Toners -Clinique - Clarifying Lotion #2
lovinvanilla 5/17/2012 4:25:00 AM
Terrible, terrible product! It's basically pure alcohol and drying beyond belief. Shame on you, Clinique!
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Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Greed
lovinvanilla 5/13/2012 4:43:00 AM
I have actually grown to adore this! I have been using the original PP for years and I love it to bits. I was really intrigued when UD came out with Sin, Greed and Eden and I managed to get the mini tubes off of ebay to try out. The first few times I used Greed I was not impressed. I always apply primer on my lids using my finger to blend. Even though I used this sparingly, the gold glitter just went everywhere! It spread towards my nose and even onto and below my lower lashline. The staying/priming power wasn't great either, so I was quite disappointed. BUT: I have recently learned that I need to apply eyeshadow primer with a small BRUSH, or ANY primer I use (TF Shadow Insurance, NARS, UDPP) will start letting the oil on my lid below the crease shine through within a few hours! I was getting really desperate as no primer seemed to be able to keep the movable part of my lid matte. Using a brush makes all the difference in the world! I just dab a bit all over my lid with the doefoot applicator, then blend, blend, blend with a small brush and let it set for a few minutes before I apply my eyeshadow. Finally my eyeshadow stays on for hours without creasing! This way I could make UD Greed work as well! I love using it under matte shadows, since it gives such a gorgeous glow when the golden sparkles shimmer through the matte shadows. I love combining this with unusual colours like a cool pink, matte coral or a bright teal for a really unique look. I'm not fond of pairing this with shimmery shadows, because the result is just too much. I also like how this is not an opaque gold (as the Sin primer is an opaque bronze) but rather a clear base with gold shimmer, which makes it possible to combine it with colours that aren't in the brown spectrum. LOVE!!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Full of Joy
lovinvanilla 5/5/2012 7:32:00 AM
This is a beautiful lavender blush that keeps the colour well on skin, without turning pink like so many lavender/purple blushes. I tried this on my cheeks at the store and came back for it two days later, luckily, they still had two left. I also picked up Peony Petal on a whim and those two look fabulous together, with Full of Joy on the cheekbones and Peony Petal on the apples (thanks to Beautezine for the tip!). If this weren't a frost finish, I'd give this 5 stars! I didn't notice it at first, but the frostiness can make this look a bit ashen. I have combination skin and my cheeks can get a bit dry. The blue and lavender undertones that make this blush so unique can emphasize this and make me look slightly cyanotic. I love that Full of Joy goes so well with my cool-toned make-up looks, but I feel I need to combine this with a hint of pink to combat the shimmery finish. Still, a beautiful blush!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Saint Germain Lipglass
lovinvanilla 5/5/2012 6:14:00 AM
This is part of the LE Fashion Sets collection that was released in Europe and Africa. Even though I have always been drawn to the pale blue-toned bubblegum pink of the matching lipstick, I have never been able to pull it off. I have medium brown hair with natural reddish and golden highlight, brown eyes and medium skin with yellow undertones and the lipstick made me look like pink paint on corpse lips. I actually just tried out the lipglass for fun, since Snob and Angel lipglasses sadly weren't released here. Boy, was I surprised! The formula is quite a bit thicker and stickier than my other lipglasses and not the easiest to apply. It settles a bit into lip lines at first due to the milky semi-opaque texture. However, after pressing my lips together a few times and waiting a few minutes, this really melted onto my lips in an even, non streaky finish. The colour is just the prettiest cool light baby pink on my lips and it pops quite a bit! While the stickiness irritated me at first, it's what makes this product really adhere and it lasts much better than most lipglosses. I can even lick my lips repeatedly and it won't budge. If you have always wanted to wear the lipstick, but couldn't quite make it work, definitely give Saint Germain lipglass a try. Beautiful!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Satin Blush in Peony Petal
lovinvanilla 5/5/2012 6:02:00 AM
I wasn't going to get anything from the Trés Cheek collection, but once I tried this on the apples of my cheeks, I was lost. Even though I already own several bright cool-toned pink blushes (NARS Gaiety, Mata Hari, Desire; SLEEK Pixie Pink, Santorini) this still stood out due to the amazing pigmentation. It's a satin finish and blends really well without looking too shimmery, even on combination skin. I can finally have Sandra Bullock cheeks! She always looks so fresh-faced and dewy with beautiful rosy cheeks. Love this blush!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -MAC - Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade
lovinvanilla 5/5/2012 5:49:00 AM
I got this a few days ago from the Reel Sexy Collection and it's my first MSF ever. The overall colour is definitely pretty light and not very veined, though I picked out the most coloured one they had. I was a bit surprised at how dusty it is! When I used it with a very soft brush, product dusted up like crazy. :( The finish looks lovely and not too shimmery on my cheeks, which is good since I have combination skin and by pores can look big. Not with Lightscapade though. NARS Albatross was a lot more glittery and too gold for me. The wear isn't too great, maybe 6 hours. When I apply this in the morning, it has pretty much disappeared by evening. I liked this on my eyes below the browbown as well. I don't think I'd get this again though, the texture is just not that great. Based on all of the rave reviews I was just expecting more.
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Polishes -Essie - Turquoise & Caicos (Resort 2010)
lovinvanilla 5/2/2012 12:01:00 PM
This is by no means a bright colour and I wouldn't call it turquois either. But I like it nonetheless. It is kind of muted and retro looking with hints of aqua and teal. The formula is a bit on the thin side, but one thin coat covered by a thicker second coat gives even application. I love that this is not too blue-toned. I don't understand why everyone is complaining about the brushes?! They are flat, nice and wide with a rounded tip which makes for very exact application. My favourite nail polish brush! By far superior to China Glaze and, though different, on par with OPI.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Essie - Lovie Dovie
lovinvanilla 5/2/2012 11:43:00 AM
This is a medium muted Barbie pink with blueish undertones and a cream finish. It looks lovely in the bottle but dried about two shades darker on my nail, which was a disappointment. The colour is not bad and the formular applies very evenly, but this shade is just not special enough to justify the price. There are a lot of cheaper alternatives to this.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Samoan Sand
lovinvanilla 5/2/2012 11:39:00 AM
This is sooo sheer, I didn't care for it at all. The colour is also the kind of nude that hardly shows up against my skin. I might just as well wear a clear nail polish. I'm glad I tried this out at the store before buing it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Essie - Topless & Barefoot
lovinvanilla 4/24/2012 3:24:00 AM
What a beautiful colour! This is Sand Tropez' warmer big sister. The former is more of a light greige than a nude. On me Topless & Barefood looks like melted hazelnut ice cream. It's a pale nudey beige with slight pink undertones and even though I'm pretty pale, my hands don't look washed out at all. I'm thinking this colour will be a real stunner in the summer though. It looks sleek, polished and sophisticated. Very classy and understated, like a perfect nude lipstick for your nails The formula is streaky, true. But I have discovered with thinner, streaky formulas like this one, I need to do a thin first coat, let it dry so the polish doesn't drag, then do a generous second coat and I'm good. The thicker second coat keeps the brush from pulling at the first coat and I get a very even overall application. The bottle I got off ebay has the thin (older?) brush, which would be my only complaint. I really love the wide rounded brush my other Essie polishes came with. I would definitely buy again and I'm thinking of getting one for my sister too. What a pity this is not in their permanent collection.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Butter London - Trout Pout
lovinvanilla 4/21/2012 3:03:00 PM
The colour is beautiful. It's a salmon peachy coral that sometimes looks more pink, sometimes coral, depending on the light, with a creme finish. I though it might be similar to essie's Tart Deco, but Trout Pout leans a lot more pink, which is pretty. Everything else about this polish is just awful though! The packaging is very impractical, having to take off the cap before you screw open the top is annoying. The brush is too short and slim to work well and the formula is extremely streaky. Where I live, Butter London polishes cost 17 € (!) and for that price the quality of the product is a total rip off.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy
lovinvanilla 4/20/2012 9:56:00 AM
This is NEON! No doubt about it, a kind of corally neon pink. The colour is really hard to describe, because it's neither a true coral, nor a pink. Maybe it's a neon peach, lol. In any case, it will definitely suit people with yellow undertones to their skin and it actually makes my hands look tan. This is a real eye catcher even on pale skin like mine. I don't mind the satin finish of this polish, but the formula is very streaky and not the easiest to work with. It's thin enough, so it should spread more easily, but I guess the neon pigments make it difficult to apply, plus there is the annoyingly flimsy China Glaze brush, which doesn't help. With a self-levelling shiny top coat, however, this looks simply amazing, so I would buy it again despite the tricky formula.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Snob lipstick
lovinvanilla 4/20/2012 1:44:00 AM
The name is so fitting for this lipstick! I do feel a little posh and sophisticated when I wear Snob. When I first saw swatches of this online, I was sure it wouldn't suit me, based on how it looks on so many other girls. Snob is a very blue based pale dusky pink with mauve and lilac undertones, so it can easily look tacky and make me look washed out when I apply it too generously. It's a Satin finish and very pigmented. I can only make it work when I sort of stipple this onto my lips, instead of swiping it on, but then it really looks gorgeous! Kind of like a soft antique rose and it also somehow manages to plump my lips. I swear Snob makes them look fuller! I am really beginning to love Satin and Matte finishes by MAC, as I'm sure it's the matte look that keeps Snob from looking cheap. I have already received several compliments when wearing this, even though I have only had it for a short time. I would defintely buy it again!
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Polishes -Barry M - Instant Nail Effects
lovinvanilla 4/8/2012 5:05:00 AM
This is by far the best crackle polish I've tried and my absolute fave! It does not just crack lengthwise, like most other shatter polishes, but kind of all over the nail, which looks so much better. Like I have randomly spattered some paint over my nails. I get complimented all the time when I have this on and people actually ask if I have painted the spatters on by hand, lol. I have the Instant Nail Effects in croc, black, pink and deep purple, which has teeny tiny blue and red shimmer particles in it. Fabulous! You absolutely must use a good, thick, shiny top coat with this, to get the most beautiful effect. Make sure you only apply the shatter polish over a completely dry colour coat, or the shatter will pull the colour underneath with it when it fractures. This needs to be applied quickly as it dries really fast and to a matte finish (hence the need for a top coat). A thick coat gives bigger gaps between spatters, showing more of the colour underneath. A thinner layer results in finer fissures. Will definiely buy again if they come out with more colours of if I run out. The only one of these I cannot recommend is the newer Croc Crackle. It takes ages for the crackle effect to appear, about 3-5 minutes, whereas the effect with the other shatter polishes is pretty much instantaneous. While it does look kind of like crocodile scales, the fissures are so fine, that you hardly see the colour underneath and the effect is only noticeable up close. From a distance this just looks like you have black nail polish on.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Essie - Sand Tropez
lovinvanilla 4/6/2012 10:47:00 AM
Beautiful greige nail polish! The first time I swatched this it looked like a very pale grey, which I liked. Now that I have purchased Sand Tropez, I can see a little better where the name came from. This is a pale grey with beige undertones, though this is by no means a true sand colour. There are no brown, geen or yellow undertones to it, just a certain warmth to the grey. There might be the slightest smidge of lavender as well. This did not look corpse bride on me at all, I think Sand Tropez will suit cooler skin tones very well. While it looks really great and sophisticated on my pale hands, I can't wait to try it out in the summer on tan skin. The formula is on the thin side, which I like with Essie polishes. It's a breeze to apply two thin coats, which makes the colour look very even, rather than doing one thick coat which might look streaky. Very happy with this colour and would buy again for sure!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No