Palettes -LORAC - PRO Palette
humbuggery 4/10/2013 9:09:00 AM
I received this as a birthday gift after wanting it badly since it came out. I would buy again in a heartbeat. It's a slim, long palette. It takes up less space than either one of the NAKED palettes. It gets dirty somewhat easily, but it's easy to wipe down compared to the messy clingy velvet of NAKED and it looks classier than the cheap, bulky packaging of NAKED2. It has more variety and costs less. You don't get as much product per shadow...but honestly, NAKED and NAKED2 have garbage colors and not enough variety, so it's not even an issue. I say, quality over quantity! Yes, UD shadows are good, but this palette is superior in every way. I would rate the current long, slim nude palettes on the market like this: LORAC Pro, TheBalm Nude Tude, Naked, Naked2, Naked Basics. Why LORAC is better: 16 shades! So much variety! The color selection was obviously really thought out. I love that they included as many mattes as they did shimmers. I can see myself hitting pan on a lot of these. FOUR DANG HIGHLIGHTER SHADES! i use highlights a lot. having four very light shades is a tremendous help. Seems like it would be very easy to travel with. If I lost all of my eyeshadow, this would be my go-to palette to purchase. The quality can't be beat. Anyone can have professional looking makeup with this palette. Now I'm going to go over the colours. :) 1. is a White shade. It's in the mattes row, but it seems to have a few bits of satin shimmer here and there so it's not an overly flat or chalky matte white. This may irritate some, but for me, it's big help. This does great at brightening my inner eye. 2. is Cream, a light skintone shade in the same family as MAC blanc type or brule. This is a true matte. There is a big ol' dip in mine :) 3. Taupe doesn't seem very taupe to me! It seems more like a midtone camel shade like MAC wedge, although less warm. NARS blondie might also be close to it. Or UD Buck. 4. Lt. Pink is a light, pale baby pink. It seems somewhat neutral-cool. 5. Mauve is a nice name for this shade. It seems to be in the same family as MAC haux or quarry, if i'm not mistaken. This is like Taupe but cooler and pinker. 6. Sable is a great darker brown. It seems to have red or warmish tones in the pan. 7. Espresso is a deeper brown, deeper than Sable, as well as less warm toned. 8. Black is....a great matte black! I really like it a lot. One of the better blacks in my stash. A pleasure to use. Now we're getting into the shimmers and frosts. 9. Is Nude, a wonderful and VERY helpful shimmery skintone highlighter shade, perfect for bringing light to an area of your eye. 10. Champagne is a bit similar to nude, although less bright. It seems more appropriate to use as a lid color than Nude. It has a few bits of glitter here and there. Yeah, it gives me fallout, but no biggie. 11. Gold is VERY soft in texture. It reminds me a bit of UD's Half Baked. It seems more of a darker, more orangey gold compared to the traditional yellow gold. 12. Lt. Bronze is a warm peachy somewhat champagney standard lid color. Really nice. 13. Pewter reminds me a bit of Satin Taupe! It seems like more of a taupe than the shade Taupe ;) 14. Garnet's a red-toned bronzey shade. 15. Deep purple looks like a blackish base with a lot of pretty purple shimmers. I'm glad this was included. It's a nice alternative to Black. 16. Slate reminds me of UD's Gunmetal. It seems to have bluish shimmers in. My favorite shades in this palette are White, Taupe, Mauve, Sable, Nude, Lt. Bronze and Garnet. My least favorite shades are Champagne, Gold, Slate. My favorite combos for this palette: Taupe, Sable and Espresso Lt. Pink, Mauve and Deep Purple Lt. Bronze, Garnet, Deep Purple Garnet, Sable, Black I don't like gold or slate, so I mix them together to tone down the orange of the gold, and warm up the blue tones in slate. Makes a nice shimmery brown bronze or something more taupey. Hope this helps.
15 out of 19 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Giorgio Armani - high precision retouch
humbuggery 4/10/2013 5:50:00 AM
Amazing concealer. I went to the Armani counter at my Neiman's only intending to buy the Master Corrector for my dark circles (which I also LOVE as well) and the SA helping me tried the concealer on me over the corrector. First off, I have a hard time finding shades that suit my skintone when it comes to foundation and concealer. I am pale and yellow toned, shade 02 works great for me. I went straight to this from heavier creamy concealers like tarte's dark circle defense, laura mercier secret concealer and benefit boing. Not only were those concealers dry, heavy and cakey, they barely matched me. Horrifying. My God, the difference! This, when used with the corrector and a bit of LM secret brightening powder to set: Total perfection. I can't get over how natural it looks! I don't look dry and cakey, I don't look overly made up, I just look like me, how I'm supposed to look, rather than a tired mess <3 I apply the corrector in shade 2 over my dark circles first, blending it in and letting it sit for a second. I then use the nose to cheek triangle method to apply to HPR concealer. Yes, I use a little more this way but I have another concealer that I use on a regular basis as well, and a second tube of this. The effect is outstanding. I look beautiful. I look like ME! Thank you, Armani! Aside from the fact that you put alcohol in your newest foundation, I love you and will continue to buy this concealer for as long as you make it. But mark my words, discontinuing this will absolutely ruin my life! My only, ONLY complaints are: price and the fact that the tube is NOT transparent like it is with the corrector. I can't see how much I have left. Bummer there.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Expert Eyes - Vanilla
humbuggery 11/17/2012 10:13:00 PM
I wish this didn't have so many poor reviews. If you're looking for a PIGMENTED stark shimmery white, look elsewhere. This is a highlight and accent shade. It's sheer so it won't look unnatural. I am really pale and I wanted a fantastic inner corner/tear duct highlighter since I was using my NARS Albatross for that and finding the gold shimmer to be a bit much on my inner corners. I just wanted a nice shimmery white to brighten my eyes, and that is what I got with this. I also like to use this as a cheek highlight. Yes, it WILL fade without a primer, but then again, most shadows do! Stop giving it a low rating just because you expected a drugstore shadow to stay on without a base! Shimmery shades never stay on as well as mattes anyway. I put this on my oily tearducts hours ago (with a primer) and it's still on! BTW this blends beautifully. I'm pleased.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Makeup Remover -Kate Somerville - True Lash - Lash Enchancing Eye Makeup Remover
humbuggery 4/17/2012 11:35:00 AM
Edit: I returned this. I finished one tube and I felt like I had to use too much product to take everything off. The Josie Maran oil cleanser is a much better value: You get more product, its around the same price and it works faster and better and doesn't sting my eyes like this does. I feel like it didn't do a whole lot for my lashes I'm surprised this product doesn't have any reviews yet! It comes in a 1.7 oz pump tube and retails for $35 in the US. I bought my first tube at Neiman Marcus, and I bought the second from Sephora, as a backup. I use this solely for removing my mascara, but sometimes I'll be a bit naughty and use it to remove my shadow as well, although I conserve less of it this way. I'm not expecting any big results from this, I just wanted a nice eye makeup remover with a gentle formula that would remove everything easily and condition my lashes and keep them from falling out so often during mascara removal. The fragrance of the product is nice, as is the consistency and texture. It feels very much like a moisturizer, which I believe speeds up the process of mascara removal. It really emulsifies all that icky cakey end-of-the-day mascara that is dried on your lashes, and allows it to wipe off easily without damaging your lashes. I use a q-tip with this product. I dispense a bit on the q-tip and apply directly to my lashes, and using it as I would a normal makeup remover. INGREDIENTS: Water (Aqua), Caprylyl Methicone, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Propandiol, Polysorbate 20, Sodium PCA, Trehalose, Polyquaternium-51, Sodium Hyaluronate, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Euphrasia Officinalis Extract , Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Persea, Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Urea, Triacetin, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Acrylates/ C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum).
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - HiP Metallic Duo - Enchantress (Limited Edition)
humbuggery 11/25/2011 6:14:00 PM
Dead on dupe for MAC's Satin Taupe. DEAD ON. I am telling you...texture, shade, everything! And you get a nice matte black that applies surprisingly well wet. Buy it online for a great price - They dont make this one anymore. It was LE.
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -L'Oreal - Telescopic Explosion
humbuggery 12/8/2010 12:17:00 PM
Wow, why the bad ratings? I love what this does to my lashes :D I used this just yesterday, and I experienced very little clumping, and the length and fanned out effect it gives my lashes is seriously extreme! It's a good little mascara. I might buy it again, but honestly...with drugstore mascaras...I like to try new ones instead of buying the same ones over and over.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Magnetic Fields Eye Shadow from Neo Sci-Fi Collection
humbuggery 12/8/2010 12:08:00 PM
This is a must have colour if you like unique neutrals! It's definitely darker and cooler than Satin Taupe. I'd say it's a plummy taupe colour. Very pretty for a winter smokey eye with some black tied on the outer corner. It is LE, but I guarantee you could find it for sale on one of those Livejournal makeup communities. I got mine in a swap, and I'd say it's somewhat easy to come by. Try it!
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Palettes -MAC - Smoke Signals - Smoking Eyes Quad
humbuggery 10/7/2010 3:42:00 AM
Love this eyeshadow quad! I am a smokey eye girl through and through. It's my signature look, and sometimes I just want something quick and easy to reach for that will create a full eyeshadow look. I wouldn't have to reach for anything except primer and mascara if I used the black shade as a liner. My skin is neutral-warm light, almost fairskinned, and I love this assortment of colors on my eyes. My favorite way to wear this: Satin Taupe: Lid Showstopper: Crease, Smoked out and blended Smoking: Outer V, Deepened Crease, Liner Next To Nothing: Inner Corners and Browbone Perfect everytime! Everyone knows and loves Satin Taupe. Very gorgeous shimmery neutral. I have this already in my browns palette, but it's nice to have an extra. Showstopper is a little difficult for me to work with. Funny, since this is the colour I choose to blend and smoke out the most with my eye look. It's a matte, so I guess I just like to torture myself with the blending. I like the colour a lot. One of the deepest browns I own now. Smoking is the standout colour of this quad. Not very unique, and the gold glitter doesn't transfer to my eye very well, but I like that I can blend it easily, and it's quite pigmented and nice to work with. Next to Nothing blew me away! It was much more pigmented than I thought it would be, and the shimmer in it is so light and pretty. A great highlighter to finish off my look. Really polishes and perfects everything. I am so happy that I could find this eyeshadow set. It's a bit rare and hard to find these days, and I'm so glad I found one to buy. It's my baby! <3
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Eye Shadow -NYX - Trio TS1 - White/Gray/Black
humbuggery 10/5/2010 3:30:00 AM
I love this! This is a staple for me! I use white and black with almost every eye look I create, and this is good to reach for when I need either. The black in this trio is the darkest, most pigmented black I've ever tried, and I have a lot of black eyeshadow since it's a colour that I tend to reach for a lot. The white is great for highlighting my eye's inner corner. The grey is a colour I rarely use, but it comes in handy more often than one might think! All three shadows are of great quality and I love them!
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Fragrances -L'Occitane - Peach Blossom EDT
humbuggery 7/10/2010 4:39:00 PM
this blows, hard. i should have just stayed away. i was hoping for a fresh, light delicate white floral with some juicy crisp notes. this smells like powder. takes a really long time for the alcohol scent to die down. i ordered it through the l'occitane website. the description of this eau de toilette sounded very pretty. almonds, peach blossom, bergamot, tonka bean, mmm! even though i got this on sale, i still feel ripped off. i want to return it so badly, but they only take back products that haven't been opened or used. to be fair, i went to the l'occitane store in the galleria to test this out, but they were all out. i still thought the notes sounded perfect. every scent i love in one fragrance...but oh my gosh...i feel completely let down. this was the worst purchase i've made in a while and i regret it. i don't even think they make this scent anymore, so i think we're all safe now. maybe someone else out there will like this, but i'm just...butthurt that l'occitane has my money and i'm stuck with a large bottle of fragrance that i'll never use because i hate it so much.
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Styling Products -Ojon - Animated Styling Cream
humbuggery 6/29/2010 5:31:00 PM
I swapped for this because I wanted to try more Ojon products since I had bought the hydrating thickening spray, which is my HG. I like this a lot. I know a lot of people don't like the smell, but it smells like honey and almond to me, so I enjoy it. I have shoulder length, layered hair that is permed. On it's own, it is fine, oily and flat. For my hair, this is perfect because it pumps up the volume and adds texture.
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Lotions/ Creams -Dr. Bronner's - Dr. Bronners & Sun Dogs Magic Body Lotion - All Scents
humbuggery 6/16/2010 9:40:00 PM
I know it says for HANDS & BODY, but I use it as a facial moisturizer. I use the Peppermint in the daytime, and Lavender in the evening. The Lavender smells gross to me, (not a lavender fan) but I find that it helps me relax so I can get to sleep easier. And the Peppermint, I love. It helps me to perk up. My skin is combo in the winter/fall/spring and oily in the summer. These lotions have a lot of oils in them, but I feel like it normalizes my skin while maintaining my natural moisture. I only need a little bit for my whole face. Like, not even a full pump. Very small, not even dime sized. I would also like to try the Almond and Orange Flavors :)
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Platinum Pigment
humbuggery 6/5/2010 6:33:00 PM
i just have a sample of this, pressed it myself. :) omg this looks like steel over skin! it's apparently not eye safe, but you know me...i'm nuts. that's where i use it! i love the smokey eyes it can make with carbon and gesso <3
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Makeup Brushes -Sigma - Pencil brush E30 (previously called SS219 )
humbuggery 6/4/2010 11:32:00 PM
It's alright...I like my MAC 219 better. It's too fluffy and frayed to be a pencil brush. Doesn't give me a defined crease like the MAC 219 does.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Too Faced - Shadow Insurance, Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer
humbuggery 6/4/2010 11:29:00 PM
I like this a lot better than Urban Decay's bestselling eye primer. The products both work the same for me...However, the Urban Decay primer is dry and hard to blend, and it looks crusty under my eyeshadows. The TFSI has more practical and sensible packaging. It's nice to be able to squeeze out the product onto a brush or clean finger. Too Faced is not one of my favorite brands, but this is a staple product for me.
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