Lip Gloss -Chanel - Bikini Peach (257) Glossimer
strawberrytaurus 7/1/2010 12:57:00 AM
Bikini Peach is my favorite glossimer and yes I have tons! When I first saw it at the counter I was kind of disappointed...it seemed to be just another boring peachy pink. I searched a few counters before I found it since it was sold out everywhere so when I found it I decided to still give it a go since a girl really can never have too many pinky peach lipglosses. I got home and promptly applied this and wow what a pretty color! I love that it's so pigmented and really goes well with any look. This looks great with smokey eyes or light summery m/u. Simply gorgeous. I wish I had a backup. Best glossimer ever!
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Lipstick -MAC - Cremesheen - Ever Hip
strawberrytaurus 3/12/2010 11:05:00 PM
As soon as I put on Ever Hip it zoomed up to #1 on my favorite l/s list. Being a fan of Razzledazzler (which was also LE and I'm running low on), I knew I had to get this because they seemed similar to me. Well I was wrong as Ever Hip is a very true coral and Razzledazzler is more peachy but they both give me the same kind of effect in that they both brighten up my entire face. I love, love, love Ever Hip. It's simply gorgeous and I think it would suit any skintone. It's just perfect for spring and summer. As soon as I got it I slapped it on and have been wearing it since. I even went back to MAC to get a backup. I'm just so-so when it comes to the packaging but MAC did an excellent job with this collection. The lipglosses and lipsticks are all gorgeous in my opinion and they all are creamy and pigmented. High Perennial Style l/g compliments Ever Hip very well and I know that both will be a staple for me.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -MAC - Naked Honey Skin Salve
strawberrytaurus 2/6/2010 12:56:00 AM
I have to say, I wasn't too fond of this product when it first launched. I disliked the smell and thought it was too greasy. Of course after they all sold out a video on youtube sold me on it. I had to try it. Luckily I was able to swap for it and have been using it non-stop this winter. The youtuber that convinced me to buy it said that she used this for everything from her cuticles to her elbows to her nose when she's sick. Well just my luck I've been sick twice this winter and reached for this right away. I have to say, no other product has been so successful in soothing my rough nose (from using so much kleenex). My colds are always horrible and they always consist of at least a week of blowing my nose constantly so as you can imagine it gets very red and sometimes even peels. I started putting the honey salve on right away before I go to bed (and sometimes even during the day) and when I wake up the redness and dryness is suddenly gone! This stuff is like magic! I started to use it for my cuticles (it's also great for them) and as lipbalm. Now the only qualm I have is that as lipbalm it doesn't last very long on me at least. I've used Rosebud Salve for eons which works magic on my lips and unfortunately the honey salve didn't do what the Rosebud Salve does for my lips but it still works good. So now my honey salve is my go-to when I'm sick or when I just want to smell that nice honey scent (I've grown surprisingly fond of the smell). The packaging is cute w/ the beehive look and to my surprise this isn't as greasy as I thought it was going to be. I'm sad that this is LE but really I can't see myself running out of it anytime soon. It looks to be twice the size of the Rosebud salve and I've had the same one for years. Good job MAC.
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Blush -MAC - Cremeblend blush in Florida
strawberrytaurus 1/11/2010 5:57:00 PM
These cremeblushes are great. I normally don't like creme blushes much because I'm oily and these tend to make me oilier. Fortunately that's not true of the cremeblends. These aren't very creamy which is good for oily skinned gals like me. They're still soft and blendable and easy to apply though. Also, you can vary the intensity of these blushes. You can apply them lightly for a barely there look or layer them on for a more dramatic look. Don't be afraid of the way these look in the pans...they're definitely buildable. I ended up with all of them except the lightest pink one (I forget the name) and I love them all. Florida was my first because I'm really into pink blushes right now. Florida gives me a nice girly look. It can be applied lightly for a "just got in from the cold" look or darker for a more going out look. The color reminds me a bit of a creme version of Dollymix but there really is nothing out there like it. It's a very cool pink but I don't notice any purple in it like it has been mentioned. I think these are going to be beautiful for summer and I hope MAC considers releasing more colors in this great formula!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -MAC - Light Affair
strawberrytaurus 12/29/2009 1:26:00 AM
I'm a sucker for these chic gray lavender colors so when I saw that MAC was releasing one with Lovelace I had to have it! I got lucky in that I got my hands on the last one that my Nordstrom counter had. The SA was wearing it and I fell in love! This is along the lines of Sephora OPI Metro Chic, Essie Chinchilly, MAC Cool Reserve (I'm a proud owner of all of these) and so forth. It's a very wintery kind of color....I would describe it as a light cool grey with a hint of lavender. It's very very light but not white by any means. I would say that it's a lot like Rescue Beauty Lounge Concrete Jungle (which I also own) but with a hint of lavender. It's unlike Cool Reserve in that it's more light grey while Cool Reserve is more purple and it's unlike Chinchilly in that Chinchilly is darker and has some brown to it. I feel very chic and fashionable wearing this. I don't have anything else like it. I think it would look better on cooler skin tones to be honest but I'm a warmie and I love it on me also. Despite MAC's nailpolish's bad rep this was fairly easy to apply and not streaky. It was a tiny bit thick but very easy to work with. I know that I'll be reaching for this color all winter long!
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Smoke and Mirrors palette
strawberrytaurus 12/17/2009 1:02:00 AM
I bought this palette when I first started my new job. I was looking for something neutral but a bit smokey. I admit, I wasn't too fond of this palette when I first got it. I didn't hate it but I didn't feel that it was anything special. I decided that I would wear it a few times before I reviewed it so to give it a chance. I'm glad I did. I now reach for this palette ALL the time whether it be for work or otherwise. It's just gorgeous. All the colors work together and I can't even begin to describe how many looks I've done with this. Suprisingly my favorite shadow in the palette is Deception (I hope this is right, it's the middle color on the bottom row). I love wearing it in the crease or as a liner on my lower lids to smoke up my look. I love Spell No. 9 on the lid with Deception in the crease or on the outer half of my lid and Smoke & Mirrors in the crease. This palette is so versatile! I can create soft smokey looks or more dramatic ones (by using or eliminating the 2 darkest shadows). Oh and did I mention the pretty taupe (Wide eyed wonder) that's in this palette? It's my second favorite e/s in this palette. Surprisingly though they're all winners in my book. Each eyeshadow is buttery soft and easy to apply. At first glance the palette doesn't look too unique but Deception and Spell No. 9 are unique in that MAC doesn' t have anything in their permanent line like them. I'm so glad that I have this palette in my collection. I can't stop reaching for it...I'm even putting dents in them already from my usage!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Dazzleglass Creme in Perfectly Unordinary
strawberrytaurus 10/15/2009 3:18:00 AM
I was really disappointed in the Dazzleglass Cremes in general. I love Dazzleglasses, the Creamsheen glasses and all lipgloss in general so I was excited when these were released. I ended up with Sublime Shine, My Favourite Pink, and this one, Perfectly Unordinary. Perfectly Unordinary was my least favorite. There was nothing "unordinary" about it. In fact it was very ordinary. Nothing special about this light pink. I love pink lipgloss and have a million of them so I normally don't mind dupes but this did nothing for me. It was very sheer and the gold glitter was too over the top obvious. I put it on in the morning and a couple of hours later while driving I decided to take a peek at it through my mirror (while stopped at a red light) and gone was the gloss and all that remained were gold particles on my lips! It looked like I had a disease or something! I was so embarassed. I tried to wipe it off but the pieces were stuck on like glue! I got almost the same effect with Sublime Shine. Both went back to the counter where they came from. The only one I kept was My Favourite Pink which is a gorgeous cool pink. For some reason this one doesn't have much glitter and the glitter is much finer and smaller. I love My Favourite Pink. It's too bad these other ones didn't work out for me. Again I love Dazzleglasses and don't even mind the glitter residue they have but these just had ugly chunky glitter in them which was even gritty on my lips! No thanks!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -China Glaze - Emerald Sparkle
strawberrytaurus 10/15/2009 3:05:00 AM
I normally don't write nailpolish reviews but since this is my all time favorite polish it really deserves it. Words cannot even begin to describe how much I love this polish. It's funny because my birthday is in May which makes my birthstone emerald. I HATED it growing up. I hated getting emerald jewelry from family for birthdays. I wanted something cool like amethyst. Now that I'm an adult I'm in love with everything emerald and love that it's my birthstone. I love green nailpolish too! Emerald Sparkle makes it look like I have glistening emeralds on my fingers! It's a darker green with green glitter! This is a great alternative to red for Christmas. It's just dazzling. Did I mention the formula's also amazing? Very smooth and just perfect. I love that it's noticeably green even indoors. It's gorgeous in just about every light which is uncommon for nailpolish. I have 3 backups of this. Yes 3. Thankfully it was pretty available still after its initial release in the fall of 2008 and was re-released for holiday 2009. I love this polish to pieces and hope it doesn't go away any time soon!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Stila - Black Cat Smudgepot
strawberrytaurus 10/15/2009 2:55:00 AM
I haven't worn Stila smudgepots in a long while although I own quite a few of them but when I saw Black Cat I just had to have it. It's a black eyeliner with silver microglitter. It's simply amazing and unlike other gel liners that have glitter in the pot and don't show up on your lids this one does. The silver is very noticeable in a good way. It almost makes this a softer black which is good for my liking since I have tons of deep black eyeliners and gel liners that I hardly reach for. Recently I've been wearing it with MAC Style Snob eyeshadow all over the lid, Twinks in the crease, and Your Ladyship pigment on brow bone for a soft brownish smokey look. You get a generous amount for the price you pay and the gel is very soft and smooth. I apply this with my MAC 210 brush. I've also winged it out a bit for other looks. Stila should really make this more available (I found mine at Ulta but as far as I know it wasn't sold at Sephora) and should make more colors like this (gel liners with microglitter). I'm very happy with what they're doing with their smudgepots at the moment and hope they keep it up!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Stila - Barbie Loves Stila Smudgepot - Little Black Dress (2009)
strawberrytaurus 9/4/2009 3:11:00 AM
As soon as I saw a swatch of the new Barbie Loves Stila Little Black Dress smudgepot I called my nearest Sephora and ran down to get it. I love anything with shimmer in it especially if it's purple shimmer so I was ecstatic when I saw that there was a smudgepot released with just that! First off I have to comment on the packaging. I was a huge Barbie fan as a kid but grew out of that pretty quickly. I wasn't overly thrilled that Stila was doing a collection with Barbie but I grew to like it. The smudgepot packaging makes up for all of that. It's so overly cute. The top has a picture of Barbie's eye that winks at you as you move the pot up and down. I would've bought the smudgepot regardless of this but this just makes me like it all the more! Now the color isn't really a black with pink shimmer like it says on stila.com but rather it's a black with the most gorgeous purple shimmer. I would maybe call it a pinky purple. What's amazing about this is that the shimmer actually shows up on the eye unlike other gel liners *cough Blitz & Glitz cough.* The shimmer in this smudgepot is just right...not over the top, not subtle. It's just right and is simply gorgeous. Little Black Dress is the perfect name for this smudgepot because it would look simply amazing with a black dress. I haven't been wearing many black eyeliners lately because they tend to look too harsh on me but I changed my mind for LBD. This is going to be absolutely fabulous for fall/winter. Also the staying power is great. I wore this all day today for over 10 hours in 105+ degree heat and it didn't budge. I checked up on it since I was going to dinner with a friend and didn't have to fix anything about it or reapply. The formula is also super easy to work with. I use this with my MAC 210 eyeliner blush to create a perfect line. For the most part I wear smudgepots as eyeliners but they can also be used as eyeshadows. My lids are very oily so unfortunately I can't wear these as eyeshadows but I've heard that they still don't budge even on the lid. The closest eyeliner I have to this is MAC Miss Fortune Pearlglide liner which was LE. I swatched both together and they're almost exactly alike except that LBD has the black undertones which make it more sultry. I don't wear Miss Fortune that often because it lacks this black undertone and therefore doesn't show up that well on my top lid (so I tend to wear it as an e/l on my bottom lid). I'll be reaching for LBD ALL the time. I've been waiting for something like this for a looong time. Wouldn't it be great if Stila did a whole line of these like a deep green with gold shimmer or a black with teal shimmer? One can only dream right? For now I'll stick with my LBD.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Makeup Art Cosmetics Notoriety Eyeshadow Quad
strawberrytaurus 9/2/2009 3:09:00 AM
I am really really loving the Notoriety quad. At first I debated on whether to get it or not because I have tons of neutrals and thought I could easily dupe the quad. I was wrong. I have a pretty extensive e/s collection but nothing like the colors in the quad especially Skintone 2 and Rich and Earthy. These two are my favorite shadows from the quad. Skintone 2 is the perfect gold. I've been looking for a nice gold that's not too yellow and not too garish or green for awhile now. Skintone 2 fits the bill and is perfectoin. It's buttery smooth and gorgeous. Rich and Earthy compliments it perfectly. Rich and Earthy also has the same buttery texture. I think of it as a burnt coral. Skintone 1 also has the same buttery texture but is not terribly unique. It's a nice highlight color which pretty much every quad has so it compliments the colors nicely. Notoriety is probably the only eyeshadow in the quad that's been giving me problems. It's a little chalky and has copper shimmer in it that sometimes gets everywhere. I'm not loving Notoriety right now but I'm going to give it another chance. I suppose that this comes out of the fact that I'm spoiled by the gorgeous textures by the other 3 shadows. This would've received a perfect 5 stars if it was not for Notoriety. Overall though I love this quad. It's perfect for everyday. I've been wearing Skintone 2 on its own a lot with Tempting in the crease or Skintone 2 the inner half of my lid, Rich and Earthy on the outer half, and Notoriety or Tempting on my crease with Skintone 1 on my browbone to highlight. All of the colors together remind me of a sunset on my eye. It's just gorgeous and perfection for summer. While I also love the Photo Realism quad, Notoriety is more wearable for everyday. In the end I'm really impressed with these two quads from this collection. Way to go MAC!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Styling Tools -Sedu - Ionic Ceramic Professional Flat Iron (Original)
strawberrytaurus 8/12/2009 11:17:00 PM
I've had this flatiron for 3 1/2 years and it's still going strong. I used to use the Hot Tools flatirons but I would have to replace them every 1-2 years. My friend had told me about the Sedu (I had never heard of the brand before) and even let me borrow hers. I couldn't believe the wonders it did to my very very thick, coarse, curly, damaged, frizzy, color-treated hair. Seriously, any bad characteristic that hair could have, well I have it. I've had hair stylists tell me that they have never seen hair like mine. It's that bad. The Sedu completely transforms my hair and turns it into silk. It goes stick straight. I used to have to run my Hot Tools iron through each piece of hair like 4 times...with the Sedu it's only once, maybe twice. It used to take me almost 4 hours...yes 4 HOURS to straighten my hair (blow-dry plus flat iron) and now I have it down to an hour and 15 minutes. This is a life saver. I ordered it from folica.com again on recommendation from my friend and it came with a nice mat to put it on to protect my furniture. After 3+ years I still can't believe the wonders this has done for me. I've recommended it since to many other ladies that are also now thankful to me and even to my sister. The iron is lightweight also compared to my huge Hot Tools cloncker. The plates are smooth so that it doesn't snag my hair at all like my old Hot Tools iron used to. It just glides through my hair. Since my hair is so thick and dry my hair stays straight and frizz free without washing for days! It doesn't damage my hair and my hair looking healthier than ever. The temp goes up to 450 degrees which is perfect again for my hair. I keep it up to 450 all the time. The only, only thing that I dislike now is that the plates are big and I can't curl my hair with it. This is not the iron's fault. I bought the iron with the intentions of just straightening my hair with it, not curling it. Well 3+ years down the line I'm looking for something to curl with also. I just ordered the GHD IV Styler in Pure for that purpose and to straighten little baby hairs and my bangs. The plates on the GHD are smaller so it fits that bill. I almost bought the Sedu Revolution to serve this purpose but my sister has that and the plates for some reason on hers are very slippery with not much grip for my hair. It could be just a defect on hers but I have heard so much about the GHD that I decided to give it a go. I will forever love my Sedu and I'm even skeptical that something could be better (like the GHD). I have no doubts that my Sedu will last me another 3 years. I use it about 2x a week and it's still going strong. I love, love, love it and I will buy this again in a heartbeat once mine bites the dust!
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Style Snob [DISCONTINUED]
strawberrytaurus 7/27/2009 5:41:00 PM
I think that Style Snob is my favorite out of the newer Starflash eyeshadows from the Love That Look collection. Like the reviewer below me stated it is a softer Satin Taupe. I think it may have more grey/taupe in it than brown like Satin Taupe does. I have been wearing this all over my lid with Smoke & Diamonds above the crease and lower lashline, Magnetic Fields in the crease to give it depth, Wolf Pearlglide to line my upper lids and MUFE Aqua Eyes in black on the waterline. I use Your Ladyship Pigment as a highlight under my brow. This gives me a nice taupey/dark brown/grey smokey eye. I love the texture of the eyeshadow too. It's very soft and buttery and glides on my eye easily. I will be reaching for this one a lot. I wish that MAC would make the Starflash e/s permanent.
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -MAC - Mineralize Skinfinish -Shooting Star
strawberrytaurus 7/26/2009 4:58:00 PM
I can't believe that I almost swapped this MSF! The other day I was purging my stash and came across Shooting Star. I have had it since it was released but never used it. I guess I didn't know how to use it since it's a bronze w/ gold veining. I thought that it was too dark to use as a blush and maybe too light to use as a bronzer. I was conflicted and put it up for swap. A few days later I reached for it and decided to gently swipe it all over my face. I was amazed at the end result! This gives me a I'm not wearing bronzer but am just naturally tan look. I'm NC35 so it's very subtle which is nice when I don't want to put on dark matte bronzer (like TF Chocolate Soleil which I love for a darker deeper look). I also love the gold shimmer. Together with the bronze it makes me glow. I don't find the gold shimmer to be very frosty or glittery...it's just the perfect shimmer to compliment the bronze. Since I tried this out it's been removed from my swap list and I've been wearing it almost daily. This is especially nice for summer when you want an overall subtle glow. I've been wearing this with bronzey e/s (UD Get Baked palette) and peachy cheeks. I think it really compliments my skintone. I'm sad that this was LE and hard to find now but I'm glad that I discovered its beauty!
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Fragrances -Vera Wang - rock princess
strawberrytaurus 7/24/2009 11:11:00 PM
I think I'm the only one that loves this fragrance. Yes it's a bit strong and musky but I'm loving it. It smells like a fall/winter fragrance to me though but it's very sultry and mysterious. I'm really bad at describing scents so I'll leave that up to the other girls who know more about that stuff than me. I'd been wanting this one forever and then finally got around to getting it. The first time I had my SO smell it he was in love with it. I love wearing this to go out at night and it lasts forever. I'm kinda sad that this is LE but I'm sure my bottle will last me forever (toward the end of using up a bottle of perfume I'm pretty much sick of it or I love it and buy another but usually the first holds true more often). This one will be put away with my other stronger fall/winter/nighttime scents like Dolce & Gabanna The One and Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No