Beauty Product Reviews

Intense black color and makes lashes look thick.

Benefit's They're Real mascara features a pineapple shaped, straight and stiff style silicon wand. The bristles, in two different lengths, are lined up side by side and spaced fairly far apart. This brush combined with a wet formula, really coated my lashes making them look thick, but I didn't notice any lengthening effects. The color is really black.

Everyone loves this mascara, but there were so many things about it that didn't work for me. The formula is really wet which causes my curled lashes to straighten out. The wand did a good job separating and defining, but I sometimes notice it left little clumps or balls of mascara on my lashes. The worst thing about this mascara is that it gets really flakey on me. I have to admit that my eyes are quite sensitive and they get really watery which is why I tend to lean towards waterproof mascaras, which this is not. I have friends who use this mascara and it makes their lashes look really good, and a lot of beauty bloggers also really like this mascara.

I will not repurchase this mascara

Prestige's My Biggest Lashes mascara claims to thicken and lengthen to give you your biggest lashes ever. It features a huge fiber wand that catches and volumizes even the tiniest hairs. The mascara formulation is wet so that you can apply several coats to build up the volume and length. I got Black and the color is really dark and intense. Unfortunately this mascara does not come in waterproof.

I liked the gigantor brush. You have to be careful but it does a great job of picking up those tiny lashes in the corner. One thing I didn't like about the wand though is that it's really hard to scrape off the excess product from it. This mascara definitely pumps up the volume and length of my lashes. The intense black also gives my lashes that almost falsie look which is nice. I did not like that this mascara was not waterproof and I did notice a lot of smudging when using this. I also noticed that the formulation didn't hold my curl very well. Usually wet formulations would straighten my lashes, but this one just kind of weighed it down. So when i first apply it looks great but after a few minutes my lashes looks droopy. I would not recommend this mascara to anyone with naturally pin straight lashes, anyone with oily eyelids or skin, and anyone who hates big mascara wands. Oh and this mascara also doesn't define and separate my lashes very well either. It's not a total flop and is fairly cheap so if you're looking for a mascara that really volumizes and lengthens then give this one a try.

Review is for the travel size.

Got this product for free in one of their gift with purchase events. I'm pretty impressed with this product because it removes Covergirl's Lash Blast waterproof mascara very cleanly. I feel like Covergirl's Lash Blast mascara is one of the hardest makeup products to remove.

Sometimes there's a little bit of the eye liner left behind but overall I think it does a great job. It does take a bit of time massaging the product into my skin, and I still need to follow up with cleanser afterwards. My biggest issue with this product is that if you get it into your eyes it burns like crazy. For this reason alone I will not be purchasing this product because I only use makeup remover to remove my eye makeup. It does a great job but holy crap it burns.

I've read many reviews about this moisturizer and I really wanted to like it but it pains me to say that it didn't quite work for my skin. The product comes in a blue bottle with a pump. Initially I was looking to get Estee Lauder's Hydrationist moisturizer in a pot, which the sales rep told me was for dry skin. That day I was coming from my facial appointment and had power walked down Queen St. to the department store, so when the sales rep looked at me, she insisted I get the one in the bottle which is for normal and combination skin. I'm kind of glad I took her advice because this one is already super moisturizing. The consistency is creamy and easy to apply and has a faint clean floral smell.

The Hydrationist moisturizer feels amazing on the skin. After application my skin immediately feels more plump, firm and hydrated. Overall I would say this is a good face cream and would have continued using it, but unfortunately it breaks me out. I don't really understand why because I don't feel like the product is clogging my pores (pores and skin looks clear and clean) but i get these big pimples every time I use it. Most of the time, products that break me out usually give me cystic acne but this stuff gives me big pimples. Ug. I kept trying to use it anyways but every time I apply it the next day a new pimple would appear. I even tried to dilute it by using 1/2 a pump and adding a bit of water. I don't think it's helped much and doesn't give my face the same results compared to if i used a full pump. It really bugs me when a product has such extreme pro and cons. I will continue to use this for fall and will update if there are any changes.

First thing I want to clarify is that this is not an exfoliater. The consistency is extremely creamy with some ground rice mixed it. The concentration of the rice ground is way to little to give you a good exfoliation. This mask is more moisturizing than anything. I think that the formula softens the skin and lifts dead skin cells. The rice grounds did feel nice and helped to massage the dead cells away. The smell is like generic drug store hair conditioners.

The first few times I used this mask I was not impressed. Didn't feel like it did anything for me. The last time I used it I left it on while soaking in a bath for about 20 minutes and it made my face pretty soft. I also noticed that it brightened my face. The instructions are no good for this product. It says 'After cleansing, gently massage over dry face. Avoid eye area. Rinse off.' Is this not a mask? I think this mask only works when I leave it on for at least 15 minutes.

I also didn't like the packaging. Though the product is in a sturdy tub that opens and tightens easily, I don't like the fact that I have to dip my fingers in there to get the product.

Overall this product isn't terrible but nothing to rave about. I was definitely expecting more and was under the impression that this was more like an exfoliating scrub which it's not.

I didn't like the wand or the formula

I did not enjoy using this mascara. Urban Decay's Supercurl Curling Mascara comes with a plastic curved wand that has short tiny bristles. The bristles are spaced fairly far apart, so the wand always picks up a lot of product. Usually by the second sweep there's already too much product on my lashes, and worst thing is I can't comb off any of the excess product. With every sweep, more product just gets loaded onto the lashes. I’ve tried scraping the excess product off the side of tube by running the bristles against the tube but it doesn’t work because the bristles are so short. The product is actually stuck on the main part of the wand and not the bristles.

I also don't like that the formula is very wet and my lashes end up sticking and clumping together. I’m a blinker, so when I’m not super careful, it will get on my lower lash line and all under my eyes. Just imagine a smeary black mess of mascara gluing my eye shut. Ok it’s not that bad (I am being a drama queen here), but you get what I’m saying. Also, instead of curling my lashes Urban Decay’s Supercurl Curling Mascara straightens my lashes after I curl them with an eye lash curler. This formula makes my lashes very heavy, straight, and droopy.

The formula is way too wet and the bristles on the wand are too far apart and short. The combination just didn’t work for me. Aside from that, I experienced minimal smudging and flaking on hot humid days, and the mascara is easy to remove. I do not recommend this product and I will not repurchase this mascara.

Wanted to love it but I didn't.

I purchased this lipstick based on rave reviews online and constant mentions on Youtube. Rimmel’s Airy Fairy is a peachy slightly pink nude with a cream finish. It has a cherry scent.

I was so excited and I really wanted to love this color, but it’s just not the right shade of nude for me. I found this lipstick very drying on the lips and I notice that the lipstick doesn't blend and sink into my lips. The product just kind of floats on the lips. Nice color but I’m still searching for that perfect nude lipstick!

NYC’s Show Time Volumizing mascara was better than I expected. I was downtown one evening and suddenly needed some makeup for the night so I grabbed this in the waterproof formula and in blackest black. I’m pretty sure it was on sale or something (I hate paying full price for drugstore makeup) and I figured it’s cheap so if it sucks I’ll just toss it.

This mascara is your very standard and very cheap drugstore mascara that will work for day to day. There’s nothing extraordinary about it per say, but it gives your lashes that oomph. The fiber bristle brush and semi-dry formula grabs and coats the lashes effectively. It doesn’t keep the curl perfectly but better than some other mascaras I’ve tried. I did notice a little bit of flaking but no smudging and the waterproof formulation is easy to remove.

All in all NYC’s Show Time Volumizing mascara isn’t amazing, but when you just need something, this can be one of those ‘just grab that one and go’ type of product.

Looks great on but because of the high silicone content, I will probably not repurchase.

Decided to try out L'Oreal True Match Foundation when I found it on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart. The price for this varies drastically from drug store to drug store here in Canada, so I would definitely wait for a sale or shop around for the best deal.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation comes in a glass vial with a tiny twist off cap. It would have been really nice if this came with a pump because the opening is quite big and it's hard to control how much product you pour or tap out. I also feel like I'm cross contaminating the product every time I use it because I try to tap out just enough product on the back of my hand. There's fine gold luster in this foundation but it isn't noticeable once applied.

This foundation spreads and blends like a dream but it feels silicone heavy. The coverage is medium to full and quite build-able and doesn't look as cakey compared to other build-able foundations. The other nice thing about this foundation is that it minimizes the look of pores and fine lines, and continues to look nice through out the day. I did notice a few times when I wore it for over 7 hours, my foundation would look like it slipped. I don't know how else to explain it. It just looks like my foundation shifted south bringing any blush, bronzer, and highlight along it. Yes it is as gross as it sounds.

Unfortunately the shade that I purchased is a tad too dark for me and I've been back and forth on whether or not to purchase a lighter color. I really do enjoy this foundation, but I really hate the feeling of silicone base products. I'm still thinking about the lighter shade, but I will probably not repurchase.

What are your thoughts on super smooth silicone in cosmetic products?

Really dark color and easy to use. Not great for oily lids.

The liner itself comes in a little pot with a screw on cap. It's marketed as a 'gel' liner but the formulation is more like a cream liner. What's the difference? Gel liners tend to be more fluid and apply wetter and dry glossier. Cream liners on the other hand, are slightly dryer but creamier in formulation, and dry more matte (typically). (Do I really know what I’m talking about? Heck no, I’ve come to that conclusion off observation; cream or gel they could very well be the same thing.)

I really do like Maybelline’s Lasting Drama gel eyeliner and even the crummy brush it came with. Application is easy and the finish is dark and matte. I definitely love the finish of this over other glossy liquid eye liners. My main issue is that this liner smudges too easily. Even after a few minutes it’s still extremely prone to smudging. Since this liner doesn’t set or dry, combined with my oily eyelids, Maybelline’s Lasting Drama eyeliner stays put for 4 maybe 5 hours max.

Overall, I will still continue to use this product but I will likely not repurchase. Maybe I got a dud. Let me know what you think if you’ve tried this liner!