Makeup Brushes -Rock & Republic - 102 Blush Brush
nicedreams000 3/9/2012 6:36:00 PM
I like, but don't love this brush. Most of my blushes are so intensely pigmented that I prefer a brush with fluffier bristles that aren't as compact so it doesn't leave a harsh streak of color on my cheeks. However, this brush is good for blushes that aren't as pigmented. For instance, I always grab this brush for my NARS blushes. Still waiting to find the perfect fluffy, non-dense blush brush....
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Brows -Anastasia Of Beverly Hills - brow ex-press 
nicedreams000 3/9/2012 6:33:00 PM
I've tried dozens upon dozens of brow products and this is by far the best brow powder I've ever used. I bought this kit when it was on Hautelook a long time ago and put it off to the side because it didn't impress me much. I started using it about three months ago and my how my mind has changed! I first use a cheap NYC taupe pencil to lightly fill in my brows (mainly so the powder has something to stick to) and then I use the ash brown color and maybe a little bit of the darker brown at the ends if I want a stronger look. When I run out of my powder, I'll just skip this kit since I don't use the wax or the highlighter. I actually ended up depotting both of the powders and attached a magnet to the bottom so I can put it in with my MAC ES palette.
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Makeup Brushes -Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman - Brush Collection Core Collection
nicedreams000 3/9/2012 6:24:00 PM
I love love love the buffing brush. I know this set comes with the pointed foundation brush, but it's crap compared to how the buffing brush applies my foundation. I go between using the RT buffing brush and my Sigma flat top kabuki. The Sigma brush has more bristles, but I like how the RT brush is domed. I think that makes it easier to get in the the crevices. I also like the contour brush, but I use it for highlighting or applying powder rather than contouring. My fav brush for contouring is still my MAC109. I gave a "4" as an overall rating since the other brushes in this set were average in my opinion.
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Concealers -Pixi - Eye Beauty Kit- No 10 Neutralizing Coverup
nicedreams000 3/6/2012 6:06:00 PM
This is a solid "4" rating. I bought this palette on a whim while I was looking for concealers at Target and decided to purchase since there are so many shades and correctors that I was bound to use at least one of them. Well, surprisingly I use four of them! I use a mixture of the light and medium concealers under my eyes, which is the perfect shade of salmon to conceal the dark circles. I have a little bit of redness around my nose area which is what I use the yellow corrector for. The pink corrector is wonderful for brightening under my eyes. I never use the green or dark concealers, but I've used the white in the past for subtle highlighting and also for halloween. I only took off one lippie from the overall rating because I think the formula could be a tad smoother. I have to use the product very sparingly because it can get cakey. Otherwise, the concealor color selection is excellent and will definitely repurchase again.
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Fragrances -Dolce & Gabbana - L'Imperatrice Eau de Toilette
nicedreams000 3/6/2012 5:53:00 PM
Oh my word...I LOVE this perfume! There's nothing quite like it when you take a whiff of a frangrance for the first time and it's the scent you want to smell like for the rest of your life! YES...it's that good! I have never gotten as many compliments on my perfume as I have when I wear L'Imperatrice. The fellas seem to like it the most :) One of my guy friends actually commented that if he ever got angry around me all I would have to do is spray it near him and his anger would melt away! haha. But, seriously..go out and buy it because it's one of those scents that is uniquely perfect in each and every way.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Illamasqua - Skin Base foundation
nicedreams000 3/6/2012 5:38:00 PM
I just got my Skin Base in the mail yesterday! I am currently about NC30 in my MAC Studio Fix Fluid and got 05 in skin base, which I admit is a little too pale for me. But, I mixed a little bit of an NC35 which is too dark for me and the color is perfection! Some probably hate to hassle with mixing foundations, but I've done it for so long that it doesn't bother me because I live in Arizona and my tan varies from season to season. A lot of the reviews on here have said it is difficult to blend because it dries quickly, but I didn't run into that issue when I put it on because I used a tad of my moisturizer before blending with my fingers. I'm sure the moisturizer and the heat from my fingers helped to spread it evenly. After I applied it, I took my beauty blender and buffed it a little to make sure there were no harsh lines and - voila! - my skin looked like a celebrity's! I didn't notice any offputting smell, but if that changes, I'll update this review. My lease favorite aspects of this foundation is the packaging and the price. I don't mind the plastic, but I dislike the large twisty cap. The US price ended up being $55, but that includes s&h, so otherwise it would have been $40 :-( But I suppose I can't really complain about the price since the quality speaks for itself.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Lip Tar
nicedreams000 1/11/2012 5:49:00 PM
I currently have five lip tars and this one ranks in the top two. It is a beautiful light, peachy, nude shade. I have medium skintone (NC30) and it looks perfect on me when paired with a smokey eye. Lighter skintones may have a more difficult time pulling this off though. If it's too light, you might think about mixing it with darker lip tar shades.
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Eyeliner -Lancome - Artliner
nicedreams000 1/11/2012 5:44:00 PM
This is my go-to black liquid eyeliner! I've always loved the idea of liquid eyeliner, but I've continually been disappointed in several high and low end brands...that is, until I tried Artliner. The felt tip applicator makes it so easy to draw winged liner since it has the perfect amount of firmness and isn't too pointy/thin. The only gripe about this liner is the dry time. I have a super shallow fold in my eyes right above the lash line that causes the liner to crease when I blink or have my eye open right after applying the product. To prevent this, I have to keep my eyelids taut by lifting my eyebrows as if I'm surprised about something (quite funny when someone walks into the room as I'm doing that!).
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -LUSH - Karma Kream
nicedreams000 1/11/2012 5:32:00 PM
This is the first lotion I've tried from LUSH and I was skeptical because of the price, but my oh my how I love the scent! It's unlike any other perfume or lotion I've tried. To me, it smells like a combination of citrus and incense (read other reviews for a better description!). Initially, I probably wouldn't have thought of repurchasing due to the price and since I prefer a lotion that moisturizes better, but I am seriously addicted to the scent. I no longer use it on my body since like I said, it's not very moisturizing on me, so instead I keep it at my desk as hand creme.
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Blush -La Femme - Coral Spice - Blush on Rouge
nicedreams000 1/11/2012 5:24:00 PM
This is a very beautiful peachy-pink shade with a fair amount of shimmer. The consistency of the blush is finely milled and is extreme in pigmentation (similar to Rock & Republic blushes if you're familiar with those). High pigmentation is generally a good thing, but it's SO pigmented that I must be careful to use a very light hand when applying (a fan brush is also great for this blush to ensure it's more sheer). Darker skin ladies who have a difficult time finding a pigmented blush will love La Femme.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Pixi - Eye Beauty Kit No.9 Smoky
nicedreams000 1/11/2012 5:17:00 PM
I really like the color and texture of each eyeshadow; however, having said that, I don't ever find myself using more than one eyeshadow from this palette at a time which keeps me from reaching for it on a consistent basis. I have another eyeshadow palette from Pixi and I have the same problem. I'd rather purchase palettes with colors that compliment each other to achieve an entire eyelook.
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Lipstick -MAC - Lustre Capricious
nicedreams000 1/11/2012 5:09:00 PM
I was given MAC Capricious by my mom who is a huge lipstick collector. My mom has completely different coloring than me (she has very fair skin with pink undertones while I am medium colored with deep yellow undertones), so I put it off to the side where I stash the other lipsticks she's given me thinking it wouldn't suit me. I'm not sure what provoked me to try it, but I tossed it one day into my bag a few months ago and threw it on just before a meeting to make myself a bit more presentable. I'm not usually into sheer plums because my lips are quite pigmented and that color doesn't always show up well or suit my skintone, but this is a lovely, everyday work-appropriate shade that I'll continue to keep in my purse.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -SKII - Cellumination Essence
nicedreams000 12/22/2011 5:00:00 PM
Oh how I wish I had the budget to use this product every day! I bought this serum from Sasa.com after seeing Michelle Phan using it a while back in one of her skincare videos. I must say this is the absolutely best serum in terms of smoothing and whitening! It makes my skin darn near flawless and believe me, I normally have my fair share of skin issues. I only use it for special occasions to make it last longer, but if I used it everyday, I probably wouldn't need to use any foundation as it is wonderful for evening out skintone. If anyone has a dupe, please share!!!!!
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Blush -NARS - Orgasm Blush
nicedreams000 12/22/2011 4:50:00 PM
This is perhaps the most talked about blush ever and before using it, I was quite skeptical due to the varied reviews. I had managed to evade swatching it at Sephora time and time again, but I broke down and bought it as a duo which included the laguna bronzer. In all honesty I didn't give it a fair chance for the first few months I had it because I was certain that it wouldn't be flattering due to the noticeable gold shimmer. I have oily skin so I tend to use matte blushes to avoid looking too shiny. However, within the last month I've really grown to love this blush! I have many rock and republic blushes which I love, but I have to use an extremely light hand with those due to the pigment intensity. With Orgasm, I don't have to worry about applying too much because it simply isn't possible to over do it. It imparts an angel-like, peachy-pink color with a hint of golden sheen that I don't mind even though I do have oily skin. The only bad thing i can say about this is the rubbery packaging since it leaves fingerprints behind, but that's more of an issue for NARS packaging in general.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Eve Pearl - Dual Salmon Concealer & Treatment
nicedreams000 12/22/2011 4:40:00 PM
I like, but do not love this concealor. I use the light/medium duo, which I find to suit my NC 35 skintone very well. However, the texture of this product is so creamy that it creases in my fine lines no matter what primer or powder I use underneath my eyes. Still on the search for an undereye concealer that doesn't crease AND manages to cover my dark circles. Until then, I'll continue to use the Eve Pearl since I hate to waste, but I won't be repurchasing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No