Misc Beauty Tools -Kryolan - Non-Aerosol Fixer Spray
lavelle365 4/24/2013 8:40:00 AM
Unable to find the aerosol version of this so was stuck purchasing the non-aerosol pump style pack. It was a mistake. The pump pack is unable to produce fine droplets - instead it's like having rain falling on your face. It's a horrible feeling. The liquid stings unpleasantly for quite a few seconds (and I do NOT have sensitive skin). Due to the pump pack, it's extremely difficult to control where the heaviest parts of the spray will land. The spray pattern is neither fine nor even. To add insult to injury, in the area where the heaviest application has occurred will go slightly discoloured (slightly orangy). I have tried spraying a kubuki brush and touching it onto the skin as suggested by some makeup artists. This method lifts foundation straight off the face, leaving wierd clear patches. Never again. Admittedly it makes makeup last longer but it's not worth the stinging, patchiness or lack of control of the product. Am going to try a different brand now and chalk this up to experience.
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Highlighters -Boots - No7 Skin Illuminator
lavelle365 2/22/2013 9:36:00 AM
Amazingly disgusting product. Tested this in the shop, was repelled by the huge, stupid brush, but went ahead and bought it anyway. (Why? That part was my fault). This is truly the world's most impressive makeup repellent. If you want your foundation to peel off your face in revolting flakes, this is the product for you! simply apply some of this highlighter, allow it to dry (it will be sparkly, but that's what you want, right?) and then carefully dot a little foundation over it, blend in. It will look fine for about two hours, then your foundation will start flaking off, like a horrible skin disease. Brilliant eh? Or you could try putting this OVER your foundation. It will instantly curdle your foundation, making you look like you have different disgusting skin disease. Amazing. At least that way you have time to re do your makeup before you leave home. Apart from the hideous packaging (the brush is ugly, pointless, wastes product and adds cost for no benefit) this really is the most horrendous stuff. I'm amazed as Boots normally do reasonable products, but this is only useful for makeup artists who want to replicate a 'mild psoraisis' look. Not for the rest of us. Arggh.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -Estee Lauder - Daywear BB Anti-Oxidant Beauty Benefit Creme SPF 35
lavelle365 2/18/2013 12:36:00 PM
Amazingly disgusting and awful. Rec'd a sample of lightest shade when ordering other EL products. Had lowish expectations but still shocked speechless at how gross this was. Left bright orange dots on skin (great for highlighting pores!) and felt both drying and sticky at the same time. It's like the result of a "most hideous product" competition. Massively outclassed by MUA's £3 stuff, or any of the oriental BB cremes for £5 to £12. Dear oh dear, this was too revolting.
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Liquid -Bobbi Brown - Long Wear Even Finish Foundation Spf 15
lavelle365 2/6/2013 10:09:00 AM
I asked for a sample of this with low expectations, given the very mixed reviews on MUA. I have a violently oily t-zone and the undereye/cheekbone area is dry and tight. Large pores and patchy pigmentation means that it's tricky to get makeup to stay on AND look good without transferring or oxidising or drying out or turning into an oily mess. This foundation performed very, very, very well in winter conditions. I have not yet tried it in high temps. Still, applied lightly with a brush, over Hourglass or Bioderma primers, it blurred the appearance of pores all day. Resisted oil breakthough for 7+ hours. Resisted transfer. Continued to look good after blotting and quick touchup with a powder foundation. Did not settle into lines. Did not discolour. Did not dry out skin in vulnerable cheekbone area. Very high performance product if the priming is done well. Gives a vastly more youthful look than EL DW Light; outlasts Revlon Colourstay and isn't as drying; better wearing properties and oil control than all the above and it also outperformed the very pricey Sisley Oil Free foundation. Very impressed, and would re-purchase, but I still continue to dream pointlessly of a foundation that doesn't require blotting and re-powdering. Having said that, this is a hugely better product that the old tech, aging EL DW liquids and powder foundations, and probably one of the most high performing liquid foundations for my awkward skin type.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Clarins - HydraQuench Rich Cream
lavelle365 1/28/2013 7:23:00 AM
Due to extreme combination skin (super oily t-zone, super dry rest of face) I have been searching for an ultra hydrating cream which can be applied night and day. It has to work under makeup and not cause foundation to go super shiny. I am very pleased with this product. Jibbed at the price (£33) but it comes in a great big tub filled to the very top, so will last ages. I purchased this and the Normal/dry variant at the same time, and was given a 4-product GWP bag and extra items to try as well, so felt the total haul was good value for money. It provides moisture all day (or all night) and does not feel greasy. Plenty of products can make your skin feel nice for two hours but this really does work for many hours. When this eventually runs out I would not hesitate to re-purchase.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Sisley - Express FLower Gel
lavelle365 1/28/2013 7:17:00 AM
I heard about this as it was recommended by Lisa Eldridge as one of the HG products for Long Haul flights. Despite having a horrifically oily t-zone, the skin on the rest of my face is dry, and gets really dehyrated when flying. I didn't want to spend £70 on a full size tube without testing it first, so I obtained a sample which I decanted into a small tub, allowing me to test it on a quite a few occasions. I've tried using this a number of different ways and can safely conclude that it is of minimal use for skin hydration. As a comparison, it is very slightly more hydrating than E45 moisturiser which is a joke when you consider the difference in cost per gramme. It does none of the things for my skin that Lisa Eldridge claims in her video, certainly. If you want a super hydrating cream, the best thing I've found to date is the Clarins Hydraquench Riche, which is £30 for a massive tub. It's much less expensive than the Sisley, but most importantly, the Clarins product is much more effective. I am still experimenting with other ultra-hyrating creams as well (Bioderma and others), but for now, I can safely say this Sisely product is of no particular use to me and I'm so glad I tried a sample first without purchasing the full size, otherwise I would have wasted £70 on a poor performing product.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -The Body Shop - All-In-One Face Base
lavelle365 1/4/2013 12:55:00 PM
Purchased this product entirely due to the reviews on MUA. Was seeking a replacement for the underperforming Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Powder Foundation. I have a horrorifically oily t-zone and get best results from a liquid foundation. However, at some point during the day, I need to blot and then the liquid foundation starts looking thin and blotchy. To make matters worse, the area where I need the most coverage (nose) is also the oiliest. The solution is to carry a powder foundation to use for a mattifying and coverage-enhancing touch up. ELDWSIPPF is not just good enough as it oxidises on my chin and nose, 'puddles' and cakes if repeated applications are required. The good news is that this Body Shop product is cheaper to purchase, DOES NOT cake, does not separate, offers reasonable touch-up coverage, settles into skin without highlighting pores and doesn't sit on top of skin looking powdery and horrid. It just does a good job, and is portable and non-oxidising. The packaging is lightweight, functional but ugly. Clarins does a similar product for twice the price in a gorgeous compact that weighs a ton BTW. I leave the Clarins at home and carry this everywhere. No powder foundation is perfect but this is a good product that really outperforms much more expensive products. Recommended.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Christian Dior - Diorific Lipstick in Brun Mascotte aka Bungee Brown
lavelle365 1/4/2013 12:45:00 PM
Lovely orange based red. Vibrant yet elegant. Snazzo gold baubly packaging. Stays colour true, doesn't fade, doesn't bleed. Matte but doesn't dry out or create darker creases or patching the way that many matte lipsticks tend to do. This is a top quality product. No negatives to report at all. Will purchase more in this range, worth the £23(ish) cost for sure.
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Liquid -Rimmel - Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation
lavelle365 1/4/2013 11:05:00 AM
Astonishly good quality, high performing, long wear foundation at a super cheap price. It's normally about £6 at Boots which is nothing! It's provides a similar look to the entry level priced Revlon Colourstay liquids but at an even smaller price. Pros: sheer & natural looking, great coverage, not to matte, not too shiny, just right! Has pump bottle, nice natural colours, not too pink, not too yellow. Transfer resistant. Cons: The product can't cope with my horror oily t-zone although it puts up a valiant fight. I do get oil breakthrough by lunchtime. Remarkable quality makeup at this price point though. This outperformed Lancome and Clarins liquid foundations and it knocks Borjoius Healthy Mix into a cocked hat. If not for the demon oil on my face I would be able to settle for a nice product like this. Highly recommended *unless* you are in the same mega-oily t-zone situation (if so - you have my sympathy in your foundation search too).
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Unlisted Brand - Milk of Magnesia
lavelle365 1/4/2013 10:54:00 AM
This is my second attempt to make MoM work (first time was 2007, influenced by Paula B's blurb). It didn't work in 2007 but I was swayed to try it again in 2012 by the reviews on here. I have an appallingly oily t-zone and I was desparate to find something that would work to mattify it. £12 I spent on a great vat of the stuff, the only size I could find. The mattifying effect lasted about an hour, and after a week I got pimples for the first time in YEARS on the precise places where the MoM had touched my skin. Grrr. It'll take about a year for each mark to fade too. So cross with myself that I wasted time and money on this product after finding it useless previously. Goodness knows what I'll do with the huge bottle I'm now stuck with *sigh*. EDIT: I'm not 100% sure if this product caused breakout or not. I may have judged it too harshly? Cautiously re-trying because the mattifying properties are helpful to the ultra oily. EDIT AGAIN - This *definitely* caused spots, the only product known to man that can do this on my skin. And not very good as a mattifyer either. Pah.
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Liquid -Estee Lauder - Double Wear LIGHT Foundation SPF10
lavelle365 1/4/2013 8:54:00 AM
Just finishing off a big sample pot of this thanks to the lovely sales team at the EL counter at House of Fraser. I have ordered the full size tube. This is an old-tech, super long wearing, matt finish foundatin. It's not subtle (even when applied thinly, it still gives a 'made up' look) but it gives good coverage, smooths pores a bit, and copes with the hideously oily t-zone very well indeed. The compromise with this is driven by the fact that I have very combination skin with horrendously oily t-zone and very dry undereye/cheek area. So, I have to bias any foundation to the oily skin products. Alas, it's super drying in the undereye/cheek area, but I'll tolerate this for the freedom of putting makeup on at 8am and not having to blot, powder, or touch up in any way at all until after 4pm. It's not an HG product (for that, I'd like the mattifying performance but with 'like skin but better' invisibility - this product probably doesn't exist). Meantime, it's a pragmatic choice for when you want super long lasting coverage without having to check for oil breakthrough or worry about doing touchups for many, many hours. The squeezy tube is light, portable and suitable for travel too. Performance per £ is good, justifying the uplift on price from the Revlon Colourstay market. EDIT: this foundation performs poorly once blotted and re-touched with a powder foundation later in the day. Settled a bit into pores and skin started to look older and tired by 8pm. Switched to the Bobbi Brown Long Wear Even Finish, which did outform this EL foundation in winter, we'll see how the BB goes in summer. I'll hang onto the EK meantime, but it's definitely giving my skin an older look than other products.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Revlon - ColorStay Makeup with SoftFlex SPF 6 for Combination/Oily Skin
lavelle365 1/4/2013 8:01:00 AM
This is a terrific low priced product for oily skins. Bought on a 3 for 2 deal at Boots. Normally about £12 I think. I have very combination skin with horrendously oily t-zone and very dry undereye/cheek area. So, I have to bias any foundation to the oily skin products. This foundation applies very thinly and doesn't look makeuppy or heavy. Coverage is quite good but resist the urge to build (although it is buildable) and instead experiment carefully with concealers under (yes!) or over the foundation. It is long wearing and generally remarkably transfer resistant. I do find it a bit drying feeling on the non-oily areas but honestly at this price point, that's hardly grounds for complaint. Packaging is a damned nuisance - heavy bottle (annoying for travelling) and you have to glop it onto the back of your hand and then dip the brush into the product. Give me a cheap light squeezy tube any day. This really is an excellent budget priced product. It is only my fixation with finding a foundation that can provide a mattifying effect on the t-zone whilst not drying the undereye/cheek area too much that is pushing me to test out ever more expensive foundations.
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Powders -Unlisted Brand - Mattify! Cosmetics - Mattify! Loose Powder for Oily Skin
lavelle365 1/4/2013 7:45:00 AM
This was an inexpensive powder but I am sorry to report that it was generally ineffective on my very, very oily t-zone once oil breakthrough was present in the afternoons. Being a loose powder it's also not easily portable. I keep it in my desk at work but normally I will turn to MAC Blot for dealing with afternoon oil breakthrough, as it works better than this product and it is a lot more portable, being pressed. A shame as I did want this product to be a success.
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Eyeliner -MAC - Fluidline Eyeliner Gel Dipdown
lavelle365 1/4/2013 7:36:00 AM
Staggeringly good product. The brown is strong and dark but so much softer and more flattering than a harsh black. Instead of using an eyelid primer on my oily eyelines, I take a cheap eyeshadow brush (Lydia) and brush on Estee Laude Double Wear Stay In Place Powder Foundation over the entire eyelid area - this is a good use for the leftover powder foundation that forms a circle once you've hit the pan. Any decent powder foundation would work the same way. Then apply the MAC eyeliner over the powdered lid, with a £4 angled-bristle brush bought off Ebay. Don't get sucked into buying the expensive, floppy, short-lived brush that the MAC staff will try to get you to buy. The eyeliner is a very soft texture in the pot and it will last perfectly from 8am to 10pm on my oily lids if I do the prep with the powder foundation first. Is not displaced by crying or sweating at the gym either. I use a lot of this for big flicks every day and one pot has lasted four years so the purchase price is negligable. Note - wanting a grey eyeline, I purchased the Bobbi Brown equivalent of this and it was dreadful. Avoid. Despite both companies being owned by Estee Lauder, the MAC eyeliner is hugely superior.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Revlon - PhotoReady Concealer SPF 20
lavelle365 1/4/2013 7:29:00 AM
Bought this on a whim and was underwhelmed by it as a general concealer when applied straight from the stick. Hung abour in the cupboard for ages being ignored and I experimented one day by applying over primer, UNDER foundation (I know, the opposite of what we are told), using a small firm Avon eyeshadow brush. Fantastic result. This concealer hides the horrid red veins on my nose and conceals under eye circles. The fact that it has some sparkle in it works brilliantly actually - on blemishes, because it's applied UNDER foundation, the sparkliness is hidden, but in the undereye area, I use this concealer alone with nothing else on top, and the sparkliness really give a beautiful look to the undereye/inner corner of eye area. Very very pleased with it. I used much less foundation also, which gives a lighter look to makeup. I have very oily t-zone which normally causes makeup to transfer, but this concealer stays put when applied over a mattifying primer. BTW for research purposes I tried applying this again yesterday from stick to skin, and it looked thick and horrible. Small firm brush into the stick then brush into the skin = excellent result.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No