Loose Powders -La Mer - Skincolor De La Mer - The Powder - Poudre de La Mer
layzeex 12/6/2011 3:09:00 AM
I am absolutely in *love* with this powder and got my sister hooked as well. I didn't like how the SA applied it but I bought it anyway in hopes that maybe I could make it work. Since I've discovered this little gem I've ditched all of my highlighters (MSF, liquid illuminators, NARS multiples, Dior Shimmer powder, ect) in place for this powder. All of the highlighters mentioned above has to be applied lightly as it can easily be over-done and look too shimmery/frosty/unnatural. However, with this powder I can dust it all over my face and it will still look natural while giving me this angelic glow. No visible shimmer, just really healthy and glowy skin. It doesn't do too much for oil control, but I just can't get over the finish it gives me. It also sets my makeup perfectly. My skin is PPP whereas my sister is tan, and I noticed that when applied too much it can lighten your complexion a few shades. It does so in a natural way, but I'm just saying- a little goes a long way! I've never had a problem with it being too shimmery or obvious (even when applied heavily) although there is some definite shimmer when you look at it in the container. We both use Translucent. Absolutely the most natural highlighter/powder I have ever used- definite HG material and a definite repurchase for sure.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Essence of Beauty - Travel Eye Kit
layzeex 5/16/2011 3:43:00 PM
I'm surprised by the positive reviews for this set. I got these for my little sister who was just starting out in makeup. One day I forgot to bring over my traincase/brushes and I had to use her brushes. The moment I used it I felt so bad/embarrassed for buying this as a gift for her. It was a pain to use and it was no wonder she couldn't duplicate the looks I was showing her! I found ALL of the brushes to be rough and scratchy. They don't perform well and certainly don't feel high quality. They also don't hold their shape well at all. I'd also like to note that I am *not* a brand snob, as I have brushes that range from MAC, NARS, and Sephora to ELF, Studio Tools, Sonia Kashuk, ect. but these were just horrible. I don't think it's a bad batch either. I overall don't recommend Essence of Beauty and would point you over to EcoTools or something. EcoTools is much, much softer and the price range is about the same. Honestly, when I tried this I immediately thought "well, you get what you pay for I guess!". Of course that's not the case for every 'cheap' item but this just wasn't worth the 10 bucks or so I spent on it.
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Palettes -Urban Decay - Show Pony Palette
layzeex 5/3/2011 10:34:00 PM
For the price (it was on sale of a sale for only 16!), this is of GREAT value. Even though I don't use this often, as I'm more of a neutral-eyed girl, I have no regrets on purchasing this. I use Snatch the most out of this palette and I don't find it to be all *that* bad as far as the glitter goes. You just "press" it on your lids. Some fallout may occur, but just sweep it off your cheeks and your good to go. I haven't experienced any fallout as the day went on, only initial application. PRO'S: + Great value - 6 eyeshadow's and a mini 24/7 liner & a mini primer potion for only 16 dollars. A single eyeshadow from them is worth 16 dollars already! + Quality is up to par with the rest of the Urban Decay shadows. Pigmented, vibrant, and buttery-smooth- very easy to blend. +A whole variety of shades. There's a good mix of neutrals and color. There aren't any 2 that are too similar/a-like, so you get to experiment with different shades. CON'S: - I wouldn't even consider this a real con, but I guess the glitter in Snatch. I mean, UD is known for it's bright colors and glitter, so I don't think it's fair to knock-off points for this. Overall, I'd highly recommend this palette. It'd be a great intro to the UD brand.
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Lip Gloss -LORAC - Multiplex 3D Cliche
layzeex 5/3/2011 3:48:00 PM
I luuurrrrvveee these glosses! I'm quite surprised by the low ratings of the reviews so far, because I think this gloss is truly beautiful. Sure, it's hard to wear on a daily basis (this specific color) but it'd be great for a night out. Here are my pro's and con's of this product: Pro's: + Not sticky. Smooth, even application. + Beautiful, unique color. Pink with blue duo-chrome. + A small, stiff brush. This could be a good or bad depending on your preference, but I liked it because I felt like I had more control of the application and it picks up *just* enough product whereas with the longer/bigger brushes I'd have to swipe off excess product on the edges. + Fruity smell. I didn't notice this on my other gloss (vivid), but this one smells good (: Once again, this could be good or bad depending on whether or not you like fragranced lip glosses. + High shine gloss. Con's: + Although unique, this color would be hard to wear daily. + Packaging. The outside lettering/silver cap gets scratched off easily. Overall, I'd highly recommend these glosses from LORAC. They're of great quality and I'm loving the colors! I'd also recommend Vivid (peachy-pink with green duochrome).
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Moisturizers -Make Up For Ever - Elixir
layzeex 5/3/2011 3:40:00 PM
I got this for free as a gift and was really excited to try it out. Unfortunately, I didn't see or feel *any* difference to my skin. I have normal skin, sometimes a little dry. I don't know - I was just expecting more for the price. I ended up swapping mines away. Only reason why I gave it 2 stars is because there was no negative side effects - but there was no positive ones either. Bummer :(
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Treatments -It's a 10 - Miracle Leave in Product
layzeex 4/25/2011 10:59:00 PM
Hands down the BEST detangler E.V.E.R. I'm asian with long hair all the way down my back and have been a bleached platinum blonde (see profile for pic) for the past 3 years and my hair is naturally a dark brown. You can imagine the damage, split ends, ect from all of that bleaching! It's especially a little bit difficult right after I get out of a shower- it's always a little tangled. However, with just a few sprits of this and my hand just GLIDES through my hair. It never weighs my hair down and conditions beautifully. I do occasionally use Frederick Fekkai's Glossing cream with this, but this leave-in is definitely a staple of mines. It didn't mend my split ends (nothing willl), but after 'dusting' the ends off it did a great job at preventing new ones. It's EVERYTHING you would want in a leave in! I personally like the smell, it smells exactly like Ralph by Ralph Lauren's perfume, but of course it will vary with others. TIP: *Don't* just spray this into your hair. This is a cream - not a watery consistency. Therefore, I suggest you spraying it into the palms of your hands and rubbing it together and THEN running it through your hair. I did the mistake of just spritzing it into my hair and wasted a lot of product. Surprisingly, you don't need that much! Less is definitely more. I recommend this product whole-heartedly. I plan on trying the version this Keratin in it as well. (:
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Lancome - Dual Finish Versatile Powder Makeup
layzeex 4/19/2011 6:23:00 PM
*****UPDATED REVIEW**** I like this powder. It covers up my imperfections (cheek redness, blemishes, chin from old acne spots) perfectly without being powdery. This is coming from someone who has DRY skin. I've never tried it wet because I've found that the coverage I get from being used dry is just fine. The trick is that you've got to apply it with a sponge. I would usually *never* recommend that (I always use my brushes for everything), since sponges could get dirty really quick, but that's the only way I've found that gives me great coverage. Just remember to replace it often. So, to sum it up, here's all the pro's and con's with this foundation: 1) Great coverage. Can be super sheer (with a fluffy brush) and built up to medium/full with a sponge. I like the sheerness because I could use this as a setting powder for other skintones as well. 2) Not powdery at all. I have dry skin and this doesn't suck all the moisture out of my skin or make it excessively dry. Even when I've built the coverage up it never looks cakey. The results are always natural upon application. 3) Great color selection. I was lucky enough to get a perfect color match with the SA, however my little sister wasn't as lucky. I'm Matte Pearl I (I have fair skin, usually I'm neutral but in this brand I'm under warm and this is the 2nd lightest of the warm tones) and my sister is at least like... 4-5 shades darker than me. The SA matched her to Matte Porcelaine Délicate I, which is even LIGHTER than me. Ridiculous! When I made a comment that maybe we should go a little darker, she just snapped back saying that she's been a MUA for 16 years. No joke- there's a picture of us in my profile, my older sis is on the left, I'm in the middle, and she's on the right. I don't understand how someone can be so off! Pffft. Okay, end rant, lol. Now on to the bad... 1) Scent. I'm usually not sensitive to smells but I found this to be overly perfume-y. When I initially smelled it, I thought it was just fine. What bothered me was how long it lingered around for... It started to get nauseating. When my little sister smelled it she said, "It smells just like grandma!". At the time I didn't smell the powder yet, I just remembered back to the reviews and I said, "Oh, it's an old-lady smell?". She said, "No. Grandma just uses a lot of Lancome." Lol! I have to agree with her that I don't think it smells ''old lady'' at all, it's just floral-y. It does remind me of my grandma though, just because she's always buying a lot of Lancome. :) I know there's a fragrance-free version but it doesn't carry all of the shades, and unfortunately, it didn't carry mines. 2) It doesn't hold up well to oil. My skin isn't oily, but when I'm out in the heat I see this starting to cake up and looking obvious on my skin. : Overall, it's a good powder and I think it's worth to at least try out. I took off 1 star because of the scent & for the lack of shades in it's fragrance-free version. I took another star off because of it's lack of oil control. This is the powder I'll be using for cooler months - but for the summer I'll be needing something else.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Sheen Supreme Lipstick - Supremely Confident
layzeex 4/8/2011 7:50:00 PM
I have very fair skin and found it surprising that I could *never* pull off a nude. Any time I wear a shade of nude it makes the surrounding area of my skin look pink/red for some reason, so it was definitely a shock that I liked this. It's a very pale nude, but I think it suits me because of 1) the formula - it's slick, light, and glossy, but with great payoff. Applied straight from the tube is a no-no, but with a lip brush, it's beautiful and surprisingly forgiving on my not-so-perfect lips. 2) My skin tone. My skin is light and this lippie is light, so it matches fairly well. If I wear any darker nudes they tend to look too orange/brown. Fair-skinned ladies, I think you should at least give this one a try!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -It's a 10 - Miracle Leave in Product
layzeex 3/15/2011 7:31:00 PM
Hands down the BEST detangler E.V.E.R. I'm asian with long hair all the way down my back and have been a bleached platinum blonde (see profile for pic) for the past 3 years and my hair is naturally a dark brown. You can imagine the damage, split ends, ect from all of that bleaching! It's especially a little bit difficult right after I get out of a shower- it's always a little tangled. However, with just a few sprits of this and my hand just GLIDES through my hair. It never weighs my hair down and conditions beautifully. I do occasionally use Frederick Fekkai's Glossing cream with this, but this leave-in is definitely a staple of mines. It didn't mend my split ends (nothing willl), but after 'dusting' the ends off it did a great job at preventing new ones. It's EVERYTHING you would want in a leave in! I personally like the smell, it smells exactly like Ralph by Ralph Lauren's perfume, but of course it will vary with others. TIP: *Don't* just spray this into your hair. This is a cream - not a watery consistency. Therefore, I suggest you spraying it into the palms of your hands and rubbing it together and THEN running it through your hair. I did the mistake of just spritzing it into my hair and wasted a lot of product. Surprisingly, you don't need that much! Less is definitely more. I recommend this product whole-heartedly. I plan on trying the version this Keratin in it as well. (:
13 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Olay - Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System
layzeex 2/22/2011 11:30:00 PM
I love, love, love, L-O-V-E this stuff! I've been using this for a week now and thought I'd add my experience on to here. First, I've read about how hard it was to take out the compartment for the batteries, but with the first tug it came out. I didn't wiggle it, I just pulled it straight out. I've also read how some people said they didn't notice a difference between the two speeds, but I do. Naturally, I turned it to the faster speed since I use a scrub daily and always press those little beads HARD on to my face. I realized though, since the brush is doing such a great job exfoliating I didn't need the faster speed. I turned it to the slower one when being used with a scrub (Laura Mercier face polish) and the faster speed when I'm using a creamy cleanser. I admit, I'm guilty of using this brush longer than a minute as suggested since it feels so good using it and is... well, kind of fun :blush: (: I actually get excited to cleaning my face morning & night now! My face was instantly smoother and I noticed results right away. Of course, it was probably only noticeable enough for me to see since I'm so observative, but after 3 days it was obvious enough for others to see as well. I only need to use half the amount of moisturizer than I usually do and makeup is a BREEZE to put on. Flakies? What flakes?! GONE! I've also read some reviews of users who have used the Clarisonic and have said that this didn't exfoliate enough and that this brush was too 'weak'. And while I haven't used the Clarisonic, I couldn't image a need for something that is stronger. This exfoliates extremely well while being gentle enough for a whole wide array of skintypes. I've seen results within a few uses, so it's obviously working. My breakouts are almost gone and my complexion is radiant. I just love it! A warning: this *does* pull/tug the skin though, since it's a rotating brush and not a vibrating one. Because of this, I'd recommend not getting too close to the delicate eye area. Also, when there's a lot of water on your face it could splash/flick around and (sometimes) into your eyes a little bit, but it doesn't happen often and isn't too much of a bother. I just wish the outside layer of the bristles didn't rotate - that would've easily solved this problem. Overall, I can't recommend this enough. I've already told my sisters and mother about this and plan on buying some as gifts. Go. Get. This. NOW!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Cream Blush in Penny Lane
layzeex 2/18/2011 5:37:00 PM
I have very fair skin and have been on the search for a natural blush that wont interfere with my smokey eyes and bright pink lipstick. I've tried MAC's beauty powders, gel blushes, other cream blushes, ect. but never really achieved the effect I was going for. I've been eyeing this product for over a year now, and finally arranged a swap to get it. When I first opened it up, I almost thought it was fake since it just looked straight-up peach. I remembered in the store it was a little pinky as well, but I suppose it was just the lighting? Anywho- I was a little hesitant (since I look horrible with peaches), but once applied I was BLOWN away. Floored. Amazed. This looks extremely natural, but not a natural way as in 'I can't even tell anything is on', but natural as in 'I would have NEVER suspected you were wearing any makeup- you just look healthy' kind of way. My cheeks looks naturally flushed. Not a just-in-from-the-cold flush, that's a little redder, but a youthful kind of flush that children have. I've tried using a brush and my fingers, but I must say I prefer the finger method. It blends beautifully and lasts for most of the day, at least 5-6 hours, which I consider fairly long especially because I don't 'set' it with powder. I don't detect any glitter/shimmer, but it doesn't appear flat at all. It looks slightly dewy and very, very natural. For fair-skinned ladies, this is a MUST. One thing I'm a little annoyed by however, has nothing to do with the particular product, but I've noticed NARS has been raising it's prices within the last few years. I remember when their blushes were 24 USD, now it's 27?! Hopefully I will be able to swap for another one when I run out, but if I can't, I'll suck it up and buy it for it's retail price. This profuct is a true gem and worth that extra 3 buck increase.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Olay - Hydrating Beauty Fluid
layzeex 2/4/2011 4:08:00 PM
I admit, I was a little hesitant when I read that there's mineral oil and petrolatum in this moisturizer, since I do have skin that is prone to acne. However, I had no choice but to use this since I ran out of moisturizer and my skin was incredibly dry after the shower. I borrowed this from my sister. Initial feeling when putting this on - it's light, but not *super* light. It moisturizer *just* enough for normal skin and It dries within about 5-10 minutes of me putting it on. I understand completely where the other reviewer is coming from, saying this smells of hospitals & diapers. And although I personally don't smell diapers or hospitals, it *does* smell EXACTLY like baby lotion. I think the one maybe from the pink bottle? And though it has mineral oil and petrolatum, it hasn't broken me out which I was pretty surprised. Overall, this is a pretty basic moisturizer. Great if that's all you're looking for- works for me because I like to use each of my products, ie: moisturizer, sunscreen, treatments, anti-aging, ect., on it's own over each other rather than having them already mixed together. Therefore, I don't take any stars off for it not having an SPF or anti-aging properties in this. I took off a star for the smell - I don't like to feel like I'm putting baby lotion on my face. Gives me a feeling that I'm going to break out or something.
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Eyeliner -Sephora - Liquid Eyeliner
layzeex 12/29/2010 5:20:00 PM
Absolutely love this. I've tried many eyeliners from MAC, LORAC, Urban Decay, drugstores, ect. The longest lasting is hands down MAC liquid-last, but the brush is way too big and the formula is far too goopy for everyday use, thus I needed to buy another eyeliner for day to day use. I was using Urban Decay's and I really liked it. Sure, it (UD) comes off the moment water hits it, but the brush was *really* thin and I loved that about it - super easy to draw a line. I decided to purchase Sephora's after I ran out of UD and since it was a lot cheaper (got it on a sale). Well, I'm *glad* I decided to get this. It has a super thin brush which makes it incredibly easy to get a thin or thick line, and even easier to wing out your eyeliner. What surprised me most was when I took the brush out - JUST enough product came out. It wasn't too much where I had to wipe it against the edges of the bottle to take some product off - and I have to do that with EVERY liquid liner so far - even UD. It isn't waterproof (nor does it claim to be) but it does last throughout the day for me. AND... NO flakes whatsoever, because let's face it, the worst thing is to look in the mirror and seeing skin 'spots' inbetween your eyeliner due to it flaking off! Great price - GREAT brush (super thin and easy to control), average-wear formula. I'd highly recommend this eyeliner for those who want a day-to-day liquid liner, but still recommend MAC Liquidlast (and a separate brush) for long-wear, sweat-proof occasions. Great liner and serves its purpose well.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Head and Shoulders - hair endurance for men
layzeex 12/15/2010 2:09:00 PM
Wonderful stuff. I bought this for my hubby when he started getting dandruff - it was pretty bad. I mean, he'd have flakes all over his shoulders and back. It came out of no where! I couldn't take it anymore and got him some of this stuff. Within just 2 uses his dandruff is GONE. ZIP. NADA! I already knew this stuff works (head&shoulders brand) but even I was surprised at how quickly it worked (just an fyi- I left it on his head & massaged it for about 10 minutes the first time before washing it off). As far as the 'thickening' part, I'm not sure if it really does that, but then again... it's not what I got it for anyhow. 5/5 for dandruff. ?/5 for thickening.
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Fragrances -Viktor & Rolf - Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb
layzeex 12/6/2010 2:57:00 PM
I was going to buy this for my mom, but after 1 spray of this I couldn't see her or even me wearing it. I'm not too into fragrances and cannot for the life of me detect all of the 'notes' in this or other perfumes, but after the initial spray I just thought "SWEET". This smells really, really sweet. I smell the sweetness of this before I couldn't detect anything floral about it. And it lingered. It lingered for a long, long time on me. I guess that could be a good thing if you like the smell, but it was a bad thing for me. 2 Lippies for lasting power, but it's too young/kiddish for me. :\ Too bad... wanted to like it since the limited edition bottles are so cute.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No