Eyeliner -Lise Watier - Lise Watier Waterproof Eyeliner
missburlington 5/27/2011 12:18:00 PM
I'm a big fan of black eyeliner. But black eyeliner is a tricky thing; while it can look great, it can also give you serious panda eyes. That's why it's so important to use a high quality, waterproof pencil. This one is definitely HG! It's soft, applies smoothly and is easy to blend. The black is a true black and very opaque. But the best part is: it doesn't smudge! With other brands, I found that I would end up with pencil smudged in the outer corners and crease of my eyes. This eyeliner does not move. It's not exactly cheap but as far as I'm concerned it is worth $17CAD. The only teeny tiny complaint I have is that you can't stick the cap on the end, just because I have a habit of misplacing them.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -NARS - Sheer Matte
missburlington 5/27/2011 12:11:00 PM
I tried a sample of this product from Sephora. I'm a NC15/20 and I tried Deauville, which was a good match. This is a really expensive product ($50CAD) and I had very high expectations. Yes, it was sheer, but it definitely wasn't matte. It had very poor longevity and at the end of the day it was either gone completely or had shifted around my face. I've tried drugstore foundations for a fraction of the price that performed much better. I'm glad I didn't purchase this.
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Primer/ Corrector -MAC - Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50
missburlington 5/27/2011 12:07:00 PM
I have tried many a primer but nothing comes close to Prep and Prime Face Protect. This is the only primer that seems to be able to keep my shiny t-zone in check. I tested this with a long bike ride through the city on a hot summer's day. When I got home I was tired and sweaty, but my make-up looked just as good as when I left home. It's closer to a sunscreen than a primer in texture. It applies easily and provides an excellent base for make-up. One of the best things about this product is that it is a physical sunblock, not a chemical sunscreen. The main active ingredient is titanium dioxide, which provides stable, long-lasting and safer sun protection. The downside to titanium dioxide is that is can give skin a whitish cast. I'm quite pale so I don't notice it on my skin, but if you're darker-skinned I recommend getting a sample to see how it looks. The reason it only gets 4/5 instead of a perfect score is because of the price and the packaging. It's very expensive for a small amount of product. It comes in this awful tube packaging which makes it hard to squeeze all of the product out. I solved that problem by cutting off the top to get to the last few bits and there was still a lot left. Despite its flaws, this is still the best primer product that I've found, and I will continue to repurchase it.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Revlon - ColorStay Under Eye Concealer
missburlington 5/24/2011 8:38:00 AM
I was underwhelmed by this product. It provide some coverage for my fairly noticeable dark circles but not enough to really impress me. On the plus side, it didn't crease and was easy to blend. But it wasn't long-lasting - I wear glasses and I noticed that quite a lot came off on the part that presses on either side of my nose. I hate, hate, hate the applicator - I had to turn the click pen many times before any product would come out, and then it would just ooze out way too much. I also don't like the spongy tip. I put a blob on my hand, then used my clean fingers to apply and then blended with a brush. It comes in a very limited range of colours, none of which are suitable for very dark or very pale skin. There are many other really good inexpensive under eye concealers available, so I would give this one a pass. It's not terrible, but it's not worth $10 either.
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Liquid -Max Factor - Xperience Weightless Foundation
missburlington 5/24/2011 8:29:00 AM
I think this is a good day foundation. It provides light coverage, so it's not going to be helpful if you've got lots to hide. It's not what I would call it serious make-up - it's not the sort of thing you would wear if you want to spend lots of time on your makeup or look really polished. But it's good if you have ten minutes to put your makeup on in the morning and want to look fresh-faced. I like it because it evens out my skin without looking obvious or cakey. It's very creamy and I find the best way to apply it is with my fingers. It lasts for a few hours after being set with loose powder. It doesn't have the best longevity and does nothing to control oil or shine, so I use it with a primer. It's not a miracle-worker, but it's still a very good option if you want a quick and easy foundation. I have two problems with this product. Firstly, the price - it's really expensive for only a small amount of product. Best to wait until it's on sale. Secondly, it only comes in a small range of shades. I'm an NC 15-20 and I bought this in 40 Light Ivory. This product is only available in the UK, though it is repackaged as Cover Girl Nature Luxe Foundation in North America, and comes in a much wider range of colours.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Fusion water resistant
missburlington 5/24/2011 8:15:00 AM
I've never really been impressed by any Cover Girl product, but this changed my mind. It's a really good all-round day and night mascara. It gives nice length and volume and the effect can be increased with a few coats. I quite like the large rubber applicator, because it seems to grab the tiny lashes and comb them out really well. It doesn't flake, smudge or run, even after a long day of wear. It doesn't irritate my eyes even when I wear contacts. Because it's waterproof, it requires a few swipes of good eye makeup remover to take it all off. I have lashes of medium length and medium fullness. If you have really short lashes, or really fine lashes, it might not do the trick for you. It's not going to give you tons of drama, but it's cheap and cheerful and worth a go. I will definitely be repurchasing this one again and again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express One by One
missburlington 5/24/2011 8:02:00 AM
I bought this after my beloved Covergirl Lastblast Fusion ran out. It's only available in North America, and though I know Max Factor has an exact replica it's way overpriced. This one was cheaper, so I gave it a whirl. It's okay. It gives decent volume and length. I like the rubber applicator, though I wouldn't say it's any more effective at getting to the teeny tiny lashes at the edges of the eye. The colour pay-off is quite good. It doesn't seem to smudge and doesn't give me panda eyes. So even though it's a decent mascara, it just doesn't do it for me. I find it rather uncomfortable to wear, because it makes my lashes stick together somehow. It makes me feel like there is always something near or in my eye. It's not obviously irritating or make my eyes go red and itchy. It's not flaky, so I'm not sure what's causing this. It's a weird one.
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Concealers -Rimmel - Match Perfection Concealer
missburlington 5/13/2011 1:16:00 PM
This stuff is really good. I was looking for a new concealer for the dark circles under my eyes. After reading the good reviews of this product, I decided to give it a try. I wasn't disappointed! I'm an NC15 and I bought Ivory. The consistency is creamy - not too thick, not too runny. The coverage is enough to hide my dark circles but not so heavy that it looks obvious or unnatural. The colour is a touch yellow which means it's effective at disguising the bluish colour under my eyes. It also provides a touch of brightness and makes me look much more awake. I'm impressed with the longevity - after ten hours of wear it hadn't rubbed off, shifted or creased. I wear glasses, so I'm used to concealer rubbing off on the nose pads - this one doesn't! The product comes in a squeeze tube with a plastic applicator brush on the end. Unlike click-pens, it's fairly easy to control how much you squeeze out of the tube. I don't like the applicator brush because it's not very good at applying and blending the product. Instead, I squeeze a little bit out, dab it along the dark circle under my eye and under the lower lash line. Then I blend it with a MAC blending brush, and dust with a little loose powder to set. I didn't give this product a perfect score because it has a very limited colour range and none are suitable for darker skin tones. I really dislike it when makeup companies do this. Hopefully Rimmel will extend the range in the future.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Color -Clairol - Nice 'n Easy Perfect 10
missburlington 3/3/2009 7:37:00 PM
I really wanted to like this product. I bought it for $13.99 plus tax from the grocery store in one of the new colours, a chocolate brown with golden tones. The best part of this product was the application: I liked the comb applicator and it took a lot less time than the usual nozzle-style applicators. It smelled quite strong but it was tolerable for the twenty minutes it took to apply and develop. It looked really nice for the first week. I noticed my hair was a bit drier after I dyed it (but that happens with hair dye in general) but the conditioner made it much softer. The colour was nice and very glossy. However, after a week it faded pretty dramatically and lost some of its gloss. I also got my hair cut fairly short about two weeks after the dye job and I noticed the colour was uneven. This could be because I didn't apply it correctly but I didn't notice this problem before I cut it. The conditioner that comes in the kit is great and still makes my hair shiny and soft. Considering how much this product costs and how disappointing the results are, I wouldn't bother with this dye again. Too bad!
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Eyeliner -MAC - Fluidline Eye-Liner Gel in Blacktrack
missburlington 3/3/2009 7:23:00 PM
This is the ultimate black eyeliner - a true, dark black with major staying power. Used with the right brush, it gives a really precise line and can create a wide range of looks. Personally I use Quo's eyeliner brush. The only problem I have with this product is the packaging. The gel has a tendency to dry and crack inside the pot if it is exposed to air regularly. A MAC artist gave me this tip: after you pick up the product on your brush, set the jar upside down on the lid to protect it from drying out. This way, it's easy to pick up again if you need more on your brush.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Lash Stiletto
missburlington 2/16/2009 11:27:00 PM
If I had the option, I would probably give this product a 3.5 instead of a 4. Pretty good, but not super amazing. I bought it on a bit of a whim, I'm a terrible sucker for good marketing and fancy packaging. The packaging on this product is sleek, shiny and looks good in a makeup bag. I also like the brush, which has a long handle and lots of little cross hairs to reach all the tiny lashes. This product does what the ads say it does: it makes my lashes noticeably longer. The colour is a true black, but not actually that shiny. It does not add any volume whatsoever, but does create nice definition. Paired with the right eyeshadow, it creates a well-rested, youthful look. One great thing about this mascara is that it does not clump at all. One not-so-great thing is that it's not a long-wearing mascara. After a couple of hours, it begins to flake and little fibres come off around my eye area. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this product, and I would probably buy it again only if it was on sale. However, it is not so amazing that it will replace my HG mascara.
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Mascara -Too Faced - Lash Injection
missburlington 1/28/2009 7:27:00 PM
I had heard great things about this mascara and bought a small tester-sized tube from Sephora for about $10CAD. I found that it does add a decent amount of volume, definition and colour to my slightly sparse lashes in two coats. However, the texture of the stuff is not so much a liquid mascara as it is a clumpy sort of paste that is fairly difficult to get from the tube onto the brush and finally onto the lashes. It's almost like it's slightly dried up, even though it was a brand new tube. It's also very flaky going on, and smells like it's several years old. While I liked the overall look that this mascara gave me, the smell, weird texture, and difficulty in application have turned me off this product completely.
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Lip Gloss -MAC - Dame Edna - Possum Nose Pink
missburlington 12/30/2008 2:49:00 PM
A really lovely sheer strawberry pink lipglass with a bit of sparkle. It has the usual problems of MAC lipglass (sticky, doesn't last too long). It's a nice finishing touch to basic everyday makeup or a glamourous night out look. It comes in a very cute purple glitter box and a Dame Edna quote tucked inside on a little card. If you don't know who Dame Edna is, you are missing out. Look her up on youtube!
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Polishes -Rimmel - Lycra Wear - All Shades
missburlington 10/5/2008 12:35:00 PM
This is my HG nail polish. It comes in loads of great colours and is quite cheap. The brush is easy to use and the polish isn't too thick or thin. I find that with the darker colours one coat is usually enough. It dries in a few minutes and with a decent top coat it usually lasts just under a week. A really good nail polish!
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Mascara -Rimmel - Extra Super Lash mascara
missburlington 10/5/2008 12:28:00 PM
A cheap, basic mascara. Very boring, doesn't really add any length, volume or definition but the colour is a proper black. I found that it smeared very easily and the brush needed to be wiped off before application to remove excess and clumps. It's the kind of mascara that I would recommend to a teen who is just starting to use makeup and wants to wear something subtle and doesn't want to spend a lot of money.
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