Mascara -Stila - Major Lash Mascara
vaka 10/5/2009 12:01:00 AM
I hated everything about this mascara except the packaging, which is nice and sleek. The problems: -The wand is blunt on the end, which makes it hard to get into the inner corners. -The formula seemed very dry, even when I opened the tube for the first time. -It is VERY clumpy. I'm guessing it's meant to be a volumizing mascara, but for me it was clump city. -The color is not very saturated. It made my eyelashes appear greyish compared to my black eye liner. I got this in the ULTAmate set also. I would never pay full price and won't buy it again.
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Eye Shadow -Aromaleigh - Opulent Lustre in Fig [DISCONTINUED]
vaka 9/30/2009 10:47:00 PM
Like all the Opulent Lustres, this has a texture just like the Elemental Lustres collection. Very smooth, silky, and easily blendable. It lasts for a long time w/ a primer, is extremely pigmented and blendable. The jar is messy and I get tons of e/s fallout, but I have that problem with all loose eye shadow and pigments. The main problem with this shadow is the color, which becomes pure silvery metallic as soon as it touches my skin, just like the reviewer before me stated. I had this problem with other shadows from the Opulent Lustre collection, most notably Ginger, which I was sadly expecting to be warm. Silver is not a bad color, but I'm still put-off, because I spent my money looking for a rosy brown (or a golden tan, in the case of Ginger), and they all blend into the same silvery shade on me. For reference, I have fair, yellow-toned skin. (1W/2W or 1Y/2Y in Aromaleigh foundation)
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Sunscreen -Unlisted Brand - LIPCOTZ
vaka 9/4/2009 7:42:00 PM
This review is for LipCotz Ultra High Sun Protection SPF 45. The brand is Fallene Cotz or sometimes just Fallene. I've seen it for sale on numerous websites, including Skincarerx and Drugstore.com, and in my local brick & mortar asthma/allergy supply store. OK, on to the review: pros- The active ingredients are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which are safe to ingest in small amounts, so if you are worried about ingesting chemical sunscreens from your lip products, it's not an issue with this product. Lipcotz doesn't show up white on the lips like many mineral sunscreens. It's tinted a light brown color, which doesn't show up on my lips. I think this would be a plus for men who are looking for an spf lipbalm, because it doesn't look white or reddish or anything. I like the packaging. It's a standard, chapstick-style, twist-up tube. The major pro: This is about the highest, stable protection one can buy for lips in the U.S. cons- If you apply it heavily as I like to do with lipbalm, it is very greasy. I believe this leads to the next problem. It tends to collect white nasty stuff in the corners of my lips, especially if I reapply many times in one day. If I apply enough, the white stuff builds up on my bottom lip too and has to be scrubbed off with a washcloth (sorry for the gross out). I'm not sure if it's dead skin cells or what, but it looks nasty. The major con: Dries out my lips after a couple days of wear. Makes the corners off my mouth crack and sting, too. I threw out my tube when there was still about 50% left. I finally figured out that it was making my lips chapped, and I got sick of checking the corners of my mouth in every mirror to make sure there was no product gunk. I wouldn't repurchase, although now I'm kind of wishing I had saved this for using at the beach only, because a lip balm with high SPF and any stable UVA protection at all is hard to find (especially one without avobenzone or oxybenzone!) I would only recommend this to men who need an spf for lips that looks natural--as long as you don't apply heavily like my lipbalm addict self--and people who are looking for lip protection for the beach or sunny outings only.
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Lipstick -Cargo - Plant Love Lipstick in Yakushima
vaka 7/23/2009 6:07:00 PM
I think this is the prettiest of all the Cargo PlantLove lipsticks. It's a med-deep, clear raspberry pink with a red undertone and lots of silver and red sparkles. It goes on very sheerly. I have pale yellowish undertones, but it would also look good on someone with cool undertones or someone with tanner, darker skin. Very wearable. It has no noticeable scent or flavor to me, just a slightly waxy smell like any unscented lipstick. Decent lasting power.
Negatives: The shimmer can become gritty at times. It tends to hang around after the color wears off. Like all Cargo PlantLove lipsticks, I don't like the packaging because the lid slides off too easily. I don't feel comfortable tossing it in my purse. I'm also not a fan of the hearts and flowers printed all over the tube--not my style, but the product is what counts. The color is beautiful and brightens up my whole face, so I would definitely repurchase.
Pic:
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Blush -Besame - Boudoir Rouge in Sweet Pink
vaka 7/11/2009 11:05:00 AM
This is a very light, soft pink with no shimmer. The blush itself is pretty and has a nice soft texture, but it is so tiny and comes in a metal compact that is very hard to open. I can't even take makeup this tiny seriously. It looks like something that should go in a doll house. I can't fit my whole blush brush in the pan, much less swirl it around. I think I will swap it away and buy BB Desert Rose blush, which looks like a similar shade in non-ridiculous packaging. Someone gave me this blush...I would NEVER pay full price and I won't repurchase. Come on Besame, get real. This is way overpriced.
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Concealers -Rimmel - Recover Concealer
vaka 6/18/2009 3:52:00 PM
This is my HG concealer. It's dirt cheap, easy to apply, and hides dark circles and the redness around my nose perfectly. I haven't tried it on acne, so I don't know how it is for concealing acne marks. It claims to conceal imperfections, dark shadows, and brighten the skin, and that's what it does for me. It lasts well. I can't imagine paying $20+ for a concealer when this is available. I use shade 100 Ivory. It's yellowish (great for concealing dark circles) but blends in lighter than it looks in the tube, so if the color in the tube looks like it might be too pale, definitely go up to the next shade.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Lash Stiletto
vaka 4/15/2009 7:06:00 PM
This is very lengthening and easy to apply for me, but it flakes and smudges no matter what I do. I don't have any problems with clumping from this mascara. Length is the main thing I want from a mascara, so I would probably buy it again if I couldn't find something better. Just don't itch or rub your eyes while you're wearing it or you'll end up with black flakes under your eyes. The smell is pretty strong. It reminds me of bug spray. Honestly I don't understand why anyone would scent mascara, because it just irritates the eyes. However, I still like the shine and length this product gives my lashes. I also like the shape of the brush and the packaging. In some other reviews, MUA-ers have said that they use one coat of this with one coat of a different mascara on top. I'm definitely interested in trying that.
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Lipstick -Maybelline - Moisture Extreme - Nude Blush ] [DISCONTINUED]
vaka 4/15/2009 6:11:00 PM
This is a Peach-Rose-Caramely-colored nude. It's not matte, but it's a creme with no sparkles, shimmer, or frost. I like my nude shades more pink than this, but it isn't too orangey or brown by any means. The texture is moisturizing for a lipstick, especially a cream formula. It's not as moisturizing as a lip balm, but it doesn't dry out my lips. (I'm prone to chapped lips.) The packaging is a decent red tube, nothing fancy, but I've seen worse. I think this is meant to smell like cucumber and melon. The scent is not strong or offensive to me. No taste. I prefer pinker lipsticks, but I can see why other people would love Nude Blush l/s. The only thing I rated down for was lasting power--should be better in a cream l/s imo.
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