Eye Shadow -Everyday Minerals - Juniper
flamencovixen 4/1/2012 9:13:00 PM
Love Love Love this color! If you are a fan of Everyday Mineral's eyeshadow in "Room Addition" and "In the Garden," then you will definitely like Juniper. Juniper is a shimmery cool-toned gray-brown/pewter eyeshadow. The shimmer is not over the top - in fact, you can easily dust off the shimmer and you'll get a lovely satin layer of this color over your eyelids. It kind of reminds me of MAC's pigment in Sweet Sienna (LE) but Juniper is less shimmery and has more color to it.
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Blush -Milani - Baked Blush in Dolce Pink
flamencovixen 4/1/2012 9:09:00 PM
Despite reading about how glittery this blush is, I decided to get it after resisting temptation for so long. I should have followed my intuition and not purchase Dolce Pink because it's sparkly enough that the underlying pink color doesn't really truly show up unless you dust the sparkles off (which also then dusts off the pink color so what's the point?)., The underlying color is a lovely cool-toned pink - very fresh and youthful looking. It's too bad that the sparkles overwhelm the pink. If you are truly going for a sparkly look, then this blush is fine but for an everyday blush, I wouldn't recommend this. Also, if you have visible pores, then this blush will definitely highlight those pores. I still think it's a decent blush if you are going for the sparkly look but it's just not for me. So I am not going to ding the review by saying that I wouldn't buy this product again (I reserve that rating for horrendous or substandard products).
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Milani - Baked Blush in Luminoso
flamencovixen 3/19/2011 3:36:00 PM
I agree with much of TheCharm's description below re. Luminoso. I own both the original version and the "second generation" mineral version of Luminous. All three are different from each other. The original was the pinkest one; the second generation version was less pink. On the other hand, Luminoso is on the peach side. Luminoso was recently released as one of the baked blush collection from Milani. In the pan, it looks like a satiny peachy color with a sheen. On my face, it's true to color so there are no surprises there. I've seen the other baked blushes and though I haven't bought/tested them, Luminoso looks the least shimmery (this observation is echoed by reviews that I have read on MUA makeup board as well as the reviews on youtube). There is no scent to it and the blush applies easily and smoothly on my cheeks. The packaging is bulky and it's a little difficult to open. Overall, this is still a pretty blush and as someone with light-medium skintones, I would say this would work on light to medium skinned gals for sure.
15 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Makeup Remover -Rimmel - Gentle Eye Make Up Remover
flamencovixen 12/25/2010 2:13:00 PM
I have been using this eye make up remover for years. I'm surprised to read some of the reviewers write that it stings because I don't experience any stinging at all. It's a clear liquid that is gentle on my eyes and has no scent. It's almost like water. It comes in a large bottle (4.2 fl oz). The price is reasonable though I'm usually able to snag a couple during drugstore sales. I like the dispenser - it's a small hole so you don't have to worry about oversoaking your cotton balls. It has no oil and that's why it won't be as effective in removing waterproof makeup/eyeliner/mascara. As a result, I don't use it as my main eye make up remover - I use an oli-based make up remover. However, I use the Rimmel version for cleaning up leftover smudges. I also use it to clean up fall-out and smudges after I apply eyeliner and smokey eyeshadow on my eyes.
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Conditioner -TRESemme - Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner
flamencovixen 12/24/2010 7:27:00 PM
I was thrilled to see a silicone free drugstore conditioner in a large bottle and was even more thrilled that Walgreens was having a sale of this conditioner - buy 3 for $10 (original price is $5.99 for a 25 ML bottle). Even without the deal, the price is still excellent for the size that you get. I have to say that I'm quite happy with this product. I have used it a couple of times so far. I have long hair that is thick and coarse. This conditioner is light-weight and has great slip and does a good job with detangling. My hair does feel soft and silky after I use it. It doesn't make my hair look as sleek as I was hoping (i still experience some fly-away strands) but I'm not sure if it's because the product is coming up short or if it's because my coarse hair is just being "stubborn." The product contains aloe and avocado, which is a good thing. The scent is somewhat floral and is pleasant and not overpowering. Some of the reviewers mentioned that they purchased a bottle with a pump but I didn't see any of those types of bottles at Walgreens. I hope Tres Semme doesn't discontinue this product because I am now a loyal fan!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Jason Natural Cosmetics - Dandruff Relief Dandruff Shampoo
flamencovixen 12/6/2010 1:31:00 AM
I was using over the counter Nizoral for my dandruff and itchy scalp but decided to try something more natural. I read about a natural ingredient called neem that was good for itchy scalp and that this shampoo had it. I really like this shampoo. It keeps my dandruff and especially my itchy scalp under control as long as I use it on a regular basis. This shampoo is thick and doesn't get sudsy. To make it effective, I like to apply it on my scalp and leave it for about 30 minutes and then jump in the shower to rinse it and apply conditioner. I put the shampoo in a plastic squeeze bottle with a pointy tip (the same type of bottle that one would use for hair dye) and then apply it directly to my scalp (the pointy tip allows me to put a concentrated amount on my scalp. The one negative is that the smell is pretty strong (it's from the sulfur). Even when I follow up with another scented shampoo and a conditioner and then dry my hair, I can still smelly it in my hair.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Revlon - Super Lustrous in Coral Reef
flamencovixen 9/26/2010 5:23:00 PM
I am so thrilled that Revlon made this lipgloss color part of their permanent collection. Coral Reef is a unique color - it's not just a coral color but it's a milky coral color. It's a color that one doesn't easily find, especially in the drugstore. Texture is creamy and non-sticky. There is no scent/taste. If you want a more intense coral color, you can layer it several times but just one layer give you a nice sheer coral. This is a perfect lipgloss for the spring/summer.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - Colorburst Lipstick in Rosy Nude
flamencovixen 9/26/2010 3:56:00 PM
As many reviewers have mentioned, there is nothing "nude" about this lipstick. But this lipstick is great if you want a pop of color without being over-the-top. It's something that one can easily wear everyday or wear in a professional type of work setting. I would describe it as a neutral. medium rose color with some beige/brown. I think it looks differently on a variety of people depending on skintone. It has no shimmer/sheen and has a creamy texture. No discernible scent taste. I love the sleek packaging with the quilted design. Also, it's nice that the top of the lipstick case shows the color of the lipstick. I have several of the Colorburst lipsticks and it's nice to be able to tell them apart easily. For reference I have neutral to warm undertones (skin picks up more yellow when I get some sun); MAC NC 25-30, Revlon Colorstay Sand Beige). The only con about these lipsticks is that they are pretty expensive for drugstore lipsticks so it's best to buy them when they are on sale.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -RCMA - Color Process Foundation
flamencovixen 9/26/2010 3:45:00 PM
I got RCMA in Shinto 1 a while back when I was going through a phase of trying out various professional foundations. I also purchased both Graftobian and Cinema Secrets Cream Foundations and will compare these with RCMA in this review. I have light skin with neutral to warm undertones (MAC NC 25-30, Revlon Colorstay in Sand Beige). When I have more color on my face because of the sun, my skin tends to pick up more yellow. My neck has yellow tones and so I like to pick foundations that can match my face to my neck. I got Shinto 1 because I read that the Shinto line had more yellow. But when I first received the foundation, Shinto 1 in the pot looks deceptively non-yellow (especially compared to the Graftobian and Cinema Secrets Foundation). In fact, Shinto looks more beige. But on my face, Shinto 1 seems to blend quite well and match my neck so clearly Shinto 1 definitely has the yellow base. In terms of texture, the RCMA isn't creamy like Cinema Secrets and Graftobian (Cinema Secrets is creamier than Graftobian). So I have to make sure that the sponge I use is adequately moistened. I use one of those wedge sponges and spritz some distilled water on it (I use a tiny spritzer bottle for this based on a suggestion of a make up artist named Eve Pearl). The more moist the sponge is, the thinner the consistency of the foundation will be. I pat the sponge on the pot and then dab on my face, trying not to rub the foundation in (or it will apply unevenly). I then follow up with a loose powder to set the foundation. Coverage is pretty good and so is the lasting power. I still have to powder my T-zone later in the day but that's the case with all the foundations that I use. The foundation has no scent. It also doesn't have SPF protection, which is a good thing in my opinion. Foundations that have titanium dioxide, for instance, make one's face appear paler when a photo is taken because of the camera flash. In the past, I was concerned that using these professional types of make up would be too heavy for my skin. In reality, I actually don't find them heavy at all. As long as the foundation is thinned out with a moist sponge, then the foundation doesn't feel thick/heavy. The foundation comes in a white pot with a clear, screw cap top. It is 1 oz and when I purchase this from Camera Ready Cosmetics online over a year and a half ago, it cost about $21. At that time the Cinema Secrets foundation pot that I got cost around $20 but it was for a .50 oz pot. The Graftobian foundation in a .50 oz pot cost around $10. So the Graftobian and RCMA are almost the same price per oz. The Cinema Secrets foundation clearly was the more expensive one per oz. (My Graftobian and Cinema Secrets foundations were also purchased from Camera Ready Cosmetics). As I don't use this foundation everyday this pot will last me a long time. But if I ever do run out, I will repurchase it.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Rimmel - Moisture Renew - Spotlight Beige [DISCONTINUED]
flamencovixen 9/25/2010 12:40:00 PM
This is a great nude lipstick for folks who are wary of nudes washing them out. It's a neutral to warm toned, light pink-peach lipstick with a hint of beige. I have neutral to warm undertones in my skin (MAC NC 25-30ish) and though I really love nude lipsticks, I have a hard time wearing most of them. Spotlight Beige is such a wearable nude; when I wear it, you can tell that I am wearing something on my lips to give it some color but it's still understated. So Spotlight Beige is a pleasant surprise. The texture is lovely - it's creamy and moisturizing. And it has absolutely no shimmer (yay!). I like the packaging - it does feel sturdy as someone mentioned below and I like it's purple metallic case. It does have SPF 18, which is great. Because it's creamy and moisturizing, it's a lipstick that you will need to reapply but that doesn't bother me because I have dry lips. The reason I rated this with 4 lipsticks is the scent/taste! First of all, I am not sensitive to scents and I ordinarily don't mind scents on lipsticks. In fact, I actually like the creamsicle scent of Rimmel's other line of lipsticks, the Lasting Finish line. I also don't mind L'Oreal's Colour Riche lipstick scents. However, the scent/taste of this lipstick (and I assume the whole line of the Moisture Renew lipsticks) is cloying and strongly floral, like an old-lady-perfume kind of scent. It reminds me of the scent/taste of the old Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks before Revlon revamped the line and got rid of the scent. Nonetheless, because I like the color so much, I am willing to overlook the scent/taste which does eventually fade. I even bought a back up and plan to repurchase if I run out.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Expert Wear Desert Gold
flamencovixen 9/19/2010 4:34:00 PM
I am glad I came across this gem a few months ago, especially because it's a limited edition trio. If you like neutral colors, then Desert Gold is a great set. It has three colors - a matte yellowish/peachy color, a dark khaki-brown color (neutral-tone) with subtle shimmer and a metallic taupe color. The brown eyeshadow does not have any red undertones. Blendable and pigmented, this is a great drugstore find!
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Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Expert Wear Eyeshadow Trio in Best in Brown
flamencovixen 9/19/2010 2:12:00 PM
Best in Brown is a limited edition eyeshadow trio that I just purchased from my neighborhood Walgreens. It looks like it is part of their Fall 2010 release. This trio has three colors: a pale taupe-silver shimmer, a neutral medium-brown with gold iridescence, and a cool-toned, dark, smoky brown with a hint of plum. The iridescence is not over the top and therefore, you can wear these colors during the daytime. I love these colors, especially the dark, smoky brown. I have neutral to warm undertones and reddish-based browns look horrible on me. So I was excited to see that this trio had a cool-toned brown. The pigmentation is great and so is their texture. I have no problems blending the colors. I also love that Maybelline switched to a black-colored plastic packaging. It looks so much better than their blue plastic packaging.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Graftobian - High-Definition Glamour Color Creme Foundation
flamencovixen 12/25/2009 9:28:00 PM
I have only positive things to say about Graftobian! I have combo skin (oily t zone) and get some zits during the time of the month. I get some redness around my nose and cheeks. My face and neck have different undertones – face is light in color with neutral undertones but my neck is light to medium and has yellow-beige undertones. I would say that I’m a MAC NC 25 to 30 right now. I purchase Graftobian from www.camerareadycosmetics.com The color swatches on Camera Ready Cosmetics are horribly deceptive so it’s difficult to figure out what colors to get. I bought Graftobian palettes (Warm 1 and Warm 2) and then also Cinema Secrets Kit #3. Warm Palette 1 has the following colors (in the order of lightest to darkest): Graceful Swan, Ingenue, Vixen, Temptress, and Enchantress. Graceful Swan is pale with yellow undertones. Ingenue is a shade darker – it’s still light with yellow undertones. Ingenue was too light for me (I would say Ingenue would be similar to a MAC NC 15 to 20). I was hoping that Vixen, the next shade up, would be a match but while it had the right depth, it just didn’t have enough yellow to match my face to my neck. (FYI, I saw a foundation chart that matched Vixen with MAC NC 30). The two darker shades - Temptress and Enchantress - looked similar to Vixen in that they seemed to have the same undertones but weren’t yellow enough. Warm Palette 2 has these colors (in the order of lighest to darkest): Buttermilk, Desert Sand, Golden Sunset, Deep Zanthe, and Mid. Marigold. At a first glance, Buttermilk, the lightest of this palette, seemed to be too yellow and dark in the pan. The other shades were deeper and looked orangey-brown. I decided to try the Buttermilk anyway and surprisingly, it worked really well to match my face to my neck. I use a wedge sponge spritzed with distilled water (I got the idea of using a tiny water spritz bottle from Eve Pearl, a makeup artist). The sponge must be moist enough to thin out the foundation. Using the moist sponge, dab or tap the foundation on your face. If you rub the foundation on your skin as you would normally do with liquid foundation, the cream foundation may not apply as evenly. Buttermilk’s yellow undertones helps to neutralize the redness around my nose and cheeks. Because I apply a thin layer of this foundation, more recent acne scars are still sometwhat visible so I follow up with spot concealer (Lauren Hutton spot concealer from her light face disc). I then set the foundation with face powder. After a few hours, my T zone does get a little shiny but this doesn't bother me as this is no worse than other foundations I have used (Revlon Color Stay, however, is one foundation that I have tried that seems to stay put the longest). What’s great about Graftobian foundation is that it doesn’t oxidize or turn orange on my skin. There isn’t any fragrance as well. If you are worried about cream foundations being too heavy – you shouldn’t be. In fact, if you apply them correctly (i.e. with a moist sponge) this foundation feels lighter than some liquid foundations (such as Revlon Color Stay, Sally Hansen foundation by Carmindy, and Maybelline 24 hour superstay). In fact, I can use this foundation as my everyday foundation. It doesn't have any SPF so it won't reflect any white cast on your face when a photo is taken of you. It’s always good to exfoliate and prep your skin with moisturizer because this foundation (as well as other cream foundations) can show dry patches and flaky skin. To briefly compare Graftobian with Cinema Secrets cream foundation: in terms of texture, Graftobian is less creamy so Graftobian may be better for oily skins (as long as you can find a color match). Also, Cinema Secret’s Kit 3 has foundation shades with more yellow in them than Graftobian's warm palettes.
36 out of 36 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Ulta - Envy
flamencovixen 12/13/2009 4:38:00 PM
Envy is a deep, mossy, green with shimmer. The shimmer isn't over the top. I like mossy green shades because they seem more "subtle" than bright green shades. The texture of Envy is decent. When I use my eyeshadow brush, i have to swipe it more than to pack on the color (hence I removed 1 lipstick). Envy is a shade deeper than Verdigris, another green Ulta eyeshadow. Envy is also similar to another Ulta eyeshadow called Shamrock (see my separate review). While in their respective pans, Envy and Shamrock look different because Shamrock is much more of a vibrant green, when I swatched them on my eyelids and also on my finger tips, they are very similar. Shamrock is just more of an "amped up" green and is also much more jewel-toned. Overall, Envy is still a great color and it's a good deal when you get the Ulta eyeshadows during their BOGO sales.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Ulta - Shamrock
flamencovixen 12/13/2009 4:22:00 PM
Shamrock is a gorgeous, deep emerald green eyeshadow that imparts a lovely shimmer on my eyelids. The shimmer isn't over the top, which makes this green eyeshadow more wearable. I do have to apply several layers to get the vibrant, jewel-toned green so I gave it 4 points for overall rating (as opposed to 5). I have read that this is a dupe for Milani Clover and a dupe for MAC Humid. I don't have MAC Humid but I do have Milani Clover. Shamrock and Clover are very similar in color but I prefer Shamrock's texture over that of Clover's. Shamrock applies more smoothly on my lids than does Clover. Also, Clover has micronized sparkles with its shimmer but Shamrock doesn't have micronized sparkles. I also have Ulta Envy which is deep, mossy green that is quite similar to Shamrock on my eyelids except Shamrock is more vibrant. So if you like the deep green shade but prefer something less vibrant than Shamrock, then Envy is better for you. Cost of one ULTA eyeshadow is now $7 so it's best to wait for when eyeshadows are BOGO to get the best deal. Overall, Shamrock is a beautiful, jewel-toned eyeshadow and I will repurchase if I ever run out.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No