Concealers -Bourjois - Healthy Mix Correcting Concealer
polkadottie 11/22/2012 6:49:00 AM
I bought the Healthy Mix Serum foundation in 51 Vanille Clair, and I bought the Healthy Mix Concealer also in 51 (the lightest shade). I was disappointed that the foundation was too dark for my N10ish skin, and so put both the concealer and the foundation in the back of my makeup drawer. I pulled out the concealer again a few days ago because I was desperate for something better to cover some bad breakouts and cheek redness that I've been struggling with lately. Despite it being nearly December and my skin being even paler than when I bought the concealer, I realized that it actually does match when blended in, and so I proceeded to cover all the things that need to be covered. I was completely surprised by this product when used on its own. It has a yellowness and density of pigment to it that really cover redness well. It doesn't cling as bad as every other concealer I've tried to the flaky skin that I can't get rid of. Plus it dries in such a way that I don't even need to set it with powder. The thin texture is easy to smooth into my undereye area (did I mention it also works on undereyes?) and it stays put very well. I'm really happy with this concealer, and I will definitely repurchase. I could live without the scent, honestly -- it smells like fruit -- but I'll overlook it since the fragrance has not (fingers crossed!) irritated my skin. This is an extremely good product at a relatively reasonable price point (more than drugstore, less than H/E).
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Rimmel - Blush in Santa Rose
polkadottie 5/23/2012 5:24:00 PM
Rimmel must have reformulated this blush. I have an old pan of it from probably four or five years ago, and the color is gorgeous, the texture silky, and the sparkle minimal. The original Santa Rose is a flattering peachy pink with a hint of sparkle. The new Santa Rose I bought recently is a totally different color. It's now a muddier, an orange-y pink color that was a sparkly mess on me. I would have gladly repurchased the original, but the new Santa Rose is terrible.
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Revlon - Valentine
polkadottie 10/25/2011 11:16:00 PM
This is the most gorgeous deep red shade, and probably one of my very favorite red polishes. The finish is something in between jelly and creme -- there's a luminous quality to it that cremes generally don't have, but it's not a true jelly. The application on this polish is fantastic. Unless I'm careful with several of the Revlon polishes I own, I end up with bubbling after it dries. Valentine has no such problems. I apply two coats and I end up with perfect, even color on my nails. Using Gelous as a base coat and Seche Vite as a top coat, I get about four to five days wear with this polish, which is quite good for me as most manicures chip rather quickly on me. I love how classic this color is, and it really pops against my skin. I would wear this year round, I think, but I especially love it now that the weather has turned cool.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Essie - Honey Bun
polkadottie 10/5/2011 5:33:00 PM
I'll be honest--I bought this online based on the name alone. The site I bought it from didn't even have a pic of the bottle, so I had no idea what I'd be getting. The good news with Honey Bun is that it's a beautiful dark pinky red with a very subtle shimmer. The shimmer isn't apparent, though, and serves to make the color dynamic an lovely on my fingers. This is a great fall color for me, and I find it complements my pale skin nicely. Application of Honey Bun was easy: with two thin coats, I got nice, uniform coverage of my nails. I'm a fan of Essie's square bottle shape and thin brush, so this polish wins there, too. I didn't know what to expect from Honey Bun, but I ended up with a very solid, pretty version of a classic NP color.
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Lips -Palladio - Tinted Lip Balm
polkadottie 7/6/2011 11:12:00 PM
I initially bought this lip balm in Golden Pink (not sure why I did that, really, since I hate frosty lip colors). Though the formulation is smooth and nicely pigmented, I haven't worn it very much because of the aforementioned frosty issue. I decided to try this in Brownie because of a recommendation from a friend, and oh-my-gosh, I LOVE it! It's super cheap with an excellent formulation. I have relatively pigmented lips, and Brownie is the perfect MLBB shade. It's a lovely, somewhat sheer red-brown that would probably flatter everyone. My very minor quibble with these lip balms is the packaging. It's very basic and boring -- it's identical to a generic Chapstick package. I would wish for a slightly nicer package, only so that I didn't feel so un-glamorous putting it on. However, I'm very pleased with the low price, so maybe I shouldn't be whining.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Revlon - Endless Possibilities
polkadottie 6/23/2011 9:43:00 PM
I wasn't very thrilled with this nail polish, despite the fact that I normally adore Revlon's formulation and shades. This one looks like a nice pinky beige with subtle gold shimmer in the bottle. On the nails, it looks kind of blah. You don't see the gold shimmer, and the pink is overridden by the more browny tones. The formulation also leaves something to be desired. It's kind of streaky on the nail, and it doesn't go on smoothly. After I finished my manicure, several of my nails had ridges. All in all, it's an okay nail polish. The color is very neutral, and looks all right on my excessively pale skin. However, I was hoping for more shimmer, and it just isn't the nicest formulation.
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Shampoo -Suave - Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray
polkadottie 3/30/2011 6:28:00 PM
I've tried a couple other dry shampoos (Batiste, Tresemme) but they are nothing compared to this inexpensive one from Suave. Though the product does dull my hair a bit, there's no powdery/gray residue left on my roots, and it does a fabulous job of absorbing oil and giving me volume. Heck, I might even use this on just washed hair for the volumizing power alone! I have a lot of fine hair, and it has a tendency to look oily 24 hours after I've shampooed it. As a result, I normally wash it daily, but this product allows me to take a day off washing/drying/styling. This is a real drugstore winner!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Seche Vite - Dry Fast Top Coat
polkadottie 3/12/2011 5:45:00 PM
This is my favorite top coat, ever. I don't know if it actually lives up to the "sèche vite" name (literally "dries fast"), but it leaves my nail polish with a very durable, shiny finish that is somewhat reminiscent of gel nails. In addition, I find that I can use this after painting my nails in the evening, and in the morning I don't have sheet marks all over my pretty, pretty nail polish. That alone is worth the moderately hefty price tag, for me. I agree that this product is quite gloopy, but with some trial and error, I figured out the best way to use it, for me. I use a bigger glob than I would have thought I needed, at first, but it's easy to smooth out and it seems to know where it should go without much coaxing from me. I like the packaging and the brush, and I will definitely repurchase this item.
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Gels/Soaps -Eucerin - Calming Body Wash Daily Shower Oil
polkadottie 3/12/2011 5:38:00 PM
This stuff is my HG body wash. I have dry, dry, dry skin that is especially bad in the wintertime. I'm also a bit lazy about applying lotion after my shower. I try to minimize moisture loss by taking fish oil, drinking water, and taking short, lukewarm showers, but in the end, my skin remains quite dry. This product leaves my skin clean, soft, and moisturized, and it effectively takes care of cleansing and moisturizing in one step. The moisturized feeling lasts all day. I noticed one day that my boyfriend's skin was also feeling softer than usual, and he fessed up to using my bodywash, and now I think we're both addicted to the gentle cleansing and moisture of this product. The smell is.... well, the smell is terrible. (My boyfriend, crazy person that he is, likes the smell.) It smells like cooking oil/fish oil/some kind of not very nice smelling oil. On the other hand, I don't find that that smell clings to me, so as long as you can stand the odor in the shower, you're golden. As golden as the ugly bottle, I guess.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Jordana - Oil Free Liquid Foundation
polkadottie 3/12/2011 5:27:00 PM
I bought this product from Kmart, where it was $2 in a 1 fl. oz. glass bottle with a pump. I was impressed by the packaging on such an inexpensive product. (Actually the packaging on most of the Jordana line is quite functional, if basic.) It also looked very light in the bottle, so, since I like Jordana's felt-tip pen eyeliner, lip gloss, and eyeshadow, I thought I would give it a try. (Also, I'm a foundation glutton.) The hygienic packaging is about the only thing this foundation has going for it, in my opinion. The color was about an NW10-15 directly out of the bottle, but it very quickly oxidized into an orange mess on my skin. It applied pretty evenly with a flat-top kabuki brush, but it also looked rather thick and unnatural. It sets quite quickly, so you have to work fast to blend it out. I have a few fine lines on my forehead, and it didn't settle into those. I wouldn't recommend this product, really, but if you are on a strict budget, can find a color match, and really like matte full-coverage foundation, you might experiment a little. It's only $2.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Revlon - Nail Enamel - Demure 229
polkadottie 3/10/2011 10:50:00 PM
I love this color, and in fact I'm wearing it right now. It's a bright salmon pink color with a very fine hint of shimmer to it. It takes two coats to reach the same opaque color as the bottle. This is not a unique color, but it is a very nice version of coral-pink.
I like Revlon's nail enamel formulation in the other shades I own, and Demure is no different. It applies easily and, with a top coat, wears well (about 5 days before chipping, for me). The product claims 10 days of wear, but it definitely doesn't last that long. I'm not sure I could stand to have the same color on my nails that long anyway!
I love the special packaging of this color, which is part of the Fire & Ice collection from Fall 2010. They used their original cursive Revlon logo. Being a sucker for anything vintage-y, I snapped this one up, along with "Siren". I love them!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Clinique - Redness Solutions Makeup SPF 15 with Probiotic Technology
polkadottie 3/10/2011 6:28:00 PM
I went to the Clinique counter in search of foundation one afternoon, and the saleswoman took one look at my skin and said, "I have the perfect foundation for you." (That's how red my skin is, I'm afraid.) This foundation really is a solution to redness; she applied a very small amount to my skin, and it took away the redness immediately. It's not drying, not irritating, the coverage is consistent, and it looks quite natural on the skin. I noticed in the store that the color looked off, but I decided to check it out myself and got a sample of the lightest shade, Alabaster. When I went out to my car I noticed immediately the color issue with this foundation. It wasn't just a touch too dark, but rather WAY too dark. (For reference, I think I'm about an NC10 with neutral undertones.) Seeing as how many women with redness also have very pale skin -- more prone to it, maybe, or just it shows up more? -- wouldn't it make sense to offer a few very fair shades in this collection? In short, I agree with other reviewers who complain about the color range. The formulation is good, and maybe even great, but my goodness the lightest shade is too dark. I imagine the shade range might work on NC/W 20-25 or darker. If you have redness, and have light or darker skin I definitely would urge you to check this out. If you have redness and are super fair, look elsewhere.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Estee Lauder - Double Wear
polkadottie 3/8/2011 1:15:00 PM
I am undecided about this product. I agree with other reviewers who say that it covers imperfections very well and that it is extremely long wearing. I have extremely pale neutral skin (somewhere between nc5 and nc10, I guess), though I have some uneven complexion on my face in the form of hyperpigmentation and ruddiness. (This is why I wanted a medium to full coverage foundation.) I have a hard time finding a match in most foundations, and knew that I would have to mix white (Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Zero Minus) in with whichever shade I purchased. Because I'm neutral, I went with 1N1 Ecru. Out of the bottle it looked pretty dark for me, probably around an NC15 or NC20. Nevertheless I applied it straight to my skin to test out the color match. It seems to dry a bit lighter, but it was still too dark. After I mixed in a 1/3 ratio of the Face Atelier, it was the right shade, but it seems that doing so really cut into the long-wearing, matte properties of the Double Wear. I am going to continue to test this out. I think the packaging is pretty with the frosted bottle and gold cap, but it's really quite liquid and it's a mess with the plain screw top cap. I may investigate the MAC pump people talk about for this product. I find this pretty easy to apply on well-moisturized skin (fingers or damp sponge, since I can never seem to apply any foundation with a brush and not end up with brush strokes), and the final texture is really nice. It is difficult to remove without something like Jojoba oil or cold cream. I would say this is not ideally suited for extra-pale people, but I think it would work for many skin types, and especially for people who have combination to oily skin and people who sweat a lot.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Estee Lauder - Pure Color Lipstick- Rose Tea
polkadottie 3/7/2011 7:39:00 PM
Estée Lauder is now my #1 lip product brand. I've tried three of their colors so far, and they all make my lips look amazing and make them feel moisturized and wonderful, which is great because my lips tend to be chapped regardless of how well I keep them moisturized. Rose tea looks like brownish pink in the tube, and for me is essentially my natural lip color intensified. I have a very pale neutral complexion with slightly reddish dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. This color looks fantastic on me, and I suspect that it's the kind of shade that would look fantastic on anyone, given that it's quite neutral. I love this stuff and will wear it regularly. I got it as a GWP, and will absolutely purchase it when my tube runs out.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Estee Lauder - Pure Color Crystal Lipstick- Crystal Baby
polkadottie 3/7/2011 7:20:00 PM
This color is fantastic; it's my new my lips but better shade. It's kind of a pinky nude, and I'd say it's wearable on any undertone. It's neither sheer nor super-dense color, and it feels glorious on my lips, like a high end lip balm. This is definitely an everyday lip color. The price is a little high, perhaps, but the packaging is beautiful and I feel so glamorous putting it on that I guess it's one indulgence I can afford. I will be repurchasing this.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No