Beauty Product Reviews | Page 8

good for bold looks

NYX Eyeshadow Trio #13 contains the shadows Cherry - a red pink, Cool Blue - a sky blue, and Hot Pink - a medium blue based pink. I purchased this trio at Ulta for $7.99. The price feels a little high to me, but its cheaper than buying three NYX singles, so I guess its a good deal. The packaging on this is a basic black case with a small window that shows the top half of the shadows. I think it looks pretty sleek. There’s a decent sized mirror on the inside. The packaging says “Triple Shadows for Sexy Babe’s Eyes Only.” I guess they’re referring to me? I think it sounds weird and looks like something you’d find on Engrish Funny. They are pretty good shadows, but not quite at the quality level I expect from NYX. They’re not as soft and buttery as my other NYX shadows. They’re borderline powdery. Color payoff is good for Cherry and Cool Blue. Hot pink however, is very sheer. It takes a lot of work to get it to show up. Wear time is good, I get about 7 hours before fading occurs. I have no creasing issues. Application is easy. The shades are blendable and work well together. They don’t product any noticeable fallout. You’ll really have to pack Hot Pink on to get it to work though. While these colors work well together, I have a really hard time coming up with looks for this trio, so I don’t get a lot of use from this. While these shadows aren’t quite up to to par with NYX’s usual quality, these are still pretty good. I recommend this trio if you’re creative, like unexpected color combinations, and enjoy bold eye looks.

ELF's shimmer palette is a four pan palette containing multi-use creams. These creams can be used as highlighters, bases, blushes, eyeshadows and more. It's available on ELF's website, Target, K-Mart, Big Lots and more for $3. The colors are a pearly white, a peachy champagne, a soft gold, and a soft pink. As you can tell by the same, all of these are shimmery. The formulation of these creams is extremely smooth. They apply easily and blend well. I get about 6 hours of wear. I get daily use of these creams, mostly as a highlighter for my cheekbones and brow bones. This also does well as a base for blush, but can get creasy as an eyeshadow or eyeshadow base if used without a primer. These are excellent as highlighters, as they give a really pretty, subtle glow when blended well. The packaging of this palette is cute, sleek, and functional. The black case is sturdy and snaps closed. It comes with a small brush, but I prefer to apply these with a concealer brush and blend with my fingers. I recommend this product for a number of reasons; the ease of availability, the great price, and the quality and versatility of the product. Overall its a great value at $3.

NYC (New York Color) is a good quality $1 Lipstick. I picked two of these up from Rite Aid for .99 each. To be honest I didn't expect much, as I was never really a fan of NYC's products. I was very pleasantly surprised when I wore one of these to the neighborhood carnival, and I got 5 hours of wear without fading, even through eating, drinking, and being out in the heat. I kinda couldn't believe it. The packaging for these is the classic bullet tube. The tube is black, the cap is clear. Pigmentation of these is really good. I get full coverage in one swipe. Both shades I have (Retro Red and Violet Shine) have a matte finish and live up to the name of "Ultra Moist". The lipsticks are very creamy and make my lips feel soft and moisturized. I recommend wearing them with a lip line, their creamy consistency gives them a little slip. I also tend to wear these without a lip gloss, as they get too slick otherwise. Aside from being a little slippy, the only other problem I have with the range is the limited color selection. I'm not sure how many colors are offered (I'd estimate around 14ish), but I'd like to see a wider variety of colors. Overall I like these lipsticks. I'll almost definitely try more. They're a good quality, wear well, and are a great value at only $1.

Almay Moisturizing Makeup Remover Pads are pre-soaked cotton rounds. I buy these for like $2.99 at Wal-Mart for an 80 count container (My Wal-Mart recently removed its Almay display D=). These are a good makeup remover. I mostly use them to correct mistakes, remove anything my liquid remover missed, or as quick on-the-go removers. I don't really like them for use as a daily all over makeup removers. They do a decent job at it, but it can take multiple swipes from both sides of the pad to remove 1 eye's worth of makeup, where as it only takes my liquid makeup remover one swipe to remove a whole eye's worth of makeup. The container says these are 100% fragrance free and hypoallergenic. They do seem to be very gentle. I have no irritation or stinging from these, unless I rub too hard. The main ingredient in these is mineral oil, which may deter some from using these, but it doesn't cause me to get oily lids or pimples. Speaking of oily lids, its best to blot off the excess oil if you plan to reapply makeup right away, or else it'll slip right off. (I checked Almay's site and these are available in an oil free version) I find these a little moisturizing, but not significantly so. They contain aloe and cucumber extracts, and are alcohol free, so that seems to support the moisturizing claim, even if I don't feel it. These are packaged in a white screw top jar and are available in a few different count sizes, but I always get 80. I can get multiple uses of each pad, as they're double sided. One jar usually lasts me about 4 months. I recommend these to keep in your purse, for travel, and for touch ups and spot cleaning, but not for for all over eye makeup removing

I became curious about NYX' White Eyeshadow Base after seeing gurus like Queen of Blending use it, and it seemed like a better better alternative to NYX' Milk Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil, which has never really appealed to me. I picked this up from Ulta for $6.99 and tried it right away at home. It makes colors appear much brighter and is a good, semi-sticky base for glittery shadows, pigments, and shadows with a fallout issue. I apply this base by patting it on with my finger over a primer. If used with primer, I have no problem with creasing. Like the Milk Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil, the key to preventing creasing is to apply this product in a very thin layer. May I add this helps eyeshadows blend like a dream. Another pro for this product is the packaging. It comes in a cute clear acrylic jar with a white lid. You get a lot of product (7 grams), which seems like it'll last forever. I've had this since April and use it very often and have barely made a dent in it. While I don't feel like it makes shadows 100% more vivid like it claims, It does make them noticeably brighter. Like most NYX products, the value and quality of this product is great.

NYX Candy Glitter Liners are a brightly colored, clear gel based glitter liner. I purchased some of these from Ulta, some from Giant Eagle, all for $3.99, except Disco Queen which I got for free during a NYX sale. I have seven colors to review:

Jade Green: Green-teal with silver and gold glitter.

Baby Pink - Soft pink with purple, pink, blue, and silver glitter.

Disco Queen - Black with rainbow glitter.

Red - Red with silver, red and yellow glitter.

Tangerine - Orangey-Peach with silver, yellow, and orange glitter.

Hot Yellow - Neon yellow with gold, yellow, and green glitter.

Hot Green - Neon Green with gold, yellow, and green glitter.

I really like NYX's Candy Glitter Liners. They're a fun way to make a look brighter, and add a bit of sparkle. These are fairly pigmented for being clear based. They have enough color and glitter to be worn alone, but look even better when layered over a color similar to the glitter's, or over a black liner. They're a very consistent product. The only one I've tried that isn't very pigmented is Tangerine. The packaging for these eyeliners is really cute. They come in a chubby, clear tube with a black cap and tassel. A lot of people are annoyed by the tassel, but I don't find that it gets in the way. You get a lot of product, 10 grams, so these will last you a while. I get all day wear from these, with little to no glitter fall out. I don't find them hard to apply like some do. The brush does tend to splay but its easily reshaped with your fingers. I recommend these glitter liners. Like most NYX products, these have great quality and value. And are really cute =D.

Best of the bunch: Disco Queen

Worst of the bunch: Tangerine

I got this mascara for my long trip to Australia, to wear on very hot days, or to the beach. I purchased this in Very Black Waterproof for $7.99 at Rite Aid. I have very mixed feelings about this mascara. I love Maybelline Mascaras and have owned all of their Volume Express range through the years. This one is super dark and lasts very long, and can give you false looking lashes if you work with it. And by work with it I mean applying it slowly, meticulously combing through it between coats, and thoroughly curling before, and after application. I love the end results, however its far too much effort. Other downsides to this mascara is its extremely wet formula that has a tendency to clump. Also its extremely difficult to remove, more so than other waterproof mascaras I've tried. The only thing that I can get to remove this mascara is a mix of Avon's Moisture Effective Makeup Remover and Skin-So-Soft, which I'm not sure is even eye-safe. I only suggest The Falsies if you don't mind a mascara that requires some work to achieve beautiful results.

My go-to Mascara

Maybelline Volume Express One by One Mascara is a mascara that promises to lengthen and define lashes..one by one. And it keeps that promise well. I purchased my tube at Giant Eagle for $7.99 I love Maybelline's Volume Express line. I've tried most of the range and am rarely disappointed. One by One is no exception. In my opinion the Volume Express line gets better with every new mascara they release and this is the best one yet. One by One comes in a coral tube with aqua letters. The tube is the classic Volume Express shape. But what's really special about the packaging is the brush. Its a rubber brush with a kind of oval shape. It's widest in the middle and is slightly rounded at the tip. The bristles seem to be the same length all the way around the brush and and are a medium length. Like Maybelline claims, the bristles do catch the lashes, separating and defining them and adding a fair good amount of length at the same time. This mascara can give a very natural but defined look with one coat, or a dramatically defined and lengthened look with two. There's no smudging, flaking or irritation with this mascara. Today I've had it on for nearly 12 hours and it still looks good as new. Also my eyelashes aren't itchy, which can be a problem I have if I leave certain mascaras on too long. I like how this mascara feels. Its light enough that my lashes feel bare. This mascara removes easily with makeup remover, but is pretty water resistant otherwise, like most Maybelline mascaras. This is my new go-to daily mascara, replacing Great Lash. I'll definitely be repurchasing. I think this mascara can be very versatile and is a good value. I'll definitely be repurchasing.