Lip Gloss -Urban Decay - Pocket Rocket Lip Gloss
munchlaxy 11/11/2009 3:07:00 PM
I don't know why I've never written a review for this- I bought James when it was first released. I liked the look of the buy on the front (not going to lie, that's what determined the color for me) and it seemed like a really hilarious idea.I hated the taste, but loved the texture, lastability, and color. The glosses are made with hylaronic acid, which has a distinct feel- almost like a primer- on the lips. It also binds moisture, and I find this lipgloss more nourishing than many products that are made specifically for that purpose. All of the pocket rocket lipglosses are fairly sheer, but that makes them easy to dress up or down. They can be layered or worn on their own and for event they're particularly nice because there's rarely a need to touch them up! I think I'll get Eric next. I'm almost out of the one have! With as many lipglosses as I own it's pretty impressive for one to keep my attention for this long!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Stila - Barbie Loves Stila Smudgepot - Little Black Dress (2009)
munchlaxy 9/8/2009 3:24:00 PM
My initial reaction upon looking at LBD in the pot was that it was nothing special. In the pot it looks like a boring black/deep purple, with some slight purple and pink shimmer. I had initially stopped at Sephora only to pick it up, but upon seeing it was put off. Was this color really that great? I decided to try it anyway, and now I'm really glad I did! Let me start by saying there aren't many colors that really make eyes that are black/brown "pop" while still looking natural and work-appropriate. However, the subtle pink glitter and deep purple/black base of this product make it perfect for the task. I work in a conservative lab environment, and from a distance this liner looks like a soft black on me- perfect for work, while still maintaining the purple hue that makes my eyes stand out. Used all over or as a base, the micro glitter really stands out quite a bit more, making it the perfect all over wash for a more dramatic look. This was my first experience with a smudgepot, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Especially since other gel liners (BB comes to mind) last longer than pencil on me, but still fade or fall throughout the day. I was amazed that LBD dried instantly (which actually isn't that great for those who want to smudge it) and didn't move at all throughout the day. No primer required on these!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - X eye shadow
munchlaxy 8/19/2009 2:44:00 AM
X is a peach shimmer shadow with a light pink duochrome. Overall it's very nicely pigmented, soft, and the color is gorgeous. The peach seems perfect for bringing out blue or hazel eyes, though it looks fine on my brown ones as well. It brightens the area, and isn't shimmery or peachy enough to look over the top. I love it as my go-to shadow for a quick wash of color on my lids before going out. It adds a hint of brightness to the area, and can easily be jazzed up for a more nighttime look (I love adding colors like twice baked to the crease to make it more night-friendly). NW10 for reference, and though the color of the shadow leans warm, the duochrome has made it so it doesn't clash with my skintone.
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Eye Shadow -Stila - Ravishing Rose Trio 2007
munchlaxy 12/30/2008 6:23:00 PM
I ended up buying this palette for sale on BeautyCrunch on a whim. I needed a product to bring the purchase up to $50 and this was cheap and I had no colors exactly like it. I'm going to describe the colors as they would show up on fair skin tones, because on darker complexions all but one will show up chalky. The colors: a light pink, mainly used as an all-over base, or a highlighter. A purple/pinkish color, which shows up very light, but the pigmentation isn't bad. The third color is a dark brown/plum, which has the same amount of pigmentation as the other two. I was worried about how the colors would appear on my neutral/cool skin, but they ended up blending nicely and look beautiful! Each color fits perfectly with the other, and they can be blended nicely for a day-time smokey look or used individually to bring out lighter-colored eyes (green and blue, though the colors do have a chance of going more-plum toned near blue eyes). I personally love it as a day-time smokey look, and with the colors it's hard to mess up. Now onto the packaging. Yes, it's bulky, and I immediately stained it with foundation upon taking it out of it's packaging. The plastic cover seems to be there so you can easily pull the tray the shadows are on out and you'll have less of a chance of damaging them (For all you makeup artists out there, they three-pan they're in pops out instantly for easy portability). I ended up discarding the outer pink layer of packaging almost immediately myself. That being said, I would buy the palette again at full price (but for the amount of product you get I can't see myself running out), but I can certainly see how it might not look great on others.
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Blush -NARS - Angelika
munchlaxy 12/18/2008 12:52:00 AM
Surprisingly enough, this turned out to be my HG of blushes. I was lucky enough to RIS, and wasn't expecting much from it, since I hate Orgasm with a passion.... however, I was pleasantly surprised with this. The color hows up as a bright pink on me (Similar to Chanel EURO Narcisse and Cargo Catalina) and the glitter isn't visible at all, though I do pat the brush off before applying, which might explain why there's no glitter fallout. The blush is the most pigmented babydoll pink I've ever owned, and I have to apply it with a very light hand. It's nice because I need to use very little and the amount I have will probably last forever.... It's not nice in that there's a risk of over applying that I don't get with other pink blushes (neither chanel nor cargo are as pigmented). I have cool-toned skin (which is what this blush is going to look best on), and very, very fair skin (for reference, no MAC foundations are light enough to match me, but some Becca ones are). Because of the high amount of pigmentation this color should look true-to-form on darker completions and still look like a beautiful babydoll pink without getting muddied out.
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Sunscreen -Shiseido - Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 55 PA+++ [DISCONTINUED]
munchlaxy 12/13/2008 12:36:00 AM
I've finally found my HG primer and SS. I've tried pretty much every major SS out there, and I've found that they each have their own problems. My skin is very dry, so I wear a dimethicone-based moisturizer underneath and use a teaspoon amount of this on my face and have minimal drying throughout the day. The major reason I love this SS though is because it works beautifully as a primer. It neutralizes my red cheeks, and is most possibly the strongest priming agent I've ever used. It's a bit hard to remove fully, so at night I use my boscia cleansing oil to get it fully off... but even then it's very water resistant and difficult to fully remove.
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Palettes -Fresh - A Kiss is Just a Kiss face palette
munchlaxy 11/10/2008 6:43:00 PM
Out of all of my recent purchases, this is my favorite. You get three full-size products (Highlighter, blush, lipgloss), each in colors that should fit both warm and cool tones, and each with buildable color. I've only given it four lippies because I feel that a lip brush, or even a place to put one in the palette, would have been a very nice addition. The lipgloss is very soft, and I feel it's hard to control the amount of product I'm actually putting on without some type of lip brush. This will probably become my HG palette for travel. So far I'm loving it.
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Treatments (Eye) -Murad - Essential C eye Cream
munchlaxy 11/1/2008 9:02:00 AM
I've gone back and forth between this product and another, but recently have decided to exclusively use this one since I'm currently on a retinoid. I apply it lightly near the orbital bone. If you incorrectly apply it directly around your eye its going to sting, since it will naturally migrate up, into your eye and it's got sunscreen in it. The consistency is a bit thick and it's takes a few minutes to absorb, but it feels nice. The Vitamin C is a botanical brightner, so you're not going to notice a huge lightening effect even after a few months of use, but the Vitamin C is an antioxidant that will help with free radical damage while it's on your skin. As far as price goes, it seems a bit steep, though the product should easily last 6 months and is airtight. I'm not sure what type of vitamin C is being used, or if they've modified it so it can penetrate and be stored in the skin (as naturally, water-soluble vitamin C cannot), so I'll have to do some research on that and I'll change this review later based on what I find.
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Eyeliner -Guerlain - Loose Kohl in Noir
munchlaxy 10/22/2008 2:29:00 PM
My HG liner. I ususally don't like to tightline because nothing stays in me. Makeup Forever's Aquaeyes, UD's 24/7 liner... Nothing stays.... That was until I found this little gem. I apply it using the Eastern Method, which I was able to master on my first try (And I'm usually pretty clumsy). It takes less time than with a pencil or a brush and goes on flawlessly. There's minimal fallout and though it will smudge if I touch it I found it very difficult to get completly off. It stayed on my waterline throughout the day and required no touchup. I'm in love with this liner, though I wonder about certain hygenic aspects of it (like pressing the brush to your eye and then letting it dit in the dark, cool tube...). In any case, I haven't had any liner look better or stay on longer.
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Eyeliner -MAC - Pearlglide Eye Liner in Wolf
munchlaxy 10/11/2008 6:48:00 PM
I wanted to love this liner as my HG, I really did.... But I can't. The color is a nice gray and has a small amount of gold glitter in it. I say glitter instead of shimmer because it's possible for the glitter to fall, as it did on me within minuted of applying it. The color didn't show up much on my waterline either, and migrated down to my lashes within an hour. Luckily the color hasn't smeared at all. I even took a nap i it and it really hasn't moved. Not my HG, but not bad at all, and certainly worth the $14.50. EDIT: I've changed the review down to 2 mainly because I just can't get used to the lack of pigmentation and glitter fallout. I've tried it as a shadow as well, but the color fades on my lids in an hour, is very sheer, and still very glittery. I really wanted to love this too. :(
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
munchlaxy 10/9/2008 11:30:00 PM
I didn't realize that I had oily lids or was prone to eyeshadow creasing until I stopped using this.... What a difference! Without using that little bit of Primer Potion I had to use more shadow at a time, and that shadow had huge creases in it by the end of the day. In some places it was missing entirely. With primer potion I use less product, don't work for product opacity, and best of all, there's not fading, smudging, or creasing. It does have a huge packaging flaw, but I use such a little amount of the product at a time that I've never had to crack it open. I've used this, Bare Essential's eye Primer, and Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I like te packaging of the shadow insurance the best, but primer potion wins hands down as just a general primer in terms of shadow lastability and lack of creasing.
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Skincare - Body -Bio Oil - All Products
munchlaxy 10/9/2008 11:21:00 PM
I got this from a physical therapist at Johns Hopkins because the company that made it was trying to market it to burn victims. Not only did it not moisturize that well, but it did nothing for my scars. I used it for about four months and saw no difference. My skin just continued to dry out, and the burn itching didn't subside in the slightest. The packaging is such that it's hard to control the amount that comes out and it's quite messy. You also have to be careful not to stain your clothes when using it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Stila - Illuminating Powder Foundation
munchlaxy 10/6/2008 1:47:00 AM
I'm not sure if this is HG status for me yet, but it'd the first and only foundation I've ever hit the pan with. I have very fair skin (10 watts), and this provides it with decent coverage with a nice, natural finish. I have normal/dry skin, and quite a few liquid foundations crease up and end up oxidizing on me within a few hours. This one doesn't, which is a relief. I've used it without a primer, which gives it a very sheer look. Great for people with wonderful skin that just want a little bit of a "softer" look in some areas. With a primer (I've only used non-silicone based so it won't bead up) it can be layered quite thick, and I've often paired it with MUFE's HD primer and the Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer, which acts as a primer as well. The only reason I gave it four out of five stars is that it's got an SPF in it.... Which I don't need since I use it in my Kinerase moistuizer and it doesn't stack, and spf tends to make people look "washed out" in photographs. It's also a bit expensive since you have to buy the (LARGE!) compact separately. I'll probably repurchase, but I'll be trying different foundations in the meantime.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Make Up For Ever - HD High Definition Foundation
munchlaxy 9/26/2008 6:19:00 PM
I LOVE this foundation! It feels light (unlike mat velvet and other MUFE foundations), but has enough coverage to cover any redness or imperfections I might have. I use one squirt, spot apply it with my fingers, and then blend with a powder brush. It gives me a nice airbrushed look that's not entirely matte, and not entirely dewy, just a very natural finish. The color selection is pretty nice, and it's one of the few brands that's got light warm undertone foundations as well as cool ones. As with almost all MUFE foundations, if you have a darker skin tone you should have no trouble finding a shade that matches. I'm 117 (warm/light), if it helps at all.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Peter Thomas Roth - Pumpkin Enzyme Mask
munchlaxy 9/21/2008 9:58:00 PM
This is hands down my favorite exfoliator. I'm a big fan of enzymatic exfoliants; however, my skin can only handle them every so often. I'm able to use this exfoliant every other week for three minutes and that's all I need. PTR recommends that you don't use the mask for over five minutes at a time and for only once a week. After only one use my skin felt much smoother. Upon subsequent uses my skin retained it's smooth appearance and texture and I ended up having to use less and less moisturizer afterward and products were penetrating deeper into my skin. One jar has lasted almost a year so far, and its less than half gone, so I'm assuming it's going to last the entire two years until it goes rancid/ I love the smell, though I can see why it wouldn't be for everyone. It smells very strongly of pumpkin.
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