Polishes -Julep - Nail Polishes
empressxia 1/8/2013 7:09:00 PM
Chips Easily I have about 7 bottles of Julep polishes and glitter. I use them only on my toes with a top coat. In the summer when I wear open toed shoes, I had no chipping problems but in winter when I wear closed toe shoes I noticed that Julep polishes chip in less than a week. I put on a cream polish with a coat of Julep silver glitter with a clear top coat. A few days later when I came home from one day of walking round, I noticed a huge piece had chipped from my big toe. It chips easily but it was nearly impossible to remove the rest of the polish with remover. It took me 30 minutes to remove all the remaining polish. I think the glitter made it impossible to remove. Anyway, I think the creams are okay but creams plus glitter chip easily and is very difficult to remove. As much as I like Julep's cute bottles, I would not buy more unless they were on sale.
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Concealers -Physicians Formula - Conceal RX
empressxia 11/8/2012 2:21:00 AM
This concealer is for people who want heavy coverage. The color selection is very limited so you should tested it out at the store or make sure you can return it. I tried the lightest shade. I'm MAC NC15. The lightest shade is too pale on me. Unless you are super pale, don't get the lightest shade. Coverage is very good. It goes on very smooth and then quickly turns into a powdery finish. But because the coverage is so good, it felt heavy, which I don't like Unfortunately, I don't need such heavy coverage and it was too pale on me.
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Eye Makeup Remover -Kiss Me - Heroine Make - Mascara Remover
empressxia 10/24/2012 6:51:00 PM
I tried this remover in Japan. While it works as described, it's not easy to take off eyeliner and mascara if you wear both because this wand is specially designed for removing just the mascara. The only advantage is if you are traveling and do not want to bring a bottle of liquid makeup remover. Otherwise I found it much easier to just use a liquid eye makeup remover. Heroine Make actually sells a good liquid eye makeup remover in Japan. But since I live in the U.S. I have found several good American eye makeup removers that removes Heroine Make mascara (Sonia K at Target and American Beauty at Kohl's). Since those are much easier to find in the U.S. and does a great job of removing waterproof mascara, I don't think it's worth the extra money to buy this remover which costs at least 2x more here than in Japan.
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Eyeliner -Kiss Me - heroine make smooth liquid eyeliner BK 01
empressxia 10/24/2012 6:46:00 PM
I recently switched from pencil liner to liquid eyeliner. I always thought liquid eyeliner was too intense but if you draw a thinner line, it's not too intense for day time. I have used other liquid eyeliners that faded or turned blue/gray after a few hours. This liner stays true black all day long and does not smudge. Even my favorite waterproof pencil eyeliners smudged but with this liquid eyeliner, I don't even worry about it smudging, it does not budge until I remove it with makeup remover.
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Moisturizers -The Body Shop - Aloe Vera soothing rich night cream
empressxia 10/24/2012 6:41:00 PM
I'm on my second bottle of this cream, however after I'm done, I don't think I would buy it again. It's a simple face cream but not moisturizing enough for me. If you live on the East coast or the South, then this cream might be the perfect thickness for you. Also, even though it is called a night cream, it's about as moisturizing as a day cream so don't let the name throw you off. I do like that is contains aloe vera and feels very pure. However I wear mineral foundation so I need a very moisturizing base. This cream just isn't moisturizing enough for mineral foundation.
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Moisturizers -The Body Shop - Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream
empressxia 10/24/2012 6:35:00 PM
I live in N. California where it is dry year round and I need a heavier face cream as a base for my mineral foundation. Therefore I use this as a day and night cream year round. I am on my third bottle. It doesn't break me out and smells good without being overpowering. I used it this summer and didn't think it was too heavy. If you don't wear mineral foundation, then you might not need a cream this heavy in the summer. I do think it is normally over priced but you can get it on-sale around Christmas when it's about $10 a bottle. One bottle lasts me several month so it's not too expensive. My other favorite face cream is Kiehl's Panthenol Protein Moisturizing Face Cream. But I prefer the smaller packaging of this cream. It's less than 3 oz so I can take it on the plane when I travel. With the Kiehl cream, I had to scoop out some cream into a smaller container every time I packed for a trip. This resulted in a lot of small containers of half used cream when I returned home.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Makeup Remover -Flirt - See-Ya Eye Makeup Remover
empressxia 12/16/2011 3:36:00 AM
WORST eye makeup remover ever!!! It does not remove eyeliner or mascara. It feels like watered down soap and just spreads my eye liner to the bottom of my eyes instead of removing it to the cotton. The American Beauty remover also at Kohl's is 100x better. Do not waste your money on Flirt. ***Update*** I found a good use for this remover. It is useless when removing mascara but I found that it makes a pretty good makeup brush cleaner. Normally I use shampoo to clean my brushes, but since I had a bottle of this useless stuff and didn't want to throw it away, I pored a cap full of this stuff and dipped some makeup brushes in there. It did a good job of cleaning my brushes. I wouldn't buy this stuff for any reason but if you already have a bottle, use it as a brush cleaner instead of throwing it away.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -New York Color - Waterproof - Dark Brown
empressxia 11/11/2011 1:52:00 PM
This is the best waterproof eyeliner pencil for the money ($2-$3). Prestige also makes good eyeliner pencils but they are harder to find. These are so popular at my local Target that it's always out of stock. Make sure to get the waterproof version, not the cheaper version, they are not the same. For some reason the waterproof version is leaps and bounds better than the other version. I use the Dark Brown on a daily basis for work. I also have the black which I wear on the weekend or to parties. Dark brown is a rich, dark brown. Black is very black which is too harsh for wearing to work. For the price, you really can't find a better eyeliner pencil. You can buy 5 of these for the price of one MUF eyeliner.
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Makeup Brushes -Ecotools - Bamboo 5 Pieces Brush Set (Mineral Makeup)
empressxia 10/27/2011 5:09:00 PM
These are my favorite travel brushes. I don't use the kabuki brush but take a full size kabuki with me for my mineral foundation. But the blush brush and the eye brushes are perfect for my travel needs. I love how the bristles stay soft. These are so much better than MAC travel brushes.
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Lotions/ Creams -Bliss Labs - Lemon & Sage Body Butter
empressxia 10/27/2011 4:50:00 PM
I got a 14oz bottle from Nordstrom Rack for $12.99! Normally this size retails for $35. At $35, this body lotion is overpriced but for $12 this is a great lotion! I like Bliss body butter because (1) nicely scented without being over powering. (2) Very moisturizing. The lotion is on the thick side which is perfect for California's dry climate. It also absorbs quickly. If it was normally $12 a bottle, this would be my HG body lotion.
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Makeup Brushes -Everyday Minerals - New Flat Top Brush
empressxia 10/25/2011 5:18:00 PM
I use this brush for applying mineral foundation everyday. I'm so happy with it that I stopped looking for "better" brushes. Before using this brush, I tried a lot of expensive buffer brushes from MAC and Smashbox. In the end, I believe synthetic hair is much better than real hair and much easier to clean. Real hair brushes get stiff very easily. I had to wash them once a week to keep the brush soft. With EM brushes, I wash them less often because the hair is ALWAYS soft.
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Concealers -Maybelline - Fit Me
empressxia 9/19/2011 2:22:00 AM
I ran out of MAC Select MoistureCover concealer so I wanted to try something cheaper from the drugstore. I'm glad I found this. I'm NC15 and the lightest shade #10 is a perfect match. It was under $6 at Target. The coverage is about the same as the MAC (medium to sheer). So far so good after a week of use. I might not go back to expensive concealers if this continues to work well. ***UPDATE*** I'm on my 2nd tube! In between I tried PF's RX concealer which has great coverage but is too heavy for my everyday needs and the lightest shade is too light on me. Fit Me is still the perfect coverage for me. I use it only on my eyelids which are slightly darker than the rest of my face. It really depends on how much coverage you need. Fit Me is a great medium to sheer concealer. However if you have more serious flaws to conceal, Fit Me would be too sheer for you.
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Hair Styling Tools -Remington - Protect & Shine Pure Ceramic Flat Iron
empressxia 6/21/2011 7:14:00 PM
Having used a $100 HAI flatiron for years, I have been converted by this Remington flatiron. I have the "frizz" model which is $47 at Target. Not sure what the difference between the "frizz" and "shine" models are. I bought it because I realized my HAI is not dual voltage so it would not work in Europe. I used the Remington for three weeks in Europe and loved it. It heats up quickly to 420 degrees but doesn't damage my hair. I have very thick semi wavy hair due to a perm and the Remington did a great job of straightening it and adding shine. I liked this flatiron so much I have retired the HAI.
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Cleansers -Neutrogena - Make-up Remover Cleansing Towelettes
empressxia 6/19/2011 7:45:00 PM
I normally use liquid remover (Sonia Kushka from Target) but needed something non-liquid for a 3 week vacation in Europe. After trying out other brands of towelettes, I find the Neutrogena ones are the best for the price. These towelettes remove waterproof eyeliner and mascara without problem and did not sting my eyes. I'm sold. The towelette is large enough to remove all your makeup and clean your face. Highly recommend for daily use and for travel. I purchased a 25 pack for about $3.80 on amazon.com subscription.
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Moisturizers -Kiehls - Panthenol Protein Moisturizing Face Cream
empressxia 4/12/2011 10:17:00 PM
This is a great unscented moisturizer. It cream is on the heavy side so it's good for winter or dry climates like California yet it does not irritate my skin or clog pores. My face stays moisturized all day long. I love that it does not have a scent and that it does not sting my eyes so I can use it has a eye cream also. The cream seems so simple and perfect that you wonder why all face creams cannot be like it. I have tried many face creams that sting my eyes or feels like I haven't put any on after 10 minutes. So I'm very happy I found this cream. I have also tried other Kiehls moisturizer such as the ultra facial moisturizer but the panthenol cream is 100x times better. This should be Kiehls' No. 1 product! PRICE - I bought two bottles during Christmas when Kiehls was having a sale so these were $16 each. The bottles are 4 oz each which is a lot. One bottle has lasted me over 4 months and I'm only half done!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No