Eyeliner -Wet 'n' Wild - Color Icon Pencil - Taupe
keyelement 3/4/2013 12:08:00 AM
After using twist up brow products like Anastasia's Brow Wiz (brunette) and Maybelline's Define-a-Brow (light brown), I was broke for a while and figured this ridiculously inexpensive pencil was worth a shot, especially since finding a cool brown brow pencil at the drugstore is surprisingly difficult. I LOVE this pencil for my brows. It's very soft, so needs sharpening every other use, but the color is perfect for dark blonde and light to medium brown hair, and it is waxy enough to last all day on me. It's never traveled or smudged and I've been on the same pencil for months! I imagine it would smudge as an eyeliner, but that would be advantageous if you were to use it as a base for eyeshadow and pat shadow on top to fix it in place. Try this pencil!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Too Faced - eye shadow palette in sweet dreams
keyelement 3/3/2013 6:32:00 PM
I love this palette - it's probably the best value palette I've ever purchased. The variety of colors is great - my only beef is the texture and quality of a couple of the shades don't match their counterparts in other palettes. (For example, Peach Fuzz in this palette sucks so much, it's chalky and sheer, but in the 2012 holiday palette it is smooth and pigmented.). With two blushes, a bronzed and highlighter this really is an amazing palette - I got to try lots of colors and products from Too Faced than I would've otherwise. Tea Rose blush is my favorite of all time, and I've fallen in love with the matte bronzer. If you come across this palette somehow, grab it up!
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Lipstick -Bite Beauty - Lipstick in Cava
keyelement 2/25/2013 10:18:00 AM
I am a HUGE fan of Bite Beauty products. I absolutely love that they're made only with food-grade ingredients, and the smooth matte black packaging appeals to me. With that said, their lipstick formula - at least on me - is extremely moisturizing and creamy. The pigmentation on all 10 colors I've tried or owned is absolutely incredible! With Cava, I find the color to be a purplish nude - like a nude with lilac undertones. The color is more cool than neutral, in my opinion. I put one layer of this on, blot, then top with a gloss (usually their gloss in Vintage since it matches well). It's great for every day. Some people might not like the very faint sweet scent these lipsticks have, but I love it. Because of the creaminess of the formula, the longevity suffers a bit - I LOVE the formula so I don't mind reapplying, but if you don't blot, it won't last more than 3 hours or so if that. I don't even care though - I love it so much!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Sephora - Pro Airbrush Concealer Brush # 57
keyelement 2/1/2013 12:04:00 AM
I use this for the undereye area and it honestly does what I thought no brush could - buffs in the perfect amount of product to the perfect, natural finish. I've used this with creams (Benefit's Erase Paste), thick liquids (MUFE Full Cover, Benefit's Stay Don't Stray), and powders (BE Well Rested) and it's performed like a champ for all of them - and I have serious, zombie dark circles. I highly recommend this brush - worth every penny and I can't believe I waited as long as I did to purchase it.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Volume Waterproof
keyelement 1/16/2013 10:45:00 PM
I normally use LashBlast Fusion, so I was used to the brush and wanted to see the difference in formula. This formula is MUCH wetter than Fusion - to the point where you have to apply carefully or you'll end up with it on your lids. I don't have to be so careful with Fusion, which is a much drier formula. I bought the waterproof version, and it was VERY waterproof - I can remove Fusion waterproof with Cetaphil, but need a biphasic remover to get this one off. Despite the difficulty to remove, I still had some faint raccoon eyes by the end of the day. I might use it to layer under Fusions to use it up, and I'll complain every time about having to use tricks to prevent it from smearing during application, but I wouldn't repurchase.
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - Beige Blast
keyelement 1/6/2013 4:51:00 PM
You need a GOOD base and a QUICK DRY top coat with this polish. Even with those things, your manicure might not last; regardless of the top coat, the polish shows visible cracks after 2 days. Streaky on first coat, flawless and 80% opaque with a good second coat. I love the color and the wide brush, and it doesn't chip for a week with a good base/top coat combo (I use Orly Bonder + NYC Grand Central Station) but the cracks are a dealbreaker for me.
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Lip Treatments -Fresh - Sugar Rose Lip Treatment SPF 15
keyelement 1/6/2013 4:41:00 PM
I love the formula and the faint rose tint of this product, but absolutely can't stand how smushy it gets if it's even a fraction a degree over room temperature. Heck, even at room temperature, you never know when the top is going to slide right off when you go to apply it. Not a quirk I'm willing to deal with for the price, personally, though I do love the light scent and the silky feel of it while it's on.
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Bronzers -Tarte - Park Avenue Princess
keyelement 12/28/2012 2:38:00 AM
What I like most about this bronzer is that the pigmentation is *medium* so it's not too easy to accidentally over-bronze yourself. Though it has shimmer, it comes off as glowy. This is my favorite non-matte blush to date - though I can't say I've tried too many. I got this one as part of the small blush-bronzer duet and the small size has lasted me a long time, even though I use it frequently either under or over a blush for dimension. I'm not sure how well it would show up on medium skin - it might be more of a complexion-enhancer than a bronzer for anyone who isn't super fair. The packaging is cute. I recommend trying it.
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Blush -Tarte - Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dollface
keyelement 12/28/2012 2:35:00 AM
This is a great, neutral pink. It's a pretty basic shade. It pulls extremely warm on me, as do most pink blushes - I have a hard time getting a pink to stay cool, but this one starts neutral anyway. I don't have the same issues as other reviewers do with the pigmentation; it takes a couple taps in the pan to get a good pop of color on my cheeks with a dense brush but I'd rather have that then it go on so pigmented that I have to use a tiny amount and blend to high heaven. Staying power is comparable to other Tarte blushes - fantastic. I'd only recommend this specific color for fair skin. I'm super fair, so I'm a fan.
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Highlighters -Tarte - Smooth Operator Illuminating Serum
keyelement 12/28/2012 2:29:00 AM
Broke me out like whoa. I shook and mixed it the best I could, but it was still really greasy and oily coming out of the tube and going on. I am fortunate to have really great, balanced skin (just a tad dry), but this made my face increasingly greasy throughout the day. Which bums me out, because I did love the fineness of the shimmer - it was very natural and glowy looking. I wish it didn't turn into shiny and whitehead-filled. :(
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Eye Shadow -TheBalm - Shady Lady Eyeshadow Palette
keyelement 12/28/2012 2:27:00 AM
Personally, I like the cute packaging - even though it's cardboard, it's sturdy as heck and not as cheap feeling as it looks. I've had my Shady Lady 1 for 4 years, taken with me on countless weekend trips, and used it more than I've used any other palette I own (because it was one of the first palettes I've ever owned, a gift from my ex) and it doesn't even show much wear on the packaging! This palette I find easier to create two-color looks with than the other two Shady Lady palettes, because there are very obvious pairs of complementary shades (i.e. pink and purple, slate blue with the navy, the goldish cream shade with the olive-ish green) and the dark brown and navy liner shades are fantastic. The only shade I never know what to do with is the forest green, but I don't normally wear such pure, saturated green shades. I can't disagree with other reviewers - you really do need to supplement this palette with other shadows for blending or crease or highlight. It's possible to use this particular palette for a complete look, but just don't bring it up to your browbone because it would be a satin-shimmerfest. The shimmer, though, is not obnoxious in these shades, with the exception of the dark brown, but even then it's sparkle that just kind of falls away. Considering the cost of a single shadow, this palette is a steal. Most of the colors are just gorgeous. All of the Shady Lady palettes are a great supplement to a stash, especially a small stash with not much color diversity.
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Blush -Tarte - Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful
keyelement 12/28/2012 2:18:00 AM
This is my favorite Amazonian clay blush so far (I also have Dollface and the 3 shades that came in the 2012 Holiday set). Blissful is a pretty coral shade - not too pink and not too orange - that is the most natural but flattering looking blush I've found to date (and I own >50 blushes). I think I'm N10-N15 but not entirely sure; I usually wear Ivory and Fair foundation shades. I love wearing Blissful SO much. You only need to tap your brush lightly in the pan and that's enough for one cheek for a gentle splash of color! I always wear it over foundation over primer and the staying power is fantastic. Ugh, I love it so much. Please give it a shot if you have pale to medium skin.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Wet 'n' Wild - 2% Milk
keyelement 12/28/2012 2:13:00 AM
Dirt cheap, awesome color, wears as well as any Essie and Opi. A perfect sheer, professional looking neutral - one of those shades everyone should have at least one of. Coverage is sheer to medium depending on if you do 2 or 3 coats. I really enjoy the brushes in the new bottles, too. Worth a shot for the price!
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BB Cream -Smashbox - Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35
keyelement 12/12/2012 6:57:00 PM
Pros: - Good color match in the lightest shade - Lots of supposed benefits - I really liked the coverage and spf - Medium coverage Cons: - THICK, a pain to spread, to the point where I felt I could never get fingerprints or brushmarks or BB marks off my face, even if I applied as little of the product as possible - Mask-like feeling (not necessary looking) - NOT moisturizing as claimed - Not worth the price IMO I didn't think this saved any time in my routine. It was dry feeling, more cakey feeling than any foundation I've tried (other than Revlon Whipped, omg), and just spread weird. I felt like I was trying to smoosh Fluff over my face. Just not for me.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Korres - Pomegranate Lip Butter Glaze
keyelement 12/7/2012 2:16:00 AM
THIS PRODUCT IS IN A TUBE, NOT A POT!! Several of the negative reviews below are reviewing the POT, not the GLAZE - the glaze butter product comes in a tube and costs $14 while the pots cost $12. Different products. With that said, I way prefer the tube to the pot. There is more pigment (see Temptalia's reviews and swatches), it's more sanitary, and it's more like a heavy gloss + butter hybrid. I really love all the colors I've tried (Pomegranate, Quince, Rose, Jasmine, a few more). It's a shame this product isn't getting reviewed properly because the GLAZES ARE AWESOME! Link to Sephora's page for them (not affiliated): http://www.sephora.com/lip-butter-glaze-P277217
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No