Beauty Product Reviews | Page 3

Worth the hype!

I will tell you this...

I will dish out a good amount of money for good make up. But, when it comes to tools like a brush cleaning system.. my initial thought was 'Why should I invest in this - doesn't soap and water do the trick?'

I am top notch when it comes to hygiene and my brushes. I do have a boatload, and I can say that although washing them made me feel so much better about hygiene - I hated doing it. The soap got really sudsy, it took so long to dry. I used to wait a day after I washed them for my brushes to dry. It took time as well to take out any pigment. It feIt like such a chore that I would invite a friend over to help me. So finally took the plunge and ordered this brush cleaning system and it couldn't have made my life any easier..

At first, I was really confused of all the little bits that came in the jar, it comes with a plastic mesh and something similar to the white plastic that goes around the water bottle underneath the cap. ( I'm also sure I tossed out the instructions.) But once I finally figured out what the mesh and plastic thing was for, I went for it. I first tested out a regular fluffy brush. As soon as the product got on my brush it all literally melted off. The brush dried quickly and I did not have to worry about re-shaping it. Cleaning my brushes was so easy and fun, I was actually entertained and fascinated. I went from spending half an hour to cleaning my eye brushes in mere minutes. And I'm a very colorful person who enjoys using pigments so it was just funny to see greens and blues swirl into the jar! Next, I wanted to clean my two white brushes. My Wayne Goss #10 and my Mac 217. I have washed both from Day 1 and never saw them near white again ( I even panicked and e-mailed Alicia because I thought I ruined it. )

Well, needless to say they are white again! I am picky about my display of make up so seeing my white brushes always stained no matter what I tried had irked me to no avail. But now they look clean ♥

I didn't snap a before and after picture of my Wayne Goss - but I got the MAC 217!

In a nutshell: Its worth it. It does an amazing job. Makes cleaning fun and takes very little time. White brushes stay white. Not expensive and worth every penny.

Perfect pigment

As someone with dry skin and brown spots, contouring is something I rarely do. Although my brown spots are fading, the product I use also acts as a spot treatment so my skin is a little dry. My spots are in the same area I contour as well.? Using powder will end up giving me blotchy streaks, and doing full coverage foundation looks cakey and blotchy.

I came across the Cream Pigment in hollow... its a perfect cool toned brown shade. It is neither matte nor dewy so it is ideal for all skin types.

?The coverage is enough to hide my spots well, without giving me a blotchy uneven look and doesn't look dry as it does with powder.

Whenever? I use this pigment, I do not wear foundation. I simply contour, highlight, and blend. My skin care is strict and up to par, so the only real issue was the brown spots. I don't wear foundation anymore, just contour with this beautiful cream pigment and highlight. The results are perfect and the color perfectly mimics a shadow.

I use my stippling brush, as it adds coverage as well. The result is natural, and gives a perfectly contoured look. I would use this contour on light, fair, and fair to medium skin. For someone with tan or darker skin it may be too light and look a little too gray.

Much better out there for much cheaper

I really wanted to love this eyeliner, but it is a waste of money in my opinion. I do my cat eyes much quicker using my Inglot gel liner and Billy B brush in #9. I really wanted to love this liner but I don't think there's any justice.

I always read about how it never smudges, stays put, super black, etc. Personally, I prefer Wet n Wild over this. To begin with, I have dry skin so smudging is rarely an issue. This is the only liquid eyeliner that I have seen smudge with little to no effort. The color fades through out the day so I find myself touching up. Wearing it once false lashes are applied also looks very weird, you can see where the band is. I ended up going back over with my Inglot gel liner which is half the price and triple the quality.

I definitely will not purchase these liners again, the only convenience I have is the shape of the felt tip.

Perfect

Kevyn Aucoin never fails to amaze me. Don't be filled by the packaging size.. It does seem small and tempting to be upset about, which was initially my first reaction. I received my package after k came home from work, so I was not able to try out my new sculpting powder. The next day, I tried it on still annoyed with the size and I have to say the pigmentation is incredible. I only needed to lightly tap my brush into the powder, and I was able to instantly see how much product it picked up. This powder blends into the skin beautifully, without any chalky look or appearance. The color is a perfect matte, cool toned brown which is ideal for creating shadows. As someone with dry skin, I tend to avoid powder but I have to say that the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting powder is suitable for all skin types.

Pretty Liquid Lipsticks

Too faced has created a line of beautiful colors. These indeed are non-drying, which I absolutely adore. I have full lips so matte liqiud lipsticks can sometimes appear over drying. The colors are moderately pigmented and apply beautifully. The lasting power is not that long, surprsingly. It lasts a little longer than something you would buy in the drug store ( without eating or drinking ) but there are many others on the market that have longer lasting power. The application is quite simple, the tube has a slanted applicator that's a felt tip which allows me to get away with reapplying without using a mirror.

Ideal moisturizer

Although it is quite tempting to overlook M.A.Cs line of skin care, you would be missing out if you did. This moisturizer really is a power blend for skin. It has a plethora of anti oxidants, treats dry skin the way it should be treated and leaves your skin with a luminous glow due to the Mineral particles infused with the blend. Overall it creates ideal skin... soft... dewy.. luminous.. glowing.. without irritants. The only downside is that this moisturizer contains Fragrance, however the amount is very low and should cause no issue.

Horrid

I used famous Revlon Color stay on a friend of mine who was begging for me to do her make up. She has oily skin and Revlon Color stay was what she uses so I went with it.

I found this foundation to be quite cakey, regardless of skin type. It seems to apply cakey and blend cakey, so I'm not sure what the hype is for this particular foundation. It sure did look unnatural as well. Through out the day I couldn't stop staring at the random dry patches through out her face that weren't there before. The smell is quite unpleasant, it smells like paint and I am sure the mix of ingredients this foundation uses is not going to be Skin Friendly. It seemed to irritate her current break out.

I was definitely disappointed in this foundation. I always hear such great things about it, and my only regret is allowing her to walk around with a cake face. The ironic part was that I only applied a thin layer which I blended out well so I was definitely surprised to see how awful it looked.

This is not worth the $$$.

This is one of the most, overrated products that everyone and their mother seems to love. I have used 99 cent sponge packs, brushes, and then this sponge. I really do not see ANY difference between using this sponge and a regular cheap one. The only convenient thing is the shape, really. It creates the same effect as a buffing brush... but for us dry skin ladies a buffing brush can be a disaster so of course the next best choice is a sponge. Don't throw your money out the window for this... buy some fun make up goodies. This sponge stains as well so it doesn't even look cute on a vanity top and unfortunately you can't really hide this away unless you want to shorten it's life span which is generally 3-4 months. (It's not a one time purchase thing like a brush is).

Full coverage, Great for Comedogenic Prone Skin

At work I occassionally sweat my butt off and I wanted to use a concealer instead of a foundation. I have seen Miss Jacqueline recommend this product countless times so I decided to give it a go. This concealer covers ANYTHING and if you like to do some color correcting you will appear absolutely flawless. I have dry skin and it worked well without appear dry or cakey. I use it under my eyes as well and it covers beautifully. Love this product, and love Miss Jacquelines amazing recommendations!

Great for eyeliner

I have only used the tiny brush provided by Maybelline for my eyeliner. Of course, it being Maybelline it eventually gave out. The bristles were going in every direction and I kept cutting and cutting until there was nothing else left to cut. Every other eyeliner brush I saw was a bit intimidating, and trying them out always left me disappointed. Angled liner brushes were always too big and chunky, or the shape was funny and not comfortable for me personally. When I saw Billy B's brush, I noticed that it was quite similar in shape to my maybelline brush. I was still very hesitant because it looked like it could be too heavy and big. I went ahead and ordered it, trusting the reviews of Alicia and Miss Jacqueline who also made me feel a bit better in my purchase with pictures. I have to say, this brush leaves a much better line than what I was working with. It is absolutely firm and thin, the handle is not as thick as it looks in pictures and it leaves a flawless cat eye, with the flawless flick that everyone tries to achieve but rarely do.

This is my new favorite liner brush, and I trust that it will last me a long time and give me countless beautiful cat eyes.