Palettes -Urban Decay - Naked Basics
lauralately 5/10/2013 3:57:00 AM
These aren't terrible shadows - they're very pigmented and true-to-pan, and the blending was fine. However, the shades are so easily dupeable, it's ridiculous. I mean, how hard is it to find a basic matte ecru shadow? Yet UD thought we needed two of them in this palette. I'm fair, and both the yellow and pink toned matte ecrus look identical on me. This is quite expensive for what it is, and you don't need to spend this kind of money to get the looks that this palette produces. The packaging is a bit tough to open, and the shadows have crazy fallout when I blend them. I got this as a gift, otherwise I would've returned it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Rimmel - Scandaleyes - light blue 008
lauralately 5/10/2013 3:50:00 AM
These look to be Rimmel's answer to Milani's hugely popular Liquif'Eye pencils; unlike Liquif'Eye, the Rimmel pencils come in a few awesome, unusual colors. This is a very, very pale matte blue color, quite unusual and just the shade I was looking for. It's super creamy and very opaque for such a pale colored pencil. I knocked off a lippie because I bought it to use all over the lid (which I can do with the Liquif'Eye pencils), and it didn't go on very evenly. I really wish they made this in jumbo shadow pencil form - it's delightful, and once I evened it out by putting pale blue shadow over it, this pencil lasted all night on my lid.
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Blush -Shiseido - Luminizing Satin Face Color - PK304 Carnation
lauralately 7/3/2012 5:49:00 PM
I usually wait a couple weeks after purchase to review a product, but I'm loving this so much, I must review it, even though I just bought it today. I'll edit if my opinion changes, but I doubt it will. This is my first HE blush purchase; I did a ton of research before selecting the blush I wanted, because $30 for a blush isn't normally in my budget. The SA at the Shi counter applied some to my face, and it held up through the 45 minute ride home in 95-degree Dallas heat with no air conditioning. The color is a lovely petal pink - it looks peachier in the pan than it does on my face. It has no shimmer; however, previous reviewers who say that it has a "glow" are correct. The glow is hard to describe, but I've seen it before in other products - MAC Patina eyeshadow is the first product that comes to mind that is similarly shimmer-free, but has that "glow" (obviously very different colors, but the same effect). The color looks perfect on my NC15-20 yellow-toned skin. I'm not sure if it'd show up on someone with a darker skintone. The opacity is also difficult to describe; the pigmentation is very good, and it applies very smoothly, but it's difficult to over-apply. I piled a ton of it on my face when I got it home - I'd roll in it if I could! - and it still looks beautiful and flattering. Packaging is lovely, but I'm not a sucker for packaging - IDC what the box looks like, it's the product that counts for me. And this product is pretty darn fabulous. If you're planning a splurge, this is certainly a worthy one!
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Eye Shadow -Physicians Formula - Matte Collection Quad Eye Shadow in Canyon Classic
lauralately 6/20/2012 4:56:00 PM
Other reviewers have claimed that these shadows are highly pigmented; I must respectfully disagree. In my experience, this quad is pretty sheer. The texture is matte and dry. However, I'm giving it an uncontested 5 because it is a FABULOUS product for blonde eyebrows. Super-pigmented shades can look funny on my sparse, patchy blonde brows; I prefer sheer brow powder that can be built up as needed, and this quad fits the bill. I mix the darkest gray shade with the darkest tan shade on my brows, and the result is very natural-looking definition. I also love the darkest gray shade for giving subtle definition to my eye socket when I'm rocking a strong lip color. The sheerness of the shadow makes it pretty foolproof, and it's perfect for a "no makeup" look. For the record, I'm NC15-20. I'm not sure if this product would work for darker skintones, but if you have blonde eyebrows and fair skin, like me, it's definitely worth a try.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Revlon - ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup
lauralately 6/16/2012 1:22:00 PM
I've been testing this product out for about a week, with and without primer and powder, and I can officially say I love it. I am giving it a 4, though, because I'm not sure if it will work for everyone. Plus, the packaging - a heavy glass jar - isn't the most convenient or sanitary. If your skin reacts to silicones, be warned: dimethicone is the first ingredient, and several other 'cones populate the first 10 ingredients on the list. Because of this, even if your skin is happy with silicones, it's best to use a heavy-duty makeup remover, like an oil or a cold cream, to remove this. The good news is, if your skin tolerates 'cones as well as mine does, this foundation is lovely. The texture is super-creamy and easy to blend, and feels/looks surprisingly light. It doesn't cake, which is a problem I've had with other long-lasting foundations like Double Wear and the old Colorstay. And it lasts and lasts - I kept it on for 12 hours the other day, and it looked fine. I've heard some folks complain that it accentuates dry patches; it didn't do this on me. In fact, it smoothed over my rough patches (dryness, large pores, fine lines) like a dream - it seems to float on top of imperfections. I prefer to apply this over a primer for added staying power, with a mattifying powder in the T-zone. I use my fingers to apply a thin coat all over, then build it up over particularly stubborn redness. This foundation is talc-free, and has no sunscreen in it, which means it probably photographs very well. I'm NC15-20, very yellow-toned; in the original Colorstay, I wore Buff, which had a weird gray cast to it. In the Whipped formulation, the Buff shade doesn't have that grayness - it blends perfectly with my yellow-toned skin.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Revlon - Photoready Cream Blush
lauralately 4/27/2012 12:03:00 AM
I have this in Flushed (hot pink). The Good: I totally agree with other reviewers who say that this blends like a dream and looks gorgeous. The texture of this blush is very light and silicone-y, which is not surprising, as dimethicone is the first ingredient. My skin tolerates 'cones quite well, so I adored the silky texture. The color is a bit sheerer than I hoped it would be, but it's buildable. I love that this blush has no shimmer, and the color is something that we usually only see in HE brands. This does feel HE. The Bad: I knocked off a lippie for the lasting power. My skin eats up cream products, and we live in the humid South, so staying power is very important to me; I debated giving this a 3 because it does need touch-ups after a few hours, but if you don't have problems with climate or oily skin, you might get more mileage out of it. I gave it a 3 for price, because although it's not expensive compared to HE brands, it's very expensive for drugstore - I got this at Walgreens for $13. You do get a lot of product for the money, but this isn't really a factor for me - I've never hit pan on a blush before.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Wet 'n' Wild - Mega Last Lipstick
lauralately 4/2/2012 3:04:00 AM
These lipsticks are great! I have two: #368S That's Berry Beautiful and a Barbie pink that I can't find (hope it's not lost!). Berry Beautiful is the greatest thing since sliced bread. This rich, shimmery mauve-berry shade is incredibly pigmented and smooth - this stuff looks high-end. I like patting it over my lips as a stain, although it looks super classy and polished when I wear it full-on. The pink one (can't recall the name atm) 's a frosty '80s pink that's perfect for spring. The pink emphasizes dry lips a bit more than the berry, but for $2.99, it's still totally worth it. The packaging is simply awful - it takes the jaws of life to pry off the 20 billion layers of stickers and plastic wrap, and sticker removal leaves the tube sticky. The lipstick doesn't swivel down all the way, which sucks; the plastic tube looks like it might break at any second; and the cap doesn't stay on too well. However, the quality of the product more than makes up for the crappy packaging. I can't say enough how great these are. If you're worried about the packaging, get a nice lipstick case (the kind that fits the whole tube) so the cap doesn't come off in your purse, and it still looks glamorous to take out for touch-ups. Wet 'n' Wild have really stepped up in quality over the past years; add this product to their list of hits.
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Cover Girl - Olay Simply Ageless
lauralately 4/2/2012 2:47:00 AM
Looks like I'm chiming in with many reviewers who say that this concealer is good, and the Corrector (yellow) shade is dead-on for my skin tone, but it's not quite HG material. Because my skin is combo and I do break out, I'm automatically suspicious of the white swirl of anti-aging stuff in it, so I just dip my brush into the yellow part when I wear it. I'm pale and yellow-toned, with redness around my chin and nose (in foundation, I use EL DW in Bone). This product works great when I'm in a rush and don't want to bother with foundation, under eye concealer, and spot concealer; the Corrector does it all. I put it around my nose, chin, and undereyes, then blend with a flat foundation brush; I'll use a little concealer brush to slap some over spots, then powder and out the door. My redness is gone, and my under eye circles are neutralized without the white raccoon look. I'm taking off one lippie for staying power. This doesn't melt off right away, but it does fade, and may need touch-ups after a few hours. It fades off of my spots first, and sometimes gets slightly cakey around my nose and chin. If you're pale and yellow-toned, this is a great little pot of concealer that is certainly worth a try. I used to fear Cover Girl foundations & concealers due to an ill-fated eighth grade experience with Clean makeup, but I've gotta hand it to them: the Corrector is a good product.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Differin Gel
lauralately 4/2/2012 2:31:00 AM
I put down a 3 for price - without insurance, this is expensive, but if you have insurance, you can probably get it for cheaper. I have the 1% gel, and I've been using it for nearly a decade - all over my face when I was in my early 20s and my skin was bad; now that I'm 31 and my skin has cleared, I use it as a spot treatment. If I feel a nasty bump growing under the skin, I'll slap some of this on it overnight, and the swelling is reduced by morning; usually, it completely clears within a couple days (spots usually last 5 days without it). Because I've used it for so long, I can't really comment on its anti-aging properties - I didn't have any wrinkles when I started using it. However, nothing beats this stuff when it comes to treatment for spots.
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Polishes -OPI - Chop-Sticking to My Story
lauralately 3/15/2011 4:01:00 AM
I snagged this on a half-price sale the other day, and it's quickly risen to the top of my polish heap. My unusual, pale yellow-y skintone makes most colors throw very cool on me (YDKJ looks purple/black, RBL No More War looks grass green), and as such, my skin tone brings out the pinky-red undertones in this burnt orange. It's a really pretty effect.
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Polishes -Essie - Sew Psyched
lauralately 2/28/2011 12:33:00 AM
Sew Psyched looks green in the bottle, but on my pale NC15 skin, it looks blue, very different from bottle color. At first I was disappointed, as I love green polishes, but after wearing it for a day, it grew on me so much, and I got so many compliments, that it's now one of my favorite polishes. The formula is fantastic - although I hate the tiny Essie brush, the polish goes on so smooth that my hatred of the brush is almost an afterthought. This is supposedly a dupe for RBL Diddy Mow; I read an interview with Ji Baek where she said the inspiration for Diddy Mow was the color of sand seen through shallow water, and I can totally see that in Sew Psyched. It must be good if it looks different than bottle color on me, and the brush sucks, but I'm still giving it a 5.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Body -LUSH - Wiccy Magic Muscles Massage Bar
lauralately 1/26/2011 4:06:00 AM
The menthol-tinged cinnamon smell is nice - I like cinnamon scents. The tingling sensation is also pretty awesome; it reminds me of a milder (and better-smelling) Tiger Balm. But these g---d--- beans are driving me CRAZY. I keep a trashcan nearby when I apply, but they always end up escaping and falling on the floor. It seems that with the volume of the beans, there's not much actual product in the bar, especially since the beans themselves, during the short time before they escape from the bar and retreat to the corners of my bathroom floor, don't do anything for my muscles.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Color -Amphigory - Special Effects in Hot Lava
lauralately 5/16/2010 3:44:00 AM
Hot Lava isn't as neon-bright as other Special Effects reds, but it's my favorite SE color by far. It is a great orange-based red that won't fade to pink like many of Special Effects' other reds; rather, it fades to an orange, then to yellow. I find that it fades at the roots first, which get a yellow-y tinge after a couple washes. I love Special Effects for its staying power and its creme consistency, which makes for less drippage than some other haircolors.
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Lipstick -MAC - Viva Glam I - the original
lauralately 5/16/2010 3:32:00 AM
My hair has been every color of the rainbow, from blonde to black to blue; it's currently bright red (my skintone is pale yellow, MUFE 117). I find that Viva Glam I works with some hair colors, but not all. I bought my first tube about ten years ago, when my hair was black. It didn't work when I was a blonde, so it sat in my drawer for a few years until I dyed my hair red, at which time I rediscovered this lovely shade. This is a great red for redheads, as it has a brownish base (bluish reds don't look great on me when I have red hair). It's matte, but not as desert-dry as other MAC mattes (I'm looking at you, Ruby Woo); I usually need a balm underneath.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - Matte Lipstick - Strawberry Suede [DISCONTINUED]
lauralately 5/16/2010 3:22:00 AM
I have three words for this neon coral lipcolor: love, love, and LOVE. This isn't a shade for the faint of heart - it's superbright and very matte, but it looks fantastic on my very pale, yellow-toned skin (MUFE 117). Other reviewers have described it as a pink, a red, and an orange; this is one of those shades that looks different on everyone. On me, it's pure coral, bright and punchy with a retro feel. The texture is refreshingly lightweight; although it's very matte, it's creamy enough that I don't require a balm underneath unless my lips are particularly dry that day. I also like dabbing it on my cheeks as a cream blush; also try dabbing it on with a finger as a stain. Such a pretty shade for summer!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No