Cleansers -The Body Shop - Tea Tree Oil Face Wash
fairy_dust 1/23/2007 9:44:00 AM
This dried out my skin and made me break out. Not immediately, but in the long run, it was responsible for my zits because my skin got so dry, it overcompensated by producing too much oil. And I use moisturizer! I sort of liked the medicinal smell, but I'll leave this stuff to 12-year-old acne-ridden kids. I'm 22, with relatively good skin, but this just didn't work for me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Aquolina - Pink Sugar
fairy_dust 1/11/2007 9:59:00 AM
Oooh, I love this! It's not the super sweet chocolate-caramel-cotton candy scent that I expected, but for some reason, it works better that way: the sweetness doesn't give me a headache. There's a faint trace of powder and something floral, so the scent is more complex. My boyfriend loves the smell, but more importantly, I love it too.
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Lip Gloss -Lola Cosmetics - Lip Gloss Menagerie
fairy_dust 1/7/2007 3:17:00 AM
Unreasonably expensive although cute, and Bloom has a similar set for much cheaper. I swapped mine promptly in exchange for something more reasonable. You'll find similiar colors elsewhere, and for half the price.
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Makeup Brushes -Shu Uemura - 12s Pure Kolinsky
fairy_dust 10/7/2006 10:30:00 PM
This is different from the brush 12 also offered by Shu Uemura, which is probably $100 cheaper than 12s. How different could they be? Well, 12s is rounder, has an almost bouncy effect, and contains more bristles for a full, firm application. No other brush compares (for me anyway). The price tag is really scary, but if you can keep it forever, then it's well worth it.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Shu Uemura - Wool Brush #20 (Pony)
fairy_dust 10/7/2006 10:17:00 PM
The thing with Shu Uemura is that the prices are really high, and in the Philippines, it can be a bit too steep. That said, I would still buy this brush. It's soft, doesn't shed, and lasts forever. Excellent for applying pigmented blush (which is the only thing I use, I don't like layering too much) so that it looks like you're glowing from within. My other brushes (like MAC) are hideous compared to this. Am now getting a 20H :) love it!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Origins - Ginger with a Twist - sparkling body cocktail
fairy_dust 6/25/2006 11:34:00 AM
I love this scent! :) it smells like candy and citrus, nothing like the usual ginger that I remember from my grandma's ginger tea. I can see what people mean about the staying power, but with a bit of layering, this ginger cocktail is wonderful.
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Eyeliner -Shu Uemura - Liquid Liners Summer 06 Blue Green Brown
fairy_dust 6/14/2006 1:41:00 PM
Of all the items in the 2006 summer line, I liked this one best. The colors are so vibrant, and I love the vinyl-like finish of the liners. They go on smoothly and last the whole day. Try combining them all on your eyelid for a really cool effect!
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Palettes -Shu Uemura - Amaterasu Palette 06
fairy_dust 6/14/2006 1:39:00 PM
It pains me to give a relatively low rating to a Shu palette, as they are usually beautiful, but I did not enjoy this one as well--shame, because I was really excited about it and the packaging is beautiful. I feel that the 3-in-1 pan eyeshadows are quite hard to apply because of the size, and the texture does not seem to match the regular e/s of the Shu Uemura line. Also, while the blush is pretty, it takes too much work for it to show on my NC30 skin. Maybe it's good for other skintones and for people with a little more time to work with the colors, but not for me.
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Blush -Shu Uemura - SAKURA
fairy_dust 6/14/2006 1:34:00 PM
I'm an NC30, so I was surprised to find out that I liked this better than Apricot. Sakura goes on a light, fresh, visible pink on my cheeks, and makes me look fresh. It sets off my yellow Asian skintone quite well, and I'm very pleased with the overall appearance. Of course, you'd be hard-pressed to find blush with pigment as fine as Shu's, so for me, this is another winner. Shame it's LE.
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Highlighters -Bobbi Brown - Peony ShimmerBrick Shimmer Brick Compact
fairy_dust 6/14/2006 1:30:00 PM
I like this. To be honest, I'm not much of a Bobbi Brown fan, but after getting this, I'm starting to look at her other items. First of all, for a shimmerbrick, this is pretty pigmented--I use it as a blush without anything under, and I'm NC30. Anything more under that and I'd look Raggedy Ann (which is saying some for someone who likes pink cheeks). When I saw a photo taken on a day I was wearing it, I thought I looked pretty good, any everyone else said so--my cheeks were nice and glowy, even if I was quite stressed at that time. I don't see myself using this as an eyeshadow, given that my Asian eyes don't look good with the type of shades in the compact, but I'm happy enough to use it as blush. My only problem is, I'm afraid to take it anywhere as it looks like it might crack under pressure--one bag drop could shatter it. So it sits in my traincase, which is a shame as I'd like to take it around. The compact itself is big and bulky, why can't it seem to protect the product? All in all, I like it. Because of this, I might go off and get the Brownie shimmerbrick.
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Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Dandelion
fairy_dust 6/5/2006 12:51:00 PM
Being an NC30-35, I thought Dandelion wouldn't show, but it's actually more pigmented on me than some of my other pink blushes. And I have to say I love it--I thought it would just be a plain finishing powder, but since I'm a sucker for packaging (and I've no plans to carry this around with me anyway), I went for it. A pink-mauve shade with a hint of shimmer, Dandelion brightened up my complexion visibly. However, it is still not the best shade of pink I have in my (rather extensive) collection. But for some reason, I love it anyway and I actually (gasp!) use the brush, even if it does waste a lot of product by picking too much pigment. Ah, Dandelion, a study in contradictions.
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Treatments -Mario Badescu - Drying Lotion
fairy_dust 4/30/2006 12:15:00 PM
Didn't dry up my zits the way I would've wanted it to. As I'm from a humid country, the lotion sort of melted away after a while. Nice concept, but just didn't work. Too bad.
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Makeup Brushes -NARS - Bronzer Brush 19
fairy_dust 3/22/2006 12:23:00 PM
The brush is soft and fluffy, and allows me to apply color without going overboard. It's not the softest brush I've ever tried, but despite the fluffiness, I still have control over the amount of color I deposit on my cheeks (am not a fan of bronzer, so I use it for blush.) Suddenly, my Shu Uemura Apricot blush looked so natural with it! I can see that this might be a pain to clean, and will take forever to dry. Still, it's a good brush, one that I definitely wouldn't get rid of--I won't try other NARS just because of this, but it's a good one on its own.
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Highlighters -MAC - Mineralize Skinfinish in Petticoat [DISCONTINUED]
fairy_dust 2/18/2006 1:02:00 AM
Gorgeous blush that looks great in the pot or on the cheeks :) Petticoat reminds me of Shu Uemura's P Red 19d, although I think I still prefer Shu for the smoother consistency. MAC's has a tendency to streak at times, and you do have to blend carefully and use a good blush. However, it is so pretty on the pot I am ready to forgive it for almost anything :)
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Eye Shadow -Shu Uemura - Eye Jelly- Gold
fairy_dust 2/17/2006 10:25:00 PM
The gold eye jelly is such a beautiful product :) not only is it buildable, the color lasts long, too. I use it to highlight certain areas around my face as well, so the shimmer doesn't rub off and makes me look like a glowing goddess. The top Shu Uemura makeup artist here in the Philippines also dabbed a bit of it in the center of a model's lip to give her a fuller pout. Pretty, pretty. Much better than their Lustre Gel or last year's mousse formulas.
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