Blush -TheBalm - Frat Boy
mikxoh 5/19/2013 2:00:00 AM
I need to calm down with buying blushers but THIS WAS 50% OFF, HOW COULD I SAY NO D:! I'm a huge sucker for warm corals/pinks. I made the mistake of enthusiastically swirling my brush all over the pan and smacking it on my cheeks. wah...so pigmented - not complaining just saying. use a light hand and buff it out for a lovely flush of color. smooth and finely milled. pretty good staying power for a good majority of the day on my acne-prone, oily skin. I'm sure it's a very dupe-able color but if you can get it on sale then get it, you won't regret it :D
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Highlighters -TheBalm - Mary-Lou Manizer
mikxoh 5/14/2013 1:39:00 AM
if you have this then SKIP THE DIOR AMBER DIAMOND. no, seriously. it gives the same lovely glow as amber diamond for a lot less. I'm going to sound a bit hypocritical here because I do own both amber diamond AND mary lou manizer. let me explain! I actually bought the dior highlighter way before this guy. the only reason why I caved in and got this highlighter is because I snagged it for half off during thebalm's 50% sale. such a deal I just could not pass up - sue me D: but yes, this highlighter makes you look glowy - not shiny/oily! I'm definitely done with purchasing any other highlighters since hitting pan on this thing (and on the dior one) is going to happen in like...never. even at full price, this product is still worth it. if you love highlighters, don't pass this one up!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -TheBalm - Nude 'tude
mikxoh 5/14/2013 1:34:00 AM
LIKE BUTTER! love this palette. I grabbed this during thebalm's 50% off sale and it was so worth it. I have the first naked palette from UD and a good bit of nude singles around here and there but...cmon half off? such a steal. pigmentation is awesome, smooth, long lasting...just plain awesome. would I have gotten it at full price? probably not because I just didn't need to overindulge in another nude palette. again for half off, it was just too good to pass up. I love the shade "stand offish" - it does not come off frosty on my eyes - perfectly shimmery and brightens up any neutral eye I put together. I thought it was really considerate of thebalm to have a "nice" version along with the "naughty" version. I know some girls who can't say NARS' orgasm blush without feeling like they've violated something. anyway, brownie points for thebalm for being considerate for those who are a bit more reserved.
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Makeup Brushes -E.L.F. - Blending Brush
mikxoh 4/29/2013 2:42:00 AM
dirt cheap and gets the job done! my eyes aren't sensitive or anything and the two brushes I picked up were soft and hasn't shown any signs of shedding. I couldn't justify spending over $20+ for a blending eyeshadow brush and decided to start off with cheaper alternatives first. I figured if they didn't work I wouldn't be too sad since I only forked some pocket change for it. maybe I'll try some higher end ones later on but I'm in no hurry at all. I've done some awesome smokey eyes with these brushes (blends well, picks up a fair amount of shadow), no complaints from me!
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Lipstick -MAC - Frost - Angel
mikxoh 4/28/2013 3:27:00 PM
Bleh, Looking at swatches online and even being able to swatch it on my skin looks promising. However, the color does not suit me when it's on my lips at all. I wanted a soft baby pink which I thought I could get from MAC's angel but NOPE! it changes into a very lilac based pink and I don't fancy the nicki minaj look so this lipstick is no bueno for me. I really think if you're cool toned this will look great on you but on my warm-yellow based skin, I'll have to decline >: it's okay at moisturizing, a bit drying but I don't like the shade enough to put up with me - returned!
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Brows -E.L.F. - Eyebrow Kit
mikxoh 4/24/2013 10:47:00 PM
I almost got shoved into buying a $30 eyebrow pencil from a dior SA last time I was at macy's. even with a 20% voucher I couldn't fork over my hard earned cash for it. I still really needed something to fill in my eyebrows...they're really low maintenance - just pluck a few stray hairs that try to grow back every now and then but they're kinda tapper out and become sparse at the tail end. in flash photography it's like half of my eyebrow goes missing. I've never used a brow product before and have been on the search for one. this elf bow kit received so many positive reviews, I just had to give it a go! I was a bit worried that I would end up with derpy looking brows but this kit is fool proof. I actually like the brush that comes with it - one side is thin and meant to be used with the gel/cream and the other end is fluffy to be used with the powder. there's one key thing to note when applying this guy - start at the middle of the brow and work outward towards the tail...if you start right at the front it can look a bit too prominent. with a few light strokes of the gel and a pat of the powder, my brows look nice a polished! for $3, this guy is awesome. I use the the dark brown kit and it looks very natural against my black eyebrows :D
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Palettes -Urban Decay - Naked Basics
mikxoh 4/22/2013 7:35:00 PM
why fork over the money for such a seemingly boring palette? I suppose if your makeup collection is comparable to a sephora then by all means, skip this guy. however, if you're like me, I have a moderate amount of makeup at my disposal. to give you an idea, I have 3 (all relatively small) makeup palettes and that's all the eye shadow I pretty much own. this brings up the total count to 4 and it is PERFECT. you have colors to highlight, blend out and darken any look. the formula from UD's eyeshadow is always on the mark. very slight powdery poofs come off from the 3 lighter shades but it's nothing to mark this palette off for. the lightest 3 colors are still buttery soft to the touch. call me boring but I love my neutrals. I don't want to smear the freaking rainbow all over my eyes. I want my browns, taupes, vanilla and sand colors. this palette compliments every other eyeshadow color that I own. it even is an amazing standalone palette as well. I really held off at getting this guy because I was just so unimpressed initially. Such a dupable item can be deemed passable. I did notice in my collection I was missing a fair amount of matte colors. on top of that sephora recently had their 15% voucher for VIBs so this was my time to snag it without paying full price. for about $24 I got 6 colors that I would ALWAYS go for. not one color in this palette will go unloved. $4 a piece for an urbandecay eyeshadow? FREAKING AMAZING :D blends easily, pigmented, need I say more? like I said before, you can skip this guy if your makeup collection is inordinately massive. but for your average makeup-loving college girl like me, this has a spot in my collection. totally recommend. EDIT 4/26/13 ---- oh man I love this palette even more now, just thought I'd share my current eyeshadow look - use MAC paint pot in Eclair then layer faint right over it with crave to darken my lashline. use WOS to blend it out and BAM! amazing brown smokey eyes<3 love it!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Burt's Bees - Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
mikxoh 4/22/2013 5:05:00 PM
my nails/fingers are low maintenance with the occasional chip of a nail. lately, I've been getting a lot of hangnails and they FREAKING. HURT. I have no idea why they're becoming so frequent but it was often enough that I knew I had to find something to treat them. thanks to all the reviews on here, I grabbed my own tin of this stuff from target for about $6 and some change. It's more of a balm texture instead of a cream as labeled. it smells so yummy! like lemon cream cookies. the smell isn't overpowering at all so have no fear. I can see how this tin may be hard to open but I keep it closed half way so I'm not in a wrestling match with it when needed. I use this stuff every night before bed - rubbing some product very well around into each cuticle (on the sides, the base etc). a little goes a long way and the warmth of your fingers makes application a breeze. it's a tad greasy only because of all the oils used in it. nothing overbearing but it's something you should note since it's probably better off used as a nighttime treatment. it seems a bit high maintenance doing this every day but I find this pretty therapeutic and cuts my hangnail episodes short so it's totally worth it. this tin is going to last for awhile so I do believe you get plenty of product for your $$.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - The Rocket Volume Express
mikxoh 4/21/2013 5:27:00 PM
AW YEAH THIS GUY IS A KEEPER :D! I've been loyal to my maybelline falsies and full n' soft. BUT...I wanted to try this guy since there has been lots of positive hype around it. I did buy the waterproof version, so you know, since I have oily lids and lashes which refuse to hold a curl. short and straight stubby asian lashes are what I have to work with. I feel like this does just as well as my maybelline falsies but separates a tad better. I know, so meticulous of me to even notice but I do. The bulky wand really hugs and seperates my lashes with ease. No clumps, nada! No matter how many coats I swipe on it stays looking pretty. It lengthens and adds volume very well and most importantly it holds curls. I was tempted to get the mega plush mascara and I'm glad I didn't. This is a new staple mascara for me :D For only $6 at target, it's such a steal.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Paint Pot in Eclair
mikxoh 4/20/2013 3:48:00 AM
My first ever paint pot and I love it! This pulled me in right away since it's a lovely chocolate brown color. Strangely enough, it looks pretty orange/rusty in the pot but on my eye lids it really translate to a lovely warm bronze/copper which is super flattering. I have extremely oily lids and this kept picture perfect all day...very minor creasing after about 10 hours on me. The texture was smooth and creamy. I actually prefer this over my maybelline color tattoo in bad to the bronze. why? it has the shimmer I like but without the gritty feeling. it's limited edition so I didn't feel bad about forking over my money. I know I'll have this paint pot for ages. for the price and quality, this paint pot is worth it :D EDIT 4/26/13 ------ I loved it so much I ended up buying a backup. I hope paint pots have a shelf life of 10000 years because I know it'll take my almost forever to finish my first pot! this has become my FAVORITE base to use for brown smokey eyes, it's the perfect consistency and shade of brow to use, cannot recommend it enough.
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Concealers -MAC - Studio Finish Concealer
mikxoh 4/17/2013 4:42:00 PM
Cake! did someone say cake? I'm not referring to the cake you can eat, I'm talking about this concealer. Oh man, where to start. So I was on the hunt for a new concealer only because I wanted to find one with longer staying power than my inglot one (which I love regardless). This concealer has lots of hype around it and I figured I might as well try it. I have wombo combo acne prone skin which is now a bit on the dryer side because of my skincare treatments. The color match wasn't perfect for me (I got NW25), a tad too orange but I blended out and it looked okay. After some setting powder and 5 minutes the results were sooooo cringe worthy. Cakey, cakey, cakey. It covered well but was hard to apply without the product clinging for dear life on every flaw on my face. Don't even think about putting this guy on zits because it just enhances the breakout (very unnaturally I might add) even more. I figured this concealer is best for those who have perfect skin and want to cover up freckles and sunspots. I don't recommend it at all for people who have problematic skin like I do. Returned this guy and I have no regrets.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -Christian Dior - Shimmer Powder 002 Amber Diamond, Spring 08
mikxoh 4/3/2013 3:04:00 PM
if I ever run out of this product I'd run out to buy it again in a heartbeat! I seriously put off buying this because I figured I just didn't need to shell out the $$$ for something that seems so unnecessary. what made me cave in was the fact I got it for 20% off at macy's hahaha! I just opened a credit card with them and it came with a 1-day discount deal so I decided this was the perfect time to satisfy my curiosity. and I love it! dusting a bit on my cheek bones gives me such a beautiful glow. I have combo-acne prone skin and this product doesn't disturb it at all. the smallest strip is an off white color which looks amazing popped right on the brow bone. I believe it's a twin match for nars' albatross. so instead of forking over $30 for one shade of nars product, you're getting much more variety with the dior highlighter. I've even used it as an eyeshadow to give a kick to my natural everyday makeup when I don't feel like using my matte neutrals. this guy will last forever which makes me happy knowing that I'm really getting the most for my $$! I'm not tempted to get rose diamond because I already have MAC mineralize skinfinish in blonde. I doubted this product so much and I'm happy I gave it a chance. it's now a staple for my everyday makeup routine. it really is one of those things were you have to try it before you dismiss it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - Shine Caresse Lipgloss-183 Pink Resistance
mikxoh 3/14/2013 2:26:00 AM
Wah! The hype...the disappointment....okay well as you can tell I wasn't swept off my feet with this product. I picked this color for obvious reasons since it's such a safe color! I heard much praise about this sucker and how comparable it is to the YSL glossy stains. I personally haven't tried the YSL glossy stains because they're damn expensive and I'm in no shortage of lip products. Of course the YSL lip gloss looked inviting the price was just terribly off-putting. I heard from many these were the EXACT same lip product as the higher end item. Gah...this color turned into a weird coral on me, very inaccurate of the color on the tube itself. It goes on smooth but dries to a very tacky finish. Maybe I'll try other colors in the range but for now, I'll be returning this guy.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Smith's Rosebud Salve - Smith's Strawberry Lip Balm
mikxoh 2/21/2013 8:54:00 PM
I usually don't mind lipbalms in a pot. this one is perfectly fine since it's wide and shallow enough to swipe across my lips. I'm sure when I use it up I'll end up dipping my finger into it but no biggie. the price is more expensive than my usual costs for lipbalm but I've been dying to try this for ages. it's like 7 bucks so it's not too bad like fresh's sugar lip balms. moisturizing power is amazing on this guy...I love the scent but the moisturizing power has made me a loyal fan to this product. my lips aren't left feeling greasy. the product doesn't just sit on my lips like some other balms do. I'll be repurchasing this over and over for sure :D
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Lips -Nivea - A Kiss of Milk and Honey
mikxoh 2/21/2013 8:48:00 PM
mreeh. I bought this cause it was on a super good deal with the original flavoured/scented one. I love anything that has to do with honey so I thought I'd love this. it's below average for moisturizing power and doesn't smell amazing. if it's on super sale then go ahead to pick it up and try it. this chapstick isn't worth going out of your way to purchase. this is saying a lot considering I'm a huge chapstick junkie
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