Lipstick -Maybelline - SuperStay 14 Hour Lipstick in Beige For Good
giasabine 9/6/2012 8:07:00 AM
This lipstick did not impress me. It is tacky after applying. It does have a nice, light strawberry scent to it. I applied it lightly after breakfast, had a cup of coffee, and the lipstick was on my cup instead of my lips. Ok, so I applied a little more, a little heavier after lunch and had a cup of tea. By the time. 4 hours later I looked in the mirror - no lipstick. My conclusion - 14 minute lipstick, not 14 hours. I am going back to the 2-step color-stay type lipsticks.
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Eye Shadow -Wet 'n' Wild - Color Icon Trio - Walking on Eggshells
giasabine 8/13/2011 12:50:00 AM
This is a beautiful everyday eye shadow trio. There is a gentle shimmer to the colors, but they are not shiny or glittery. The colors are very neutral and soft and will complement any eye color. The pigmentation is great, but I have noticed, there is always quite a bit of fall-out with Wet'n'Wild shadows. For the price, it is still a great deal. The staying power is just as good as other, more expensive brands brands I have purchased. My skin tone is on the warm side and these colors work great for me. If your skin tone is on the cool side, you may prefer "Sweet as Candy" trio instead. The colors are very similar, but holding them next to each other, you can see that one will complement cool skin tones, while the other one will look better with warm skin tones. The packaging is very cheap plastic and the included brush and sponge applicator went straight into the trash. They are of such poor quality, the company might as well not even bother wasting money on including them. I would gladly pay a little more for a little better packaging. I have auburn hair and green eyes. Some of my other favorites are "Vanity" for a little more contrast - a six color palette with a shimmery and a matte side, and "Comfort Zone" - an eight color palette, when I want a little more color.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Africa's Best Ultimate Hair oil with Ginseng
giasabine 6/15/2011 8:12:00 AM
I am from Europe and have straight auburn hair that has always been brittle and dry. Coloring it does not help, of course. Initially, I was looking for Washington's Carrot Seed Oil, but I could not find it. Then I saw this product on the shelf, and for the price it was not going to be a great loss, if it did not work for me. I used it the evening before coloring my hair, by simply massaging and brushing some of it throughout my hair and leaving it in overnight. I did not notice any oily residue on my pillow in the morning. It must have all soaked in pretty good. My hair definitely felt better, after I was done coloring. The same after I washed it two days later. So far, I really like it. The bottle is brittle, so don't drop it. It may crack. And the smell reminds me of baby wipes, but it is not unpleasant. Currently I am still experimenting a little. I will try to see, if it may replace or supplement some of my other hair products and then will come back and add a note here.
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Eye Shadow -Wet 'n' Wild - 8-pan Palette "Comfort Zone"
giasabine 6/12/2011 12:53:00 PM
I love these colors, but they are darker and much more pigmented than I had anticipated. I have medium auburn hair, green eyes, and very light skin. Being in my mid-40s, this is more color than I will wear to work. The brow bone color will work for me during the day, and the eyelid colors will work for the crease and accenting, but the 4 darker colors will not. Still I don't regret buying this palette, because the colors are fun and perfect for me for the evening or weekend. And for the price (I paid under $5) it was a great buy. However, I would gladly pay a little more for better packaging, hence the 4 lippies.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Color -Revlon - Colorsilk in Medium Auburn
giasabine 6/11/2011 2:41:00 PM
After reading a lot of reviews on hair color, I decided to give this one a try. My reason for trying this one were the color results mentioned in several reviews. I hate nothing more than so-called auburns that turn burgundy or, even worse, purple. My color turned out very even and natural, but lighter than anticipated, lighter than pictured on the box. I have naturally light ash brown hair and expected a darker result. What I liked: My hair did turn a lovely auburn, in the orangy-copper direction, and not the dreaded burgundy. We will see how well this is going to last. The color gel washed out easy and fast. What I did not like: Is has a runny texture, once the color is mixed. The bottle is white plastic, so you cannot see how much you have left. With most colors, I am good with one bottle, and with this color it took two (but no big deal for the price). The color did not smell much, but the conditioner has a very chemical smell. Even though, my hair is dry now, it still smells very strong. My hair felt coarse and rough after washing out the color gel, but feels ok for now, after the conditioner. Would I buy it again? Probably not. I may be going back to Perfect 10. UPDATE: After washing my hair several times now, it still feels pretty good. The color lightened up a little more, so it looks more like Light Auburn, instead of Medium Auburn. However, I have had the same experience with other brands before. I may change my mind after all and buy this color again. Maybe I will go to Dark Auburn later in the year. One lippie up for not frying my hair after all.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Meow Cosmetics - Pampered Puss Mineral Foundation
giasabine 5/27/2011 10:13:00 PM
Skin - combination, sensitive, acne-prone. My journey began with Bare Essentuals some years back. At first I thought it was great, but eventually realized that over time I would get these deep seated whiteheads from their foundation. And the color was never quite right, even when I mixed different foundation colors. Then I moved on to Every Day Minerals and used it for several years. No breakouts and perfect color match by mixing to colors, but by noon, I was always shiny and the foundation settled into one deep crease I have. Primers and various finishing powders did not help. Very recently I ordered several samples from Meow. Not only do they have more color choices (86 in three different formulas), but they also have a foundation chart, so you can compare the different foundation colors online. I am still trying different colors, but I think I may have found a good match for me. I did use their primer for combination skin and their finishing powder with the foundation this morning. It is noon now and I am not shiny, the foundation has barely settled into my deep line. The color also stayed true and did not oxidize on me. It still looks very natural. The only reason I hesitated so long to try this brand was the cost of the samples. EDM offered free foundation samples, and they are lot more generous than the Meow's samples. The only expense to try them was S + H. Meow's samples are $1 each (and for me one sample is not enough for two applications), plus S + H, and your order has to be at least $10. That is expensive in my book, since you may not find a good match the first time around. Also, I had received EDM samples within less than a week. Meow took almost two weeks to arrive. Still, if it works this much better, I am willing to put up with the start up hassles and expense of ordering online. I keep coming back to mineral powder foundations, because I hate the feel of anything else. And I have tried and spent a lot of money on a variety of different foundations and formulas, liquids, powders, cremes, other mineral foundations, etc. Update: For those days, when I need heavier coverage I tried Flawless Feline, and it settled in my pores. Then I came across Lucy Minerals and tried it. I like Lucy a lot better than Flawless Feline and their samples are a lot more generous and ship a lot faster. Also, after wearing Pampered Puss for a while, my skin started flaking around my nose. Not a good thing. I really wanted to like this foundation, especially after spending a fortune on tiny samples, but it just is not for me. I did like their combination skin primer, blushes, eye shadows, and feliners and I will continue shopping for those.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Physicians Formula - Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara
giasabine 5/27/2011 10:02:00 PM
Worst mascara I have bought in a long time. I liked the organic idea, and I thought it would save me a little money when I bought it in a 2-1 deal. I do consider it a waste of my money. Won't buy again. Pros: It washes off easily and the lashes are nicely defined. Cons: It flakes, which causes problem with me wearing contact lenses. The slightest bit of moisture makes it smudge. The best mascara I have found so far is still Cover Girl's Lash Blast - the regular one, not the waterproof. I have tried a bunch of them, but I keep coming back to Lash Blast.
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Lipstick -Revlon - Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor
giasabine 5/20/2011 12:07:00 AM
I have previously used Revlon's Overtime Colorstay Lip color and I find Maybelline's 24 Hour Superstay to be the better product. It is softer, stays put as long as Revlon's, but does not feel as heavy and sticky - and it does not pill into little dots by the end of the day. I also prefer the Maybelline's lip balm over Revlon's lipgloss - for two reasons. 1. The Revlon's dispenser always seems to get messy a lot quicker and with two liquids in the tube, one is always at the wrong end of the applicator, since I keep mine in upright in my purse with my pens. Since Maybelline's has only one liquid and a lip balm, it's a no-brainer, which end goes down. 2. I just don't much care for lip gloss - never have. Don't get me wrong - Revlon's Overtime Colorstay Lip color is still a very good product, but Maybelline's 24 Hour Superstay is the better product, and better designed.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Maybelline - 24 Hour super stay
giasabine 5/20/2011 12:06:00 AM
I have previously used Revlon's Overtime Colorstay Lip color and I find Maybelline's 24 Hour Superstay to be the better product. It is softer, stays put as long as Revlon's, but does not feel as heavy and sticky - and it does not pill into little dots by the end of the day. I also prefer the Maybelline's lip balm over Revlon's lipgloss - for two reasons. 1. The Revlon's dispenser always seems to get messy a lot quicker and with two liquids in the tube, one is always at the wrong end of the applicator, since I keep mine in upright in my purse with my pens. Since Maybelline's has only one liquid and a lip balm, it's a no-brainer, which end goes down. 2. I just don't much care for lip gloss - never have. Don't get me wrong - Revlon's Overtime Colorstay Lip color is still a very good product, but Maybelline's 24 Hour Superstay is the better product, and better designed. UPDATE: After using it for a while, it gets just as messy as the Revlon dispenser. Too much product comes out, pushes out over the little rim and creates a mess on the screw-on area of the tube. Still like it better than Revlon.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Meow Cosmetics - i-prime
giasabine 5/19/2011 11:51:00 PM
It is definitely not as good as Urban Decay Primer Potion or Mary Kay's Signature Primer. But for the price, I thought I give it a try. I don't care for the jar, because I like to apply the primer with my finger tip and even though, I don't have long nails, it is easy to get some primer stuck under my fingernails. Eventually, I tried applying the primer with a brush, but that was even worse. The primer is so stiff that the brush will pull pretty hard on my skin. I will not buy this primer again, since it does not last as long throughout the day as UDPP or Mary Kay's primer. My problem is that I have very oily eyelids and no primer makes it throughout the entire day.UDPP lasts the longest, Mary Kay is a close second place, i-prime makes maybe a little past lunch time. I haven't tried Too Faced Shadow Insurance yet. Maybe I will try it next.
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Eye Primer -Mary Kay - Eye Primer
giasabine 5/19/2011 11:38:00 PM
I have very oily eyelids and this primer makes my eyeshadow last most of the day. It has kept my eye shadow from creasing, but it does not last all the way into the evening hours. Still, that's pretty good for me. It does not go on as smoothly as Urban Decay's Primer Potion, but I like the little tube better that UDPP funky little bottle. It takes up less space in my makeup kit. Besides, I find the UDPP applicator useless. Over all, I think UDPP is a little better and goes on smoother, but the difference is minimal. I would buy Mary Kay's eye primer again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Unlisted Brand - Lucy Minerals Foundation
giasabine 5/19/2011 8:48:00 PM
Combination skin, oily T-zone, sensitive, splotchy, prone to break-outs, and fair I started some years back with Bare Escentuals and could never find a good match for my skin. I tried to mix some foundations to get a better match, but eventually gave up on it, when I realized that it slowly, but surely was causing whiteheads with me. Plus, it is pricey. Everyday Minerals was my next foundation. I stayed with it for years, because it was affordable and I found the perfect color match. However, I was alway getting pretty shiny by noon and it settled in my fine lines. Then they had changed their formula and the reviews weren't very positive. The prices had gone up quite a bit also, so I moved on. Next stop - Meow Cosmetics. I found them better than BE or EDM. Lots and lots of colors to choose from, but the Pampered Puss (medium coverage) is sheerer than I liked and the Flawless Feline (heavier coverage formula) settled in my pores. Their biggest drawback is that the samples are expensive and skimpy and it took about two weeks to receive my order each time. Getting started cost me a pretty penny, but once you know which shade, they are reasonably priced. I had never heard of Lucy minerals and came across it accidentally here at MUA. Since the samples are very generous and for the amount received - inexpensive, I decided to give it a try - and I am glad I did. I had ordered three of the lightest shades - Fair, Light, and Cream - ready to mix, if necessary. The order arrived quickly, and surprisingly, I found a perfect match with the "Light" original formula. If you do not find a good match, but can find it by mixing different ones, they will custom mix colors for you at no extra charge. Just send them the proportions with your order. I find that amazing! Another reviewer had stated that the colors weren't fair enough for her skin. However, Lucy Minerals offers "Snow White" to lighten any foundation color. I had ordered a sample, but did not need it - and I am very fair skinned. The coverage is very strong and I made the same mistake as some other reviewers and applied too much the first time. This foundation needs a very light hand when applying. But because it takes so little, the samples should go further than their estimated one week. I like that, because I often have a hard time making up my mind, if I like a foundation or not. With a little finishing powder, it lasted better than other brands. I also found no need for concealer. The foundation worked just fine as such, when I used it with my concealer brush. Therefore, perfect match, and no additional purchase necessary. I have lots of allergies and the original formula worked best for me. I like the addition of Vitamin C and Allantoin, but if your skin can't tolerate them, "Lucy Light" is a simplified formula without it. I also tried the two oil-control formulas, but found that the original formula worked better in controlling shine. The Ambrosia Serum didn't do anything for me, and definitely did nothing as a moisturizer. This is the only thing I will not order again. Update: I still like this foundation a lot. Something new I just discovered is how well it is working as an eye shadow primer. I have very oily eyelids and I have tried Mary Kay's primer, Urban Decay Primer Potion and some others. They never lasted throughout the day, but Lucy's foundation does! Awesome!!! EDM 50/0 mix Sandy Fair/Fairly Light Meow - Siamese Revlon - Buff Lucy - Light
15 out of 16 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Revlon - SPA Age Defying Foundation [DISCONTINUED]
giasabine 5/8/2011 11:03:00 PM
This foundation leaves my combination skin greasy looking and sticky feeling. I bought the lightest shade and it is too dark for my skin. I am also not impressed with the brush - no way to keep it clean. Controlling how much foundation is dispensed is also difficult, because you don't see it coming, until it is too late. I don't know what I was thinking, when I bought this one. Well, just checked Revlon's website, and it is no longer showing it as one of their available foundation. I guess that means, once the current stock is sold off, it will be gone. In my book, that's not a loss.
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Liquid -Maybelline - Fit Me Foundation
giasabine 5/8/2011 10:51:00 PM
I have acne-prone combination skin with some fine wrinkles, dark rings under my eyes, and and brown spots. Before I bought this foundation, I read the reviews and used the shade finder on the Maybelline website, since I really wasn't sure, if it would work for me - but then I thought, $7 is not a great loss. It recommended 110 for me - their lightest shade. I was really skeptical, because the light shades are almost indistinguishable online. When I first applied it, it looked too light, but after a couple minutes it looked just right - indoors and outdoors. The coverage is kind of sheer, but not too sheer. It evened out my skin tone. The concealer matched very well on my under-eye area, but not when I used it on a small spot on my shoulder. Strangely enough, it turned orange?!? I did not buy the powder to go with it, but used a good one from another line that has worked well for me so far. A few hours later, my forehead was pretty shiny and I needed to touch up. I am not convinced that their powder would have done a better job. The foundation and concealer did settle some in my fine lines under my eyes, but that may have been due to the moisturizer I used. A quick swipe with the pinky and it looked fine. So all in all, it is not a bad foundation, but not a great foundation. The only thing that stumped me was their blush recommendation to go with 110 - Light Pink! Really?? I don't think so. Would I buy it again? Maybe - since I am often hard to match. I marked no, since maybe is not an option. The color match is pretty good and it is cheap and this will work, when I don't have acne flare-ups. But as so many of us, I will keep looking for my Holy Grail. My skin tone is very fair, with some beige and yellow/golden undertones. EDM 50/50 mix Sandy Fair/Fairly Light. Meow Inquisitive Siamese or Korat in PP. BE 50/50 mix Fair/Fairly Light was too dark.
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Concealers -Everyday Minerals - Aussie Perk Me Up
giasabine 4/30/2011 2:22:00 PM
Very fair skin, deep purple under eye circles with crow's feet, oily eye area I don't think there are any concealers out that would rate 5 lippies with me. This one wasn't too bad. I actually had this for a long time and just haven't used it. So I gave it a try yesterday. I only brushed it on my under eye circles and it looked shimmery and almost white. Then I blended it with my mineral foundation. It lightened up my circles considerably, made me look less tired, and it lasted well into the early evening, without settling much into my fine wrinkles. It has a slight reflective quality to it and it did not look unnatural on me. But as I had mentioned, I am very fair skinned, so this may not work for darker skin tones. Right now this is the best I have found for me. I am testing Meow Cosmetics at this time and it looks like I am going to start using them. They offer matched concealers for each foundation, unlike any other mineral foundation I know of. Those I have not tried yet. However, if I can't find one with them, this may be the one for me.
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