Treatments -Clean & Clear - Persagel 10
sm1lezx1 5/6/2010 6:18:00 AM
omg....WOW. I have so many little annoying bumps all over my t-zone around my mouth and forehead. After using this gel straight for 3 days, my skin has cleared up TREMENDOUSLY! So happy with this product...I have used prescription acne medication and this product definitely stands up to it. As others have stated .. it DOES dry up your skin a bit..so make sure you use lotion & esp sunscreen when going out. This is one of the best drugstore acne medications. Highly recommend!
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Makeup Brushes -Sonia Kashuk - Powder Brush
sm1lezx1 4/21/2010 3:11:00 AM
I needed a fluffy brush that would pick up a nice amount of product for a finishing powder. This review is for the black handle BTW. SUPER soft!!! It was $19.99 ? Decent price . Anyways, the brush is black bristled with a black handle. Shed a tiny bit...but w/e all brushed do honestly even my high end ones. Ladies, this is the perfect brush if you are looking into using it for finishing powders, light wash of bronzers/highlighters. It is pretty dense..but do not think that it will give you a full coverage finish. If your looking for a brush like that check out ELF's studio line powder brush (flatop) -- I swear by it. This brush does EXACTLY what I intended it do. I usually use this with my Maybelline dream matte powder to finish my foundation or use it to dust on some bronzer all over my face. GREAT brush for the price...it is softer than some of my MAC face brushes. SOOOO soft. Check it out if you are on a budget or if you are looking for a big powder brush in general. BTW, after you wash the brush .. it starts to get a bit fluffier/bigger..which is good in my opinion. Pleased purchase once again with Sonia Kashuk's brushes!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -New York Color - Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny 720
sm1lezx1 4/21/2010 3:05:00 AM
Ok so I bought into the hype about this product--cheap thrills! I really had NO expectations about this product....shortly after, I was pleasantly surprised. I bought this @ CVS buy one get one free deal!! Awesome. I picked up two..$2.99 :) Price -- you cannot beat..seriously dirt cheap. It says that it is oil free...and I have crazy oily skin ... I find that it oxidizes very slightly...and does turn SLIGHTLY orange-y. (very mild) For reference, I am NC 30 (yellow/olive complexion). Pigmentation is kinda shitty, so I had to brush into my skin a couple of times to get the color I wanted. It is what it says -- COMPLETELY MATTE! It is so hard to find a matte bronzer esp for drugstores. It gives me such a radiant and sun kissed finished. Texture is OK. Not as finely milled as I would want it to be. I do not intend to use this as a "contour" color at all. But more of a overall bronzer to give my face a nice glow. I am really, really pleased with my purchase. For the price..this is a seriously "bang for your buck deal." For all my light skinned ladies..this is the bronzer for you! Almost reminds me of my high end Bobbi Brown matte bronzer expect at a FRACTION of the price. You will be pleased so pick up at CVS while they have the sale!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Viva Glam II
sm1lezx1 9/18/2009 4:26:00 PM
Perfect nude colored lipstick! Smells great and is pretty hydrating. Just make sure you put on a chapstick as base before you put it on to make your lips extra moisturized ;) Great lipstick for everyday day to night =D
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Blush -New York Color - Sutton Place Peach 656A
sm1lezx1 5/27/2009 1:51:00 PM
I purchased this blush for $1.50..which is probably around the normal price because I know it's retailed for $1.99 at most places. Anyways, this blush is really really good.....I KNOW. Yes, my hands are painted red. I am guilty of a cheap thrill. 0_o The blush is surprisingly good...I am a NC 25/30 in Mac and it truly gives me a great natural look. It has a brown undertone so it leans towards a more bronzed look. It looks really great on my skin...so if your around my skintone..get it b/c it'll make you look amazing! Also, I like that it's oil free....however I deduct one lippie because of all the ingredients it uses..seriously check out the package..evil PARABENS. However..it's really hard to avoid them.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -Maybelline - Dream Matte Pressed Powder
sm1lezx1 5/21/2009 6:03:00 AM
This stuff works better than my MAC sheer pressed powder. It gives a pretty good amount of coverage w/o giving that "cakey" look & it's extremely budget friendly as well. I did use this powder before but after finding about high end products...I stopped using this product for a while. It's funny how I always come back to this powder & especially the mousse foundation. The texture is sooo freaken smooth -- like butter and glides on amazing. Better texture than any of my MAC cosmetics. It gives a pretty good coverage as well ..and this is coming from a person who put it on with no sleep for the past 24+...eating crap & not hydrated. As you can imagine, my skin probably is not at it's best..but this thing did a pretty good job getting my face evened out. It is not a full coverage powder so don't expect it to cover everything. It's a light to medium buildable coverage. Impressed with my returned love with the Maybelline mousse line!
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Makeup Brushes -E.L.F. - Studio Concealer Brush
sm1lezx1 5/19/2009 10:38:00 PM
I am so impressed with E.L.F's studio brushes. They look soooo nice and so professional. I am in love :) I don't know if I like this brush for a concealer .. it's a little bit too small.. just personal preference for me I guess. However, I did test this out as a concealer and it works pretty well. I think I'm going to buy another one so I can use one for concealer and one for applying my paint points. It really reminds me of my 239..except it way thinner and flatter. It would be really good going under the eye and smudging or applying shadow and or eyeliner. Good job E.L.F!
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Makeup Brushes -E.L.F. - Blending Brush
sm1lezx1 5/19/2009 10:25:00 PM
I bought two of these babies & they are really good. And yes, I do own a 217 brush along with other brushes from Essence of beauty & Sonia Kashuk. And this thing works so well on my eyes. I'm asian so my crease space is little ... this brush is def. smaller/less fluffier than my 217 and it works really great to get into that lid space...I actually using this more than my 217 shhhh....and just using my 217 on my outer corner to give in that sexy smoked out look. For a $1 ... that's ridiculous. I'm probably going to get 3 more of these so I have a couple to rotate around, so I don't have to wash it everytime I'm using different colors. Might not work as well for those who did have a larger crease and looking for a brush as big or bigger than the 217. Will repurchase..have not experienced any shedding and the brushes are pretty soft. Really impressed..and again the price is to die for. Love love love this brush!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Ecotools - retractable kabuki
sm1lezx1 5/19/2009 10:21:00 PM
This little kabuki brush is soooo dang soft!! I take off one lippie b/c I wish it was bigger..but other than that, it is very awesome! Much much better than Coastal Scent's pink kabuki brush I must say. It glides on your face..and I believe it's taklon bristles. I love the packaging as well. The bristles can't be damaged and it's so versatile. You can use it for mineral foundation, powders, blushes, bronzers, etc. Very travel friendly & easy to fit into your purse! I can definitely see myself just carrying this one brush & my 217 on a night out and I'm good to go for touch ups :)
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Eye Shadow -Wet 'n' Wild - Mega Eyes Trio - Amazon Greens [DISCONTINUED]
sm1lezx1 5/19/2009 10:17:00 PM
This palette has some banging colors!! After I tried the Sand Castle palette, I was sold to WNW. I bought the 2 eyeshadow palettes so I have the collection in all 3. I also bought the big pencil liner (like NYX Jumbo Stick) in a really nice blue & purple. This was my last purchase, but I love it!!! I adore the bottom color..it's a really pretty olive gold sheen color & the green in the middle is a nice forest green. The top is a cool frosty pale mint green. It has a subtle sheen to it and has a good amount of shimmer in it. Pigmentation is pretty darn good for a product that I didn't expect absolutely anything out of. I really had big doubts about WNW...I stopped touching this stuff after middleschool/elementary school. But after reading the reviews, I decided to go ahead and try the products, and I am not disappointed! It kicks CG's, Maybelline, Revlon's ass!! I was such a department snob & now b/c of WNW products...I am finding some faith in our local drugstore brands :)
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - Matte lipstick in Mauve It Over
sm1lezx1 5/19/2009 7:39:00 PM
This is not really a "mauve" at all. It's a very pretty neutral lip color that enhances your natural lip color. I got this @ CVS Revlon's 50% sale on all lip & eye cosmetics. Topped with Revlon's Nude Lustre (040), it's a perfect pair together. I really love that it has a matte finish and there's no annoying shimmer or shine in it. However it is a bit drying and will accentuate your dry lips. I've been looking for a really long time to a color like this. Took a lippie off b/c of the dryness factor. Other than that, 2 thumbs up!! Love the color.
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Eye Shadow -Wet 'n' Wild - Ultimate Expressions Eyeshadow Palette - Sand Castle - 396 [DISCONTINUED]
sm1lezx1 5/19/2009 4:37:00 AM
after looking up around and hearing some really great things about this product, i thought..hey why not..? for $5 .. there's not much to lose. All I can say is that I'm really really impressed with these eye shadows. They are like butter smooth..& also there's isn't much fallout when picking up product unlike the 26 neutral palette from coastal scents where it's fallout central. Pros- -butter smooth great great texture! -colors are highly pigmented (& yes I do own high end products so I have some basis to go off of it) -really easy to blend & they colors don't fade away after blending (big plus for me on that one) -good range of colors -pay off is really great for the price -$5 ?! amazing Cons- -packaging is absolute crap .. clunky and unattractive -one of the colors on the top lefthand side (white) contains glitter. i am not a fan of glitter whatsoever so on that end, I guess it's personal preference -all the colors are shimmery .. I like my looks to be matte finish mostly, but in this case it's fine. Would I purchase this product again? YES. big thumbs up for me. Took a lippie out b/c it's a little bit too shimmery for me and one of the shadows have glitters. Very surprised..& you will be too--check it out .. you'll be pleasantly surprised.
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Powder -Everyday Minerals - Foundation - Intensive formula [DISCONTINUED]
sm1lezx1 5/11/2009 2:43:00 PM
I got a kit of the intensive and the matte. And I like the Intensive one soooo much better. To start off with -- those who may not like the product may be applying it wrong .. read the steps that I use, it may help you ;) -First I wash/moisturize my skin -Use a kabuki brush to apply and BLEND!! Start off with a little and build it up (I use my Sonia Kashuk flat top brush in those places where I need extra coverage or specific places to buff out) -This is the most important step for mineral makeup .. (well for me it is at least) Set it with a silicone powder!!! (I.E. MUFE's silicone powder or coastal scents! ) I've found that if I don't set it with this, my face will start sliding and turning extremely oily with any type of mineral foundations I use. Brushes are really important and will enchance your mineral makeup ... I learned that the hard way lol. Really really like the coverage with this foundation. I was so skeptical that it wouldn't cover sh*t b/c it's a powder foundation..I am an avid believer on liquid...so this really surprised me. As for oil control...as I mentioned above you HAVE to set it .. I have really oily skin and ... it turns nasty after an hour. I love the idea of having a medium/full coverage MINERal makeup .. vs. MAC's studio fix. Trust me I have such uneven skintone--redness, acne scars, freckles, etc etc. this thing will even it out! Really enjoy this product & will be updating for a more accurate/long use review ;)
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Sonia Kashuk - Synthetic Flat Top Multipurpose Brush
sm1lezx1 5/11/2009 3:45:00 AM
This brush is so freaken SOFT .. I cannot get over how soft it is seriously. I love the shape of this brush too .. as most ladies have said .. it has a very sexy black curvy handle to it. I love this line of Sonia Kashuk brushes b/c it has a very professional feel to it w/o the high price tag! I'm so glad that I got this brush !!~ I have not tested it with any products so I will be giving an update on how the brush holds up etc. There was few strays sticking further up than the other bristles so I plucked 'em out. Other than that--no shedding whatsoever. BTW-this is my softest brush in my whole collection!! Including mac brushes, other sonia kashuk, coastal scents, & essence of beauty. Highly recommended ! :) And at a overall rating of 98% .. that is unheard of .. seriously & there's a good amount of people too that have reviewed this brush. This is a higher rating than other compeititng high end brands. GO GO GO to your local target & pick this brush up !!!
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Loose Powders -Coastal Scents - Silica Spheres Powder
sm1lezx1 5/8/2009 7:01:00 PM
As everyone raves about -- I do believe it's a pretty good dupe for MUFE's powder. This stuff is super mattifying .. which for me is always a plus b/c my face is so oily & I need to get rid of it someway. The packaging sucks...straight up. It's messy and the package looks like you pulled it out of your 7th grade science class drawer. Other than that, the product itself it fantastic. It's a great finishing powder and leaves your face really silky, smooth, and even. Great to finish for any types of foundation or just to wear on it's own. This stuff is soooo cheap .. why not give it a shot??
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