Eye Shadow -MAC - Rich Life Pigment
ekelur 4/14/2010 3:50:00 PM
I use this with the Teddy kohl pencil, to get that Helena Christensen/Cindy Crawford brown smoky eye. After testing this and the Chocolate Brown on my hand, I went with this. Chocolate Brown was just too orange. I apply Paint, then the pencil, then smudge this over top. Looks great, stays all day. If I had anywhere to go at night, I could see building this into a bigger smoky eye. I said I would purchase again, but I can't see running out of this in a lifetime -- you use so little, and it seems like there's a ton in the container.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Estee Lauder - Bronze Goddess Eau Fraîche Skinscent
ekelur 4/6/2010 3:43:00 PM
This is the only fragrance that I will come near finishing. I am fickle, but I love this so much I want to bathe in it. I dug this out since the weather got warmer here, but I should really wear it year-round. It's got that suntan lotion of yore scent, and it dries down creamy and warm, but not overly sweet. You're not going to walk around smelling like a vanilla coconut daiquiri with this. (And you'll smell like it all day -- for something that's not parfum or even EDT, it lasts amazingly well.) I've not smelled Bobbi Brown Beach, but I think this is what people were probably looking for when they docked it in the reviews. Bronze Goddess smells warm and sunny, but grown up sexy at the same time. I think Tom Ford did this for EL before he went solo, and this beats all his name fragrances with a stick.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyes -MAC - Greasepaint Stick
ekelur 4/5/2010 9:39:00 AM
You'd think I would know better than to buy a product for my already greasy eyelids than one with the word "grease" in its name, but I am very pleasantly surprised by this. I bought it in Charred Mauve, and it's the best purple-black -- I'm probably banned for life from buying another purple eyeliner from Sephora, because I've returned them all. They all make my light blue eyes look bloodshot or bring out my undereye circles or smudge like mad. It's like a bigger version of the Technakohl liners. I apply from the stick and then smudge with a push brush. I always wear Paint underneath, so I haven't tested the staying power without primer, but I had no transfer or creasing. I fell asleep in it (bad bad bad) and it still looked great in the morning. I wish it weren't $19, but I'm a believer. Damn you, MAC!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Deodorants -Kiss My Face - Liquid Rock Deodorant
ekelur 3/19/2010 9:49:00 AM
This is the best natural deodorant I've used so far. Right now I'm using the patchouli scent (which fades, so don't panic about smelling like a Phish concert all day), which I got because patchouli has antibacterial properties, so that will aid the deodorizing. I don't love the sticky, but I don't notice any BO at any time of day. I feel better about using a natural deodorant, and I think it might work better since I have also stopped eating meat (but that's not scientific -- I read Alicia Silverstone's book, and that was an alleged benefit of non-meat eating). I also haven't traveled with it yet, so I can't speak to the packaging being a problem. Warmer weather will arrive soon, and I will be traveling, so I will re-review after.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Jonathan - Dirt
ekelur 3/19/2010 9:39:00 AM
Love, love, love. Love the smell (kind of like earthy marshmallows, it that makes any sense), love the texture (not sticky or greasy), love that it's vegan and not tested on animals. Most importantly, I love what it adds to my hair -- dirt, but where I want it, not where it ends up naturally. I can't do that "second day hair thing" so this is perfect. I use it to get those nice chunky ends, and a to smooth the frizzies along my part.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Jerome Russell - Punky Color
ekelur 2/28/2010 10:10:00 AM
I wish they would make regular hair colors, because I can't get this stuff to come out. I used Red Wine on my dark brown hair with maybe 10% gray. I've been using Prell (aka Universal Hair Color Remover) on it for the last 3 days, and it is only fading slightly, not even close to coming out. Typical hair color slides off my gray hairs within 3 days. This stuff is horribly messy -- it will stain everything: your scalp, your fingers, your towels and clothes, your bathtub and sink -- so use care when applying. If you're looking for a true bright pink experience you probably need to bleach your hair first. I didn't, and my hair just has a wine colored tint to it. No bad smell, really conditioning, and the staying power is incredible. If only standard colored hair dye could work as well as this...
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sally Hansen - Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish
ekelur 1/31/2010 3:18:00 PM
I bought this in Pat On The Black, which isn't the greatest name -- unless your local drugstore has the lights turned out, you'll notice that this polish isn't black but a nice eggplant creme. The packaging claims to include a top and base coat, but when I applied it to a nail without a base coat, the polish went on very unevenly and with poor coverage (even two coats). The brush either works really well or not at all, so maybe I need more practice with it. Two coats with a base and top coat gave me a nice deep eggplant creme with no sparkle. Four days later it still looks great on my toes but has chipped to no end on some fingers, even after a touch up. I'm going to try Commander In Chic (purple-grey taupe that's so hip of late) next, but I'm not holding out hope for the lasting power. For $7.99 I'll buy Essie and get a normal brush.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Untitled Paint
ekelur 1/10/2010 11:38:00 AM
They need to make up a Novel Prize for Cosmetics, and give it to the people who invented this stuff. My eyelids spontaneously remove makeup within minutes, particularly eyeliner. This is the only product I've ever tried (and I've tried lots) that keeps my shadow and liner on and does not crease. As a bonus, it's sort of a pinky beige that happens to make me look more awake. I also use Bare Canvas and Sublime Nature, but this is my favorite. The tube format can be a little testy, so make sure you store it where nothing else is touching it or too much product will come out.
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Lip Gloss -MAC - Viva Glam V Lipglass
ekelur 12/27/2009 11:03:00 AM
There is nothing not to like about this. The color is perfect for a daytime neutral face (some of the other light MAC colors look a little dead or are too shimmery) or a light lip with a smokey eye. The vanilla scent is the best out there (take note, Heidi Klum for VS). The purchase price is donated to helping people living with AIDS worldwide, and if you buy on World AIDS Day, December 1, MAC matches the donation, so instead of getting $14 they get $28. It is also the best lip un-chapper out there. I own every lip balm made (just ask my husband) and nothing was working this week, not even my trusty Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour. One swipe of this not only made me feel better, it also took those flakes right away and stayed on for hours. I don't leave the house without my Viva Glam.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Patricia Wexler MD Dermatology - MMPi Skin Regenerating Serum
ekelur 10/23/2009 8:00:00 AM
Got this in the kit at BBW. I figured Pat Wexler, the Dick Clark of dermatologists (is she 90 or something? and with that face!) would have some awesome products. I don't get why a serum is full of silicone. I haven't broken out from it, but I don't like slapping on this and the sunscreen and then foundation. It makes it easy to blend makeup, but I don't see how something that feels like it's sitting on top of my skin is doing anything (but I'm not a doctor so what do I know). I'm not as impressed as I should be, given her reputation and the price of a full size.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Patricia Wexler MD Dermatology - Universal Anti-Aging Cleanser with skin regenerating MMPi technology
ekelur 10/23/2009 7:54:00 AM
I got this in the kit at BBW, on sale. It ran out after a week, and that was only washing my face once a day. I used some Nars makeup remover oil first (because I found it really didn't take off mascara on its own). My face was a little tight after. I find this odd because the ingredients are all oils and stuff. I won't be buying this. Going back to my Purity Made Simple/Microdermabrasion Wash from Philosophy.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Max Factor - Erace
ekelur 9/11/2009 1:31:00 PM
Tried this on a lark, after hearing for many years that it was so great. I figured it would be like Great Lash. But it's the only concealer I've ever used that doesn't end up in the creases under my eyes. Awesome stuff, and I plan to stock up before Max Factor stops selling in the US. I'm a MAC NC25, and I use this in Natural. Highly recommend.
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Eyeliner -Bare Escentuals - Buxom Lashliner -- Leatherette
ekelur 8/8/2009 9:56:00 AM
If I could bottle and market whatever coats my eyelids as a makeup remover, I'd be living on Fiji with Francois Nars. Nothing stays on my eyes. Nothing. I can manage to keep Laura Mercier cake liner on, but that's about it. Until now. I had seen this new liner in my Sephora catalog, and went to mock it in person. On my face I had nothing but sunscreen -- a surefire makeup killer in itself. I applied the Leatherette (plain black; there is also a brown and a black with glitter) liner to one eye with a lip gloss doe foot before a helpful SA offered me a Sephora flat liner brush (great, BTW) for the other eye. My lids were already greasy to begin with. The liner went on easily, and could be built up for a thicker line. Despite my poor application methods, it looked great. I checked every mirror in Midtown along with my watch, so I could clock a time of death. All day. The liner got the last laugh. I went to bed with the stuff on. (I know, I know. It was for research.) I can't imagine how good this would look if I were actually trying. I must have some, forthwith.
24 out of 24 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Frost Lipstick in O
ekelur 5/27/2009 9:10:00 AM
I read about this lipstick in a magazine. Something about it being "universally flattering." When I stopped by the counter to check it out, I must have picked up every single lipstick in the frost display before I found it. "This ugly browny purply copper color? Are they kidding? Universally flattering on a cockroach, maybe." I swatched it on my hand, and it was an intriguing warm rosy color. I patted it on my lips, and I had to admire myself in every mirror on that floor in Bloomingdale's. I'm an NW20 with light blue eyes and reddish brown hair, and this color looks awesome. No description does this justice. It's even ugly on the MAC website. But trust me, try it on and you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Clean - Simply Soap
ekelur 3/18/2009 9:40:00 AM
I got this as a sample from Sephora. I put it on this morning, and I've been wondering why I smell wet dog when I don't have a dog. It's this stuff. Yuck. Maybe it will get better later. I doubt it.
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