Cleansers -Aveeno - Positively Radiant Cleanser
rlmazzo 1/24/2013 8:58:00 AM
There is one thing my face can't handle, and it's any kind of gel/soapy cleanser. The description of this described it as soap-free and gentle. When I went to use it the first time, it came out looking and smelling exactly like hand soap. I knew better, but went ahead and tried it out anyway. 2 weeks later and my skin is SUPER dry, red and broken out. I have bumps all over my skin. It may work for some people, but I gave it a low rating because of what it did to my skin, and the fact that it says NOWHERE on the box "gel" or "lather" which I can't do. If it had, I wouldn't have bought it and saved myself the money and trouble. Frankly, this is not the first Aveeno product that has not lived up to the hype, so it will be my last.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Nails -Unlisted Brand - Kiss Nail Dress
rlmazzo 11/29/2012 5:20:00 PM
I just did this today, so I can't speak for the durability of this product, but it turned out really nice, and so far I'm impressed! I first did one layer of OPI in my very first knockwurst, which matched the color exactly, but wasn't really necessary, because the non-jeweled part is also colored. It turned out really pretty and is "blingy" without being super tacky. It comes in strips, some that have beigy-gold spakles over the whole thing, and some that are a dusty pink satin, with gold jeweled strips down the side. You could also probably cut the strips and do a gold-tipped french manicure or something. It does come with strips wide enough to do your toes as well if you're into that. It comes with 28 nail strips total, of several different sizes. If they are too wide, you can cut them down slightly to fit. Also comes with a small file. Really easy to put on, just peel, center and stick, and smooth out or stretch to remove air bubbles. Then I pressed really hard to get it to stick really well. Also, I applied some quick-dry clear topcoat over 2 of the nails, the glitter one turned out fine, but the "paint" one bubbled terribly and I had to redo. So you might want to skip the topcoat. Really easy to redo though. I'm going to try a gel basecoat underneath next time, to see if that works to maybe make it last. Even if this doesn't last very long, I would still buy it for a special occasion or party. So far, it seems as sturdy as nail polish though. Oh, and I used color number 56710, KDS12. I guess that's the color, I don't see a name.
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Lipstick -Maybelline - Color Sensational Lipstick - Coral Gleam
rlmazzo 1/26/2012 9:49:00 PM
I'm really irritated I got tricked into buying this. Drugstore was having a sale, so I bought this since they didn't have the brand I wanted. BIG mistake. This lipstick was next to the "pearls" lipstick display, but it said color sensation or something so I bought it. I HATE any kind of shimmer or glitter in lipstick, and since this was not in the "pearls" section, I thought it was safe. It is filled with glitter and very frosty. It makes my normal lips looks skinny and shrivelly and gross. The color itself would be nice, but the pigmentation is nearly non-existent, and after layering it on with all the shimmer just looks ridiculous. The quality is of this is something you would find in a dollar store, and I'm very at Maybelline for even selling this for the $7 I paid for it. Hopefully they will take it back. Pros: consistency, no smell Cons: non-existent pigment, scratchy glitter that feels like sandpaper and fills in every tiny line or crack in my lips, no lasting power whatsoever Would be good for you if you like your lips to look like shriveled up little disco slugs, Yuck
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -MAC - Impeccable Brow Pencil - Blonde
rlmazzo 1/8/2012 9:41:00 PM
So I got my face done at the MAC counter, and I said, can you just hook up my brows? thinking, I'm not spending $15 on an eyebrow pencil, but I'm not leaving here with scraggly brow either. She quickly went over my brows with this and a clear eyebrow gel, and I was like, "dang girl, I look awesome!" :) I normally use eyebrow powder, and used to use Smashbox powder and wax. This pencil has the wax already built in (so says the rep), but gives enough color, from light to dark, without too much wax look. I like to finish with cheapo ELF brow gel wand, and I am a happily browed girl! There are obviously cheaper alternatives out there, but for me, this works the best, gives the most definition, and looks the most natural. I'm sometimes overly frugal just out of principle, but MAC just flat out knows their business, and I loves me some groomed eyebrows! :)
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Mascara -E.L.F. - Wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara
rlmazzo 1/8/2012 9:13:00 PM
Does what it's supposed to. I pay more than I'd like for MAC eyebrow pencil but I'm not going to spend any more for eyebrow makeup, so when I saw this for cheap, I said why the heck not? It's like a light gel for eyebrows. Average on: staying power/gloss/stickiness/weight/brush. Makes me feel more groomed, and doesn't take too much color away from my pencil. I hope both sides are the same formula, b/c who the hell needs clear mascara with a face full of makeup? :P Would I repurchase? Sure, why not? The only downside I can see is now I walk around and want to tame everyone with crazy grandpa eyebrow with my eyebrow wand. Anyone remember Kris-Kross? I shaved my eyebrows into sections like them when I was in middle school, and now with eyebrow pencil and this, I can finally put that phase behind me. Seriously, shz was dope back then. :)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -E.L.F. - All Over Color Stick in Golden Peach
rlmazzo 1/8/2012 8:43:00 PM
I bought this today on my ELF shopping spree, and it's ok. I put some on my hand, it looked WAY shimmery, and I was thinking, "barf. this is not going to work on my face, no way." But I tried it on my face anyway, and it somehow translated into a nice peachy blush, a little shimmery, but not too bad on my face. The pigment also was WAY more than I expected from such a cheap brand. It just in general looked very different from tube to hand to face. I am in a phase where I am liking bright, fun, peachy/coral blushes, but this one had just a touch too much pigment for me. It seemed the more I tried to blend, the more the pigment darkened. It's too dark/shimmery to put anywhere other than cheeks or eyelids. I tried to highlight across my nose, and looked like a clown. If you have darker skin, this would probably be awesome, with the pigment and slight highlight, but on my fair winter skin, it wasn't bright enough to pull off. I will never hate on a $1 makeup of decent quality, and this one is pretty decent in quality, but colorwise, it just wasn't my cup.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -E.L.F. - Foundation brush
rlmazzo 1/8/2012 8:21:00 PM
In all honesty, I am a foundation brush virgin. I have used a kabuki brush with powder and liquid foundations before, with mixed results. A makeup artist told me a foundation brush provides fuller coverage, and I just can't seem to get full enough coverage to suit my taste. So I saw this for $1 and decided to try. I think it's just awesome. It made my foundation cover SO much better, and I used even less! I didn't have ANY streaks from this, and the bristles were super soft, way softer than I expected for $1. The only dislike I have is that it felt a little lightweight, but it didn't affect coverage, and probably sucked up less product. It was full enough that it wasn't streaky though, and the bristles didn't separate. I've only used this for a day, so I can't speak for durability, but it's worked great today. Like I said, I haven't used a foundation brush per se before, but I have many other types of makeup brushes, from low to high end, and IMO, this one performs. It's soft, it's smooth, it does what I need it to do (provide full, even coverage, without sucking up all my foundation) so I'm happy, and for the price, I'm very happy I purchased this!
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Blush -E.L.F. - Shimmering Facial Whip
rlmazzo 1/8/2012 8:06:00 PM
Weird. Maybe I am using it wrong, but I can't imagine what look you'd be going for with this. If you're going for an ice-queen or fashion/artsy look, this would probably be worth the $1, but for normal people looks, this would look ridiculous. Pros/cons, I'll let you decide: thick, seems to have good coverage and staying power as I could not get it off my hand, super frost look, non-fragranced, spreads ok, but does not have a gradual blend, convenient tube package. If you are going for a NATURAL glow highlight (especially if you're over 30, like ME :) ) put this back on the shelf. If you just like to play with makeup, or you can pull off a frost look, then by all means, it's only a dollar.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -E.L.F. - 32 Piece Eyeshadow Collection
rlmazzo 1/8/2012 5:57:00 PM
I have the 32 WARM palette that was sold for the holidays, NOT the one pictured. My palette has more warm/neutral colors. I got mine at Target for $3.50, so I'm not going to bother to write a long review. Just go buy the damn thing, it's excellent for the price. I have tried nearly all the colors, pigmentation is very good if you really dig in and get some on your brush. Staying power is also really good. They are not the most blendable, and a little chalky, but overall pretty darn good. Everyone should buy this IMO, if you like more expensive brands, this palette is good for trying out colors you are thinking about trying. And if you like drugstore brands, this is way better than any drugstore brand I have tried. My Target had tons on sale, so I may go back and buy a bunch to hold for swaps, but this does NOT bias my reivew, I really like this! If you can get your hands on one, you should! :) I will try to post a pic of the colors if I can get my card reader to work, but they are mostly plums, browns, peaches and a grey or two. Some light shimmer, some matte.
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Foundations -Estee Lauder - Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup for Face and Body SPF 15
rlmazzo 10/9/2011 5:33:00 AM
Just realized I use this as my HG, and I never wrote a review on it. To keep short, if you have any issues with your skin, go buy this. It's around $30 US and will last forever. For more coverage, use straight out of package, for less, mix with some moisturizer. Gives a matte finish. Would recommend using a primer but not necessary. Not a great range of color, but weirdly enough, several of my friends use the same shade, even though we have different skin tones/types. Doesn't give the most natural finish used full force, but not cakey either. Color stays true, and will stay on pretty much until you take it off. Doesn't break me out, and I have relatively sensitive skin. Also, this is the packaging all foundations should come in, plastic squeeze tube with narrow end. Best eva. Friend offhand gave me some to try, I was skeptical, but will never be with out it! (Except right now, I am out, off to store!) ;)
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Liquid -Maybelline - Super Stay Makeup
rlmazzo 10/9/2011 4:02:00 AM
I ran out of my normal foundation over the weekend, and knew I had a sample of this out of a magazine, so I figured I'd give it a whirl if the color was good. The first thing I noticed was that the consistency was a little thick and sticky, but that it had med-FULLish coverage, which I need, b/c I have some acne marks, redness around my nose, and dark undereye circles (lucky me.) The second thing I noticed was that it was a PERFECT color match (natural beige.) I use benzol peroxide cream, day moisturizer, and a cheap powder to set. (NOT using a primer at the moment.) It gave great coverage and lasted ALL DAY. I didn't use concealer, and noticed my problem areas poking through by the end of day, but with some concealer, I'm sure it would be good. The other thing I really liked about this is that I normally use concealer, foundation and powder which gives me a very matte, dry look which I don't like, but like more than problem skin. :/ With this, after a few hours my skin had a very dewy look to it, not oily, just very fresh and dewy on my cheeks. I have very dry skin, and have NEVER had dewy skin with full coverage, so to me this was awesome. It also made my pores look teeny tiny. I have bought it, and after two days, really like it alot. My HG is Estee Lauder, but I am overseas and it's super expensive here. I got this on sale for $18, and am very grateful I decided to try the sample. I would def recommend this, especially to someone that has somewhat dry skin (Revlon colorstay didn't work for me, too dry-looking.) I did notice a little oxidation in the corner between my nose and eyes, just a tiny bit, but I was walking all day in the city and sun, so I really can't complain about that, just blended a little with my finger. Oh, btw, it is warm and pretty humid here, and I walked for about 4 hours, so the fact that it didn't melt away was pretty impressive! :) EDIT: I've dropped my rating by a star, because I forgot to mention the terrible packaging. Thick glass bottle that just pours liquid out. I can't believe they still use this 1980s packaging, it is so inconvenient and unsanitary. So, not only is is hard to get out the amount I need, or see how much is left, it's also very hard to pour the thick liquid out. Also, after having it a week and loving it, the color has now turned to a darker orange that doesn't match my skin tone anymore. I'm guessing this is from oxidation and air getting in, even though I'm very careful to close it each time. Very disappointing. :( If it were not for the packaging, I would stay at 4 stars, because the product itself started out great. UPDATE Jan 2012: I am bumping my rating up a notch, b/c I switched shades to Sand Beige and the color stays true. I've also started using a primer again, and I really like the coverage this provides with it. My faves are still Estee Lauder and MAC (NW20), but this is the best drugstore brand I've tried, and the color is pretty good. All in all, I still wish they had more colors and a pump or squeeze package, but will probably end up using this for at least another bottle, until I start to get tanner and then the color hunt will begin again. At $10 a bottle, the formula is pretty good to make me switch for now. Going on 3 months/bottles of this, and has not caused any skin issues either. *knocks wood!*
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Pur Minerals - Pressed Powder Foundation
rlmazzo 1/22/2011 10:42:00 PM
Really like this. I bought the trial kit with brush, foundation, blush and bronzer. After using for a few weeks, I went back and also bought the full size. It's now my HG foundation. I have very dry skin, with some redness and acne scarring. This covers pretty well. Covers better than liquid foundation for me, and has more lasting power, lasts all day. It's not 100% full coverage, but pretty close. My HG before this was Estee Lauder maximum coverage, which I still use sometimes as concealer around my nose or spots, I will never get rid of it! I have dry skin, and this tends to look a little ashy looking at first, but throughout the day it loses some of that. Definitely does not sit in lines as bad as liquid does for me. I was skeptical when the girl at the store suggested this for full coverage, I wasn't sure about a powder, but it really does cover well. I was pleasantly surprised that the full sized compact came with a mirror on one side. I recommended the trial kit to use at first, as it comes with the brush and colors. I like the idea of the shea butter in this, but not sure it really moisturizes or gives my skin any special glow. My skin still looks dry. I have sensitive skin however, and I had NO problems with breakouts with this, as some other people have mentioned. I also was concerned as one review said they thought the full size might be less concentrated than the trial, but I didn't have this experience, the full size was just as good for me. I will continue to buy this, but the biggest drawback is the price. The compact is $25, and the brush is as well. That just seems like alot to me, and the compact lasts about a month for me, and I don't really want to spend that much every month, and I don't really want to spend another $25 when it comes time to replace the brush. Pros: great coverage, feels clean, not heavy, good color, lasts all day, does not sit in lines or break my face out like liquid Cons: price, tends to look a little chalky at first Oh, and I forgot to mention, definitely is a matte finish. You can put a little moisturizer or highlighter over top of it, but is matte on its own.
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Brows -Unlisted Brand - castor oil
rlmazzo 11/24/2009 9:48:00 PM
Ok, so I've always heard about castor oil and vaseline for eyelash growth, but never really bought into the hype. But just browsing through the MUA product reviews, I came across the reviews for castor oil. I found a bottle in my local discount drug store (in the laxative section) and it was around $2, so I decided to give it a try. After two weeks, I am really surprised this has worked!!! My lashes reach almost to my eyebrows when curled!! I'm still not really sure how this works. I have googled it to try and get a more scientific explanation, but most sites just dismiss it, but it definitely works. It might just be that it softens the lashes to make them more flexible and less inclinded to break or something, I really don't know, but it makes them grow long. I wouldn't really say they are any thicker, and the same for my eyebrows are still kind of uneven, but I've only done it for 2 weeks, so I will update if that changes. Also, did not cause and skin condition. I will def continue to use this!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -L'Oreal - HIP Color Truth Cream Eyeliner in Brown
rlmazzo 11/6/2009 12:15:00 PM
It was okay. I read great reviews on this product on MUA, and love creme eyeliner, but needed a dark brown instead of my normal black. Didn't love it. As other reivewers said, it is darker than it appears in the jar, which is what I wanted. It applys ok, it's harder to get just the right amount, I felt like i either got too much or not enough. The pigment is ok, I have to apply two layers to get a consistent dark brown. It stays on ok, I can still see the line at the end of the day, but fades a little (although it does not shift, which is good.) Price, ok, I can get MAC for around 10 bucks also though, so this is not worth it to me. All in all, it's just ok (if you haven't already caught on :P) I switched to Black Radiance for my black creme eyeliner, and LOVE it, but I guess I will stick with MAC for the brown. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the brush that comes with this is USELESS. It's so stiff it feels like a razor on my eyes, and doesn't pick up much product. Don't even try if you have sensitive eyes. update: i threw this out. dried out after a few weeks
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Styling Products -Garnier - Sleek & Shine Anti Frizz Hairspray
rlmazzo 10/31/2009 12:32:00 PM
Best hairspray I've used, hands down. I have very fine hair, and DOUSED my hair repeatedly for a halloween hairdo. Did not weigh my hair down whatsoever or leave any residue. I was afraid after using so much, I might get some b/u or hairspray flakys, but nothing. Left it SO shiny and sleek, even the next morning, my hair felt clean and so soft, no crunchies at all. I only used so much cuz I was doing an updo and my fine hair has a bunch of little hairs that don't like to cooperate. This product holds well, smells great and really performs. When you use this, you can skip the shine spray. This is my new HG hairspray!!! :)
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No