Lip Gloss -Kiehls - Downtown Peach
laratron 2/3/2009 11:13:00 AM
Kiehl's Downtown Peach gloss.
If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-612
Downtown Peach is a sheer peach gloss with golden pearl. The texture is smooth with a low grade of stickiness and the pearl shimmers are not gritty. The colour is a true peach that applies like a soft glaze on the lips.
My main criticisms for this product are about the overpowering grapeseed fragrance and the extremely ambitious retail mark-up in Australia - AU$27 for .5OZ strikes me as being just a little beyond reasonable.
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -China Glaze - Outta Bounds
laratron 1/21/2009 7:28:00 PM
China Glaze 'Outta Bounds'. If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-604
A bright sassy emerald green pearl with a touch of kelly to make the colour pop. I'm not quite sure of the logic of giving this product a bad review because it's a green nail polish - the product is usual China Glaze impeccable quality, it applies smoothly and without streak marks and dries evenly. If your only drama is that it's green, don't buy green nail polish!
A cute, fun shade. Maybe not one I'll throw on my regular rotation, but it's a nice diversion on lazy summer weekends. If green is good enough for Cincyfan, it's good enough for me!
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Penultimate Eye Liner - Rapidblack
laratron 1/13/2009 6:32:00 AM
MAC Penultimate pen eyeliner in Rapidblack.
If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-589
MAC's new Penultimate liner is a flat black matte non-waterproof pen liner with a nib tip. It's not at all unlike a Lancome Artliner or the various L'Oreal pen eyeliners; the MAC liner is in the middle of the road in regards to price. As for the quality, liquid liner is really just liquid liner - you're not paying for plasticised formulas (Liquidlast Liners), solid gels (Fluidlines) or anything the differentiates if from any other liquid liner, just the packaging. Think of the Penultimate liner as a handbag version of the plain old original liquid liner.
Wear-wise this is no different from a standard liquid liner. It's not waterproof or water-resistant and isn't suitable for the waterline. The application takes a little bit of finesse - whilst it's super easy to apply, getting a dense black colour takes a little more work. When applied over eyeshadow the black gets muddy and grey very quickly, although a couple of quick swipes over that can rectify that and bring up that nice inky blackness. The line it delivers is crisp and clean, and angling the liner/increasing and decreasing your grip can produce super-fine lines and thicker solid lines.
The Penultimate liner is a nice, functional liner with all the positives associated with pen liners, but also all of the negatives that are also part and parcel of pen liners. It's a nice product, but certainly not innovative.
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Lipstick Queen - Rose Sinner
laratron 10/15/2008 4:44:00 AM
Lipstick Queen lipstick in Sinner Pink on unlined lips.
If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-570
Rose Sinner is a creamy, warm-tinted rose opaque lipstick in a creamy satin-matte finish. It has no sparkles, shimmers or pearl finish. The finish is a slightly satiny matte with no dry feeling - applied straight from the tube it has a slight silicone feel but it's definitely not greasy or slippery.
Rose Sinner is a true rose with a slight warm undertone, but not so warm that it's unflattering on extremely cool-toned skin. It has no blue or fuchsia undertones even when blotted out sheerly. On me the colour is rich and succulent, the colour of blush pink rose petals. It makes my lips stand out against my pale skin but not in a stark, obvious way - the effect is more suggestive of a romantic, Renaissance-era portrait.
The lasting power of these lipsticks is unreal - I wore Pink Sinner (different colour from the same matte range) over Too Faced's Borderline invisible lipliner and topped with Lipstick Queen Shine gloss pot in Saint Opal and easily got 6 hours from it, coffee included. It wore down evenly rather than turning into a lipstick ring around the edge of my lips.
The packaging is charming; a deep indigo matte metal tube with a discreet Art Deco logo. It feels solid and sturdy and will survive rolling around in your handbag.
Rose Sinner is just a beautiful, pretty lipstick - it's not innocent, it's not sultry; it's just an elegant, adult shade of flushed pink that looks clean, fresh and a little bit romantic.
Would I buy it again? Absolutely. Consider me a Lipstick Queen convert.
Lipstick Queen lipsticks retail for AU$32 at Kit Cosmetics in Australia.
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
12 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Lipstick Queen - Pink Sinner
laratron 10/14/2008 3:30:00 AM
Lipstick Queen lipstick in Sinner Pink on unlined lips.
If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-569
Pink Sinner is a creamy, apricot-tinted pink opaque lipstick in a creamy satin-matte finish. It has no sparkles, shimmers or pearl finish. The finish is a slightly satiny matte with no dry feeling - applied straight from the tube it has a slight silicone feel but it's definitely not greasy or slippery.
The lasting power is unreal - I wore Pink Sinner over Too Faced's Borderline invisible lipliner and topped with Lipstick Queen Shine gloss pot in Saint Opal (lacquer-finish gloss in YLBB fleshy pink with subtle pearl) and easily got 6 hours from it, coffee included. It wore down evenly rather than turning into a lipstick ring around the edge of my lips.
The packaging is charming; a deep indigo matte metal tube with a discreet Art Deco logo. It feels solid and sturdy and will survive rolling around in your handbag.
If you're expecting a ballet slipper pink I'd look elsewhere, but this is a sophisticated and elegant shade that's definitely worth trying. I'd highly recommend it to fellow PPP's how are a bit over the whole bubblegum pink lip trend and want something with a bit of polish.
Would I buy it again? Absolutely.
Lipstick Queen lipsticks retail for AU$32 at Kit Cosmetics in Australia.
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
12 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Carbon
laratron 10/5/2008 5:30:00 AM
Black Tied (velvet)
Carbon (matte)
Blackground (Paint Pot)
Blacktrack (Fluidline)
MAC Carbon eyeshadow compared to other MAC black-based eye products. If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-512
Carbon is a flat, matte black eyeshadow and part of the permanent MAC line. It has excellent colour depth and blends out to a sheer wash without going ashy or blue-based. A staple of any adaptable eyeshadow collection, it can be used subtly to give depth or dimension to an eye look, or applied strongly to create a rich impact of colour.
One of my favourite all-time looks is a classic smoky eye using Carbon:
- Apply primer as needed.
- Sweep MAC Silver Ring (storm-cloud silver grey) across the lid and into the crease, then along outer 3rd of the lower lashline. Apply Shroom (cream with subtle pearl) to the brow bone and down to the crease. Blend through the socketline to create a smooth gradient of colour.
- Apply Carbon alongside outside 3rd upper lashline and through the outside 3rd socketline (for Asian eyes, blend through outer 1/2 of upper lashline, rising higher towards the ear). Blend edges softly to remove hard edges without losing density of colour.
- Apply Blacktrack Fluidline along upper lashline, softening on the outer 3rd of upper lashline so that the black liner smoothes off into the black eyeshadow. Subtly work Blacktrack along outer 3rd of lower lashline in between your lashes.
- Apply mascara and brow products as required.
Would I buy it again? You betcha!
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
15 out of 17 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Style Minx Lipglass - Heatherette 
laratron 4/24/2008 12:54:00 PM
MAC Style Minx on unlined lips. If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-502
Vibrant mid-opacity rich pink with blue pearl.
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Makeup Remover -Too Faced - lash Injection Antidote
laratron 3/22/2008 1:05:00 AM
Too Faced Lash Injection Antidote. If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-487
Lash Injection Antidote is the new gel-based eye make-up remover from Too Faced. I'm unsure whether the older Rip Off eye make-up remover is being phased out in favour of this new product or they'll co-exist with each other.
Antidote is a thick, creamy gel that you massage onto your peepers to loosen and dissolve your make-up prior to being wiped away with a clean tissue. I took it for a test run before and it easily removed a black MAC Paint Pot, some Blacktrack Fluidline, and copious amounts of NARS Night Porter eyeshadow. The Too Faced Lash Injection I was wearing was a little more stubborn, but it definitely came off without having to scrub at my eyes or pull at my eyelashes. I was left with a little residue at the edges of where I'd massaged the gel, but nowhere near the horrible gluey mess I achieved the last time I used a gel eye make-up remover (Mario Badescu's Eye Make-Up Remover Gel, one of the very few MB products I'd be hesitant to recommend).
Suprisingly for a Too Faced product the fragrance isn't overpowering. It smells a little like cookie dough, maybe a little like pancake batter. Either way it's not noticeable unless you really take a good sniff, and fragrance/perfume isn't listed in the ingredients.
So far I'm positive towards this product. My notoriously irritable eyes haven't reacted, I haven't had much cloudy vision after using the product (no more than I get from every other eye MUR) and it seems to do the trick for removing black eyeliner without having to scrub my eyes raw. I'll most likely repurchase if I ever get through the fairly hefty bottle of product.
Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, C11-12 Isoparaffin, Alcohol, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Triethanolamine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Bisabolol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Isopropylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Too Faced - Lash Injection Vivid Blue
laratron 3/22/2008 12:41:00 AM
Too Faced Lash Injection in Vivid Blue. If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-489
I've flirted with blue mascaras many times before. I have blue eyes that are getting increasingly flat and dull as I reach the 'something' part of twenty-something (not enough sleep, stress, not enough water, working in air conditioning... if it can zap the life out of your peepers, I'm currently experiencing it) and I'm always looking for quick little fake-its. Benefit Bad Gal Blue was a huge smudgy disappointment, Diorshow in Azure Blue was identical to brushing MAC's Blue Peep fluidline on my lashes, and Max Factor's Lash Perfection in Deep Blue didn't even come to the party. I feel that's enough market research, now to list my one success thus far!
Lash Injection Vivid Blue is the same formula and texture as the original black Lash Injection, but tinted blue rather than flat black. At first the wet mascara is electric 80's blue but as it dries it darkens to a rich midnight indigo blue. I wear it to give some snap and sparkle to my blue eyes and the midnight tint is strong enough that it's not obvious that I'm wearing blue mascara. It only becomes intense when I'm directly under strong lighting or I'm in the sun. It has enough opacity and depth to not look ashy or flat when worn with black eyeliner.
If you're after a blue mascara that's going to stay electric blue on your lashes I'd skip this one, but if you want to emphasise the colour of your eyes without being obvious this is a good blue mascara to try.
Lash Injection retails for US$19.50 from Sephora, or AU$35 from Kit Cosmetics.
Ingredients: Castor Oil, Trioctyldodecyl Citrate, Glyceryl Triacetyl Hydroxystearate, Candelilla Wax, Octyldodecanol, Jojoba Oil, Cera Alba, Sesame Oil, Ozokerite, Carnauba Wax, Cetyl Ricinoleate, Microcrystalline Wax, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Vanillin, Tocopherol +/- colour, fragranceFragrance, Water, Polyurethane-2 Beeswax, Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Dimethylimidazolidinone Rice Starch, PEG-6 Beeswax, VP/Eicosene, Copolymer, Alcohol Denat, Sorbitol, Diethylhexyl Sebacate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Laureth-2 Benzoate, Butylene Glycol, VP/Hexadecane Copolymer, Tocopherol, Polybutene, Dimethicone PEG-8 Polyacrylate, Hydroxypropylcellulose, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Dipropylene Glycol, Laureth-23. May Contains: Iron Oxides (77491), Iron Oxides (77492), Iron Oxides (77499), Benzyl Alcohol, Iodopropynyl, Butylcarbamate, Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Isopropylparaben.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Vegas Volt
laratron 3/18/2008 7:55:00 AM
MAC Vegas Volt on unlined lips. If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-476
Vegas Volt is permanent lipstick in the MAC line, an apricot-tinted coral without shimmer or glitter in an Amplified Cream finish. The swatch on the MAC site is misleading, there's no way Vegas Volt has such a strong pink undertone. The finish is a true cream with enough moisture to be glossy but just enough firmness to apply smoothly. When applied with a lip brush the application is creamy, smooth and intense, but applied straight from the tube it can be a little too thick and paste-like. If you apply it too thickly it can look mega dated - whoever said Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest was totally on the ball. Applied smoothly or even patted on and blended off sheerly, it's a rather saucy colour that's glamorous and reminiscent of cocktails and caftans at St Barths, not tacky like a washed-up middle-aged Vegas showgirl who can't quite let the kickline go.
Vegas Volt is bright, but it's not an unreal, electro bright colour. Swatched next to Morange or Neon Orange (pro), it actually looks pretty wimpy and washed out. If you want to start experimenting with oranges and corals, Vegas Volt is one you can use as orange/coral with training wheels - try dabbing a bit of it into your pout and blushing it out sheerly, or blend just a touch of it into the middle of a more neutral/beige lipstick. When you're ready to hit the big league, pop on some Vegas Volt, top it with Lychee Luxe lipglass and prepare to turn some heads!
Would I buy it again? You betcha!
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
Basic ingredients: Castor Oil, Trioctyldodecyl Citrate, Glyceryl Triacetyl Hydroxystearate, Candelilla Wax, Octyldodecanol, Jojoba Oil, Cera Alba, Sesame Oil, Ozokerite, Carnauba Wax, Cetyl Ricinoleate, Microcrystalline Wax, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Vanillin, Tocopherol +/- colour, fragrance
18 out of 23 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Viva Glam II
laratron 3/18/2008 1:05:00 AM
Viva Glam II on unlined lips. If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-478
Viva Glam II is the second colour released in the charity fund-raising Viva Glam line. A slightly pinked beige, this lipstick is very cool and can cast a slight lavender/grey tint to the lips. VGII was released in 1997, and to be perfectly honest it's a very late 90's colour. What Revlon Toast of New York was to the early 90's, VGII is to the late 90's.
There is the tiniest, virtually invisible amount of shimmer (definitely not a deal breaker if you're anti-shimmer; I wouldn't have noticed it at all if the MAC website description hadn't mentioned it) and the finish is a true satin with just enough moisture to be creamy and just enough firmness to be long-wearing. The application is creamy, smooth and intense, with no cracking or sliding. Paired with Subculture or Spice lipliner, this would wear evenly for quite a while without going chunky or funky.
This is a very, /very/ difficult colour to wear. My colouring doesn't quite allow me to pull this one off with as much grace as I'd like (it's a little too dark, a little too brown, a little too strong on the grey undertones), but I don't feel that I wasted my money. After all, all the proceeds went to HIV/AIDs charities within the country of purchase, Australia in my case, and purchasing it allowed me to meet Dita Von Teese. I might not have been wearing VGII when I met her, but at least VGII allowed me meet her in the first place. There's always a silver lining!
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Fun N Sexy- fafi collection
laratron 3/3/2008 6:18:00 AM
Fun 'N' Sexy lipstick on unlined lips. If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-467
Fun 'N' Sexy lipstick from the Mac for Fafi collection is a sheer blue-based pink with electric blue pearl in a glaze formula. First impression is that this is an uber bright shock of colour, but the glaze formula means that this applies as an ultra-sheer wash of colour holding a lot of frost.
The packaging for this lipstick is abysmal - the Fafinette on the lipstick container isn't printed on, rather just a heat-shrunk plastic overlay. The lipstick bullet itself is glossy black plastic. Very cheap, very tacky. You'd think with the amount of money they spent creating the needless double jacket cardboard packaging, they'd keep it going and fork out the extra cents to get the character printed onto the tube.
- Fun 'N' Sexy lipstick
- Fun 'N' Sexy lipstick layered with Totally It lipglass
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Comme des Garcons - Synthetic Series Soda
laratron 2/15/2008 7:17:00 AM
I'm not a denizen of the perfume board, so you'll have to excuse me if this review isn't particularly technical.
I bought Soda on a whim the other day from Mecca Cosmetica after spending my lunch break agonising between Garage, Soda and Tar (for the record, I'm buying Tar next pay day). Soda ultimately won out because of the crisp, sparkling notes won me over, as did the rapid dry-down that passed through bitter lemon and quinine, a striking metallic note and ended up with a crisp, slightly salty carbonated finishing note. The aldehydes and linalool work together to create a really striking initial fresh ginger note (on my skin, anyway) that gives the fragrance an initial sparkle that eases you into the deliberately chemical nature of the perfume.
On first blush Soda sounds hideous, but on my skin though it's such a crisp, sharp smell that I find myself sniffing my wrist over and over again and presenting my arm to unsuspecting friends and canvassing their opinions of it.
Five out of five for the packaging as well - the deliberately industrial bladder pouch in a clear mister bottle is such an opposite to the crystal flagonette-style traditional perfume bottle that it really stands out amongst my more staid perfumes.
Big raves all round from someone who is already into the more esoteric side of perfumes (CB I Hate Perfume, scent-scapes, man-made recreation scents). If all you've ever smelt is Coty-style pink pepper and gardenia based celebrity perfumes this will be an unpleasant fragrance to your nose, but if you're willing to give them a go, the CdG anti-perfumes will really grow on you.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Long Stem Rose Slimshine
laratron 2/15/2008 3:43:00 AM
Long Stem Rose Slimshine on unlined lips. If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-458
Long Stem Rose is one of the original colours from the re-promoted (and permanent!) Slimshine line. A pretty shell pink with subtle pearl, it gives a charming soft flush of colour to the lips without being too bright, too pale or too frosty. It applies smoothly with a glideable gel texture and leaves a lightly pigmented, lightly pearly cellophane finish to the lips. The product wears longer than a lipgloss and doesn't leave a noticeable stain to the lips.
The comparisons to MAC Bombshell lipstick are reasonable enough, although Bombshell is a shade or two deeper and rosier, and a touch more frosty. If you had Bombshell already (which I do), I wouldn't bother getting this unless you hate the frost finish of Bombshell and/or are an impulse-spending completist (which I am).
I'd classify Long Stem Rose into the very broad lip category of 'it's not a necessity or a collectable colour or a colour with high resale value or a colour that's earth shatteringly original, but gosh, it sure is pretty and that's a good enough reason to purchase'. And yes, it /is/ awfully pretty and feminine. Sometimes that's all the excuse you need to purchase a certain lipstick, really.
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Grenadine (Slimshine)
laratron 2/14/2008 10:27:00 PM
Grenadine Slimshine on unlined lips. If the image above isn't working, it's mirrored at http://mac.larahill.com/swatch/displayimage.php?pos=-459
Grenadine is one of the new colours added to the re-promoted (and permanent!) Slimshine line. A rich raspberry red in the true sense of the word, Grenadine absolutely reminds me of the cordial from which they've taken the name. It applies smoothly with a glideable gel texture and leaves a pigmented cellophane finish to the lips. The product wears longer than a lipgloss and doesn't leave a noticeable stain to the lips.
I've been wearing this over a blushed-out TheBalm's Stainiac lip stain in Beauty Queen (mid-tone raspberry) for a rich, multidimensional, layered lip colour that packs a punch without being too heavy or severe. Worn by itself it's a colour that strikes me as being less rock'n'roll red than an English rose lip kicked up to max saturation. Cool toned PPP ladies, I suggest you pop down to your nearest store and try this on - it's the plushest, loveliest red-based colour I've seen in quite a while.
I am: Px B/R Camellia (palest pink-toned porcelain), black hair, blue eyes.
13 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No