Moisturizers -MAC - Strobe Cream
realpeak 8/15/2011 1:21:00 PM
This is the ONLY item from MAC that I think is worth the price - best highlight I've tried, and I've tried everything from HE to DS, powder to liquid to creme formulas. I apply SC with my 188 brush down my nose, above the cupids bow, a dab on my chin, and a little right on the tops of my cheekbones. It is not shimmery/glittery just...glowy! There's a real pearly irridescense that makes you look radiant not greasy, glowy not shiny. Works really well with my NC20-25 yellow toned skin. Perfectly wearable for both day and night, not to mention the 50ml tube will last you for ages as you don't need to use much.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Body -Bio Oil - All Products
realpeak 8/12/2011 7:06:00 AM
HG! I would've never thought to try it had my best friend not recommended it to me. She has really good skin so I thought I'd give it a go as every moisturizer I've tried in the past (everything from DS to HE to natural oils) has broken me out as I have very acneprone, overly sensitive skin. I have normal/combo skin btw. Despite being an oil, I do not find Bio Oil to be greasy on my face at all. I use 3 drops and gentley massage then pat into my skin...it feels light and absorbs pretty quickly. It makes my skin GLOW and feel soft, looks plumper. When I wake up in the morning my skin isn't a oily hot mess like it is with most moisturizers, my skin just looks radiant and feels amazingly moisturized. I've only been using for a few weeks so I can't comment on it lightening acne scars or anything but I can imagine it doing so. It also works well under makeup, but I mainly just use it before going to bed at night as I wear SS during the day. Best of all, since using I have had hardly any breakouts apart from when I'm on my period (which is inevitable, for me at least!). My skin is so much clearer and I feel confident going out without any makeup on now. A 60ml bottle is just under £9 which I think is a good deal seeing as the bottle should last a long time. Definately a staple in my kit!
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Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express The Colossal
realpeak 8/10/2011 1:39:00 PM
I got this in the 100% black shade for about £7.99 at Sainsburys. The brush looked promising - quite big and fluffy with good size bristles. However it did not deliver at all. It gave minimal length and no thickness whatsoever to my lashes. With a name like 'colossal' I was expecting somewhat differently. It tends to flake a little too, leaving black specks under my eyes. The brush allows me to get to every lash but all this mascara really does is give my lashes a tint of colour. Despite being named '100% black' and talks of carbon pigments, this is nowhere near as black as my L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black. Oh, and the tube dries up within about 6 weeks. I will not be repurchasing this!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Hue
realpeak 8/5/2011 10:16:00 AM
I got hue based on all the glowing reviews on MUA but it just doesn't work for me. I'm an NC25 and it washes me out, the formula highlights dry flakes that I never knew existed, lasting power is not so good...if this was a satin formula I think I would like it more.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Pen 'n' pink
realpeak 8/1/2011 7:47:00 PM
Such an underrated shadow...looks great on my green eyes and works with any outfit I wear, a soft misty pink with an extremely soft/blendable formula. Can be used as a sheer wash or built up for more intensity.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Bourjois - Healthy Mix Foundation
realpeak 7/31/2011 5:09:00 PM
I do not like this foundation much at all. The fragrance is ridiculously strong and irritates my sensitive skin...the coverage is light which is nice for everyday but I couldn't find a decent colour match for my NC25 skin - the lightest was too light, the second to light was too dark. Lasting power is not good on me which is saying something as all my other TM's/foundations/BB creams last throughout the day with no primer or touchups whatsoever. Worst of all it breaks me out like crazy in cystic pimples across my chin and forehead each time I've used it. I don't break out unless I'm on my period really so I knew this was the culprit. Pricey for DS aswell. I would not repurchase.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Bare Escentuals - Glimmer of Devotion
realpeak 7/30/2011 8:32:00 PM
My bestfriend was wearing this shadow one night when we went out for dinner and I could not stop staring at her eyes! She told me she was wearing Devotion by BE and gave me a small pot to try out. I have green eyes and this definately does make them pop. It looks like a mauvey every so lightly taupe purple on me...I'm an NC25 for reference and it does not look muddy. The glimmer effect makes it perfect for night-time too but still weable during the day. Very pigmented and no fallout despite it being loose. No creasing. Well worth the purchase.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -L'Oreal - Voluminous in Carbon Black
realpeak 7/26/2011 5:36:00 PM
I absolutely LOVE this mascara. I have tried so many and I think this is the closest I'm going to ever get to HG. I hated it at first as I found it clumpy and didn't provide much length. However, I soon realize my application was all wrong...once you master that, you will see how great this mascara really is. I have very average lashes - rather short, no thickness. The brush allows me to reach every lash and is neither too small nor too big. It gives my lashes very good length, nice volume and the pitch black colour is amazing; makes my eyes pop like crazy! It stays put all day without smudging or flaking and doesn't irritate my ridiculously sensitive eyes. Despite the impressive staying power, it removes extremely easily at the end of the day when I take my makeup off. It's rather pricey for DS but well worth it.
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Polishes -OPI - Strawberry Margarita
realpeak 7/26/2011 12:09:00 PM
Very underwhelmed with this polish. I purchased it based solely on the reviews here. I'm an NC20/25 and Strawberry Margarita is very blah on me. Leaves a very shiny finish which some may like, and application is easy with no streaking and only needs about 2 coats to look opaque. The colour is almost exactly like Elephantastic Pink but MUCH warmer toned, whilst EP is a lot cooler. I don't think this colour looks as good as EP on my skintone. Very dupeable and overpriced. A slightly muted hot pink is all it is. I will not repurchase.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Styling Tools -Babyliss - Type C31b
realpeak 7/24/2011 2:47:00 PM
These are the best straightners I've tried! I wasn't sure what to call them as it just says 'babyliss' with 'Type C31b'...anyway, they are really good, I like them 10 times more than my GHDs! They heat up to around 230 degrees, have a velvety material above the ceramic plates so it doesn't get too hot for your fingers, swivel cord, worldwide voltage, affordable (got mine on sale in Sainsbury's for £12.99 but they're normall under £20 I think)...I have relaxed hair but it's still pretty wavey and curly at the roots where my regrowth is. This straightner leaves my hair feeling soft, silky and shiny unlike most others I've used. Heats up within 60seconds and doesn't damage my hair near as much as my GHDs did. Great purchase.
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Styling Products -Alberto Vo5 - heat protect styling spray
realpeak 7/22/2011 5:00:00 PM
My HG heat protectant! I have tried ones from Aussies, Tresseme, Punkyfish, L'Oreal...I even tried the older heat protectant from V05 which came in the red bottle, and did not like ANY of those. However, they recently came out with this new heat protectant which comes in a pink bottle and boats a 'fabulous new fragrance'. I do like the fragrance more than the original, but it does have a slight mens cologne hint about it...might just be my sensitive nose though! Comes in a spray bottle which has a lock feature (just press the button and it either locks or unlocks which makes it good for travelling), is under £4 so pretty affordable, claims to protect hair from styling tools up to 230 degrees celcius. It leaves my hair extremely soft and shiny, and eliminates any frizzies or flyaways. Doesn't feel sticky like the Tresseme one, or make my hair feel like it's coated in product. Seems to do a good job of minimizing damage from my straightener such as split ends and dryness. Definately will be repurchasing!
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Skincare - Face -La Roche Posay - Thermal Spring Water
realpeak 7/17/2011 4:23:00 PM
I use this every night after cleansing my face - spray and pat it until it's about 80% absorbed (still slightly damp) and then apply a little bit of moisturiser ontop. It leaves my skin so soft and hydrated without feeling heavy. I have very sensitive skin and rosacea; this calms any redness or irritation I may have instantly. Feels nice and cooling on the face so good to spray during the day to refresh the skin too. Much better than other sprays I've tried like Evian and Fix+.
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Lotions/ Creams -St. Ives - 24 Hour Moisture
realpeak 7/13/2011 8:28:00 PM
I was previously using Palmers Cocoa Butter before this but thought I'd change it up as the palmers was feeling a little too heavy/greasy on my skin in the warm weather. This is a really nice lotion; it leaves my skin extremely soft and smooth to the touch. Gets rid of all dryness. It doesn't feel heavy or sticky and doesn't leave a greasy residue. I love the light soft fragrance and how intensely moisturizing yet lightweight it is.
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Hair Color -L'Oreal - Recital Preference
realpeak 7/8/2011 9:02:00 AM
I got this on offer 2 for £10 at Sainsburys. Originally it's just under £7 - not expensive but more pricey than most home dyes on the market. My hair is naturally black but after years of bleaching, dying, using hot tools, relaxing etc...my hair had faded to a dull mid brown sort of colour. I wanted to go back to an off black/soft black sort of colour and picked this up in shade #3 Brasilia, which is described as a deep dark velvety brown. It is a permanent hair colour. Recital Preference claims to have an 'anti-fade system' which makes your hair full of shine for up to 6 weeks. Most dyes turn out very dull/matte on me and this one did indeed turn out very shiny! The free conditioner is enriched with a UV filter and Vitamin E to prolong the shine too. The conditioner is very nice and leaves the hair feeling soft and silky. Application was okay - you have to apply to towel dryed hair. I prefer this method as when I apply dye on dry hair I tend to get patchiness and miss spots. Anyway, the dye is a GEL formula which I found pretty cool as I'm used to cremes or foam formulas. It was easy but did drip a little....because of the damp hair though, not the dye itself. The smell was not too bad at all either, I didn't even have to open my bathroom window. I left it on for 15 mins instead of the recommended 30 as I have very damaged/porous hair. Rinsing was such an effort...took me about 15 mins to rinse all the dye out, and even then the water was still turning a bit grey! My hair felt very soft though, unlike when I usually dye it with other dyes which leaves it feeling matted and tangly and rough...dryed my hair and was left with a very very intense dark brown/soft black shade. I love it. Perfectly covered every strand of hair on my head too. The colour has not faded much at all unlike other dyes I've used (Garnier, Schwartzkoph, Boots etc..) which fade within 2-3 weeks. Overall I'm very happy with it and I will be repurchasing! This and the L'Oreal Excellence are my favourite dyes...although I do like this one a little better as it gives a bit more shine than the Excellence :)
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Color -L'Oreal - Excellence Creme
realpeak 7/5/2011 4:04:00 AM
I'm actually very happy with this dye. I've used many in the past such as Garnier, Boots, Schwartzkoph, Clairol etc...and this is the best of the bunch! I use the shade 'natural black' which is true to it's name. Most black dyes give me a jet black dull colour which is so unflattering on me, I only look good with an off black/soft black sort of colour. Natural black gave me the soft black look and it's great! Not too damaging on my hair, gave some shine and my hair felt pretty soft for a while afterward. Application was a breeze and didn't smell too harshly like most dyes do. Got this dye for just under £7 which isn't that bad of a deal. The main problem was the amount of time it takes to wash the dye out of my hair...I rinsed my hair for about 25 mins and the water was still turning grey! Also I do not like the conditioner it comes with as I don't find it hydrating. Despite that I will be repurchasing!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No