Eye Shadow -Unlisted Brand - Makeup Geek- Eyeshadow (All)
laracole 1/9/2012 2:01:00 AM
Overall, these shadows are great quality, comparable to the mac shadows I own (see pictures posted above.) I like that these are made in the US and are cruelty free. I've heard some people claim they are the same as Coastal Scents hot pots, and I believe they are not because the majority of these shadows are talc free (all the hot pots I own have talc) and the pan size and amount of product are slightly bigger. The pans these come with are metal, so they will stick to magnetic pans (unlike mac, which are the opposite - magnetic pans that stick to metal palettes. The texture of the matte shades are decent but not as smooth as the others. Some of the matte shades I've tried (Preppy, Latte, and Purple Rain) have okay pigmentation. Mocha is pretty good but the standout is the black eyeshadow Corrupt. This is the best and blackest black eyeshadow I've come across, just like UD blackout. I've even read that some find it darker than that. Mac Carbon looks grey compared to this. The shimmery and metallic shades are buttery and so pigmented! Some more than others, such as the metallic taupe silver Moondust, and the hilight Shimma Shimma. These have the same feel of a Stila eyeshadow (very soft and pigmented.) I find these all very bendable, and even the less pigmented ones were easily built up. They have great staying power and creased after about 5 hours without a primer. With primer, they last all night on my normal/oily eyelids. These are a great deal and a fantastic way to start an eyeshadow collection, since there are lot of neutrals in the collection. If you've got a ton of eyeshadows already, there's bound to be a shade or two that that catches your eye. I always read the reviews on individual shades to find out if its worth buying or not :)
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Milani - Black Cherry
laracole 12/19/2011 8:23:00 PM
Lovely color. It's just like the juice of a black cherry. Can be very vampy or pretty as a light stain. Other than that, this lipstick is horrible. While pigmented, this lipstick is NOT opaque at all, so if you have different pigmentation on your lips like I do, it will show through (wears more like a stain). Next, even with lip balm, this settles into lip lines like crazy. Also, there's the smell but It wouldn't have bothered me if this actually wore well.
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Lipstick -NARS - Pigalle
laracole 12/15/2011 10:18:00 PM
(see pics) I'm so excited to have found a MLBB color. The whole concealer as a nude doesn't work with my lips because my lip color is so different from my skintone. I'm around NC40 and my lips are pretty pigmented, and have uneven coloring so It's difficult to find nudes and neutrals that don't wash me out and clash with my skintone. Most things I try appear too cool on me. My bare lips are darker on the outside and lighter inside and are pinkish brown with a bit of mauve, so for me the color description of pink brown is spot on. Since my lips are pigmented, I can see a pink tone. Great everyday color. I can use out of the tube no problem, but I can see where lighter skinned women may have a problem. It's opaque, which is necessary for my lip color. I tried looking for a less expensive dupe within the Sephora brand rouge cremes (similar texture imo), but the neutrals didn't have the nice balance of pink and brown that this has. The one that came closest was almost a dupe, but too yellow so it made me look sick. Overall I love this color and it's worth every cent. My only gripe is the dryness. I just put clear gloss over it and it does the trick. Lasts pretty long on me too.
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Deodorants -Unlisted Brand - Arm & Hammer Essentials Natural Deodorant
laracole 9/16/2008 9:02:00 PM
The Crystal stick is the only natural deodorant I've used before and although it worked well, it was a hassle wetting it and rubbing it in for such a long time. That's when I transitioned back to regular deodorants. I was happy with degree women for a while, but I noticed that even after a shower and a lot of degree, the odor would not be controlled at all! Arm and hammer is amazing! With this I no longer have to use certain dri! Its not an antiperspirant, but certain dri along with regular deodorant was the only combo that kept me from being funky. This stuff lasts a LONG time, works, and smells great. I have it in unscented, and it reminds me a bit of Tang, but there is no noticeable scent at all. 5 lippies!
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Misc Beauty Tools -Revlon - Cushion-Grip Lash Curler
laracole 8/24/2008 8:55:00 AM
I'm sure you either love this product or hate it. I have almond shaped asian (Filipina) eyes, and Revlon curlers (the lash curler and cushion grip curler) are HG for me. See profile for my eye shape. The base of the curlers are like a half circle with flat edges on each side. Great for almond, not so for more round (pinched my sister pretty badly). These last about a year or two before you need to change the pad. PLEASE be wary of the pad before you curl, I've had quite a few of my lashes "trimmed" because the pad had worn out. BTW, the gold one (this one) comes with flat pads, while the silver are more round.
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Palettes -Coastal Scents - 88 eyeshadow palette
laracole 8/18/2008 11:22:00 PM
I'm surprised no ones reviewed this on MUA yet. This is my 100th review, btw... So there are pictures of the palettes and swatches of all 88 colors at the end. This is the original palette, not the shimmer, which contains mostly mattes, but there are plenty of shimmery ones in it as well.
Anyway, this is the palette that everyone and their mother (on youtube) has and raves about. I didn't really want it at first, but since I was on coastalscents.com ordering some micas and brushes I went ahead and got it. One thing I have to mention is that their company is based in Florida and I am in Northern California. Shipping took two days (priority!) I mean, priority is supposed to take 2-3 days I know, but I've ordered things from neighboring states that ship priority that took three days, so I was pleasantly surprised.
On to the palette: after opening up my package I first took out my mica samples and was absolutely floored. The ones I ordered were so pretty and pigmented, so when I finally got to opening this it was pretty anticlimatic. lol. So these sat around for a day while I played with my pigments. Still, I brought them out later and played around with them.
When I first saw these online I thought the brightest shades were the ones I'd like best, but the neutrals are awesome. Not the first two columns though (all similar and somewhat chalky), but the last two are awesome. I'm the type of person who has to buy crazy e/s colors, only to end up using them sparingly. I usually go with neutrals and lots of black eyeliner and mascara on a day to day basis so these are fab.
I also know that you can order these on ebay and they come from a seller in Hong Kong. These are the same ones on coastal scents (check if the pictures are the same). It does not say on the package, but i believe these are made in asia (probably China since Coastal scents must import them). On ebay you can get it for about 25 USD (shipping included). On coastal scents, its about 30 USD (to California at least, 20 for the palette, 10 for the cheapest shipping option). So if you don't like your MU made in china then this is not for you.
So while the first two rows and columns aren't that great (neutral-wise - the colors are okay), the rest of the palette makes up for it. These swatches are all in natural light, on an overcast day. I used a good e/s brush to swatch them, but they have NO BASE (because that would be cheating :) and I did NOT layer any of the colors. ENJOY:
Ingredients (omg, evil parabens!! :P)
Natural light
In direct sunlight (You can see the shimmers and metallics better)
Swatched in order from palette. Remember, no base, water, ANYTHING. NC 43 skin.
And IMO, the yellow is chalky, (as are the first 2 rows and columns as you can see by how they don't even show up on my skin). So go ahead and GET chrome yellow :P
I always use a base w/ e/s because I have oily lids so as far as staying power and pigmentation go, I have no problem. These would probably crease and fade without. BTW... the palette is small (about 9x6.5 inches, about 23 cm x 16.5 cm?). The pots are small too... dime size or smaller.
I'm glad I got this because now i can play around with a bunch of colors. For the most part, what you see in the pan is what you get on skin. Its sooo cheap too. I wouldn't say that you NEED this, its just nice to have around. Will not repurchase.
34 out of 36 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Alima - Luminous Shimmer Blush - Sahara
laracole 8/8/2008 12:58:00 AM
EDIT: r/o for pic
I got this as an free sample from my Alima order. Alima's description is: A lustrous spicy bronze with hints of gold and rose. When swiped it is a pretty medium toned metallic rose with plenty gold shimmer (I mean GLITTER). I really didn't care for this though, because when I apply it, I can't see the rose base and only end up with gold glitter all over my already huge pores. IMO gold glitter is no way to downplay huge anything (haha). Makes a pretty eyeshadow though.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Sally Hansen - Insta-Dri
laracole 8/6/2008 2:31:00 AM
I couldn't wear nail polish without this product! (Unless it was a fast drying already glossy shade like OPI My Private Jet :). I love to do my nails, but hate waiting for them to dry. I'm totally impatient and will mess up my polish by attempting to multi-task (dry my nails and God knows what), causing me to remove that finger's polish, which in turn destroys another, and so on until I have some preeety effed up nails. It's like watching dominoes fall. With this, however I can touch my nails within 1 minute without leaving any tell tale finger prints. The brush is wide and flat, like and OPI pro brush, which is so convenient! Smaller brushes just cause everything to go on steaky because the drying time of this is so fast. While it won't have you polish rock solid in 30 seconds, it'll add a diamond shine to your nails while you wait hmmm... less than 3 minutes for it to FULLY dry (thats on 3 layers of the slowest drying nailpolish EVER!). HGHGHGHG!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express The Colossal
laracole 8/5/2008 11:36:00 PM
This is a pretty good mascara for my thin, average semi straight lashes. I didn't curl my lashes and put this on and POW. I've never had fake looking lashes from 1 coat of mascara before. I really like how it darkened the base of my lashes which I could only do before with eyeliner. One thing to watch out for is the SMELL when you first open the tube... i DOES smell like roses (but not in a good way). I knew it smelled familiar! But its honestly not bad and it fades fast.
I got this in glam black, because I assumed it was just a darker than basic black. I assumed right. Usually "black" mascaras aren't dark enough for me (naturally black hair) but the color of this is nice and dark. I like it SO much better than lashblast, which brush was too big and awkward. The brush on this one is nice and full, but not too huge for my asian-ish eyes.
But this stuff can look spidery if you apply to heavy, hence the 4 lippies, because it dries pretty fast, but not hard (my lashes are still soft). I remedy this by taking a medium to stiff toothbrush (new, or course, just get a cheap one), and brushing the clumps out of my lashes. Usually this would result in full but natural looking lashes with my other mascara (Full n Soft), but with this I get thick fake looking ones that are nicely clump free. This is a keeper, I was less than 4 dollars (40% off). I wouldn't have picked it up otherwise as it looks so gimmicky (like lashblast). Will repurchase.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Chrome Yellow eye shadow
laracole 8/4/2008 4:58:00 PM
Very Matte and VERY YELLOW. You do have to layer on a bit to get it bright, BUT I usually use a creamy white base it it goes on vibrant. Try NYX Jumbo pencil in MILK over UDPP. OH, and btw, DON'T try to use a mixing medium (like glycerin/water) on your brush and dip it into the e/s. It'll mess it up, as I learned with MAC mattes. If you're wondering just what the heck your supposed to DO with a vibrant yellow e/s, then I suggest mixing it with other colors (such as green, blue, red) to get shades you'd never normally buy. I mixed this with a cheap green Sally girl e/s and got a dupe of the PRO Chartreuse pigment.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Milani - Silver Bullet [12]
laracole 8/4/2008 5:56:00 AM
Light blue toned silver. Nicely pigmented. This is great for dark brown eyes! Get this if you don't have a silver e/s yet.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -NYX - Kiwi
laracole 8/4/2008 5:48:00 AM
R/O for pics...
Gorgeous grassy green with shimmer. It is somewhat like the inside of a kiwi but more green IMO. Also I held off on buying this b/c one of the reviews I read says that its a lot like Lime Green. But I did buy it and its a LOT different.
This is a comparison..
(L-R) Dry, Wet, Over Vaseline, UDPP
Kiwi actually is not as buttery as Lime Green. In fact the texture is a bit grainer than what most are used to with NYX, but its still soft and blendable. A must have!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Wet 'n' Wild - Eyeliner
laracole 8/4/2008 5:40:00 AM
Ew. I know wet n wild is a great value and all, but their pencils are too Soft and smudge like nothing else. While the colors are pretty, they won't be after you see them migrate from your eyes to ... well everywhere else.
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Conditioner -Dove - Intense Moisture Conditioner
laracole 8/4/2008 5:37:00 AM
This shampoo/conditioner along with Tresemme are my current everyday shampoo and conditioners. Dove is great because it really moisturizes my hair without weighing it down. It also smells GREAT. Its fresh and soft and my s/o LOVES it.
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Conditioner -Thermasilk - Heat Activated Moisturizing Conditioner
laracole 8/4/2008 5:34:00 AM
I can't believe they d/c this!!! this was my super HG shampoo and conditioner. I would buy the JUMBO sized ones from COSTCO. Anyway I would blow dry my hair EVERY day after my shower, and it was still silky and healthy. I'd ALWAYS ALWAYS have people touch my hair and give me compliments on it. Whyyy is it d/ced? :(
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No