Lotions/ Creams -J. R. Watkins - Lemon Cream Hand & Body Lotion
jenjuliet 6/8/2009 4:11:00 PM
I'm well into my second bottle of this and bought a third yesterday. I NEVER stick with the same body lotion for this long. It smells absolutely incredible, and moisturizes just fine for me (my skin is not overly dry except in winter, and it did a superb job this past one). And the label is gorgeous, I know that's sort of shallow but it just looks so pretty sitting in my bathroom. The only slight drawback is that it's not sealed in any way; people clearly like to sample it in stores so it can be difficult to find a virgin bottle. Target usually has it for about $8.99, Walmart a little less, and some Walgreens are carrying it now for the same price as Target.
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Eye Shadow -Stila - Mystic Pro Eye Shadow
jenjuliet 3/20/2009 2:28:00 AM
I received this as part of the A-Lister set, and while it's a beautiful color, it's much less pigmented than the other three shadows in the set (Kitten, Golightly, and Wheat). I would only use it as a light wash or as a liner anyway, so pigmentation doesn't matter TOO much, but it would have been nice. This is my first time using Stila products, I'm a MAC girl, and I have to say I was shocked at how large the shadow pans are. You get almost twice as much as MAC for only $3.50 more. I wouldn't buy it again because 1) I doubt I'll ever use it up and 2) the pigmentation issue, but it's still very lovely.
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Mascara -Neutrogena - Healthy Volume Waterproof
jenjuliet 3/11/2009 7:25:00 PM
What a crock. I've never understood the hype of these huge brush mascaras (tried Lash Blast and it was a giant mess) and this one is no different. Not only that, but I don't know where they get the "400% fuller" claim. When I put this on for the first time I had to sit there and do three coats to get what just one coat of my beloved Maybelline Full 'N Soft gives, and even after three coats it still looked like barely anything. However, it does separate rather well, and for some reason my lashes looked extra curly after applying - I'm blessed with a nice natural curl so I don't need to use a lash curler - so that's a little bonus, I guess. So if you're looking for something that adds curl and doesn't clump, this is okay, but if you want volume? Look elsewhere. This is going back to Rite-Aid.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Club Eye Shadow
jenjuliet 2/11/2009 3:05:00 AM
if i could only have one eyeshadow for the rest of my life, it would be this one.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Expert Eyes Eye Shadow - Sunbaked Neutrals
jenjuliet 4/28/2008 11:14:00 PM
For reference, I am NW20, with medium brown hair and hazel eyes.
Maybelline has recently re-formulated their shadows and the result is worlds better than their previous one. When I swatched these on my hand I was stunned by how pigmented they are, really, they're gorgeous. So just look for the sticker that says NEW FORMULA and you'll be fine.
Along with the new formula, the colors have been changed a bit from the original version of this palette. I've added a picture to the review. There aren't individual names, so I'll describe them:
- light brown, shimmer finish
- chocolate brown, shimmer finish
- medium brown, matte finish
- coppery brown, frost finish
- bronzey-gold, frost finish (BEAUTIFUL)
- ivory, shimmer finish
- pale green, frost finish - this is very similar to MAC Juxt, but actually when I swatched them next to each other this is more green, whereas Juxt seems more yellow than I'd originally thought
- khaki green, frost finish
This is honestly the best palette of neutrals I've ever seen. I wanted something to throw in my purse makeup bag that I can use for several different looks, and with eight shadows the possibilities are pretty much endless. They wear extremely well (I always wear a base so I can't testify as to how they'd do without one) and as I said before, they're veryyyy pigmented, almost up to scratch with MAC, actually. I bought it for $8.29 at Walgreens, but you could probably find it for cheaper other places.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Freshwater (veluxe pearl)
jenjuliet 4/24/2008 5:24:00 AM
Completely gorgeous color, blends well, lasts all day with or without a primer. I'm in love with it. This was one of my first MAC shadows (along with Shroom, Carbon, and Humid) and while I don't wear it all that often, when I do reach for it I'm happy all day long. It works well as a liner with a neutral eye for a great pop of color, as a wash, or as an intense lid color for a night out. 'Bright summersky blue' is the perfect description too, WTG whoever does the MAC website ;)
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Shroom
jenjuliet 4/24/2008 5:20:00 AM
I was using Dazzlelight as my go-to highlight color for a while but that always looked a bit too crepe-y, so I recently switched back to Shroom. Why oh why did I ever leave you, Shroom? You are perfect.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Haux Eye Shadow
jenjuliet 4/24/2008 5:16:00 AM
I absolutely love this color. I apply it with a fluffy brush (think 224 from MAC, although that's not the one I use) over my lid and into the crease, with a highlight of Dazzlelight or Shroom. Then I add mascara and I'm done. It's a perfect neutral yet pulled-together eye for work.
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Eye Shadow -Prestige - Eye Shadow - Blossom
jenjuliet 4/24/2008 5:11:00 AM
Maybe I got one of a bad batch, but this has absolutely no pigmentation for me. As a swatch on my hand with a finger I get nothing but a few sparkles. On my eyelid with a brush I still get no color but a few more sparkles, and over a base of MAC Painterly paint pot I get a teensy tiny bit of pinky-purple with LOTS of sparkle. Not at all what I want, obviously. It's such a shame too, because the color is absolutely gorgeous. It's a dead ringer for MAC Hepcat, but I think I'll go ahead and shell out the money for that one instead.
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Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Hershey's Almond Lip Balm SPF 15
jenjuliet 4/22/2008 5:08:00 PM
I was in Sephora and saw this at the counter, and decided to buy it on a whim. This stuff is fantastic - it's everything I've always wanted Rosebud Salve to be. It's a round plastic pot with a picture of a large pink flower on the metal lid, and it contains a very generous .7 oz. of product. This moisturizes well, has good staying power comparable to my beloved Chapstick Moisturizer with SPF 15 - and this has SPF 15 too! That's the one drawback to Rosebud Salve, IMO. But the scent is what really gets me with this product, it's absolute heaven. Garden Botanika used to make a line of bath products with exactly this scent and I was totally in love with it, so this takes me back. It's $9.00, the same amount you'd pay for Rosebud, and will last forever. If it was in stick form instead of a pot, it would get five lippies. That's honestly the only thing holding me back from a perfect score. Ingredients: Organic extra virgin olive oil, beeswax, organic coconut oil, lanolin, flavor, vitamin E, cocoa butter, rosemary extract.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Waterproof
jenjuliet 4/14/2008 5:43:00 PM
I don't usually fall victim to hype, but when Lash Blast was first released it was all over the place and I have to admit I was intrigued. However, I wanted to wait for the waterproof version because I always wear WP mascaras. Once again, I was not surprised to see that overhype of a product is usually done to mask its inferiority. My lashes are naturally long and have a nice curl, so I wear mascara to darken and volumize. I've been loyal to Maybelline Full N Soft WP for a while now and have zero complaints about it. Lash Blast's brush is just way too big to handle, and the formula is extremely wet. I did one coat and it took almost 5 minutes to dry completely. It got all over my lid when I was applying it, caught the skin at the base of my lashes (both on the waterline and on the lid) and was just a general mess to put on. Normally, I can apply mascara in 30 seconds and be done with it, but I had to futz around with this for longer than it usually takes for me to do my entire makeup routine. That was the first dealbreaker. Surprisingly enough, this stuff wears rather well. I didn't have any flakes or smudges after a 10-hour day. However, I also didn't see any major difference in how my lashes looked from when I wear F&S. If the brush was easier to deal with, this would be a decent mascara. Or at least that's what I was thinking until I went to remove it. I had to use FOUR cotton balls of Neutrogena Oil-Free Remover, and even that didn't do the job, I had to use jojoba oil to get the last bits off which I hate because then it gets in my eye and there's that gross blurry film for several minutes. On top of all that, I lost at least five eyelashes in taking it off. I'm really glad I saved my receipt, because this is going straight back to Walgreens. I even asked the salesgirl when I bought it if I could return it if it didn't work out, so that's a good bit of FYI for everyone. Don't waste your time on this one.
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Blush -Rimmel - Blush in Pink Rose
jenjuliet 1/17/2008 4:09:00 PM
Someone at Rimmel must be reading MUA because they have repackaged their blushes with a hinged lid, just as MUA-ers have been crying out for since they were first released. I never minded the snap-on lids and have bought two other powder blushes in the past, but this newly designed one kept calling to me from the display and I had to buy it. Pale girls, caution: this puppy is HIGHLY pigmented, all you need to do is tap your brush against it once and you'll be fine. Unless you actually WANT to look like a circus clown, that is. That being said, it gives a very pretty flush, that just-in-from-the-cold look, and lasts all day. It's cute, it's a staple color, it's cheap. Not much else to ask for.
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Makeup Brushes -Japonesque - Salon Collection Travel Brush Set
jenjuliet 11/15/2007 1:03:00 AM
Salon Collection is a line of brushes made by Japonesque exclusively for Walgreens. This is quite a nice little set. It consists of a sponge-tip applicator and four brushes - a blush brush, an eye blending brush, a flat eye shadow brush, and a more narrow flat brush that could be used for liner, crease, concealer or even as a lip brush. The bristles are soft and fairly dense for their size. All the brushes are about 4" in length with pale heavy-duty plastic handles. But even better than the brushes themselves is the case - it's made of hard plastic with a flip-top lid, with fitted slots for each brush to slide into. When one side of the lid is all the way down, it acts as a base for the case to stand up (the bottom is rounded so it needs an anchor). The cost is $14.99 which equals only $3 per brush, plus you get the nifty case. I'm extremely pleased with this, I'd been contemplating a travel brush set for a while since most of the time I have to apply my makeup on the go, and am very happy that this is the one I chose. Check it out, and if it doesn't work out for you, just save your receipt and return it.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Paint Pot in Painterly
jenjuliet 11/10/2007 1:58:00 AM
I love this. I choose my high end products very carefully since I do not have money to throw away and MAC is the brand I usually splurge on. I have two Paint tubes that I adore, Architecture and Chiaroscuro, and when the pots came out I nearly went crazy with the lemmings wanting to get my hands on every single one if only I had the means. But I finally settled on Painterly after reading the reviews on MUA, deciding that it could pull double-duty as a base and as a shadow shade for a no-makeup look. I don't apply it with my fingers for sanitary reasons, I use a flat concealer brush instead and it works just fine. Used as a base, my shadows don't fade or crease even after a 14-hour day and they show up much more vibrantly than when used alone. The only base I've used in the past was just a thin layer of my regular concealer, which never quite worked. Oh, and since the pot is so ginormous it will last me for years, I can tell.
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Makeup Brushes -Essence of Beauty - Purse Size Powder Brush
jenjuliet 11/10/2007 1:45:00 AM
The regular size powder brush is always sold out at every CVS that I go to, so I decided to try this slightly smaller version (pale wood handle, blonde bristles). Like all the E of B brushes it's fantastic quality, soft and full and works like a dream. However, I took off one lippie because this sheds a little for some odd reason. I've never had a problem with shedding with any of the other brushes in this line, so maybe I got one out of a subpar batch, or perhaps the smaller size has something to do with it. Nevertheless, it's mostly excellent and I highly recommend, as I do all the E of B brushes.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No