Lipstick -NARS - Tzigane
lilyofavalon 1/31/2012 3:25:00 PM
I have found my HG nude lipstick! I saw this originally on Temptalia, where it looks too dark for her. However, it is perfect for my NC25 skin (MUFE Mat Velvet + 40, NARS SG Santa Fe). I enjoy the sleek packaging, and there is no smell that I can notice. It's comfortable to wear without being noticeably greasy or dry, although it isn't particularly moisturizing. Still, it's the kind of perfect on-the-go product I can keep in my purse for an ideal nude lip that I don't have to think about that works great on me. Love!
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Mascara -Maybelline - Lash Stiletto - Waterproof
lilyofavalon 11/23/2011 6:10:00 PM
First impressions: -Brush makes the mascara easy to apply. -Clean, lengthening effect. Pretty natural looking. Update: Okay. After trying other mascaras (or rather, going back to my beloved Maybelline the Falsies Waterproof) this thing is just sad. Yes, it does lengthen, but in such a wimpy, sad way that it's quite pathetic. Plus, the effects of this product are basically gone a few hours into the day. Whether it's because of fading or flaking, I don't know, but it's unacceptable. It's not waterproof and it doesn't keep a curl. Go with something else, darlings, because this is a waste of money.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -NARS - Highlighting Blush Powder in Albatross
lilyofavalon 3/28/2011 2:54:00 AM
NARS Albatross is a highly pigmented, wonderfully blendable highlighter that does a beautiful job and adds dimensional shimmer to any look. However, I personally find most highlighter reviews to be very unhelpful, so I will focus on doing a comparison between NARS Albatross and my other favorite highlighter, MAC Shimpagne. For reference, I'm Asian with NC25-30 skin (I also match to NARS Sheer Glow Santa Fe, Revlon Colorstay Oily/Combo Medium Beige, and MUFE Mat Velvet + in 40):
In my opinion, MAC Shimpagne and NARS Albatross are both high-quality highlighters, but with VERY different characteristics. Shimpagne is almost pure gold-silver shimmer, but is more-or-less easily controllable to give a subtle dimensional look to skin or to simply add shimmer to any area that is too matte for your taste. NARS Albatross, on the other hand, has a lot more white pigment in it. It definitely *highlights*, rather than merely adding shimmer. Depending on your skintone and intentions, this may be more what you're looking for, or it may be overkill for you. Albatross, on the other hand, can be blended out to merely add light, beautiful shimmer as well to any matte-finished area.
Overall, as I originally concluded a while ago, Shimpagne would be a more versatile addition for darker skintones (NC/NW25~N42) while Albatross would be especially suitable for N15-N20/25 skintones.
Price Comparisons:
MAC MSF: $28 for .35 US oz ($80/oz)
NARS: $26 for 0.16 oz ($162.5/oz)
Benefit High Beam & Moonbeam: $24 for 0.45 oz ($53.33/oz)
12 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Milani - Smooth Finish Blush - Luminous
lilyofavalon 3/28/2011 2:46:00 AM
The claims of this as an exact or almost-exact dupe of NARS Orgasm are no lie. They're both the same shade of light pink with a bit of peach and a golden shimmer. It's a beautiful shade, although in my experience it's difficult to get it to show up on skin tones darker than NC/NW 20.
The texture of this blush is wonderfully milled and blendable. I was wonderfully surprised by the quality of this drugstore blush, as I was originally highly skeptical. I have also had no issues with lasting power - it lasts all day on my normal-combination skin.
Overall, I am very happy with this addition to my blush collection. I would recommend anyone to try this out, given the price point - especially if you can find some BOGOF deal :)
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Mineralize Blush - Nuance
lilyofavalon 3/28/2011 2:42:00 AM
This is a very sparkly peachy-coral blush. When I swatched Chanel's JC Espeigle, I was reminded of Nuance, but I prefer Nuance on my NC20-25 skin. The shade blends in more convincingly to give me a dimensional, pigmented blush, and yet is very wearable.
I'm actually inclined to think the shade might be *too* wearable. It is somewhat difficult to get it to show up, but given that the blush is quite pigmented in swatches, I think this is a result of the shade rather than the formula.
It still gives me a beautiful finish and is one of my favorite everyday go-to-blushes. Would strongly recommend for similar skintones that want a buildable, wearable, fool-proof blush.
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Blush -Physicians Formula - Happy Booster™ Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in rose
lilyofavalon 3/28/2011 2:38:00 AM
Note about purchasing: I had a $6 CVS extrabucks coupon which, when combined with the ongoing Physician's Formula sale and my joining of the CVS Beauty Club, resulted in me paying only a few dollars for this blush! Keep your eye out for beauty bargains like these - they do happen :)
I was actually quite surprised to realize, upon purchasing this blush in Natural and Rose, that the shades are not that different. I would describe Rose as a cool, bright pink that almost borders on being fuchsia. It has a satin finish that *just* borders on shimmery. Natural, on the other hand, is a warm, fairly bright pink with a slight golden sheen and a satin finish.
The wear time on this is quite impressive - it lasted on me all day. For reference, I have relatively cooperative normal-to-dry skin. It gives me a vibrant rosy flush - that pinched-cheeks look - and my mother noted that I looked much more healthy when I was wearing it :P
Overall, a decent bargain for an excellent-quality blush with adorable packaging. It's an even better bargain if you can manage to catch it on sale! Good luck.
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Blush -Physicians Formula - Happy Booster™ Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural
lilyofavalon 3/28/2011 2:37:00 AM
Note about purchasing: I had a $6 CVS extrabucks coupon which, when combined with the ongoing Physician's Formula sale and my joining of the CVS Beauty Club, resulted in me paying only a few dollars for this blush! Keep your eye out for beauty bargains like these - they do happen :)
I was actually quite surprised to realize, upon purchasing this blush in Natural and Rose, that the shades are not that different. I would describe Rose as a cool, bright pink that almost borders on being fuchsia. It has a satin finish that *just* borders on shimmery. Natural, on the other hand, is a warm, fairly bright pink with a slight golden sheen and a satin finish.
The wear time on this is quite impressive - it lasted on me all day. For reference, I have relatively cooperative normal-to-dry skin. It gives me a bright pink flush - that pinched-cheeks look - and my mother noted that I looked much more healthy when I was wearing it :P
Overall, a decent bargain for an excellent-quality blush with adorable packaging. It's an even better bargain if you can manage to catch it on sale! Good luck.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Prim & Proper - Liberty of London [DISCONTINUED]
lilyofavalon 3/28/2011 2:32:00 AM
I received this item in a swap several weeks ago, and have been very happy with the results. For reference, I have now tested Sin out a handful of times over a period of several weeks. I have light-medium NC20-25 skin, wear NARS SG in Santa Fe, L'Oreal True Match in W3, and MUFE Mat Velvet+ in 30 or 40.
The shade is a wearable peachy-nude with a satin finish. When comparing swatches of my blushes on my arm, MAC Prim & Proper actually looks like a combination of NARS Sin and MAC Nuance - a mix of mauve and peachy-coral. The satin finish ends up looking almost metallic, but so far seems to be quite flattering.
I will post swatch and FOTD pictures soon :)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Sin
lilyofavalon 3/28/2011 2:26:00 AM
I was originally a little apprehensive about this product given that I have a distinctly warm skintone and Sin looks positively purple in the Sephora NARS blush display. However, it's turned out to be extremely wearable on my skin.
*For reference, I have now tested Sin out a handful of times over a period of several weeks. I have light-medium NC20-25 skin, wear NARS SG in Santa Fe, L'Oreal True Match in W3, and MUFE Mat Velvet+ in 30 or 40.
Sin is a sophisticated shade of mauve that I find to give me a more elegant blush look. Even though it contains gold shimmer, it's not OTT but dimensional. The pigmentation is quite strong, which lends to great versatility in application as long as you have that appropriate brush(es). Personally, I find a typical blush or kabuki brush to be quite adequate for application (I use the Ecotools retractable kabuki by dipping lightly and applying carefully along the cheekbones - gorgeous).
Will post swatch/FOTD pictures soon :)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Clinique - Long Last Soft Shine Lipstick
lilyofavalon 2/19/2011 2:52:00 AM
I've had these lipsticks for a while (thank you GWP's!) but I've only really been testing lipsticks out recently, so I now have a standard for comparison.
Texture-wise, this lipstick is amazing - I've been wearing the shade Beauty, a slightly darker and pinker MLBB shade (I'm NC25) all day. The texture is truly like butter - soft and smooth, with a ton of slip. However, it is exactly that slip that makes it problematic. I have normal to dry skin and I feel like the lipstick is prone to melt right off of my lips - I'm wary of even smacking my lips too vigorously, lest the lipstick travel outside my natural lipline.
The upside is that this lipstick is actually quite moisturizing, and can definitely replace a lip balm or glass for that purpose in a pinch.
Overall, if you're looking for a lipstick that is comfortable, wearable, and comes in many great shades, Clinique's Long Last Soft Shine Lipstick is a great bet. But if long wear is the name of the game, you'd best look elsewhere.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Vincent Longo - Velvet Riche Rejuvinating Lipstick - Sweet Cabaret
lilyofavalon 1/22/2011 9:54:00 PM
This is a beautiful bright, flattering, wearable red on my Asian NC25-30 skin. The formula is creamy, comfortable and long-lasting. It does have a funny smell - almost plastic-y - but you can't smell it when you're wearing the lipstick, and it has no taste.
It's still definitely worth it, though it helps that I got this at a high discount on HauteLook. Not sure about the availability of this lipstick now, but if you see it around, I'd recommend trying it! It's been a gem for me :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Mineralize Play on Plums
lilyofavalon 1/22/2011 9:47:00 PM
This product looks gorgeous in the pan, but it's very difficult to make wearable. The duo consists of a VERY shimmery and sparkly peach that is about as dark/light as my NC25-30 skin, and an equally iridescent warm burgundy color. Both have gold sparkles. Texture-wise, the product is really nice - the colors are blendable and easy to work with.
Personally, I like to use the lighter color in this duo to liven up my eyeshadows if they're a little too matte for my tastes. The colors pull too warm even on my Asian neutral-to-warm skin, but I've found that if I tap a blush brush lightly into the compact, this makes a beautiful peach/plum BLUSH! Yay, product salvaged :)
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Eyeliner -Urban Decay - 24-7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Lust
lilyofavalon 1/22/2011 9:37:00 PM
Please click "continued" for pictures!
I was rather skeptical about the hype surrounding these eyeliners, but when I swatched a few of them on my hand visiting Sephora one day, they stayed on my hand for the next 48 hours! The texture of the pencils is soft, and they're incredibly pigmented and long-lasting. They also are great for the waterline.
I love the color of Lust. I was looking for a pretty purple eyeliner to use for my lower lash line, and this was the perfect color for me. It's a purple that has a good amount of blue in it, compared to Ransom, which is a vibrant, true purple. Lust is not as flashy as Ransom, but it is also more wearable. For color reference, Lust is also the same color as China Glaze's C-C-Courage nail polish, something that I noticed since that was my NOTD at the time :)
I have pictures comparing Lust and Ransom below.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Prestige - Waterproof Eyeliner - Surf
lilyofavalon 1/22/2011 9:28:00 PM
I have heard so many good things about the Prestige Waterproof Eyeliners, and once I finally found one, I snatched it up. True to their reputation, this performs beautifully. It's completely waterproof once it sets, but you have just the right amount of time to blend it as you wish before that happens. The eyeliner is also great for the waterline because it's so soft, and applies so easily. I love it! One of my favorite eyeliners, and my HG drugstore eyeliner.
Surf is a beautiful dark midnight blue. I love using it as a base for a sapphire smoky eye, and it's also great for my waterline. If blacks are too harsh on you or you just want to switch things up, I strongly recommend this color!
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Makeup Brushes -The Body Shop - Blusher Brush
lilyofavalon 1/22/2011 9:07:00 PM
At $26, this is a pricey brush! I do not think that I would have gotten it if I hadn't gotten a $50 gift card.
PERFORMANCE - Although the brush fibers feel super-soft, the shape is a little awkward to use for blush sometimes - it's smaller and not as fluffy as I would like. It's kind of like the child of a Filbert and a Fan brush. It usually performs well with my blushes, but when I try and use it to place bronzer precisely, the bronzer looks patchy.
DURABILITY - Really disappointing. I've owned my brush for a little over a year, but the two parts of the handle came apart recently. It's nothing that some super-glue won't fix, but a brush that you pay $26 for should not fall apart!!!
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