Liquid -Neutrogena - Skin Clearing Oil-Free Makeup
leeli86 10/30/2011 7:53:00 PM
I find this foundation to be very dry and difficult to work with. I bought this because I was looking for a sheerer foundation for oily acne pron skin. However, I find this foundation almost tacky and really difficult to blend. The only way that it seems to apply evenly is if smoothed on with fingers which is not my favourite way to apply make-up. Especially considering you have to pour the foundation out of the bottle which is messy and annoying. In addition, it always seems to leave a dry chalky residue on my face which just isn't cute. As for it's skin clearing properties the conentration of salicylic acid in it is so low that it probably won't make a huge difference to your skin. For me it just seemed to make the foundation drying. Proper skincare and using oil-free makeup will probably make a much bigger difference to the condition of your skin. So the only time I use this foundation now is to thin out thicker foundations like my revlon coverstay and it works great for that purpose. Overall, not a fan.
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Concealers -Garnier - Anti-Dark-Circle Eye Roller
leeli86 10/30/2011 7:42:00 PM
This is an alright undereye concealer. Since this is only made in one shade it is sheer and fairly peachy so if you have really dark circles or a darker/very pale skintone this probably won't do the job for you. I found that the best way to apply this is to put some on the back of my hand and use a fluffy blending brush to blend it under the eyes. I tried applying it straight from the roller ball and found that it distributed too much product and looked cakey while settling in to fine lines. However, when applied with a lighter hand it covers and illuminates slightly and wears well. I don't hate this concealer but I know there are better under eye concealers out there and I will definitely be moving on when I use it up.
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Lipstick -L'Oreal - Infallible Lip Color Stars Collection in Beyonce (red)
leeli86 10/30/2011 7:29:00 PM
I love, love, love this colour! I can't go on enough about what a beautiful, vibrant, in your face red this is. Unfortunately, the formulation leaves a lot to be desired. First off, with the applicator or with a brush I find this hard to apply and since this is such a statement shade every little imperfection stands out. Also, because lips have to be bare of any product in order for this lipstick to set it's not compatible with lipliners which means the lipstick itself is the only product you can work with. As for the long wearing claims it really is. Once it's on it takes make-up remover to get it off. Sadly, a few hours in it starts to flake, mostly from the centre which leaves an ugly red ring around the outside of the lips. I wish revlon would make this shade in regular lipstick form so it was a bit more manageable. I keep wearing it because I love the shade so much but I really doubt if I'll repurchase this particular lipstick.
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Lipstick -Cover Girl - Lip Perfection in Sultry
leeli86 10/30/2011 7:18:00 PM
I love this as a darker browner based neutral with my pale skin. I think this would be a great mlbb shade for girls with medium-tan skintones and I love it on me too but if you are paler don't apply it straight from the tube. Trust me, it'll look like bad 90s mud brown lipstick all over again. However, if applied properly it can work for pale girls too. I usually apply it with a lipbrush or with my fingers for a lighter application. I especially love the formulation of these lipsticks. I don't find them very moisturizing like covergirl claims they are but I don't find them drying either. What I love most about the lip perfection lipsticks is that they fade evenly leaving your lips stained with the colour of the lipstick so you never get that ugly ring of lipstick around the outer edges the lips. Because of the "staining" quality of these lipsticks they are quite long wearing and I've never had any problems with bleeding of feathering. Love sultry and can't wait to try more lipsticks from this line.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Liners -Rimmel - red diva
leeli86 10/30/2011 7:08:00 PM
This is a great lipliner. Firstly, I love the automatic twist up pencil. I like that I don't have to worry about keeping a shaperner on hand or the tip getting dull. Also, the way the tip of the liner is slanted means that one side of the liner is extra thin which is useful for drawing really precise lines. The only complaint I have is that because the liner is so thin it also tends to be flimsy. You have to be careful not to twist it up too far or the tip will break off and you'll lose a big chunk of product. Besides that, it goes on smoothly and evenly, keeps lipstick from bleeding and helps it last, and when the lipstick wears off the liner is still there as a type of stain. I even wore this on my wedding day because I knew it was a product that wouldn't let me down.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -New York Color - 309B Sheer Red
leeli86 10/30/2011 6:57:00 PM
This is a really nice toned down red that's everyday appropriate. There are a lot of pluses to this lippie, the price (less than a dollar), the formulation is smooth and moisturizing, the packaging is cheap but functional. My only complaient is that the wear time, like with a lot of moisturizing lipsticks , kind of sucks. I definitely recommend layering this over a lipliner to get the longest wear possible. I think this shade would also be a good baby step into reds for those that don't regularly rock screaming retro red lipstick but want to branch out from the pink/nude lip. Addmittedly I'm one of those girls who likes the full on red lip but sheer red is much more work appropriate while still giving a bit of colour to the face. Overall it's a good buy and if you decide red is just not for you you're only out 97 cents or so.
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Concealers -Hard Candy - Glamoflauge Concealer
leeli86 6/12/2011 2:51:00 PM
Beware if you have acne prone skin!!! This is probably a decent concealer for other skin types but this has given me the worst skin I've had since I was eight and caught the chicken pox! Right now I have no less than 43 little red bumps on my face clustered on the areas where I applied this product. Too late I checked the ingredients and the first two are petrolatium and lanolin oil (aka oil and more oil). So oil sensitive girls beware!! I've had a crazy strong reaction to this and I wouldn't want any of the other MUA ladies to have to deal with this mess that is my face right now. The product itself isn't bad as a concealer. It has great coverage, a nice texture/finish, and is really cheap for the quality and amount you get. However, there are only three shades and it's basically oil with pigment which are big lippie deducers IMO. If you have dry skin you'll probably love this but I for one will not be touching this again with a ten foot pole!
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Burt's Bees - Radiance Eye Cream with Royal Jelly
leeli86 3/24/2011 4:00:00 PM
I picked up this cream a few months ago when I noticed that the area under my eyes was getting really dark and dehydrated which gave the appearance of fine lines that I don't actually have. This is meant to be an illuminating under-eye moisturizer not a heavy duty anti-aging cream and it is wonderful for that purpose but if you want something to address aging and winkles this is not for you. It runs around $27CDN but you get a suprising amount in one little glass pot considering how little you use each time. I've had mine for two plus months now and I'm just about halfway through my jar. The cream is smooth, has a slight scent (nothing you notice once it's on) and is moisturizing without being oily or greasy. It gives me a very subtle sheen around the eye that really does brighten and lighten my dark tired eyes. Also, I noticed that after a week or so of using this my undereye area was well hydrated again and my would be fine lines had disappeared. I haven't had any problems with how this wears under make-up. In fact, I like to mix a little bit with thicker concealors to sheer them out and make them a little illuminating for the eye area. Overall this is a nice product that I will definitely be repurchasing.
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Treatments -Alpha Hydrox - AHA Souffle 12 percent Glycolic AHA
leeli86 2/17/2011 1:52:00 PM
I bought this hoping it would be a cheaper replacement for my HG Neostrata products and let's just say it was a total fail! I expected something very similar to Neostrata and since it had more of the active ingredient (12% vs. 10%) and rave reviews my expectations were high. Well this stuff slowly ruined my skin by clogging up every single pore! It's just a meh product in my opinion. I actually saw a regression in my skin and didn't think it was earth shattering at all. I went with it until I used it up and my skin was clogged, breaking out, and dull. As soon as I switched back to my regular skincare my skin was back to it's clear radiant self within a week and a half. I only give alpha hydrox three stars because it's a glycolic product at a more than decent price. It just didn't work for me so I'm going to warn other oily skined girls away. Apparently they also make an oil-free version which may have worked better for me but I think I will be sticking with what I know works from now on.
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Misc Beauty Tools -Unlisted Brand - Home-made Refresher Spray (Fix + Dupe)
leeli86 12/2/2010 2:08:00 AM
I too was not willing to give MAC $20 for what is essentially glycerin and water so I tested this out and it's pretty amazing! I have oilier skin so I definitely dilute it a lot more than the 1:3 ratio the recipe gives and I usually add a few drops of tea tree oil instead of the lemon oil. If you don't dilute this you'll end up with this sticky film on your face that might be hydrating for drier skin but is plain nasty on olier skin. Mostly I use this to set my make-up by just spraying it onto my face or spritzing it onto a cosmetic sponge and patting it all over like powder. However, I've also used it as a mixing medium and it seems to work pretty well for that too. Does it help my make-up last longer? Mmmmm...probably not. Does it fix cakiness and make me look glowy and flawless? Absolutely yes!! If you like to use mineral make-up or heavy powders like Studio Fix Powder then I would say you have to at least give this a shot, it just might change your make-up life. PS. If you're having trouble finding glycerin I got mine in the cake decorating section at Michael's (craft store)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Bare Escentuals - Buxom Lips Lip Gloss in Amber
leeli86 12/2/2010 1:48:00 AM
These are my newest obsession, Amber in particular is a gorgeous peachy-nude colour with gold and peach shimmer. Don't be afraid of the shimmer though, it's so fine that on your lips you can't even see it. This lipgloss rides the line between creamy and sticky in that it's thicker but not enough to be sticky but still has pretty good staying power if that makes sense. They're pretty pigmented for glosses but definitely not opaque. My favourite thing about the Buxom glosses is the minty cooling feeling and how that feeling lasts the whole time the gloss stays on your lips. If you're not a fan of that feeling or tend to be really sensitive to these types of gloss stay away form these, I just happen to love it. As far as plumping goes I don't see much of a difference but that's not why I buy these. These glosses are a little steep at $18 a piece but I think totally worth it. I'm up to five of these babies and I haven't found one I dislike yet.
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - HiP Concentrated Duo - Wicked #818
leeli86 11/26/2010 2:48:00 AM
This is a really awesome drugstore duo. The colour payoff is amazing and the texture is smooth. The shadows themselves are beautiful colours, a shimmery (it glows more than shimmers but I don't know if there's a real word for that) muted gold and a rich matte plummy purple. I've heard the gold is a dupe for MAC's woodwinked and I do use this shadow a lot. The purple is gorgeous but if you have pale skin like me (NC20) use with caution, if not applied spareingly you can end up looking like someone punched you in the face. Would defintely buy again and want to explore more of the H.I.P. collection.
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - X eye shadow
leeli86 11/26/2010 2:35:00 AM
I have this in both the shadow and pigment form and both are pure awesomeness! This is a gorgeous peachy-melon (more peach than melon) with gold duochrome that makes it look like a sunset in a pan! Alright, maybe that's a bit dramatic but it is gorgeous and really beautiful on blue eyes. Like all UD shadows it's pigmented, silky, and super blendable. Unlike most UD eyeshadows it's lacking annoyingly chunky glitter and loads of fallout. I've heard X compared to MAC's melon pigment before but don't know how close they are since I don't own melon to compare. Overall, this is the type of shadow I'm willing to pay $17 for (although I got it on sale at duty free for $5!) and will repurchase if I ever hit pan.
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Palettes -MAC - Glamorous Mineralize Kit
leeli86 11/26/2010 2:18:00 AM
This is one of the exclusives from the A Tartan Tale collection and at $58Can is actually not so awesome a deal. The set comes with Blessedly Rich Lipglass which the MAC site discribes as "pale coral". The person who wrote this description is clearly colour blind because this is not a coral it is more like a "medium bronze". Also included are Indianwood paintpot (straight up beautiful metallic bronze), Noble Touch Mineralize Eye Shadow Duo (bronze and pale champagne with pink veining), and a mini Zoomblack Zoom Mascara. Basically you pay full price for the lipglass, paintpot, and eye shadow duo and get a mini mascara thrown in for free. Although the lipglass is too dark for my tastes it can work on my NC20 skin if applied lightly. I think on someone with a darker skintone and warmer undertone it would be stunning! Besides that it's a lipglas: sticky, thick, lasts pretty well, and pigmented. The eyeshadow is beautiful, shimmery, and very wearable. Keep in mind that it is a mineralized duo and therefore not as pigmented and more powdery than other MAC shadows. Haven't had the chance to use it wet yet but I have a feeling it will be spectacular. Indianwood paintpot is probably the product I will get the most use out of as it makes for a beautiful long lasting bronze base that makes my blue eyes pop. I actually liked the zoom mascara which suprised me as it is a very black and wet lengthening mascara and I usually like drier volumizing formulas. All in all everything is very pretty and the packaging is a tartan patterned tin pencil case which is adorable. However, the colours are easy to dupe and the one product I would buy seperately (indianwood) is in the permanent collection. So while the eye shadow duo and lipglass are beautiful I would say skip this if you have similar items in your stash already and spend your money on some of the more unique products in the collection.
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Blush -L'Oreal - True Match Superblendable Blush in Baby Blossom
leeli86 11/26/2010 1:41:00 AM
I wouldn't call this blush my HG but it is the only one I've bought three times, so I guess it's the closest I've found so far. This is a great everyday, barely there kind of blush that goes with pretty much every look. It's the lightest shade in the cool toned section of the L'oreal true match blushes and really does work on my NC20 skin. This blush is super finely milled and silky, not super pigmented but not so unpigmented it won't show up either. It's pretty much goof proof, there's almost no way you could pack too much on and give yourself clown face early in the morning in bad bathroom lighting ;-) Although it looks like it has tiny silver sparkles in the pan it goes on completely matte as far as I can tell. Overall this is my go to blush and although it doesn't blow me away it's a staple worth having while the hunt for the HG contiues.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No