Foundations -Almay - TLC Truly Lasting Color
squirrelyhell 4/9/2013 6:14:00 PM
:( I had originally given this a glowing review, but after a few weeks the breakouts began and I had to switch to a different foundation. I did like this foundation, and would recommend it to people, but it wasn't quite right for me. I felt that this foundation gave a great amount of coverage. It is around a light to medium coverage, and while I'm accustomed to full coverage, it was perfect for evening out my ruddy cheeks and red acne scars while leaving my skin looking like skin. It was never cakey and was always easy to apply. Ivory worked well enough for my NC15 skin, but was a little too pink. (Buff was too yellow. Perhaps mixing the two would create an ideal shade, but I never tried it.) It lasted pretty well throughout the day, meaning that it didn't fade or transfer. As for the things I disliked, I always got oily after a few hours. I personally feel this foundation would be best for someone with dry skin, because I felt it was more hydrating than my somewhat oily skin needed. Blot as I may, I always looked a little too shiny and my skin often felt greasy. I loved this foundation for about a week and a half because it wasn't breaking me out (which was the main reason I kept using it despite the greasiness), but after the two week mark it made me breakout frequently. It was neither that time of the month, nor had anything else in my routine changed, so I can safely deduce it was the foundation. I've heard oily skinned gals say that this worked great to control their shine, but that was definitely not the case for me. Perhaps you'll have better luck. I eventually switched to Almay Clear Complexion, which in my experience has all of the pros of TLC and none of the cons.
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Liquid -Revlon - ColorStay Makeup
squirrelyhell 4/1/2013 1:57:00 PM
I've tried this foundation out at least 3 separate times now, and each of those periods combined probably equates to a few months of use. I'm always convinced I'm doing something wrong because everyone else loves it! But I've come to accept that it's just not for me. The main issue for me is that Colorstay is too thick and sets too quickly for me to effectively work with it. Anytime I've tried using it straight, my foundation looks cakey and gross. For a period of time, I would mix this with Revlon PhotoReady to get a better consistency. Then I started putting it on straight out of the shower, after moisturizing, while my skin was still damp. Then I tried mixing my moisturizer straight into it. Each of these methods helped, but required a lot of work and I didn't always get good results. It just wasn't worth it to me in the end. I did love that this foundation stayed on ALL day, looking perfectly intact by the evening, while keeping my oil in check. However, it would cling so firmly to my skin that it was always a hassle to remove, and was causing me to frequently breakout. Some days it would look flawless, other days it would look really bad. I could never get consistently positive results. I really hate that it lacks a pump, too. I have wasted a ton of product from frequently getting more product out of the bottle than intended. All in all, the cons outweigh the pros for me.
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Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
squirrelyhell 12/31/2012 6:21:00 PM
The only other eyeshadow primer I've used is Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and that stuff made my eyeshadow gather in the crease of my eyelid. I was not impressed. After that flop I tried Urban Decay's primer, and it is now a staple in my makeup bag. It keeps my eyeshadow looking fresh and vibrant all day long, and one tube has lasted me over a year now. I use it on my lower lash line to keep my eyeliner in place too, and it's very helpful in preventing smudging and fading. Kind of spendy, but absolutely works and one tube lasts a long time.
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Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Sin
squirrelyhell 12/31/2012 6:16:00 PM
I was really disappointed with this product when I tried to use it as an eyeshadow base. It's already so pigmented that the colors I put over it look weird or kind of cake up and don't want to blend. However, I have learned to love it solo. It is a really pretty color that looks great on my lids when I'm in the mood for light makeup. Pretty expensive for a product I essentially use as an eyeshadow, but at least it wasn't a waste of my money.
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Primer/ Corrector -Pixi - Flawless Beauty Primer 
squirrelyhell 12/31/2012 2:05:00 PM
I have bought this product on two separate occasions, hoping to make it work for me, and have finally given up! I saw videos and reviews raving about it and loving the glow it gives the skin. Because it has a peachy coloration, I felt it helped even out my skin tone a little before applying my foundation, but after several attempts I have accepted that I always get the same result: greasy, oily skin within an hour. Not to mention that because of the coloration of the product, if you fail to completely smooth it out and apply it evenly, you can have some dark patches. I would definitely not intend to use this as a primer. I never felt it prolonged the wear of my makeup, but rather shortened it due to the oiliness it caused. I can't even use this as a highlighter since it is seriously that greasy and heavy on my skin. Not to mention how expensive it is. May as well get something better with your money. Perhaps on girls with really dry skin this would be more effective, but it's not for me!
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Liquid -Rimmel - Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation
squirrelyhell 12/23/2012 5:14:00 PM
This does not work for me. It looks pretty nice on my skin and gives good coverage, but it leaves my skin feeling kind of greasy and never really sets. I put matte powder over it, which helps, but within an hour or two my t-zone is super oily. (I'm not even very oily, my skin tends to be more on the dry side.) The color match is surprisingly good, which I didn't expect since it looks so dark in the tube. I'll be returning this.
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Lip Gloss -Burt's Bees - Burts Bees Lip Shimmers
squirrelyhell 12/22/2012 8:08:00 PM
I absolutely love these. I own several of them, and my favorites are Cherry, Fig, Rhubarb, Papaya, and Nutmeg. I'm not a fan of the frostier pinks like Watermelon and Guava, but maybe they'd look good on you! I really wanted to love Raisin, but it's so opaque that it looks streaky and uneven on my lips no matter what I do. They leave a nice minty sensation and scent behind when applied, are hydrating and long-wearing, and many of the shades are very pretty.
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Styling Products -Clairol - Herbal Essences Set Me Up Gel
squirrelyhell 12/22/2012 7:53:00 PM
I used to use this product at my widows peak, under my bangs, to keep them uniform since I have a callick there. I would dab it on, then take a boar bristle brush and kind of work it in while brushing my bangs down. It worked great, until I started to develop a severely dry, flaky patch right in that spot. I thought it was my brush, that I was irritating my skin with the bristles. Long story short, I discontinued use of this gel and the dryness healed. It did work great, but for whatever reason I had a bad reaction to it. Definitely won't be trying this again!
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Styling Products -L'Oreal - Elnett - Unscented
squirrelyhell 12/22/2012 7:43:00 PM
This is the only hairspray I'll use! It makes my hair stay in place without being crunchy or sticky. I love the unscented formula because I hated the old lady smell of the original one. (And though "unscented," I feel it has a slightly sweet smell that I enjoy.) It's also easy to brush out or through your hair, and doesn't leave your hair feeling defiled and gunky.
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Shampoo -Aussie - Miracously Smooth
squirrelyhell 12/22/2012 7:36:00 PM
The first couple of days I started using this I was amazed how smooth my hair felt. It's been several months now and I'm still touching my hair all the time just to enjoy how soft it is! I noticed a huge difference between the texture and health of my hair on this versus the shampoos and conditioners I'd been using before it. It smells great, too. My only complaint would be that I think it weighs my hair down and prevents it from being as voluminous as it could be. I recently bought the Aussome Volume shampoo and conditioner and my long hair was really frizzy after using it, so I've gone back to Miraculously Smooth.
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Eyeliner -Studio Gear - Cake Liner
squirrelyhell 12/22/2012 7:27:00 PM
I love this stuff! I used liquid liners for years, then gel liners, then I moved on to this cake liner. I don't see myself going back to any other formula anytime soon. I use an angled eyeliner brush from ELF and it works perfectly. It's really easy to manipulate the vibrancy of the color by using more or less water. By mixing it with more water you can get a nice, inky black. I didn't like it at first because I thought it would run off at any exposure to moisture, but it stays put. I've had it for probably 6 months and have barely worn the product down. It will last me a long time!
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Blush -Studio Gear - Natural
squirrelyhell 12/19/2012 10:58:00 PM
This is a great blush! I originally purchased it to wear on my wedding day, and it is such a pretty and flattering color. It provides long-lasting wear and great pigmentation. I splurged in preparation for my big day, so I can't say when I'll be buying more from this brand, but I'd sure like to!
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - Infallible- US shades
squirrelyhell 12/19/2012 10:54:00 PM
I have a few of these, and I wish I owned them all! They are so beautiful, easy to blend, long-lasting, and they just feel good when you're putting them on your lids. I use an eyeshadow primer and these last all day, though even without the primer they have amazing vitality and stunning vibrancy. These are one of those products I pray never gets discontinued, I love them so much. I really can't recommend them enough.
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Mascara -L'Oreal - Voluminous in Carbon Black
squirrelyhell 12/19/2012 10:46:00 PM
I really liked this product at first. It gives my lashes great volume and length, and is pretty buildable. It can be a bit clumpy at times, but nothing I can't usually fix. It gives a pretty dramatic effect that I love, and the color is nice and deep. As for the main cons, there was always a lot of excess product on the wand that I found to be a hassle. Despite my greatest efforts, I would always get mascara on my eyelid, messing up my eyeshadow. Worst of all, I started to realize that it was giving me raccoon eyes and transferring big time below my eyes. This was pretty embarrassing a few times when I was out, or had company over for dinner, and didn't realize for quite some time what I looked like! I would assume this would be less of a problem with the waterproof formula, but I prefer to stay away from those. I have moved on to a new mascara.
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Mascara -Maybelline - The Rocket Volume Express
squirrelyhell 12/19/2012 10:03:00 PM
I'm really pleased with this purchase! I dislike waterproof mascara, but my washable mascara has been giving me raccoon eyes so I was on the lookout for a new one. This gives me great volume and length, is really buildable, doesn't transfer under my eyes, and the packaging is cute and flirty. I even had a good cry and my mascara stayed totally in place! (It was a rough day...) I found the applicator a bit daunting at first, but I find it really comfortable to use. The wand pulls out of the tube without the need to wipe excess product off the brush, which is always a plus in my book.
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