Eyeliner -Maybelline - Line Stiletto liquid eyeliner
jossyd 4/2/2011 9:51:00 PM
This is my go-to everyday liner, in shade "blackest brown". I love this liner! Most days, I wear only liner & mascara (no shadow or base) - and I need something that doesn't run or smudge up to my brow bone by the end of the day. I started with pencil (smudged), tried gel (lasted longer than pencil, but eventually smudged), and finally bought this. This doesn't budge all day, and will even last through a tough workout without moving. The felt tip is super easy to apply - flexible enough to not poke, but stiff enough to get a steady line. I've already re-purchased several times and will keep buying. The biggest factor for me is the lasting power, but I also love a good drugstore bargain. Worth a try if you're looking for a great quality, easy to use, liquid liner at a bargain price.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Rimmel - Lasting Finish Enriched w/ Minerals
jossyd 9/18/2008 9:59:00 AM
I really wanted to love this (& I almost do) but unfortuntaly this just didn't work for me. First, the pros. I found a perfect color match with Soft Beige. For reference, I'm NC25ish now, very warm golden yellow-toned skin. This foundation applies easily, blends nicely, looks smooth & flawless, almost semi-matte finish. Coverage is medium but looks completely natural, not at all heavy or cakey. The lasting power is *amazing*; it survived FL heat & humidity and even a trip to the gym while still looking flawless. I have normal skin with a slightly oily t-zone but when wearing this I have almost no oily breakthrough. Love the tube packaging and the price is awesome. It does have a slightly perfume-y scent but it goes away not long after application. Now for the cons. I've noticed by the end of the day (albeit, after several hours of wear) this has settled into my smile lines & the sides of my nose. Those obvious foundation spots kind of kill the natural look. And it generally has a much drier look at the end of the day, not so much the luminous semi-matte look it has the rest of the day. The other big negative is that this leaves my skin really dry & tight once I've washed it off. There must be an ingredient in it that dries my skin out too much. Oiler skinned people may have better luck, but it's just an uncomfortable feeling for me. Unfortunately these cons are enough to keep me on the serach for something else. This seems to work very well for others (& I can see why) but it's just not for me. Will not repurchase. UPDATE 3/29/09 -- I decided to retry this, as my skin has been much more oily lately. Thankfully, this time around I'm not having the same problems as before. Not sure why it's working differently this time but I'm thrilled that I can use this comfortably now. I went with Ivory for my slightly paler winter skintone (NC20ish) and it's a great match. Lasts for 12+ hrs., minimal oil breakthrough, no breakouts, looks natural but covers well. Keeping my fingers crossed that this continues to works well for me because it's an excellent product at a great price.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Stila - Convertible Color Gerbera
jossyd 9/16/2008 4:44:00 PM
This is the first cream blush I've loved. Gerbera is a soft peachy pink color that looks great on my NC20-25ish very warm golden olive skintone. It livens up my complexion without looking clownish. (I apply using my fingers. I dip my index & middle finger in the blush to pick up some product, rub them together with the index & middle fingers of my other hand, then dot/blend onto my cheeks.) The texture of this is great; when I swatched it on my hand I thought it was a little too sticky/shiny but once applied to my cheeks, it's a beautiful soft glowy look. Looks so natural on, just like a natural flush, not an obvious powdery layered blush look. The compact is cute & nice-sized with a large mirror and tons of product. I think $24 is a bit high for a blush but the compact will last forever since I use so little product each time. I swapped for this but I will repurchase when I run out.
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Pressed Powders -Clinique - Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder
jossyd 9/16/2008 4:02:00 PM
I usually buy this in Stay Neutral, but recently picked up Invisible Matte at the CCO. Generally, it's a pretty good product; I have used up & repurchased Stay Neutral several times. I am NC20-25ish, very warm tones, with normal/combo skin. Stay Neutral is a perfect match, while I find Invisible Matte to be too yellow toned (and that's saying something since I'm pretty yellow toned myself.) This compact includes a nice big mirror, a generous amount of product & I don't mind the green packaging. I use this powder for touchups throughout the day or with a big fluffy brush as a finishing powder over foundation. It keeps the oilies away pretty well, usually only needing 1 touch-up after several hours of wear. Oily-skinned reviewers seem to have a very different experience, so this is probably best for normal to slightly oily skins. I haven't had any problems with it oxidzing. Stay Neutral leaves a nice "finished" look, not chalky or over-powdered, just a natural not too matte finish. Doesn't look chalky after touch-ups either. On the other hand, Invisible Matte goes on very differently; any more than just a light dusting on my t-zone leaves a very unnatural overpowdered look that settles into my pores & smile lines which aren't noticeable to begin with. Stay Neutral I will repurchase, Inivisble Matte I will not.
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Eye Shadow -Sonia Kashuk - Enhance Eye Color Whisper
jossyd 9/12/2008 6:34:00 PM
Great bargain find, thanks to the recommendation from a kind MUA-er. Whisper is a basic matte cream/ivory, a dupe for Bobbi Brown Bone e/s. Thiw works great as a base wash of color, a subtle browbone highlight or as a blending shade. Stays color true throughout the day and the texture is smooth. (EDIT: I recently compared this to Px buttermilk colorscope e/s & while this is still a great product for the price, the Px shadow is much smoother/silkier.) The packaging is a nice, sleek, white case with a magnetized closure. For $7 it's a great find; better than paying $20+ for BB's version of such a basic shadow. Lots of product for the money.
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Eye Shadow -Laura Mercier - Black Plum
jossyd 9/9/2008 3:02:00 PM
Beautiful shade & great quality. The color is a rich, dark, purple plum; a true deep purple. (Unlike BB's e/s by the same name that is much more black than plum.) The pigmentation is great, application is smooth, easy to blend & nice texture. As another reviewer mentioned, it adds color but subtley which works perfectly for me since I tend to favor neutrals. This looks wonderful with my blue eyes; I've used it as a crease color with a light bronze/gold for something unexpected & it works great as a liner also. Also nice for a purple smoky eye. This is much more flattering to my skintone than BB's black plum e/s (for reference, NC20-25ish, very warm golden tones.)
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Bobbi Brown - Eyeshadow - Black Plum #27
jossyd 9/9/2008 2:55:00 PM
Not my favorite BB e/s shade. The quality, texture, pigmentation, and staying power are all excellent, as with all BB e/s I have tried. This shade is more black than plum. Works well for creating a dark smoky eye; I've used it with gray shades to add some more depth/darkness. Works nicely as a liner also. It's a good product, it just wasn't the shade I was looking for. (I found Laura Mercier's Black Plum e/s to be much more purple toned & exactly the shade I was looking for. I wrote a review on that as well.)
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Liquid -Prescriptives - Virtual Skin
jossyd 8/29/2008 5:55:00 PM
NOTE: This is my 2nd review for Virtual Skin; I deleted the first because it didn't best explain why I love this so much. I have been using this for about 1 1/2 yrs. and it's definitely my HG foundation. I couldn't ask for a more perfect formula than Virtual Skin - natural looking, buildable sheer-to-medium coverage, oil-free, great color selection. Despite daily use of sunscreen, my skin still picks up color easily throughout the year in the FL sun. I was matched to the Yellow/Orange color family & I alternate among 3 shades - Vellum (at my lightest), Gold (at my darkest) and Ivory (somewhere in between). FYI, even within color families, the undertones vary, i.e. Real Ivory has a touch more pink than Vellum & Gold. For reference, I'm NC20-25ish, very warm golden/olive undertones. I have normal/combo skin & this wears wonderfully thoughout the day, even in the FL heat & humidity. Sometimes I wear a primer underneath & that just makes it look/last even better; it lasts nicely even without a primer. I haven't had any problems with the SPF in pictures but I suggest taking a picture when you first get matched just to check. Sometimes you can go up a shade to avoid the white effect & still have a good match. Applies smoothly & evenly, never looks heavy or cakey, perfect amount of coverage to even out my skin & give a "finished" look, but easy to build for more coverage. Really just looks flawless on. I'm not crazy about the wide-mouth bottle but that does not keep me from repurchasing. (MAC foundation pumps don't fit the bottle.) It's a little more than I'd ideally like to pay for foundation, but the perfect fomula & color match keep me coming back. This is my year-round foundation & one of the best product recommendations I've gotten from MUA.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Revlon - Colorstay 12-Hour Eyeshadow Quad "Coffee Bean"
jossyd 8/25/2008 5:32:00 PM
This is my 2nd Colorstay quad & while this one is ok, I much prefer Copper Spice (check out my review). I love the texture, smooth application & lasting power of the Colorstay shadows but this quad didn't work for me. The shades are: light ivory/bone, really light taupe, medium shimmery copper, dark chocolate brown. The ivory shade doesn't really show up on me (although it works ok for blending) & the taupe shade shows up a light cool-toned grayish. Neither is particularly flattering to my NC20-25ish, very warm skin. The 2 darker shades, while pretty, are very similar to the 2 darkest shades of the Copper Spice quad. The Colorstay quads in general are a great product, great quality & a bargain. I will try other shades, but not repurchase this quad.
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Eye Shadow -Revlon - Colorstay 12-Hour eyeshadow quad- Copper Spice
jossyd 8/25/2008 5:04:00 PM
This is wonderful product & one of my favorite drugstore bargains. The shades are beautiful; light soft shimmery ivory/champagne, light shimmery peach, medium shimmery copper, and dark shimmery chocolate brown. The 2 lightest shades are great as base colors, for highlighting or blending. The 2 darker shades give you more impact but still an easy look for day. The darkest is good for lining or for a brown smokey eye. The shimmer is subtle but enough to add some depth to the shades & keep them from looking flat. More of a glow than shimmer, similar to BB's shimmer wash e/s. They apply smoothly, the lasting power is wonderful (good without a base, excellent with), and you can't beat the price! Will definitely repurchase. For reference, I am NC20-25ish, golden/slightly olive undertones, blue eyes.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Bobbi Brown - Lip Gloss
jossyd 8/8/2008 5:22:00 PM
I have this in 3 shades. I love everything about these glosses... except the packaging. I love wand glosses, but I much prefer doe-foot applicators. The brushes splay way too easily & make the product harder to apply evenly. The shades are very pretty with a nice range of colors. The texture, while stickier than most glosses I have, is nice too. Sticky but not too sticky; and the stickiness factor helps the gloss last longer. These have a subtle vanilla scent that I really like. When I first saw these, I was surprised how tiny the tube is. I expected more product for the money. I will not repurchase these solely because of the brush-wand, which is a shame because otherwise it's a great gloss.
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Lips -Vincent Longo - Cheek & Lip Stain
jossyd 8/8/2008 5:06:00 PM
I got this in Cupid's Breath. The color was a pretty brown-toned berry color on me. Very pretty color. This product is a true liquid, not a gel or lipstick. (Reminds me of Jell-o before it sets.) Once you put it on, it's just your lips with more color; not exactly a "finished" look so I've always worn it with a gloss on top. The biggest problem for me was getting an even application; sometimes I end up with more color in some spots than others. Definintely not a "swipe & go" lippie. Lasting power is ok, a few hours maybe. Overall, not really my favorite lip product.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Laura Mercier - Lip Stain in Sugar Violet
jossyd 8/8/2008 4:51:00 PM
I never would have picked this color on my own; it was recommended by the SA when I had my m/u done at the counter. I really like this color. It's a pretty, fresh, purple-y berry color with a touch of shimmer to add some dimension. Looks surprisingly good on my NC20-25 warm skintone. The texture is quite nice - not moisturizing but not at all drying. I was a little hesitant to go for a stain because I expected it to be very drying but this isn't at all; I have regular lippies that are more drying than this. Does it last forever? No, but it does last for a good bit, while still being very comfortable on. I actually like it as it wears off, because it leaves a nice subtle tint. Sometimes I'll layer a nude gloss over this & it looks great. (The gloss makes the color a little more subtle.) I apply with a lip brush & I'm sure the pot will last a long time. I can't wait to try other shades.
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Eyeliner -Bobbi Brown - Indigo Ink
jossyd 8/8/2008 2:01:00 PM
One of my new favorite tricks is to tightline with navy liner. It makes my eyes look clear, whiter and really brings out the blue. The quality of BB's gel liners is excellent - goes on smoothly, doesn't smudge, lasts all day. The consistency is just right too - not too wet, not too dry, not at all goopy. (As much as I love the shades I have of Clinique cream liner, the consistency of those is just not as good as BB gel liners.) Indigo is a beatiful deep navy. Looks different enough from brown/black liner to be interesting, but not in a tacky blue liner way. The pot will probably last forever, but I will definitely repurchase & I will be buying other shades of BB gel liner.
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Brows -Clinique - Brow Keeper
jossyd 8/8/2008 1:45:00 PM
I've been using this on & off since high school & I've repurchased several times. This is a very waxy pencil, which I love because it provides some hold. It is soft (as many reviews have pointed out); I sharpen it about 1x week & a pencil lasts me a few months. It looks very natural for filling in sparse patches & defining the arch. The spoolie on the end is great for combing and blending the pencil. I'm medium brunette & I use this in "honey". I'm on a hunt to find cheaper durgstore replacements for some items in my stash, but I will definintely come back to this. Overall, great find.
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