Treatments -Clinique - Pore Minimizer T-zone control [DISCONTINUED]
justpass 2/10/2011 2:37:00 AM
This product does mattify my t-zone somewhat, but the effect is only marginally longer than not using anything at all. I purchased it a year ago, had a couple of tries and hated it. Since then I was advised to improve on my moisturizing because I was apparently not doing it enough, and this alone helped control my oil production better, making this product work a teeny tiny bit better. I don't see an apparent pore minimizing effect. The product has a silicone texture and can separate in the tube, so it should be well shaken before using.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Clinique - Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle and UV Damage Corrector
justpass 2/10/2011 2:31:00 AM
Thanks to GWP, I had a couple of samples of this and could use them for several weeks. Since it was sample size, I tried it only on the fine lines on my forehead and around one eye (I wanted to be sure I'd see a difference). This product filled my forehead with blackheads. Furthermore, I had to quickly discontinue the use around the eye, since it cause small red bumps to appear. I looked at the ingredients... the first few ingredients is a bunch of silicones, what was I expecting? All the lines are still there, no reduction at all. Be very careful to use this if you are acne prone.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Clinique - Even Better Makeup SPF 15
justpass 2/4/2011 3:40:00 AM
I got this in a GWP (btw, really smart to put one shade in a GWP, Clinique... everybody is Neutral in colour, right?). I tried applying with my fingers, a foundation flat brush and a sponge, and found out that for me fingers worked best, although giving the sheerest coverage. It is, however, quite buildable, I'd say to medium coverage, after that it looks like you have foundation on your face (duh). It has the nicest dewy finish, I pat some powder over the T-zone and it lasts on my combination skin for a good 8 hours before getting shiny again. It's actually one of the best foundations I've ever tried, and for anyone else it could be a 4 or 5 lippies, but I took some rating away because it breaks me out like there's no tomorrow. I can't use this.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Liners -The Body Shop - Lip Liner
justpass 2/3/2011 10:37:00 AM
I have this in Mauve Berry and love it. The name is pretty fitting, it is a berry colour, not too dark. It's really soft and well pigmented, I don't have to go twice over the same place to deposit colour. It doesn't feel drying at all on my lips, and I have a tendency to have pretty chapped lips! Looks great by itself or with a hint of gloss on top. Because it is so soft, it does transfer and fade after some hours if worn on its own or under gloss, but it doesn't become patchy, it kind of fades evenly, leaving nice tinted lips after.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -China Glaze - Pure Elegance
justpass 2/1/2011 7:13:00 AM
This is a very pretty pink, with a beautiful golden pink shimmer, which makes it lively but not too much in-your-face bubblegum pink. Unfortunately, I picked up a pre-3free version of this (stupid me, I should have looked better), so I don't know if it's any different with newer formulas. Anyway, what I dislike about it is that it's so sheer. I still have VNL after 4 coats, and if it wasn't for Seche Vite, it would never dry. It does look great layering over other pinks or purples, but you have to be careful to not make it patchy then, and it's hardly worth the trouble. I get 3-4 days wear before chipping when using 3-4 coats with Seche Vite on top.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -The Body Shop - Rainforest Balance Shampoo
justpass 1/29/2011 4:01:00 AM
I purchased a big bottle (400 mL), which was good and bad: good because it gave me an opportunity to fully test it, bad because I was left with a lot of useless product when I decided it was not working for me. I used it over three months on my just short of shoulder-length hair. For reference, my hair is very straight (hardly needs conditioner, except to tame static electricity) and a bit oily, and I suffer from itchy scalp. I don't use styling products, just a bit of mousse maybe twice a year! This shampoo was my first SLS-free purchase after I read the itchiness was probably due to SLS. After a month of using it I was pretty happy with it, I got used to lather it on my hands then applying on my wet hair and to the product consistency, although I felt I needed to use quite a lot of it. Then it got progressively worse, my hair felt really dry just after wash and got greasy later on the same day (typical scalp reaction, I believe), forcing me to go back to wash everyday. The itchiness became worse, and I developed dandruff! Thinking I was having product buildup from my silicone-containg conditioner (even if I just apply it to the tips), I discontinued the conditioner. No luck. I've read since that perhaps it would have helped to use a deep-cleansing shampoo to get rid of the buildup, but I don't think I had conditioner left on my hair after several weeks of washing it everyday with a drying shampoo! So what did I get from this? Dull greasy hair that is hard to comb after wash, dandruff and an itchier scalp. I have since purchased another SLS-free shampoo that felt completely different from day 1, so now that I have something to compare to, I find the TBS version very poor. Unfortunately, this seems to be a hit-or-miss product.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Elizabeth Arden - Eye Fix Primer
justpass 1/14/2011 12:30:00 PM
This is HG to me. I haven't tried UDPP or TSFI though so I can't compare, but the fact that it holds eyeshadows in place for more than ten hours without creasing or fading on my oily lids, independently of weather conditions makes me to not purchase anything else. I bought mine a year ago and it still has quite a lot of product left in it, you need the tiniest amount on each eye (less than half a grain of rice, I'd say). Even if the label says it's good for 6 months only, I have noticed no alteration in the product quality, and it's probably because the packaging is so hygienic. It gives a bit of colour, so it's going to be neutral on caucasian skin and perhaps act as a light base for darker skin tones. Yes it's expensive but worth every cent.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Clinique - Pair of Shades Eye Shadow Duo #25 (Bronze Satin & Ivory Bisque)
justpass 1/14/2011 12:20:00 PM
Love this duo. The ivory colour is softer than just using white for highlighting, and works wonderfully as a lid colour too. The brown is just the perfect crease colour for me and I use it all the time. The consistency is quite smooth, almost buttery. I got this with the old drawer packaging and didn't like that too much, but I see it has been changed, no opinion on the newer packaging yet though. They will crease without a base on my oily lids, but anything creases on them anyway.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - ColorAppeal TrioPro Moka Burgundy
justpass 1/14/2011 12:12:00 PM
Well the previous reviewer described the colour better than I could so I won't bother :P I do think that the glitter is golden, not silver, but it could be my eyes... I found the cream highlighter to be a bit crumbly, but usable if using my finger to apply the product. The highlighter is sheer and the powder colours are well pigmented, and very smooth, a bit of fallout but that's not a problem for me. The glittery one is not too much in-your-face glitter, quite elegant actually. I rarely pair these colours, but they do work together. Wouldn't repurchase simply because of L'Oreal's stance on animal testing, otherwise it's a great quality product for a good price.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -The Body Shop - Eyebrow kit
justpass 1/14/2011 11:55:00 AM
I have this product in no3, the darkest shades, and it fits my black brows very nicely! Not too ashy, not too reddish. I use a hint of the lightest colour mixed with a bit more of the darkest one (like one tap on the first, three taps on the second with an angled brush) to fill in some gaps and define the outer tip. It stays well on my combination skin all day long, even on warm summer days, not using any wax or gel over it (but I don't sweat a lot on my forehead). Unfortunately the packaging is a bit rubbish because one of the pans came loose pretty quickly (but I guess that happens) and the included brush must be some sort of a joke, who uses that? HOW do you use that? Not the MUA that suggested it to me, she used an angled brush... I've used the lighter shade as an eyeliner and it worked fine too.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Estee Lauder - Double Wear Stay in Place Eyeliner in Midnight Blue
justpass 1/14/2011 11:43:00 AM
Great pigmentation, smooth application, no smear (in fact, if you want to smoke it out, you have to be quick, because it sets and does not budge!), no flaking. Stays well on the waterline, it does fade after several hours but what doesn't on the waterline. The colour is very elegant, a good alternative to black if you want sultry but with a pop of colour. Expensive yes, but you pay for this quality.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Liners -Smashbox - Lipliner
justpass 1/14/2011 11:33:00 AM
I have this in Nude Rose. It's a good match for my lip colour, which allows me to use it to correct the contour and fill in to even out the top colour. It goes on easily and has really good staying power, good base for lipstick too. The problem that makes me not give it a full five and make me repurchase is that it's way too drying on my lips, so I can't fill them with this liner. It's a good product but not for me, who has an unfortunate tendency to have chapped lips, worsened by living in a cold, dry climate. A bit expensive, but you get what you pay for.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Clinique - Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Raspberry
justpass 1/14/2011 11:25:00 AM
It's an ok balm and/or an ok gloss, depends on how you look at it. I didn't find it especially moisturizing but it wasn't drying. It's very sheer, almost colourless on the lips, so works best for a natural look or to top a lipstick/lip pencil. No shimmer or glitter in it, which I also appreciate. Doesn't last very long on the lips though, I feel that after an hour or so it's gone, even without eating/drinking. Overall a pretty meh product, I got it free as part of a GWP so I'm not complaining too much, good size to carry around in my handbag.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -The Body Shop - natures minerals bronzing powder
justpass 1/14/2011 11:18:00 AM
Have this in no.1 and absolutely love it. The MUA at my local TBS showed me how to use it with a small kabuki brush and it works like a charm. It looks a bit shimmery in the package but on the skin it's almost matte and can be used for contouring (actually, that's what the MUA did on me, not bronzing). Easy to do a light bronzing/shading effect and easy to build up if necessary. Good staying power (especially if buffed into the skin with the kabuki), lovely no-orange tinge colour. Like the packaging too, it has a mesh instead of the standard sifter, way better that way I think!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Makeup Remover -Clinique - Rinse-Off Eye Makeup Solvent
justpass 1/14/2011 11:04:00 AM
This is not a good remover, am I glad I only used a sample from a GWP, because I'd be bummed to have payed for a bottle. It didn't remove non-waterproof mascara efficiently, (I tried both light rubbing and holding a wet cotton onto my eyelid for a minute or so) and it has a hard time removing some brighter colours. If you wear neutrals and no mascara and like to pay a lot of money for a makeup remover, go ahead and buy it :/
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No