Candles -Unlisted Brand - Voluspa Candles
taibug27 4/8/2013 1:46:00 PM
These are my favorite candles, so it pains me a little to not give them a 5 out of 5. They certainly bring me a lot of pleasure, and I have been buying them for years now. My favorite is probably the French Bourbon Vanille, but I have tried a good chunk of the entire collection. In fact, as I type I've got the Macaron one from the Maison Blanc collection flickering next to me on my desk, and it smells like a more sophisticated version of the candied almond carts in New York City - can you imagine a better smell on a cold, rainy day? I love them because the fragrances are nuanced, sophisticated and always "just right." Every time someone walks into my office the first thing they comment on is how nice it smells, and yet, it's not an obnoxious smell that pervades the hallway and bothers my co-workers. I'm quite sensitive to smells myself, and the last thing I want to do is drive other people nuts with what I'm burning. Also, the packaging is gorgeous. If you want the biggest smell - at home, for example - go for the three-wick tins. If you want a more localized smell, like I want for my office, go for the double or single wick options, which come in a really lovely variety of containers. When the candle burns out, pour hot water in them and discard the wax, and you've got a gorgeous container for your vanity, desk, whatever. (Don't dump the wax down the sink.) Now, the reason I haven't given them a 5 out of 5 is that as lovely as these smell, they don't provide the instant gratification I want. I realize that sometimes it takes an hour or so for smell to develop, for the wax to melt, and that's fine. But with a good portion of these candles, the true smell doesn't manifest until the third or fourth burning - after which, they smell great before you even light them, and everything is so lovely it makes it almost worth the wait. Almost. Bu these are just way too expensive to have to burn through a quarter of the candle to get to the good stuff.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Korres - Quercetin & Oak Antiageing Foundation
taibug27 3/27/2013 1:50:00 PM
I tried this in both porcelain and bisque, and was thrilled to have such light options in both a yellow and pink hue. A little goes a long way, and I didn't need to "build" to get the coverage I wanted - which, btw, is pretty full. My usual go-to foundation is Estee Lauder Double Wear. It did seem quite slippy - like it wouldn't set, and since I don't have an abundance of time to wait and see if it would, I just set it with my Estee Lauder translucent loose powder. The finish is lovely! My skin looks pretty darn near perfect, but not at all mask-like.
The two downsides are that I noticed a tiny bit of settling into fine lines (but not pores), and the cost.
That being said - this a great foundation, and if you've been looking for an all natural foundation solution like I have, this might be the best out there.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Korres - Quercetin & Oak Antiageing Foundation 05 Bisque
taibug27 3/27/2013 12:31:00 PM
I tried this in both porcelain and bisque, and was thrilled to have such light options in both a yellow and pink hue. A little goes a long way, and I didn't need to "build" to get the coverage I wanted - which, btw, is pretty full. My usual go-to foundation is Estee Lauder Double Wear. It did seem quite slippy - like it wouldn't set, and since I don't have an abundance of time to wait and see if it would, I just set it with my Estee Lauder translucent loose powder. The finish is lovely! My skin looks pretty darn near perfect, but not at all mask-like. The two downsides are that I noticed a tiny bit of settling into fine lines (but not pores), and the cost. That being said - this a great foundation, and if you've been looking for an all natural foundation solution like I have, this might be the best out there.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Julie Hewett - Nude Noir
taibug27 1/9/2013 5:27:00 PM
Nude is so subjective. This lipstick is the exact color of my lips - so maybe it's not nude for some people, but for me, yeah, it works. Regardless - I'm not interested in semantics - I'm more interested in how it looks. Like I said, it's the color of my lips, but it has a frost to it. Generally I find frost to be an abhorrent quality in a lipstick, reminding me of my first forays into cosmetics in middle school. *Shudder.* However, the shimmer on this is pretty subtle, and I will forgive it anything for what it does to my teeth. For herein lies the magic of this lipstick, and what makes me tote it around instead of any of the other 60 odd lip products I own: it makes me look like a toothpaste spokeswoman. When I wear it, my teeth look incredibly white. Other pluses: it wears really well, lasts for quite a while, never looks over applied, and doesn't leave an awkward ring around the lips when it does. However, it is drying, which seems to go hand in hand with most long wearing lipsticks.
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Lotions/ Creams -Kiehls - Imperial Body Balm
taibug27 10/9/2012 7:36:00 PM
I must stop finding products like this - so fabulous you have to buy them in spite of the wallet gouging price tag. First the NARS blush brush, and now this. Sigh. Ok, so to break it down - this comes in a black tub and is a thiiick sunny yellow. It smells like cocoa butter, shea butter, and honey, and if you're familiar with seabuckthorn's earthy spicy smell - a bit of that also. Now, as a rule, I cannot stand the smell of cocoa butter, because it smells like that really gaggy stuff you get slathered in at cheap nail salons. I also don't favor very sweet smells in my moisturizers. The Imperial Body Balm, though - I don't know if it's because of the slightly spicy element to the smell, or if they use better ingredients, or what, but this is really lovely. The lotion takes a little longer than most to absorb in, but just by a tiny bit, probably because it's so thick. It moisturizes beautifully, beating out pretty much every lotion I've ever used, including the MUA favorite, coconut oil. The only thing I've found to rival it is Yes to Carrot's body butter, which I would offer up as a significantly better priced alternative. However, nothing I've ever used has felt as luxurious as this, and I find myself surreptitiously sniffing my forearms during the day in an attempt to get another whiff of the smell. I like it enough to have bought a backup tub - does that say enough? I've heard a vicious rumor that this is being discontinued. Say it ain't so, Kielhs!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -NARS - 27 - Yachiyo
taibug27 8/22/2012 3:37:00 PM
I didn't want to like this. It's too expensive, and it looked a little flimsy. I was all kinds of skeptical. But then I went through this bizarre phase where suddenly I felt like I'd forgotten how to apply blush, and I just kept looking like a clown. So I researched, I poured over reviews, and yada yada yada, I bought the brush. But you'd better believe I kept the receipt. Nordstrom will take anything back, and I was prepped to take this back the minute it wasn't as magical as everyone made it sound. Two weeks later, I threw the receipt away. Basically, this brush is so good that you'd have to go out of your way to look bad after using it. It's basically foolproof. I've been using it with my holy grail NARS blush in Gaiety, and I look fresh and alert and just glowy. Someone mentioned that there's a technique to using it - involving drawing a triangle with the tip and then smoothing with the side, but honestly I've just been going at it in my usual clumsy fashion, attacking my cheeks any old how, and the results are still great. Totally smooth, no harsh edges, just lit-from-within goodness. Honestly, you can't ask for more from a blush brush.
14 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Revlon - Colorstay Longwear Nail Enamel
taibug27 8/20/2012 5:10:00 PM
I've almost always had great experiences with Revlon polishes, but recently I bought Pale Cashmere - and it might be the worst polish I've ever owned. First, the positives - it's a gorgeous color. As long as no one looks at my nails close up, it looks beautiful. Second, the negatives - I painted my nails (both hands - two coats each time) with Pale Cashmere a total of three times before finally giving up on it. On the first try it was too thick, wildly streaky and bubbly! It would look perfect going on, and then bubble. So I removed the polish from my nails, and thinned out the polish with polish thinner and applied it again - also two coats. Still SO streaky, and still bubbles, although thankfully smaller this time. I thinned a second time, and applied it once more to my nails, and it was STILL streaky and the tiny bubbles were STILL there! I was so aggravated at this point that I threw a topcoat on anyway and left it at that. And now today, all day I will look down at my nails and wince at how jacked up they are. A couple of things of note - I am really good at doing my own nails. I've been doing them for years and years - I usually change my polish once or twice a week, and I've go the method down. Most streaky polishes don't faze me, and I can work around it, and all is fine with the right top coat. My point is - this is not user error. This polish has completely confounded me, and I am probably unreasonably bugged about it - but I really had high hopes for it. It is SUCH a lovely color. I'm just going to have to toss it - I wouldn't give this to anyone.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Stila - Kitten
taibug27 7/27/2012 3:22:00 PM
Blarg. I want to love this. I really do. But I'm right in that weird category where I have just enough yellow olive in my very pale skin that this makes me look like my eyes are dull. I've seen on other people how it just brightens their whole face and is totally marvelous. For me it does the exact opposite. Very sad. I've had it for years, and every few months will go back and try it again on the off chance that maybe I'll be a little darker or paler, and it will be a good match.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Estee Lauder - Double Wear LIGHT Foundation SPF10
taibug27 7/27/2012 3:19:00 PM
I love this. A lot. Will keep buying it. You need less than you think. Wears all day.
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Eyeliner -Physicians Formula - Shimmer strips custom eye enhancing eyeliner trio
taibug27 6/22/2012 5:27:00 PM
I had incredibly low expectations for this product. In fact, I'm not even sure why I picked it up, except that they were having a BOGO sale and I wanted the pearly highlighter also from PF. I tried them out this morning - black on the top lid and purple underneath, and then swatched all three on the back of my hand. It's been 6 hours, and the lines on my eyes are still pristine, and the swatches on the back of my hand haven't budged (although they faded about 50% after I washed my hands with soap and hot water - but the line is still crisp). So the biggest thing about these - my very favorite point - is that they don't make my eyes water. Everything makes my eyes water, and so it's just a matter of time before I cry off at least the outer edges of my eyeliner, and it has to be reapplied. Not a problem with these. I'm really excited about this!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Other -Aveda - Blue Oil
taibug27 5/31/2012 5:44:00 PM
I bought a bottle of this about two months ago after experiencing it time and time again in the little pre-haircut massage that my stylist always does. It was my favorite part of the whole experience. But then I didn't really use it that much - just left it on my desk at work next to the Chapstick and mini post-its. And then I gave up caffeine, and the three o'clock slumps got bad, and I needed something to wake me up. So one day I rolled a generous amount of this on my palm, rubbed both hands together, cupped my hands over my mouth and nose and inhaled deeply. Lo and behold, it woke me right up, cleared my sinuses, and felt amaaaazing. It's a combination of clarity and relaxation - ha, I sound like I'm pushing some kind of drug. I've got a few co-workers hooked on it now for this exact same use. The smell doesn't linger for much longer than about 15 minutes, but I imagine that anything longer would be obnoxious. I'd rather just reapply. That being said - this is too expensive. I could probably buy a small tub of Vicks vapo rub and get the same effect, even if it's not as refined in fragrance. But seriously, the price is marketing. There's no reason an oil with peppermint in it should have such weak staying power and still cost so much - just none whatsoever. I can't speak to the bottle breaking, since like I said, I keep mine on my desk. But it's a pretty flimsy little thing. A drop onto tile from even a foot or two would most likely shatter it.
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Blush -NARS - Gaiety
taibug27 5/29/2012 6:23:00 PM
I love this blush - it might be my favorite NARS blush even, and I have almost all of them. It just makes your face look so fresh and awake. I have brown eyes, and I swear it makes them look brighter. It lasts pretty well for me - I have dry skin though, so that helps.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Fendi - Fan di Fendi
taibug27 5/29/2012 6:16:00 PM
This is my new favorite. It does great things with my body chemistry and it is sophisticated but not too heavy handed - reminds me of Chanel Chance like that. It's feminine but not overly sweet or flowery, but still a bit of both. Basically I like it, and a month and a half later, I still like it. People who think it smells like their aunt.... must have nice smelling aunts.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Bobbi Brown - Long Wear Cream Shadow in Galaxy
taibug27 4/13/2012 3:49:00 PM
This dries out really quickly and is so hard to blend. I hate cream shadows that drag on my eyelids, but without really rubbing it in, it'll just stay on my finger or brush. Even with very careful application this just gets super patchy. It's a gorgeous color and I want to like it - every time I go to sort through my stash I keep it because it's just so darn pretty - but I never wear it because it applies so badly. Very sad.
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Eyeliner -NARS - Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner - Via Veneto
taibug27 4/13/2012 3:41:00 PM
Super black, lasts a long time on my eyelids - and my eyes water like crazy (unrelated to product, it happens whether or not I wear makeup) AND my lids are oily. By far the best pencil I've found - for both regular and on the tightline or waterline. I can go to bed with it on, and it's still on the next morning. Unheard of for me. That being said, I have a feeling it's going to dry out faster than most pencils, and the price is kinda gross. But until I find something better (and I'm always looking!) this is my go to.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No