Beauty Product Reviews

Tzarine - versatile duo for all kinds of looks

The neutral-ish Tzarine duo was launched 2 months ago for the Fall 2010 collection, and while it looked rather ho-hum on the product image, this duo (platinum gold with silver flecks & steel grey) is amazing when you put it on. I've gotten a couple compliments from folks whenever I wear this. You can wear it on its own, as a regular smoky look, but for a special effect I line the eyes with the Palladium soft touch shadow pencil and blend up, and it gives the most wonderful turquoise-gray that is appropriate for work. To transition to night time, just add more Palladium to the lid for a punchier look.

I don't even bother with a makeup brush, I use my ring finger when I'm rushing out the door. The only gripe I have with this duo is that it will crease if you have even semi-oily skin. Definitely bring it with you to work, or use a good primer before you use it.

gorgeous velvety finish, long-lasting colors

I was extremely upset when I learned about Shu Uemura pulling out of the US market, but then I heard that Gina Brooke, their former artistic director, was entering a new partnership with Hourglass cosmetics. Naturally I was very curious since Gina is Madonna's makeup artist and is ultra picky with her beauty products.

I got the Dune duo and just love it. Boy, these are some of the softest, butter-y shadows that have grazed my lucky eyelids. The deep olive shimmer is dark enough for a smoky eye, or you can mix with the champagne shimmer to soften it up for daytime. The colors in this collection are pretty basic, but if you don't have these shades it's worth stocking up. I also love the company's packaging - very durable and edgy yet awesomely functional. This duo has a 360 degree swivel mirror so you can angle it any way you want.

New EDT version is even lighter than the orginal eau de parfum

Lighter than the original Eau de Parfum, this new Eau de Toilette (just released last month) has a light, powdery finish and attempts to offer an olfactory 'memory' of the iris flower. For those who aren't familiar with iris, it has no discernible scent, so this is the perfumer's attempt at creating the fleeting 'scent,' of what it could have been, if the flower had a real smell.

Compared to the EDP, this one has more floral notes. It's very clean and fresh, and it contains Iris, Neroli, Lily of the Valley (Muguet), Violet, Heliotrope, Cedar and Galbanium. Depending on your skin chemistry, you might not like it as it doesn't have the same citrus notes as the previous release. It won't last as long either. But, I also think some guys can manage to carry this off, despite the floral-heavy base. It can smell nice on the right guy.

The vintage looking bottle reminds me of an absinthe cocktail. The price point is also lower than the EDP ($65 for 1.7 oz.) so it's not too big of a splurge. If you're a Prada fan, I say give it a whirl.

lightweight, fresh-feeling foundation

I was quite surprised to see how very watery and dewy this latest foundation from Clarins feels. It has a refreshing sensation of water kissing your skin upon application, which I thought was just lovely. The ivory shade blends right into my skin - it practically "melted" into the dermal layer. The texture is comfortable and light, and this new formula is supposed to last up to 15 hours, but I didn't leave it on my face for that long - maybe about six or seven hours at the most.

The frosted glass bottle is also on the heavy side, making it feel like a luxurious product. It's also not as expensive as the new Guerlain foundation. The SPF 15 is also a nice bonus so I don't have to spray on my liquid sunscreen beforehand. Love!

good, everyday facial wash

I was first introduced to this line 5 years ago and I'm so happy to see the company flourish. Based in Marin, this was the first certified organic line at the time. The Green Apple Cleansing Gel was one of the first products I tried and I fell in love with it right away. It's gentle, removes all the dirt, doesn't strip the skin's moisture levels and it just smells soooo good. It smells like an apple danish or an apple pie, which is not surprising at all since it contains such a high amount of organic fruit juice. The lemon juice also helps brighten up the face.

I've recommended this to many girlfriends and they love this line. Once in a while, if you sign up on their email list, you might get decent offers for samples or gifts with purchase.

acts more like a moisturizer for my skin

I like light-medium coverage for my skin so perhaps I was expecting more coverage from this product. For me, the Smooth Operator acts more like a moisturizer with a very light, minimal touch of color. Packed with natural ingredients, this is great for those "I'm not wearing makeup" days where you want to look slightly polished up.

The great thing is that this water-based tinted moisturizer won't clog my pores like most foundations out there. Depending on my tan I use either shade 10 (conceal) or 14 (disguise) and they both blend right into the skin and along the jawline. I have light-medium skin with yellow/beige undertones. It is a bit on the higher end but the Giorgio Armani Face Fabric costs way more, and I like that product way better, unfortunately. I really wanted this to be my 'eco' alternative version of the Face Fabric.

Great for carry on, or as a gift idea

I initially got this travel set for my discerning friend in Paris, and we both liked it so much that I bought one for myself when I got home. I normally veer towards pure citrus notes but this delicate and beautiful scent has grassy notes of lotus, herbs, citrus, frangipani and olibanum. Very exotic yet not overwhelming at all.

For $16 it won't break the bank and you can try the scent in three different formats (candle, perfume solid, body butter). The perfume solid is absolutely great for your travel beauty bag (yay, no liquids!) and if you happen to stay in a stinky hotel, the candle will calm you down within minutes. It's great to meditate with this candle. Love love love it.

good, buildable concealer that doesn't cake

I was actually pretty surprised that this concealer works. It's not 100% for me, but it does cover up blemishes (small ones at least) and it does a decent job on covering my dark circles. I found that if you use a lighter touch it does a better coverage and it won't look pancake-y or settle into the lines in the under eye area. Otherwise, if you slap it on, it will look way too heavy.

The Bisque 06 (light complexion with yellow/pink tones) is more or less right, but it seems just a tiny bit too yellow on me. I had to mix it with some lighter tinted moisturizer (I used the Smooth Operator shade 10) to even it out. Otherwise it's one of the more moisturizing formulas I've had in a while. I might have to get the 08 Golden Bisque to perfect the coverage.

natural-looking gel/cream texture

A couple of my friends love this product and I finally got to try it out. I love the new TEN shade for their 10-year anniversary collection. It is a pretty bright pink, but it goes on really sheer. I had to use about 3-4 layers before I got the desired pigmentation on my cheeks. It didn't clog my skin and it lasted for a decent amount of hours.

If you're into green beauty, this is a great buy for eco-conscious beauty fans. It's always nice to know that this line doesn't contain all those nasty chemicals. I've tried natural mineral makeup and those loose powder blushes don't really do it for me. I wish they made a smaller version for travel, as the tube is quite large and too bulky to bring with you to work.

Doesn't crease one bit

This is one of the few matte shadows that doesn't crease, which is totally amazing for me. I have the Black Chocolate shade (from the latest Fall 2010 colors, basically a real dark version of Caviar) and it works like a dream. Completely buildable from light daytime to a deep smoky lid, I wore this for many hours and it didn't budge or fade off.

You can also use this as a brow fill-in color so you don't need to buy another brow pencil, and it works well as a powder eye liner. Gotta love multi-purpose shadows like this one. It's also 3.8 grams per compact so it's a MUCH better deal than shu uemura's eye shadows (2.1 grams) for the same exact price.