Powder -Unlisted Brand - Mineral Fusion--Pressed Base
softbomb 1/27/2012 4:16:00 PM
This pressed powder foundation has a lot going for it. I have two pet peeves with most mineral foundations; one is that loose is the most common form and I usually do my make up on the go, in my car. I've wasted loads of money/time/product thanks to flying loose powder. So the compact is a life saver. Second, most mineral powders I've tried are obnoxiously shiny with noticeable glitter particles. Last I checked babies aren't born with glitter particles on their skin. Hit direct sunlight and your 'I rolled out of bed this glowing' cover is blown. The shimmer is almost imperceptible and very flattering, esp on my dry skin.The powder enlivens my skin just enough with out looking like a glitterfest took over my face. To a lesser but still frustrating extent but this applies to base shades in general, mineral or not, matching my light/medium Asian skin is nearly impossible. I bought the Olive 1 shade which is a tad bit light but the Olive 2 sadly leans orange on me. However the undertone is believable on me and it's the best undertone match I've found from any other line (Jane Iredale, Jane, Fresh, Bobbi, LM, Dior, MAC, Origins, Zen, EL, you name it I've tried it). The texture is smooth and creamy and felt lovely on my dry skin. However there's one ding on this product which left me puzzled and disappointed. Granted I work a retail job where I'm on my feet and continuously running around and breaking a sweat BUT: I noticed that it can look uneven and smearey, as if I'd cried my make -up off, if that makes sense. So I'm not sure if that's attributed to the fact I sweat while working or what but it wasn't pretty. Again I used this product at work and most of the time I don't have time to primp and look at a mirror so I don't know how quickly or what caused this. Maybe it was my moisturizer... So with that I used this sparingly as a setting powder and it seemed to wear OK. The attractive bronzey, terracotta round compact is a slim yet sturdy case with subtle sheen like the powder itself so pretty and portable. However it does not come with a sponge. So I just swapped out a thin cheapie from another powder of mine. I bought this at a local health food store called Marlene's and it was quite $$$$. I think it came out to be around $30 after taxes. So overall, the texture, sheen, undertone, and pressed form worked well for me. Altho I recommend using this as a setting powder rather than a pressed powder foundation, as it is intended for.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Jane Iredale - Pure Pressed Base
softbomb 1/23/2012 12:48:00 AM
Another 'I wanted to like this product ' sob story... Shade selection could have been a headache given that it's not widely available in stores; luckily there's medical spa near my old work so I got to test drive the shades in person. The esthetician at the medical spa place who helped me wore 50 lbs of make-up herself so I was a bit hesitant on taking her advice and letting her match my skin. After a mini tug of war, I decided on the slightly pale for my skin Warm Sienna shade ( at that point I applied my powder directly after/on top of my heavy moisturizer; the too pale shade oxidized to better match my skin, i.e i used this like a wet/dry foundation). I was able to swap for this product and boy am I glad I swapped my EL Night Repair rather than shelling out the 50 some odd dollars for this. This is one of the worst, if not THE worst powders I've ever used. The shade while a nice match, could not hide the product's heavy, chalky, uneven application. I tried to cut the masky, powdery effect by setting with water as I normally do but this made matters worse; it just looked blotchier. I was bewildered. Despite all of my efforts this extremely unflattering mask-like finish resulted in minimal coverage pay-off! I tried this as a straight powder and results were just as lackluster and frustrating. WAAAAY over-hyped and over-priced. Definite waste of time/money.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Origins - Pinch Your Cheeks - Coralberry
softbomb 1/21/2012 5:02:00 AM
Well, as with most beauty products I use this for other than it's intended purpose, for the lips rather than cheeks. I don't like to emulate the look of bright red cheeks, as they're already red on their own. My lips however, I do love to brighten them up in shades of warm red, which that's how it appears when used as a lip stain. It wears quite well but as with most stains fast, strategic blending is a must along with a good cleanser to remove the evidence after using your finger to apply the gel. To counterbalance the color from going too orange I used to layer Origins Rain and Shine in Ruby Slippers a sheer blue-based gloss stick, on top. This combo was my signature color for a while and always got tons of compliments when I wore the two together. The mini metal tube packaging is adorable and very portable altho not recommended as the metal may break, leak and wreak havoc on your pant pocket. I learned this the hard way, indirectly when my tube ended up in the dryer and leaked all over my clothes thanks to a small hole in a weak spot of the tube caused by creases created when squeezing the ity bity tube. So use and carry carefully, lol. The color payoff is great. It's kind pricey for the amount of product (.1 fl oz) ; I paid around $13 for it a couple years ago at Macy's but I highly recommend this for lip stain fanatics who prefer a warmer-toned color, over say the more traditional blue-based stains, like Benefit Benetint.
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Eyeliner -Tarte - emphasEYES Inner Rim Eyeliner
softbomb 1/21/2012 12:05:00 AM
First off, this waaay over-priced eyeliner is a total rip-off. It breaks nearly every time I use it! The ONLY thing it has going for it is that it comes in Black. Take note that I don't use this on my inner rim but in place of a 'traditional' thick eyeliner.Having 'hooded' asian eyes this is the only thing that doesn't lay down an uber distracting, thick line around my small eyes and doesn't eventually wear off leaving me with a big ugly raccoon eye effect after several hours. (Yes, I've tried waterproof liners but one stray flake or wrong move and that liner flub will fester and not budge off my cheek for like the next week, lol). Other brands like MAC, Clinique, Kevyn Aucoin, Anastasia carry ultra thin eyebrow pencils which I would gladly use as an eyeliner but none make a Black shade. aarrrghh! And of course my beloved Maybelline Define-a-Brow in Soft Black got dc'd a few months ago. So this Tarte dud is what I'm left with. It's black and wears relatively well and works ok as long as you're super careful not to press down much. short, soft, feathery strokes is the way to go with this stuff. Not clicking out too much product seems to help a little. I always follow up with a dusting of the coppery, purple shade from Aveda Plum Mist trio and it sets the eyeliner nicely. Alone it does smudge but the line is so subtle it's not that noticeable and prevents the dreaded mid-day raccoon eye. So yes I will buy this again, begrudgingly shelling out $18 dollars for it but sans raccoon eyes. PS I've tried the Charcoal and the Plum (?) shades as well. The Charcoal is not a true sooty gray like I had expected but a glittery silver which is nice but not very natural and the purple shade was a very pretty, subtle plum. I prefer Black as it serves as the best base for making eyeshadow layered on top really pop.
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Lotions/ Creams -Neutrogena - Fast Absorbing Hand Cream
softbomb 1/20/2012 11:25:00 PM
my first review ;o I'm not really a big Neutrogena skincare/cosmetics fan but after reading a glowing review on Beautypedia I thought I'd give it a go.... However simply finding this stuff was the most ridiculous ordeal. I went all over Seattle and none of the ( drug ) stores in my neck of the woods carries this. Several Bartell's, Rite Aids, Fred Meyers and one Target later I finally got my hands on it. I'm not sure what the deal is but the Target at Northgate is the only store that carries this. The product itself is wonderful. It comes in a very handy (3 oz) tube with flip cap. The hand cream is rich without being overly greasy (yes, it's does leave behind a ever so subtle film but it's more of a cushiony, velvety feel). In fact I love using this as a face cream. It's gentle, leaves my face smooth and glowy. My one gripe is the scent. Sort of a soft but lingering baby powder scent, which I find slightly bothersome but the product works so well I tolerate it. All and all, this is an effective, affordable hand cream ( I paid about 6 bucks) and will buy again. Hopefully Neutrogena comes out with a fragrance free version.
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