Lipstick -Lime Crime - Candyfuture Lipstick - All Shades
vleemakeup 9/30/2011 5:01:00 AM
I absolutely LURVE Lime Crime lippies. I luv 'em so much I bought all of them - even the limited edition colours. I've read reviews about this product & I seriously don't have any issues with the consistency of the lippies. I've even got my friends & family buying these lipsticks (not the whole set, but 3 at a time each). I can understand that people say they stain their lips - but if you put on your foundation & powder, then your Lime Crime lippies it is much easier to remove. However, I use an oil-based eye makeup remover to always remove my lipcolours (no matter how sheer these are, whether they be glosses, lippies, stains/tints or tars). I also would never apply a lippie straight out of the tube, as an ex-make-up artist, I only ever apply with a lipstick brush & have taught all of my family & friens to do likewise. I find this provides a more even coverage.
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Polishes -Orly - Gel FX
vleemakeup 9/30/2011 4:18:00 AM
This is a review for the new Orly Gel FX gel lacquer range. This new range uses LEDs to cure this nailpolish range, and this is 1 of the reasons I purchased this line of products. I didn't like the long curing times with other brands so chose this to try for it's LEDs to cure & also the infused vitamins. I'm basing my review on the entire range, including the UV curing light as I bought the whole kit & 11 other colours. So far I've tried 2 colours of the Orly Gel FX gel lacquers - "Naughty" (a deep brown) & "Rage" (a very, very light pink glitter). I actually layered the "Rage" over the "Naughty" just to see what this would look like - I don't like it much. I much prefer the "Naughty" on its own. As for application - this range is much more time consuming than applying Shellac in my view(even with the quicker cure time). This is because of the primer that is the step before the basecoat & also because I found the solid colour of "Naughty" to be really watery & I had to put 4 coats (meaning do 4 cures) of this gel lacquer on to achieve the depth of colour I was after. This product is also self-levelling - which means (in my case) if you put too much of this on (which is very easy to do as I found the colour to be very watery) it self-levels & runs into your cuticles & pools. I must admit I got caught out by this as I was expecting it to have the same consistency as CND Shellac which I found to be more of a nailpolish consistency; hence, easier to apply & I did only have to apply 2 coats of "Black Pool" to achieve my desired colour depth. After going through this mistake on my R hand (I'm R handed so maybe I should've started on my L hand??) I was more controlled with doing my L hand. I must also say that using the "Rage" was easier to control as it had the glittery bits in it so it had more of a nailpolish or Shellac consistency. I think "Rage" would be gorgeous on its own. I also must say that Orly Gel FX does suit really short nails better than Shellac did. I say this as I wear my nails really short (think Pulp Fiction) as I've got long nail beds & long nails look cheap & nasty on me. Orly Gel FX doesn't seem to pull away from the nail edge & I think this may be due to the use of the primer before the basecoat. Orly Gel FX colours are based upon their top 32 nailpolish colours. Orly do recommend using their entire system & not to substitute to get the best wear out of this system. Orly Gel FX may be a little more difficult to remove than Shellac too (only going by the training DVD I watched the other night) as one needs to completely file off the mirror top coat with a 180grit file; then wrap in foil wraps soaked with the Orly Gel Remover. I haven't tried this yet but I'll try to come back & edit to let you now how easy the removal was. At the end of my gel mani I must say I liked the look & I will obviously be doing them again since I bought the kit & 11 other colours. At this point in time I would recommend these because they are beautiful colours & I did get a wonderful mirror shine (if possible even shinier than with my CND Shellac gel mani). Time will tell with how easy the removal process is :) EDIT: REMOVAL PROCESS Well I had this on for 1 week & decided to remove so I could tell you about the removal process. Needless to say - I'll never get that hour of my life back!!! This is absolute hell to remove!!! Most of the uv lacquer removed with the Orly gel remover, but the tips of the nail where the primer was applied didnn't want to be removed - even with 1/2hr of soaking in the wraps (even topped up the gel remover 3 times). In the end I had to stop trying the gel remover & had to file & buff the nail lacquer off the tips of my nails. Needless to say, my nail tips are now flexible, thing & practically see-through. I now need to clip these right back & do some serious nail strengthening. I'm soooooo very cranky about this!!!! Next time I'm not even going to prime the tips of my nails with the orly gel fx primer - I'm just going to use base coat, colour & top coat - stuff the primer that's the rubbish that messed up my nails!! 2 other grips -1st gripe: the Orly Gel Remover bottle doesn't seal properly. I had the lid on it tight, knocked it over a few times (with the lid on tight) & the liquid leaked out of the top. This is unforgiveable, as it's a liquid that quickly evaporates. Maybe they did this so you have to buy more of this product?? hmmmmmm..... The 2nd grip - the awful foil wraps. As soon as the Orly Gel Remover touches the foils the black "orly" writing on them comes off & stains my hands black!! It's like black nikko on my hands. I wish Orly had properly tested these products. By my experience (which I followed to the letter/dvd instructions) this should've been a wonderful manicure experience that is easily removed. ABSOLUTE HOGWASH!! I'm much more inclined to stick with Shellac now since my Shellac manis always turn out wonderful & are easy to remove. I've downgraded my lippies since this product is such a nightmare to remove. I'm also looking forward to the launch of the OPI UV gel lacuqers which launch in January next year.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Lip Tar - Trollop
vleemakeup 11/14/2010 9:38:00 PM
These are the Bom-Diggidy of lip products. I bought all 33 colours as I'm a make-up junkie & I don not regret for 1 second my decision. 1 main point - you need really well exfoliated & moisturised lips to wear these bad gals or all people & you are going to see is flaky lip skin covered in a lip colour. My advise is to EVERYNIGHT - exfoliate your lips with your normal exfoliator or even a micro-dermabrasion product that's okay to use on your lips & then apply a very rich lip cream or face moisturizer to your lip area so when you wake up & you apply your lip tar your lips POP (in a smooth-lipped, awesome colour way - not in an awful flaky, dried lips way). One of my favorite colours is Trollop - I love how bright, neon pink it is. Another favorite bright is the Hoochie (neon violet) but for a more demure look that's pink I also like Memento (I don't wear this often as I'm a girl who likes her bright lips, eyes & cheeks). Hush is also another awesome colour - it's a light beige which looks good with severe smoky black eyes & falsies. Enjoy your Lip Tars but be sure you prep your lips every night just in case you want to wear it the next day. Don't even try to wear these with dry lips - they'll look horrid.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -La Prairie - Essential Exfoliator
vleemakeup 11/14/2010 9:24:00 PM
Oh my GOSH!!!! This is the BEST exfoliator I have ever tried & I've tried a lot (Dior, Nutri-Metics, Biotherm, Decleor, Neutrogena just to name a few - there's probably quite a few I didn't list cause I haven't used them in the past year). The best thing about this exfoliator is that it exfoliates really well but doesn't feel harsh AT ALL!!! The beads are soft & the creamy pink lotion that suspends the beads is beautifully scented. The pink lotion is quite moisturizing so I would't recommend this for anyone with oily or even combination skin. I've even noticed that since I've been using this exfoliator (pretty much every 2nd day) that my face absolutely glows!!! Yay!!! I actually loved this so much I purchased one for my partner (male) & he has noticed a massive difference in his skin. It's much smoother & his shaving rash doesn't inflame as much when he shaves now. He's also noticed (& I've noticed) that his skin has the same "GLOW" to it as mine does. I can't believe how good this exfoliator is - I could've just purchased this instead of churning through 50million other exfoliators if I had've known how good it was. And yes I did say I'd purchase again - & I did just 4 weeks after my initial purchase (I don't want to be stuck without my HG exfoliator now do I?). The only thing that'd I'd say that would make this product better is having a flip-top lid instead of a screw on lid -it's be easier to use in the shower. I put a 3 for price as it's not the cheapest & it's definitely not the most expensive exfoliator I've purchased - definitely in between. Lurve your work La Prarie!!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -Bobbi Brown - Beige Shimmer Brick Shimmerbrick
vleemakeup 12/6/2009 11:31:00 PM
Another shimmer brick & a slightly better result. The beige brick I find is slightly better for colour than the pink shimmer brick, but it still has a long way to go. It's still really pale for a beige & I can ONLY use this under blush. I won't repurchase for $85AU as there are better shimmer compacts/powders out there that do a much, much better job than this shimmer brick.
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Highlighters -Bobbi Brown - Pink Shimmerbrick Shimmer Brick
vleemakeup 12/6/2009 11:26:00 PM
What a waste of my money!! This shimmerbrick is quite pale & looks white on my olive skin-tone. I paid $85AU for this & I won't ever re-purchase!! I've found better shimmer compacts/shimmer blushes that are cheaper & do a much better job than this. I seriously don't understand all of the rave reviews about shimmerbricks - to me they're a dud!!
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Other -Ben Nye - Final Seal
vleemakeup 12/6/2009 11:14:00 PM
I bought this based on the reviews on this site & I'm quite impressed with it. It does keep my make-up on for longer than usual, but it doesn't make it waterproof (it is really humid where I live & perspiration is a given). I tried to mist it on (hold it 20cm from my face above my head so it misted down onto my face), but this just made all of my make-up look speckled & gross. My next attempt was to spray my Napoleon Perdis 22b blush brush with 2-3 spritzes of the final seal them sweep it over my face (eyelids included). I've found this gives the best result - no speckled look, only a nice smooth flawless foundation look. It does sting my eyes for a few seconds while I wait for it to dry, but I just close my eyes & wait for this stinging sensation to subside - definitely not bad enough to stop me from using this everyday. I use this in the morn & do my gardening & go to gym in my make-up that has been final sealed & even my partner commented on how fresh my make-up looks after all of my hard work when I use this final seal. I'll be getting the 200ml bottle next time for $30AU - it seems to be the best value & I think I'll be using it daily so I might as well get the 2nd largest bottle that I can.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Unlisted Brand - DUO eyelash adhesive
vleemakeup 12/4/2009 8:46:00 PM
Def the cream of the eyelash adhesive crop!!! I've used the clear & the dark of this eyelash adhesive & I'm very impressed with how well both colours attach lashes to my lash line without any hassles. The glue gets tacky quite quickly (about 30secs for a thin line) & stick to my lashline really quickly - I find I don't have to hold them there like I need to with the Ardell brand (I use strip lashes). I also noted that if only a thin line of glue is applied to the strip lashes, no shininess occurs with the clear glue (it's all in the appication girls & falsies may take a while to master). I love the dark one too, as it gives a dark eyeliner look. I think the dark one is my fave for this reason alone. Admittedly, the tube nozzle needs to be made smaller, however, this problem of too much product squeezing out can be overcome with quick hands - when a blob of glue comes out, brush it along the falsie line with the tip of the nozzle to make it into a thin line of glue; continue this process to get a thin line of glue. I love this glue as I've been able to sleep, go to the gym, garden, perspire... in my lashes with this glue & they've stayed in place - no sides coming off, no budging - very impressive. I always apply my falsies after all of my eyeshadow, eyeliner & mascara - this stops my own lashes being ripped out when I remove the falsies (I wont' waste my money on eyelash remover this way).
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Conditioner -Fudge - Colour Lock
vleemakeup 12/1/2009 11:06:00 PM
Just like the shampoo, this conditioner has a really sweet smell. I find it to be a soft, not too heavy conditioner that's great for my fine hair. Will def repurchase.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Fudge - Colour Lock Shampoo
vleemakeup 12/1/2009 11:04:00 PM
This is a really beautifully scent shampoo - not synthetic smelling, just fresh. I like this shampoo as I find it gives a smooth lather & does a great job of getting rid of styling products. Def buy again.
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Cleansers -Biotherm - Hydra Detox Detoxifying Cleansing Foam
vleemakeup 12/1/2009 10:58:00 PM
I'm on my 3rd tube of this blue, gritty wonder cleanser & I'm never giving it up (Biotherm you better not discontinue this baby!!). My only complaint is the tube is so tough (the plastic) it's hard to squeeze the last bits out so I end up wasting a lot. On the plus side it's like a fine exfoliator & cleanser in 1; however, don't use around your eye area or you'll feel it - literally, you'll get little gritty bits in your eyes - trust me I know, I was lazy once & got it in my eyes, it certainly didn't tickle:( I also like it's not super-duper foamy, & so is more manageable to maneuver around my face. & it goes without say - I'm repurchasing!!
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Cleansers -Biotherm - Biosource Softening Cleansing Foam
vleemakeup 12/1/2009 10:54:00 PM
I've NC skin & found this cleanser to be really.... wrong for me. It has a really pongy synthetic scent which I find offensive & it makes my skin feel slimey when I use it; but after I've towel dried my face - it feels super duper tight - what the?!?! And what is it with Biotherm tubes - you need to be a muscle-monkey to be able to wrangle the lid off!!! (& I'm no weakling). Not a fan & not repurchasing.
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Eyeliner -Bobbi Brown - Gel Eyeliner
vleemakeup 12/1/2009 10:48:00 PM
This was the first Gel Liner I ever purchased & I still believe it to be the BEST!!! I've 5 colours - Black Ink, Hunter Ink, Granite Ink, Sepia Ink & Violet Ink & I use them whenever I want a long-lasting eyeline. I find they're very workable. I'm able to use them for a think, bold line or feather them for a soft, natural line; either way, my eyeline ain't moving all day or all night. I can't fault this product & will endeavour to purchase every single colour in the range;-)
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Lip Gloss -Christian Dior - Backstage Makeup Gloss Show Spectacular Sparkling Lip Gloss
vleemakeup 12/1/2009 10:42:00 PM
I have 4 of these unbelievably sparkly pots of gloss - charlotte moka, rebecca red, lindsay pink & carla corail - heaven knows why I bought all 4 of them?!?! They're insanely glittery - they could blind a person & the worst part - the glitter doesn't come off very easily (read: make-up remover necessary!!) I also find the glitter bits stick into the skin on my lips & make my lips flake so they're no smooth for the next application of this gloss (during the same day). I've come to realise the only way I'm going to wear these is over a lipstick, in the bow of my mouth, to provide the illusion of big, fat lips. Not repurchasing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Mascara
vleemakeup 12/1/2009 10:36:00 PM
So not my favourite mascara. I get better results with my CoverGirl mascaras - what's that saying about Dior?!?! This costs a whopping $45AU & is only slightly better then the Diorshow Blackout Black mascara. At least this one dries quicker, but it still has a horrible brush that doesn't work for me - again the brush is too big, fat & bristles too wide - c'mon Dior fix the brush already!!!! Won't be repurchasing!!!
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