Lipstick -NARS - Mitzi
onestarrynight 7/3/2010 11:30:00 PM
Love this color! I've been debating whether to get this and I'm glad I did. It's just the perfect pale pink with a bit of shimmer that I can put on without even using a mirror. And it does NOT turn any form of fuchsia, which looks dreadful against my yellow undertones. Too many pale pink lipsticks seem to do that on me. It stay a nice neutral pink. I have pale lips that are on the skinny side, so this just adds a nice light pink color while the shimmer makes them look bigger. I'm usually more of a lip gloss person, but I've been wearing Mitzi nearly everyday this summer.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Loose Powders -Laura Mercier - Secret Brightening Powder
onestarrynight 7/3/2010 11:20:00 PM
I knew I was going to like this. I put a light dusting on my eyelids and beneath my eyes after my concealer. I was using Bobbie Brown (matte) white eyeshadow on my lids before this and I think I like this better. It doesn't last as long as I would like, but it does brighten my whole eye area without emphasizing lines (I'm 44). I can't stand the container it came in and I wished I'd only pulled off part of the sticker that it came with, leaving only a couple of holes, because the powder is all over the place now. I bought #2 because #1 looked very white and even though I'm pale I wasn't sure if I wanted something quite that light. I don't have terrible dark circles, so I can't speak to it covering those. I've been wearing it over la touch eclat and it looks quite nice.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Cover Girl - Simply Ageless
onestarrynight 9/20/2009 9:59:00 PM
I like this foundation. I agree the color choices are difficult to figure out and they are all very light. Definitely pick a darker color than you would normally choose. I chose creamy natural (220) and it works just fine with my pale NC20/25 skin. What I like most about this foundation is that it is so easy. When I'm in a hurry in the mornings I can put this on over my moisturizer in ten seconds. It can look mask-like if you put on a lot. I just do a quick swipe and if it looks heavy I dampen my hands and dab my face, this usually fixes it. I haven't had a problem with this accenting fine lines or pores. If anything it seems to help with this problem. I even use the sponge it came with, something I rarely do for most cosmetics. I clean the sponge with hot water and antibacterial soap, so it doesn't get funky. I don't know if the Olay part actually does anything for my skin (probably not) but overall I think this is a decent foundation. Edit: I took off a lippie because this started to separate and dry out on me a lot faster than it should have and I wound up having to throw a lot of product away.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Cover Girl - Exact Eyelights
onestarrynight 12/18/2008 8:46:00 PM
I got this in black pearl and like the other reviewers here have found, there is very little shimmer in this mascara. After putting it on and looking at my eyelashes in broad daylight I see a teensy tiny bit of shimmer. I mean, maybe if I stuck my eyelashes under a microscope I'd see more, but come on! I gave it two lippies because it is decent mascara, so I'll probably use it. I'm not going to bother trying any of the other shades. Hmm, I think I might try using my clinique eyelash primer with it though, since that stuff is white and the shimmer might just be noticable. I'll report back if it's worth doing.
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Eyeliner -MAC - Powersurge Eye Kohl
onestarrynight 12/18/2008 7:44:00 PM
Love this! I would never have even considered this color if I hadn't see all the good reviews here. I have chocolate brown eyes and usually wear darker eyeliners, but this gold kohl liner is fantastic. It brings out a green color in my eyes I've never even seen before. They almost look hazel. Very fun! Plus despite the shimmer in this pencil it doesn't look like too much on my 43 year old eyes. I have teddy (which I also love) and both of these liners smudge, but in a good way, if you know what I mean. The line around my eyes is soft, but happily I haven't had it migrate down to my cheek or anything. It actually stay put pretty well for a pencil so soft. It doesn't last all day or anything and I typically have to touch it up at least once, but it's worth it. If you have brown eyes definitely give this color a try. I'll bet it would look really fantastic with light brown/hazel eyes too.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Mascara
onestarrynight 10/24/2008 11:23:00 PM
I was sure I would hate this. In fact, I never even had a desire to try it after reading so many reviews where people said it was messy and over the top. I have good eyelashes, so I usually wear more natural type mascaras. I've been going through a vampy eyelash phase lately though so I thought I'd give this a whirl. I've been using YSL Faux Cils and Clinque's High Impact, both give a dramatic look especially the YSL. I was really surprised by the Diorshow. It's no where near as glam as I thought it would be, in fact I'd put it more in the natural camp. I like it though. It doesn't clump at all, even after putting on a couple of coats and it really makes my eyelashes hold a curl. They're long, but they are very straight. I use an eyelash curler and then put this on and they stay curled quite well. I've found with most mascaras I have to re-curl, but not with this. It makes my eyelashes look longer, but not that much thicker. The brush is big, but I didn't have any trouble doing my upper and lower lashes. I doubt I'll buy this again though since it's so pricey and I don't think it's any better than my Naturally Glossy, which is less expensive. Update: I had to laugh when I read this review I wrote. This is definitely NOT a natural look mascara. I guess I'd gotten so used to all the vampy mascaras that I'd forgotten what the natural ones were like. Well, I recently tried using my beloved Clinique Naturally Glossy and - whoah! - that stuff is so tame. It's still one of my faves for daytime though. After using the Diorshow for awhile now I've bumped it down to three lippies because: 1) My tube is getting dried out and I've only had it a short time. 2) It's too harsh on my eyelashes and I definitely see more coming out when I use this. 3) It flakes sometimes. Not terribly, but for the price this stuff should not flake at all. In fact, for the price this stuff should take me out to dinner and then show me a good time. (wink, wink) I'm glad I finally tried this since I was so curious about it, but I wouldn't buy it again.
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Scrubs -LUSH - Buffy the Backside Slayer
onestarrynight 10/16/2008 8:25:00 PM
Hmm, I guess I'm the voice of discontent here. I know this product is beloved by many, but this gave me zits on my derriere (ahem). I think it clogged my pores. I stopped using it and everything has returned to normal (thank you very much.) I gave it two stars because it was quite nice on my legs and they felt smooth after using this. For the price though and for the rapid way it deteriorates, it wasn't worth it for me and I won't be repurchasing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Maybelline - Superstay Gloss
onestarrynight 10/16/2008 7:50:00 PM
All I can say is . . . dang! These are fantastic. I've tried some of the long wearing lipsticks, but I've never had any luck with them. They dried my lips out and wore off in strange ways (weird lines, flaking, etc.) I'm not sure what made me try this long wearing gloss as I'd pretty much given up on drugstore lip gloss, but I'm glad I did. This stuff is really great. They go on more sheer then regular long wearing lip color, so you don't have to get stressed about making mistakes. I bought two shades Sparkling Sherry and Sugared Raisin, both are very flattering and long wearing. They don't dry my lips out and they wear off very evenly. The gloss part has to be reapplied every hour or two, but I've found the color part lasts almost all day on me. When I think of how much I spend on NARS and Mac (not that I'm giving up either of those!) But these are a great deal. I will definitely be trying some more shades.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
CD/Books/Movies -Unlisted Brand - The Skin Type Solution - Leslie Baumann MD
onestarrynight 7/28/2008 5:02:00 PM
I got this from the library initially, but liked it enough that I decided to buy a version for my Kindle to use as a reference. It's certainly not the end all of skincare, but I found it was useful. Mostly it made me view my skin in a way I hadn't before. According to her quiz I have DRNW skin, which is accurate I'd say. It was interesting to finally understand why I never tan, and that yes, like so many other people with easy skin like mine I took it for granted during my twenties and thirties. (I wish I'd seen this book back then!) I also thought the product recommendations were useful and have incorporated some of them into my skincare routine. What I didn't like about this book was all her casual talk about botox and the way she pushes retinoids so heavily. There was little info on combination skin. Also my skin is dry in winter, but normal in summer. I guess that doesn't exist in her world? I have read a lot of skin care books in the past year and I did find this to be one of the more useful ones. Most skincare books seemed to involve an MD pushing their skincare line. At least this wasn't like that. I'd definitely recommend getting it from the library first.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Paul Mitchell - Freeze and Shine Spray
onestarrynight 7/28/2008 1:06:00 AM
This was my HG hairspray for the longest time. I used this for years. It's a stong hold hairspray and I mostly just used it on my bangs to keep them in place. The reason I stopped using it is because every single bottle of this stuff ALWAYS gets clogged and then squirts out in a big blob. I tried taking it apart, rinsing with hot water, sticking pins in the pump---you name it. Finally I got so sick of the whole thing that I decided I'd had enough and found a new strong hold hairspray - Big Sexy Hair. (It gets clogged too, but only on the outside and all I have to do is peel the hardened hairspray off.)
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Styling Products -Frederic Fekkai - Glossing Cream with Olive Oil
onestarrynight 7/28/2008 12:41:00 AM
Total HG! I think I have tried every glossing product out there and this is the best one. It's so good that I've actually stopped trying new brands, because I don't see the point anymore. (And that's saying a lot for me - product whore that I am.) I have long blond hair that's been permed and is foiled heavily with bleach. Basically my hair is very dry and damaged. To add insult to injury I also blow dry my hair and use a flat iron on it to make it straight. I use about a nickels size of this stuff on my hair before I flat iron it and my hair looks silky, shiny and healthy. I mean you would never know how fried it actually is! Talk about an illusion. People are always complimenting my long "pretty" blond hair and it's all because of the shine from this glossing cream. For those of you with healthy hair you only need to use a *small* amount because it can make your hair look greasy if you overdo it. My hair just soaks this stuff up though. I've gone through more tubes of this than I can count and I hope they never stop making it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Viva Glam V Lipglass
onestarrynight 7/27/2008 11:46:00 PM
Let me just add to all the rave reviews here. MAC outdid themselves with this color. This is the best neutral pink lip gloss in existence! It's very sticky (which I love) so it lasts a long time. It also has a bit of shimmer, so it makes my lips look fuller. It's just a very polished look and seems to work with practically any other makeup colors I wear. My lips aren't very pigmented, so I usually wear it over Dervish lipliner or sometimes Dolce Vita lipstick, though with my skin fake-tanned for summer right now I'm finding this looks very pretty all by itself.
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Eyeliner -MAC - Fluidline-Shade [DISCONTINUED]
onestarrynight 7/27/2008 11:23:00 PM
I have brown eyes and usually just wear various shades of brown eyeliner. Kind of boring, I know. I wore black eyeliner when I was younger, but it looks too hard now that I'm in my forties. I always thought there wasn't all that much you could do make-up wise to make brown eyes really "pop" in the same way that blue, green, or hazels eyes will pop. Interestingly I'm realizing now how wrong I was. I've been playing around with different eyeliner colors and have discovered that some purple and greens do emphasize the brown in my eyes. The trick is finding colors that aren't too bright. I don't want to look like I'm wearing purple! or green! eyeliner. This is a pretty shade of green that brings out the brown in my eyes, but doesn't look freaky. This stuff also has great lasting power. I've played around with the Bobbi Brown gel eyeliners, but I think I might like these better. Macroviolet is also another pretty color for brown eyes.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Skinceuticals - C E Ferulic
onestarrynight 7/27/2008 10:51:00 PM
I've been using this product for about six months now. Before that I was using the Cellex-C serum with the B5. I switched to this after reading how it was the cutting edge in antioxidant serums. In truth I'm not sure how I feel about this stuff. My skin doesn't seem as glowing as it did when I was using the Cellex-C and I think this might be giving me blackheads on my cheeks. It does have that strange hot dog smell, though it dissipates pretty quickly. It also absorbs so fast that it seems like it takes a fair amount to get it all over my face. I bought the travel size bottles on eBay and now I'm wondering if maybe those aren't legit? They were clear in color and I figured they wouldn't oxidize as fast. I just purchased a new large bottle from the Skinceuticals website, so we'll see if that's any different than the stuff I got off of eBay. I'll update after it arrives and I use it for a little while. Update: A few months later - The stuff I bought from the Skinceuticals website is a little thinner in texture than the stuff I bought off of eBay. The smell is identical. I do think the stuff on eBay is legit, but maybe just older? I have noticed that the blackheads I thought I was getting from this have gone away, so maybe the thinner formula helped. I kept one of the small bottles from eBay and use that to refill from the large bottle I keep in the fridge. This has really helped with oxidation as my big bottle is still fairly clear colored (very slight yellow tinge). I remember my small bottles used to turn brownish before I even finished them. I use it everyday and my skin does look good. I still can't say for sure it's as good as the Cellex-C serum. I think I may have to buy a small bottle of that to try again after my CE Ferulic runs out just as an experiment. These serums are all so expensive and since they are *preventative* it's not always easy to judge them. I am bumping my three lippies rating up to four since the blackhead situation is resolved. Update one more time: I've been reading "You: Being Beautiful: The Owner's Manual" and it talks about how antioxidants like vitamin C serums should be put on at night. Apparently sunlight (UVB) inactivates the vitamin C. I've never heard that before. I've always used these in the morning. Anyway, I'm going to switch to using the CE Ferulic at night. Just thought I'd mention it here too in case anyone else is using it in the mornings.
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Unlisted Brand - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
onestarrynight 7/27/2008 10:16:00 PM
Well who knew this would work so well! I'm really glad to have discovered this here. I've tried using some of the other unlisted brand ideas - jojoba oil and coconut oil, after reading the great reviews for those, but I found they broke me out. I almost didn't try this as a result, but I'm glad I did. I've been using this for a few months now and it has not broken me out at all. At first I tried it only on my arms and legs. They felt so soft and the oil absorbed so well that I decided, what the heck, and put it on my face too. It's really fantastic stuff. I understand now why women have been using olive oil for centuries as a beauty aid. Initially I was just using the oil I keep in the kitchen, but have since bought a small pretty bottle to keep in the bathroom. When I think of all the expensive moisturizers I've tried over the years. I also like the simplicity of this. No strange chemicals to worry about. Just remember that you only need a small amount. I usually blot with tissue after putting it on my face. My husband, who was initially teasing me about smelling like a salad, has started using it too.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No