Beauty Product Reviews | Page 2

Highly pigmented, great for smoky eyes

If you like all-in-one eye shadow palettes then these are the way to go. As a purple lover the Gunmetal Grey and the new Fall palette #7 are my favorites. These are not friendly on the wallet but you do get 3 colors (liner, shadow, highlighter) so you are guaranteed a great smoky eye look. Plus, the sleek large compact lasts for a long time. Gunmetal Grey is more of a gray, silvery purple while the new #7 palette has more of a brighter violet look. It really depends on what you prefer. Not all Armani eye shadows look great on me (Asian skin tone) so I'm always thrilled to find something that really goes well with my eyes.

For the longest time I've used the O shade as my everyday lipstick. It carried me through college and my first few years of working in the real world. It's a great frosty, shimmery copper orange that's not too dark (more on the sheer side). I must have gone through several tubes of this color - that's how much I loved it. It looks so dark on the color swatch but go to the counters and check it out. It's more wearable than it looks. It's really great on Asian skin. Eventually I got sick of it but now that I'm thinking about it I might just grab a new tube of it real soon.

my fave everyday scent!

I LOVE this scent. It just bursts with so much citrus notes. It feels like a shower of blood orange juice all over ya. It doesn't fade off as much as I'd thought it would and I love the fact it's made with natural grain alcohol (it also has way less yucky chemicals). It's probably the most natural perfume spray out there at the beauty stores. My bottle lasted a long time - it's still around and I use it all the time. I got some for friends as gifts and they adore it.

You can't go wrong with most of the scents from Pacifica. I also tried the new CA Star Jasmine and it's great for those who love lush and tropical floral scents.

Highly pigmented colors, silky finish

Givenchy makes some of the best blushes on the market. I find that in most instances you won’t need a lot of product to achieve the desired look. The 23 Aficionado Peach is a great, peachy-coral that's fairly light and natural on my skin tone. It definitely adds a healthy glow to the cheeks. You can swirl the brush on all 4 squares for a blended natural color or take a couple shades for a more sculpted look. The powder is so silky so there's no caking at all. It is a bit pricey but well worth the splurge for such a quality product. The compact is also a neat solid square so it won't take up too much room in your purse. This new packaging features the clap-and-slide magnetic opening so it's also easier to open and close. The brush is also high quality, doesn't scratch the face.

not ideal for asian skin tones

I love the precise, thin brush on this concealer but the shade not perfect for me. You don't have to put on a lot of it to work, which is a plus. I love Armani makeup but sometimes I feel that it's not specifically formulated for Asian skin with yellow undertones. If this shade was just a tad more yellow it'd be perfect. I also need to put on eye cream before application or it will crease big time. It's also pricey for such a small tube. It might work if I slap on another concealer on top but what's the point of that? That just means I have to buy another product on top of an otherwise expensive concealer.

ultra smooth application

This is a beautiful, natural-looking duo if you've never tried YSL eye shadows before. The bronze color is not really a true copper bronze but more of a deep olive green bronze. It goes on so smoothly and the two shades complement each other well. The only thing is that these shades are pretty light for my tastes and I would have to pack on a few layers to see darker color on my lids. Otherwise, a natural, carefree look would be ideal with this duo. This was introduced during the Spring 2010 season but I hope they'll keep it on the permanent collection.

I also got to try the new Fall 2010 duo in #29 Purple Amethyst/Tawny Brown and that's a good one to have if you need a violet purple/light shimmery brown duo. The brown is not too dark and you can use it separately for a light smoky look.

Gives lashes some curl but not worth the price

I really wanted to love this mascara, I really do. After hearing about it from a couple of friends I tried it out at the counter and it's pretty cool with the lash curling effect. It didn't clump but it was smearing all under my eyes after about 4-5 hours of wear. I had to touch up and wipe off the smearing a couple times during my dinner event - not the most attractive look I wanted to present to the other guests.

I do like the double ended brushes. It does give lots of nice definition and volume but it was so hard to remove. I literally spent 10 minutes alone taking it off and I lost a few lashes. Your mileage may vary with this - it works for other gals but not me, unfortunately. :(

Great kit for banishing hormonal blemishes

This anti-acne kit works well for me. I often get blemishes from sleeping at ungodly hours (and when Aunt Flo visits) so it helps control them fairly well. They promise results within 2 weeks but I'm not sure if it can banish really severe acne scars. The cleasing gel comes in a generous 4 oz. size and the tiny apple peels actually can last 4 wks if you don't apply such a thick layer on your face and neck.

If you go to their website directly there's a special TV offer that lets you buy the kit for $39. It's not a bad deal since you get a free blemish clearing powder and a bamboo headband. Not bad for something that's supposedly worth $85 retail.

Best brush cleanser

This is a great makeup brush cleaner - so easy to work with. All you have to do is pour a small amount into a bowl, or several drops directly on the brush hairs and dab or smear along a paper towel. It'll clean out all the makeup residue and you don't have to wash it again with another soapy product. I used it on my cream eye shadow brushes and the gunk comes off nicely.

The big bottle lasts for a long time (a great value), even if you use makeup on a regular basis. The only thing that is a bummer is that you can only buy this on the shu uemura website.

Sexy, shiny, nourished lips

This is a super duper dreamy lipstick. I got to try the new Ruby Serum 870 (a semi-opaque berry plum) and it's great for Fall/Winter makeup looks. I do like the way it dispenses -you click twice to reveal the right amount of product on the lips. I love the fact that it contains SPF 20 too. The only thing I don't like is that it rubs off quite easily. For an expensive lip color you'd hope to make this last, but it's a slim tube. Maybe you can reserve this as your "special occasion only"lipstick. It will not last long if you use it every single day.