Eye Shadow -Too Faced - Violet Femme
sweetfart 5/17/2013 12:35:00 AM
*Photo linked below* This shadow is freaking gorgeous. I went on a hunt for purple and lavender shadows, and I couldn't believe how hard it was to find a light purple shadow with gold shimmer, rather than silver shimmer. On my NC25 skin alone, it shows up as a dusty darker lilac, almost plum. But not vibrant tacky purple. Silver + purple can easily make it look just silver from a distance. But gold shimmer goes well with warmer and darker skin tones, and really contrasts well against the purple. Too Faced IMO is way underrated. Their products have always been very high quality and highly pigmented. Violet Femme is one of those shadows that will change according to what it underneath it. It is way more pigmented and sparkly on a primer. If you just want a subtle wash of light purple with minimal sparkle, just use it on bare skin. On the photo below, from left to right is TF Violet Femme on bare skin, the larger swatch is over Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer, and the way right swatch is over Mac Nylon shadow (I attempted to see what it would look like with more shimmer underneath). Photo was taken without flash indoor under incandescent lighting. http://img.makeupalley.com/0/5/0/3/2431765.JPG
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Lipstick -MAC - Satin Lipstick - Myth
sweetfart 5/15/2013 12:32:00 AM
Arrf, the only time I ever wanted to be pale was when using this lipstick. It's gorgeous. But it's just too damn light for my NC25/30 complexion. No matter what I try, I just can't get it to work. I'm not giving it low ratings, because I think anyone NW/NC20 or lighter will love this. It's truly a delicious pale peach-pink-beige neutral combo that will go well on cool or warm tones. If I wasn't so lazy, I would wear this with a darker gloss on top so it will blend with my darker complexion it but I don't feel like doing that. I've also seen blogs where people with much darker skin were using this as a highlighter with really good lip lining, so that's another idea (I don't feel like doing that either) Coverage can easily be built to opaque and full within 3 swipes. On my highly pigmented lips, a sheer wash of this just looks grey. If I make it opaque, it looks like concealer. Boo. I really think it's gorgeous though. It's not very moisturizing, though (but not ultra matte either). Lasts longer than a glossier lipstick. If you are PPP, you should try Myth along with Nars Sex Appeal blush for the ultimate peaches n cream meets boudoir look. I envy anyone who can pull this color off. Anyone darker might want to try Peachstock, although that pulls orange.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -NYX - Xtreme lip cream
sweetfart 5/8/2013 4:46:00 PM
I'm not a big fan of NYX products, as I find them too sheer in pigment and quality. But this one is the exception. Natural 10 is a great natural looking nude on an NC25-30 complexion. Opaque, full coverage. Not really glossy in texture but still much shinier than a matte. Much thinner in texture than OCC lip tar but just as much coverage. Great product.
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Liquid -100 Percent Pure - HEALTHY SKIN FOUNDATION WITH SUPER FRUITS SPF 20 (full coverage / satin finish)
sweetfart 4/21/2013 1:29:00 AM
I can see why this got high ratings, but I still think Covergirl 3 in 1 is better for long wear. First thing to know: this is NOT for dry skin of any kind. This is an extreme matte finish and it dries very quickly upon application. More matte than MUFE Velvet +. Texture is drier than Estee Lauder DL. I would call this foundation a densely concentrated LIQUID POWDER. Coverage is full, although I had to dab a little more on my darkest scars. The finished look is similar to Covergirl 3 in 1, but because this has a thinner consistency than CG it doesn't get as patchy as CG does around my nose and doesn't suck onto my moisturizer and cake up. However, I noticed that it doesn't hold up well throughout the day as well as CG 3 in 1 (probably because CG contains primer properties). It does also have that unavoidable ugly flatness/grey cast that every ultra-matte foundation has. I would not use this for photos. So it's not perfect, but pretty impressive for an "all-natural" foundation. I tend to find that cosmetics labeled "all natural" are usually subpar in quality, with zero coverage. This one is an exception. I am around NC25-30 now and I got this in Peach Bisque, which is a tad too dark for me (more on the NC30-NC35 side IMO). It's very yellow in undertone. Color range is limited. I normally don't care about packaging, but one gripe is that the pump doesn't have a long tube that extends to the bottom of the canister. It is a short-cut tube, which means you have to store it upside or shake real hard before each use to round up the foundation in the pump.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Cork
sweetfart 4/14/2013 3:52:00 PM
I uploaded a photo and linked it and the bottom of this review. I was using UD Buck in my crease and I read endless reviews noting that it's a dupe for MAC Cork. Saw photos of the two on other people's hands and they looked identical. No they aren't. Look at the photo below. MAC Cork is clearly much warmer, lighter, and more golden brown. UD Buck is closer to MAC Quarry or Haux, in that it's cooler with some grey tones to it. I guess if you have extremely fair skin, they will both look dark brown on you and perhaps that's why I was confused as to why they looked the same on other people's skin. But on my NC25-30 skin, you can definitely see the difference. I personally like MAC Cork better as a crease/blending color, although I wish it were a tad darker. Cork is like the warmer, more golden version of MAC Wedge. But there is no comparison between this and UD Buck. I also noticed MAC Cork is more pigmented. This photo below shows 2 swipes of Cork, whereas for Buck I had to layer about 3-4 swipes to get it as pigmented. http://img.makeupalley.com/0/5/0/3/2417383.JPG
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Too Faced - La Creme Lipstick - Naked Dolly
sweetfart 4/12/2013 1:07:00 AM
Swatch photo below. I am currently around NC30 and contrary to other reviews, this did NOT wash me out nor did I find it too cool-toned. It is a perfect nude lip for me, albeit a very light nude lip. Ive noticed some people's concept of "nude lips" differ....dark coral, bright pink, dark orange peach, mauve. I don't call those nude lips regardless of skintone. My definition is a shade that is as close to the skin color as possible, with an overcast of pink, peach, beige, or brown. But I will say Naked Dolly is about as light as I can go, with a pop of pink (but no where near as pale or pink as MAC Hue). This stuff is VERY glossy. I am impressed at how a gloss can deposit so much pigment and color. Way more glossy than MAC's glaze or lustre lipsticks. I love it. The shade kinda reminds me of the now discontinued Revlon Soft Nude, but Too Faced is slightly lighter and more pink. FYI I have extremely pigmented (berry red) lips and upon two or three good swipes of this I was able to get nearly full coverage. Problem is because it's so glossy the color does seep into the cracks of your lips and seems to slide a bit. So it's not full on opaque coverage. But I like it this way, because it looks more natural. This is a good subtle gloss-lipstick cross. Worth the money for that pigmentation. P.S. Not that I usually care about packaging, but the tube is a cute gold finish and the lid was very cleverly designed. It has a stopper, so when you shut it, you don't hear a loud click. Nice way to keep it discreet when I'm reapplying in the office! http://img.makeupalley.com/0/5/0/3/2425280.JPG
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -NARS - Lip Lacquer in Chelsea Girls
sweetfart 4/8/2013 11:55:00 PM
This is a hard one to review. On one hand, it's definitely more pigmented and fuller in coverage than your standard lip gloss. But it's still not as opaque as your average lipstick. I'd liken the coverage to that of a MAC lustre lipstick. I had to goop and gop this on my lips to achieve medium-full coverage, though I do have very pigmented natural lips. The color has potential to be either the most beautiful nude I've ever seen, or yet another bland nude that pulls greyish. Problem is, I can't really tell because the sheerness kicks in with my pigmented lips. If you have lighter lips, it obviously won't affect pigmentation. The shade looks like MAC Jubilee in the pot. In bright lighting, it appears as if this was a neutral pink nude on me in store lighting (I'm currently around NC25). But when I went outside in dim daylight (well, we don't really have sunlight here in Seattle), it appeared darker and almost coral. I still can't decide if this is more of a lip gloss or a lipstick. I honestly would like it to be more opaque, but then again the gloss aspect of it does make it look more natural and melts in with the complexion. Is it worth $25? No. Come back when you have fuller coverage and more pigmentation and then we'll talk, Nars.
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Primer/ Corrector -Yves Saint Laurent - Touche Eclat (Radiant Touch)
sweetfart 4/7/2013 4:14:00 PM
Zero coverage, so it's not a concealer. Did not experience any highlighting, so it's not a highlighter. Unless you buy it in a lighter shade to highlight via color play, but you can do that with any other real concealer. This hardly even gave a tint to my under eyes and did nothing to blur imperfections where I dabbed it. Nothing light-reflecting about this. What is the point of this if it's not going to conceal or highlight? Overpriced, overhyped crap.
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Liquid -NARS - Sheer Glow Foundation
sweetfart 4/6/2013 10:45:00 PM
I am roughly an NC20-25 right now and although I have extremely oily skin, I hate matte finishes. On the other hand, dewy finishes can be absolute horror on my face. I was looking for a nice medium between the two. Pros: - Beautiful, radiant finish. Not shiny and dewy like YSL Eclat/Lancome Miracle/Dior Nude, but just a natural looking glow that isn't matte nor shiny. It's almost a wax-like look (which is more human-like) rather than a plastic look. - Unlke most foundation brands which call particular shades "yellow" in undertone when they are actually an unflattering warm BEIGE, Nars really does have honest yellow shades. If you are in the NC20-NC30 range, you should look at Fiji, Ceylan (which is actually lighter than Fiji despite the number system), or Punjab. - Coverage is light-medium, which could be a good or bad thing. Definitely more coverage than a tinted moisturizer but not enough to cover very dark scars. Cons: - This has zero oil control. But honestly, I'm okay with that because I've used foundations long enough to know that it's a matter of oil control vs. natural-looking finish. The more matte & more oil-controlling the foundation, the more flat and unnatural the finish. The more radiant and natural the finish, the oilier you will get. You just have to decide which is more important to you. - Even though it's not matte, I still wouldn't call this moisturizing. I have small dry patches in certain areas and this did bunch up around those areas. If you are extremely dry, you might need something even more moisturizing. - You have to buy a pump separately. Overall, this is ideal for someone with moderately dry/combo/just barely oily skin. Like I said, I am unfortunately on the extreme end of the spectrum where I am very oily. But for now, I don't mind blotting and reapplying throughout the day.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Cover Girl - Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation
sweetfart 3/27/2013 1:31:00 PM
Ermahgerd! Move over, Revlon Colorstay. There's a new sheriff in town. Prior to Covergirl Outlast 3 in 1, Revlon CS was really the only full coverage drugstore foundation with some oil control. But it's tacky, sticky, thick, and paint-like. Didn't hold up well to oil as it promised. Enter Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation. They could've given it a shorter name, but it's fabulous indeed. Don't know how true the Primer-Concealer-Foundation claim is, but I never use primers anyway. This has held up over 6 six hours on my face even better than my previous daily foundie, MUFE Mat Velvet+. Coverage is full enough to cover my dark red/almost purple acne scars, although I did need to build up a couple layers to REALLY get opaque coverage. This is not as opaque as Kat Von D Lock-It, which I think is a good thing as CG looks more natural. Finish is a smoother matte, similar to MUFE Mat Velvet. It's not the flat, paint-like matte of Estee Lauder Double Wear. Cons? The color range. But I have yet to find a drugstore foundation brand with better color ranges and even most HE foundies fail to impress me. Haven't yet experienced oxidation as others have been noting. As with most drugstore foundies, CG lacks in the yellow undertones. Nude Beige has been discussed as being the yellowest, and it's for medium complexions. I am a neutral NC/NW25-30 and I went for Warm Beige. It's a neutral, yellow-leaning shade. Honestly, it's kinda dark. I think it's better suited for an NC35. I will probably go back and get the Nude Beige. But most of the shades are pink-based. Also, the finish is not as beautiful and airbrushed as my all-time HG Diorskin Airflash, but then again it's also like $50 less than Dior so what do I expect. Don't expect a radiant, brightening effect like Nars Sheer Glow. You rarely get that with any matte foundations. Can't have your cake and eat it too. Other than color, I think I may be onto a new Holy Grail for everyday foundies. I have only used it for one day, so I will update in a couple weeks if my opinion changes. UPDATE 3/28/2013: This foundation is a record breaker in that it kept me from breaking oily shine in 6 hours - I get oily within 3 hours with most foundations. However, my opinions have gone down in regards to finish and color. I went back and got Nude Beige, which seems to be a better fit for NC30. It is the yellowest one I could find, but still has a faint grey-beige cast to it. Just a warning: this stuff goes on lighter and oxidizes darker. Also, the finish is very bland. I will continue to use for everyday wear, but not for special occasions. Stil great performance wise.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Make Up For Ever - Mat Velvet PLUS Matifying Foundation
sweetfart 3/17/2013 2:35:00 PM
My opinions sway back and forth on this one. I am around an NC25-NC30 right now, although I'm really neutral toned I like yellow tones. I use #40. I have extremely oily skin, and I tried EL Double Wear, Revlon CS, Dior Forever, and many powder foundations including Mac SF powder. Pros: by far the best matte finish of all matte foundations. It really does live up to it's name of being velvety. It's a smoother, buttery type of matte rather than flat, dry paint matte texture like EL Double Wear. It is full coverage upon two or three applications. The bottle is very hygienic as well. Cons: awful color range, especially for yellow tones. All the shades have this unflattering greyish beige tint to it (perhaps the mattifying ingredients cause it) and it just makes the complexion look dull and almost dead. Also, the staying power is pretty bad. It started melting away from my nose and chin within a few hours and by the end of the work day, it was fading from my face and just made me look dirty. Without blotting or powdering, I broke shine within about 4 hours. That's a little better than the 2 hours I start getting oily with other foundations.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Chanel - Perfection Lumiere
sweetfart 3/13/2013 11:10:00 PM
I put all of my new foundations and samples to the same test when I bring it home: I try it on in front of the fluorescent lighted mirror on my desk. I always look at my left cheek, which has deep pockmarks, pores, and scarring, to see how it holds up. Chanel Perfection Lumiere failed my test. I've had even better luck with crappy foundations such as MAC Studio Fix and Maybelline Fit Me. There is nothing special about this foundation other than the shade range. The coverage is medium at most, the finish is matte but this gets patchy, so oily areas will bleed through before you know it if you're super oily like me. If I'm going to pay $55 for a foundation, it better damn well impress me. And don't tell me to spend an extra $20, $30, $40 on a primer to put under it. When I pay that much for a foundation it better do it ALL. I better see some kinda halo like glow around my face. Nope. Not with this. All I saw was patchy drugstore-quality color on my face, visible pores, visible scarring, and already saw oil peek through within 2 hours. The finish is not glowy and beautiful, it looks the same as the ugly powdery look you get from Bare Minerals. If you are interested in high end foundations, I would check out Guerlain's foundations. Guerlain has ones for oil control, radiance, and moisture and they are effective. Only thing is their colors suck compared to Chanel. But Chanel is not worth the price for the crap quality.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Shiseido - Eyelash Curler
sweetfart 3/1/2013 1:23:00 PM
I am biracial Asian-white. My eyes are larger than the average Asian eyes and my lids are more hooded than the average non-Asian eye. I also inherited my Caucasian side's hairiness (in fact I'm probably hairier than most white people...don't laugh). As much as I hate having to wax my upper lip and pluck my brows every two weeks, being hairy blesses you with naturally long eyelashes. But you can't see them under my hooded eyes without me curling them. Shu Uemura and most other curlers are way too curved for my eyes. I could not find a flatter curler anywhere. Shiseido's is the only one can that grab just about every section at the root because of it's flatter curvature. The Shiseido curler might be a little TOO flat for me or someone with very round, popping eyes, but having a too flat curler is better than a too-curved one because you can just move it around and curl in sections. Can't do that with a very curved curler. I never realized how much of a difference an eyelash curler can make until the past couple years. Prior to that, I was always blaming mascaras for not making my lashes curl and pop out. For a really long-lasting curl, you can take a lighter to the top metal part (careful not to burn the rubber!) for a few seconds. Just like curling the hair on your head, heat will help your lashes stay curled.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Blackberry Eyeshadow
sweetfart 3/1/2013 12:31:00 AM
I'm on the fence about this shade. It's certainly a beautiful plum which has the potential to create natural looking depth, but it's so hard to blend that I always end up looking like I have bruised eyes when I put it in the crease. I think this would be too dark for someone lighter than NC20. This is ultra matte in finish, and it's hard for the brush to pick up color and hard for it to blend out on the skin. Careful.
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Lipstick -Rimmel - Lasting Matte Finish by Kate Moss
sweetfart 2/10/2013 5:07:00 PM
I bought 113 for my (currently) NC20-NC25 complexion. This reminds me of MAC Myth, except 113 is less opaque and perhaps slightly darker. So maybe it's more appropriate to say it's a cross between MAC Myth & Peachstock. It has pink, beige, and peach tones to it. On me, it pulls peachy beige. Kinda looks like concealer on me. The consistency is why I rated so low. It's slippery - and not in a good moisturizing way. I mean, it transfers easily (onto my teeth and slides around the lips too much). The semi-matte texture is not flattering on dry or wrinkled lips. This was not opaque enough to cover my extremely pigmented lips, but was enough to wash out my complexion a tad.
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