Lotions/ Creams -Neutrogena - Norwegian Formula Hand Cream
planetnars 4/21/2013 8:55:00 PM
This hand cream comes in no-frills, straightforward packaging. It costs less than $5 for 2.0 fl oz. and more importantly it works. It takes some time to absorb, so this is not rub it on your hands and go type of hand cream. The texture is a bit to get used to at first. It's not bad, it's just different. Most hand creams feel like a lotion or cream and they set pretty quickly. This will leave a slightly tacky sensation for 10 or 15 minutes afterward. It's good for "heavy duty" jobs. My hands felt better after one use, but they looked better after daily use over the period of a week and a half or so. They were less prone to drying out so much which is a plus. Many hand creams are what I like to refer to as "bag candy". They come in pleasing packaging, may have lovely scents, and don't really do much aside from providing a quick burst of temporary moisture. This hand cream actually works as a hand cream should.
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Eye Primer -NARS - Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
planetnars 4/9/2013 4:12:00 PM
I have oily lids and I decided to give this primer a try about 6 months ago since Urban Decay primer seemed to mud my colors. I thought this primer was really great during the time I used it, though there were a few drawbacks. The first thing is that my lids would look a bit dry, I assumed this was normal and dry lids at least weren't oily lids. The other, is I noticed some of my eyeshadow didn't blend very smoothly over it. I knew it was the primer because I didn't have the same blending issues when I had used Urban Decay, or the shadow on its own. This helped my eyeshadow to stay in place all day and didn't seem to muddle any of the colors so I was happy to overlook that. However, recently I noticed my dry lids looked just plain crepey now after regular use with the primer on. They had become itchy as well. I found a new primer and came to realize what I was missing with the NARS. Overall, this is an average primer. It will keep your makeup in place and the product lasts a long time for the price but it's far from the best option out there.
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Makeup Brushes -Bobbi Brown - Ultra Fine Eye liner brush
planetnars 4/9/2013 12:11:00 PM
I purchased this brush from Sephora in February of 2012. I had just started to get into makeup and having hooded lids, eyeliner was a real challenge. Prior to my purchase, I couldn't get thin enough lines with pencil or liquid liners I had tried. I thought I would give gel liner a try and ordered a Bobbi Brown ink. I had tried angled brushes, I had tried ultra thin brushes, nothing was working for me. I came across the brush in an online tutorial and I thought I would give it a try. I'm so very glad I did. I can create the thinnest, uniform line on my upper lid. I can tightline if I want to. I can do a well defined cat eye. I can finally wear and appreciate the addition of liner in my eye application. This brush has held up excellent over the past 14 months. It's in just as good condition today as when I first purchased it. I think the term "Ultra Fine Eyeliner" is absolutely true. Fantastic brush and I can't think of a single criticism.
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Blush -Dolce & Gabbana - The Blush
planetnars 4/1/2013 4:38:00 AM
This is a review for the shade Nude 10. D&G blush has not dissapointed me yet. I have a few other shades and I can tell you that consistently I have had very long wear time (10+ hours before fading on some days), The blushes are all buildable. They can be applied more sheer or more pigmented depending on the density of the brush or technique used. This makes them very user friendly, especially for those with fair complexions or who may have had trouble with pigmented blush application. The included brush is small, dense, and made of high quality hair rather than the usual garden variety blush brush hair. My flaky skin is never accentuated and none of my D&G blushes have ever applied patchy. Onto Nude, this is a brightening peachy nude that gives the loveliest peaches and cream flush on my fair skin. The texture is quite creamy right out of the box, my other D&G blushes felt more hard packed but silky upon initial use but became creamier after using them more often. This is high quality, user friendly, and a beautiful shade. Excellent blush.
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Blush -Dolce & Gabbana - The Blush in Delight
planetnars 4/1/2013 4:27:00 AM
Delight was my first choice of D&G blush for purchase. The shade description according to Sephora is "a cool, rosy pink". I actually feel this is more warm (but very subtly) as opposed to cool dusty rose as opposed to rosy pink. When I first opened this blush I immediately swatched with my finger to see if it was as creamy soft as my Burberry blushes but it wasn't. The texture was not hard but hard packed and silky. I'm mentioning this because after using the blush about 7x, the texture to the touch is creamy just as my Burberry. The packaging is very sophisticated and the brush included is actually useful. Despite having a high end blush brush which has been my trusted stand by, I prefer to use the brush included because it is the perfect density for applying and blending these out and it's size and shape add to the ease of using this. This blush is buildable. I like to apply a small, pigmented swipe across my upper cheek area and then blend out. Looks great and this blush has never been patchy. I'm going through retinol treatment so my face is very flaky, this applies smoothly over my flaky, rough skin and does not enhance the flakes. Last but not least; the wear time on this blush is extremely long. I can pull 10+ hours before it starts to fade.
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Lipstick -Chantecaille - Lip Chic - Zinnia
planetnars 3/23/2013 7:47:00 PM
***I give this a 3.6 rating*** After wearing this quite a few times I wanted to write a review in hopes I might dispel some of the misconceptions about this lipstick. The lip chic comes in a very sleek gunmetal tube and the color is a pretty orangey-red sheer. This lipstick is not opaque, nor is it meant to be. For those who want full on color you will probably feel let down. I don't mind sheer lipstick personally. When I tried my very first lip chic (which was rose delice) I felt dissapointed because it had very little slip and did not have a very soft nor delicate texture. I kind of expected a luxe cushiony feel and it was a blow when that didn't happen. Zinnia had the same texture, however after using it a few times the texture is a bit softer. There is a very light vanilla scent with no real taste, which is nice because some lipsticks have a "cosmetic taste". Zinnia has a nice glossy finish that is not at all sticky. These look best when my lips are plump and well nourished but can be unforgiving if my lips are dry upon application. I like how lightweight these feel once applied but they do not last very long and the lack of longevity combined with the only average texture lends me to say I'll keep what I have, but unless I get my next lip chic at a much lower price I will not be purchasing more.
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Powder -Hourglass - Ambient Lighting Powder
planetnars 2/17/2013 8:23:00 PM
I will be reviewing the ambient powder in the shade Mood Light. My first criticism is the cheap packaging. It's super light and made of a plastic material that reminds me of those 25 cent rings made of painted plastic. My other gripe and probably my biggest is that it doesn't contain a pouch of some sort which would be especially helpful since this easily attracts fingerprints and I'm sure would scratch if not left in the box. Now onto the powder itself. I purchased early on when there was little known except that the concept was innovative and cool and beauty bloggers who had been sent the powders to try were for the most part absolutely bowled over by them. I am fair complected and I chose Mood because it was described as softening my features and imperfections and giving the most flattering lighting/glow/effect/what have you. The powder had a very nice creamy texture to the touch and went on pretty sheer to the face. I don't know how this one could be used as a highlighter because the effect is just not noticeable enough. I wore this a good 4-5x to try and get a feel for it, or more honestly? I just wanted to love it as much as those beauty bloggers who told me I must have it or what an absolute bargain it was. This is an okay product. It's not terrible but it certainly do much correcting. My pores were less obvious; though they are pretty small anyhow. My features did look softened but all of my surface redness was still on display. My uneven skin tone was also clear to see. This did last a good amount of time on my skin but it seemed to look "drier" as the hours wore on. The other problem was the pink cast it gave my face. It was super subtle and not obvious but it was there and it accentuated my surface redness. I am sure these will work well for some people but I really got the impression that these are not going to be user friendly to people who don't already have pretty good skin. Those of us with our issues are probably not going to see much correcting or benefit and isn't that who needs it the most?
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Mascara -Hourglass - Superficial
planetnars 1/21/2013 5:36:00 PM
I am back to amend my previous review of the product because after disliking it so strongly on my first day of trying, I decided to give it one more spin a few days later before officially returning. I am so glad that I gave it another chance! This does not add any noticeable volume to my lashes and only slightly gives me additional length but that's okay for me as my lashes are long and full to begin with. However, for those looking for something to give fullness or added length you might be disappointed. So, this has become my go to mascara for an everyday natural look. It doesn't clump or flake at all and holds my curl reasonably well; it doesn't hold it up high all day but it doesn't just cause my lashes to limp either. I would say after 6 hours I notice a lowered "curl" effect. The fact that this can stay on through a workout and not melt or flake is what convinced me.
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Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Benetint
planetnars 12/7/2012 6:25:00 PM
Benefit is generally a mostly miss with a few hits type of brand for me. I love the packaging on many of the products but I'm not always happy with the quality and therefore I rarely bother with items in their line. However, the benetint makes my product top 10 list. If I were forced to own only one lip product forever, I would choose bentint. The reason I enjoy this product so much is that it truly functions well on both lips and cheeks. The finish is satin, instead of being fully matte like Becca beach tints. The formula is also much less drying than Becca beach tints on lip areas. The color is able to be layered for more intensity if one chooses and blends very nicely on my cheeks. I get a good 4-6 hour wear time with the product and it just feels comfortable and looks good. It has to be patted on my lips though as simply rubbing seems to make the product disappear. One of the most convenient and versatile products I have ever used and there's nothing irritating or drying about it. I like the rose scent, it is pleasant and not overpowering nor does it smell artificial.
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Lipstick -Rouge Bunny Rouge - Colour Burst Lipstick 009 Nothing Unknown
planetnars 12/4/2012 3:00:00 PM
This lipstick wears a long time on me and does not dry out lips or feel uncomfortable. The base color is absolutely beautiful, but the reason I would not repurchase is simply a personal preference regarding the duo chrome. The duo chrome can look frosty in direct light and take on a mauve hue that does not flatter me. If this was simply the base color it would make its way to my line of favorite products because the application is smooth, wear time is good,doesn't sink into creases and it feels moisturizing on my lips but not overly so. I wanted to make a comment about lipstick caps. I own 8 lipsticks from the line and all of them have very tight sealing tubes so I think perhaps there was a production issue with the other users tube. I do carry at least one shade in my purse at any given time and have done so for many months and never had any problem with the cap coming undone.
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Lipstick -Rouge Bunny Rouge - Hues of Enchantment colorburst lipstick Prey of Lust
planetnars 12/4/2012 2:49:00 PM
This lipstick is a very nice MLBB shade of beigey peach. It is rather opaque and creamy. The formula itself is not dry, but it does not have the same wetness effect of Murmurings lipstick which is also in the Hues of Enchantment line, so the texture is quite different. There's a light pleasant smell and no discernable taste. I find the lipstick line by Rouge Bunny Rouge to be hit or miss within the line themselves but this is a cream finish with no frost, duochrome, or micro shimmer.
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Blush -Rouge Bunny Rouge - Original Skin Blush-For Love of Roses in Gracilis
planetnars 12/4/2012 1:02:00 PM
This blush has a smooth texture to the touch but is slightly dry upon application and fades within a few hours. The color is a very feminine dusty rose pink, it is pretty and this does contain some micro shimmer. The amount is small for the price and the packaging is light weight and feels cheap. There are better blushes for the price.
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Eye Shadow -Rouge Bunny Rouge - Long Lasting Matte Eyeshadow Papyrus Canary
planetnars 12/4/2012 12:57:00 PM
This eyeshadow has a very creamy texture and there is nothing dry or powdery about it. I have never tried another matte eyeshadow like it. The color itself is just a beige with a slightly yellow undertone and is not unique but it is wonderful for "oops" moments. If I happen to blend a darker color too high or too far out, I can simply apply this over and blend and it corrects my mistake without having to remove any makeup. Very opaque and long lasting. Makes a great base color to use under other shadows as I sometimes have redness or veins showing and this corrects it and other shadows layer smoothly over it. The color may not grab your attention but its versatility, texture, and staying power will.
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Eye Shadow -Rouge Bunny Rouge - When Birds Are Singing long-lasting eyeshadow Capricious Nightingale
planetnars 12/4/2012 12:49:00 PM
This is a wonderful shimmery eyeshadow that is described as cherry blossom pink,and I think that shade is accurate. There is no fallout when applying this eyeshadow and blends creamy. The shimmer finish looks sophisticated and enhancing to the eye area but is not frosty or metallic. Nothing harsh about it and the effect needs to be seen in person to be appreciated, in my opinion. I consider this a "grown up pink" as it does not look garrish nor too juvenile. Excellent texture and very long wear time. I do not need to wear any eyeshadow base with this and I have no creasing problems despite my oily eyelids. This is a 2.4 g shadow I am reviewing and my only complaint is with the packing. The design is understated and elegant but very lightweight, I think something with a heavier feel like the lipsticks would make the product feel "less cheap" but the product itself makes up for any shortcomings with the package and I feel it is a good value.
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Lip Gloss -Rouge Bunny Rouge - Sweet Excesses glassy gloss Raspberry Sorbet
planetnars 12/4/2012 12:44:00 PM
This gloss has very little pigment and is quite sheer. It fades after about 30 minutes of application and is not very viscous.Application requires a few dips into the bottle because it doesn't spread too easily. It also has a slightly tacky texture. You do get alot of product and it looks very nice on but in my opinion it is inferior to the gleaming temptations lipgloss I own, which is less expensive. The scent is lightly fruity as is the taste. It's not terrible but there's nothing particularly special about it either.
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