Eye Shadow -MAC - Naked Lunch
hii 6/18/2013 3:52:00 PM
I like this eyeshadow alot! It's a shimmery nude pink. I originally bought this just to use as a highlighter. But yesterday it dawned on me that I can put it on my lid as well! So today I wore this on my lid with maybelline color tattoo in tough as taupe in the crease. It looked pretty and neutral for work. The one I got is soft in texture and never any trouble to apply. I use a standard eyeshadow brush to apply or one of those disposable eyeshadow applicators you can get at the drugstore. I used Mac 217 to apply tough as taupe in the crease. Also you should know that I used NYX HD Primer before I applied (which is really good by the way). I am NC 45/50
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Sigma - E40 Tapered Blending (was SS224) 
hii 5/23/2013 11:02:00 PM
I like this brush alot! I bought it as a dupe for the Mac 224. I've never had that brush but this one works just fine for what I needed it for. I use this to diffuse all my eyeshadow together after doing a smokey eye. This brush is also GREAT for setting undereye concealer with powder. It's just the right size to fit into that small area. I don't see how the sigma website says this is used for the crease. This is too big for the crease, at least for my crease. I like my Mac 217 for that. Sigma also has a dupe for that called the E-25 blending. This brush does shed a few hairs here and there but it's nothing crazy or excessive. Good brush!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -Revlon - ColorStay Mineral Finishing Powder in 020 Suntan Matte
hii 4/2/2013 11:32:00 AM
This is discontinued but can still be bought on ebay. I bought mine on eBay for a little over $5 I think. Let's get one thing straight. This is NOT comparable to or a dupe for Mac's skinfinish natural. However, it can be a dupe for Mac's skinfinish. The regular skinfinish is shimmery and can be used as highlighter or all over powder and the natural one is matte but gives a dimensional finish. But anyway back to this product. I like it alot actually! I apply this with a powder brush over my foundation and my matte setting powder for a glow. I know this IS a finishing powder but this doesn't control oil so I need to put a setting powder like dream matte or revlon colorstay under this. I know there are two other shade but I've only used this one. The shade brighten wouldn't look good on me unless I'm using it to highlight because I have a caramel complexion. I'm the not exactly sure how the sun kiss shade would work for me, maybe I'll try it one day who knows. The powder is very "hard" so to speak. It takes a minute to get your brush to pick up enough product. But I guess that's means you have a smaller chance of overdoing it lol this definitely isn't powdery. The shade is gorgeous though and I'm sorry they discontinued this. Also I think this really does last on the skin, it just doesn't control oil. But it's not meant for that so it's fine. I think I will repurchase.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -Maybelline - Dream Matte Pressed Powder
hii 3/24/2013 3:43:00 PM
LOVEE this powder! I have this in the shade latte. That shade is discontinued but it can be found on ebay, which is where I got mine. I payed a little over $5 and this has a 9 grams on product. The shade latte is a little too light for me but due to the fact that this is a sheer powder and has virtually no coverage it works for me. So if you get a shade and it looks a little do dark or light don't freak out, the shades are forgiving. I'm nc45/50 in mac. This is a BEAUTIFUL finish. It's matte (obviously) but not flat matte. It looks kind of satiny. This controls oil really well! I apply this around 7:15 in the mornings for school and around 3:30 when I get home I am only slightly dewy with no touchups. I love the consistency (?) of this. What I mean is that I hate when powders are hard to pick up. I don't want to be standing there swirling my brush into it for 5 minutes trying to get product to show up on the brush. This looks great over my colorstay whipped foundation and my studio fix powder. Yes, even though studio fix is a powder I still set it with a sheer setting powder lol. Probably the best drugstore powder for combo/oily skin people who don't want to look powdery or flat. I really wish my shade was still in stores so I don't have to buy online but if that's the only way I can get it, I can deal. This doesn't settle into lines under the eyes or look cakey, even if you do get a little heavy-handed. The packaging is too bulky but I like the mirror and the puff. The twisting mechanism is unique. GREAT powder.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -MAC - #187 Duo Fiber Face Brush (Stippling, Skunk Brush)
hii 1/22/2013 5:17:00 PM
First I would like to make it known that this is a review for the SE 187, the ones that come in the set around chrismas time. Yes I am aware the SE is of slightly lesser quality than the real one. However, this brush works perfectly fine for what I use it for. It has never shed on me, it washes well and it applies setting powder well (what I use is for mostly). I believe the bristles of the SE are looser and less dense than the original, which is why I wouldnt feel comfortable using it with anything except powder products. I fear it would be too hard to blend a liquid or cream with this. It applies a thin layer of setting powder beautifully and I have no problems with this brush. Yes of course I wish I had the real one, but I am not willing to spend $42 on it when this one works fine.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Urban Decay - 24/7 Eyeliner Pencil
hii 1/18/2013 1:25:00 PM
I bought this because I thought it would stay on my waterline. I was wrong. My Mac technakohl lasts longer on my waterline than this does. However this DOES stay on the last lines very well, probably for close to 24 hours. I'm sure this would be great for someone who only uses eyeliner on the lash lines but this does not work for what I need eyeliner to do. Also when I use this on my upper lash line it transfers to my crease area, like right below my eyebrows. This works best for me on my lower lash line. I bought this on at ulta for $16 with a $3 off coupon in perversion and I also have this in the light shimmery blue color (forgot the name) on eBay for $16. I believe the usual price everywhere is 19 or 20. The light blue color is really pretty and goes well with my brown eyes and I wear it during the summer mostly. I like that it goes on really creamy and never skips. Also I love how dark a black perversion is. I use my Mac sharpener with this and it's ok but it doesn't work the best with this. You need a sharpener that can work with a very soft pencil like this. I will finish the pencils I have but probably won't repurchase.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express Colossal Cat Eyes
hii 1/4/2013 7:50:00 PM
This is my new favorite mascara! First off the packaging is super attractive with its cute yellow tube and leopard spots. I accidentally picked this up in the waterproof formula and I wish I hadn't because I hate waterproof mascara. This mascara performs amazingly well. It gives LOADS of volume and length. It doesn't clump. I rarely do more than two coats and I don't curl my lashes when I use this. This definitely gives me a false lash effect, someone actually asked me if I was wearing falsies or if they were real. This gives way more of a false lash effect then the falsies mascara but to be fair my lashes were always a descent length to begin with but not really super thick. With this mascara my lashes honestly reach my eyebrows and they look cute and flirty. This curls my lashes really well and I think it's because of the very curved brush (which I love). I payed a little over $7 for this at ulta but I'm sure it's a couple dollars cheaper at walmart. Also I do think this gives the cat eyes effect. My lashes are flared outward when I use this and it's super gorgeous. Will definitely repurchase. UPDATE: I recently used this for my prom makeup(: I had to buy another one before I was even close to finishing my first one because I lost it. Also i repurchased it in the waterproof formula because I actually like it. Even though it's waterproof it doesn't pull my lashes out when I'm trying to remove it
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express The Falsies
hii 1/4/2013 1:51:00 AM
I can't believe I've never done a review on this, I've had this for a long time. This mascara isn't great, but it's definitely not bad. It separates nicely and it's a nice dark black.. I can't remember what the shade I have is called but I know it's the darkest one. I have this in the washable formula as I am not a fan of waterproof mascara because my mascara lasts just fine without waterproof and I don't want to be scrubbing my delicate lashes trying to remove it. It only gives a little volume and almost no length. It didnt clump and I liked the shape of the brush. This mascara isn't too wet or too dry and I like that. I believe I payed maybe $7 for this at Walmart but I'm sure it's cheaper now. The packing is cute, the colors and the writing are appealing. For me this is just average. I don't regret buying it but I will not repurchase. Y'all should check out the new cat eyes mascara by maybelline. It's AMAZING, my new favorite (:
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -Maybelline - Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream
hii 12/23/2012 4:53:00 PM
I like this alot! I got this at Walmart for about 7 or $8. My shade is medium deep and it's a perfect match. This is like a cool soothing gel consistency. It's super easy to blend and it makes my face feel soft. I apply it with my sonia kashuk flat top brush to get the maximum coverage out of it. This is sheer coverage but its enough to even out my skin tone and just give a little "enhancement". This withstands sweat and humidity better than my neutrogena healthy skin enhancer. This is a satin finish but it does tend to get oily a bit fast so I set it with a powder. I still have to blot but only once a day. I use my revlon colorstay pressed powder and it changes the sheer coverage to light. The packaging is cute, a squeeze tube with cute colors. I would've loved a pump but the tube works fine. It comes out easily and I've never had any problems with it spilling out. I DO wish they gave more product for the price though. I feel like I'm gonna run out of this kind of quickly. I feel that this moisturizes and brightens. It also does enhance. Even though this is SPF 30 I don't think this will give off a white cast in pictures. Great product (:
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Revlon - ColorStay Makeup with SoftFlex SPF 6 for Combination/Oily Skin
hii 12/20/2012 8:17:00 PM
Okay so I've had this for a week or two. I bought it from walmart for about $7 after tax. My shade is caramel. Ive tried a few different ways of applying this. I used a cosmetic wedge, the real techniques stippling brush, and the sonia kashuk flat top multipurpose. The latex wedge gave me very sheer coverage and the stippling brush gave me about a medium maybe a little less, and the flat top multipurpose gave me the best coverage. This does not have the coverage I expected. I would say this is a solid medium when I expected it to be more medium to full. It covers my discoloration well but not completely so I may use concealer on occasion. The colorstay whipped has better coverage (see my review on that). I never needed concealer with the whipped version. The foundation I was using before this was in fact the colorstay whipped but after I finished it I moved on to this to see which one was better. To be honest I'm not sure which one I like better because its hard to compare them when you don't have them at the same time. I like the packaging of the whipped more than this. I was reluctant to try this because I thought the traditional pour out bottle would annoy me too much but I'm surprised to report it doesnt. I just pour some out on the back of my hand then dip my brush into it. It comes out easily and I don't find it to be messy. I pour a little out then do a section of my face at a time and pour more out as I need it. It blends easily for me with my sonia kashuk flat top and it sets quickly, unlike the whipped. Someone with normal skin would not need to set this with a powder but since mine is oily I do. The lasting power is great, just like the whipped. It will not keep you matte all day long but it lasts a good amount of time before you get dewy or oily. I think this is the best foundation to stand up to sweat and heat. This does not transfer AT ALL to my white collar. I had a little bit of an issue with transferring with the whipped. This looks REALLY natural and my shade is great. Caramel has yellow undertones so its perfect as I am nc50. Once I'm almost through with my bottle of this I will repurchase the colorstay whipped so I can have them at one time and compare them properly. One of them will be my HG drugstore foundation(: Also I would like to shout out revlon for being one of the only drugstore makeup companies to make shades dark enough for women of color and just for having a wide color selection in general (that's a jab at Rimmel London). Best color selection in the drugstores. UPDATE: I've repurchased my second bottle of this and I LOVEE it, even more. The first bottle I purchased had soft flex. When I repurchased I didn't read the bottle so I just assumed it had soft flex but it doesn't. And im GLAD it doesn't. The only problem I had with my first one was the coverage was lacking and it was runny. The one without soft flex is definitely thicker and more coverage. Even though it's thicker I have absolutely no problem blending and it doesn't look masky or feel heavy. The one without soft flex has as much coverage as the whipped
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Orgasm Blush
hii 12/16/2012 10:31:00 AM
This blush is so GORGEOUS. It's a peachy pink with gold shimmer. I've heard all about this popular blush and wanted to try it even though I knew it was expensive. I payed $23 for mine brand new from eBay. I believe the original price at nars is $28 so WOO HOO for saving a little money. Yes this is still expensive but i only payed $3 more than I would for my Mac blushes. I've read women of color have had problems with this showing up on their skin. I am nc45/50 with yellow undertones and this shows up on my skin fine. In fact, it looks absolutely beautful on women with a caramel color. I pick up a little product with my Mac white contour brush and do two or three swipes then blend from the apple of my cheeks to my hairline. I think it would take a lot for this to look bad no matter how much you build it because its not so pigmented. The staying powder is GREAT. Stays on all day with minimal fading. Make sure you have a good base for this blush so it can last even longer. Like a long wearing foundation or primer. I LOVE the packinging. Comes in a black rubber-like case with the nars logo on the front and a mirror in side. Cute and sleek. I do believe this is a universal shade, I can't imagine this looking bad on anyone. This goes with almost any makeup look also. My new favorite blush(:
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Sonia Kashuk - Synthetic Flat Top Multipurpose Brush
hii 11/28/2012 11:25:00 PM
This brush is really great. It can be used for some many different things. Liquid or cream foundation, blush and omg its AMAZING for blending concealer. It's small enough to fit under the eyes and around the nose but big enough for applying foundation to be quick and efficient. I specifically bought this to apply my revlon whipped creme makeup but I soon found it can be used for a plethora of other things. It truly is multipurpose. It was a tad expensive but I think that was because I had to buy online. This brush is extremely soft and I always look forward to using it. The bristles are dense and flat so this is probably not good to use if you want to sheer out a foundation or want lighter coverage. I've washed this several times and have experience no shedding or shape loss. Also the handle has an awesome shape and is so cute and glittery. Highly recommend.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Revlon - ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup
hii 11/10/2012 12:26:00 PM
My new lovee<3 I've always wanted to try the liquid revlon colorstay but didn't want to fuss with the traditional drugstore foundation bottles. I hate those! Anyway I love the consistency of this. It truly is whipped creme and its super blendable. Upon the initial application it looks dewy and luminous but once it sets and drys on your skin it's a soft matte. TIP: Give this at least 5 minutes to dry on your face before putting any product over it or touching it. If you touch it it will feel all slippery and smear. I apply it and wait about 5 minutes, a couple minutes longer if I have the time. The coverage is definitely medium to full but I'm sure it could be light if you use the right tool to apply. I mostly use the sonia kashuk flat top synthetic multipurpose brush with us but I'll use the RT stippling brush for lighter coverage. The sonia kashuk flat top brush is amazing for this foundation btw! Another tip: ONLY use synthetic brushes with this makeup. My shade in this is caramel, the darkest shade in this foundation as of now. Revlon really needs to add a few more shades, maybe two more dark ones and two more light ones. Okay so for you darker ladies who are about nc44/45 there is a shade in this that does not appear on the revlon website or in stores that would work for yall. It is called TOAST and you can order it online. I'm pretty sure target.com has it. I'm NC50 and I wish caramel had more yellow undertones and was a bit lighter. Carmel is neutral and a little darker than caramel in the liquid colorstay. The staying power of this is AMAZING. My nose and forehead are oily, my cheeks and chin are normal and i have a couple dry patches. I use an oil control cleanser, regular moisturizer, and a pressed powder with this. If you have really oily skin you may want to prime also but I don't. This foundation withstands oil and sweat very well, and I live in a hot and humid climate. This does transfer a LITTLE bit onto my white collar but when I set it with my colorstay pressed powder there is almost no transfer. Also waiting for it to COMPLETELY dry and set before putting anything on top helps with the transfer. No, I've never worn this for 24 hrs but i truly believe that after being set this could last that long if i need it to. I find this to me very expensive for a drugstore foundation. This is cheapest at Walmart but none of the walmarts around me carry my shade, only Walgreens does. At walgreens this is around $11.99 but they almost always have buy one get one half off for this. I've seen this as high as $14. I'm still on my first jar of this and I bought it on eBay for about $11.50. It's very disappointing that being expensive this doesn't come with a full fluid ounce in the jar. I like the packaging because I don't have to pour the makeup out like with traditional bottles. I agree with other reviewers that it is hard to choose a shade by looking at the jar due to the thick glass. I wish the jar was lighter but its sturdy and looks classy and elegant. I don't mind dipping by finger or brush into this because I clean my brushes regularly and I'm the only one who uses it so for me it's not unsanitary. This is my new staple foundation, along with mac studio fix powder(: oh and if you hate using your fingers for foundation like I do other options that would work are a beauty blender, a regular latex sponge, or a synthetic brush. Inexpensive brushes that work well with this are the elf powder brush, the sonia kashuk flat top multipurpose, and the sigma flat top kabuki. UPDATE: I have realized that my shade, caramel, is too much of a muddy brown for my yellow undertones and doesn't match my neck. I have recently gotten the shade toast and I will see how that works. It appears to me a little light for me but hopefully after its blended it will be fine. Ideally my match would be a mix of caramel and toast or caramel and rich ginger. However, I am not willing to buy two of these to mix nor do I know how to mix something of this consistency. Caramel in the combo/oily formula is a near perfect match for me, despite its orangey tint, so I may just stick with that. UPDATE: I've come to the conclusion that I simply cannot choose between this and the liquid colorstay. What one doesn't have the other one does, and I use them both for different occasions. Guess I'm just gonna have to have two HG foundations(:
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -BeneFit Cosmetics - They're Real
hii 9/17/2012 5:49:00 PM
This mascara makes me lashes look AMAZING but the brush sucks. The product gets clumped in between those spikey things at the end of the wand, therefore clumps my lashes when I apply it. I have to take time to wipe off ALOT of product off the want for it not to make my lashes stick together. I only wear this mascara when I know I can take my time and make sure it doesnt clump but NOT a mascara to use when I'm in a rush. My lashes look long, and thick when I wear this. I would even go so far as to say they look FALSE. If the spikey things on the brush were not there, I would definitely repurchase but I'm not sure if I would now. Oh and I got this mascara for $10 on ebay when the full price is $19(:
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyes -MAC - Paint Pot in Bare Study
hii 9/7/2012 5:26:00 PM
This is really pretty shimmery neutral color. I have mac paint pots in bare study, groundwork, and a purple blackish color I forgot the name of. I love the packaging and the formula of mac's paint pots. I don't like using my fingers to apply any kind of makeup except primer but I find these go on best if you use your ring finger. They are super creamy but they don't necesarily stay all day unless you use a eyelid primer. Also these crease on me badly but I can't blame them because my lids are oily. Overral these are relatively long wearing and this color is gorgeous. They are pricey but you get a lot in the pot and they'll last forever. They would be perfect if they stood up better to oil, however, I would repurchase(:
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No