Liquid -Revlon - Age Defying with DNA Advantage Cream Makeup
frenchwench4 3/13/2012 7:39:00 AM
i have been on the hunt for a foundation that can deal with the dryness of my skin, but has more of a matte finish. i am also super pale and for some reason australia doesn't have a very big range of pale shades. the "pale" shades are generally super orange. why? because apparently australia is filled with oompa loompas. i am not one of them and i do not wish to ever be one of them. SO onto the foundation. for starters, the colour is actually really good. i have "fresh ivory" and it actually is almost the same colour as my skin. i'm so pleased. it may be a TINY bit too pink, but i would rather be pink than yellow. it doesn't wash me out at all. i'm really happy with that aspect. i'm only 19 and have a lot of trouble with foundation sitting in dry patches of skin and the dry fine lines around my eyes. i got this because i figured that being for older skin it should be moisturising and not sit in fine lines. it doesn't cake and flake on my dry patches as badly as many foundations do, but it does tend to sit in the lines around my eyes. that really disappointed me. the only plus when it comes to that is the fact that because it stays so creamy throughout the day you can wipe the settled foundation away. unfortunately it'll just come back again, but some other foundations (colourstay in particular) don't blend at all after a few minutes and then you basically need to redo your entire makeup. the creaminess turns me off of this foundation somewhat. it's great that it's hydrating all day, but even though i have dry patches, i also have an oily t zone. and regardless i'd just prefer to have a matte foundation. (bit of an ask if i don't want it to cake in my dry patches, i know, but still) i also don't like "dewy" foundations because i find that they transfer too easily. you touch your face and not only does it feel sticky, but it also hasn't set and therefore it leaves residue on your fingers or your clothes. THANKFULLY the actual reason i bought this (because it's quite pricey - $40 in australia) was because priceline had a special on in which you could buy one revlon foundation and get a free powder (worth $35) which is an absolute bargain. SO i bought the translucent colour (because yet again the "light" powder was very yellow) and i just dust a little over the top of my foundation to set it a bit. (being wary of my dry patches of course) the glitter doesn't really bother me to be honest. photoready is far more glittery. i think the glitter may have been what irritated my skin when i was using photoready, but the glitter in this is just a really subtle shimmer and you barely notice it. the smell on the other hand really bothers me. for a long time after you apply it all your face just reeks of chemicals. it's horrible. really really nasty. it kind of burns my nostrils a bit. not impressed with that aspect at all. however i have been wearing it to work and i must say that it has withstood the sweat and wear that 5-8 hours straight in fast food brings. i was worried that like colourstay i would find that if i sweated it would make me all spotty and i wouldn't be able to blend, but the sweat just sits on top of the foundation and once you blot it away you don't notice it at all. very pleased with that and the fact that it doesn't seem to oxidise and turn orange after a few hours. it may begin to look a bit greasy, but that may just be my skin and the fact that it's "moisturising" constantly. the coverage is probably medium. i have reasonably clear skin, but it covers my red cheek and nose area fairly well. not sure how well it would cover acne, but it does the job for me at the moment. however it also seems to emphasise my pores somewhat. so, in conclusion i don't think i will buy this again. although i love the colour match, it just doesn't tick many other boxes for me. revlon seems to be one of the only pharmacy brands that actually have pale colours that aren't too yellow. as i have said, i've tried colourstay and photoready and they were both great colour matches, but just not the right foundation for my skin. i shall have to keep hunting for my hg foundation. good luck to you all in finding yours. :)
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -L'Oreal - True Match Super-Blendable Makeup SPF 17
frenchwench4 11/25/2011 8:13:00 AM
so i bought this for the first time when i was in australia and it was called "vanilla ivory" i'm pretty sure. i think it was a pretty good colour for me, but when i went to france i ran out and so i searched for this colour and they didn't have it. the lightest one they had was the equivalent except it was called "rose ivory" and it actually turned out to be a pretty damn perfect match. when i got back to australia and finished my second bottle i tried a few other foundations. i had run out and so i thought that i'd just use this because i had tried it and liked it before. little did i know that they had changed the colour on me! i wouldn't have minded so much that they didn't have the lovely "rose ivory" colour if they hadn't changed "vanilla ivory" to "golden ivory." pffffffffffft!!! i bought it anyway because the sales assistant assured me that it would be the same. i looked so very extremely orange. it was just nasty! and i didn't have time to get another foundation as it was my birthday! gah. very disappointed. i just don't understand why people think that pale people don't need a variety of colours??? why is there always only ONE pale colour to choose from??? and why do they think that australian pale people are "golden" pale people and french pale people are pink toned??? honestly. it is just ridiculous. enough about the colour for now though. the bottle i have used isn't like the one in the picture. it has a pump and it can get a little messy actually. it's also really annoying trying to get the very last dregs out of the bottle. i was so desperate to use the last of the rose one that i had to hack the lid off so that i could get all the stuff from the sides and bottom! the actual foundation....isn't brilliant, but it's okay. it has amazing staying power! it has stayed flawless through constant rain on my face in france to sweating my butt off in australia. and if you accidentally rub some off or have some go a bit funny it blends really really well. it also smells really kind of...yummy. haha but that may just be me. i have found that a lot of foundations that claim to "match" your skin tone just look really weird and go a strange colour after a while that is nothing like your skin. this one doesn't seem to do that. and it gives excellent coverage. unfortunately it sits in the fine lines around my eyes and in my dry patches. but the rose one never oxidised or anything (the horrible golden ivory one did and it looked even worse. blurghhh.) the golden ivory one also seemed to have a different finish? the first two i bought had a really lovely soft finish, but the golden ivory one seemed to be a bit...oily i think. it didn't dry properly or something. i don't really know. all i know is that i would love to have the "rose ivory" in australia!!!
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Mascara -L'Oreal - Lash Architect 4D
frenchwench4 11/24/2011 7:19:00 AM
i'll admit that i was sucked in by the ad for this. although i already have a mascara that i'm pretty happy with, an ad filmed without lash inserts? with no trickery? no fine print? i had to try it. plus i got it for a special introductory price! sadly, i haven't really used it since. i think it's the brush that lets it down. i am more of a fan of the plastic brushes (which this does not have). the brush doesn't really "hug" your lashes i suppose you could say. plus it clings on to gunky glops of mascara and it's just....not good. i'm tempted to maybe buy a plastic brush and then put it in this? because the formula seems to be pretty good. although my lashes may be a bit clumpy and perhaps spidery looking, they are also super long and i really like that. it actually lengthens my bottom lashes, which would be great if it didn't leave horrible glops of mascara everywhere. i think it might be a little bit on the crunchy side though. the little microfibre things....i'm not entirely sure if they play a huge part in the lengthening, but they don't seem to irritate my eyes (and i have super sensitive eyes). i guess i'll see if i can use a different brush with this. if not? i'll just continue with my regular favourite mascara (covergirl lash blast) and feel a little foolish for thinking this might actually work.
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Liquid -Revlon - PhotoReady Makeup
frenchwench4 11/24/2011 1:42:00 AM
i'm not entirely sure whether i would by this product again or not. i did think not, but i am having so much trouble finding a foundation that actually works for me that i'm kind of wondering if i should give it another chance. as i am very pale with cool undertones i do have trouble finding foundations that match my skin tone. this was an excellent match and did make my skin look pretty nice as far as i can recall. i finished the whole bottle because i did like it. however, i also have trouble with sensitive skin and i am prone to dry patches randomly on my face and under my eyes. this made them worse. it really dried out my skin and if i planned on wearing it more than one day in a row i would have to slap on a REALLY strong moisturiser before i used it. did not enjoy that. and even then it still wasn't ideal. also, i didn't really like the sparkle. i know that it was meant to reflect the light and whatnot but it was just annoying and whatever i touched ended up with a shimmer akin to that of edward cullen. it also may have been that which caused my skin to become so irritated, but i can't be sure. maybe if i have a bit more money to spend i could try this product again. or perhaps i could just go out and buy myself some designer foundation instead. (in australia we can't get mac and stuff as cheap as everyone else does.) it's just really getting far too difficult to find a good foundation that sets well but doesn't enhance my dry patches. i suppose i shall just have to continue hunting....
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Powder -Nude by Nature - Natural Mineral Cover
frenchwench4 11/15/2011 6:51:00 AM
my sister has this and she absolutely loves it. it looks lovely on her. it's really natural, yet it has great coverage! (you can build up the amount of coverage you want anyway) plus it doesn't irritate her sensitive skin or clog her pores. we are both very pale girls and i have been having trouble finding a foundation that is the right colour (especially since i have cool toned skin). we have the same skin colour (or so i thought), but prefer different types of foundation, so we haven't really used the same products over time. so today my sister lent it to me and showed me how to put it on etc. it looked awful. i was orange. it is the lightest shade and it looks absolutely fine on her, yet i looked like an oompa loompa??? i don't understand. i'm not writing this review to rate the product. my sister loves this foundation and i love it on her. i just don't love it on me. so this is just a warning to all you lovely ladies to make sure you test it before you purchase it!
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Treatments (Eye) -Garnier - Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller
frenchwench4 11/14/2011 5:59:00 AM
i bought this when i was in france because i hadn't quite grasped the concept of the euro vs the australian dollar and i was on a bit of a shopping spree. whoops! big black bags run in my family and unfortunately this doesn't do anything for them as far as i can tell. however, i have a lazy eye and am super hayfever prone and often end up with a droopy/puffy eye. as soon as i feel one coming on, accidentally rub my itchy eyes, have a cry or wake up in the morning with a puffy situation i roll some of this both on my lid and underneath my eye. it actually helps. it doesn't fix it of course, but it does help reduce some of the puffy/droopiness. especially if i catch it early. unfortunately, i can't use it before foundation. i don't think that i'll repurchase this because, quite frankly, it is ridiculously expensive and i'm sure i can find something that will work a bit better. i'll be needing something to attempt to keep my horrible genes at bay and chances are that a cream that can help with the wrinkles, dryness, bags and black rings will help with my silly puffy eyes too! it is going to last me ages though. i've had it for about 2 years now (probably not very healthy, i know) and i still have a fair amount left.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -LUSH - h'suan wen hua conditioner
frenchwench4 11/3/2011 9:19:00 AM
i am onto my second tub of this. and i love it so very much. so i'll start with the price. it's around $18 in australia for a generous tub. i know they say that you should use pretty much half the tub on long hair, but i find i don't need that much at all (and i have a lot of hair). my last tub lasted me ages. i think i got a good 7 or something uses out of it? i shall count this time. onto the packaging (even though i don't really feel that it's awfully relevant, but i need to have a bit of a rant). i am so sick of people whinging about lush packaging. it is meant to be as basic as possible so that it is a bit greener to manufacture and so that it can easily be recycled. we don't really need all those pumps and random bits of plastic on our cosmetics! we can't do anything with them afterwards and they just end up going into landfill. think about the environment people. sorry about the rant. anyway, onto the good stuff. i have quite long hair and it's pretty hard to manage. it is also wavy/curly and although it is fine, i have a lot of it and so it is also thick (if that makes sense). all of the household shampoo brands have their "hair repair" treatments and shampoos and conditioners and whatnot, and none of them are any good. they are all just packed with silicone and who knows what else. the majority of them just leave my hair with a build up that makes my hair look greasy and feel crunchy and sticky. not nice at all. as a bit of a lush addict, i went into the shop with a few ideas and the girl recommended this combined with trichomania (which is now discontinued in australia, sadly) to help make my hair a bit more manageable, moisturise it, strengthen it and help with the split ends. after brushing my hair, i apply the product to it (starting at the ends and working my way up) a small amount at a time. i think this is the key to having success with this product. i mostly avoid the roots except at the back of my head. then i pin it up and pop a hotel shower cap on. you could use glad wrap or just leave your hair down. i prefer to put it up so i can wander about the house, have a bath, etc for half an hour to an hour. then i rinse it and wash with trichomania. for around a week after doing this my hair appears to have more life, is softer, easier to manage, my curls are more defined and shiny and bouncy. the wonderful smell of chai latte lingers on my hair for 3 days. and i can actually brush it. usually i have to brush it before bed, plait it, and brush it again before i have a shower in the morning. if i go out it's even knottier and if i wear a scarf i end up with a huge nest at the back of my head that takes hours to brush out. not when i use h'suan wen hua. my hair is easy to brush and i can even go to bed without brushing it after a long day and it won't take hours to brush out in the morning. wow. it really is amazing. i love the smell, i love the price, i love the way my hair looks and feels, i love the way it makes having long hair less of a chore. i'm going to be buying this for as long as they continue to make it.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -LUSH - Gorilla Perfume - Lust
frenchwench4 10/31/2011 9:56:00 AM
phwoar. i love this perfume so incredibly much. i fell in love with godiva (solid shampoo) first and decided that i wanted my whole body to have that lovely jasmine scent all day long, so i bought the lust spritzer. it's the second strongest of the three lust perfuming options, and that suits me just fine. it lasts throughout the day and i can easily carry it around with me in it's little tubey bottle. (just make sure you put it in a secure spot in your handbag as it's made of glass) the assistant even said that if i ever bought the bigger bottle i could fill up my little one! how handy and environmentally friendly (of course)! all you need to do is spray a little bit on your neck and rub it with your wrists. it's quite a dark orange so you have to do this. people keep commenting on the colouring and i'd just like to mention that the reason it isn't clear is because it is natural. it may be a bit irritating in the solid - which i haven't tried - but in the spray you just have to rub it in and it's gone! it's best to put this on half an hour to an hour before you plan on smelling delicious because it takes a while for it to develop. when i first tried it on in the shop the girl told me to go for a little wander and come back a bit later. naturally i bought it and just could not stop sniffing myself. honestly, i am addicted. i sometimes just put a bit on even if i'm at home alone in my jim jams. one night i sprayed a bit on a piece of card and popped it under my pillow. that's how good it smells. and i'm not the only one who finds it irresistible! every time i wear it i get complements from both men and women. it's sophisticated, but flirty, and sexy, but not overpowering. it's just that whiff that makes you want to get closer.......i highly recommend it! it gives you a great confidence boost. and you just smell so pretty all day long. :) only slight problem is that i think because i have quite sensitive skin and i'm also hayfever prone and such, and because it's so concentrated, it gives me a slight rash on the sensitive area on my neck. a shame, but i don't even care. i love jasmine too much to care! ps. even with my addiction, i still haven't finished my little spritzer tube. i think i still have quite a bit left actually! and i know that people are saying that they think it's kind of a "dirty" type sexy, but it's really not. it's really quite feminine and lovely. i have even worn it to job interviews and got compliments. it's actually a really lovely fragrance and i don't see why everyone is making it sound so nasty!
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Mascara -Revlon - Double Twist Mascara - blackDouble Twist Mascara - Black
frenchwench4 10/20/2011 7:08:00 AM
THIS IS POSSIBLY THE WORST MASCARA IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD. EVER. i want to give it ZERO lippies out of 5 but it won't let me. so so so disappointed. out with the girls one day i bought this on a whim. thought it looked cool with its two different bristles and it was in a little box and everything. sounded pretty swanky too. OH HOW WRONG I WAS. when the brush came out of the tube it was absolutely COVERED in mascara. you could barely see the bristles. i braced myself and attempted to put it on. it was just like poking a stick in some mud and wiping it on your eyes. it was messy, it didn't coat each individual lash (like the little bristles should have done had they not been coated in gunk) and it didn't separate them either (like the huge comb bristles should have done had they not been coated in gunk). wow. it was like i literally had 3 huge eyelashes that had been dipped in who knows what. it was HORRIBLE. i even tried wiping the excess goop off with a tissue and trying again. nope. absolutely no hope for this mascara whatsoever. and if possible it was even WORSE when it dried. it was rock solid and flaked everywhere and ugh. i washed it off straight away (not an easy task either). i'm so glad i tested it before i went out anywhere! i would have been a wreck! not that you would have been able to notice, because even bawling your eyes out while wearing 10 layers of mascara and eyeliner would have been more attractive. dsjfhsjfhsrjhgfdjghfdjfhs!!! what a waste of money!!! did they even test this before they brought it out??? how are they still selling it??? i bought it around 3 years ago and it's still in stores!!! WHY???????
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast
frenchwench4 10/20/2011 6:46:00 AM
love love love this mascara. i have it in waterproof too, but it's not as good. a friend bought this and i tried it and thought it was super weird with its huge fat brush. but it certainly grew on me. i have been using it for 3-4 years or so now. wow. time flies! haha i love the big plastic brush. it coats all of your lashes evenly and separates them wonderfully (although i am very picky when it comes to separation and i do a little bit of extra work to make sure they are all perfect). it stays on all day and doesn't leave a smudge on your eyelid. sometimes it can leave tiny flakes on your cheeks if you've kept the tube for too long and it's started to dry out, but it's really not that much of an issue. one coat is fine for natural, but gorgeous lashes in the day, and two coats is nice for a bit more glamour at night. it doesn't clump and it doesn't make your lashes crusty - just lovely and soft and natural looking! i have tried other mascaras, but i always come back to this one. don't be threatened when you first open it. it's often a little bit wet when you get a new tube (like most mascaras) and is a little bit messy to put on and doesn't seem to make your eyelashes quite right, but after a few uses it will get better and last for ages! (that's probably why i don't like my waterproof one as much - because i have barely used it) my sister now uses it and loves it too and we stock up whenever it's on special! (although it's a pretty reasonable price anyway.) will definitely be buying this mascara for years to come.
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Liquid -Cover Girl - TRUblend Liquid Makeup (12/2007 reformulation)
frenchwench4 10/20/2011 6:27:00 AM
i am very pale with pink undertones. i have trouble finding foundations to suit this and therefore the very lightest colour of this product seemed perfect. i was so wrong. it looks like it will be super pale, but it ends up "matching" your natural skin colour and it basically just oxidises and ends up looking super orange. that's if you even manage to get enough coverage. it is creamy, but it feels quite watery and has very little coverage if you actually manage to get it to blend. i think it's so hard to blend because of this consistency, but you end up with streaks and bare patches where you've tried to blend it and you just go round in a massive circle and.....ugh i can't even describe it. i may as well not have put on any foundation at all. plus, i have quite sensitive skin and therefore get lots of random dry patches on my face. this just sat on them and made them look horribly flakey. very disappointed. i haven't even finished the bottle. will definitely not ever purchase this again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Revlon - Colourstay in Buff
frenchwench4 10/20/2011 6:16:00 AM
i bought this product in ivory because i have very pale skin and i have trouble finding foundations that don't make me look orange. this colour match was better than most. the price was average i suppose. it wasn't super cheap, but it wasn't as expensive as designer foundations. it was at the top of the price range pharmacy-wise though. not entirely sure it was worth that much, but i'll go into that later. the packaging was pretty terrible. a screw top bottle. this and it's consistency made it impossible to get out the last few drops, regardless of whether or not i left it upside down. because it's quite a thick foundation and you obviously had to pour it out of the bottle, it ended up with a lot of build up which would in turn ooze out when you screwed the lid on. it didn't turn crusty or anything, yet you couldn't wipe it off awfully well because of its staying power! i was really excited to use this because i have quite sensitive skin and often get dry patches and have trouble with foundations sitting in these and my fine lines. the "soft flex" technology therefore sucked me in. unfortunately, the first thing i noticed was that it was like putting glue on my face. eventually i learned which moisturiser would provide the best base for application (cetaphil), but that shouldn't really have been necessary. it was impossible to blend otherwise, and once it was set you couldn't blend it at all. this caused endless problems. unfortunately this excellent staying power worked against it. mostly you could get away with accidentally brushing something against your face, however if you rubbed it off your nose trying to get your jumper off, that was the end. it was nearly impossible to try to touch it up with a little more foundation on top. it made it terrible to scrub off which probably wasn't very good for my skin (the scrubbing and the leftover foundation in my pores). the worst thing was that if i got sweaty on my nose it would end up being all spotty and i couldn't blot it because the sweat wouldn't sit on top, it would push the foundation aside, so i couldn't just blend it with my fingers or it would just come off completely. and if i tried to touch it up with more foundation, it would just keep doing the same thing and the rest of my face would end up being a mess too. i had a really embarrassing moment on a summer date when my upper lip got sweaty and so i wiped it without thinking and all the foundation on it just came off and i ended up looking like i had a moustache. it was horrible! the "soft flex" didn't help my skin move and therefore my fine lines were highly visible (and of course i couldn't just blend them in a bit) HOWEVER, because it was so thick, it didn't sit in my dry patches. soooo in conclusion, i definitely wouldn't buy this again. especially not in summer. the staying power was great, but it also caused a LOT of problems. the only pros were the colour and the fact that it didn't sit in my dry patches, but that was pretty much it. sorry for the ramble. :)
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Innoxa - Satin Sheen Makeup
frenchwench4 10/20/2011 5:44:00 AM
i have a lot of trouble buying foundation because i have very fair skin with pink undertones. as i can't afford to buy designer foundation, i have to stick with what i can get from the pharmacy or the shops. most of the companies stocked there just don't cater for pale skin. usually there is only one light colour and it is almost always yellow toned. even the ones that look like they might be okay end up looking orange by the end of the day and that just isn't good enough. not all of us want to look like oompa loompas! in addition to this, i often get random dry patches on my skin because it is quite sensitive and i find that most foundations seem to cake and go crusty on these patches as well as in the fine lines under my eyes and around my mouth. (young people have fine lines too!) SO. where does that leave this foundation? well, i have been searching and my sister's friend recommended this product. my sister didn't even think she wore foundation! and now i don't look like i am either. although it leaves your skin looking quite dewy and natural, it has surprisingly good coverage! i was concerned that it would be more like a tinted moisturiser than a foundation, but it's not. it doesn't sit in my dry patches or fine lines and it doesn't end up looking orange by the end of the day. i actually wore it to a concert the other night and it stayed on even though i was sweating like crazy! unfortunately, the sales assistant told me that the "ivory" was pink toned. it's not. however, it still looks better than most i've tried. this light colour is only sold in the spf 30+ version, but that's fine with me! it's also a bit sticky. i don't know whether that's because it has sunscreen in it, or because it has a dewy finish, but i can't say i like it. it's sticky when you put it on and it stays sticky throughout the day. hardly "satin" in my book, but i suppose because it stays moist that's why it doesn't dry into my dry patches and fine lines. hmmm. although it's not the cheapest foundation, $30 isn't too bad at all for something that has good coverage, alright colour and sits on my skin well throughout the day. maybe when i'm a bit richer i can try some of the designer foundations to get a better colour match and consistency. but for now, hopefully, this will do! UPDATE: i don't think i will actually buy this again. i find that it just doesn't set enough for me. if you touch your face it is sticky and foundation comes off on your hand (although, it doesn't actually come off your face which is a bit odd). it does look nice and dewy and covers blemishes really well and so on, and i suppose it needs to stay moist in order to stay dewy and prevent your skin looking dry and such, but i don't know...i'd just prefer something that maybe was a bit pinker and set a bit better. especially if i'm going to get intimate with someone - that could be disastrous! i guess i'll just have to go back on the hunt. will i ever find the perfect foundation??? D:
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