Primer/ Corrector -Unlisted Brand - Monistat - Chafing Relief Powder-Gel 
jamejame 7/25/2009 7:17:00 PM
Maybe I got a bad tube. I bought this (as usual) based on the glowing reviews on MUA. And um...no. I used sparingly as suggested, and it applied well and appeared to have a minimal and very temporary smoothing effect - maybe. Or maybe I was just unwilling to admit that it basically did nothing except feel pretty good on my face. I noticed no difference whatsoever in the appearance or longevity of my cosmetics when I used this, but I did notice that it left my face incredibly shiny after a couple of hours. Admittedly I live in deep East Texas and we are having a 100 + heat wave, so maybe I'm being too demanding. All in all, it did nothing that I had expected based on the reviews. I can't say that it did nothing at all though. My inner thighs and bikini area absolutely did not chafe when I used this product. I did not actually apply this product there, but still....
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Concealers -Estee Lauder - Double Wear Stay-in-Place Concealer 
jamejame 7/24/2009 11:54:00 AM
I had such high hopes for this product since the reviews have been so complimentary. Now I realize this is yet another time you heifers have led me down the garden path straight into the thorn bushes of disappointment and poverty. I'm surprised that EL named this Double Wear Stay in Place. My vote would have been for "I'm Pretty Sure I Put Concealer On." The color range seems to be excellent. It blends well, seems to cover well - although it takes some layering and if you layer once too often it's Crepe City! It actually looks great for about an hour. And then it does this Cheshire Cat thing and becomes more and more sheer until it just isn't there anymore - in about 2-3 hours. Even after setting with powder. Seldom has a product seemed so promising and failed so miserably to live up to its fanfare. Huge waste of time and money.
21 out of 28 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Revlon - DoubleTwist
jamejame 6/11/2009 3:28:00 PM
It has finally happened. A product so unbelievably bad it makes all the other bad cosmetics I've tried seem like holy grails. Did they TEST this mascara wand before putting it on the market? I have to admit it does give you a movie star appearance - Malcolm McDowell in Clockwork Orange, Liza Minelli in Cabaret. This mascara might actually have been a little too much for Tammy Faye Baker, bless her heart - although it does deliver the same general "road tar applied with a Bead It gun" effect. If that's the look you're after, let me know and I'll send you this hot mess in the morning mail. I have no idea if the mascara itself is good, because the wand is so completely horrible it makes it impossible to apply anything but huge gobs. The wide spaces between the "lengthening and defining" plastic bristles grab a huge amount of product on the way out of the tube and there is no way to apply this without wiping practically ALL of the mascara off on a tissue. Total waste of mascara, time, and money. I can't believe this made it into a package and onto the shelves.
14 out of 16 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Merle Norman - Luxiva Flawless Effect Liquid Foundation
jamejame 4/13/2009 11:21:00 AM
I have to go against trend here and say this foundation does not work for me at all. And it's a fairly expensive failure at $34. I think for a young woman with very smooth skin it would be perfect - if you like a "made-up" look, for it is a very obvious makeup. But for oily or older skin, I don't think it will work as well. For my skin, it just made large pores and lines glaringly obvious, and rather than a dewy effect it was just shiny in the wrong places. Also it doesn't last very long, which was actually a plus since it didn't look that good and I didn't have time to wipe it off and start over before leaving for work. The color was a great match, though - wouldn't you know it. Definitely ask for a sample before purchasing this. Especially if you don't have perfect skin or if you prefer a more natural look. This foundation seems to be made for people who don't really need foundation, but feel undressed without an obvious full face on.
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Concealers -Neutrogena - Mineral Sheers Concealer
jamejame 4/3/2009 10:34:00 PM
Ok, maybe it's me. I know that deep in my heart I truly believe that the perfect concealer will subtract 20 years from my age, puffify ( I made that up) my lips, and inflate my breasts - and possibly this is not realistic. So maybe I'm too demanding of concealers. However, this product did not meet even my lowest expectations. It's thick, much too creamy, refuses to blend at all, and will not set. And the heavy consistancy of the powder is a joke. I gave it an entire day to prove its worth, and it did - so I trashed it. After an hour, I realized that I had tracks under my eyes, apparently from actually having facial expressions. It looked a little like birthday cake frosting after a 2-year-old rakes his fingers over the top. Very appealing. So unless you can will yourself in a mental state of Botoxification (that one too) and remain expressionless all day, I'd skip this. Even for $12, it's a waste of money.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Alima - Satin Matte Eyeliner in Pewter
jamejame 3/18/2009 11:33:00 PM
I'm giving this 3 lippies because the color is lovely - just a soft perfect pewter with a hint of shine. All of the Alima Satin Matte Eyeliners and Eyeshadows that I've tried are really beautifully textured and pigmented. And like all loose mineral eyeshadows and liners, incredibly tricky and messy for me to apply, and has little staying power. As much as I love this color, I rarely use it because I just do not have the time to devote to the tedium of applying it _ especially since it is going to disappear in a few hours. That said, it is still the perfect pewter and very flattering to blue eyes, and if you enjoy mineral eyeshadows, you should definitely give Alima a try.
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Powder -Alima - Satin Matte Mineral Foundation
jamejame 3/18/2009 11:23:00 PM
I really am just apparently not made for mineral makeup, as this is about the hundredth that I've tried and disliked. Alima's colors are actually really good, and finding a match was no problem. And the sample sizes were certainly cheap and adequate for me to form an opinion before a major purchase. Which won't be happening. I found this to be just another shiny, fast-fading mediocre mineral foundation which covered few flaws and highlighted any large pores. And after all these attempts at mineral makeup, I still find application a total pain - and incredibly messy. I swear off mineral foundation after every try, but then a good review of something new lures me and I make the circle again.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -L'Oreal - EverPure Moisture Conditioner
jamejame 3/18/2009 11:11:00 PM
I could just put "ditto" after that last review. Same story. Bought it today, tried it, am still reeling in horror. This morning my hair was just dry, now it's crunchy. I will take the blame, as I mistakenly bought the Moisture version of this product after actually reading the glowing reviews of the Smooth version. However, I would expect a Moisture conditioner to "moisturize," not parch. And because when I make a mistake, I like to do it in a big way, I used the shampoo and conditioner. Wow. I actually like the smell, oddly enough. But this stuff made my hair difficult to comb and a nightmare to blowdry, and of course now - it's straw. And I was all proud and eco-superior about myself after buying this since it's sulfate-free, too. Turns out that apparently sulfates are all that stood between me and a working relationship with Rumplestiltskin. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this product if your hair is dry.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Estee Lauder - Double Wear Made You Blush
jamejame 4/6/2008 10:36:00 PM
I agree that this product is drying. I think all of the long lasting lipsticks are. Hence the attached gloss. And they don't really last all day.But in my experience the real tragedy is that they can go gritty and tacky after a while, leaving me feeling as if I didn't quite wipe all the oatmeal off of my lips after breakfast. This product however, did not go gritty on me. And it lasted forever. I mean into the next morning when I finally took it off with olive oil and a washcloth. ( And although I have no intention of telling you - without a fee - what I did in those 24 hours, suffice it to say that this lipstick fears neither Ben and Jerry's nor cherry flavored warming products.) I did find that the best way for me to apply was to dab some color onto my index finger and blot it carefully onto my lip just exactly where I wanted it, patting it in as I went. This left a nice stain and did not "pill" up at any point. It also seemed less drying than when I used the full applicator alone, and it gave a nicer less harsh finish. Less "madeup" looking. I would be happier with a wider choice of colors in this product. So many seem very close to the same color and either tended to a brown/orange aftertint or had a pearlized " pornstar" look. The Made You Blush is the closest I could get to a natural look on my fair skin. And even it had a little too much pearl to it - I get around it with my application technique which seems to tone it down a bit. Yes, I'd buy it again. If they ever add other colors to the line. I do think it's the best of its kind out there.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Clinique - Quickliner for eyes- smoky brown
jamejame 12/31/2007 10:34:00 PM
First of all let me say that this is a fantastic color - a perfect grey-brown that is extremely flattering on blue eyes. For the 3.2 seconds it stays there. I'm afraid the nicest thing I can say about this liner is that it truly is one of the best colors out there. I can see this color being beautiful on pretty much every eye color. That said, it's a miserable liner in almost every other respect. Application is difficult as it's much too creamy, almost greasy, and smears almost immediately. In fact, I'm not sure why the smudger is included since you only have to blink once for that smudged effect. Also - my personal liner peeve - self-sharpening liners do NOT self sharpen, at least not if you want a line thinner than 1/4 inch. And this liner is no exception to the rule - applying a clean line is just impossible. And maddening to attempt. My current technique, since I adore this color, is to apply the thick line, smear it down into my lashes with my finger, reapply, smear...until I have a subtle smokey brown line that lasts until just before noon. Dear God, why do I struggle so for cosmetic perfection when mediocrity is so obviously my forte? All in all, Smokey Brown is the bad boyfriend of liners. His shadiness and disappearing act let me know I'm wasting my time, but baby, he looks so GOOOD! I won't repurchase, but I'll lust after him when I see him on other women.
23 out of 27 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Ponds - Cleansing Towlettes
jamejame 12/6/2007 11:22:00 PM
These are great! So soft, so effective,no overpowering fragrance - and NO breakouts! Yay! My coworker recommended them and I am hooked!The following ditty (indulge me) is my ode to my coworker's (true, she swears) introduction to this product: Please feel free to sing it to the tune - "If I Only Had a Brain" (so appropriate) I was going to come to see ya But Alli gave me diarrhea Cause I pigged out at the Mall (happy go lucky whistle interlude here) And I was trapped in the toilet My thong, I was gonna soil it Cause there was no paper in the stall. (keep whistling) My stall neighbor was also confined For she was in the same bind With no roll for diet regrets But she proved a true life saver And did a tremendous favor By sharing her Pond's Towlettes They were so soft it was uncanny How pristine they left my fanny And I vowed to make them mine. And I use them where I was meant to But still my purse I tuck them into When going out to dine.
20 out of 35 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Clean & Clear - Self Foaming Facial Wash
jamejame 11/21/2007 6:42:00 PM
I was feeling a little oily and "porey" around the nose area - my usual post summer facial situation. So I tried this on the advice of a much younger coworker, completely ignoring the fact that the rest of my 45 y/o face is DRY. The product has a really pleasant faintly orangey/medicine smell and it definitely foams. And then it proceeded to strip every tiny particle of moisture from my face. After rinsing and drying with a towel, my face felt as taut as if I'd spent ten minutes in a wind tunnel. The outer corners of my eyes and the hair at my temples felt as if they were about to meet - and were not happy in the least about it. I hurriedly applied moisturizer to counteract the drying effect, which did seem to help. And the next morning I awoke to a wash of tiny red bumps across my nose and cheeks. ( They were DRY bumps, I'll give the product that.) Two days of hydrocortisone cream later, I returned to normal ( well, you know, for me.) So if you're really oily, this might just do the trick for you. If you have skin with even remote dryness, back away from the bottle. The weird effect of this is that for those few seconds before I used moisturizer, my skin felt so young and taut (okay, painfully taut.) But it looked no different at all. Kind of like that fabulous " pillow lip" feeling those plumpers give you, while leaving your lips looking like Courtney Cox on a PMS day.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast
jamejame 10/28/2007 12:25:00 AM
I have to say I like this. The brush itself is megabig and delivers the mascara really well, although I think I seem to have more clumping than most other reviewer, especially near the point of the brush. (Even after wiping.) Still, the mascara itself seems to be just the right consistancy - not too thick or too thin - to apply and adhere well to my lashes. I have to say I didn't notice any huge difference in volume or length compared with any other good mascara out there. Certainly not the false lash look others seem to be obtaining with it. It does seem to be very lasting, although I do notice some flaking later in the evening - but then most mascaras don't last nearly that long anyway. My only real complaint is with the brush handle, which is much too big and clunky to manipulate easily. It just seems to get in the way. All in all, I think this is a good mascara, but really not living up to the massive hype. I'll be using it as a backup to MF Volume Couture, which gives me a much more noticeable result.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Max Factor - Volume Couture - Rich Black
jamejame 10/28/2007 12:11:00 AM
LOVE this! The brush really separates my lashes and deposits just the right amount of mascara every time - without all that brush wiping I usually have to do with other mascaras. Also seems to have a volumizing AND lengthening effect. Not a miracle worker, but it does make a big difference. This is going to be one of my favorites.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Sephora - Gloss Lipstick #43
jamejame 10/27/2007 11:40:00 PM
This is going to be one of my staples, I can tell. The color is a nice pink-to-rose color, but really neutral. Sort of my lips but better. Okay, okay, way better. Zombies have more natural lip tint. But this makes me look alive. The "gloss" part is not extremely glossy, which I like since heavy duty gloss just looks too prom on me now that I'm getting up there in age. This has just enough gloss to give a light shine without accentuating any lip lines - that other people, not me, might have. In addition to the lovely natural color, this lipstick is sheer enough to apply without a mirror. Which will be good news to the people in traffic near me on I-45 at 7:00 am.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No