Lip Treatments -Smith's Rosebud Salve - Mocha Rose Lip Balm
karrieleigh 10/23/2009 12:52:00 PM
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Overall, I am a fan of the Rosebud Perfume Co. products. This is, as far as i'm aware, the newest variation of lip balm from them
COLOR: In the tin this is just about what it says it is: Mocha Rose. I wouldn't mind finding a blush that looked like this does in the tin, as a matter of fact.
SCENT: The first thing i get off this tin when I first open it is a slightly artificial chocolate scent, but as I exhale, the artificial note transforms into the coffee scent you expect. There is a tinge of vanilla as well, but it's an afterthought. This one might be an acquired taste for some, but if you love coffee, it's a keeper.
TEXTURE: This particular one is just about the same as the original Rosebud Salve, but it has a slightly creamier feel on the lips. This might be due to the fact that Mocha Rose contains shea butter and some "essential oils" within the petrolatum base. The original Rosebud salve has those "essential oils" claims as well but does't list shea butter in the ingredients. Mocha Rose is not thick but it's not as vaseline-like as you might think. On the lips, you get a light sheen, not enough to be glossy but to make the lips look plump and well hydrated.PACKAGING: The tin, as most of the Rosebud tins are, is adorable. Maybe more adorable than any of the rest. I've included a photo below to show you what it looks like. Very much a vintage vibe, makes me feel like i borrowed it from my grandma, in a good way, haha.
WEAR: This clings for quite a while, I put it on and a few hours later I struggle to remember what I applied since then, and then I realize it's still Mocha Rose. The scent eventually fades, or I just get used to it, but either way, the legacy it leaves is just natural looking juicy lips.
PRICE: This is a tricky one. It will run you about $7 which isn't a lot of money, but I've heard a lot of people complain that they won't pay $7 for Vaseline. My view is this: It's not just Vaseline, it's a lip balm with shea butter, albeit in a petrolatum base, but there are any number of reasons to buy this. One being the collectability (some people collect $50 palettes and never use them, why is this more crazy? lol). Another reason being that the cute little vintage tin and the actual feeling of splurging itself for a mere $7 is a bit of a cheap thrill. I love these, for all the reasons above, and Mocha Rose is my current favorite (which might change soon as i'm about to try Minted Rose for the first time, but i'll update on that)
OVERALL: yeah it's a $7 lip balm, but it's a HUGE tin at .8oz, and it's cute and it smells great. It's a great cheap way to splurge.
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Lipstick -Lipstick Queen - Medieval 
karrieleigh 6/7/2009 6:07:00 PM
Please click "Continued" below for pics and swatches
Would I buy this again? yes, a million times, yes! i love it dearly.
COLOR: This is a true looking red in the tube, and it goes on very sheer and appears as a sweet slightly warm red on the lips. I would call this color the red for people who don't wear red. For those who aren't adverse to bold lips, it's a MLBB bitten type look. it's got enough pow that you can wear it with a light eye look, and you can still rock it with a dramatic eye.
TEXTURE: The application is silky and smooth, and very sheer yet buildable. It's almost like a gel and feels amazing on the lips. I don't think it's overly moisturizing, but it's definitely not drying whatsoever.
PACKAGING: This comes in a red brushed metal case. you can see photos of it below. It's distinctive for sure and seems sort of elegant to me. the outer carton seems a little cheap, looks almost like a blister pack you'd find at the drug store but the illustration is very cool. the outer carton never really bothers me, and the tube itself is really nice.
WEAR: This does not have the best wear, it sticks decently well but definitely is pretty emollient so it will wear off within an hour or two.
PRICE: $20 USD for this product doesn't bother me at all, it's just that great.
OVERALL: I can't talk this product up enough. I have a freaking storage unit's worth of lip products and still want a backup of this. i don't have a backup of a single other lip color so I think that says a lot. This is the desert island lip color, goes with absolutely everything.
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Eye Shadow -Bobbi Brown - Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow in Bone 16
karrieleigh 3/18/2009 9:05:00 PM
Please click "Continued" below to view a photo of Bone Shimmer Wash
This is my #1 HG eye shadow! MUST HAVE!!!!!
COLOR: This is an off white with golden undertones, seems like it might be warm, but it comes off very neutral. It's a great highlight shade and overall wash of color.
TEXTURE: Here's the part that makes this my HG: The name "Shimmer Wash" is so appropriate. This isn't frosty or chalky or anything like it. it's a lightly pearly sheen and that's it. There is no base color and the sheen is just off white. I can't even layer it to get it as frosty as something like Stila Starlight, it just isn't in it's power. No frost at all, and like frost, don't get me wrong, but pretty frosty shades are a dime a dozen, this is just literally a subtle sheen that wakes my eyes up in a way that's almost imperceptible and just phenomenal!!!!!!! and it makes a great highlight since it's just that subtle sheen, you just can't overapply it, it seems
PACKAGING: I am a big fan of the new and INGENIOUS packaging of BB's square packaging revamp, but i have this shadow in the old round screwtop. The packaging is not as convenient as the new, but it doesn't keep me from using this shadow daily. You can find it in the old packaging at Cosmetic COmpany Outlets for cheaper as well as on ebay for even less, but i recommend the new packaging because i'm anal about organizing.
WEAR: Over a base (I use Too Faced Shadow Insurance) this wears evenly and beautifully all day for me. I've not tried it without a base and honestly don't plan to.
PRICE: $20 for the new packaging which holds .10 oz isn't bad for this HG shadow in my book. It looks from the packaging like a shadow that can be duped by any drugstore brand, but it just can't because of the texture. WnW Cream is close in color, but frosty as can be. The price is very worth it for this one in my opinion, but if you're not anal about having the new square packaging, get it on ebay or at CCO for an even better deal. I got mine from a girl on specktra for just an insanely good deal and am so glad i did.
OVERALL: I can't think of another way to put it: THIS IS MY HG SHADOW. I wear it almost every day in some capacity, and often as my only shadow. it is perfection and if i could recommend one single shadow to anyone, this is the one, boring as it may seem, since I use it for so many things.
Here is a photo of the shadow and a swatch of it on my NC25 (slowly becoming NC30 as summer approaches) hand, the flash makes it seem it might be frosty, but please take my word: it's sublime
And here's a picture of me wearing Bone as an allover wash with BB Rockstar Metallic e/s on the lid
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Eye Shadow -Bobbi Brown - Metallic Eyeshadow in Rockstar
karrieleigh 3/18/2009 8:42:00 PM
*Click "Continued" to view pics of this shadow*
BB's metallic shadows are, on the whole, pretty great. I own four myself and love them all. The textures seem to vary a little. After Hours was my first of them, and the smooth pigmentation and lush color is what drew me in. Rockstar has some shimmer which makes the texture slightly different, in my opinion, but still great!
COLOR: The color is a midtone silver with some light gunmetal leanings. It's decidedly cool but with no blue undertones, a true silver to my eye. I like to use it over MAC Sharkskin shadestick to deepen it slightly and to make the shimmer stick to my skin, but the color when used by itself is about the perfect shade between light and dark to define but not overwhelm. This would not be dark enough to line, in my opinion, unless using over a darker base.
TEXTURE: As i said, the texture of the metallics are largely smooth shades with great pigmentation and no glitter. Rockstar does have a bit of shimmer which seems to "float" in the shadow along with the metallic shimmer which is embedded in the texture. it's hard to explain, but suffice it to say that you can experience fall-out from this shimmer if you're not careful. The shade doesn't lend itself to pigmentation as much as it does shimmer, meaning the payoff you get is more shimmer than pigment in terms of impact on the eye. hopefully you can make sense of that, i can't haha.
PACKAGING: The new BB packaging for shadows and blush is INGENIOUS! Each individual item is packaged in a square black compact with a clear top. Each item can be popped out of it's compact with a couple firm thumbs on the inlay on the bottom and popped into one of Bobbi Brown's compacts. There are 3, 4, and 6 pan palette compacts which are all equipped with mirrors. The bottom of each well in the palettes are cut out so that the label of each item you put in will show on the bottom of the palette. INGENIOUS, I say!
WEAR: This shadow, like other BB shadows wears on me completely the same all day over a base. I can't say how they wear without a base as i can't bring myself to try it. I'm enslaved by shadow primers (I love and usually use Too Faced Shadow Insurance).
PRICE: $20 for .10 oz isn't exactly prohibitively expensive, especially for a makeup addict, but it's still $20. I personally don't have a problem paying it for high quality unique shadows, but admittedly there are a lot of BB shadows i wouldn't shell out for, but this isn't one. it's worth the money. While i agree with the reviewer below that Sisley is more expensive, it's hardly debatable, this isn't a whim purchase price bracket for most. The shadows are large and if you pick and choose your favorites, a palette full of these is a great investment in my view, and a nice luxury that won't blow your budget completely if chosen wisely.
OVERALL: I LOVE this shadow, i just cannot live without it. I am maniacal about silver shadows and love them to death and if forced to part with some, i'd hide this one away in safety:P Great value and a great shade, you just can't beat it.
Rockstar is the top right shadow here:
and here it is on my eye over Sharkskin shadestick along with BB Bone Shimmer Wash and HIP Navy eye kohl
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Liquid -Make Up For Ever - Face & Body Foundation
karrieleigh 10/20/2008 7:12:00 PM
WOW! this is an amazing foundation, the best i've tried so far. It's brought my search for my HG foundation to a screeching halt for the moment. The first MUFE foundation I tried was HD, and I ended up swapping it for this because on my oily skin HD just wouldn't hold up. The application was also tricky, it applied so dry and streaky even on well moisturized skin.
COLOR: I'm using #20 in this and it's an amazing match. I'm around a NC25 right now. I had been using 117 in HD but it was a tad too light for me. 118 would have been a better match.
TEXTURE: The texture is super weird, it looks like a thick gel but is in fact quite thin and watery, which makes it amazing to apply. Don't freak out if yours is lumpy, even with a lot of shaking it will still be a big blob. You do have to shake very well before use. It smooths on to the skin so nicely and never accentuates any dry spots or imperfections. It literally looks like i'm erasing pores with my sponge instead of putting on makeup. I like to apply it with a sponge dampened lightly with MAC Charged Waters, but it also works super well with the mac 187. It applies rather sheerly, but is buildable. I tend to need only one layer to conceal pores and minor redness. I haven't needed to use under eye concealer with this, but my circles are very faint. if you have even mild dark circles you will probably still need to use a concealer for under-eyes.
PACKAGING: This comes in an oddly shaped chunky bottle with a screw top. no pump which kind of makes sense, because it needs to be shaken so well every time. It is really difficult to get out just the right amount until you get some practice with it. I can't imagine a better way to package this though, so I didn't dock many point for that.
WEAR: This wears so incredibly well on my oily skin. I set with MAC Blot powder and the finish is just gorgeous. It doesn't suppress oil or anything but no foundation/primer/powder has ever really helped with that much. The finish and application are what make this HG for me, the long wear is just icing.
PRICE: at $38USD, it's not astronomically over-priced but it's not drugstore cheap either. it's also not drugstore quality. I think the price is rather reasonable for how it performs for me. plus I use very little each time. I poured out too much the first couple times till i got used to it, but now the usage is minimal.
OVERALL: This is an amazing foundation and I will buy more when I need it. I am super happy with this item, it was one of the best swap items i've gotten in a long time, it's HG!
UPDATE 2-12-09: i went through an entire bottle and ordered another. i STILL love this foundation. I'm really interested in also trying out the new MAC Studio Sculpt, but mostly from curiosity, i can't imagine i'll like much of anything better than this. I am still applying it the same way, with a lightly damp sponge, though on days where i need more coverage i dot some on with a foundation brush and blend on troublesome spots with my fingers, it's always flawless. I've realized it doesn't set well with MAC Loose Blot, but it's good with pressed. The BEST setting powder is PURE silica powder ( i use Pure Luxe brand but MUFE has their own only much more $$$ ) with MUFE F&B and pure silica powder i look literally airbrushed, straight out of a magazine and i never thought that could happen. BUY THIS FOUNDATION!
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Eye Shadow -Christian Dior - 2-Colour Eyeshadow - Silver Look
karrieleigh 9/24/2008 10:51:00 AM
Please click "continued" at the bottom for pics:
COLOR: This compact contains two shades. The larger side on the left is a plum/taupey brown. It's hard to explain but it's sort of cool-toned and has a bit of taupey/grey/plum but not one of those is more dominant, it's just a smooth nice shade. The shade on the right is a shimmery fleshy silver.
TEXTURE: Herein lies the greatness of this duo. The matte shade is the softest, most lightweight yet most blendable and pigmented shadow I have ever used. That's including mac matte2 formula which are pretty bangin' imo. This is just so light like the texture of the Iridescent quints, just really creamy and gossamer-thin. The shimmer side is also similar to the texture of the iridescent quints and shares the same "wet-look" feel and appearance. It's not overly frosty and lays on the eye like a floaty layer of silk.
PACKAGING: THese come in a compact silmilar to that of the quint. It's the same design only half the size. The old dior duos looked a heck of a lot like L'Oreal duos and weren't as appealing IMO, but these are very simple yet luxurious. The quilted pattern present on the newer quints and singles is here as well on the modern and simple square pans. The velour pouch you get with the quints is included here as well, of course in a smaller size.
WEAR: I've only worn this a day total so far, over Lumene eye shadow base which works well for me. I applied the darker matte shadow all over my lid and blended it well above the crease. Usually when i use a dark shade, let alone a matte one, i have to use a lighter shade to blend the line as i get near to the area below my brow bone, but this is so blendable that i literally just had to graduate the color out and it looked like i spent 5 minutes trying to blend. I used the darker shade also on the outer 1/3 of my lower lashline. I used the shimmery shade on the inner area of my lower lashline and then took a fluff brush and lightly applied the shimmer over the dark shade on the lid and the crease. The look I got was similar to the glossy lightly smoky eye that seems to be popular right now. I can't wear gloss on my lids because it creases on my lid type terribly, but this "wet-look" shimmer gives my eyes the slightly glossy look, no powderyness in sight. This duo wore well with only slight fading in the crease after a few hours on my incredibly oily lids.
PRICE: These duos are $35. They are a bit more than half the price of the quint, but you get more than half the amount of product too. Overall i might prefer the value of the quint provided that all the shades are ones I like and will use, but this duo is well worth the cost. Two mac shadows would cost you only 5 less. It depends on what you're looking for as to which would be a better deal for you. If you're looking for a way to make several looks involving taupey grey and a light silver shimmer for fall, this is a great buy.
OVERALL: I am really pleased with this duo. I will continue to wear it the way i detailed above, but and looking forward to trying the shimmer all over with the darker shade lightly in the crease, or with the darker shade fading up lightly from the lasline. I love this as much as my other favorite shadow palette, Iridescent Leather, and will be using the crap out of it just like IL.
Pic of the duo:
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Mascara -Chanel - Mascara Exceptionnel
karrieleigh 9/13/2008 6:07:00 PM
Click "continued" below for pics of the wand...
I somewhat dislike this mascara. I LOVE Inimitable, but I don't love this.
COLOR: The color I have is Smoky Noir. it's very very carbon black. Similar in depth to Diorshow Blackout.
TEXTURE: The formula itself seems very pasty to me, very thick. For me that's always a bad thing, it means clumps and flakes to me. It does go on a bit clumpy, i used a metal lash comb to try to straighten things out.
PACKAGING: The brush i think is supposed to the big draw here i think? I really find it lacking big time. It's so blunt. There are alternating "stripes" of comb then brush, then comb then brush. The bristles in each are incredibly stubby. twirling the brush helps a bit but if the bristles were longer it would be better because i can't get into my lashline with this, and that's a big part of mascara for me.
WEAR: I have had very few mascaras flake on me, and even less mascaras that smear on me under normal circumstances, but this did both. I didn't touch or rub my eyes at all, but when I checked my mascara 4 hours after applying, i had small circles and tons of flakes below and ABOVE my eyes. wtf? I had to remove my makeup immediately, this is why i test new things like this over the weekend. Removing this was not fun either. It comes off easily under my eyes when I don't want it to, then when I actually try to remove it, it won't go away. I left residue on my lashes because i didn't want to chance ripping some of my precious few lashes out.
PRICE: This runs the same $28 as Inimitable. Inimitable is worth it. This isn't. Thank goodness I got this as a sample because I would be seriously bummed out after paying nearly $30 for this.
OVERALL: I will not be purchasing this in full size. I know some people love this, and hopefully it works better for the rest of you, but I can't reccomend it.
Pictures of the wand:
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Lips -Giorgio Armani - Lip Wax
karrieleigh 9/13/2008 1:39:00 PM
Please click "continued" below to see pics:
This is just my initial review to put in my two cents for anyone still deciding on which, if any, shades to get. I will update in a couple weeks once i've had more time with them, but so far i'm super happy.
COLOR: I bought #5 and #6 and both are gorgeous IMO. #5 "Cardinal Red" is a bright pinky red in the pot and a bit lighter and pinker on the lips. #6 "Chianti" is a deep warm wine in the pot and a warmish medium red on the lips. The surface of #5 is almost matte in the pan and the surface of #6 is very glossy in the pan.
TEXTURE: They are very slippy and easy to pick up with a lip brush and apply smoothly and evenly on the lips. They remind me of the texture of MAC Mattene lipsticks but with a slightly more balmy texture. The little chunks that deposit along the lipline with mattenes doesn't apply with these because of that added balmy feeling. Once they set (or dry down, whichever you prefer) they are very transfer resistant yet they still feel incredibly creamy on the lips which is really a head-scratcher for me, but I'm not going to question the miracle. The color does tend to deposit into fine lip lines but that's so hard to avoid with deep shades, and i don't have a light shade in these to determine whether this is something that is innate in the formula or just a consequence of the deep shades. They are both also sort of sheer. Yes, as people say, they're pigmented, but they are a bit sheer if that makes any sense. They're not like mattenes or an amplified cream in that respect.
PACKAGING: These come in little glossy pots very similar to those of the Sephora mono shadow pots, same size and shape. Pretty easy to open, no reuning my manicure. I love the low key elegant look of these. The pot of course forces one to use either their fingers or a brush, but while it may be fine to use #1-3 with your fingers, i would NOT suggest doing that with the darker shades, they need a certain degree of precision.
WEAR: this is the part i will have to update later, as i've only been wearing #6 for a couple hours. So far it has stayed put. I had some coffee, no transfer on to my travel mug. I had some diet dr pepper, no transfer on to the WHITE can =O. sipped from the can, looked for transfer, it wasn't there so i checked in the bathroom mirror to make sure it was still there. It was, and was still fabulous, no bleeding. Checked the creaminess factor, still moist-ish, but had a bit of a powdery matte-satin feel to it. miraculous. Is it crazy to want a second #6? seriously, i'm really thinking about it. I bought a second Kirsch mattene after having a similar reaction to it's beauty and wear, but i think i like this better now! haha.
PRICE: $26 USD, the price of most high end lip items. I can think of several lip items at that price point that i've tried; Glossimers, GA Lip Shimmers, Chanel RA, YSL GGs... I would MUCH rather spend the $$ on another one of these. None of the others are in a class of their own like the lip waxes in my opinion. I think that even though these are smallish, with the small amount you need when using a lip brush, the price is really reasonable.
OVERALL: Definitely pleased with these so far. I really think that for someone trying to decide which to get, I would rec getting #6 for several reasons. 1) Great fall lip color choice, 2) the formula lends itself to transfer-resistant long lasting matte-ish color, i think that calls for a sort of bold shade. That's just MY opinion, and the shade is also pretty neutral in tone so it would flatter most people from PPPs to GGGs, warmies and coolies, whatevs, everyone should have this, lol.
Here are my pics of #5 "Cardinal Red" and #6 "Chianti"
29 out of 29 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Laura Geller - Ethereal Rose Powder
karrieleigh 8/17/2008 11:20:00 PM
PICS BELOW, click "continued"
COLOR: These tend to vary in shade due to the process by which they're made, but mine is pinker than some i've seen. The top half of it is more pink with no real veining and then the bottom half is a little warmer. I wouldn't go as far as to say that the bottom half is peach but maybe a really warm pink whereas the top half is pretty neutral, maybe a tinge cool. The veining is a little metallic looking in the pan, but is very subtle on the face and shows up as mainly a very subtle sheen instead of glitter particles. Some have said that this is similar to Porcelain Pink MSF but I swatched the two on my hand and this is waaaaay less frosty than PP, as well as being less warm and having much less glitter particles. I think that they would complement each other in a bluch/highlighter relationship, but they're very different IMO.
TEXTURE: Ethereal Rose is very smooth and pigmented yet very natural on the face. It's sheer but buildable also at the same time. There are some shimmer particles throughout ER but it's very evenly distributed, not like the glitter fallout of most MSFs and is not really noticable on the face.
PACKAGING: These come in two different containers that I have seen so far. One is a rounded off square with the round disc inside, the other is a round compact with a half circle window to show the color of the product. Mine is the latter and i'm glad, something about the squared off one is weird to me, lol. I do wish that the window was a full circle but i may be alone in this little quirk. The compact is pretty easy to open and very sturdy feeling. I would feel more comfortable travelling with this than MSFs, because of the packaging and also because the powder seems to be more firm.
WEAR: ER stays on very well throughout the day. When i dust it lightly all over to brighten my complexion, it seems like i can still see it in the evening. When used as a blush i'm really pleased with how well such a pale blush sticks around on my oily skin no matter what sort of foundation i use, or whether i use foundation at all.
PRICE: $29.50 USD seems a lot, but I was seriously searching for this shade exactly and couldn't seem to pin it down in another brand, so I didn't mind. The amount you get seems to be pretty respectable so that's good.
OVERALL: This is a completely unique product in my stash. it's a great all-over brightener, a subtle highlighter and a blush all in one. The price is a little steep, but otherwise there are so many great things about it to outweigh that one con. I would purchase again, no doubt, if ever ran out and i really may. I prefer it over MAC Porcelain Pink which is a relief.
Here is a pic comparing Ethereal Rose (left) to MAC Porcelain Pink (right)
And here it is in the pan
21 out of 21 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Christian Dior - Iridescent Leather 539 [DISCONTINUED]
karrieleigh 8/17/2008 4:15:00 PM
Please click "continued" below for GINORMOUS pics!
This is the most impressed i've been with a makeup product in a while. I hadn't been interested in the Dior quints at all before Goldfever came out, and that one seemed so nice to me, but before i finally came around to the idea of the quint, the IR Leather had just come out and was being touted as being better than Goldfever, so i set out to find it. I did and I am freakin' ecstatic!
COLORS: The five shades included are like the 5 most wearable shades ever. I'm neutral-warm and golds and bronzes, even taupes turn dirty looking on me, but not this. The shades are a pinked champagne, lightly bronzed tan, weathered gold, a really deep plush chocolate and the center is a white gold. The combinations are endless, this makes a great light shimmery defined eye, all the way to a sultry smokey earthy look. love it.
TEXTURE: The silky, shiny, almost wet looking texture of these shadows would make Stila cry. Beside these the best of the Stila buttery textured shadows are chalky by comparison, which is a lot coming from me since I adore Stila shadows. When i first swatched these on my hands I was really impressed, no other shadow is quite as silky as these are. they blend effortlessly and yet stay put amazingly on the eyes even after i purposely rub on them.
PACKAGING: I had never really looked at these in person before so i was a little surprised by the sheer bulk of this palette. It's so pretty and substantial though. The mirror inside is huge as well, i can see nearly my whole face. I also love that the top of the compact is a little transparent and that the top layer says "Dior" and then underneath peeking out is the CD. it's really pretty. There's so much excess packaging to allow room for the sponge applicators also, and that is kind of annoying since i don't usually use sponges, but to some people the thought of buying a palette for $54 that doesn't even come with applicators *GASP* is a rip-off, so i guess it's not that bad. It's so simple to open and a real pleasure to look at so that's a real plus.
WEAR: As I said, i can purposely rub on my eyes with these shadows on and they really don't budge. The shadow seems like it's made of a million incredibly thin gossamer-like layers and it never really disappears. The shadows in this quint are so delicate in texture that my eyes appear so luminous and even though i'm only 27, they give me a very youthful and fresh look that my bare lids lost long ago, lol.
PRICE: Again, $54USD isn't too bad for 5 shadows of such impeccable quality that it's almost a steal to me. I would be hopelessly hooked on buying these, but thank God not many of the color combinations call out to me. I might try to snag up Earth Reflections or Stylish Move, but i know for sure that I will be paying extra attention to Dior releases when they include new quints from now on.
OVERALL: I would buy this again in a heartbeat. I plan on taking this on a trip to Seattle very soon because there are a few looks i can get with this palette without any other outside shades, but I'm almost afraid to take it for fear of breaking it, haha. So i'm actually thinking about buying a second one anyway because it's so remarkable. The price is ok when you break it down per shadow, and the packaging, wear and texture are just boss. this is the best thing i've bought in a long while and i'm glad i did.
Here's a pic of it with flash
And in evening sun
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Tinted Moisturizer -Wet 'n' Wild - Ultimate Sheer Tinted Moisturizer in Nude
karrieleigh 8/5/2008 7:49:00 PM
COLOR: The range of colors available in this is just sad. I originally bought shade 182 Natural but it was a bit too dark for my NC25 skin but I loved the texture so I went back for 181 Nude and gave my 182 away. 181 works perfectly with my skintone, it's entirely neutral and just melds in so nicely.
TEXTURE: It's very liquidy in texture, not really creamy at all, but the pigmentation is better than any other TM i've tried (BeneFit, Stila off the top of my head). This tends to dry/set quickly so blend fast. I like to use this with a damp sponge (regular non-latex wedge or Beauty Blender) and do a section of my face at a time in front of a 10x magnified mirror and this stuff never looks streaky, cakey, dry or fake, even in that mirror. It just covers so well and looks so natural i can't believe it sometimes. It's more of a very light foundation and also seems to be rather transfer resistant.
PACKAGING: The packaging on this is pretty cheap, but with the quality of the product inside versus the price, i think it more than balances out! The hard plastic, I can imagine, will make it difficult to get the last bit out, but again, at this price it's not as painful to waste it. It does seem pretty sturdy though, even though it takes like 4 or 5 turns to close the lid.
WEAR: This stays on so well all day, no melting or migrating and it looks great at the end of the day. It doesn't do anything to mattify but i'm not asking for a miracle, and i use MAC Prep & Prime 50 and Blot Powder for that anyway.
OVERALL: I am in LOVE with this TM, and i'm ready for a long-term relationship. I didn't love Stila, BeneFit You Rebel Lite matches well in theory but is soooo sheer and kind of greasy, and the packaging might just be worse than WnW. I will keep on using this all year round as it meets all my needs including medium coverage, great finish, great price, doesn't melt, easy application, non-drying, doesn't break me out. LOVE LOVE LOVE, try it, it's so cheap there's nothing to lose, and a ridiculously cheap HG product to (potentially) gain.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -MAC - Colour Forms - 3 Cool Lips
karrieleigh 7/31/2008 12:47:00 PM
*Please click "Continued" below to see my pics of this item*
COLORS: Below is how I would describe the colors included: lipglass in Virginity (sheer mauve pink with multi-colored shimmer) lipstick in Miss Rose (cool midtone plummish pink) and Cassis Royale (sheer cool midtone plum). I don't find Virginity to be very unique, it reminds me of the color of VGVI gloss without the glitter, it's just a neutral to cool sheer pink that barely shows up on the lips. Miss Rose is gorgeous, but it's very similar to Plum-Like if you have that. It's right in between Lovelorn and Plum-Like so you might even be able to mix those shades and get something similar. Cassis Royale, I don't have anything else like it I don't think. It will be an awesome color for fall.
TEXTURE: Lip shades in a palette always seem to be more hard than when in a tube, this is especially true with the lipglass, for obvious reasons. It's hard to dig product out, especially with the included brush. The brush is so small, about half the size of the SE eye brushes that come in e/s palettes. it's like half a q-tip. Anyway, you can use your own longer and more firm brush for more ease of control and application. The glide on the lips though, and both the lipsticks are true Lustre texture and feel on the lips.
PACKAGING: The little blue case is really cute, it's the main reason i got the palette. It's my first mac lip palette and i'm pretty happy with the size of it. I do wish that they would leave the brush out and maybe put in another lipcolor, or simply make the pans bigger. The palette itself it probably an inch tall which makes it pretty thick. i'd say it's about 3" by 3" square and covered in blue satin and metal, with a black patent accent around the metal plaque. The inside has a mirror and the hinges seem to be pretty beefy. It feels like a quality palette.
WEAR: The lipsticks wear like typical Lustres, I get a couple hours of full color. The gloss is also typical, not as sticky as regular lipglass but more concentrated feeling. You really have to dig out a lot for it to show up and once you do, it's quite slippy, and lasts about an hour or two.
OVERALL: I really like the look of the palette. I expected it to be small so that's no big deal. If you don't have Lovelorn or Plum-Like lipstick, and you want a couple cool plum and pink lipsticks, this is a pretty good buy. I don't know how deep the pans are but three shades for $22USD isn't too shabby if you're looking for variety. Blue is also my favorite color so i really love the look of the palette.
Here's a pic of the palette in comparison to the size of a nars duo/blush:
and here's a pic of the inside:
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Eye Shadow -NARS - Underworld Duo
karrieleigh 7/31/2008 12:30:00 PM
*Please click "Continued" below to see pics*
COLOR: The shades are a smoky greyed medium blue and a blue-tinged silver. I like the darker shade on the lid and I use the silver to blend it up into the crease, and put a little mac phloof on the browbone. It's also really nice with the silver on the lid and the darker shade in the outer crease and and outer corner.
TEXTURE: The payoff is really good for both colors, although they're still kind of more sheer than you would expect from the look of the pans. They're very blendable and buildable as well.
PACKAGING:I really love the minimalistic approach to packaging that Nars products have. The rubberized case gets dirty quick but cleans up easily. They are always easy to open and the mirror and sleek design makes it very pleasing to the eye. I do feel like the packaging for the duos is a little large. They're the same size as blushes which kind of freaks me out, i have to search through my blushes and duos both to find what i'm looking for. There seems to be a lot of excess packaging for the duos and you have to pick it up and read the label to find what you're looking for. Otherwise, I really do love all the duos I've tried so far.
WEAR: This duo tends to fade on me a bit even with primer, although it still looks pretty nice by the end of the day.
PRICE: for $32USD you get two rather large pans of shadow that are really gorgeous. The price seems a bit steep but Nars is the one brand that I will consistently pay the premium price for.
OVERALL: I really like this duo, the colors seem pretty unique. It reminds me of MAC Silversmith mineralized duo which I bought thinking it would be similar to this. The blue in the mac was less silvery and more blue and the lighter side of that duo didn't have great payoff. I would love to have the blue from that duo and the lighter shade in the nars duo in a duo together, but alas, i swapped the mac one. I still prefer this duo for it's texture and longer wear over the mac duo. The colors seem to be pretty unique so if you like smokey blues or don't have any at all, i would rec this duo to you.
Here's my pic of the duo:
14 out of 14 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -NARS - Habanera Duo
karrieleigh 7/31/2008 12:14:00 PM
*Please click "Continued" below to see pics*
COLOR: The colors in this duo are amazing for green eyes! I was a little skeptical about the green shade to begin with but it shows up on me like a seafoam and actually brings out my eyes quite nicely. The seafoam really reminds me a lot of MAC Surreal. The plum shade is very smokey and pretty with seafoam shimmer flecks. You have to be careful to blend the darker shade well as it can look a bit bruisey especially because it's' paired with the seafoam which is another color present in healing bruises. This all sounds scary, but if you're careful, this duo is fantastic!!!
TEXTURE: The green is a really soft buttery texture and it has amazing color payoff. It's most similar to a Stila shimmer fomula or an exceptionally good MAC Veluxe Pearl formula shadow. It seems like it would come off as all frost, but the color really does translate on the skin. The darker plum is like a mix between a MAC Velvet and Lustre formula. The seafoam shimmer doesn't really show very well on the eye, but when the plum shade is blended with the seafoam, the effect is really beautiful.
PACKAGING I really love the minimalistic approach to packaging that Nars products have. The rubberized case gets dirty quick but cleans up easily. They are always easy to open and the mirror and sleek design makes it very pleasing to the eye. I do feel like the packaging for the duos is a little large. They're the same size as blushes which kind of freaks me out, i have to search through my blushes and duos both to find what i'm looking for. There seems to be a lot of excess packaging for the duos and you have to pick it up and read the label to find what you're looking for. Otherwise, I really do love all the duos I've tried so far.
WEAR: I've noticed that i do get a bit of creasing with this duo with a primer underneath. I've been using MAC Bare Canvas under it which is relatively new to me, so I will try UDPP or TFSI under it and see how that changes things. I haven't noticed creasing using Bare Canvas under anything else though. The texture of the shadows is so shimmery and blendable it wouldn't surprise me if it creases over anything. It took a hot day and more than 8 hours wearing it to crease, so I imagine i'll be wearing this a lot in the fall.
PRICE: for $32USD you get two rather large pans of shadow that are really gorgeous. The price seems a bit steep but Nars is the one brand that I will consistently pay the premium price for.
OVERALL: This is one of the best nars duos i've tried so far. I use it the most by far. I think that it works well alone using the green on the lids with the plum in the crease, or even vice versa. I really like the seafoam on the inner corner with other shades as well. I like to add in a more vibrant purple into the mix, one like UD Flash (or is it Crash?) anyway, it looks really awesome as a standalone duo or with other shades.
Here's a pic of the duo:
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -BeneFit Cosmetics - Powder Pop!
karrieleigh 7/31/2008 11:53:00 AM
*Please click "Continued" below to see pictures*
COLOR: The three colors included are obviously Dandelion (super light shimmery pink), Dallas (nude with a hint of berry and shimmer), and Hoola (medium matte bronze).
TEXTURE: They are all very soft in texture and very blendable. Even when built up, none of them appear chalky on my face and look very natural.
PACKAGING: This is the downfall of the product in my opinion. I love the idea of being able to try three of these powders at once, especially since the full sizes are really large and i'm not sure I could use three full sizes. This is a great way to try each product. While I agree that taking the brush out and putting in a square of Georgia would have been more ideal, the brush that is included really isn't as useless as I presumed, as it's really great for blending on the cheeks and is especially handy when using Hoola to contour. You have to use a smaller brush to make it fit into each compartment, I use a Sephora brand angled blush brush for this product. The box is a lot shorter, or less bulky than i thought it would be also, which is nice. I do like the look of the outside of the box, it's a collage of the three original powder logos done in a purple and pink scheme.
WEAR: Each of the powder wears pretty well for a decent period of time. I don't usually touch up my blush, and at the end of the day you can still tell there is something on my cheeks.
PRICE: This palette retails at $28USD on Sephora, etc... I purchased mine from Specktra for about $10 which was a super deal. I would probably repurchase Dandelion as an all over beauty powder and also maybe Dallas as it's a sunkissed nude that is perfect for my NC25ish skin right now and really flatters my green eyes and brown hair. the regular Dallas, Hoola, and Dandelion powders cost $28 for .42 oz, in Powder Pop you get .30 oz for the same price. You're paying a premium for being able to try three of the powders at once. My suggestion would be to get this if you are interested in all three powders, but if only one or two interest you, I would look into getting the full sizes.
OVERALL: I do like all three powders, but I still prefer Nars Laguna over Hoola. Dandelion is awesome as an all-over complexion brightener for me and is just what I was looking for. Dallas is a great summer nude blush for me. I think that I will look into purchasing a full size Dandelion and then next summer purchase Dallas. As for this Powder Pop, i will continue to use it for a while.
Here's a pic of the inside of the palette: 
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No