Eyeliner -Pixi - Endless Silky liner - Copperglow
kimk 4/16/2013 5:27:00 PM
Wow this is stupendously pretty! It's a darkish coppery brown, but it has red, gold and brown sparkles in it! Not garishly so, but they are there!! This looks so good with warm toned neutral shadows. It wears well - I get a full 8 hours, but I wear primer so that may help. It does need to set a bit before it's smudge and/or wipeawayable proof. Let it set a minute or so and it stays put nicely. It appears this will be part of the core group - it's in a special display right now, but the revamped displays I've seen have a place for it along side the other shades they already have. I like this so much I actually bought a backup of it because there was a rare coupon for Pixi at Target a couple weeks back. That brought the price down to reasonable - otherwise it's $15 and I think that's a little bit high for Target.... tho the quality is right on par with liners from high end lines. I'm just a cheapskate. :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Milani - Eye Primer
kimk 3/20/2013 1:15:00 AM
Bought this last week at CVS for $6.49. It's a small squeeze tube of one of the best eye primers I've used. It's slightly tinted so it works a bit of camoflage magic, but not a lot - it won't even out the skin tone much. It will keep your shadow parked right where you put it though - all day, and even longer. The tube dispenses just the right amount easily, and the set time for it is pretty short, no more than 30 seconds, I'd say. Once it's set, my shadow didn't go anywhere and I inadvertently slept in my makeup once - the shadow looked as good as when I put it on. I am really impressed with this stuff - the packaging is great, and the product is even better. If I could change one thing about it, I'd have it be a little more tinted so it would work as a skin tone evener as well as primer - but that's asking a lot of one little tube. :) I would place this stuff on par with, no, it's even better than nars' primer and a heckuva lot cheaper. CVS has a great return policy so you can buy and try without fear. I think I have found my new HG primer!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Unlisted Brand - Devita Revitalizing Eye Lift Creme
kimk 2/28/2013 10:00:00 AM
I really like this stuff. I can use it day and night, and there aren't many eye creams I can say that about! It's not overly rich, but it is nicely moisturizing and soaks into my skin in just a few minutes, so I can use it daytime as well as night. There's no scent that I notice, and I haven't had any trouble with the pump bottle. Personally, I love the bottle - I think it's lovely, and nicely sanitary. I have normal/dry skin and use retin a micro, so it's usually more dry than normal, and this stuff doesn't irritate my skin; rather, it soothes it. I'm old enough that there are lines from age, but the dryness lines are kicked to the curb by Devita. Me Likey!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -NARS - Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
kimk 2/22/2013 2:41:00 PM
This is an excellent primer. It goes on easily, and like all primers, has to dry a minute or two before it's ready to do its job. it holds my shadow and liner in place for a solid 10 hours, and even longer. I am not wild about the packaging, tho. First, the wand/tube setup means a lot of product is left in the tube once you think it's empty, unless you perform surgery on it and you simply should not have to do that. Second, what's with the foot long black lid/wand? Ok, it's not that long, but the wand is attached to the longest top I've ever seen on a tube product! It's a bit awkward to use as a result. Long and short = product itself is aces; packaging is so-so, but it's not bad enough to dissuade me from repurchasing.
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Eye Shadow -Chanel - Raffinement
kimk 1/18/2013 11:20:00 AM
I am torn and a little puzzled by this quad. It's the new one for Spring 2013, and while I like it, I don't love it, which surprises me. First, the swatches I saw online have a distinct plummy tone to them, esp. the darker shades; the powders themselves have it too. But when I apply it, I don't get those tones at all. Just a nice set of neutral browns. Don't get me wrong - I live for neutral brown shades, but this really isn't what these looked like. I was hoping for the plummy tones but I don't get them. Also - these have a strange finish, at least on me. They're very.... sheeny? Not metallic or frosty, but there's an excess of sheen to them, at least imho. I wish it was toned down, as it's stronger than in the other quads I have, such as Kaska Beige and Beige de Chanel. I find the shadows apply nicely, have decent, but not superb pigmentation for nc25-30 (and probably a few shades darker - I think very dark skinned ladies will be disappointed) Would I buy again - no, not this quad. I'm a bit disappointed, and would really like to give this a 3.5 instead of a 4. I would advise you to try it on for size and see how the shades apply and look on *you*. This is a surprisingly YMMV quad, and I didn't expect it to be. Hope this is helpful.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Josie Maran Cosmetics - Argan Cleansing Oil
kimk 11/26/2012 5:11:00 PM
I don't much like this cleansing oil. I don't mind the scent at all, but it's sticky and you literally can't rub it around on your face - my fingers move about half an inch and then they just stick in place. It's the weirdest stuff ever. you have to add water to get it spread over your face, and that causes it to emulsify and it doesn't clean as well then. I will use the bottle but will not repurchase. It cleans *ok* but there are too many other, cheaper oils to use that work the way a cleansing oil is supposed to work to buy this again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Jordana - Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara
kimk 10/4/2012 11:33:00 AM
I got this last week, and I have figured out how to make it work for me. It is wetter than I really like, so the brush, which is short bristled, picks up too much mascara and it gives me spider lashes, but they are long! what I did is to take the brush from my used up Clinique High Impact mascara, wash it off well, and then use it with this mascara. A.Maze.Balls. long thick lashses with no clumping or spidering.... Plus, the clinique brush fits exactly into the top of the tube so you can just screw in on in place of the one it comes with. I didn't give it a 5 rating because it is so utterly non-water-resistant. Water alone is almost enough to remove it - if you get caught in the rain... it won't be pretty. It's more non-water-resistant than any other I think I've ever used. That would be the only drawback to it. Otherwise, unless they change the formula for the worse, this will be in my rotation of mascaras for a long time to come! UPDATE: 11-26-12. I'm taking this down one notch because it dries up awfully fast. While it's new-ish, it's awesome, but it dried to the point of stickiness and hard-to-apply-ness awfully fast. Given how cheap it is, I will try it again and see if this is just a fluke, but if it does it again, I will probably pass on it, and go back to my standby clinique high impact.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -L'Oreal - Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner in Bronze
kimk 8/24/2012 11:34:00 AM
I agree with the reviewer who said this isn't as bronzy as she thought it would be. I don't find it "bronzy" at all - it's a very nice dark brown, but I see no bronze to it - it's nothing like BB's Bronze gel liner. That said, this is a fantastic formula. It applies like buttah, very smooth, but not too wet. Like all gel liners, it takes a minute or two to set, but once it's dry, it wears like iron, but removes easily with my TTDO makeup remover. This would be perfect if the color were more bronze - that is the only drawback, and that is why I rate it a 4, not a 5. If you are looking for a dark brown liner that wears forever, is readily accessible and won't break the bank - get thee the Infallible Gel Liner in bronze.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Guerlain - Rose aux Joues Blush Duo - Golden High
kimk 8/21/2012 2:06:00 PM
Gorgeous. Simply Gorgeous. it is not well named, I don't think, as there really isn't anything Rose or particularly Golden about is (aside from the glorious packaging) it is two shades of blush- one is a lovely dark-ish apricot/peach-with-a-bit-of-brown-and-a-hint-of-shimmer to it, and the lighter shade is a very nice matte light peach. The shimmer in the larger/darker shade does not translate to the skin, so no fear of being a glitter bomb. The *only* thing I'm not wild about is that this is heavily scented - it's not noticeable once on, but you sure get a heavy,floral/sweet scent wafting up to you when you open the case. It does have quite a bit of pigment, so I imagine even darker skinned ladies could use it well; I'm nc25-30 and I found I need to be a bit careful applying it or its overdone. :) Applies like a dream, smooth, not dusty, blends out well. But for the $$, it had better perform like a champion - this puppy's $50!! Fabulous indulgance if you care to spend the money - I got a wild hair and chose to do so, and I dont' regret it a bit.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Unlisted Brand - One 'n Only - Moisture Repair Conditioner
kimk 8/13/2012 2:00:00 AM
Bought the packet of this to try it out. Leaves my hair soft and shiny and easy to comb thru, but dayum! tone down the scent, guise.... it doesn't just linger; it continues to assualt as the day goes on. I can keep getting whiffs of it, and I don't really like the scent of it... very perfumey, and lingers like a bastid. I don't think I'd buy the full size of it because of this. I really like the product but for the fragrance issue - the sally's website lists scent as 5th ingredient, so it's no wonder it's so strong...
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Paula's Choice - Skin Recovery Cleanser
kimk 8/1/2012 2:29:00 PM
I just bought 3 bottles of this b/c they had the old packaging on clearance. This is my HG of cleansers - I have normal/dry skin (DRY in the winter, plus I use RAM) and it doesn't sting, it doesn't dry my face out, it just cleanses gently but thoroughly. It has no scent, at least to my nose, and no color added. It's just nice, gentle, and effective. What else can you ask for? If they ever change this I will break down and cry - it just works. "Nuff said. :)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -NARS - Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer
kimk 6/19/2012 1:25:00 PM
This is a review only for the St. Moritz shade. I got a very generous sample of this yesterday from sephora, and I think the color is awful. I find it *very* peachy/orangy... Too much so for me to feel comfortable wearing. I gave it a test run at home, and while it wasn't completely awful looking, I still didn't like the look of it. Now the next lightest shade, Alaska, is much less orange, more "skin" colored, and when I fade out this fall/winter I expect it will suit me just fine. I will get Alaska once I'm closer to that shade. Wear and appearance (other than color) are very nice for this product. It has more coverage than many TMs, which is what I was looking for, and it doesn't leave you shiny. I think this is a great product IF you can find the right shade for you. There are huge leaps between colors - Alaska to St. Moritz is pretty dramatic, but St.Moritz to Annapurna (the next darkest shade) is even more so - much more so than the sephora website leads you to believe. This is one of those products that you simply have to try on to find the right shade; I wouldn't buy it sight unseen. Hope this is helpful. Kim
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Deodorants -Unlisted Brand - Crystal Roll-On Body Deodorant
kimk 5/8/2012 3:42:00 PM
Started using this instead of the Liquid Rock which I'd been using for several years, b/c I ran out of my LR and could't find it around town. The Liquid Crystal is available at Walgreens (tho much cheaper online at places such as vitacost.com) so I grabbed it in the lavender/white tea scent. It works just as well as the LR, and seems to dry faster. You have to (or at least I have to) *gently* squeeze the roll on bottle to get the liquid to dispense on to the roller ball, and the n apply it. The LR was so runny it would just drip out around the roller ball and was rather messy that way. The scent of this product is very nice, but not at all overpowering, and seems to disappear when dry, which is great. One thing - It drives me up a tree when people gripe "ew, it's wet" and "ew, I still sweat" when writing about this product. People, it's a ROLL ON DEODORANT. That means it is (a) liquid, as all ROLL ON deodorants are, so it *will* be wet, and (b) it is a DEODORANT, not an antipersperant, so you will still sweat. In sum, it works very well at a very reasonable price, and I absolutely will buy it again. If you want to try it, now you know it goes on wet and won't keep you from sweating, but it should help keep you from sending people fleeing in all directions when you raise your arms. :) Hope this helps!
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Tarte - Smooth Operator™ Amazonian clay waterproof shadow primer
kimk 3/29/2012 12:58:00 AM
I got a trial size of this with the QVC Today's Special Value in March 2012. It's rather dry and quite thick; it's also very pale and pink and it actually evens out the color of your lid; but it makes your lid pale pink in the process unless you really blend it out. I had no creasing problems at all and my shadow wore quite nicely, but I don't care for the pinkness of this stuff, nor the thickness of it. Seems like many primers are either too thick or too runny, and brother, this one's thick. if you are pink toned and don't mind the consistency, I think this works very well but you should know of the consistency issues with it. Hth!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -ENJOY - Luxury Shampoo
kimk 1/17/2012 12:33:00 PM
I hate to rain on this poo's parade, but I don't care for it. Yes, it's sulfate free, and it takes only the tiniest dab to get a head full of lather, but it leaves my hair feeling.... stiff? Not very soft at all - if you look at the ingredients there is a *lot* of protein in it, and I think that might be the problem for me - it's too much. I have short, colored, dry-ish hair that I curl-iron every day so you'd think protein would be good for my hair, but it just doesn't seem to like it. It smells lovely, but doesnt' linger, but it just doesn't do well with my hair. It's not a vile shampoo, but absolutely not worth the $$ I paid for it.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No