Liquid -Chanel - Vitalumiere
flitcraft 4/27/2010 12:45:00 PM
I'm a long time user of Vitalumiere and wanted to comment on the new formula as compared to the old formula. First, the colors have changed. I was a limpide in the old formula, their lightest shade at .5. Now I'm ivory, also a .5--but good news, they have added an even lighter shade at .2! I often add a tiny amount of a lighter foundation to my .5 to get the right tone, so for really pale gals, you now have a new choice. The rosy scent is gone, which is good. The texture is a bit more liquid than the older one, which was the consistency of heavy cream. And it is a bit less sticky--the old formula would encourage stray hairs to stick to my face. I think the finish is a little less dewy and a bit more neutral, and the finish is a bit sheerer than before. This is neither positive nor negative but a matter of personal taste. I prefer the dewier look with my very dry skin, but most people probably don't. Still a fabulous foundation for mature dry skin, though.
14 out of 14 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Edward Bess - Ultra Slick Lipstick
flitcraft 2/14/2010 12:04:00 AM
My daughter gave me three of these lipsticks for Christmas--tender love, deep lust, and natural seduction. These lipsticks are highly pigmented but slide on easily, perhaps a function of the silicone in the formula. Of the three, I think I like tender love the best--it's a neutral rose that leans ever so slightly warm. More pigmented and pronounced than a typical YLBB shade, but in that general category. Deep lust is darker and definitely warmer--brown clay toned. I find myself blotting it down a bit to make it a little less intense. Natural seduction is a true medium nude--cafe au lait colored with not even a hint of peach or pink or mauve to it. Unfortunately it makes me look dead, so it cannot be worn be me without some more pink-coral-red lip gloss to liven it up a bit. Lovely quality lipsticks. I do wish they were available except in New York--I am reluctant to buy makeup sight unseen online.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -Bobbi Brown - Nude Eye and Lip Palette
flitcraft 2/16/2008 7:42:00 PM
This palette contains four neutral nude eye shadows, two matte and two shimmerwash, and four lipsticks, none of which are shimmery or frosted. The palette is very cleverly put together, opening up to show the lipsticks, a small eyeshadow brush, and a tiny capped lipbrush. The brushes are, as usual with Bobbi Brown, very good quality, especially in comparison with the usual cheap foam applicators that too many high end cosmetics use. The eyeshadows are contained in a pull-out drawer, avoiding the usual problem of getting eye shadow powder into the lipstick. Very nicely thought out. The eyeshadows are typical Bobbi Brown quality, but they really are nude. I'm quite pale, so they are fine for me, but if I were not so pale, I bet they wouldn't show up much. The two matte shades are pretty interchangeable. The best of the shadows is the Buff Shimmerwash, a very pretty pale mauve toned nude. The lipsticks are of medium consistency, and likewise pretty nude, except for the Brownie Pink, which is a tawny pink color. The lipstick brush, while nice, is so tiny that it takes quite a while to apply. If I had Angelina Jolie lips, it would take forever. Luckily I don't. So, if you are looking for a subtle, polished look and you are pretty fair, this is a good product. I've taken off one lippie for price (c'mon--60 dollars??) and one lippie for lack of versatility.
6 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Julie Hewett - Camellia Balm
flitcraft 5/14/2007 1:04:00 AM
Love, love, love this stuff. It's not heavy and smothering like so many lip products. It actually feels like it's doing good and not just hiding lip problems. And I agree it's a sensational cuticle product. It's great paired with JH fabulous lipsticks.
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Lipstick -Unlisted Brand - Stephen1985 Sand Peach Med
flitcraft 5/14/2007 12:57:00 AM
I ordered the sample sized version of this lippie. It's terrible, I'm afraid. The color is a weird orangey-Barbie-doll-skin color, the consistency was waxy, and it applied very unevenly. I used a high quality lip brush and couldn't believe how badly it applied. Don't waste your money...
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Bare Escentuals - Flawless Application Face Brush
flitcraft 3/4/2007 8:40:00 PM
This was the first brush I tried to use with mineral makeup, since it came with the starter kit. I couldn't get reasonable coverage with it, though. By the time I layered enough for coverage, I looked cakey and mask-like. And the brush sheds, especially since you have to use it vigorously for buffing the makeup. All of my other brushes are much softer. I still use it to gently fluff on mineral veil, though. I wouldn't buy it for that alone. Too expensive, poor quality, not usable for anything but finishing powder. Not recommended.
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Makeup Brushes -Bare Escentuals - Kabuki Brush
flitcraft 3/4/2007 8:36:00 PM
This is the recommended brush for higher coverage for Bare Essentials makeup, so I fugured I'd try it. Big mistake--it shed terribly, I washed it several times hoping that once the initial shedding period was over, it would work out. But no, it never stopped shedding. And it is pretty scratchy to boot. It does buff well, but frankly, there are a lot better choices out there. And some of them are a lot cheaper as well. Not recommended.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Lumiere - Mineral creme makeup
flitcraft 3/1/2007 10:17:00 AM
Just for reference--I'm mid-fifties with dry skin, some fine lines and hyperpigmentation issues. I've been using mineral makeup for the last few years and tried quite a few--BE, JI, Alima, Uglogirl, and Lumiere's Flawless Finish. BE didn't work for me at all--couldn't get a color match with my very pale, yellow-undertoned skin and I really didn't like the shiny patina. JI was better, but still shinier than I wanted and not quite right color-wise. I really like Lumiere's Flawless Finish a lot. It's got better shades for pale faces like me--and it has a nice balance of undertones available. I can use the warm or neutral tones, but the beige tones were a bit too ashen on me. Coverage is medium, but with a concealer brush you can ramp it up a bit for problem areas. The finish is really nice--not deathly matte but not as shiny as BE or even JI. There's squalane in the formula, so it isn't as drying as most others. Samples are generous and cheap, so it's not much of an investment to find your best colors. I'm still experimenting with Alima and Uglogirl as well--both also very very good products. But, when my samples run out in a few weeks, I have a feeling the winner is going to be Lumiere.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Garden Botanika - Vitamin E Stick
flitcraft 2/18/2007 11:39:00 PM
I've been using the tinted Vitamin E sticks in twig (an earthy clay color), Black Currant (sort of a Black Honey cool color) and Camelia (dusty pink). Colors are sheer but noticeable, with a nice glossy look that is very healthy and natural looking. They last about as well as the average lip gloss--which is to say, not very long. But they are so moisturizing and comfortable to wear that I don't mind re-using duing the day. These are my "lipsticks" of choice most of the week at work.
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Makeup Brushes -Alima - Foundation Brush 25
flitcraft 2/17/2007 12:58:00 AM
I second everything said here. How can a mere brush make you go "Wow!!" This makes all of my MMU look so good--so now I have no excuse but to use up all the samples I've accumulated. This brush is so soft and dense, it's perfect for layering the makeup and buffing it without irritation. I just wish Alima carried a kabuki-type brush for traveling.
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Lipstick -Vincent Longo - Lip Stain in Belle Etoile
flitcraft 8/1/2005 11:56:00 PM
If I could only have one lipstick on a desert island, this would be it. It's silky and creamy but goes on a sheer slightly warm berry shade. Everytime I put it on I think, yes, this is exactly how I wish my lips looked all the time. I have several other lipstains by VL--Terra, Love Toast, and Nude. But Belle Etoile is the one I can't be without.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -LUSH - Angels on Bare Skin
flitcraft 7/31/2005 11:31:00 PM
This is so good for mature skin. It cleans without stripping. I wouldn't trust it to move major makeup, but it definitely handles mineral makeup or tinted moisturizer without a problem.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Cellular Skin Rx- C+ firming Serum
flitcraft 4/6/2005 9:37:00 PM
This product is the first thing I put on my face after washing it. It gives a slight warming sensation on application. This has helped my mild melasma more than the bleaching creams I used to use.
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Masks -LUSH - Mask of Magnaminty
flitcraft 9/17/2004 5:59:00 PM
This mask is so refreshing and minty that I wish it was high summer again so I could pamper myself on a hot sticky day with it. It does take longer to dry completely than do most "mud" masks, and the bean fragments are kind of messy when you scrub it off. So I rinse off in the shower.
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Moisturizers -LUSH - Skin's Shangri-la
flitcraft 7/14/2004 5:01:00 PM
This is my HG moisturizer--rich, creamy, emollient. It's very lightly scented. I've been using it morning and night now for several months, and people keep complimenting me on how good my skin looks. The only downside to this is that it comes in a cheap plastic pot with a cover that doesn't fit securely at all. So the only way I can travel with it is to decant some into a sample sized screw-top pot. If LUSH could just get the packaging right this product would be perfect.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No