Lips -NYX - Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm
sydcricket 2/1/2013 8:34:00 PM
I have overdosed on orange/peachy shades lately and my search for a nice nude has either resulted in a) grey lips or b) shades too peachy that I already have enough of. This one is perfect for me! As others have said, it's got a little more pigment/pink to it to make it stand out from the rest of your face if you are fair (NW20 here) but it is a much better look for me than something that sinks my lips into my face. As a girl with not very full lips, it's not a good look for me. This is similar to the London color - but I felt that color would be too yellow/brown for me. Packaging - no frills but great! Consistency - creamy and dries nicely without flake-ifying the lips. Would definitely repurchase. This would be a great extra to stash in my car.
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Shampoo -Batiste - Dry shampoo - Brunette
sydcricket 12/18/2012 12:39:00 PM
The original Batiste gets 5 lippies from me but I just can't stand the brunnette one. Like others have said, the smell is just awful. Sweet and creepy. And in my experience, it doesn't go away. I hate hair products with strong smells. Additionally, the powder comes out brown but it turns white anyway, so what is the point? I have dark brown, thick hair and the original white absorbs and isn't detectable. I'd just stick with the original. If you don't like the scent of the original (it just smells...I dunno mineral-y) the "British" scent (what does that even mean?) is much more neutral than the brunette and the can has a cute union jack design - I'd go with that.
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Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - With Love by Hilary Duff
sydcricket 12/10/2012 12:03:00 AM
I was enticed by the good reviews I'd read about this perfume and I was itching to try out a new scent. I'm extremely picky - I like sweetness but nothing too sugary or sharp, musky but not skunky and spicy but not peppery. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this fragrance but it sure is keeping me interested! I'm impressed considering it's a celebrity scent. It is a great warm, winter fragrance. It has a sweetness to it - on my skin it does smell quite a bit like brown sugar. I totally know what a reviewer below means by ''warm apple juice'' - kind of like a cider. The muskiness is relatively subtle. The staying power is excellent and I got it DIRT cheap. Would definitely recommend - especially at a discount price.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Lusture Eyeshadow - Goldbit
sydcricket 6/21/2012 7:42:00 PM
DROOL - This one one of the first ever HE eyeshadows I bought wayyy back in the day from the Tantress collection. I think I still have the empty copper colored pot! I just recently found my backups stash and found two more Goldbits I must have bought in a frenzy when it was re-released with Lustre vision. Unlike a lot of old makeup I used to LUV but find underwhelming these days, Goldbit has stood the test of time. Maybe it's just nostalgia but it's the perfect light peachy gold. Great for all over when I'm feeling minimal and always as a highlight!
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Foundations -Burberry - Sheer Foundation
sydcricket 5/9/2012 4:17:00 PM
I normally wear shu uemura 774 and I find Burberry's No. 6 matched my skin perfectly - next to lightest with a slightly yellow undertone. However, shu remains my favorite foundation. As I get older my skin is becoming dryer and I find it incompatible with the Burberry foundation. It just ''sticks'' to my skin too much and I find it hard to smooth out in a sheer layer. Putting it on directly after my moisturizer helps, but I still end up with a cakey look if I'm not careful. I would recommend this for women with more normal skin. Edit: Gotta return to say that before I was applying it with just my fingers and found it did go on a bit heavy. Using a kabuki brush though, or even a regular synthetic foundation brush it goes on like a dream! Very sheer and natural! I'm going to switch this up with my Shu since that one is such a PITA to get when it runs out. LUV
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Palettes -Stila - Ultimate color palette
sydcricket 3/21/2012 2:03:00 PM
I was reaaaal suspicious of this since brand names do often churn out crap merchandise specifically for Costco, but I was encouraged by the reviews here. At first I was a little underwhelmed, as I think my expectations were a little TOO high. Not all of the colors are pigmented the same and the lip colors are pretty forgettable, but as I've been messing around with this I've REALLY been liking the quality and variety of the colors and have been reaching for it often. The price can't be beat and if you are looking to experiment with new colors this is the way to go. I just changed from plantinum blonde back to dark brown and colors have been looking really wonky on me. I'm really glad to have this palette to try out new ones - colors I never thought would look good. There are a good balance of matte and shimmer shades and most are very wearable (will probably never touch those light blues though - yikes). The quality may not be the butter soft Stila standard but they are still excellent.
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Eye Shadow -NYX - Extreme Apricot
sydcricket 3/20/2012 5:15:00 AM
Man oh man I LOVE this! Was looking for a bright matte blush to go with all the corally red lipsticks I've been rocking and took the advice of the other reviewers here and picked this up as a NARS Exhibit A dupe. I am very pale and with a light hand this gives a sheer wash of a bright color! (Does that make sense?) I picked up a fan brush was recommended to use with this but it goes on chunky and in way to large of a radius that way. I find this goes on just fine with my angled blush brush, used very lightly. It is very pigmented! I don't know if I'll ever use this for its intended purpose as an eyeshadow but it is going to have a long and beloved life as a blush!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -E.L.F. - Cream Eyeliner - All Colors
sydcricket 3/14/2012 12:24:00 AM
Pretty darn good for the price. If it wasn't for essence's amazing (and similarly priced) gel liner, I would have given it 4 lippies! I have super oily lids and using UDPP it doesn't crease unless its a particularly bad day for me. Great deep black. Stays on forever! My only complaint is that is a bit on the dyer (think thick cream rather than a more fluid gel) side and so it sometimes ''catches'' on the lid leaving skin showing through that needs to be filled in. I use NYX's synthetic liner brush with it. It's not perfect but has excellent lasting power and color and I'll deal with it's quirks rather than shell out mucho $$ for MAC.
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Shampoo -Unlisted Brand - Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo
sydcricket 3/7/2012 5:51:00 PM
I've got thick, dark, hair which gets oily in a matter of hours and I really have to keep laughing at these ''invisible'' dry shampoos. I feel like they're ''invisible'' because they don't do anything!! I guess this stuff would be good if you have normal or dry hair and need to get rid of that "24 hour" sheen your hair gets when you can't wash it daily, but it probably only be effective on the "6 hour" sheen I get. A day later? Forget it. Useless. The more expensive "invisible" ones are no better. Anyone have a good rec for one of those good old talcum powdery ones that don't stink and have lots in the can? I'm desperate.
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Eyeliner -Essence - Gel Eyeliner
sydcricket 3/6/2012 11:44:00 PM
Incredible! Smooth, dark and creamy. Dries beautifully. I had my husband bring me some of these back from Germany but I guess you can get them at Ulta here in the US! I have suuuuper oily lids and I was sad when this and my elf gel liner (still good, but less smooth to apply) kept creasing, even with primer. I thought I'd have to go back to liquid, which doesn't doesn't last as long as gels on me. But I finally invested in UDPP and that along with this stuff works wonders!! I've got the black but I'm going to try to get my hands on the other colors.
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Lipstick -NYX - Round Lipstick in Pumpkin Pie #630
sydcricket 3/4/2012 3:15:00 PM
I am happy with the color of this lipstick, but there are just too many cons. It was hard for me, too, to find a color that didn't make me look dead. This color has just enough pinky-orange to make the good pale orange nude I was looking for, but everytime I wear it, I wish I hadn't put it on. It's thin, not long lasting, and the TASTE is horrible. That perfumey air freshener scent always rubs into my mouth. Blech.
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Lipstick -Revlon - Revlon Colorburst in Peach
sydcricket 3/4/2012 3:12:00 PM
I'm not as impressed with the Colorburst line as I was with SuperLustrous and the Matte line. I find the consistency to be waxy, thin and not very long lasting. Peach is a very pretty color, a nice light, peachy orange-pink. If you are getting a good bargain, I'd say its worth it. But don't pay full price.
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Eye Shadow -NYX - Suede
sydcricket 2/28/2012 2:37:00 AM
Going back to my natural dark brown roots after six (!!) years as a platinum blonde has brought all sorts of new makeup challenges. Previously, the blondeness and paleness of my skin left a blank canvas that needed only a very light hand with makeup and colors really popped. Now colors that used to shine on their own look much different, and I have to apply a lot more of everything to make anything stick out. I used to use MAC's Soft Brown as a crease or all-over lid color nearly on the daily as a blondie but now it looks much lighter and oranger and does nothing for the yellow undertones of my face. "Sallow" is the word I've feeling about the old face these days. It took me ages to find a brownie equivalent that set the right tone for my makeup and NYX's Suede is it!! It's also a medium brown but is much more of a true brown, a little bit deeper than Soft Brown and has the tiniest bit of sheen that gives it depth and richness. Glad I've found it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Dove - Shampoo for Dry Hair
sydcricket 2/19/2012 2:04:00 PM
Terrible. It works ok (does spray on chalky but my dark hair still absorbs it) but I think I was only able to use it 3 or 4 times before the can was empty. Compare to 20x I can use a big can of batiste. If only bastiste was cheaper in the US!
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Lipstick -Revlon - Siren
sydcricket 1/30/2012 3:02:00 PM
Just wanted to let y'all know - I went into my local California CVS today looking for dry shampoo (Jan 30th 2012) and found that this particular shade was marked 75% down! Now, CVS jacks their prices up high, full price Revlon lipsticks were a whopping $9.75 (in contrast to six bucks at Target across the street!) But the deep discount (ended up being about $2.50 made it worth it.) Are they discontinuing this shade or is CVS just getting rid of it?
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