Lips -Clinique - Chubby Stick - 05 - Chunky Cherry
majanet 1/3/2013 3:09:00 AM
Love Chunky Cherry! I'm a longtime fan of the Clinique Superbalms - one of those (or a chubbystick) plus a tube of Touche Eclat and your preferred mascara and you have a complete antidote to jetlag. The chubbysticks are easy to apply, and the colors are blush-like and flattering. What's especially good about this shade is how quickly you can create a bold, cheerful lip, but with a soft finish.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -Maybelline - Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream
majanet 11/1/2012 2:11:00 AM
While this was my first time trying a "BB" cream, it's probably safe to say that I had used things in the past that shared similar qualities - light coverage, moisture and spf can be found in everything from drugstore products from neutrogena to the very successful Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer ( which was as close to full makeup as I got). What I liked about this product - great spf from physical sunblock (titanium dioxide) in a formula very similar to the newer Neutrogena td face creams, with no chalky look or feel. The tint was perfect and the td likely is the big help for brightening and a little blurring, too. Skin felt and looked smooth - almost taut. Wears well. I'm very fair, and prone to rosacea flushing, so the fair shade worked well and toned the redness down a bit. What could be better - maybe a little less taut? Dries very very quickly on the skin, so you must blend quickly. For me, this isn't as much of a problem, but for someone who has a longer routine, it could be a problem. Overall: I'd buy it again - in fact, I already have.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Alterna - Bamboo Silk-Sleek Brillance Cream
majanet 8/8/2012 1:47:00 AM
First, let's give up the pretense of nature. After water, the first ingredient is a cone. Please ignore all the bamboo natural malarkey. Whew, I feel better getting that out. What I was looking for it to do: I have a good amount of very fine hair - the kind that explodes in humidity. I wanted to see what this product would do, as most drugstore and salon products flatten me out. (My usual routine is Original Neutrogena every 3 days, with Bumble Styling Creme - never any dryness or limpness, but sometimes overfluff.) What it will do: make your hair smooth like any silicone family product will. I like the smell - there definitely is one, even after two days. The perfume ingredients could be a turn-off for others. Silky waves with airdrying - flat as a pancake with blowdrying. Next time, I'll use some other weighty product - at least if there are no silicones, I won't get dried out.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Burt's Bees - Rose Tinted Lip Balm
majanet 11/25/2011 7:06:00 PM
Of the five I tried, this is my second favorite (after Pink Blossom) - and I think the reason is because of the production. Color is not uniform in the tinted balms - I am as pale as they get, and Rose should have had deeper, more uniform color than Pink Blossom. It did not. What color it did have was lovely. You should be able to put on tinted balm the way you'd put on chapstick, but the uneven color in the tube means you have to stop and check. As someone who can put on lipstick and stay in the lines without a mirror (Dave Letterman? I have your Stupid Human Trick of the Year!), I am not interested in stopping for something I bought at Fred Meyer.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Burt's Bees - Tinted Lip Balm - Pink Blossom
majanet 11/25/2011 7:02:00 PM
I tried five shades of BB's tinted balms this summer - Pink Blossom was by far the best. Uniform, lovely color - not a lipstick, but not half-done either. Great for pale/light complexions, pink base also brightens teeth. So cheap, so easy, so good.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -Fresh - Satin Luster
majanet 11/25/2011 6:54:00 PM
Highlighters are my most valuable players in my makeup palette - the right ones wake you up, brighten your expression subtly, and won't turn you into a disco ball. And if you are of a certain age and have kids who don't always sleep through the night, you know what I mean. So, in addition to Touche Éclat, I picked up two Fresh F21C compacts for this express purpose. They had set up a small counter at NM in '09, which is where I bought them. Satin Luster was a compact billed as a winter highlight palette, but can serve the purpose year-round if you're on the pale side. There are three colors - China Pearl (straight snowy white pearl), Peach Butterfly (light peach gold), and Winter Rose (pink, and "darkest" pan in the palette). I use these along with sheer tinted moisturizers (Laura Mercier Porcelain is what I wear 3 of 4 seasons) and with YSL TE. A light dab of the lighter, liquid products reduces any unwanted frostiness - and with TE you can do your entire face save mascara and a deeper lipshade. If you're not a big makeup user, you'll have these pans forever. They're kind of a cross between a cream and wax - easy on, easy off. The quick way I use them, with fingers, is quick dots at the corners where your eyelids meets your nose (pearl), quick swipes directly under the brow line (peach), sometimes a very fine line on the upper lash line (peach) and quick swipes at the top of the cheekbone. A little goes A LONG WAY.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -MAC - False Lashes
majanet 11/25/2011 5:54:00 PM
Love many MAC products, though the mascaras have not wowed me. False Lashes continues the lackluster record with some notable exceptions. - it's a fibrous mascara, so I got longer results (which was good, though not outstandingly long unless I was willing to spend 15+ minutes on application) - clumpy brush - almost immediate eye irritation Your allergic reactions or lack thereof may vary.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Acqua di Parma - Blu Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi
majanet 11/12/2011 12:28:00 AM
Fresh lemon-grapefruit-fig mash up, like great cologne with a (figgy) twist. I'm not a food-gourmand fragrance fan per se, but like this. The fruit notes are there, but not in a clairol-shampoo way - the zest, not lemonade, and the smell of the skin of fresh fig. HATE the packaging. What is with the cheapo plastic cap? Pretty pricey too. Staying power was actually pretty good for me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Clinique - Different Lipstick - Surprise
majanet 2/3/2010 10:38:00 PM
The "different" formula is the only Clinique formula I can wear without irritation. I've been wearing Shy for 8 years, as a great everyday base color, but just discovered Surprise. What a fantastic shade! Bronze in the tube, deep rosy gold on - like a warmer take on MAC Lustre in Capricious. I can see it working well on other skin tones (I'm so pale I'm almost blue). Give it a try!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Laura Mercier - Secret Camouflage
majanet 6/11/2008 6:54:00 PM
Expensive, but worth it. I bought this product initially to conceal blemishes. When pregnancy brought a major case of rosacea, I was scrambling for cover that wouldn't exacerbate my condition, yet would take out the red without looking cakey or powdery, and which was safe to use. This is the only product - concealer, mineral powder, foundation or otherwise - which passed the test. I don't have a problem with fingertip application, given the area I have to cover (nearly full cheeks).
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Christian Dior - DiorShow Mascara Waterproof
majanet 9/30/2007 6:47:00 PM
I'm not a waterproof mascara person, but needed to have a lengthening, non-clumpy black for an event that will likely make me teary. I went to a Dior artist and asked to take Diorshow Waterproof for a test run. I'm pleased, but there are some things you need to know. Like the very accurate reviewer before this, I was shocked at the size of the brush. You'll need a makeup corrector pen or a moistened q-tip to clean up the lash line. It also does take a non-trivial amount of time to dry. The advantage of this is that you can mold and build the lash shape with multiple coats, which the artist recommended to me. As for taking it off, you need remover, but it is possible to get it all off in one attempt. I usually use Klorane Cornflower Eyemakeup remover, but I didn't think it would work. I went with Paula's Choice Gentle Eye Makeup remover, applying with a cotton pad, holding on the lashes for a moment, then wiping clean. I'm guessing Clinique's Take the Day Off would work just as well. My lashes were long, fringy, glossy black all day. I'll buy it again.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Christian Dior - Addict Lipstick in Violet Spectrum
majanet 9/30/2007 6:32:00 PM
This was my first sample of Dior Addict. I was in search of a new soft red mouth, and tend towards cooler variations of red, as a PPP. Wow, did my lips pop. The feel is very smooth, almost slippery. Given the depth of the color and texture of the lipstick, you will need pencil to keep it in place. With a pencil (I picked up Dior Sweet Plum self-sharpening pencil), and a blot for daytime, it gave a deep, soft noticeable lip. Pretty, dramatic. Color will stain, but doesn't wear very long. For night, with nearly no blot and a thick gloss on the bottom lip - either theirs or one of the super-for-the-value colored superbalms from Clinique - you'll have more durability. One last tip. With something this dark, and pencil, you can end up with unflattering wear patterns. My tip - line and fill with the pencil first, then bring on the stick. You end up with a great foundation for the color and better wear.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Lustreglass - Venetian
majanet 1/18/2007 6:31:00 PM
I wanted to like this, but... it wore very quickly, it bled, and left my lips peeling. Given my allergic reactions to many lip products, I'm choosing to blame the otherwise gorgeous pigments. I think other women will have better luck.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Clinique - Superbalm Tinted Lip Treatment in Pink Grapefruit Tint
majanet 1/18/2007 6:29:00 PM
A light, almost frosty sheer pink. All the richness of the other superbalm formulas, but with a beautiful color-lustre effect. A great choice as a more protective topcoat/gloss. I got it as part of the Clinique Duty-Free travel pack. As stated before, completely addictive.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Clinique - Superbalm Tinted Lip Treatment in Mango
majanet 1/18/2007 6:26:00 PM
I got a tube of Mango as part of a duty-free special purchase set, along with four other colors. Mango gives a lighter tint than raspberry, but still lovely and effective for otherwise chapped lips. Applicator works with both bare lips and pencilled. One warning: it's totally ADDICTIVE.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No