Cleansers -Burt's Bees - Natural Acne Solutions - Purifying Gel Cleanser
smartmakeupshopper 1/29/2011 1:01:00 PM
Despite many good reviews, I should have investigated the ingredients before using this. After one use, it made me breakout all over lower half of both cheeks (where I never normally break out). Those with very sensitive, extremely acne-prone skin, beware! I let my guard down because burts bees is an all-natural brand and I enjoy many of their other products but got horrifying results. Needless to say, I discontinued use immediately and my cheek acne slowly healed (rest of acne is still around unfortunately). The search for "good" skincare products continues!
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Lip Treatments -Burt's Bees - Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil 
smartmakeupshopper 12/12/2010 1:28:00 AM
An excellent lip moisturizer. I did blow my hairdryer on this for 20-30 sec ONCE in order to make it apply smoother and ever since then, its been my HG lip balm. If you love the scent of pomegranates and all-natural products, give this a try. I'm certainly glad I did!
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Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
smartmakeupshopper 12/11/2010 11:34:00 PM
This was also my first eyeshadow primer. The product itself works exactly as advertised, adheres well to eye shadows, increases their staying power, and even enhances color payoff of "cheaper" e/s. One lippie taken off for the wasteful packaging. And actually I intend to purchase too faced shadow insurance when I finish this. I've read that its less wasteful, same product.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express The Falsies Waterproof Mascara
smartmakeupshopper 12/11/2010 11:23:00 PM
Because I've had problems with staying power of DS non-waterproof mascaras and heard good things about this brand, I gave it a shot. Although it does last all day--even to the point where it's difficult to remove at night, it doesn't provide a false eyelash look, especially not for those of us with normal length, non-curly eyelashes to bring with. The only thing it did above-average was hold a curl and not flake (on me). Overrated for its actual performance.
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Moisturizers -Cetaphil - Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF15
smartmakeupshopper 12/2/2010 10:26:00 PM
Since I LOVE the cetaphil cleanser, I tried out this product since I needed a moisturizer with spf. I was sorely disappointed after the first use. It felt heavy on the face, looked greasy, and stung a bit when first applied. I did try to use it a couple of times after that to give it a fair chance, but discontinued its use immediately when I noticed it also made my rosacea flare up. Will never repurchase or recommend.
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Cleansers -Cetaphil - Daily Facial Cleanser (Normal to Oily Skin)
smartmakeupshopper 12/2/2010 10:19:00 PM
I have acne-prone skin and mild rosacea and this was recommended to me by my dermatologist over a year ago. It is still my HG cleanser. It is well worth trying if it is kept in mind that the purpose of this cleanser is not to clear up acne. It removes all my excess makeup (waterproof mascara is the only thing that's tricky to remove using this alone...but that's easily taken care of separately), dirt, and oil very well, never causes me to break out, and never makes my rosacea flare up. Although I do not normally use fragranced products because of my sensitive skin, ironically the fragrance of this cleanser doesn't irritate my skin at all.
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Eyeliner -Milani - Infinite Liquid Eye Liner
smartmakeupshopper 11/27/2010 1:14:00 AM
I have this liner in 'forever' a light-reflective bronze color. Although the brush needs to have the product scraped off before applying and is a bit difficult to use for very thin lines, the color payoff is phenomenal and has an ok staying power. I noticed that in the summer time, the lasting power of this liner is much less than other times of the year (even though I don't sweat) and must be reapplied/touched up before the end of the day. The only reason I don't mind doing that is because this is a unique eye liner color that I do not wear frequently. I don't know if the black liner has this same problem. I would only recommend this liner for the unique color selection.
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Eyeliner -NYX - Candy Glitter Liner - Crystal
smartmakeupshopper 11/27/2010 1:06:00 AM
This is a clear eyeliner with multi-colored chunky glitter that stays in place after applying. I only use this product for halloween or extremely intricate makeup (i.e. very rarely) and although I do like it in those cases, I won't be repurchasing. The glitter is a bit too chunky for my taste.
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Eye Shadow -NYX - Jumbo eyeshadow pencil- Lemon
smartmakeupshopper 11/27/2010 1:03:00 AM
This is a light green, shimmery eye shadow base with small gold flecks. When placed thinly over my UDPP, it works excellently as a base for my 'cheaper' green shadows. When I first started out in makeup, I bought the coastal scents 88 palette and the greens, golds, and beiges looked very nice over this base. Since this is such a unique color for a base, I would repurchase if I ever run out.
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Eye Shadow -NYX - Jumbo Eye Shadow Pencil - French Fries
smartmakeupshopper 11/27/2010 12:55:00 AM
This is a bronzy cream eye shadow that gives a sheen--not shimmery--finish. It works excellently as a base for darker colors (I've successfully used this under browns, dark purples, dark greys, etc) and can be used to slightly change the color of your original eye shadows. It will crease if not set with a powder, so I don't recommend wearing this alone--even when applied thinly. All in all, if you were only to try one nyx jumbo pencil, this should be that one!
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Eye Shadow -NYX - Jumbo Eye Shadow Pencil - Yogurt
smartmakeupshopper 11/27/2010 12:47:00 AM
This is a light pink/champagne shimmery eye shadow base that only helps my eye shadows last longer if applied over my UDPP and applied VERY thinly! I don't mind this extra step though because this is a unique color addition to my collection and it can be used under some everyday neutral looks for a bit of an umph. I also enjoy using this under 'cheaper' light eye shadows since it makes them appear more vibrant than on my UDPP alone. Will repurchase!
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Lip Gloss -E.L.F. - Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF 15 - Candlelight
smartmakeupshopper 11/27/2010 12:39:00 AM
After hearing countless reviews on this product, I was extremely excited to try it out. And I'm very glad that it lived up to all its hype. Its moisturizing, provides an adequate shimmery color for a gloss, has spf 15, and is a perfect size for traveling. Definitely recommend trying this out and forming your own opinions about this product.
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Misc Beauty Tools -E.L.F. - Mechanical Eyelash Curler
smartmakeupshopper 11/27/2010 12:34:00 AM
I previously owned a eyelash curler for a few years before deciding that it was time for a new one. Since my eyelashes typically stick straight out and are of medium length, its a bit difficult to find a CHEAP eyelash curler that does its job adequately. I was pleasantly surprised when this one curled my eyelashes satisfactorily. Would definitely recommend.
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Eye Shadow -E.L.F. - Non-Stop Eye Color - Silver Lining
smartmakeupshopper 11/27/2010 12:28:00 AM
I heard so many raves and reviews about elf products and so I picked this up among other things in my first ever elf haul. The eye shadows in this quad (colors: light pink, dark blue, navy-grey, and lavender) are all shimmery, moderately pigmented, and quite blendable. Worth the $1, but they do not last on my oily eyelids unless a primer and/or cream eye shadow base is underneath. I'll only use this quad with other eye shadows.
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Lip Gloss -E.L.F. - Hypershine Gloss - Blossom
smartmakeupshopper 11/25/2010 11:33:00 PM
This is the first elf hypershine gloss I've tried and I think it's well worth the $1. This does not provide much color and the lasting power is very short, but as this product fades, I feel like my lips maintain a nice, clear sheen for a good amount of time. The only downside to this product is that the brush applicator should be cleaned after each use since otherwise it will be nasty to work with again. Although I will repurchase, its not my go-to lipgloss.
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