Eyeliner -Bobbi Brown - Eye Pencils
ymillie 4/25/2013 7:04:00 PM
This is a weird eyeliner. The plum one doesn't smudge on me, whereas the mahogany sometimes smudges. It's long lasting and very soft, to the point where I know I'm going to finish this up in no time. I find it softer than Makeup Forever, which makes it better to tightline without tugging too much. I think it was $26CAD and comes with a sharpener and you must use a sharp one because a dull one will probably ruin the soft pencil. I would probably only repurchase the plum shade and not the brown one.
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Mascara -Kose - Anmiel Long Mascara
ymillie 4/25/2013 6:59:00 PM
I'm a fan of fiber mascaras because they give my lashes amazing length and it never smudges. I normally use The DejaVu Fiberwig or Dolly Wink Long Mascara, but I decided to try something new for a change. I saw this mascara on Rouge Deluxe makeup blog and she said that it featured 3 different types of fibers and comes off with water, much like the 2 mascaras that are mentioned above. This mascara is very good at lengthening, even more than Dolly Wink. I even have to pull off some of the fibers at the tip of my lashes because it touches my glasses lens. It stays put all day and comes off with warm water, and I think that's all I have to say about it. Since there are so many fibers, it looks pretty furry when you take it out of the tube, and if I'm not careful, one of the fibers might go in my eye (not recommended for those who wear contacts). It also takes the mascara a while to dry. I normally style my hair after doing my makeup and when I close my eyes to spray hairspray on, I can feel the mascara sticking a bit to the bottom lashes..and I don't even apply mascara to the lower lashes. Even though it lengthens very well, I probably won't repurchase because of the time it takes to dry, plus I don't want to risk having fibers go into my eye (I don't have problems with dejavu or dolly wink) You can buy this on Adambeauty for about $16usd
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Powder -Chanel - Vitalumiere Eclat de Chanel Compact Makeup
ymillie 4/25/2013 6:43:00 PM
I think this is the most expensive piece of makeup I own, but I got it for a very good price when I redeemed my hudson bay reward points, even then it was about $20. I use the Perfection Lumiere liquid foundation and wanted something on top that would give my skin an even more flawless finish. Although my skin doesn't look 100% flawless, it's a lot better than using translucent powder on my foundation. I like how this comes with a brush instead of the usual puff. It also comes with a sponge that you can wet, but I've never used the foundation with a damp sponge and don't intend on it either. The oil control is pretty good as I get oily on my nose really easily. Not really sure what else to say about it. It's my touch up powder, finishing powder on days that I want to look more flawless, has a slight floral scent but doesn't linger.
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Powder -Bobbi Brown - Skin Foundation Mineral Makeup SPF 15
ymillie 4/25/2013 6:37:00 PM
On days when I'm not working and I want to look fresh, this is my go-to foundation. I was never a fan of mineral makeup and I can't remember what got me to buy this in the first place. I even have a backup one since I'm halfway through the current one. I use light-medium and I love how this gives me sheer coverage, but enough to hide any redness and discolorations. It wears pretty long, but after about 6 hours (with Laura Mercier foundation primer and kiehls' SPF50 underneath), my skin looks a bit too dewy (mainly around the nose close to the apples of my cheeks)...so oil control not so great. I still use a finishing powder on top after I apply the mineral makeup. The packaging on this is terrible, You can't really take it out with you or to travel, unless you have an extra powder puff to put on top of the sifter to prevent powder from going everywhere. I wish it had a twisting lid thing (like the Laura Mercier mineral powder). It's hard to shake some of the product out without making a mess, even with the cap on. It's also a bit too small for a mineral brush to swirl around nicely to get the product in the brush evenly.
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Liquid -Chanel - Perfection Lumiere
ymillie 4/25/2013 6:26:00 PM
I used to use Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24, but started to notice my skin looking really flat. After trying some samples of the Perfection Lumiere, I finally gave in and purchased the full sized bottle. It's quite expensive at $55CAD (although Lancome TIU24 is up there at $50CAD) so I expected this to work. I love the coverage, for me it's about medium-full coverage, not completely matte and it stays quite well without causing me to look too oily in the t-zone. I think by the end of the day it looks even better when my skin gets a bit oilier and creates this glow (not oily glow). It wears for a long time, comparable to Lancome TIU24, but washes off much easier. I use quite a lot of this foundation because I have to look pretty flawless at work. I use about 1-1.5 pumps in total using a foundation brush then patting with a sponge to create an airbrush finish. There's no oxidizing (color changing) after wearing it for a long time which is definitely a plus for combination skin. It doesn't cause my pores to look more obvious nor does it make my skin dry (sometimes looks dry around my nose if it starts flaking when it's dry out). I'm not too happy about the bottle though. I wish it wasn't frosted or the cap was easy to remove so I can see how much I have left inside. Also I wish it wasn't as heavily fragranced, although it does wear off. I already purchased a 2nd bottle as a backup (yay to hudson bay reward points!)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Bumble & Bumble - Thickening Spray
ymillie 4/14/2013 11:11:00 PM
At first I thought this was an amazing product. Whenever I use it, I would flip my hair in different sections then spray a generous amount on my roots. I actually felt some grip and hold after blow drying, and while that is a plus, after going through a travel size bottle and about to finish the full sized, I will not be buying this again. I was shopping around Shoppers Drug Mart and the Fat Hair brand was on sale, the shampoo came with a free thickening spray. I went home and compared the ingredients and both Fat Hair and B&B contains vp/va copolymer in both (and most volumizing products do as well) My problem is B&B has 2 kinds of alcohol listed as the main ingredient (along with water), while Fat Hair didn't have alcohol high up on the ingredient list and had that copolymer up there instead. I took a sniff of the B&B spray and there's way too much alcohol. I can't really smell it when I actually spray it on, probably because it evaporates so fast...but I will pass on this product in the future. I have no opened the Fat Hair spray yet to try since I'm not done the B&B, but will do a review later.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -Laura Mercier - Foundation Primer Radiance
ymillie 12/28/2012 9:31:00 PM
Anyone else out there that hates using a primer that feels like another layer on their skin? I'm so glad I found this primer. I can't remember how I discovered it, but this is my second tube (the first one was the hydrating primer). The primer was I think $40CAD with 50mL which is well priced, considering I only use about a pea sized amount. I only wished there was SPF of 20 or higher so I don't have to use a sunscreen prior to applying this. There's a slight glow after applying the primer, but it doesn't really show through the foundation, unless you're using something that has a sheer coverage. The primer is great for the winter time when skin tends to look a bit more dull.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Bobbi Brown - Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer (Spring 2011)
ymillie 12/28/2012 9:13:00 PM
I bought this as an impulse buy but I don't have any regrets. I've used tinted moisturizers before and I was surprised at the coverage. Even though it's sheer, it gave me a finish that was almost like using foundation. The texture is creamy but spreads easily. I use a sponge to pat my skin after applying to make sure there are no streaks. It lasts the whole day and I don't notice any smearing. Although it's oil free, I still need to apply powder to set the product because I have an oily t-zone. Packaging is great. It's sleek and comes in a tube which keeps the product clean. My only concern is there's no expiration date written on the package so I have no idea when it's supposed to expire (due to the SPF) Update: I'm not sure what's up with the tinted moisturizer, but it has gotten very difficult to apply smoothly and causes my skin to look flaky (even though I exfoliate regularly and use the Clarisonic to clean my skin). My pores around the nose are even being emphasized..not very nice.
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Naked 2 Palette
ymillie 12/28/2012 9:08:00 PM
I love the shade range in this palette. I normally use something shimmery and neutral/brown anyway so this was perfect. This was my first urban decay eyeshadow and I was amazed at how long it lasted and how pigment the shades are..I can't believe I've only tried this for the first time. The brush that came with it is pretty crappy though, so I use my own.
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Liquid -Lancome - Teint Idole Ultra 24h
ymillie 12/28/2012 9:05:00 PM
Before trying this foundation, I was using something that had sheer-medium coverage with a dewy finish, but I wanted to switch to something else for the summer time.... so I ended up with the Teint Idole Ultra 24. This foundation was amazing for the summer time. It has a matte finish with medium-full coverage, oil free and fragrance free. Price was a bit high ($50) but I think it was well worth it because it gets a bit humid in Toronto during summer. I loved how the foundation actually stuck onto my skin very well. I still had to powder my t-zone, but my skin still looked pretty fresh even after a very long day. However, it was a bit difficult to wash off completely unless I used my clarisonic or shu uemura cleansing oil. I took 1 lippy off because it took a bit too long to clean off. I've stopped using it at the moment because it has gotten very dry in Toronto (winter) and it made my cheeks and chin look dry. But I would still repurchase this because it lasted so long, was super easy to blend and matched so well (they have lots of shade ranges) Update: After using this for nearly 6 months, it's starting to not work for me. The matte finish is causing my skin to look dry and flat, so I have now switched to using Chanel Perfection Lumiere. Check out my review!
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Liquid -Bobbi Brown - Skin Foundation SPF 15
ymillie 12/28/2012 8:59:00 PM
About 1.5 years ago, I was looking for a new sheer-medium finish foundation that wasn't matte and stumbled across the BB foundation while researching. Although I'm close to finishing my second bottle, I won't be repurchasing this again. The price was $50-55CAD (can't remember and rather expensive anyway) and I felt the more I used it, the more it didn't sit as well on my skin. I've stopped using it since spring after finding another foundation. The coverage was decent, I was looking for a sheer foundation anyway. It blended well with my fingers or a brush and worked well to cover any minor redness. However, I started noticing that it wasn't staying on my skin as well as it used to, which is why I switched to something else since then. I have combination (oily t-zone) skin and I touch up with powder throughout the day, but the areas on my jawline and cheek were not holding up well. Packaging is sleek and the product is housed in a sturdy glass bottle, but it was hard to get the last little bit of foundation out.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Kiehls - tinted moisturizer [DISCONTINUED]
ymillie 2/24/2011 4:52:00 PM
I've tried Stila, Laura Mercier, Cover Girl and Orbis UV oil cut tinted sunscreen and they just don't compare with the Kiehl's one. I got this near the end of summer in Medium and wasn't sure if I was going to get too pale to use it, but still, during the winter paler months, it still blended in very well to my skin. When I first put it on, it's quite noticeable but once I blend it out with a stippling brush, it's like I didn't put make up on at all but still evens out my skin, but not as flawless as foundation. In pictures though, my skin looks pretty flawless. For the price it's well worth it ($33CAD for 75mL), considering most foundations are 30mL or 1 ounce for up to $40. I've also been using this since Sept 2010 and still have maybe just under half a bottle left. It's great that there's sun protection, but you can smell a bit of sun screen in it which I don't mind too much. I only use about 2-3 pea sizes for the entire face. It stays put with some powder and doesn't cause my face to get too oily. The only problem I had with it was if my nose was very dry and flaky, it becomes noticeable when I apply the TM. Other than that, i think it's a great alternative to using foundation. I won't use this as my main moisturizer though because I feel like it's more of a makeup product and regular moisturizers work better for me. I wish the packaging was clear or had some sort of clear strip on the side to see how much I have left.
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Primer/ Corrector -Kanebo - LUNASOL Control Makeup Base SPF20
ymillie 5/26/2009 3:01:00 AM
After reading Fleckenschnitte's review of this primer, I decided to also go for the green base Moisture 01. I got this as part of a Lunasol base makeup set for 110,000won(about $100CAD??). I think it's expensive, but being a high end brand and something Japanese, this didn't disappoint me at all. Even though I read that this went on clear, I still had hopes that the green tint would do something for my face. The only thing it does is help my makeup last a lot longer and also adds moisture to my skin. I didn't experience any dryness or patches on my skin. I like how this has sun protection so when I apply my foundation I feel like I have doubled the sun protection XD The primer applies very smoothly. It feels very liquidy but goes on evenly. No heavy feeling, just very light.
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Liquid -Kanebo - Lunasol Modeling Water Liquid Foundation
ymillie 5/26/2009 2:53:00 AM
I love this foundation! Prior to purchasing the Lunasol foundation, I was using P&J liquid foundation. I got this because Lunasol was having a promo set which included this foundation and a primer plus lots of other samples. It wasn't any cheaper, but I liked how they included many products to try plus the SA gave me a tote bag. I got this for 110,000won (about $100CAD?). The primer was 50,000won and the foundation was 60,000won. I don't think it's cheap at all so one lippy off for that. It's almost double the price of my P&J foundation but this is totally worth it. This foundation comes in a glassjar which has a pump. I use about half a pump. There's 25mL of product. I originally wanted to get YO03 (yellow toned) but then SA sat me down to try the ocher (neutral tone) as well. I'm glad she did because the YO03 didn't match me at all! I got shade OC03 which is a perfect match. I feel that it's a light to medium coverage. Here are the reasons why I love this foundation: 1. Very light and fluid (hence modeling water foundation). It doesn't feel like I have anything on. 2. Very easy to spread even with fingers, but now I use a sponge to dab it on. 3. Long lasting even though my face gets oily. I wear it for at least 8 hours a day and it still looks fresh with the exception of my t-zone. The primer that I got also helps it last longer. 4. Doesn't come off even if I scratch my face. 5. Perfect match, doesn't look mask like even if I start off with too much foundation on my skin.
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Palettes -Kanebo - Lunasol 10th Anniversary Palette
ymillie 4/5/2009 9:31:00 PM
I got this set in Hong Kong for $650HKD from Faces in the Ocean Terminal mall. It was supposed to be on sale from $800HKD..haha, I think they were lying. For the price I paid, I expected a lot out of Lunasol. The first palette I got from them didn't disappoint me and I've read great reviews about Lunasol. Anyway, this is a eyes, cheeks and lips palette for a natural look. It comes in a shiny coffee brown vinyl pouch with a mirror inside. You can remove the plastic makeup holder inside one day to reuse the pouch. There is a clear plastic piece that covers the shadow and the blush and I kept it so the whole case can be kept clean inside. I was so eager to get my hands on this palette that I got it on the day it came out, but I ended up being a bit disappointed because the shadows were not as pigmented as I thought. It features 4 shades that includes a highlighter and liner shade, however, 2 of the shades are so similar that you can barely notice a difference when applied. The 2 main shades are sort of a milky coffee color. It applies very smoothly but I can barely notice the color on my eyes. I tried to blend the darker of the 2 shades on the outer corner, but you don't even notice the shade differences. The shades all seem to have golden shimmers to it, but I find that the 2 main shades has very little in it. I don't think the shadows last a long as my other Lunasol palette, which is from the 2008 winter set, even with a primer. The liner is the Noble Shade liner in a dark brown shade and the mascara is the high stylized mascara EL in black. For some reason, this liner isn't as good as the geminate liner, it seems to crease a bit and it sometimes fades. The mascara isn't anything too special, it doesn't do a superb job at lengthening or curling, but I still use it. So this almost sounds like a whole lot of money wasted right? Well not really because the blush kind of lived up to my Lunasol expectation. I think it's pretty pigmented and easy to blend, only if I don't get too much onto my brush. The color is a peachy coral shade that comes with 3 strips of colors you can mix, all of which also has a golden undertone to it. The blush lasts all day and I really like it for a natural look because it gives me a pop of color since the eyeshadow doesn't stand out much. The lipgloss is a peachy shade as well and it's slightly pigmented. I don't think it's sticky at all. All in all, I was a bit disappointed in this palette, but I still like it because of the natural look I can create. I don't use any crazy colors except browns and pinks when I go to school, so I think this is a great palette for those who want a subtle look for the day time.
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