Liquid -Lancome - Teint Idole Ultra 24h
snack 11/2/2012 6:02:00 PM
I used the previous version of this product for over 8 yrs with great success. This 24-hr version is just not for me. I am greatly saddended by this and must now find a new base. This 24-hr version is extremely difficult for me to apply as it seems to have very little "slip" for a liquid. I usually use my fingers for base application, but have tried the Beauty Blender, synthetic base brush, natural hair base brush, over a primer, without a primer. It is just tough to smooth across my face without some force. Once spread, the coverage is heavier than I would prefer for a medium coverage foundation, which is probably the nature of a 24-hr formulation. It looks great at first, but begins to feel slightloy tight and drying after about an hr of wear. On the pro side, It does stay in place on my oily skin here in Texas. I must remove with Purity cleanser and be careful to get all of it off as it does take more effort to remove. I usually have blemish free skin and alas, now have zits. I will finish the bottle and not repurchase. MUFE HD base will suffice until I can find another suitable substitute. So disappointed. Wish I would have stocked up before d/c 'd !!
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Brows -Make Up For Ever - Make Up For Ever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector
snack 8/27/2011 1:37:00 PM
Because I'm active outdoors, staying power is just as important as a color match. Because I'm fair and have dark hair, my bare spots are noticable so they must be filled in if I want to perfect the existing shape of my brows for a polished look. This is how I rate this product in the order of what is of highest priority to me: Staying power - 4: I have oily skin and I always work my eyeshadow primer down into my skin under my brows before I apply brow products. On me, this product will stay in place using this method. I do some heavy cardio and my brows will stay on if I don't rub them repeatedly. Color - 4: I am a dark brunette with partial carmel highlights. I use the #2 color mixed with a tiny bit of #3. Perfect. Remember, it is better for most brunettes to go a little lighter than their natural color to avoid a harsh Mommy Dearest look. If I use only #3, it's a perfect match, but looks too harsh. Realistic appearance - 5: If applied as below described, it is fabulous. I get compliments every week. Application ease - 5: There is no tugging on skin or precious existing hairs. I apply with a super-fine-edged sable angled brush. I place one dot of #2 and a super tiny dot (pin head) of #3 and mix together on a saucer. Dip brush in mixture, blot brush side-to- side on saucer to maintain flat edge on brush and remove excess product. This fine edge will lay down the product so that it mimics the shape of fine hairs. Apply quickly as the product does dry fairly fast. I brush my brow hairs down before applying to reveal my natural shape AND to allow product to reach my primed skin beneath. This allows maximum contact with primer and increased longevity. I live in TX and if the weather is going to be over 100, I will also apply a brow powder (Estee Lauder) on top to help "set" my brows and fortify the longevity against heat and humidity. If I use just the brow powder, brows are gone by 3pm! When I apply as above, I get a long lasting (thru workouts) application that looks natural. If you go too dark in color, this application will be too harsh. I have used brow products for 25+ yrs and have found that this product will outlast (while looking natural) all the other pencils and powders that I've tried. A super light touch with a good quality brush is essential so that it can be applied skillfully. This technique will both fill in bare spots as well as actually create a brow for those of you that are missing sections of it such as the tail. As we get older or have medical treatments, our brows do tend to thin out considerably. Other decent products to try are MAC's Crayon (fine tipped,) Dior's Powder Pencil, Lancome's Pouder Pencil, and Givency's Eyebrow Show.
12 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Stila - Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in lionfish
snack 7/5/2010 10:38:00 PM
I bought the purple and I love this product as a liner just above my upper lash line. I always use a shadow base. After applying the liner, I let it dry completely for approx 5 minutes before I do anything else in that area. If you let it "set up" properly, it really will stay put. I will layer powder shadow over it and it looks great. If I sleep in my makeup, (I know, bad girl!) this liner is still intact in the morning - looking good. I never rub my eyes once I have makeup on them so I don't know how it will stand up to that bizare act. I do workout with it on and it looks wonderful after an hour of hard cardio. It is worth the price. I'll be going back for more colors. The purple goes on really dark and rich if you just line with it. Gorgeous and appropriate at work.
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Self Tanners -Bare Escentuals - Faux Tan
snack 5/28/2010 12:42:00 PM
Wow - this product DOES provide a natural looking tan. I am very fair and have never really found a fake tanner that looked authentic on my skin. This one does. I ordered it from QVC in a kit that came with a big flat headed brush for application. Just a dab applied using the brush is enough to provide a just barely-been-in-the-sun look. I will apply more "coats" this wkend to see how buildable the color is. This is the 1st tanner that I've used that doesn't have that awful smell. The color is just lovely! Fair girls - give this one a try! I'm sure it works even better on the darker skin tones.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -NARS - Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
snack 5/21/2010 1:47:00 AM
This is a great eye shadow base. Just a tiny bit is enough to cover both lids and eye areas up to my brows. Dries down to a nice smooth finish. Product simply provides a base for eye shadows to adhere to. Formula does not (nor does it claim to ) conceal any imperfections in skin color. It's a fantastic base which holds shadow color quite well and didn't crease on my super oily lids - even after a tough cardio workout at gym. This stuff is pretty good! My favorite is still Disguise For Eyes (Alexandra De Markoff,) but this is the next best thing that I have found. Definitely beats UD in formula performance, IMO.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Philosophy - Save Me
snack 5/18/2010 12:36:00 PM
This product, after just a wk, gave me clearer skin with a more refined brighter surface. I use it 2x a wk and apply it to my bare skin at night without anything else except an eye cream. I apply a very small amt - the size of a pencil eraser is plenty to cover my face. My skin is combination/oily and in good condition. If I used this more frequently, I started to get irritation so I cut back to just the 2x/wk. I'm still on my original bottle which is a yr and a half old. I think that perhaps 2x /wk usage is plenty to avoid some of the problems that a few of the other members experienced. If you try it, good luck and I hope that it works as well for you as it does for me.
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Treatments (Eye) -Unlisted Brand - Latisse Lash Growth Drops
snack 5/10/2010 2:04:00 AM
I am happy to report that this stuff works! It's only been 13 days and I can see a distinct difference in both the length and thickness of my lashes. I had used Lilash in the past which is a different chemical blend - that also yielded great results - but then the results came to an end as I became immune to the active ingredient. I really hope that that doesn't happen with this product. I only apply it at night each day and will probably cut back to 3 days a wk to maintain. What a nice surprise to see these fabulous results in just 2 weeks. UPDATE: I am very happy to report that after a couple of months of once daily use, I've got these crazy thick/long lashes, again. As many other ppl have said, it is simply remarkable. I don't have any discomfort (itching or eye dryness) from daily use, but do have the tiniest bit of redness just along the lash line. Once my shadow is on, you don't notice it - at all. I am now going to cut back to every-other-day application to just maintain. Ladies, give it a try. I don't think you will regret it :)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Philosophy - Miracle Worker Retinoid Pads
snack 5/8/2010 5:23:00 PM
I am a big fan of Purity cleanser and some of the other Philosophy products. Unfortunately, this product (used in conjunctin with the entire Miracle Worker Line) didn't yield any noticable benefits/results after 28 days of use. Specifically, I used the Miracle Worker retinol pads as well as the accompanying MW serum and MW moisturizer. For a yr, I've used the Philosophy Microdelivery exfoliation pads a few times a wk and can see the results - clear skin with what appears to be a more refined surface. I also like their Save Me retinol product which I use 2x a wk. My skin looks great the next morning after use. It's possible that my skin is already in good condition and not able to improve significantly (without surgical help!) thanks to the Philosophy regime that I've already adopted. This Miracle Worker product just didn't make any difference for me so it will be going back to QVC. I will continue to use my core Philosophy products.
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Treatments (Eye) -Unlisted Brand - Lilash - Purified Eyelash Stimulator
snack 5/7/2010 12:36:00 PM
The results are a mixed bag, unfortunately. Pro's: It DID work wonderfully with very visible results in just 2 wks My lashes became extremely long and thick which generated comments from strangers - almost every day. I couldn't believe it. A few ppl asked it they were my real lashes. Delivered excellent results for 7 months I applied to bare lash line (upper only) in the AM daily for the 7 months. Cons: It stopped working after 7 months. Tube was always closed tightly after use and I was consistent in the way I applied it. I wondered if maybe the product was just "old" so I ordered a fresh tube. Still no further results with new supply. I did get the very fine dark hairs just above my cheek bone near my eye after about a month (and I only applied on upper lash line in the AM so I know the product didn't travel) I read on another site that It is possible that you can develop "immunity" to the ingredients once your body becomes familiar with the active ingredients I too developed the redness along the lash line. I even developed the red circles under the outer portion of my eyes after approx 3 wks. UGLY and definitely noticeable if I didn't cover with a good concealer. If I wasn't able to conceal - the discoloration would negate any positive results no matter how nice the lashes. Hats off to Dior concealer. Price - although IF it continued to work for me, I would absolutely continue to pay the price - even with the very fine unwelcomed cheek hair and redness that I could conceal. Yes, the results were that good when it worked. I just received Careprost (generic Latisse) and have begun using it. It's only been 1 wk. I will provide update as my use continues. I really miss the way I felt when I had those long lush lashes. It's amazing how something like that affects my sense of femininity now that the lashes are sparse again. Fingers crossed on Careprost. Stay tuned... I've now been using the Careprost for approx a yr and love it. I ordered my second bottle in Dec from a Canadian pharmacy. Lashes are thick and long and dark. I have zero of the fine hairs on the top of my cheek that I had from Lilash. There is a tiny bit of redness along lash line if I put it on heavy for 3 days in a row, but it's no where near the redness that I had from Lilash that actually went under my eyes as well. Careprost is a wonderful product and I recommend it to everyone. It took approx 3 wks to build my lashes back up after I switched off of the Lilash applying just a single line of the solution along lash line. I only use 1 drop of the Careprost. I dip the included brush in this single drop and apply it to both lash lines and both brows. That's it. Some days, the drop is a little bigger and that can result in a bit of redness, but not enough to require concealer. Give it a try, ladies.
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyes -Alexandra deMarkoff - disguise for eyes
snack 4/22/2010 12:28:00 AM
HG HG HG product. I've used eye shadow bases for over 25 yrs to keep my eye shadows in place and crease free. I've tried all the various paint pots, UD, Two Faced, etc.... Disguise for Eyes is the very best in this category. I order it on line and one small tub lasts for at least a yr. I use this 6 days a wk. You want just a tiny dab - "skim coat" -of this creamy product to cover your lid. It dries down quickly to a matte finish that is slightly lighter than my fair lid color and it nicely masks the redness along my lash line that I've got from using Latisse. Eye shadows will appear their true color and not crease. If I sleep in my makeup (bad girl!) my shadows will have a slight crease in the morning, but at that point, who cares! I get a good 12 hrs of "hold" from this product. Other lines are decent, but only provide crease-free performance on my eyes for 5 hrs - max. This DeMarkoff product is THE cornerstone of my makeup collection. I'd be willing to pay twice the price for it. It is worth e v e r y penny.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Mega Lipgelee
snack 3/27/2010 7:03:00 PM
This stuff is great! I am a pale brunette with brown eyes. The color does go on as a silvery pink nude color on my lips which tend to be a medium berry color naturally. It's not a light color - it's a neutral cool color with silvery tones. It doesn't "read" as purple on my lips. This is now my everyday color. I'm going back for some spare tubes from the beauty outlet! Stays on for an hour or two unless your lips are in frequent contact with a glass, etc....
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Mascara -Maybelline - Full 'N Soft Mascara
snack 1/19/2010 10:22:00 PM
I suspect that there may be a great deal of inconsistency in the quality of this product. Not sure if it's because of the age of the tube or if something weird is going on over at Maybelline. I have been fortunate in that most of the time (5 yrs) I've picked up a fresh tube of this product. When it is fresh, IMO, it is the best drugstore type mascara that I have found. I've been a never-leave-the-house-without masacara gal for 20 yrs and have been thru many tubes from many different companies. When I get a good tube of this, it makes my lashes really really full and thick without clumps. I always comb thru them anyway with a spooly when the product is still damp just to separate the lashes even more. POW! It doesn't flake and definitely doesn't come off under my eyes - ever - and I still have oily skin. It's a great buy and the tube lasts for 45 days or so. When I get a bad tube - it is dry and flaky and does not perform. Now, I only buy mine at HEB (grocery store) and they are all really fresh. I think of Full and Soft as a cheap version of my favorite luxury mascara from Bobbie Brown.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Clarisonic - Pro Skincare Brush
snack 12/24/2009 3:12:00 PM
Okay - I hesitate to complain about the value of this product, but I think the information is important to share. I too wanted to love the Clarisonic and couldn't wait to try it out. I purchased the pro model which operates just as advertised. I've been using it for a month. I don't see any improvement in my skin appearance, tone, or texture. I've always taken great care of my skin and have used Philosophy Purity cleanser for several yrs to remove all my makeup effortlessly with just a little water added and a clean wash cloth. Purity is extremely gentle and will remove everything deep down without stripping your skin. I am actually beginning to see small zits forming since I've begun using Clarisonic with my normal routine. I too thoroughly wash the brush head after use and let it dry completely to avoid any bacteria. The cleansing action of the unit feels GREAT, but other than that, I just do not see the value. I am going to return my unit and go back to just using my Purity cleanser. This product probably does deep clean your skin, but if you already follow a cleansing routine with a highly effective cleanser (at a fraction of the cost of the unit,) you just may not see any improvements from the use of Clarisonic. UPDATE 20 DAYS WITHOUT USE: My skin has now returned to its previous state - clear with no breakouts. No redness. I'm glad I stopped using my Clarisonic. I wonder if maybe I was applying too much pressure. The unit is supposed to shut off if you do - but mine never did - so I probably wasn't pressing too hard. Good luck to anyone who does use it. I really hope you have better luck with it than I did.
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No