Lipstick -Revlon - Colorburst Lip Butter
girlchimney 4/3/2013 8:26:00 PM
Went crazy and bought three or four of these when they came out, then sort of put my local drugstore through a revolving door process while I shamelessly returned colors I didn't like. C'est la vie. These lip butters are really interesting, because while they have a pretty easy-to-reach melting point deserving of the name "butter," they're pigmented as brightly as a lipstick! You can apply it lightly for a nice, casual tint or layer it for color that matches the bottom label in terms of saturation. Really good for a quick, clean, pretty look. As a warning, they can kiss off easily when first applied, but the color does have decent enough staying power given enough time to dry...though when it dries I run into a different problem altogether, which I'll touch on in a minute! The range of shades is also good, though they lean more towards bright and fun--there are no shades darker than the somewhat bloody red you can get out of Red Velvet if you layer it thickly enough. Sort of to be expected with the candy-based names, but if you tend towards wine-like colors then this may not be the best place to start. My one complaint is that I don't find them as moisturizing as advertised; in fact, not too long after I apply them, they dry out my lips incredibly quickly and cause peels that get sadly accentuated by the presence of color. Apply a chapstick of some kind first for best results. Mostly the point deduction was for this, since I don't like having to throw more than one lip product in my bag on the go. In sum: not perfect, but still quite good for the value. The packaging is cute and convenient, no problems there! And the colors are fabulously varied and each very unique. I'm happy to call Tutti Frutti my go-to lip color most days--too cute!
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Gels/Soaps -LUSH - Twilight
girlchimney 12/28/2012 9:13:00 AM
I really, really, really wanted to love this because the smell and color and texture is beautiful: it has the most strikingly sweet lavender smell, a lovely deep purple color, and a hint of shimmer. However, it dried and irritated the hell out of my skin and also caused me to break out nearly everywhere. Uh-oh. I'm going to speculate briefly as to why: The main ingredient is lavender flower infusion followed by a bunch of standard body-cleansing agents, which are then followed by lactic acid and lavender oil. Unfortunately, among its list of ingredients, it doesn't seem to me that there's a single strong moisturizing agent to be found which could balance out the potentially irritating effects of the lavender infusion, lavender oil, benzoin, and ylang ylang oil. Also, the fragrance might be too concentrated--which can make it more harmful than pleasant. My best guess is that this body wash both dried out and irritated the skin on my chest, back, and shoulders--processes which caused my skin to react pretty poorly. While my face and back have always been breakout-prone, it's definitely worth saying that I almost never get concentrated breakouts on my chest such as the one I received from using this shower gel over the course of a few weeks. So...while I love the smell...this one is still a no-go, and seeing as how this is the first LUSH product I've ever used regularly I can't say I'm particularly impressed. All-natural doesn't always mean nice. I lucked out receiving it as a gift too, because that price tag makes me nervous. Finally, they seem to have skimped on the packaging because the cap is easy to break (and reassemble, but that should hardly be necessary). If you're prone to excessive dryness or breakouts on your back and chest, I don't think I would recommend this one. Frankly, I'm so cranky about it that I'm not sure I can recommend it to anyone. I took the list of ingredients directly from the LUSH website; the effects of each ingredient I took from Beautypedia.
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Mascara -E.L.F. - Studio Lash Extending Mascara
girlchimney 12/12/2012 10:20:00 AM
This mascara is great! I have short eyelashes, so I really need something that appears to lengthen. With the help of an eyelash curler--and I also use the dollar-priced one from e.l.f., which works like a charm--this mascara really helps to draw out my otherwise reclusive eyelashes. The brush has both long bristles and short bristles for all types of use, and the long bristles separate lashes really well. On top of that, the formula is light and doesn't cause clumping easily. Now, the packaging says that it has vitamins and wheat protein to help condition lashes, but it's worth mentioning that Beautypedia says these effects are essentially moot. I don't really care since I never put much stock in the idea of mascara with enriching or inherently lengthening properties or whatever. This is great value for a good product. Took off points on packaging quality because the wand is long and feels a bit flimsy, especially upon removal from the tube, but don't be discouraged--just use a delicate touch.
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Powder -Laura Mercier - Mineral Powder SPF 15
girlchimney 12/2/2012 11:54:00 AM
Been using this mineral powder for months and months to great effect! I'm an acne-prone person with combination skin (oily forehead and dry everywhere else, predictably) so I'm pretty wary of purchasing foundations: I want something that won't break me out and that can keep my skin at least somewhat matte throughout the day. I also have scarring on my face, so I need full coverage--or at least flexible coverage. As far as I can tell, this mineral powder has yet to be the cause of any breakouts. I've never had really severe breakout issues relating to department-grade foundations and Laura Mercier's Mineral Powder is no exception to this rule. It also provides the matte texture I want for basically hours. As a person with combination skin I do use e.l.f. blotting sheets on my forehead to touch up throughout the day, and for longer days I will reapply a light dusting of powder. That doesn't mean the staying power isn't good, I'm just in the habit of touching up! On the drier areas of my face that don't tend towards strong oil production under moisturizer, the staying power is pretty impressive: I'd say it lasts for a good chunk of a workday, with just a slight touch-up whenever I take a break. The coverage is absolutely flexible, and the jar structure helps you use as much or as little as you want. A little bit goes a long way no matter what skin texture you're applying it to, in my opinion--if you put too much to try to mattify a greasy forehead, in my experience, things can get a little muddled up there; I don't use too much and I still get a nice matte texture on my greasier areas, though it is also worth saying that my haircut is such that I might not notice imperfections on my forehead by just looking in a mirror ;0 It's quite easy to use it in varying degrees of intensity all over your face and achieve a consistent texture. On top of that, I think there're some pearly elements in there that give me kind of a healthy but natural-looking glow C: I will say that I take it with me everywhere, and it gets rattled about which makes the sifter a little obsolete--on top of that, the little tray is a bit hard to extract so as to get the powder back where it belongs. This is why I downgraded the packaging somewhat. SPF 15 courtesy of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which according to Beautypedia is basically the least you can do if you're irresponsible like me and don't apply sunscreen on the regular. Expensive but high-quality and long-lasting. I purchase it in Pure Honey and will most likely be purchasing it again once my reserves run low.
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