21/2012 7:18:00 PM
The biggest problem I had with this foundation was that it didn't want to come out of the bottle. Once it was out of the bottle though, it had a surprisingly light consistency that covered very nicely. It doesn't take very much to cover the entire face, when applying with fingers. The first time I tried it, I tried to use a damp sponge as I usually use with foundation, but that yielded no coverage at all- less than a tinted moisturizer. I suggest making sure that when applying- your face is mostly dry, if it is even slightly damp or still soaking in moisturizer, you will lose coverage. I didn't find that this coverage oxidized at all, when I put it on, it actually looked rather grey compared to my natural yellowish tones, but I think I also got a few shades too dark (my neck and chest needed the bronzer to match my face). The glass bottles make the foundation seem lighter in the bottle than on your skin. But some bronzer and powder cleared up the grey-ness and I was left with nicely dewy and natural looking skin. Much more natural (skin-like) looking than many of the other foundations I've tried, but then again, most of the other ones were much heavier coverage. It stood up well in 90+*F weather, and I find it interacts well with both cream and powder type blushes.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Revlon - ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup
earlyonemorning 7/14/2012 9:55:00 PM
Sooo pretty. I put on my regular moisturizer after getting out of the shower, then the Neutrogena Ultra sheer sunscreen. Then layered this on top. It was a bit too shiny to pass for just glowy, but a light dusting of powder fixed that up really quick. I spent the morning in an area that was 90+ degrees, and then drove to an area that was in the 50s, the makeup stayed on about 16 hrs and it still looked great. I don't mind the jar style, since I try to always have clean hands and take as much as I need so no double-dipping. But if the jar bothers you that much you could always just decant some to a travel sized jar, or take on the practice of using a small spatula. You really don't need much at all! With this on I can go without concealer. Or pat a little more on those problem areas. The only thing that bothers me is that the jar makes it seem like alot, but really you only get .9 fl oz, which is less than a typical foundation. Also fl oz is volume, not weight, and with the whipped texture, you're really not getting much at all, this makes it seem especially expensive for drugstore. :(
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Fragrances -Bath and Body Works - Country Chic
earlyonemorning 2/20/2012 1:37:00 AM
I was really confused when I first smelt this in-store. To my nose the top notes were tea and honeysuckle, and I couldn't find a list of notes around there anywhere. To another nose, together those may end up being something citrusy, maybe, but I got no lemon from it. It caught my attention because it seemed to be something extremely different from what I usually find at BBW. It later dried down to something vaguely sweet and fruity floral, but not sweet or fruity enough to be offensive to me. I tend to prefer warmer scents with some musk, but I got no base musk with this even five hours after initial spray- It was still just vaguely sweet. I really like the tea and honeysuckle notes that I smelt, but my friend didn't smell anything from this spray at all, and I didn't want to end up spritzing it everywhere just in-case that scent changed with further application. The body cream definitely smelt like lemon in-store, so I passed that up. Buy again? Maybe... If I like it enough to ever get through the mini fragrance mist that I picked up and they haven't discontinued it yet.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Johnson & Johnson - Baby Shampoo
earlyonemorning 1/15/2012 6:57:00 AM
I love this shampoo! I know some other reviews have said it turns their hair to straw but I've never experienced that. I have thick and coarse asian hair though and I think it could be harsher on those with fine hair. I first do a quick shampoo with Dove shampoo to 'prime' my hair for this. Unless I do that I tend to leave the baby shampoo in for longer and that will strip my hair (but still not straw-like). Using only the Dove will result in an oily feeling scalp for me after a day of no shampooing. (I do shampoo everyday, despite what my stylist recommends, but as a student there are those days when you just don't have the time....) The baby shampoo is the only one I've found so far that is gentle enough to use everyday and doesn't dry out my scalp to trigger the dandruff I get otherwise, and is cleansing enough to let me skip a day of shampoo if needed. I follow-up with the Dove conditioner on the tips of my hair working up to my roots (long mid-back hair) In all this helps me keep my hair soft, shiny, dandruff-free, and keeps my waves non-frizzy. (Well, Aussie works too, but this is marginally cheaper and easier to find.) I haven't tried it as a face wash, so I can't attest to that, but using it as a brush cleanser for me is only OK, I think it might be a bit harsh on synthetic hairs, I don't have any natural hair brushes to compare. I prefer swirling my brushes onto a bar of soap, or using softsoap.
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Lip Treatments -eos - Smooth Sphere Organic Lip Balm in Honeysuckle Honeydew
earlyonemorning 7/30/2011 2:36:00 AM
I keep this balm on my night stand to use before going to bed, I also have the lemondrop one that I keep in my purse. I go through a lot of lipbalm, and this is one of the few I think I'll end up repurchasing (but ONLY with a sale). I feel that is is also nice to apply as you start putting on makeup, so it's mostly set by the time I get to lipstick and the color goes on nice and smooth. First off, the packaging is adorable, and while it's not as convenient, because I usually just don't stick it in my pocket, it's not as liable to get lost or melted in the laundry (yeah, it's horrible, but it's happened to me before), like my other lip balms are. It smells and tastes nice! For me it's one of those balms that vaguely have a sweet taste, but most of the favor I'm getting I think is from the scent. When I first got it, I thought 'WTH?' because it was soo different from the quality of the lemondrop one. The problem I found is that the first layer you meet when you open it new from the packaging is that there seems to be a layer of hardened wax on the outside. Whether that's what the lipbalm is when it's dried out or something I don't know. After getting past that layer I think that this moisturizes well enough. It is enough to keep my lips moist from brushing at night to brushing in the morning, and I breathe through my mouth primarily rather than through my nose, so that is quite a feat! Good enough for day to day use, and not as moisturizing as something like rose salve. I feel that sometimes over moisturizing my lips leads to oversensitivity. This IS NOT for already overly chapped lips. It's not a miracle worker, but it will help lips in already fairly healthy condition. This is definitely not as creamy or nice as the lemondrop one IMHO, it retains a sort of waxy feel, similar to the one I get from burts bees lipbalm, or the original chapstick, but I'm only really using it at night so I'm not too bothered. The only real quibble I have with this is that the large sphere does not really make for overly precise application. I feel that I tend to apply on the lips, as well as just slightly around the lips too, just because I want everything covered. Overall, this is OK, if you can get it on sale, that's the only time I would get it though, chapstick goes on sale more often, but I'm more prone to lose those.
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Lip Treatments -eos - Lip Balm Sphere - Lemon Drop SPF 15
earlyonemorning 7/30/2011 2:23:00 AM
This is the lipbalm I keep in my purse for day-to-day wandering around, and I live in San Francisco so I really need that protection from the wind. This alone can help tell you what I think of this. First off, the packaging is adorable, and while it's not as convenient, because I usually just don't stick it in my pocket, it's not as liable to get lost or melted in the laundry (yeah, it's horrible, but it's happened to me before), like my other lip balms are. It smells and tastes nice! For me it's one of those balms that vaguely have a sweet taste, but most of the favor I'm getting I think is from the scent. I love that it has spf in it, because I have gotten my lip sunburned with other balms before. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I think that this moisturizes very well. Good enough for day to day use, and not as moisturizing as something like rose salve. I feel that sometimes over moisturizing my lips leads to oversensitivity. This IS NOT for already overly chapped lips. It's not a miracle worker, but it will help lips in already fairly healthy condition. The only real quibble I have with this is that the large sphere does not really make for overly precise application. I feel that I tend to apply on the lips, as well as just slightly around the lips too, just because I want everything covered. The one thing I found odd is I've only been able to fine these in shrinkwrap, where the others I find in blister packs. If you can get it on sale, all the better, but one lasts a REALLY long time.
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Concealers -E.L.F. - Studio Line Concealer Pencil & Brush
earlyonemorning 7/11/2011 6:38:00 PM
I haven't had a lot of experience with lots of different concealers, but I discovered this one early on and I find I still go back to it the most. For a creme concealer, it's more firm than Benefit's Erase Paste, and much softer than most of the stick concealer offerings from the drugstore. The most comparable I've tried is Stila's Cover Up Stick, in terms of consistency. It's a stick type concealer in pencil form. Softer than most stick concealers because the wood surrounding it keeps it from drying out. The drawback to the pencil form is that you don't get nearly as much product as with the usual stick type concealers. The thin pencil point, I found is good for concentrating the concealer on blemishes, I just draw a little circle around the pimple or scar and then blend inwards, then outwards. As with all concealers, the texture difference in your skin will still be there, but the redness is diminished enough for me to be happy about it. Because stick concealers(drugstore) are usually bigger, and a little dryer, this can be a bit harder to achieve. The creamy consistency is great to blend. This is the only type of concealer so far that I've finished AND rebought. The sharpener works for what it is, I'm glad that it saves me the hassel of looking for a sharpener when I need it. In daily use I usually put the sharpener on the brush side, which I wash whenever I use it (not that often, I prefer fingers), and the brush cap on the concealer side, this keeps the sharpener from digging into the product too much. There's also the potential to lose a fair amount of product when sharpening the pencil. I just take the product that has been shaved off on the sharpener and mold it to the new tip of the pencil, since I don't really care if it's all that pointy, and the excess will be used up within the week. Clean the sharpener with a damp Q-tip. For darkness around my mouth and nose I just draw up and down around the nose, and around the mouth and blend with my fingers. This works for under the eyes too (especially finals-induced panda eyes). I don't mind applying the pencil directly to the skin because tea tree oil is supposed to be antimicrobial. I don't think the 'acne fighting' ingredients do much in that dept, but I figure they must work at least enough to keep too much bacteria from growing in the day to day process. For reference, I'm light-medium skinned asian, and I use the shade 'light' which I think used to be called 'honey', or something like that. In the ELF studio pressed powder I use 'sand' and Stila 'Tone' and 'Light' blended during the summer. The shade 'Light' blends enough into my skin tone that I can use it winter or summer, but I can usually get away with only concealer during the winter. If you actually read all the way through this, Kudos to you!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -Jane - Be Pure Aguaceuticals
earlyonemorning 4/7/2011 10:11:00 PM
I got the light warm tones (beige or yellow undertones) and when i swatched it on my hand, it was terribly orange. Like a freaky pumpkin-insides type of orange. When i tried it on in my bathroom later it looked mostly fine, just makes me more yellow tinged than I normally am. I'm too scared yet to try it on and let it be for the day yet. Maybe on a weekend I don't go anywhere. Oh well, it was on clearance, so no big loss if it doesn't turn out ok.
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Mascara -E.L.F. - Studio Line Waterproof Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara
earlyonemorning 8/17/2010 4:32:00 AM
Lengthening? A little bit. Volumizing? Not a chance. I have long enough lashes already that I really rather have the volumizing in a mascara. The packaging is pretty cool, and seems efficient, but the long wand is takes some getting used to. Oddly enough they make my lashes feel heavy, I don't know if it's a tubing mascara or what but it feels like I've coated them with a very thin, but gritty layer of paint, which other mascara haven't done to me. It makes the lashes droop. IT FAKES! The fakes are small enough to not irritate the eye too much, but you can definitely see them in the mirror. For me they're still noticeable even though I wear thick framed glasses, I wouldn't try wearing this on a day with contacts. OK for use for a few hours, but I wouldn't wear it for more than 2 or 3, which is disappointing considering it's supposed to be waterproof (not tear proof! tears make it fake MORE, but it won't run.) I'm going back to Lash Blast once I finish this up. I might clean up the brush and just keep that.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Almay - Pure Blends Mascara
earlyonemorning 6/10/2010 8:48:00 PM
I got this at CVS because it was 75% off, I was also excited that because it says 97.5% natural and hypoallergenic. That means they did lots of testing on this thing, right? RIGHT? I guess not. The wand is annoying. The actual bristles on the head of the wand are short and spiky. They don't hold that much mascara on them. If you do a swatch of the mascara on the back of your hand, all you get is a clump where the wand first hits your hand, after that, nothing. The head of the wand is also so far away from the handle that actually maneuvering the wand to your lashes is a task in itself. I don't know if this formula is very fast acting or just extremely dry, but it's definitely not wet enough to so smoothly onto your lashes. I guess that you could call it a lengthening mascara, if you count those weird clumps that form on the ends of your lashes, but it's not an attractive look I believe. This might be one of those that use little plastic things in their mascara that stick to your lashes to make them look longer, I've heard of those, but this is a horrible effect. I'm probably going to mess around with it a little longer, but I doubt there's salvation for it. it'll go in the trash can. EDIT: If you lay the mascara on it's side for a while, you can get alot more of the product on the wand. Still clump-a-thon though. If you put the clumps off, you have a very natural looking mascara, but it's alot of trouble frankly. Lucky this stuff comes off with just a little bit of water and rubbing! (Sometimes just rubbing!)
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