Blush -Tarte - Amazonian 12-Hour Clay Blush In Glisten
skizzerkid 2/5/2013 3:47:00 PM
I've been using NARS Orgasm/Deep Throat as my everyday blush for a few years before I finally realized they're probably what is causing these annoying little bumps I get on my cheekbones. So I wanted to switch to something without so much gunk in it, and these have been garnering a lot of attention. It actually took me 2 tries to actually buy one of these blushes... the first time I wasn't impressed with ANY of the colors, but the second time this one grabbed me. It's a pale peachy-pink, good for us fair gals. I was wary of the shimmer (the main reason I switched from Orgasm to Deep Throat) but the other colors seemed to dark and bold for my fair skintone (at least to wear to work). So I bought this... and I have to admit I really like it. The shimmer is there - you could probably buff it out, honestly - but it's not glittery or obnoxious. I wear it to the office without a problem (business casual, non-profit arts org, YMMV depending on your office's culture). It's natural looking, makes me look awake and alive, and lasts ALL day. Plus, it's free of all kind of garbage that I've been trying to remove from my beauty routine. Yay for that!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Yves Saint Laurent - Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain 7 Corail Aquatique
skizzerkid 2/5/2013 3:40:00 PM
UGHH MUA this one is all your fault. Hah. No seriously, I've never been tempted by YSL products but on my last lunch break I made the mistake of ambling into Sephora and checked these out. There are quite a few shades and I was intimidated because they all look bright. For something this $$, I wanted something a little more everyday looking. I tried a few on my hand and ended up impulse buying this shade, #7. Coral can be evil for me. I have one of those obnoxious skintones that has both pink and yellow undertones, so lip colors can be difficult, especially in the coral range. This product is a bit magic, you spread it on and it looks very opaque and really, quite awful - a granny pink. And then after a couple minutes smooshing your lips together, it seems to meld into this very pretty reddish MLBB glossy/stainy color that is long lasting, minimally sticky and very day-appropriate. (I also tried #15 and returned it, it was too cool for reference). Color me flabbergasted. Really, it's a bit ridiculously expensive - $36 CAD, but for something I'll get actual mileage out of (unlike the 100 MAC lipsticks that lie around unused), I'm going to take that hit. I'll probably give the whole range a look-through to see if there are any other colors that will work for me, but I'm really happy with this one.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Garnier - Sleek and Shine Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment
skizzerkid 1/23/2013 1:03:00 PM
I did not have high hopes for this, despite the good reviews. I have long, straight, fine hair, a bit on the thin side due to hypothyroidism. It's been a pain in the butt the last few years due to this... unruly, snarly, dry, oily, damaged, irritated scalp... basically it hates everything. Add on top of this: I moved to an extremely dry, cold climate (Prairie Canada). So my hair hates life now. Most products weigh it down, but it is driving me bonkers so I figured, after hearing about this product, that I'd try this. I won't say it's a complete miracle, but it's pretty awesome. I put a small amount in the palm of my hand and massage it into the lower 2/3rds of my hair while wet, and focus on the ends. I let it air dry overnight. And my hair is soft, healthy looking, bouncy, shiny, and best of all, not dry or static-y, or oily. It has cured my winter hair blues - I can wear my hair down again. Best of all, I only wash my hair every other day, and the second day? No grease. I was most afraid of this - the oily, greasiness. I don't care what the claims about Moroccan oil say... oil is oil, and the thought of it on my hair made me very skeptical... I was proven wrong in the best sort of way. Overall, an excellent product, deserving of 5 lippies.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Essence - I Love Extreme - Volume Mascara
skizzerkid 11/28/2012 1:10:00 PM
I love mascara. It's the only beauty product I feel like I couldn't live without. I have nice lashes but they are invisible and straight unless saved by those amazing tubes of goo. For me, the bigger and blacker the better. That all sounds wrong, but in this context it is so right. Also, no flaking, must last all day, and must not irritate my eyes. Those are the qualifications. I'm a big fan of Lash Blash, and I've recently used MAC Zoom Fast Black lash, but I get what I call "Mascara ADD" and I change it up instead of buying the same thing over and over. Some things get a repeat and this mascara definitely will. First of all, it's cheap at $4.99 CAD. Second of all, it's amazing. Big, fat, super-black, lush, soft (not cripsy, brittle), fanned out lashes. It lasts all day and very rarely flakes (I'm not going to lie and say I've never had a few specks under my eyes). If you rub your eyes a lot, this isn't for you though, as that will cause it to flake quite a bit. I don't know what else to say except that I love this. I wish tubes were sealed though! Otherwise, this one is definitely going to be a repeat staple in my current beauty lineup. I'm really impressed with Essence and so happy they're available here.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -MISSHA - M Perfect Cover BB Cream
skizzerkid 11/28/2012 12:57:00 PM
I am generally not a liquid foundation wearer, I stick with powders/MMU or tinted moisturizer. I just never find liquid foundation to be wearable for me. It never looks like my skin (I have a number of beauty marks and freckles on my nose, it never looks natural over them). Anyway. I was intriuged to try a BB cream because of the idea of a product that packs a lot of benefits in addition to perfecting the skin. Plus, SPF is a good thing. I chose this BB cream because I had read the Asian ones were better and this one seemed relatively inexpensive and easy to acquire. I bought the small bottle for $7 to try out. I bought shade 21 which is a good match for my pale, neutral skin (NW 15-20 usually, but I have an obnoxious combo of yellow and pink undertones, so I'm sometimes hard to match). My intial thoughts: I have dry skin and I needed a heavier moisturizer to make this work. The first time I wore it, I hated how much it accentuated my dryness (I was still using my summer moisturizer and the cold weather had begun so I needed something heavier). I think it actually dried out my skin some too. Also, I needed a LOT more product to do my whole face than I expected (I applied with my fingers). I find it doesn't spread very easily and I needed more than I would've expected. Also, I hate the smell. Why oh why would anyone scent anything like this? It's awful, but I don't deter easily. And it does fade fairly quickly. Now, moving along. I accept that most products have a bit of a learning curve so I didn't give up. I switched out my moisturizer for something more heavy duty and had much better results. I still had to use quite a bit of product and it still smelled bad. But I didn't need to use concealer and my skin was even, dewy (but not shiny), even and looked like happy, radiant skin and not makeup. The coverage is on the high-end of medium so I found that you have to be careful to apply it evenly. It lasts well without any sort of finishing powder, no greasiness or oxidation. It does begin with a gray-ish cast, but that adjust for me fairly quickly. So, not a completely perfect product for me, but I do like it quite a bit. I suspect it may be the cause of a blemish on my chin though the jury is still out on that one (I'm generally not blemish prone). I'm not certain I'll repurchase just yet, but I may. I really like the result I'm able to achieve, but I do wish it was more moisturizing and didn't stink. I haven't noticed any long term benefits with this one but that also my just be a result of not having used it for very long yet. All in all, I'm happy with my first BB cream purchase. The lippie I took off was primarily because of the smell.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Bare Escentuals - Buxom Full Bodied Lipgloss in Mwah
skizzerkid 11/2/2012 11:03:00 AM
This is another great gloss from the Buxom line. The full bodied glosses don't have the minty flavor of the regular line, and their a bit thicker and sticker in texture... but not all that bad, by far. This color is described as a lavendar, but I think it's got more pink in it than blue, so it's kind of a milky mauve. It has pink/gold shimmer with a tingle of duochrome to it. Just a tinge. It's plumping, and a bit more long wearing due to the stickier texture, and it's moisturizing, like the regular line as well. I just don't think I like it quite as much as the regular Buxom glosses... those really hit it out of the park for me. They are pricey but I never feel like I paid too much because I'm in love with them. This is a good solid gloss, but I don't love it quite as much. YMMV.
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Lip Gloss -Bare Escentuals - Buxom Lips Lip Gloss - ALL
skizzerkid 11/1/2012 12:10:00 PM
Lets start by saying I am not a lipgloss person. The only lipglosses I ever liked were the Revlon Superlustrous. And then they dc'd my favorite color. All this and honestly? Glosses just kill my lips and dry them out. I was so plesantly surprised by these. I bought one and have bought four others over the months: Dolly, Cherry Flip, Pink Lady, Mudslide (I like the Lip Creams), and Mwah (Full-Bodied). These are so nice and moisturizing, the are natural and not over the top. They wear well and are comfortable. They make me want to reapply. They are expensive. $18 USD, $23 CAD (I'm dual, so I shop wherever I am), and I can honestly say I don't even care how much they are. I just love them. And the line has a ton of range: sparkles, shimmer, sheen, cream, etc. It's got everything. As for their plumping effect: I can't really say. I have fairly plump lips to begin with. These glosses are VERY minty, which I like. It's refreshing. They are a bit tingly but nothing irritating, in my opinon. But it's something to take into consideration. I think they make my lips look fuller and more alive, but I'm not sure if that's just a general effect of gloss or of this specific gloss. YMMV on this respect. Overall - these come highly recommended from a lipgloss hater!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -MAC - Zoom Fast Black Lash
skizzerkid 6/26/2012 1:49:00 PM
I like this mascara a lot but I understand the bad reviews - this one is defintiely not for everyone. I love mascara and try new ones frequently. Sometimes I find ones that are near perfect, but I always find that I'm itching to try something new or different. Recently, I remebered liking Zoom Lash and decided I wanted to try it again... I think it was $8 or $12 USD the first time I tried it. Now I'm living in Canada and I paid $20CAD. Yeeeesh. Ouch. But, figuring if I liked it, it would be worth it and if I didn't, I could return it, I decided to go for it. Also - this time I opted for the new Zoom Fash Black Lash formula because the SA boasted that it was super black. Sold. I went looking for a few mascara because I was currently re-trying Great Lash and while I liked it generally, it supplied no drama whatsoever. And I missed drama. This supplies it. It's wet, dark and a bit clumpy but I like that. A lot of mascara goes on your lashes so you have to be careful, patient and you may have to comb. But drama! Yay. I like wet, almost clumpy mascaras - I like a lot of product on the lashes without having to dip and redip the wand and have it dry out in between... so this works for me. It does everything that I want it to do. I do not find that it flakes or smudges but do not get it wet. Some non-waterproof mascaras will generally withstand a few tears. This one... not so much. But it doesn't claim to withstand water so I won't deduct for that. Cons? I don't love the scent... I can't tell if the mascara just smells like that or if scent is added. It can also be a bit hard to remove from skin if you accidentally get some on yourself while applying because it's so pigmented. I may or may not buy again due to mascara-related ADD, but this works for me.
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Cleansers -Philosophy - Purity Made Simple (Real Purity Cleanser)
skizzerkid 5/8/2012 11:52:00 AM
I've bought this product several times and the bottom line? It breaks me out, and I am not prone to breakouts. The packaging is not great, I find that the top always breaks and forget about flying with it... not a good idea. I find that you do get a lot of product for your money, and I do like the scent of it quite a bit. I felt that it cleansed without stripping, but apparently it wasn't cleansing enough. As with most cleansers, YMMV, so give it a shot - it may work better for you.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Styling Tools -Unlisted Brand - Tangle Teezer
skizzerkid 8/26/2011 4:01:00 PM
An undiagnosed thyroid condition caused me to lose a ton of my hair and what hair I do have left was pretty delicate. Brushing was traumatic to say the least, I was losing a ton of hair (until my meds kicked in). Reading reviews of this brush being super gentle are what prompted me to order it right away. I was using a Spornette Mason Pearson knockoff, which I liked, but it really didn't do much to detangle. My hair is long and super, super fine, so it tangles without any provocation whatsoever. This brush, well, it restored my patience with my hair. It's not as thick as it used to be (and may never be), but this brush is super gentle, wet or dry. Because my hair is so fine, it *has* to be brushed/combed post-shower. This makes it so easy. It also massages the scalp. Sometimes you have to concentrate a bit on knots, but I never feel like its ripping them out, which is a nice change. Another thing I really like: is that it's plastic. Sure, it's not expensive looking, and kinda looks like a curry comb, but you can wash it and it doesn't get that gross, linty look of most hair brushes. On the downside, the only bad thing about it is that I found it awkward to hold, especially at first. I dropped it all the time. I might be nice if it had a handle or something to hold on to. This doesn't, however, bother me enough to take off any lippies. This is HG. Best brush I have used.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Clinique - Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
skizzerkid 1/5/2011 5:22:00 AM
This lotion... so hard to write about it. Seven years ago, I hated this stuff. I was 18, and this stuff just did not sit well with my skin. It wasn't awful, just nothing great. I abandoned it until a few months ago, when in desperation, I borrowed my mom's sample. I'm not sure how much my skin has changed between 18 and 25, but now my skin loves this stuff. I'm not acne prone, I couldn't tell you the last time I had a pimple or a blackhead. I'm definitely normal/dry, prone to a bit of sensitivity and occasional redness. I don't think my skin has changed much in these years, and neither has this ubiquitous yellow moisturizer. I love how this sinks in and makes your skin feel so moisturized, makeup glides on. I've suffered no long-term ill effects thus far, and I've even purchased a regular sized bottle. I never thought I'd write a review for this product, because it so clearly wasn't for me. But now it is. I don't use any other Clinique skincare products (I cleanse with either Philosophy's Purity or plain old Purpose). If you're like me, all I can advise you is to maybe take a second look. Moisturizers are fickle things, and maybe next year, this won't be right for me again. But a good product nonetheless.
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Lip Treatments -Jack Black - Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 - Lemon & Chamomile
skizzerkid 1/5/2011 5:15:00 AM
This is a fantastic lip balm. Lip balm is a strange beast for me... there aren't many I like. I am a devotee to Carmex, regular old Carmex. I also like the EoS balms (but they're not as moisturizing). I hate pretty much all other lip balms/butters, from Blistex and Chapstick to Fresh, MAC & Korres. I like to think I'm a tough customer when it comes to lip balms. I wavered between this scent and the mint one. The other flavor was lavender, but I can't deal with floral smells around my mouth (ahem, Smith's Rosebud Salve!). The mint is nice, but there are many mint balms and I liked how the chamomile tempered the lemony taste of this--it's not obnoxious, sour, sweet lemon. It's soft and nice smelling, definitely not overwhelming. I like that this balm is slightly more on the thick/waxy side than the slippery/watery side. It's not sticky whatsoever. Perhaps the best thing about this balm is that it STAYS. For hours! Through drinking! I've never encountered a balm that just adheres like this one does and doesn't somehow migrate. It moisturizes so well. I'm really loving this and I wasn't expecting to. The icing on the cake of this balm is that it also has SPF 25, making it perfect for everyday wear. At $7 for a .25oz tube (bought at my local Sephora), it sure isn't as cheap as Carmex, but that's OK--it's also not expensive either. I think this will become my "day" lipbalm, with the higher SPF and the pleasant scent, and Carmex (which is medicinal smelling) I will save for overnight treatment and severely chapped lips. Definitely give this a try!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Milani - Infinite Liquid Eye Liner
skizzerkid 3/21/2010 12:41:00 AM
I've been a devotee to UD's Perversion liquid liner (jet black) for years now but it's $18 and I'm in a very poor phase of my life right now, so I've been trying to downsize. I love black liquid liner and decided to try these after hearing about them on various blogs. I'm reviewing Everlast, the black shade. I really like this. It's not perfect, but that's OK. The brush is bigger than I'm used to but I will get used to it. I like the formula: thick and dark (but not hard to work with), and it stays and doesn't crack or flake or fade. It's also $5.99, about a third of what I was paying and it's just as good. So for me? This is definitely a win. I don't think I'd recommend this for a liquid liner newbie, as it takes a bit of finesse to get used to the brush.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Milani - Liquif'eye Metallic eye liner pencil -black
skizzerkid 3/21/2010 12:35:00 AM
I saw that Milani was on sale this week and I needed a replacement for my UD 24/7 pencil in Zero that I left at a friend's house. I'm going out of town and needed a replacement quick. I saw a review on Temptalia.com and decided to go for this. It's awesome!!! Perfect creamy jet black, super staying power. I'm in love, I think I actually like it better than the UD pencil! No lie. $5.99 @ CVS, I might even go back for another color or two!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -L'Oreal - Go 360 Clean Deep Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin
skizzerkid 2/8/2010 3:32:00 AM
I have pretty sensitive skin and I found this cleanser to be mild. It claims to be soap-free, and isn't scented--I like all of this. It left my skin feeling clean but not stripped. It's not creamy enough to skip the moisturizer, so don't let that fool you. I LOVE the scrublet thingy, so even if I don't repurchase this cleanser, I'm very glad I have that. I usually use Purpose, but was looking to try something different. I like simplicity--nothing fancy or scented. Just something mild that works--this fits the bill. I'd say this is almost as good but not quite. It just doesn't give me quite the same glow. I only gave it 4 because while it's good and it works and is effective in removing makeup, it's not "perfect." Nothing mind-blowing. But good nonetheless.
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