Mascara -L'Oreal - Telescopic Explosion 
girlinabox 12/9/2009 11:32:00 AM
Would I buy this product again? Hell no. This is hands down the worst mascara I have ever tried. And what a shame! The brush...well...I am loving the brush, and I can totally see how great the application would be, if only it were not let down by the truly awful formula of the mascara. I think that each and every reviewer hit the nail on the head when they said that this stuff CLUMPS like you could never imagine. I do not, however, agree with some reviews who say that all L'Oreal mascara is the same crappy formula as my HG mascara is Voluminous in Carbon Black. Seriously ladies, save your money, go for something (anything!) else instead.
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Brows -E.L.F. - Eyebrow Kit
girlinabox 10/22/2009 11:43:00 AM
I love this stuff. I have used Mac pencils (too harsh looking unless very light hand), Brow Zings (none of their colours were right for me), Smashbox (ditto)...until I discovered this. It is perfect, I use a Mac angled brush to apply as the brush you get with this is too small and soft, dab into the wax, then the powder and then apply in short strokes. Best my brows have ever looked.
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Misc Beauty Tools -Unlisted Brand - Starbucks - Napkins
girlinabox 10/14/2009 12:26:00 PM
These are great for removing excess oil, however I find that the tiny little perforated marks on the napkin leave the same impression in my make up so it looks like I have bad pores! I can't fault these because they are napkins, they're free, and they do quite a good job. I'll use these when I don't have my blotting papers to hand.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - Colorstay Mineral Lipglaze
girlinabox 9/25/2009 7:52:00 AM
I love this product! I wear this on a daily basis to work etc. I don't wear it as a gloss per se, I apply it and blot, because I find that the look it gives you is a kind of understaded vampy just bitten look, ideal for daytime wear. I also find it lasts for hours, even after blotting. I love the smell of this too! I will re-purchase this time and again because of the way it looks, staying power, and the price is reasonable.
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Loose Powders -MAC - Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
girlinabox 7/9/2009 7:21:00 AM
Again, another product I really wanted and needed to like, but did not do the job I purchased for - keeping the evil oilies away. On the plus side, immediately after applying my skin looks lovely and almost glowy but I did not buy it for that effect. Plus it doesn't last long anyway. I think the price is so-so, considering the cost of MUFE and the likes loose powder, but the packaging could do with a re-think as that annoying sticker thing lost it's stickiness after 2 days so as soon as I open the lid the powder is everywhere. Overall, a disappointment, for me personally, of course.
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Primer/ Corrector -Fyrinnae - Velvet-Gel Silica Primer
girlinabox 7/9/2009 7:17:00 AM
*Sigh* I wanted to like this product. I needed to like this product! Pros: Cheap Makes skin feel beautifully soft Packaging Cons: Makes my EL Doublewear difficult to blend Does not combat shine - the reason I purchased. All in all, did not do the job so will not repurchase. The search goes on...
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -MAC - Pro Pastel Studio Fix - Shivering White
girlinabox 7/6/2009 6:23:00 AM
Love this stuff. I have been searching high and low for a pure white powder for ageeees and then I came across this! This comes with a sponge, but it seems to go on really cakey and heavy when using this so I use a big powder brush to apply and dust lightly all over my foundation, which leaves, as someone else mentioned, your skin looking very glowy and porcelain doll-like. As a bit of a goth at heart this suits me down to the ground. Staying power isn't the best but then it isn't a setting powder so didn't expect it to be. All in all, as soon as I run out of this stuff I'm getting me another!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Fyrinnae - Glow Blush - Charm
girlinabox 7/3/2009 6:10:00 AM
What a beautiful blush! I have only had this for 2 days but I have fallen in love so I just had to write about it! This is my first loose powder blush too. I ordered a sample, and, because the jar is so small I have to tap a little bit of it out onto a clean, flat surface, then dab my MAC 187 into this, blow the excess off and tap onto the apples of my cheeks. The result? A gorgeous bright pink which is a match made in heaven for my pale skin. This is THE blush I have been looking for, forever. Thank you Fyrinnae, and thank you MUA users for reviewing it! EDIT: One slight gripe is that the brightness tends to fade after a couple of hours..although perhaps that it more to do with my skin??
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Estee Lauder - Double Wear
girlinabox 6/16/2009 7:07:00 AM
Love this foundation! If only their lightest colour (Shell) was slightly paler I think it would have HG status for me. I apply this with the MAC 187 and it gives such a wonderful full coverage, almost airbrushed look. The price is expensive but probably not the most expensive foundation I have used. I have a slight gripe about the packaging as I don't find glass bottles of foundation useful at all, especially when they have a neck on the bottle as when it comes to the end of the foundation it is really difficult trying to get the last drops out...however overall I have and would continue to repurchase this until I find a foundation which matches the quality but suits my skin tone a bit better.
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Concealers -Make Up For Ever - Extreme Camouflage Cream
girlinabox 6/12/2009 11:38:00 AM
HG concealer! Without MUA I would have no knowledge of this, and so for that I cannot thank the owner of this website enough! Anyway - about the concealer...I have this is #2, porcelain, which is the lightest colour they do and suits my extremely pale skin down to a T. I apply this creamy concealer with my MAC 225 brush and just dab/tap gently and it covers exactly where it should and blends in like a dream. It is quite expensive (almost £20) but I have had this for well over a year now and I'm not certain I am halfway though yet and I do have very bad skin! Even when the rest of my make up is melting off my face (due to the harsh lighting at my office) I can rest assured that my blemishes will still be hidden.
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Makeup Brushes -MAC - 225 Tapered Blending Brush [DISCONTINUED]
girlinabox 6/12/2009 11:27:00 AM
This is my favourite brush ever! I first discovered it when I had a MAC make-over recently and the MU artist used this for concealer, eyeshadow blending and applying blot power in hard to reach places such as under eyes and around the nose area. I am reviewing this for use with concealer as I do not wear eyeshadow. This is so much better than my MAC concealer brush (195) in my opinion - I find that by applying concealer to my blemishes and then gently dabbing/tapping with the 225 the concealer seems to hit the right places and just blends in perfectly. I have given a 3 for packaging as the brush only comes in a thin plastic sleeve, a 4 for price as I feel that all of MAC's brushes are expensive, however it gets 5 out of 5 overall, because if I had to replace this, I would do so without a shadow of a doubt as I simply couldn't live without this brush now!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Too Faced - Retractable Kabuki Brush
girlinabox 4/22/2009 7:32:00 AM
I love love LOVE this brush. So soft and it really does the job as well - makes application of power so easy and you end up with a nice smooth looking complexion after use. My only gripes are: The price - £19! The brush seems to have gone slightly out of shape (perhaps after leaving it out of its case too long?) and because it is a twisty brush I can't get the brush away again so I cannot take this in my bag anywhere any longer. Booo! If I needed to replace I most definitely would - the best powder brush I have ever used.
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Polishes -Revlon - Nail Enamel
girlinabox 11/7/2008 11:44:00 AM
I just had to buy this colour when I saw it (570 Vixen from the new Autumn range) and for just over £6 I thought "bargain". However, I am quite disappointed so far. After using Sally Hansen Double Duty I applied one coat of this, then let it dry. The brush in my opinion is actually quite good but once my first coat had dried it looked very streaky. After applying my second coat I thought it looked fab...until it dried completely...there are air bubbles all over my nails!!! I will probably take this off tonight and use my Chanel Rouge Noir. Okay, it doesn't last *that* long for what you pay for it but if it means I can go out tomorrow evening with perfect looking nails then I'm not complaining! I cannot comment on the longevity of this as I will be removing it but I will try it another time and update this review then.
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Liquid -Make Up For Ever - Mat Velvet PLUS Matifying Foundation
girlinabox 2/15/2008 10:24:00 AM
Ok...so after reading many reviews on this product online and in magazines etc I decided to take the plunge...and boy, have I thrown myself in at the deep end or what?!? As this product is used by professional make up artists I thought it would provide fantastic coverage, but I was wrong...it arrived yesterday via mail order from a company in London (the only UK stockist, apparantly) and I was so excited to try it out! So, this morning, after washing my face and applying Smashbox Photofinish Primer I applied the product to my skin and my heart sank...I knew straight away that it was a complete waste of money as it didn't even cover up a few minor blemishes/spots that I currently have. Not only that but it makes my pores stand out as if to say "HEY LOOK AT ME!!!!!" and I never normally have a problem with this. I am absolutely gutted that I have spent £21 on this and will be sticking to my Estee Lauder DW (even if it is way too dark) from now on. *EDIT* Ok so I was a bit hasty...when applying this with a better brush - MAC's 187 - this is much better. It does give good coverage but coverage does not last anywhere near as long as EL DW.
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