Concealers -Bobbi Brown - Creamy Concealer
islareina 2/23/2013 4:49:00 PM
I must agree with the previous reviewer. When I put this concealer under my eyes, I see tiny bumps and fine lines I never knew existed! I also purchased the concealer brush but I must be putting it on incorrectly since this product is so loved. I'll watch a few videos on application and update later. But for now, a bad review for revealing instead of concealing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -MAC - Face and Body Foundation
islareina 1/21/2013 9:19:00 AM
As a matter of fact, I can say cystic acne, which is what I walked away with after wearing this product for a few hours. I went to the MAC counter for a BB cream but the SA talked me into this one. I'm N7 with very oily skin, and I do not wear makeup. I thought it would be nice though to wear something light to even out my tone. A few hours later my skin looked as oily as oily can be! All day I kept having to blot, blot, blot. By the end if the day, a painful cystic pimple just above my right jawline. And the search continues....
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Black Opal - essential fade complex
islareina 11/17/2008 10:15:00 AM
I have to admit that I bought this product purely on the below review. I had purchased so many products to face dark spots on my skin left by acne -- everything from Dr. Brandt to Merle Normal to Oil of Olay. This product works and it's so cheap! It was difficult to find; no store had it so I got it online dirt cheap from some beauty supply store in Texas. I bought two since they were so cheap but I should not have because you only use a tiny bit. I can completely understand the other reviewers saying that it stains the skin. It does appear that way at first. But you really not only have to use a thin thin coat, but revert back to kindergarten girls and don't color outside the lines. Meaning, ONLY cover the portion that is discolored. At first I was scared because right after you put it on, it almost look like the dark spot raises like a welt and gets even darker! But I persisted and spots that I'd had for YEARS are fading; it's been three weeks. Now I'm starting to put it on my elbows to see if it will fade there, too. If you look at my track record, I don't approve of almost anything. I always buy these things and I'm almost always disappointed. This is one of those rare times where I'm finally happy with a product. My skin is going to be so pretty!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Clinique - Pore Minimizer Refining Lotion
islareina 10/19/2008 11:20:00 AM
I'm a little annoyed by reviewers who warn people not to "waste their money" on a product, as if because it didn't work for them, it won't work for anyone else. Aaaaaanyway, this product works well for me. I have oily oily oily oily oily skin. Had it ever since birth. I go through about 6-7 blotting sheets a day easily, until they are so shiny it looks like someone put fried chicken on them. I received this in a swap months ago and I just now found it and tried it. It goes on like a lotion but then it seems to turn powdery. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars only because I just put it on about 20 minutes ago, and I'm still matte. If only you knew how oily my face is, you'd realize that the oil seeps through anything else within seconds, no joke. Within minutes my face is an oil slick with anything else.If this product keeps me matte for just 2 more hours, I will stock up on it and bump it up to five stars!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Yves Saint Laurent - Elle
islareina 10/2/2008 6:32:00 PM
Oh wow I love this perfume! I just got it today as a sample with my order from Sephora (I just got a Shu Uemura lash curler!) and I never thought that cedar would be so lovely! When I first sprayed it, it smelled like a freshly sharpened pencil. A few minutes later, oh, so very sexy and woodsy and sweet all at the same time. I normally like sweet scents like LUSH's Snow Fairy and Creamy Candy; I would have never thought to try this if I hadn't received it as a sample. I haven't seen the bottle yet but I like the fuschia sample size. I will most likely buy this when the sample is finished. This smells like it would make a man want to get close to you.
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Masks -Unlisted Brand - Aspirin Mask
islareina 9/28/2008 12:12:00 PM
It's amusing how some people for whom this mask does not work come here to say that they've done so much research online and that this person and that person say it doesn't work, yet time after time women can't stop raving about it. So hey, I'll toot my own horn. I'm a PhD and I teach at a university and I LOVE the stuff. I've done my own research too and guess what? I LOVE the stuff because it works. I've had terrible acne since the age of 2. That's right. Back in the early 70s as a baby, I even had to go to the hospital to have electrodes hooked up to my face to extract the oil, that's how oily my face was. I go through about 5-6 of those Clean & Clear blue sheets a day until each one is see-thru with oil. This concoction makes my skin GLOW. I have many small acne pits on the apples of my cheeks and for a day or two after I use this, they don't look as deep and numerous as they normally do. I agree with another poster that it's a great rejuvenating mask. I stopped using it a long time ago simply because I can't find the time! And actually I'm going to follow some other reviews and try the acne.org facial peel, so maybe it's a good idea to hold off for a little bit. I'm posting this review to lend a helping hand to the many women who love and swear by this very economic alternative to expensive facial treatments.
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Orly - In A Snap
islareina 9/23/2008 7:38:00 PM
FANTASTIC STUFF. More people should know about this! It dries in an instant! Not only that, but the gloss is HIGH SHINE. It almost looks like little puddles of pure clear mineral oil on each finger! I think this is the ONLY way I will ever keep a good manicure: 1) Put in the time to make a 'sticky sandwich' (basecoat, polish, basecoat, polish, topcoat). 2) Every day at work when you know you will be motionless for 10 minutes, apply just one coat of In A Snap. Your nails will not only be dry, but HARDENED in 10 minutes. The smell is minimal, it'll go away as soon as you put the brush back on. There is still some teeny, minimal wearing down at the very tips, but for the first time in my life, I'm not getting chipping or peeling and today is Day 4. This is all you need -- just one thin coat every day for a beautiful manicure that lasts!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Orly - Bonder Rubberized Basecoat
islareina 9/23/2008 7:31:00 PM
I was lured by all the glowing reviews. I immediately ran out and bought the Bonder because my current basecoat was horrible. My nails would stain and there would be chipping in about 1 or 2 days.
I came home, tore open the box and gingerly applied this liquid gold. Then I applied Orly Glitz polish (see review, LOVE). I immediately got up to throw away my old base coat polish, that ol' bottle of crap.
Wouldn't you know it, the ol' bottle of crap was BONDER.
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Polishes -Orly - Glitz
islareina 9/23/2008 7:23:00 PM
I can't imagine that no one has reviewed this product yet! This is the first time I have loved loved loved a nail polish color. I am tanned-skinned Black (Bobbi Brown Golden foundation) and this color looks so beautiful on me! It looks like melted, molten 24K gold on my toe tips. The only thing I'm not too crazy about is the finish. It doesn't look sleek and high gloss like other polishes; you can see the vertical polish lines and maybe it's even a bit matte. I'm going on my second week on my toes without one teeny chip, but it chipped right away on my hands. I'm going to do the 'sticky sandwich' this weekend to see if that helps with the staying power and with the finish. I tried this because I wanted Chanel's Gold Fiction. I wrote to Chanel and they wrote me back saying this Fall 08 color had been discontinued. I decided to try this one and I couldn't be happier. Well, if it didn't chip I would be happier.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Talika - Lipocils
islareina 9/6/2008 3:26:00 PM
Garbage. The package said that you'll see results in 25 days. Its been 30 days now and there is no change in sight. I was very diligent about its application, twice a day every single day. In this month's O Magazine (Sept 2008) they talk about lash enhancing serums and many are mentioned but not this one. I'm going to invest in Enormous Lash instead.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Vincent Longo - Cream concealer
islareina 9/5/2008 1:12:00 PM
I received this as a sample from Sephora (MakeupAlley should really have designations for "free" or "swap" or "sample" for Price). This was the first time I'd ever used concealer and what an awful experience. I got out my Bobbi Brown foundation brush thinking I could just brush it on, but it was very hard, so much so that I had to dig some out with the top of my fingernail. But that's not a bad thing, maybe all concealers are like that and I just don't know yet. The bad thing was what it did to my face. I've used many products over the years looking for the perfect flawless canvas look, and this is the first product that not only broke me out, but made me break out BADLY. The underskin cysts in my skin hurt so badly! Luckily, I tried the concealer on one side of my face only to see how it would hold up at the end of the day, and the cysts (3) are on that side only. I have terribly oily skin and I had hopes... high hopes... oh well.
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Moisturizers -Kinerase - Clear Skin Moisture Light [DISCONTINUED]
islareina 7/19/2008 10:03:00 PM
I almost feel badly giving this a bad rating because of all the raves but maybe I have oiler skin than the others. I do know that my skin is CRAZY oily. I've had this problem since I was 2 years old and as a baby my mother had to apply acne medicine to my face. Decades later and wanting to wear makeup, the oilies have not subsided. I was completely ready to pay $75 for this product but when I couldn't find it readily, I got some tiny packet-samples, 5 of them. This product made my skin soooo oily I couldn't believe my face could get oilier. I could have had a fish fry with the oil that collected in the creases of my eyelids. I used very little of the product (1 packet lasted for 3 days, using twice a day). At first I thought, okay, this is the worst of it. Maybe the product is just getting out all the excess oil and then the sebum control will kick in. But my face just got oiler and oiler, as if I were applying olive oil directly to my face. On the third night, I had a large under-the-skin and painful bump on my jawline so that's it, no more. Another reader suggested I give it 4-8 weeks to see a reduction in sebum, but in the meantime my skin quality is getting worse and there is no guarantee that it'll work. I have 4 packets remaining and they're up for swap if anyone is interested. My search continues.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -Bobbi Brown - Sheer Finish Pressed Powder
islareina 7/19/2008 8:00:00 PM
Be wary of this product if you have oily skin. I had a make-over by Bobbi Brown and the SA used the oil-free loose power on me. I walked around the store and to make sure I didn't break out in the "greasies" and surprisingly, my face stayed matte. I asked her to pack everything up and sell it to me, and she gave me the pressed powder instead by mistake. The next morning when I opened all my new little boxes, I thought that it was just the pressed version of the loose powder she decided to give me, but my face was so oily that I'd almost sworn off BB forever. It was not until recently when I was perusing Bobbi's website, that I realized that the loose powder was especially for oily skin. I called back the SA to ask if there was a particular reason why she gave me this powder when I told her I had oily skin, and she said that it was her mistake because this is definitely not for oily skins. The thing I do like about this is the mirror -- it's huge! I can see my whole face, not just one cheek and my chin. I suspect I won't get a mirror with the loose powder. (For reference: I use Golden Orange (#3) and I am a NC45 in MAC, although I don't use MAC)
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Fragrances -Bobbi Brown - Beach
islareina 7/19/2008 7:43:00 PM
I'm tempted to take a lippie off because this is a limited edition product, but maybe if enough people purchase it, it will become regular stock. I smelled this a week ago, I didn't buy it, and I have not stopped thinking about it. I put some on my wrist and for the rest of the day, I was smelling myself and thinking about the beach in Jamaica where I spend every Christmas. If you've ever had a particularly special "beach moment" in your life, you will immediately be reminded of it, even if you've forgotten it. I even remembered a bonfire night I had on the beach in Mexico about 15 years ago, and I hadn't thought about that forever. Wonderfully incredible that a fragrance can do this. I asked the SA about the notes, and she said, Oh, it smells like Coppertone! Well, I've never used tanning oil or sun block but I trusted her. There is no Bobbi Brown where I live and so many reviews here agree with her, about it smelling like Coppertone, so off to Walgreen's I went to purchase the poor woman's version of "Beach". WRONG. I opened 3 different versions of Coppertone and they smelled nothing like Beach. I even swiped a little lotion and put it on my hand.... nothing. So I just now broke down and purchased a bottle on Bobbi's website for $55. But hey -- I get a free mini-tote with it! I don't think I would have gotten the tote at Macy's. I can't wait to get it and start remembering other beach moments I'd forgotten!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Estee Lauder - Bronze Goddess Eau Fraîche Skinscent
islareina 7/19/2008 7:10:00 PM
I smelled the "Beach" by Bobbi Brown a week ago when I was out of town. I loved it so so much! I should have bought it because there is no Bobbi Brown for hundreds of miles where I live. So I read all about Bronze Goddess, how it smells like tanning oil, the beach, oh the memories it evokes. Went to the EL counter and I was not impressed. I didn't get the smell of tanning oil whatsoever. It was light and smelled okay, but nothing beachy at all like BB Beach. Aside from the Beach comparison, I still didn't like it; I found it off-putting and matronly. I tried the oil and there wasn't even a smell at all! Even the SA said she couldn't smell anything. Would not purchase it.
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