Top/Base Coats -Unlisted Brand - Hong Kong Girl Top Coat
midnightlouise 2/25/2013 1:37:00 PM
Before Hong Kong Girl my HG was Seche Vite. It usually did the job, but there was room for improvement. I discovered HKG clear top coat on a nail blog and a little research turned up several other recommendations for it. I took a chance and I'm so glad I did! It stays shiny, doesn't yellow, it's the perfect viscosity, it dries quickly, and I get on average two days longer wear out of my polish than with SV. I know there is a seller online who rebottles HKG with her own labels, but I ordered mine from Amazon. It came in a 2 pack of clear and pink. (The pink formula wears just as well, but it gives polish an almost blue-ish cast.) I have also seen it offered in larger bottles at online nail supply stores. The bottom line is that unless I find something bullet, kid, animal, and waterproof, HKG is my go-to top coat. I can't recommend this enough!
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Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Nails Inc - The Donmar Collection
midnightlouise 2/19/2012 11:04:00 PM
I bought this for myself for Christmas and loved it so much I bought Wyndham. Loved Wyndham so much I'll be definitely getting Old Vic! The blackened plum polish of Donmar is amazing but when you add the topcoat with the gorgeous green-ish orange chips it is phenomenal! The staying power is also just insane. I got a good 2 weeks before I saw noticeable chips. Well worth the money I spent!
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Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Nails Inc - The Wyndham Collection
midnightlouise 2/19/2012 10:55:00 PM
I am really loving these sets! I have this and Donmar and I will probably buy Old Vic as well. Wyndham has the most gorgeous dark teal polish that I'm looking forward to wearing on its own as well. The holographic glaze top coat is just fantastic, and the staying power was ridiculously long. I'm talking 2 weeks, shows, socks, barefoot...nary a chip. Wonderful stuff.
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Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Nails Inc - Magnetic Polishes
midnightlouise 2/19/2012 10:50:00 PM
I bought a bottle for myself and for my sister on a whim. I wasn't sure if it would really work but it definitely did! I got Houses of Parliament (the purple.) I generally held the magnet over the nail a few seconds longer than they say you need to and I got more pronounced results. I only have a reasonable steady hand yet somehow I didn't manage to screw it up! The staying power was better than I expected for a gimmick. This isn't something I'd do regularly, I normally don't even do polish on my fingers - just toes, but it was fun for a change.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -First Aid Beauty - Ultra Repair Cream
midnightlouise 2/19/2012 10:42:00 PM
I'm always searching for my HG winter moisturizer to combat my wretchedly dry skin. I've been using this a week so far & I think I have a winner! I have acne prone skin that tends to get super dry in the T-zone and thus far....no breakouts and greatly improved skin. My dry skin isn't pilling up like an old sweater under my tinted moisturizer! It's just the right thickness, not runny, not greasy, and sinks into my skin nicely. I am very pleased with my results.
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Eye Shadow -Artdeco - Eyeshadow - General Review
midnightlouise 6/11/2010 6:28:00 PM
I have just realized that HSN is selling ARTDECO products (woo-hoo!) so I figured it might be a good idea to do a review. I have 5 colors in the refill cases. (Which are basically just black cases with clear slide-out covers....the case can be purchased on HSN as well.) I own #44 - pearly white-gold; 218 - shimmery taupe; 233 - shimmery bronze; 211 - shimmery beige; 90 - shimmery medium dark purple with hints of mauve. Yes, they appear fairly small in size, but keep in mind they weigh in at 0.03oz net weight, and MAC weighs in at 0.04, so not as little product as you think. Also keep in mind the cost of one of these babies is $6-$7 compared to MAC's $10 for the refills. So I think you come out pretty even here. As for the quality, I have no complaints about the colors I own. The payoff is consistently good, and the staying power is on par with MAC or UD (with UD primer potion underneath as always.) I used to have to swap with MUAers in Europe to get my hands on these, so I am excited that you can finally get them easily in the U.S. and I'm looking forward to trying new colors! *edit* Just noticed the ones sold on HSN are actually 0.02 oz, but mine are all 0.03. Interesting, and worth noting.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -It Cosmetics - Bye Bye Under Eye
midnightlouise 4/24/2010 1:29:00 PM
After using this for about 9 months now, I am finally getting around to reviewing it! Pros: *Very good coverage, even for horrible dark circles. (I said good, not great. Only plastic surgery or a miracle could fully erase mine, so my expectations were reasonable.) *Very little product is needed each time. *Did not settle into fine lies. *Blended well. Cons: *At times it can seem to have an odd, grainy kind of texture, but it wasn't enough to put me off. *Not the cheapest concealer I've ever used. *Color range is not impressive, as there are only 4 shades to choose from. (For reference I'm NW15 but I needed the natural medium, sometimes referred to as light/medium. I'm the lightest color in every foundation and concealer I've ever tried, but something about the light just didn't mesh well with the skin around my eyes....) All in all, this is the best concealer I've used since Maybelline discontinued the original Instant Age Rewind Concealer. I will continue to purchase until I find something better.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Clarisonic - Pro Skincare Brush
midnightlouise 4/24/2010 1:05:00 PM
I've had this product for about a year now. I bought it on one of QVC's easy-pay days so the cost wasn't so prohibitive. The first week I used it, I was in love. Cleaner skin, better tone, pores appeared smaller....everything it claimed. By week number 2, my skin was a wreck!! I had read about others' experiences with purging, so I kept at it....for over 3 more weeks!! I almost gave up, but I am so glad I didn't!! Beginning in week number 5, my skin began to get better, and gradually it cleared up completely! I do have acne-prone, somewhat sensitive skin, and I take Spironolactone for hormonal acne, but I have found my Clarisonic to be an essential part of my routine. My battery died while on vacation last year and I had forgotten the charger. 2 weeks of not using it made a big difference in the appearance of my skin. My skin was flakier and I had a few minor flare-ups, and it was the first time in months. The combination of Spiro, BHA/AHA and the Clarisonic has given me near perfect skin, and that's really saying something. For the first time in my life, I feel fine going out with nothing but under eye concealer. I have found it well worth the $200+ I spent on it.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Velvet Blush - Desirous
midnightlouise 4/17/2010 10:26:00 AM
I was just lucky enough to swap for this little gem and I am thrilled! It was limited edition from several years ago, but it's well worth the hunt. As others have said, it's a bright coral, leaning to hot pink, with gold flecks. Fabulous color for Spring and Summer. Applied with a skunk brush, I did not find it too pigmented at all. (My coloring is NW15.) Gave me a fresh, pretty, "I've just been outside" flush. Gorgeous!
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Lip Gloss -Bare Escentuals - Buxom Lips- Dolly
midnightlouise 7/24/2009 10:48:00 PM
A very pretty mauve/plum lipgloss with a lovely minty feel. Made my lips cold but in a refreshing, not annoying, way. The texture is hard to describe, it's kind of sticky yet still has plenty of "slip". Staying power is on par with any other lipgloss I've tried. Definitely one of my go-to colors. It's hard to go wrong with this one. (NW15)
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Lipstick -MAC - Strayin' - Hello Kitty
midnightlouise 7/24/2009 10:31:00 PM
A very nice color to have in my arsenal, but not for the faint of heart, which I can be when it comes to lip colors. This is a very vivid, cool pink. Great for my NW15 coloring, but wow does it seem loud! Although it's labeled as frost, it applies much creamier than the usual frosts, so don't let that put you off if you're not a fan of that formula. Worth having for a bright, fun change, but not something I am going to wear often.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Beauty Powder in True Romantic
midnightlouise 7/24/2009 10:24:00 PM
My new favorite blush! This is a bright pink with hints of plum. Brightens up my whole face and gives me a healthy glow. I find I have to use a light hand or this is a bit too much for my NW15 skin, but the 187 or 188 takes care of that. The beauty powder blush formula is excellent. Great staying power and doesn't make me look like I'm glowing as a lot of the mineralized blushes do. Definitely worth tracking down. Too bad this is LE because I think it's one of the best blushes they've come out with.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Night Manoeuvres
midnightlouise 7/24/2009 10:15:00 PM
Wonderful dark brown/black color with some shimmer. I love it as a crease color or in the outer V for a day time smokey eye. It's a satin so I found I had to use quite a bit to get the effect that I wanted, but the color is worth the effort.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Pearlglide Liner in Fly-By-Blu
midnightlouise 7/24/2009 10:08:00 PM
Although I purchased this with Suite Array last fall, I am finally getting around to reviewing it since it's being repromoted. This is not something I ordinarily would have purchased, but I am very glad I did. The pearlglide name is very apt. It really does seem to glide onto my eyes. No pulling or tugging and easy on the waterline. The staying power is nothing to complain about, and the color....amazing. It's a very dark, metallic-y true royal blue that looks amazing on hazel eyes. This is the only blue eyeliner for me!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Sin
midnightlouise 2/20/2009 8:36:00 PM
As others have said, the color is touted as a shimmery champagne. Strangely it comes off an almost mauvy-beige on me, but I like the color, so no complaints there. As a primer, I find this creases like mad on me, unlike the original. This creases on me within an hour, but with the original I can easily go 6 hours before it shows any signs of creasing. All in all it's nice worn with black liner, but as a primer I'll stick to the original.
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