Moisturizers -Alpha Hydrox - Enhanced Lotion - 10% AHA
eoconnor9484 12/17/2012 2:06:00 PM
Does it smell like glue? Yes, definitely. Can it give you a terrible reaction if your skin hates AHA? Yes. Alpha hydroxy can be very harsh and it really does not work for all skin types. I think it's best to be cautious with this lotion and apply it sparingly at first until you know for sure that your skin is OK with it. But for me, it has really helped to clear up the acne on my chin (cystic acne that started this year, when I turned 28. Ugh) and it has improved my overall skin tone (I have dry, sensitive, part Asian skin). Since it's so cheap, it's worth trying!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Tarte - Maracuja creaseless concealer
eoconnor9484 12/10/2012 9:30:00 PM
I have had dark undereye circles since I was 17 and have a hard time finding something that will properly cover them. I like the coverage of creamy concealers but they fade too fast, get in my eye creases, and look fake or cakey. This concealer looks a lot like Amazing cosmetics concealer (high coverage, glowy skin-like finish), but has way better staying power. I pair it with a luminizing foundation (Shu Uemura face architect) and it makes my skin look fantastic and healthy. This is good for someone who likes heavy concealers (EL doublewear, for example) but wants them to look skin-like. Here's why I give it five stars: Tarte concealer (high coverage, natural, long lasting) > EL Doublewear (high coverage, long lasting, a little cakey), Cinema Secrets (med coverage, natural and don't need to use much) > Amazing concealer, Bobbi Brown corrector (need to be paired with something else to cover everything and last all day) > other concealers
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Clinique - Almost Lipstick - Black Honey
eoconnor9484 2/18/2012 3:36:00 AM
I loved this so much that I brought it everywhere with me for a week, and then lost it, so now I have to buy again. I got so many compliments - it looks very natural and youthful and has no taste/scent (I hate perfumey lipsticks! yuck). Doesn't stay on a terribly long time, which is why I had to take it everywhere and hence why I lost it, but still worth the money.
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Blush -Clinique - Gel Blush in Black Honey
eoconnor9484 2/18/2012 3:34:00 AM
Used to love this product back in the day, now it does nothing for me. I'm not sure if they changed the formula since they discontinued it a while ago, but the new version from Sephora doesn't even show up on my face, as if I am not wearing any blush at all.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -Christian Dior - Shimmer Powder 002 Amber Diamond, Spring 08
eoconnor9484 2/18/2012 3:28:00 AM
I agree with the post below. I don't get it. This worked OK -- not great -- for me. I couldn't really see it very much, and when I did notice it, it never looked great. I don't know, maybe I am not using the right brush to apply but I prefer other luminizers. The kicker is that it crumbled into a nasty mess about a month after I bought it. It is unacceptable to pay so much for a product only for it to crumble so quickly.
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Liquid -Shu Uemura - Face Architect Illuminating Moisture Fluid Foundation
eoconnor9484 2/18/2012 3:25:00 AM
So far I love this foundation. I have it in 564 and the color works very well for me, which is of course important. But I also really like the finish of it - I prefer a dewy, natural look, but it's hard to find a natural looking foundation that also has decent coverage. This does a great job at both. I found that it lasted well throughout the day, but I have dry skin/no oiliness. Plus I don't like matte foundations, so maybe I'm just used to foundations coming off fast. ** edit: I am taking a star off because this foundation officially makes my face break out with rosacea. and it kind of smells weird, like rubber or chemicals or something, which is probably why. **
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Smashbox - Double-Ended Eye Brightener
eoconnor9484 2/18/2012 3:16:00 AM
This pencil is crap. I just got it from Sephora a week ago and it's going back ASAP. Both of the pencil sides are too dry so you have to press really hard (which makes my makeup come off). Plus the pigment is lacking, so there is almost no color - I can't see the highlighter color at all. The inner rim liner marginally works, but I have a Korres white eyeliner that works like 5x better.
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Highlighters -BeneFit Cosmetics - High Beam
eoconnor9484 2/18/2012 3:10:00 AM
I hated this until yesterday. Every time I would try to apply it, it would either remove my foundation/concealer, or it would get really streaky and look obvious. What changed? I applied it over all my base makeup, using a small stippling brush. The application technique makes all the difference in the world! It looks subtle and shimmery when applied this way.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor
eoconnor9484 12/2/2011
This product is just... weird. I'd say it's about 3.5 stars for me. It goes on like a coat of rubber and stays on alllllll day (it kind of feels like rubber too). For me the staying power is mostly a good thing (I hate touching up lipstick constantly and getting it on everything), but sometimes not a good thing. Case in point: today I accidentally smeared it on my tooth and you better believe it stayed smeared on there for 8 HOURS before I came home, noticed it and tried to scrape it off. I just looked at myself in the mirror again and part of the lipstick faded off (it's been now 12 hours), leaving my lips colored in bizarre patches. I guess you have to take it off with makeup remover?? lol
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Mascara -Yves Saint Laurent - Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils
eoconnor9484 12/1/2011 11:53:00 PM
Um, no... sorry, Yves Saint Laurent. I got this as a sample from Sephora and I don't like it at all. I guess the brush is decent shaped (I prefer the really big bushy ones, the smaller ones give me clumps). But this mascara runs like crazy! I looked at myself in the mirror when I got home and almost screamed. My mascara was dripping down my face under my eyes and I looked like a zombie. I am not picky at all about mascara, so I was really surprised that my least favorite one was the fancy name brand.
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Hair -Unlisted Brand - Almond Oil
eoconnor9484 12/1/2011 11:26:00 PM
I love almond oil! I only discovered it this past year because it was in some homemade mask recipe. I had so much that I started using it to remove makeup and on my wrinkles. At first I was scared to put oil on my skin at night, but almond oil is so gentle and cheap, and it does a great job providing a lot of moisture naturally, without clogging pores. What is the point in using some moisturizer that is $100, has ten million chemicals, and is tested on animals, when you can use almond oil, which does the same things without all of the bad stuff... The only downside is that I took it on a trip recently and it spilled all over my stuff. Try getting oil out of your clothes :(
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Concealers -Bobbi Brown - Corrector
eoconnor9484 12/1/2011 11:04:00 PM
Yay for BB light bisque corrector. For some reason everyone always tells you to buy yellow-toned concealers for dark undereye circles. It took me 9 years to realize this was a lie. Yellow-toned concealers make my undereye circles look 5x worse than wearing nothing. The salmon-colored corrector by Bobbi Brown does a really good job of covering up my circles without looking obvious. It pretty much cancels out the blue color without looking like I'm wearing pink (fantastic since I don't have pink undertones in my skin AT ALL). A must-have when I am looking sick or allergic. Since it's cream-based, you do have to set it with something or else it will gather in the eye wrinkles. But for some reason it still lasts longer than a lot of other cream-based ones. I don't know why, but I don't question these things. I just use a little neutral color eye shadow on my eye wrinkles and I'm good to go.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -Too Faced - Romantic Eye
eoconnor9484 10/30/2011 10:08:00 PM
Despite the hokey romance theme, this is a very good eyeshadow palette. The colors have good pigment, and are flattering. The little guides for application are a cute touch and it's pretty affordable for the range of colors you get. The last Too Faced palette I had lasted me like 5 years (I know it is gross to keep that long, but there was an eyeshadow I loved). I will definitely buy their stuff again.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -SKII - Facial Treatment Mask
eoconnor9484 10/30/2011 9:55:00 PM
This product is sooo hyped. I am against spending this much on skin care, because I almost never find the price is justified, and these are really no exception. I used them twice now, and I barely noticed any difference at all, except my makeup was harder to put on because the mask left little booger like things on my face. I must qualify: I have dry/sensitive skin, so all I really want is something that makes my skin look dewy ("radiant" is the word I had in mind). Maybe if I had problem skin, with oil and big pores and what not, this would be worth it. This just kind of made my face tingle. I guess my forehead looked kinda less wrinkly after, maybe. But I think I prefer the Shiseido white lucent ones, and they're so much less expensive.
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Powder -Revlon - ColorStay Aqua Mineral Makeup
eoconnor9484 10/12/2011 5:36:00 PM
I really liked the way it felt going on, but it made my chin break out in a crazy way (I have pretty pimple-free skin - so for me to break out means something is terribly wrong). I have to say it didn't surprise me, who knows what kinds of chemicals it takes to make it feel so funky going on. Now I use it to set the concealer in my eye wrinkles... which it does OK at, I guess. The included brush is a classy touch. :) Yes, there are some sparkles in it. I didn't really notice them much, though, and anyway I prefer for my face not to look chalky and overly matte.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No