Lipstick -Maybelline - Color Sensational Vivids
korrok 4/10/2013 1:19:00 PM
I bought a bunch of these lipsticks ordered from the USA based on positive reviews. A big risk, but I'm so glad I did! They are amazing. I have really dry lips, these don't aggravate them and keep them quite moisturized, and the lasting power is superb. Definitely on par with - or perhaps even better than - my beloved MAC lippies. The colours themselves attract so many compliments because they are just perfectly bold, bright and saturated. Can't recommend these enough. Also they have two awesome purples in the range, and my stars if I don't love me some purple lipstick. <3
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Lime Crime - Candyfuture Lipstick - All Shades
korrok 4/3/2013 9:27:00 AM
I bought this lipstick in Airborne Unicorn, a really pretty purple shade. I absolutely adored the shade, it has to be said. I do think it's very unique and have yet to find a match in any other brand (though a couple of MAC shades are close-ish, and could be mixed to something similar). The packaging of the Lime Crime lipsticks is, to me, cute and fun, and I had no issues with it. The lipstick itself smells of vanilla, very similar to MAC, which I guess is what they were going for. Unfortunately, here ends the positive part of the review. The lipstick itself applys with great opacity, and looks great on, however it is immensely drying and has no lasting power. When it fades, it fades out very patchily and obviously, needing swift topup so you don't look ridiculous. It feels creamy and pleasant to apply, but quickly feels unpleasant on the lips and you can never really forget you're wearing it, like you can with most lipsticks. Lastly, it's very transferrable, so you need to take a lot of care not to brush it even slightly because it will stain and smear. Therefore, much as I loved the shade, I swapped this away since it was unbearably uncomfortable for me to wear. I wouldn't try another of the Lime Crime lipsticks since I've heard this is one of the best shades - too expensive for that kind of quality. As for the company controversy, I purchased the lipstick before being privy to that drama. While they do seem to have gotten over the worst of their behaviours, my own experience with them has not been stellar - I made a polite, pretty innocuous post on their Facebook page about having problems with this lipstick and was banned! O_o
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Essence - Stay All Day Stars and Stories
korrok 3/14/2013 11:28:00 AM
Believe it or not, this is the best of the three Essence "Stay All Day" shadows I own. It's still quite bad. Please do not believe reviews which compare this to higher end cream shadows. It really does not compare in the slightest. The texture of this product is flawed in some way, it's very hard, almost gritty and uneven. It doesn't play nicely with most brushes, which means it has to be applied with fingers, which is quite undesirable. I have given it 2 lippies though because once you get this one on, it shows up well and is a nice colour. The other shades I own (a purple and a bronze) are far worse/patchier and have an even worse product consistency. Overall though, just avoid this one and spend your money on a different brand.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -New York Color - Smooch Proof Lip Stain
korrok 2/28/2013 4:36:00 AM
I am a bit baffled by all the great reviews on this product! I found it awful. The colours they sell are great - I'll give them that - and I made the mistake of just going out and picking up three, at 4 euro each. They come in marker form and while they swatch beautifully on your hand, they applied really patchily to my lips, despite having buffed them and tried to get them in as smooth as possible a condition before trying. The colour looked uneven and a bit sad, particularly with the lighter shades. Unstoppable Red worked out the best for evening out the colour after 3 coats. The largest problem is that applying this stain, I could literally watch my lips shrivel and dry up after a single coat. It is INCREDIBLY drying, and it feels a little burny. Slathering lip balm on after application only helps a little. The stain remains fairly transferrable. Overall I cannot recommend these at all. If you want to give them a try, don't make the mistake I did and buy a few colours (or all the ones you like - they do look pretty!) . Buy one and see if it works for you first. :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Illamasqua - Masquara
korrok 1/31/2013 9:07:00 AM
A very impressive mascara. It's true black with a fairly wet formula (in the beginning) but drys very quickly. After the tube has been open for a couple of months, the formula becomes less obviously wet and more average - it's really easy to work with. It gives a whole lot of volume to my average lashes, a decent amount of length, and is easily buildable to something quite dramatic. It can be prone to a little bit clumping due to the brush shape sometimes picking up too much product - particularly at the end - but this is easily seperated and causes no nuisance. Lashes feel flexible, quite natural and don't get crunchy during wear. I'm pleased to say I do not get any mascara fallout over the day, no black grains under the eyes - this is the only mascara I can say that about. It's average in water resistance, you can tear up a little bit e.g. from wind without worrying, but a full on sob will see it starting to run. No issues with removal. My one criticism of this mascara is that the brush is not great for the lower lashes, so personally I use a lighter, more seperating mascara for those e.g. MaxFactor Masterpiece. Overall it's an excellent value mascara given that it's only slightly more expensive than a drugstore offering and the performance is worlds apart. It's the only mascara I've ever repurchased, and I bought another 2 at Christmas as gifts for family (who also loved theirs). It doesn't seem to have a lot of reviews which really surprises me - more people need to give it a go!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Max Factor - False lash effect
korrok 1/31/2013 6:43:00 AM
This was the last drugstore mascara that I bought. I was quite impressed with it - it gives a little bit of lift and a little length, with no clumping and minimal flaking or smudging through the day. The definition is great and it definitely doesn't give the dreaded spider legs. Unfortunately, it also gives next to no volume. That said, I was intending to re-purchase until I bought my first high-end mascara on a whim (the Illamasqua mascara) and found the difference to be night and day. It really highlighted how poor the Max Factor one performed and how sad the effect was...and the Illamasqua cost just £4 more. I've since found similar results from brands like Clinique & MAC in a very similar price bracket. My opinion is that this mascara is total false economy - spend a tiny bit more and get a WAY better product.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Revlon - ColorStay Makeup
korrok 1/30/2013 5:50:00 PM
I purchased this foundation due to all the hype and excellent reviews I'd read online when Estee Lauder temporarily discontinued my Double Wear shade, 1c1 Shell. Colorstay Ivory seemed like a decent match for my skin so I went ahead to try it. I'll compare it to Double Wear a few times in this review for anyone who is curious. Colorstay is a little thinner than DW and you really do need to use a bit more product. The coverage is a little less than DW, but still pretty decent. My skin is prone to oil and this keeps it matte throughout the day even without powder on top, perhaps even a little more effectively than the DW, which was impressive. On the negative side though, it had common cheap foundation issue #1 of clinging to the slight dry patches on my cheeks and emphasising the heck out of them. Having not worn a product that did this in so long, I'd almost forgotten it was possible, but Colorstay won't let me forget they're there! The last dealbreaker for me is that the Ivory shade looks fine when first applied, but oxidises to a very ruddy colour. My skin has pinkish undertones and I hate yellowy/orangey foundation, but this is different - it looks like I've just been overexerting myself or am seriously embarassed! It's possible to get away with it with a high neckline top but if you can see any more of my natural skintone, it's just silly. Overall it's a good enough drugstore offering if you're dead set on not paying for a more expensive brand - but you really do get what you pay for.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Illamasqua - Pressed Powder - Imagine
korrok 1/30/2013 5:37:00 PM
From a company who charge so much for their eyeshadows, one would expect great quality. This is a beautiful bright matte periwinkle blue which looks amazingly vivid in the pan, and I was excited to pick it up in their recent sale. Unfortunately, the quality is abysmal. The pigmentation is dire, applying sheer and patchy and it blends really badly. There is really no excuse for how horrible the quality of this product is - I can't even think of a drugstore eyeshadow that I've owned which has been so outstandingly terrible. I picked up another 4 eyeshadows at the same time and 3 of them also have issues (one has great pigmentation but creases, two have terrible pigmentation). I love many of their other products, but will never buy another eyeshadow from them. With so much choice on the market, these are a complete waste of money.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Aquolina - Pink Sugar
korrok 10/11/2012 5:38:00 PM
When I first heard about this perfume I had to get a carded sample of it to try - it sounded like just my thing! The sample wasn't too impressive, but the perfume is sold for so little at so many reputable online perfume retailers (about $25 for 100ml! Who can complain about that?!) that I gave the bigger bottle a go, and I'm glad I did as it's much nicer when applied as a spray rather than dabbed on. My only issue with Pink Sugar is that it doesn't really last on me, and I feel that it's gone within a couple of hours. So while I'd buy it again being it's cheap and cheerful, it's not the best perfume of its type by a long shot. If you're a fan of Pink Sugar and willing to splash out a little more (or do splash out on some of the retail store prices of Pink Sugar!) I would recommend finding the Lolita Lempicka perfumes and giving those a try, e.g. L de Lolita Lempicka. Much more lasting power and complexity, but definitely a similar scent family.
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Fragrances -Burberry - Brit
korrok 10/11/2012 8:15:00 AM
It has to be said that there is quite a large difference between the EdP and EdT of this perfume - I've owned both, and my preference definitely lies with the EdT. The EdT is sweeter, more oriental and the vanilla comes through stronger. The EdP emphasises Brit's woody and citrus notes. It's best not to blind buy this one, rather go and test both variations and see which version you prefer. There isn't much of a difference in staying power (as far as I've experienced) so don't let that deter you from going for the EdT if you prefer it. The EdP does admittedly have the larger sillage though!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -NYX - Round Lipstick Power
korrok 10/6/2012 11:08:00 AM
Power is a nice but plain enough pale pink lipstick with cool undertones. I'm not sure I'd call it at all purpley (since I own a bunch of very purple lipsticks) but it's nice enough. It's very moisturizing and it glides on like a dream - it seems an amazing formula. Unfortunately, it lasts for no time at all. I can put this on and it'll be almost completely gone the first time I take a drink, leaving behind a blotchy mess. No drinks or anything, maybe an hour's wear. Absolutely useless and thus I can't give it more than a 1. :(
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Crème -Boots - No.7 Intelligent Colour Foundation
korrok 10/3/2012 10:04:00 AM
Intelligent colour: apparently only for tangerines. I bought this in the shade "Light" for my admittedly rather pale skin. I don't particularly see what's intelligent about it - it does nothing to adapt to your skintone. It goes on fairly sheer and the colour of the foundation is a hideous orange. It reminded me of the awful makeup on some of the girls at high school. The finish isn't buildable in any way (unless you want even more orangey blobs). I guess this is great if you want that awesome Totally Real Scottish Tan look that might also be achievable by bathing daily in Irn Bru? Oh, and it's greasy into the bargain. A big, big AVOID!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Illamasqua - Skin Base foundation
korrok 10/2/2012 9:35:00 AM
I was very taken with a number of Illamasqua's products, and really love their brand aesthetics. So when back home in the UK, I visited one of their counters to be matched on the skin base foundation, fully expecting to purchase some. From the site there seemed to be a great range of colours, which I need because I have pale Celtic skin! The makeup artist tried out a bunch of different shades on me (some I could have told her wouldn't work!) before settling on 3.5 (over the matte primer). The look under store lighting didn't look quite right so I decided to go spend the day wearing it to see how it felt - and I'm so glad I did. Everyone told me it made me look yellowy, jaundiced and sickly! Add to that, every time I touched my face at all, even lightly, I came away with a bunch of foundation. Even my cheapest foundations haven't done that. I put some of my own powder over it to set it a few hours later, which eased the problem a little...but still not to a satisfactory degree. My face was also constantly somewhat shiny, even with the matte primer. Overall the shade was the biggest killer: it was horrible and yellowed, even though supposedly that has a pink base. 2 days later I went to the Estee Lauder counter in the same store and was matched to Double Wear 1c1 Shell which is perfect and wears so much better and more naturally. So no, the only reason this gets 2 lippies is that it had reasonably good coverage. Otherwise, very poor!
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Fragrances -Kenzo - Amour by Kenzo
korrok 10/2/2012 9:10:00 AM
One of my favourite perfumes. On me this is all vanilla and rice, not a super sweet vanilla but a more tempered one. It's a very warm, comforting fragrance, and makes me feel happy whenever I smell it. As a vanilla lover, I absolutely adore this.
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Eyeliner -Sephora - Jumbo Liner 12HR Wear Waterproof
korrok 10/2/2012 7:32:00 AM
I picked these up in Sephora's any 3 items for 10 euro sale, one in khaki and one in white. I was super shocked at the quality! They apply beautifully, going on with the barest minimum of pressure to full opacity, they smudge easily if required, can be used as liners or shadows, and came in a ton of different colours. The white is wonderful for highlighting around the tearduct, in the waterline and so on. Now I need to go back and grab a whole bunch more - these are an awesome addition to anyone's makeup bag!
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