Primer/ Corrector -BeneFit Cosmetics - The Porefessional
loveforbeauty 1/23/2013 10:35:00 PM
This is my favorite face primer. I love everything about it except the price, but it's not going to stop me from repurchasing it, so I guess that doesn't matter! I use this under my makeup, and once in a great while over my makeup. It does everything it says, it's lightweight, translucent (thought flesh colored), doesn't feel greasy, it blends in seamlessly, and my pores virtually disappear before my eyes! I don't use this all over my face, only on my inner cheeks and my nose where my pores are visible. It creates a wonderfully smooth surface for my foundation. I believe I've had the same tube for almost two years now? I've used it on and off, but for at least a year I've been using it on a regular basis. Especially since I don't use it all over my face, I can justify the price. I fancy the packaging, since I can control how much product I want to use. I don't believe it controls oil that well, but I have really oily skin anyway, so I don't expect anything to control my oil. Two thumbs up for this one, guys!!!
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Bronzers -NARS - Laguna
loveforbeauty 1/18/2013 4:18:00 PM
I was actually given this product by a friend who didn't want it. If it weren't for her, I never would've tried or bought it. It's pretty hyped on YouTube, but I was never interested in getting it for two reasons: 1, it has shimmer, and 2, it's expensive. I have oily skin, so I do not like to put shimmer on my face, I don't even highlight my cheeks. But I've been using this up and I'm almost out and I came to like it a lot. It's a good bronzer, but I can't say I love it. I actually felt like....every time I used it I just wanted to use it up before I bought something else. I mean, why buy something else when you already have something that works well enough? Anyway, I like the color, it's natural looking, and you don't even see the shimmer once it's applied to the skin, so I really appreciated that. I guess the reason why I wanted to get rid of it (by using it up as fast as possible) is because I needed to really pack it on. I'm already tan, so I use this for contouring my face. I apply with a MAC 109, and I'm actually rubbing my brush in the product for a while before it's enough to show up on my skin. Hence, I felt like it wasted time in my getting ready routine. I give it a 4 lippy rating for the product itself, but I'm going to try something else.
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Eyeliner -L'Oreal - Carbon Black Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner
loveforbeauty 1/17/2013 12:35:00 AM
I used to favor the Almay liquid liner, but this has quickly replaced it. I remember trying it once a long time ago and not liking it because of the flimsy felt tip, but so many YouTube guru's loved it, so I gave it a second chance. This time around, I fell in love. I'm still not a huge fan of the flimsy felt tip, but I believe that's why it's a great liner. It enables you to make an extremely thin line if needed, and when using it to wing out the outer corner of your eye, it creates a nice, sharp point. I use the tip to wing out, but I press in the side to trace my eye. This technique makes it quick to apply. It also lasts for maybe two months before I have to buy another one. The formula has a slight sheen as opposed to a matte liner. I personally like it, the pigmentation for me is also very black. The longevity is the most outstanding of every liquid liner I've ever used. I normally experience slight fadage towards the end of the day, and it always creases at the outer corner of my eye making me look like a hot mess....but this liner is the exception. I was pleasantly surprised that my liner stayed in tact all day, no smudging or creasing! It's a winner in my book, I always have a back up!
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Masks -Unlisted Brand - Milk of Magnesia
loveforbeauty 4/13/2012 2:42:00 AM
I've had oily skin skin I was a teenager. For the past couple of years it's been reaaaally bad. I've tried all kinds of moisturizers/lotions, primers, foundations, and powder but nothing helped. And then I heard of MoM. I was skeptical like a lot of others were but it couldn't hurt to try it. I think this is the best thing's that ever happened to my face as far as controlling oil goes. Being a hair stylist, I'm constantly moving and of course sweating so I really needed something to situate my oils. On an average day I'd get oil an hour after my makeup application. No bueno!! Now, it's not a miracle product, I do still get oil production on my face, but its significantly reduced. I still have to blot but instead of a disgusting greaseball it's more dewy and glowy which I dont mind. I tone my face, apply MoM thinly with a cotton round after shaking it up really well, apply Benefit's The Porefessional, then proceed with my foundation. My make up is as flawless as its gonna get!! So happy with this product, I've repurchased multiple times already. I even bought the mint version accidentally one time, and it didn't even irritate my skin! The ONLY bad thing about this product is you won't get three-quarters through the bottle before the formula becomes too thick and gross, which is when I usually toss it and get a new one....but for $5 a bottle, that's fine with me. :)
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Liquid -Make Up For Ever - Mat Velvet PLUS Matifying Foundation
loveforbeauty 5/31/2010 7:19:00 PM
I am in color #45. This is currently my favorite foundation! It's pricey, but I think it's worth the splurge. I don't use it every day since it's expensive, so I only use it when I'm going somewhere fun or nice. I was originally going to buy the HD Foundation since I've heard so many good things about it, but they ran out of my color. I was really bummed, but it's a good thing they were out because when I got home I looked up some more reviews online and on YouTube. I've come across people raving about the Mat Velvet Plus as well, and I was like, hey, maybe that would be better for me since I have oily skin. I still couldn't choose between the HD or Mat Velvet Plus because people loved and disliked both products for their own reasons, so I decided to go to Sephora and try them both out. The SA was really nice and applied both foundations - the Mat Velvet Plus on the right and the HD on the left. I noticed a remarkable difference between the two. I could tell right away that the Mat Velvet Plus practically made my huge pores disappear! And the HD was too dewy on my face and I hate dewy. It didn't look like it covered much, my pores were yelling, "look at me!" I'm absolutely in love with this foundation. I can say that my only dislike is the packaging. I prefer it over a bottle with no pump, but I would prefer if it was in a bottle with a pump. Other than that, I love the coverage, one layer is enough to give me the coverage I want. I love the consistency. It is rather thick, but it's smooth, so like I said, you don't need a lot! I apply it with a 190 flat foundation brush then buff it out with a 182 kabuki. (However, I do want to invest in the #55 Sephora brush!) I top it off with the HD Micro finishing translucent powder - also my new favorite! You get a matte, flawless finish. :) Another product I will continue purchasing!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Paul Mitchell - Tea Tree line
loveforbeauty 5/31/2010 7:03:00 PM
I have an oily and ITCHY scalp, and this is the most soothing product for my head. I love the peppermint smell and the tingling/cooling feeling I get. I've tried the WEN Tea Tree cleanser and because it's a 2 in 1, I felt that my hair wasn't clean enough and it was left feeling greasy. That and the tinglyness in the WEN product was too intense and irritated the skin around my eyes. Because of that, I never thought to buy another tea tree product. I'm really glad I gave this a try, though. I use this Paul Mitchell tea tree shampoo and conditioner two times a week. I just love it, it feels really good. However, it is extremely clarifying, hence it is drying, which is why I use i minimally. Though I do look forward to my showers when I plan to use this. My scalp always feels refreshed and relieved after using. As a hair stylist, we use Paul Mitchell Tea Tree shampoo as our scalp treatment in the salon, men absolutely love it. As everyone knows, a scalp massage does not feel the same when you do it yourself, compared to having someone else do it for you, and with this, this just feels good on its own already. It's great for anyone with scalp problems such as oilyness, dryness, flakiness, dandruff, etc. I also like how it comes in three sizes - small, medium, and large. Small can be for travel or if you want to try it first. A bottle lasts a long time though, especially if you're only using it weekly. Nothing bad to say, except if you rub your eye area after usage, it may sting a bit, but it goes away. Try no to rub your eyes too much, I always have to use my forearm because I'm always wiping my eyes in the shower.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Almay - Liquid Eyeliner
loveforbeauty 5/25/2010 9:14:00 PM
This is the drugstore liquid eyeliner I am always, always repurchasing!!! It's my absolute favorite liquid eyeliner! I honestly don't know what people are complaining about! I have oily skin and it stays put just fine. Eyeliner in general is a MUST in my makeup routine. I will go without mascara or eyeshadow or lipstick, but I NEED liquid eyeliner. I love how dark and pigmented the black color is. It's long-lasting and it doesn't rub off or fade, even if I sweat or get oily. The handle is perfect in size. I apply first at the outer corner of my eye and work my way in with light strokes. For a bolder line you use the side of the tip. I don't know, maybe it's just me having a good, steady hand with liquid liners. I have my best friend to thank for introducing me to this eyeliner a few years ago. :) I always plan to buy a MAC liquid eyeliner, but why spend the money on that when this Almay one works perfectly for me? I've tried the Revlon ColorStay liquid eyeliner which is good too,but I find that the brush is too stiff on my eyelid. Maybelline's is really good also, but I have a hard time finding it for some reason. Overall, awesome eyeliner, I love love love it! EDIT (01-16-13) - I still like this eyeliner, however, I have moved on to the L'Oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Eyeliner. Almay is still a good one, but it does crease a bit at the crease of the outer corner of my eye, while the L'Oreal one does not do that. So I have changed this rating to a 4.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Makeup Remover -Neutrogena - Oil Free eye makeup remover
loveforbeauty 5/25/2010 8:58:00 PM
I love this eye makeup remover. I have repurchased this many, many times. I keep a bottle at my boyfriend's house as well as mine! It only takes one cotton ball to take off all my eye makeup. Yes, it does leave an oily residue afterwards, but I used a makeup wipe to take off the rest of my makeup and cleanse my face afterwards. It removes most traces of mascara and eyeliner, but not ALL of it. It isn't harmful to my eyes. I love this stuff. It's good sized bottle at a reasonable price! I think it's soo pointless to buy high-end makeup removers when drug store brands are just as good; as long as the makeup comes off! You don't need to have a expensive brand to take off your makeup.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -MAC - Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15
loveforbeauty 5/25/2010 5:31:00 PM
I'm in color #C4.5. This is one of those foundations I always go back to. It's not my HG foundation, I'm still searching for it in fact, but it's a good one to have in your makeup collection. People favor it because it's matte, has great full coverage, it's blendable, etc. It's just that sometimes it gets cakey, feels heavy, oxidizes, rubs off on clothes, and more commonly, causes breakouts. I personally have not had the problem of breaking out from this, but I find that it oxidizes if I wear it in the daytime heat, which is not attractive at all. I'm in the car and I look in the mirror to find my face looking disgusting and cakey! So that being said, I don't use it if I'm going to be outdoors when it's hot. I used to be #NC44, but no I find that to be extremely dark, so I changed to #C4.5, which matches me a lot better and brightens my face instead of oxidizing on me. So, it's full coverage, you DO NOT need a lot to get good coverage. One pump is all you need...well, all I need anyway. It also sucks you have to buy a pump separately, but it's worth the investment since it prevents contamination of opening the bottle and controls how much you want to use. I apply it either with a damp wedge sponge or a traditional flat foundation brush. I finish it off with a setting powder, usually MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural. Overall, yes, I would buy this foundation again, and I have bought it numerous times.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -MAC - Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation
loveforbeauty 5/25/2010 5:14:00 PM
I'm in color #C4. This is by far my favorite foundation powder. It was my first ever foundation when I was 16 and I continue to purchase it. it is good to wear on a regular basis. It's definitely a matte finish, which I love. I apply it with my MAC 182 kabuki brush. I don't like applying it with a sponge because I feel that it makes me look cakey. Using the MAC 182 buffs it into the skin really nicely and looks a lot more natural. I use this powder every single day that I don't wear liquid, but I use powder a lot more. I love how quick it is to put on, it doesn't take any time at all, especially in a rush. I love the full coverage, it lasts all day for me while I'm working, it does get slightly oily, but I don't reapply, I just blot and it looks fine. Best of all, it doesn't break me out! Definitely a staple product in my makeup routine.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Revlon - ColorStay Makeup
loveforbeauty 5/25/2010 2:02:00 AM
I use the Combination/Oily formula in #360 Golden Beige. This is the best drugstore foundation I have ever used. I've tried a few, but nothing compares to this one. Like everyone says, it's very similar to MAC's Studio Fix Fluid, and I think it's worth trying out; it's a good product to have in your make up arsenal. There are very LITTLE cons about this. One being that it doesn't have a pump, and for obvious reasons a lot of us don't like that. Second, it's extremely fast-drying, which means you have to work fast. I personally do not have a problem with blending since I work on one area of my face at a time anyway, so it's not an issue with me. Those are the only cons about this. Pros: It does exactly what it says. It stays on, it doesn't rub off on clothes or melt off, and it's full coverage. You don't need a lot at all to get coverage. It doesn't feel heavy, it feels natural and it leaves a natural to matte finish. You don't need to, but I use a setting powder (MAC Select Sheer pressed powder) with a kabuki brush (MAC 182) to mattify. This is my go-to foundation when I'm not going anywhere fancy and I don't want to use my MAC Studio Fix Fluid. Because it doesn't come with a pump, I use a wedge sponge to apply this. Every time I try to pour it out, no matter how careful I am, I end up pouring too much and waste a lot of product. I think it looks just as good with a sponge; I just pat it in one are of my face at a time and blend it quickly. One layer of this foundation is more than enough. I still get oily throughout the day, but I don't blame the product or anything, that's just how my skin is. I just use oil blots to take care of that and I'm good. Another cool thing about this foundation is, if you pour it out on a palette and let it dry in a glob for a couple minutes, the consistency gets thicker, so you can use that as a concealer on any flaws and blemishes. :)
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