Eyeliner -Urban Decay - 24/7 eyeliner in Rockstar
jennifurrl 9/1/2011 7:08:00 PM
Rockstar is a soft deep violet/plum with a bare touch of shimmer . I'm NW35 with auburn hair and dark brown eyes; this is an awesome alternative to black and dark brown liners for me and I wear one of these colors daily. It is fantastic blended with a smoky eye or can be worn with every shadow color. I use all of my UD 24/7 liners over a primer; they smudge and blend so well right after they're applied that they will transfer super easily... even with this step. So I set them all with shadow and once I do so - they last literally until I choose to take them off. There is no smudging at all once they set. Setting with a powder shadow takes less than a minute but without a shadow I'm careful not to touch my eyelids or mess with my eyeshadow or mascara for at least five good minutes. More if the weather's warm. Personally I would never try to wear this on the water line; imo there are much better products -- even by UD -- for that. Before I discovered my love for brightly-colored eyeliners I swapped a few of these away. I so regret that I had! I intend to re-acquire all the colors available and do I ever wish I could get my hands on the 15-year anniversary set of these liners. {{btw: They work great as long-lasting "shadows" as well;. just smudge over a primer like udpp. I would use a proper primer for this though and NOT a paint pot. I think that might just be asking for trouble! (: }}
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Cleansers -Chanel - LAIT CONFORT creamy cleansing milk confort+Anti pollution-Face and eyes
jennifurrl 8/30/2011 8:27:00 AM
This is hands-down the best waterlesss cleansing lotion I have used. It is not meant to be used with water, being that it's a cleansing lotion and not a CLEANSER - perhaps some of the odd difficulties described by other reviewers come from not using this makeup reoving lotion as a makeup removing otion. I have had the same bottle for almost 3 months. With almost daily use, a good inch remains in the bottom. I have found a single pump to be adequate to remove all eye makeup including long-wear and waterproof formulas; I generally use a total of two pumps to do both eyes and another to remove the remainder of my makeup. I follow this with my Clarisonic every evening and have had awesome results overall; the cleansing milk is gentle and smells magnificent as well as being effective. It is not, however, the most high-powered makeup removing formula on the market. Clinique's oil-based 'Take the Day Off' liquid is much more potent, for example, but I've not tried their cleansing milk formula. It could be that the milk formulation is itself just going to be a bit more gentle overall. In any event I don't mind. I look forward to this step of my evening routine, and it makes removing my makeup easier to stick with, even when I'm tired and seriously tempted to skip my routine altogether. I'll definitely repurchase, and keep backups of this.
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Lip Gloss -Femme Couture - Lip Luster - Creamy Coral
jennifurrl 8/29/2011 6:55:00 PM
Total win! This is an awesome, yummy-scented *and flavored* gloss in an excellent color. More pink than gold and generously sprinkled through with fine, gold-colored glitter, this gloss glides on with a smooth creamy consistency that is equally sheer and opaque. It doesn't last more than a half hour or so at most. This isn't a problem for me since I enjoy touch-ups with lip products and carry a wardrobe of lipsticks and glosses everywhere --- but more than that, it smells so fantastic I take it out to re-apply just so - can smell it! I intend to grab one of every color next time I go to Sally's... AND get myself multiple backups of this one. My favorite gloss of all time -- Love it more than Chanel Glossimers.
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Lip Gloss -MAC - Cultured
jennifurrl 8/26/2011 2:39:00 PM
I'm not in love with this color on me, but I really loved it at first sight in the tube which is why I bought it. Does smell yummy. It's a thick gooey consistency that feels somewhat like glue on the lips. Supposed to improve staying power, but there isn't a lipgloss on the face of the earth that stays put on me for more than about 15 minutes (no exaggeration), and for me this one's no different. I prefer Chanel Glossimers, BB High Shine, and Guerlain's Terra Cotta glosses. Will probably repurchase Mac glosses to try to find other colors to love because I can handle any consistency gloss for the right color. Won't be repurchasing this color though- just doesn't flatter me (NW 35-37).
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Treatments (Eye) -Clinique - All About Eyes Rich
jennifurrl 8/20/2011 7:33:00 PM
The only reason I didn't give this eye cream a 5 is because it's in a pot; if it were in a small pump there would be less opportunity for contamination, but otherwise I love everything about this stuff. I bought it when the 'Rich' formula was released. As part of the promotion, Clinique was offering a .5 oz pot - over twice the size of their normal 'All About Eyes' cream - for the same price. I was in the midst of trying out a few new eye creams from Bobbi Brown at the time, so after trying this cream out once or twice I set it aside to test-drive others. Now, four or five months later, I've worked my way through at least as many other eye cream formulas right back to this one... with a new appreciation for its texture and performance. I haven't used another cream since coming back to this. And there's no reason to look further. It's rich, creamy, absorbs well and easily into the skin without greasiness behind. I prefer this formula so much over the original 'All About Eyes'. It's also shown wonderful results already in the few weeks I've been using it exclusively -- I used to wake up with mildly puffy eyes every morning and I haven't had any puffiness at all. My undereye areas are in good condition - not too dry or thin, and no fine lines yet but I do have some serious dark circles. Now in the mornings my eyes look clear and smooth; though this moisturizer hasn't solved that problem it's improved the over-all health of the skin in my eye-area to such a degree that the circles are now almost negligible. They aren't gone, but they're so close to gone that they don't even require concealor every day. I like to change the products in my skincare routine from time to time, so I will still continue testing out other eyecare creams, lotions, and serums but this is easily the highest-qualityundereye moisturizer I've used so I will move from (and back to) this for a while yet. Pretty frosty rose-pink plastic pot with a wide enough mouth that access is not a problem and will not be no matter how little product remails. Very little product required to see benefits and the benefits are quite quick to see. Excellent value. No scent at all. No irritation whatsoever, even when I accidentallly rubbed my eyes. Absolutely HG and a definite repurchase.
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - Xtreme Wear Lacey Lilac 270
jennifurrl 8/20/2011 11:43:00 AM
BOO. I just adore this color but the consistency is gluey and gloppy; it's streaky and goes on uneven; and it started PEELING off like rubber in less than 6 hours. WHAT?! I generally love and trust Sally Hansen but this beautiful milky lilac color is the worst performer I may ever have seen and used. Worst part? It's so purty I'll keep using it for short excursions, expecting to get one afternoon or evening out of it *max*. But for $2, what more do you want? It was on sale; maybe it's old. Won't repurchase.
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Fragrances -Givenchy - Very Irresistible
jennifurrl 8/20/2011 1:08:00 AM
I like this fragrance a lot. It's more of a mature scent. I'm not going to be able to describe this fragrance in detail which does it justice -- I can tell you that I really enjoy its depth. It's strong and intense. Right away it goisw on bright and flow-y; it seems to fade and taper gently but relatively quickly. Cute twisty fuscia/purple bottle with an annoying triangular cap which is hard to replace. I received an ounce of this for free as a points gift from Ulta. Enjoying it a lot; glad I didn't have to invest in it because it's not nearly as lovely on me over time as it seemed like it might be sprayed as a quick test in the store. Absolutely worth wearing though and I do like the scent; I'm just unsure so far whether I'd re-purchase. Maybe I'll revisit this review when we've had more time to establish our relationship. ;) No regrets at my choice of this fragrance for one of two of my points rewards however. Would have take Coach's 'Poppy' over this had it been available but this was my third choice.
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Eyeliner -E.L.F. - Cream Eyeliner - All Colors
jennifurrl 8/18/2011 9:39:00 AM
Well... I didn't expect much from this so I wasn't *too* disappointed but I did at least expect it to DRY at some point, which it seemed not to do before it smudged all over my eyelids - top and bottom- then magically disappeared altogether. May give it another shot and try applying over a couple of layers of primer and set with a good layer of some substantial shadow. Shame I can't like it more because there *are* qualities of this liner I do like quite well - the consistency, for example, is divine and so is the color - luscious rich chocolate brown. Silky and easy to apply. The plastic pot it comes in isn't bad either; it reminds me of BB gel liners in appearance (thoough that is the extent of the comparison). It also came with a serviceable little angle-brush; nothing fancy but enough to do the job. Too bad this liner seems unable to perform for more than an hour or two. Wouldn't repurchase.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Paradisco (Frost)
jennifurrl 8/18/2011 2:17:00 AM
Utterly beautiful duochrome, a brilliant tangerinewith a soft golden yellow shift; satin finish. I absolutely LOVE this color, I can wear it alone for a simple flatter-ish flash of color that's eye-catching (so to speak) and no-fuss. I have brown eyes and the contrast makes them pop. Can be built up nicely; doesn't fade; won't crease over Urban Decay Primer Potion or Bare Minerals Brightening Eyeshadow Primer. (I haven't tried to wear it on bare lids.) Great color payoff! One of my HG brights. Definite repurchase; haven't seen a quality dupe for this anywhere and honestly, I don't care to look. If this shade is ever discontinued I will stockpile it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Seche Vite - Clear
jennifurrl 8/18/2011 12:27:00 AM
Great stuff for reals. It's a bit expensive at ten bucks a bottle but nowhere near as ridiculous as it could be (and as some actually are). Applies easily, average texture and conSistency, nice thick coats without a lot of effort. Dries completely and quickly in literally four or five minutes - crazy effective. Just bought my first bottle and I'm totally sold. I'm looking forward to trying the many different varIations of this polish.
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Fragrances -Gucci - Gucci Guilty
jennifurrl 8/17/2011 6:42:00 PM
Fantastic! I love this fragrance! It's a bit heavier than I'm used to (prefer BB 'beach' and 'bobbi'; DKNY 'Be Delicious'; Chanel no 5 Eau Premiere and 'Chance' -- like that) but it's so deeply luscious that I wear it anytime. I can't even begin to try to describe fragrances with any sort of accuracy but I can tell you what I like and how it feels to me. Its bottle is all shiny gold and maybe I'm influenced by the presentation but ot actually smells golden to me -- as if lightly toasted and warmed in a fire... the warm element has depth to it. The background of this warmth is spicy. It's complex -- there are a few things going on that mix to make the imporession of spiciness. I don't know how to be more accurate than that... it feels like there is a conversation or three-part interchange of some kind... Also there are dark feelings to this scent; richness and light; like ambers and bronzes and warm mellow golds. Its feeling is one of strength -- not a strong-smelling fragrance but one forceful in the feeling it evokes... as if there's a bit of a power to it. [Compare Chanel's 'CoCo Mademoiselle 'or original 'No 5' to something light and unmuscled like Marc Jacobs' Daisy or Coach's 'Poppy' to see what I mean by "force".] I received 2 1 oz bottles of fragrance for my quarterly free gifts from Ulta; I've been lusting after this since its release so I was THRILLED to get it for free! I can't stop wearing it. Will absolutely repurchase EDP; all I saw was EDT at Ulta so that's what I got but seriously it's fine and lasts all day. 4 lippies instead of 5 just because it's not my favorite ever and there's always room for improvement; if they ever feature a lighter scent of this (like the Eau Premiere version of Chanel No 5) I'd probably give it a 5. (The other bottle I chose was Givenchy's "Very Irresistable"; see review).
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Guerlain - Guerlain Lip Lift
jennifurrl 8/15/2011 5:02:00 PM
Basically a lip primer. Lightly flesh-toned with the consistency and finish of a matte lipstick. Applied to clean bare lips, LipLift actually does help lipcolor last. I noticed no particular benefit to the condition of my lips with the use of this product, but it wasn't drying or otherwise unpleasant to use. Slight scent similar to Guerlain's other lipstick formulas. The tube is scant for the price; looks like maybe 75% the size of a normal Guerlain lipstick. Overpriced, underwhelming.
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Polishes -Orly - Rage
jennifurrl 8/12/2011 3:31:00 AM
Stunning sandy color dense with what I *think* is silver microglitter. Multi-dimensional effects. Such depth of color! Glossy when dry. Applies like a dream; fast-drying. Quite opaque with one coat but I use 2 with Orly's bonding base and no-chip topcoat. My experience with Orly has always been very positive with long-lasting results; this color is new to me and when it's been on for a while I will report back; I'm worried a tad bit because of the glitterbomb factor but we'll see. Absolutely a re-purchase... it's just that fabulous.
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Lip Gloss -NARS - Turkish Delight
jennifurrl 8/10/2011 10:50:00 PM
It's not fair to say I wouldn't repurchase this product because I didn't have to purchase it the first time -- I was given a tube as a gwp. And while the color is the best thing about this gloss -- or one of the best -- it's also the reason I wouldn't buy it again. 'Turkish Delight' is a light milky pink. It's really luscious; creamy and opaque. The shade isn't crisp though; so while it's a very light shade of pink it's also cool-toned... but barely. It seems to resent it. Personally I was disappointed to discover that I can't wear this shade by itself -- i have enough olive undertones and deeply pigmented lips to neutralize all the effects that make this color awesome; in stead of light and dainty and girly and sweet on me it looks like I just stuck my face into a strawberry shake. But NARS glosses are very nice. I really like the gloss consistency a lot. It's not at all sticky or gooey and has a soft feel on the lips; reminiscent actually of Guerlain glosses. I have no complaints about it whatsoever. The tube is generously sized (if overpriced). The packaging is perfectly acceptable; classic and spare; perfectly in step with the rest of NARS packaging. And I noticed no specific scent or flavor -- a little odd because I've read more than a few reviews complaining about the scent and/or taste of NARS glosses. However... I just don't see (or smell) it. Overall in my opinion it's a great lipgloss. There's none of the stickiness of Clinique's long-wear glosses. It isn't as heavy or gluey as Chanel's glossimers. It isn't gooey and stringy and slimy like Bobbi Brown and even Laura Mercier can be. It's just softly liquid; like heavy whipping cream. I love the shade and can wear it many ways if I pair it with other colors It's not especially long-lasting -- but then I don't need my glosses to be; I'm a constant touch-upper and I like doing it. The color is awesome if ultimately wrong for me; but that won't keep me from buying more NARS glosses in the future. I can't wait to try more colors... but it isn't likely I'll grab 'Turkish Delight' again. Lippies off for the price versus long-wearing ratio and the overall average packaging; for the money if it isn't going to last longer it could at least look more interesting. Kudos for the slant-tip applicator though.
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Liquid -Christian Dior - Diorskin Nude Hydrating Makeup SPF 10 [DISCONTINUED]
jennifurrl 8/10/2011 2:17:00 PM
Awesome liquid foundation! I have to blend shade 022 with 030 to get the right shade - this is why I'm giving it 4 lippies. Otherwise the texture is fine, dewy and glowy; gorgeous finish. Settles into pores a bit only with a heavy layer but when applied with a light hand it's a flawless finish. Pump dispenser whIch is great. Glass bottle, beautiful packaging. No scent I can distinguish. When set with Diorskin Forever powder and MAC's Fix + will stay perfect for 8+ hours. HG. Definite repurchase.
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