Blush -Shu Uemura - Glow On Blush
peonia 4/3/2013 8:57:00 AM
I bought this blush only because it was available in colour I wanted that is a bit uncommon (a true light lavender - M225 Soft Mauve). To buy the blush you purchase the pan plus either a singular or a duo case to put it in, in white or black. The blush is very chalky and not very pigmented. I hit pan very quickly because I needed so much of it to get colour. The pan itself, like many singular Japanese blushes, is an annoying and perplexing size and shape: a tiny 2 by 5 cm rectangle. Even my travel brushes, which I don't like using unless I'm travelling or outside, were too big for the pan. I dislike immensely the fact that I can't effectively pick up the colour or utilise the size, shape, and bristles of blush brushes with this. When the SA tried it on for me, she actually used an eyeshadow brush to slowly spackle/paint it onto my face.
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Loose Powders -Make Up For Ever - Super Matte Loose Powder
peonia 4/3/2013 8:37:00 AM
Oxidised a LOT on me. By midday my face was several shades darker than when I first applied it. Does not come with a puff - it needs to be bought separately. Also, the shades and how they number the shades do not seem to follow a logical pattern and is super confusing. Didn't seem to control oil particularly well. However, it is quite pigmented, which is the only thing I liked about it. I didn't even wait to finish this before I bought another loose powder. Will not repurchase.
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Masks -Borghese - Fango Brillante
peonia 8/23/2012 8:38:00 PM
Absolutely horrible product. According to the official description, this product is supposed to "even out skin tone, gently soothing and refining, helping to remove dead skin cells". I have never had reactions to any products I've used that I know of, but with this product my face stung badly, to the point of tears. It didn't go away or get any better with time or successive uses. So I decided to relegate it for use on my body but it felt just as harsh. Effect-wise it didn't do anything for my skin apart from making it red. I couldn't remove the product fully from my skin, much less let it "remove dead skin cells". It left an undeniable film on the surface of my skin even after trying to wash/scrub it off. When I wiped with toner on a cotton pad it came away pink.
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Deodorants -Kiehls - Superbly Efficient Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant Cream
peonia 8/17/2012 11:17:00 PM
I don't sweat much and I never noticed an odour on myself. In the summer though I do tend to get some wetness under my arms so I bought this because of the good reviews. The scent is nice, citrus/florally and inoffensive. It seems to sink in reasonably fast. Too bad that after using it occasionally for 2 summers, I'm pretty sure it doesn't control sweat at all. Using this was like using nothing at all.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -St. Ives - Elements Microdermabrasion 
peonia 9/5/2011 5:40:00 PM
This product is all right, and the price is cheap since it's a drugstore brand. It's gentle enough for everyday use, as specified on the bottle, but that's probably because it doesn't exfoliate all that much either. I'd like it better if the gel had a higher density of exfoliating beads so that I don't feel like I'm just rubbing gel around. I prefer others like Clinique's more.
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Eye Makeup Remover -Shiseido - Majolica Majorca Eyes Reset Gel
peonia 9/5/2011 5:35:00 PM
I bought this because I thought it'd be convenient to have around, since it's a gel in a squeeze tube, but this product wasn't that efficient. It needs rubbing and a lot more product to get waterproof makeup off. I'll be going back to oil makeup removers.
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Concealers -IPSA - White Protect C Creative Concealer
peonia 12/4/2010 8:43:00 PM
Pros: Has yellow-toned, pink-toned, and a darker-beige concealer all in one palette. It's great because you can blend it to suit your skin tone and the different parts of your face (my forehead is darker and my cheeks are pinker). The sleek compact contains a retractable brush and a large mirror, as well as an area for you to mix the colours together. Sun protection is impressive for a concealer, with SPF25 and PA+++. It's very creamy and can be used for blemishes as well as the undereye area. I found it easy to blend into my skin. Refills are available. Cons: Because it's so moisturising, it isn't as durable as a blemish concealer on my oily skin as something that is less creamy. It would probably suit those with normal/dry skin. It offers good coverage but not for the most extremely pigmented scars/blemishes. This is expensive, for 4.5g it costs 3,500 JPY.
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Misc Beauty Tools -Neutrogena - Makeup Correcting Stick
peonia 11/24/2010 5:30:00 PM
I bought this product off Ebay because I am on the search for makeup correctors. This is discontinued by Neutrogena but is still very available for purchase online. This is a thick waxy clear pencil that supposedly "cleans eye makeup mistakes without ruining other makeup", but after using a few makeup correctors I'd like to say that this claim is be bogus. This pencil seems to work by having the waxy substance rubbed onto your mistake, and then being removed by rubbing it off with a tissue or q-tip. It's not really that convenient, and could work much better. It feels like vaseline on my skin and sometimes I think there is still some residue left behind. As others have mentioned, the thick pencil allows it to become blunt very quickly and thus is clumsy for delicate eye makeup mistakes. Won't be repurchasing.
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Mascara -Kiss Me - HEROINE MAKE long and curl mascara (black)
peonia 11/24/2010 5:23:00 PM
This was the first drugstore mascara I tried after many years, simply because I read the reviews on this site. It seemed to be pretty good the first time I wore it - my lashes were nicely separated and elongated. However that effect doesn't seem to happen after the first few uses. It gets clumpy and dry and doesn't layer well. It makes my lashes look really spidery. The pros are that it really is waterproof, doesn't smudge when dry, and hold curls well - even without a base. It is very inexpensive if you buy it in Asia. I will not be repurchasing.
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Lip Treatments -Christian Dior - Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm
peonia 9/30/2010 11:01:00 PM
Pros: The packaging is super cute and pretty, with a full-length cap that's shimmery pink and see-through. It is in lipstick form instead of in a jar, which is I like because it's more hygienic and convenient than tubs.
Cons: This is called "Dior Addict Colour Awakening Lipbalm", but to be honest, it's really a stick lip gloss. I don't think this product should be listed under the "Treatments" section of MUA but the "Lip Gloss" section. It wasn't moisturising at ALL and it accentuated the flakes on my lips. I think it made my lips dryer. It looks like a nice sheer pink on the stick and when you first apply it, but after a few minutes it turned my lips a bright cool pinkish-red, which was obvious even on my already very red-pigmented lips. It was a little garish.
If you aren't looking for a lip balm and just want a bright non-messy lip gloss with pretty lipstick packaging, this may be for you. For me, I won't be repurchasing as it is useless to me. It costed me just over $30 CAD at The Bay for 0.12oz.
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Fragrances -Hermes - Eau D'Orange Verte
peonia 9/30/2010 9:59:00 PM
I've had this for many many many years - actually, it was the first fragrance I bought for myself in high school. I'm not much of a fragrance connoisseur, so I don't feel the need to review them unless they are remarkable in some way or another. I bought this in a gift set that came with a body scrub and body gel (both of which smell great but are useless, by the way). I was very excited when it was first released and I saw an ad for it in a magazine. I loved orange and citrus smells, and in this area Eau d'Orange Verte did not disappoint - it's very citrus-y. The scent is fresh and invigorating, and is truly a unisex scent - my boyfriend really likes the scent on him as well. I could see myself wearing this during summer, fall, and even winter because it's a bit woodsy and unisex. The letdown is that it's an eau de cologne yet the staying power is very short - within a few hours, it was unnoticeable on my skin. I give it a 3.5/5. Will not repurchase.
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Loose Powders -Shu Uemura - Face Powder Matte in Colorless
peonia 9/30/2010 9:14:00 PM
Pros:
Packaging is nice and convenient; comes in a plastic transparent screw-top jar that lets you see how much product you have, and the screw lid prevents messiness unlike the many powders out there whose lids are not fastened to the container.
Cons:
The puff that comes with it is useless because it's not smooth or soft. It acts as more of a snug stopper in the jar than anything.
The powder is supposed to be matte and therefore oil-controlling, but that wasn't the case for me. The finish left a bit of a white cast on me (I'm NC-25) and the powder looked a little chalky. After using a few "translucent" powders (both pressed and loose), I'd say that they're not for people with medium to dark skin tones.
I believe I bought it at the Shu Uemura counter in Holt Renfrew for around $38 CAD for 28 g / 0.98 oz. I would not repurchase.
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Polishes -Yves Saint Laurent - Nail Touch
peonia 9/30/2010 8:43:00 PM
YSL Nail Touch nail polish pens were originally part of the YSL Sun line a few years ago. Since then, they have been re-released as part of the regular line and under a different packaging (all gold as opposed to brown with gold caps) and a different colour line-up. They're not easy to find sometimes, but I have been using them faithfully for several years now and have tried several colours. They're a set of 5 nude/sheer colours and 1 clear polish.
Pros: Dries quickly and smoothly. Very hassle-free; it might look streaky when it's still wet but like another reviewer said, they really do dry evenly. The brushes are not thin wimpy ones, but thick and so allow you to coat each nail quickly. They're extremely convenient - I wish all nail polishes came in pen form! The colours are very pretty with pearly iridescence and subtle shimmer. Apart from the one that's clear, the other 5 are either pinks, peaches, and corals that are all very wearable and are good go-tos if you want your hands to look polished without all the fuss.
Cons: Because you press the top end and the product is dispensed through the brush on the other (like YSL's brush foundation) it can dry up with the polish, so you need to rinse it with nail polish remover. It is pretty expensive; $26 USD for only 4ml per pen - much less than the standard 10-15ml.
These are super convenient for travelling or applying nail polish on the go, and the colours are pretty and can suit any occasion. For me, the colours never get boring or go out of style. I will always repurchase as long as I can afford it, or until I discover something that's similar but cheaper.
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Moisturizers -MAC - Studio Moisture Cream
peonia 9/30/2010 8:21:00 PM
I bought this a while ago from the MAC counter. I normally have mildly oily but dehydrated skin, but I wanted something moisturising for the harsh and dry -30 degrees C winter when my skin gets a bit dry and flaky. This product did not work for me. The product smells kind of cheap, like the face creams or body moisturisers you get at the drugstore/grocery store. It didn't sink into my skin; it merely left a layer of film on top of it. Will not repurchase.
$38.50 CAD for 50ml / 1.7 oz
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Treatments -Laneige - Laneige Strawberry Soft Peeling Gel
peonia 9/29/2010 10:14:00 PM
The product name is actually "Strawberry Yogurt Peeling Gel". This is a decent exfoliating scrub. The product is pink with small soft fibres, and smells lovely - just like strawberry - and it feels like yogurt. When you rub it on, it doesn't seem like there is much there to rub your skin with, but as you continue doing so the product forms more of those little fibres that exfoliate your skin. At first I didn't think it had any effect, but my skin felt instantly smoother. However, I don't think my skin was significantly cleaner. It is listed "For all skin types" and this is true. It is very gentle -- very suitable for those with sensitive/dry skin. I have quite sebaceous skin that's prone to getting blocked pores and pimples, so I'd use this in the winter instead when I want something that's more mild. But for summer and fall I want something that's more exfoliating. The price is affordable, retails for around $190 in Hong Kong ($24 USD) for 150ml, but I use more of this product each time because it's so mild. I wouldn't mind buying this again but I wouldn't go out of my way to.
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