Liquid -Neutrogena - Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup SPF 20
helloroo 5/8/2013 9:01:00 PM
Let me preference this review by saying this is NOT a dupe for Nars Sheer Glow in any way, shape, or form. I am NC30 or Nars Punjab and purchased this in #60. It was a decent color match. This foundation is pretty liquid-y and provides at most medium coverage. Nars sheer glow starts off with medium coverage and can be built up to full coverage. That's one difference. The first two hours I had this on..I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I thought this was going to be my HG! But literally just five hours after putting my make up on..this foundation had completely disappeared. GONE. I have acne scars to cover up and I need my foundation to be longwearing because I hate touching up. Note: I have normal/slightly combo skin. Not too oily...I never have to blot during the day. So I returned this immediately. I had used it with primer, setting powder, setting spray..everything. The staying power was just awful. This is kind of expensive for drugstore (12-13$) so I would recommend getting this when it's on sale. Nars sheer glow has waaay better lasting power, color match, and coverage. At the same time...it's wildly more expensive. However I would repurchase the Nars sheer glow just so I have the confidence that my acne scars won't be peaking through in a couple hours.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman - Expert Face Brush
helloroo 3/24/2013 7:49:00 PM
Not a huge fan of this brush. Got it because of the rave reviews but I'm just not impressed. It gives a fuller coverage but it oddly pushes my liquid foundation around more than anything and I find I have to wash this brush more than my usual once a week because it drinks up my foundation as others have mentioned. Also I store my brush in a mug and the handle on this foundation is so annoying and oddly shaped. Haven't found another use for this since I don't use cream blush and I use other brushes for highlighting and contouring. One pro is that it dries fairly quickly and does not shed.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Cover Girl - Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation
helloroo 2/18/2013 6:18:00 PM
Decent medium-full coverage drugstore foundation. Unfortunately, I could not find a color match. I'm around NC25-30 with beige (slightly more yellow) undertones. I tried Buff Beige, Medium Beige, and Warm Beige. Buff and medium were too light while warm was waay too orangey looking. It just wasn't mean to be. Disappointing. Another thing..this stuff gets gross quickly. As in cakey. Careful with application! I tried fingers, RT expert face brush, kabuki brush, flat top..I couldn't find a way to get this stuff to blend. I don't think this is better than MUFE Mat Velvet or MAC Pro Long Wear - things I have heard this product compared to. Mat Velvet is much more natural looking/full coverage/easy to blend and has better color selection by far. Pro Long Wear is easier to blend as well and gives a bit more coverage. It can easily be built up in coverage while 3 in 1 cannot. I found that the 3 in 1 accentuated every single pore or dry spot even with a good moisturizer underneath. I would honestly choose Revlon Colorstay over this. Sorry bout it.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NYX - Taupe
helloroo 2/3/2013 12:21:00 PM
NC30 bought this to contour. It looked unnatural and had a greyish/orangeish tint to it. Ended up just tossing it because I couldn't get it to work for me. Tip for those who want NYX and don't have an ULTA by them and don't mind ordering online: order from Ebay. They often have pick 2 or 3 shades and you save a little bit of money. This goes for eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, etc.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Wet 'n' Wild - Color Icon Trio - Walking on Eggshells
helloroo 2/2/2013 11:27:00 PM
I honestly thought I wouldn't like this when I got it but I decided to pick it up anyway because it was so raved about. I'm really glad I did. This is a staple in my makeup collection. The texture and pigmentation is better than a lot of eyeshadows out there and probably the best in the drugstore. The colors are great for every day wear. The only cons is of course the packaging (dropped it once and everything shattered but since it was so cheap and readily available I got another one) and sometimes the colors can be a little too shimmery for my taste. Overall I think everyone should have this in their collection. I especially love the brown as a crease shade with another matte brown. Adds depth!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Wet 'n' Wild - Silk Finish Heather Silk
helloroo 2/2/2013 11:25:00 PM
As others have said, this is an extremely pigmented blush..almost too pigmented even with a stippling brush. Yet I think this is a universal color - pigmented enough for darker skin tones and if you could find a way to use this light enough it would be gorgeous on light and medium skin tones. I like that it is one of the few matte drugstore options out there.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Make Up For Ever - Face & Body Foundation 
helloroo 2/2/2013 9:42:00 PM
Hate to be the bearer of bad news but I really don't like this foundation. This is expensive stuff for water and pigment! I got it because I have a weird reaction to MAC Face and Body. I know people say that the MUFE version offers more coverage but I beg to differ. This offers significantly less coverage than the MAC foundation. The MUFE version also has terrible staying power. I wore this to work one day 8-3pm and by lunch time, I checked my face and was horrified to see all of my make up literally coming off in patches. I sit in an air conditioned room all day so I'm not really sure what caused this. I use a primer, setting spray, setting powder..everything. Determined to make this work I tried this again the next day when I was just at home. Same thing. Gross. I returned this.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -MAC - Face and Body Foundation
helloroo 2/2/2013 9:39:00 PM
When I tried out this foundation last summer, I was around NC30-5 and it was difficult to find a color match. I was matched to C4 but it looked too dark. C3 was too light. And honestly, I'm not going to buy two foundations to mix. Other than the color match, I really liked how buildable this was and the finish was so natural. Unfortunately, this made my normal/combo skin look oilier than normal. But still, I was convinced to make it work. I got MAC Blot and all kinds of oil controlling powders but still...the lasting power of this foundation was not good and I was still looking oily at the end of the day. In addition to all this, something in this made my skin itch in a bad way. I've never had this problem before with any foundation. So back this went. I would recommend this for dry skinned girls but I don't think you need to have perfect skin for this. Spot concealing with this foundation is an ease and using your fingers is best for applicaiton.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Make Up For Ever - HD High Definition Foundation
helloroo 2/2/2013 9:32:00 PM
To be blunt, this isn't the worst product but it isn't the best either. Oddly enough, this photographs decently - not great. I am NC30ish and was matched to #125 which I believe is for light-medium with beige and a little bit of yellow undertones. It was a good match. I can't figure out the application on this thing. I have tried fingers, kabuki brush, flat top brush, etc. It really just won't blend into my skin. Looks incredibly unnatural. As for the coverage, it's definitely medium at most which is disappointing since I like fuller coverage. Overall, get a sample before purchasing the full thing. $42-5 (with tax) is no joke for something you might like.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Maybelline - Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner
helloroo 2/2/2013 9:24:00 PM
I bought this one time, hated it, threw it away. Recently I wanted a new liner brush and remember people raving about this one so I got it again for the brush. While I was at it, I decided to try the product again to see if I would like it. Nope. Not at all. The liner smudges. Simply put. It has no lasting power and I do not have oily lids. Tried it with primer, setting it, everything. No. The brush it came with is not for me either. Perhaps because I prefer an angled brush but this one just got gunky too easily and I couldn't get a fluid line with this product or any other product I tried the brush with. Trashed both items again.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Chromagraphic Pencil NC15/NW20
helloroo 2/2/2013 9:20:00 PM
Bought this because of all the rave reviews. To keep it short: it has zero lasting power for the waterline and the color looked unnatural on my NC25/NC30 skin. And yes, I am aware this pencil says NC15/NW20 but the darker color for NC30 was too dark and almost a greyish color.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Make Up For Ever - Full Cover Concealer
helloroo 12/29/2012 6:45:00 PM
I have some acne scarring i'd like to cover up and while this looks good initially, it wears off as the day goes on and becomes really cakey. I switched to MAC Pro Long Wear which is much better because it is buildable while the MUFE one is more difficult to layer without looking cakey. I tried to love this cause it gets such rave reviews but I couldn't..it's especially bad in the undereye area. I am NC30 and got matched to the darkest color I think. Plus, the price you pay for this you can literally just buy a new foundation. Save yourself the $$ and get Mac Pro Long Wear concealer - it's 18$, buildable to full coverage, and lasts all damn day.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -Neutrogena - Shine Control Pressed Powder
helloroo 8/25/2012 12:26:00 PM
I was attracted to this initially because the packaging was reminiscent of Benefit's Get Even which also contains a rice protein. It was around 12$ at Target and came with a flimsy puff. The compact didn't have a separate place to put the puff so it kinda just sat on top of the product..ugh. As for shine control...it broke me out and I only used it on my t-zone. The pores on my nose were clogged and the white powder was even more evident when I used a puff or cosmetic sponge. A brush would be the best application. I returned this.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Laura Geller - Balance-n-Brighten
helloroo 8/14/2012 4:40:00 PM
I was looking for an alternative to my MAC MSFN setting powder because the MSFN was beginning to make me look a little bit too dewy throughout the day if that makes sense. I still love it though and use it for going out but I wanted something I could use for every day that was long wearing, wouldn't oxidize, and was "matte but not flat". Enter Laura Geller Balance n Brighten! I'm NC30-7 and tried on Regular/Medium in Ulta and it was a match for me. I also have neutral/leaning towards yellow undertones. For reference, I have normal/combo skin that tends to get a little bit more oily in the summer. I think it's important to note that I don't use this as a foundation though I know it's touted as one. I use it as a setting powder and it works WONDERS..exactly what I was looking for. Price is around 33-5$ and packaging gives you half a mirror which I don't care too much about because I never touch up my make up. Give this a try if you're looking for a great setting powder! Alone, I don't see how this would give an adequate amount of coverage. Finely milled, lots of product, and equal if not better than a MAC product. EDIT 8/24: this didn't last all day for me. i moved onto sephora microsmooth as a setting powder and it's cheaper as well as longer lasting!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Full 'N Soft Mascara Waterproof
helloroo 8/8/2012 7:20:00 PM
I'm not a fan of this though I think Maybelline mascaras are the best drugstore mascaras on the market right now. This hardly holds the curl for me and it doesn't give me enough volume..very little. It does make lashes soft but it just looks "blah" on me and doesn't make my eyes stand out in anyway or look any bigger. Btw, I have short straight asian lashes. I always have to wear waterproof and I find that this did smudge. My HG is Maybelline Turbo Boost in the black and red tube.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No