Concealers -Kat Von D - Tattoo Concealer
paletangirl 9/2/2009 4:15:00 PM
This concealer is the bees knees for blemishes/face. I couldn't comment on it as an actual tattoo concealer, but for my quite acne-prone difficult to color match skin, I have not found a more pleasing concealer. I have previously had varying degrees of success with everything from Laura Mercier, Becca, MUFE full cover etc. This concealer in the medium shade is just a dead on match for me personally, nice and neutral, maybe a little yellow/greeny/neutral for some, but for covering up active blemishes and old scars this looks great. Again, if you have a strong pink undertone this probably wouldn't look too hot on you, but for those with an ivory/yellow/olive/neutral color tone, I would guess this would work nicely. For color reference I would be in the NC30 color range (this is not quite the right tone for me, but right depth). This product is probably not quite as long wearing as the MUFE total cover, but I feel had a less dry, more "real skin" appearance, and as such is not as gross looking as my makeup starts to fade. Certainly lasts longer with a good pressed powder. My skin reacts pretty badly to most products that meld well with skin (sad story believe me) but this has not been an issue with this product. Very versatile, looks as good under eye as on blemishes for me (might not be the case for older eyes).
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -BeneFit Cosmetics - Hello Flawless!
paletangirl 4/23/2009 4:05:00 AM
This product is a little weird, but I am leaning more toward really liking it...especially in the performance department. I long ago stopped using the "enclosed" sponges and applicators in products, so the first time I used this product I applied it with a kabuki brush, like I would use for other powder foundations. NOT good. Too cakey/powdery looking and it didn't even improve with a spritz (I normally set studio fix with a couple spritzes). It also oddly collected around dry spots on my skin. The next time I used the enclosed the sponge for a full face application (I am currently in the middle of a particularly bad run of my "adult onset female acne" so I lean toward wanting more coverage). To my surprise, this application method was really smooth, and seemed to blend in almost entirely. I would say the coverage of this product is moderate to full... as others have said pretty similar to studiofix. Once over the entire face totally evened out most of my skin woes in a reasonably believable way, good finish. If you have any serious pigmentation issues from active or very recent blemishes, you may find you need to dot on a little spot concealer... I didn't find layering this product to cover these spots particularly great. But for less terrible skin than mine, an once over would be sufficient. I can understand some reviewers comments about dryness of the product. Its sort of a specific comparison, but its texture/dryness reminds me of the Smashbox pressed powder (that were discontinued about a year ago). After wearing this for a few days in a row for 12 hour shifts, I found it held up pretty great. I did find that I wanted to blot this product about 6 hours into the day, but only that once and did not require touching up. Pretty impressive oil control and staying power. I typically look like a blotchy melted acne mess by the end of my shift (grr) but this was much much better. As for color, I got this in "petal". I ordered it online (no stores close) so was apprehensive as petal sounds pink, but the color selector on the Benefit website was pretty helpful, and the color representation was pretty accurate as well. Petal is a yellow to neutral light shade. I would normally wear N4 studiofix (maybe NC25 depth). Sometimes without any blush/bronzer or eyemakeup on this end up looking flat/too pale, but really I think it matches near perfectly which is damn near impossible for me most of the time. Now all that remains is to see if my skin freaks out more than normal from this product, I will update if these seems to be a problem. I noticed no one has listed ingredients, and I couldn't get a list anywhere online, so here it is for those of you who are curious. ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: octinoxate 5.94%, titanium dioxide 1.70%, oxybenzone 2%. OTHERS: triethoxycaprylylsilane, silica, nylon-12, phenyl trimethicone, polyethylene, talc, lauroyl lysine, phenoxyethanol, ethylene/acrylic acid copolymer, aluminum dimyrisate, bht, disodium stearoyl glutamate, sodium dehydroacetate, methicone, polymethyl methacrylate, isononyl isononanoate, alumina. (+/- bismuth oxychloride, mica, titanium dioxide, carmine, iron oxides.
19 out of 20 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Satin Blush - Well Dressed
paletangirl 4/17/2009 4:07:00 AM
This is the only blush I consistently wear. My skintone can be anywhere from quite light & yellow (Loreal Buff) to more medium (N5 in MAC) as I tan very easily. Yes this is a more sheer blush, but I have never felt that I had a difficult time getting it to show up. I suspect that it may actually look better on mid-tone or medium skin as most of the complaints I see about it "not showing up" is from quite pale girls on this board. Which makes sense to me as this blush is sort of more of a highlight pink to me. I love it, fresh and youthful. If you are looking for a natural looking flush in a cool tone (Nars orgasm looks too orange on my) this is worth a shot.
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Moisturizers -Zia - Ultimate Oil-Free Moisture
paletangirl 2/19/2009 3:22:00 AM
I can't believe how great this moisturizer is. I have quite acne-prone skin that breaks out with just about anything, and this just makes my skin feel like butter. My skin isn't especially oily, more normal, and even has surface dryness and flakes from acne treatments etc, and this just creates a smooth, natural palate. It absorbs beautifully and keeps my skin pretty matte but never dry throughout the day. Its winter now, but I don't think it would be too heavy even in the summer or humidity. I can only hope now that they NEVER change or discontinue this product. Definitely HG!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Korres - Deep Colour Mascara - All
paletangirl 1/11/2009 5:21:00 AM
Prior to trying this mascara, my daily standby was Origins Fringe Benefits. With both mascaras you are able to get a very natural looking (but much improved over true natural) lash that seems to last quite a long time. The trick to getting either of these to really build out you lash is to use a undercoat. I personally like the Origins Underwear for Lashes. With this undercoat I swear my lashes look twice as thick and long, but never cakey and I don't feel like I "loose" lashes in the process. Some of the drugstore brands have given me similar looks, but I feel like they sort of crack off and go away early in the make-up day. IMO a mascara with its price.
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Powder -MAC - Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation
paletangirl 4/9/2007 5:53:00 PM
I used this product a couple of years ago and encountered the "pore clogging" problems that many of the other reviews here have commented on. This was unfortunate since I gt amazing results with this product. So after having been down a several year path of mineral cosmetics that left me feeling caked, shiny, big pored etc... I have come back to try this product yet again. I have waited a full month to review this product to make sure I wasn't having any acnegenic response to this product. I have had no such problems. Studiofix delivers a great but variable amount of coverage. I use a small concealer brush to apply the product to red spots or blemishes, and then I use a big Kabuki to apply to the rest of my face. I think one of the keys to success with this product is using a face spritz after application to set it to your face and to reduce the potentially chalky look. I am able to get LOTS of hours of good coverage out of this product and I don't run into the usual problems of flaking or mid-day oil. I have been using the Juice Green Apple Peel two times a week, and I think this prevents a lot of the clogged pores people may experience from this and other makeups. For color reference, I use N4, and I have light to medium olive skin. (The NC tones turn too orange on me). The N shades may look initially pink, but oxidize to a perfect shade for me. Love this product and can't imagine not having it now.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Neutrogena - Healthy Skin Glow Sheers SPF 30
paletangirl 3/3/2007 7:05:00 PM
Perhaps premature for a review of this product...have only used it a few days. It is difficult to really say if this product is more foundation of TM. It is sheer as others have said, but 2nd to its light reflecting properties tends to "cover" or at least disguise the majority of facial redness and even fading acne marks I have. For any true blemishes one would need a concealer, but that is true of any foundation that is not full coverage. The overall look is glowy, but NO glitter or sparkle particle is visible. My skin just looks healthy. All of the colors did seem to have a more yellow base than some of their other foundations, but for most women this is a good thing. It is also so sheer that I think you could allow for some wiggle room on color match. I purchased the second to lightest shade, fair to light. While this shade would probably work for a range of pale gals, I am a stila 20-30 watt in the winter time, or NC 20-25. I personally love the squeeze tube packaging, very hygienic and easy to throw in your bag. For the money, I would say this is a great product, certainly as good if not better than many high end products.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -Laura Mercier - Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Oil Free
paletangirl 10/23/2006 7:45:00 PM
Wow. I went to the Laura Mercier counter today looking to re-explore her concealer, and since I had a nice MA, I started talking to her about some of the other products. I ended up purchasing the oil free primer, the oil free TM (in nude) and the SC-1. As some others have mentioned, this TM provides a lot of coverage for a TM, but is very natural looking. Normally, I would wait a few weeks to review a product to see about how long it wears, and oil control/acnegenic factors. I will update later with this info, but I just looked so freaking great with these products I just had to review. Yeah, it is a lot o work to moisturize, prime, put on foundation, then concealer...but to look this perfect, it is so worth both the time and the price tag. Will update later...love this flawless face ;) UPDATE -- This broke me out like MAD. of course, poo
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Liquid -Lumene - Matt Touch Balancing Makeup
paletangirl 10/21/2006 5:28:00 AM
So after much personal debate overthis product, I think that I really do like it. I purchased this at CVS on venture into the Lumene line. I was not epecting too much - I am almost always disapointed in DS makeup mainly due to inability to try colors first. This foundation does have a lot of slip to it, so some people may think it feels greasy or wierd in application. I like the texture as it makes it very easy to apply and blend. It is light in coverage so don't expect this to cover any major flaws, but it does give you a nice even natural look. You can still see your skin underneath, but no redness. It doesn't give too matte of a look, but isn't "luminous" or shiny either. I wore it to work on overnight 12 hours shifts for the past two to three weeks and found that it didn't last all night (but then again not much looks great after 12hrs). On the good side it just stops "covering" or absorbs into skin, but doesn't turn orange/oxidized or flakey, or settle into pores or fine eye lines. I got this in mat cream (05) and it is a pretty perfect match for my winter skin tone. (I am medium toned olive in the summer but fade to a light to light medium tone in the fall and winter). This color is just nice and neutral, and would probably work on any light (not pale) tone. It is a good natural looking, decent foundation that doesn't feel gross on and doesn't turn into a greasy mess or flaky "old lady" disaster. I wouldn't use it for like a date, but it is good for everyday or weekend wear. I only wish this line had more exposure here in the US since it has very nice quality products for the price.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Paula Dorf - Moisture Foundation Oil Free
paletangirl 4/2/2006 1:30:00 AM
I really like this foundation a lot. I do agree that the name "moisture, and oil-free" tends to be confusing, but it actually is both. I have acne prone and oily/combo skin that is pushing thirty, so this formula has proved lovely for me. I personally love the stick inside the foundation. I just use it to put foundation on my hand and then apply my make up with either my brush or fingertips. I find fingertips works a little better for me. Just a note, I would say this foundation gets a fair amount darker when it dries so careful with the colors. I think she has a great neutral color selection, with some excelent yellow based options. I bought bisque and this seems great for my light to medium winter skin. So overall, good color, good formula, good wearability (no peeling, oil, transfer...). I wish this makeup had more fans so I could be certain it would be around forever!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Stila - Perfecting Stick Foundation
paletangirl 11/15/2005 11:17:00 PM
It was hard to make myself wait a while to write a review. (I didn't want to jump to any conclusions, as my opinions generally change over time) I purchased this stick foundation two weeks ago. I have been using it every day. I have very long days (12+) in which I ask a LOT of a foundation. This foundation is a gorgeous color match. I purchased it in D (I am a medium skinned/olive tone). I could probably even use a darker shade in the summer time, but for my "winter skin" this is great. I was not oily, it did not peel off my face or ball up like soooo many other foundations. It did not look cakey, or powdery. It looks like skin.People mentioned that it was too sheer. I think that you can make it appear sheer, but you can use a concealer brush to cover any specific flaws. Anything beyond this level of coverage starts to be pretty unbelievable. Lastly, my skin is sensitive to a lot of ingredients and tends to clog up. Despite my concerns that this product would spackle my pores closed, so far I have had no negative signs. (I usually would by around this point. I think that it is well worth the price if you get a good color match. Everybody has their own technique but I like to use the stick to put multiple lines across my face. I then use slightly wet fingertips to blend it into my face. I find that sponges, or dry fingers make my skin flake up...not pretty. At any rate, I hope they NEVER reformulate this product because it is perfect as it is. Give it a try. EDIT: I eventually did start to get little whitehead pimples all over my face -even in areas I don't normally breakout, so I figured it pretty likely to be the culprit. Oh well, can't say I'm surprised. It seems like everything I really like the look of/finish on eventually ends up being problematic for me in terms of these clogged pores etc. Poo. Nice foundation though, if you are lucky enough to react to it, I think it is lovely.
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Blush -Flirt - Peek-a-Blush Sheer Powder Cheek Color in Heartthrob
paletangirl 6/4/2005 10:59:00 PM
I love this blush! I am not a huge blush user, I tend to think that it overwhelms my face...always end up looking too made up. That said, this blush is beautiful, it just gives your face an "oxygenated" look.... I personally love the packaging, so cute, and will never come apart in my purse. Just the right amount of shimmer, and I think it would look good on most skin tones, and for 12 bucks a pop why not?
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Tinted Moisturizer -Stila - Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15
paletangirl 5/28/2005 11:11:00 AM
I love this TM. I previously I tried thier liquid foundation, and loved the color match, but had some problems with oil and breakouts from the mineral oil in the product. This TM had me a little worried because while it didn't have mineral oil in the ingredients, it did hove some plant oils. But I figured since it was a TM i would just give it a try with no other moisturizer underneath. It is fantastic. I have skin that tends to be both flaky(from acne treatment topic crap) and oily. This TM is moisturizing, but actually left me less oily throughout the day than many "oil free" foundations I have tried. The coverage is indeen sheer, so be warned that if you have any significant blemishes concealer is still required (but I believe this to be true of any natural looking foundation). It does even out the skin tone and leaves a lovely glow. Some people have refered to a dewy moist finish, and some have not liked this feel, I apply my Bioelements translucent powder all over my TM and it looks matte, but natural and not shiny. Stays great throughout day. I use the sheer 15 powder in shade 2 mid-day or whenever I need to cut shine. I will say that my skin is pretty good right now, so I don't feel like I want more that sheeer coverage, but I think it is better than most TM. Other comment on the price, but if you are using it as a sheer foundation and your morning spf moisturizer (as I am) I actually think it is a great deal. For refference, I have worn the 50 watt shade, tend to be a medium golden shade and I use Tan - looks totally undetectable on. Give it a try! LOVE THIS and I hope they never change the formula.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Palladio - Lip Twist
paletangirl 4/16/2005 12:27:00 AM
I purchased this lip twist in the clear gloss and love it so much! I like to buy a gloss as close to clear as I can the first time, just to test out the formulation, and this one is great. It is totally non sticky, nice shine, but not a vinyl lip, so it is very natural feeling. No gross smell, and has a very slight taste, but pleasant, and nothing that is like an added flavor. I think it is just some of the natural plant ingredients that give it a flavor. I tested this in the pure pink ( a translucent coral/gold shade) and may buy that as well for a fun bright summer look. Everything I have tried in this line is fantastic - quality far beyond its price point.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Palladio - Ultra Sheer Herbal Foundation
paletangirl 4/11/2005 10:37:00 PM
I am always searching for "the perfect" foundation, good natural neutral colors, non-acnegenic formulation, and a natural look. These items prove to be next to impossible for some reason. However, after trying Palladio's wet/dry powder foundation, and liking it so much, I decided to try their oil free ultra sheer foundation. It is excelent. I would say the coverage is more than sheer, more like a light to medium coverage. Their colors seem very natural and neutral, although they may not have a limited selection for very dark skin tones. It is water based and absorbs into the skin quickly so you do need to work with it relatively quickly. It gives good matte/semi matte finish, and looks VERY natural. Fantastic foundation, especialy for the price. If you have acneprone, or oily, or sensitive skin, I would definately suggest trying out this product - i think it would work well for normal skins as well, as it isn't drying either. (really all parts of their line are incredible for the price). You can find this line at Sally's beauty or palladiobeauty.com. For $8 a pop, its well worth the cost! For reference, I am a MAC NC30 and I purchased this in the light beige and honey shades. Light beige is perfect yellow based shade for pale months, and honey will be perfect for summer.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No