Beauty Product Reviews | Page 13

Great for powder- even better for liquid foundation!

After hearing so many great things about this brush- especially about its magic with liquid foundation- I had to get it! I'm definitely a bit of a foundation noob and am always on a bit of a brush budget so this brush is cheap and works wonders with liquid foundation. I like using this with my Sorme Liquid Mineral foundation but this works amazingly with my Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation. The foundation has awesome coverage on its own and with the brush I can literally spackle this on and erase all my spots and huge pores- in a few swipes. It feels great on the skin, has a super dense bundle, no hairs have fallen out and its a sturdy brush- the elf Studio line is way better than their Essentials, especially when it comes to durable brushes. And, this works great with powder obviously and performs well with my two setting powders, as it picks up more than enough powder to set your face product. (Love the flat-top kabuki feel as well). I'm so glad this got good reviews and the "talk" section was particularly helpful for one such foundation noob (yours truly :D) I do agree this takes extra time to clean- I've used liquid hand soaps and Dr. Bronners and I still struggle with a considerable residue, and the drying time is considerable because the brush is so thick, but its still super worth it to own. <3

EDIT: This brush is just as cheap as any other elf brush- from the Studio or Essentials line. The ferrule of the brush is already loose after using it a few times, but, all in all- its the brush that matters! I don't mind a loose ferrule, as long as the bundle is awesome!

Gave it a second chance and was pleased!

When I started getting even more into makeup I got obsessed with primers (still almost clueless with foundation). I don't really like silicone-y primers or ones that feel oily/greasy. This one is almost like a moisturizer- I love face products that are wettish/creamy but dry down and leave skin relatively smooth. I at first didn't really care for it- maybe because I didn't know how well it performed with foundation and at the time I didn't really need it with my TM's and American BB's. Now that I'm really into Rimmel London's Lasting Finish 25 Hr. Foundation this comes in handy quite well. Even though the foundation claims to have an "Aqua Primer" built in this primer works great underneath. I might have been a little wary of the orange-y color when I first tried the primer- but its not too noticeable blended into skin, and definitely not noticeable under the super amazing coverage of the foundation. This primer is also the same size/amt. as the foundation, so they make a great pair (even though I've used the foundation more). This goes to show you that if you might be uncertain/not into a product you buy, hold onto it for a bit because you never know when it'll come into play later and be super helpful. I might repurchase this as a backup primer for any future Rimmel London foundations I'm bound to be getting. I've tried other drugstore ones and will probably get around to using them, but so far, this little guy is a great partner with my current foundation. It might not be amazing on its own, but it doesn't hurt to have laying around.

Really nice!

I've come to the point where I feel I'll get the most out of any concealer, especially drugstore, if I use a color-correcting concealer under it. But this puppy is as close as it gets to full coverage and in photographs dark circles are almost nowhere to be seen. I found this on BL and made sure to check and see if the reviews for this were overall positive.

I like using this with the Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 hr. found. even though this concealer is supposed to go with the Match Perfection foundation line. The texture is creamy- my thang- and there is a hint of luminescence in the formula, which I love. I suppose this is Rimmel's attempt at mimicking the much more expensive and highly praised concealer/highlighter 2 in 1s that are all the rage now. So, this could be considered a much more affordable dupe for a more expensive counterpart. Its also easy enough to swirl liquid h.l. into liquid concealer but I rest my case. :) Its a skinny tube but there's plenty of product. The brush is nice but you do need to be careful when dispensing the concealer. It takes a little bit for the concealer to go through the brush and when it finally gets there, there's a pretty big blob. I like to put the blob on the back of my hand, like a palette, then dip the brush into it and then brush on my eye area. And with the extra concealer you might dispense this works great as a facial concealer and highlighter- it subtly highlights my cheekbones and chin very nicely. The brush is super soft and has a nice shape- great for the contours of the eye area. There's even an index on the back of the tube that matches the foundation from this line with the concealer from this line. This isn't super important to me this moment because I'm using the Lasting Finish foundation but if you want to use the Match Perfection concealer and Match Perfection foundation you could easily match the two up using the index on the back of this product. I'll probably get around to trying that, as I'm so stoked by the Lasting Finish that I might try the Match Perfection foundation when I run out of the L.F. I've been so wowed by Rimmel London of late- and I'm so pumped I'm finding an awesome foundation that could easily be a go to when I'm not exploring other ones.

This concealer is best used for one person because sharing the brush would be extremely unsanitary. I think this concealer is a bit better than the Covergirl Olay concealer, and it was certainly a nice change of pace to switch to this one. Thanks ladies for the great reviews- I don't know that I would try this without the extra help! <3

Alright

I tend to battle with how I rate my reviews- should I dock off points because I had some negative experiences with this, or be more judicious? At any rate I've had mixed feelings for sure on this little sucker.

When my dreads were starting to develop naturally (under the "patience" method) I was searching for a residue free shampoo that would help keep my dreads clean, without getting shampoo residue trapped in the locks, thus delaying drying time and adding gunk that is hard to remove from locks. A lot of dread forum sites praised this so I gave it a go. The smell is sort of masculine cologne-ish, which is fine, but not really what I wanted, and its just a weird, almost over-powering smell. I could feel a difference in my non-dreaded hair (bangs), very smooth, light and shiny- but it was hard to rinse from my nasty rats nest dreads, and the feel of shampoo in my hair, and that weird smell almost made me turn away from the product, all together. I've recently chopped the locks off because they are soo high maintenence and come with a host of potential problems (dandruff) and have started to use this in exchange with the fancy shampoos I am now able to use. I still think its a little hard to wash out (all shampoos feel this way to me now, I know its weird- I plan on someday cleansing my hair the natural way, maybs). As far as lather, there's not a lot, probably because they don't want to add sulfates to help the product lather. There's a lotta debates on sulfates in and out of the dread communities, so I guess its cool they left it out of this shampoo.

Edit* This makes my normal hair really soft and silky. It feels thick and wavy/curly, but also super brushable and easy to run my fingers through. I'll probably always keep a bottle around, despite the funky smell, because it is useful.

All in all I think its pretty good for getting residue out, but the smell is a little strong. I don't know if its that great for dreads, but some swear by it. I'm just not cut out for dreads so I'm glad to be back to the normal hair world! <3

Smells Heavenly

I used up every last bit of my Neutrogena body lotion and went on BL to scout out a new body lotion (I want to use products that are on the database so I can review 'em) and was wondering about gud. When I inspected further I noticed this was a Burt's Bees brand, and of course anything by Burt's is the bees knees! (had to make the pun). Burt's is a safety net, so I was banking on this mini brand of theirs to be a winner. I looked up their scents and I knew this one would appeal to me (love citrus-y scents), went to Target because I have seen the brand there, cracked one open and voila! It smelled just the way I had wanted it to. The texture is very creamy so a little can go a long way and its thicker and creamier than many lotions I've tried before, so that's great to mix it up a bit. The Neutrogena one seems runny in comparison- to think! I'm also pumped about the texture because I was torn between choosing the body butter of the same scent and the lotion (they're probably the same but in different packages) and this seems to have more of a body butter feel. Anyway, I'm glad to know this is a Burt's brand- so chances are if this lotion is dope then other products/scents in this line will be awesome too. I can see gud beeing a great standby/backup product in the future.

Nice to try something new

I got this as a sample along with plenty of others when I received my Sephora Blockbuster makeup set last XMas. I'm glad I got to try out a Kate Somerville product because I had obviously heard good things and I know its probably expensive. Plus I like trying new things out before I make a purchase. I hadn't gotten around to using it until the past few months- and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing because I don't know when it was supposed to expire. I know what IS a good thing- the fact that the product looked and felt very natural. It was green and gooey- very gross and algae like (was that just mine?) and smelled like cinnamon. It actually made me think of a Kiss My Face product I tried years ago. The cinnamon tingled the skin and the scrubbing agents weren't too harsh but were abrasive enough to make me feel clean. Because of its rawness I might have been using it way past its expiration date- but it still smelled fine and worked great on my skin. I'm not sure I would buy this though- it has a definitely different smell and look- although I liked the texture because it really did do a great deep clean. All in all, I would love to try out other Kate Somerville products, especially sample sizes.

A Classic

These are the ultimate hair-ties. I grew up with the Goody elastics- they've always been a staple, my whole life. I love how these come in different color packs, and texture styles. They can be stretched out over time and not immediately snap (well, sometimes :D) I love matching my hair ties to my MU or outfit. These will last forever and you get plenty in one pack, plus they aren't super expensive. I recently chopped all my hair off, but I had dreads and these were great for holding all that weight up, in a high bun or a bun on the nape/back of head. I'll use them when my hair grows out, and probably the rest of my life! <3

a nice change

I really like Tom's products. This toothpaste is a little more expensive than your average brands and might hold less product, but its still a nice toothpaste, especially when you're in the mood for a change. It is worth mentioning that the peppermint flavoring is VERY strong- much stronger than your typical big name brands toothpaste. If the minty burn/tingle irritates you, this product might be too intense for you. Just use a little at a time, or mix with your preferred toothpaste to cut down the burn. All in all I like the texture and look of this paste, and the packaging is cute and easy to store in my cup with me and my bf's tooth brushes.

Standard Black Liner, has some drawbacks.

I've had this liner for eons and probably should have ditched it a long time ago- but its become something nostalgic as it has found its home in different makeup bags, boxes and ceramic cups over the years. I think this could be compared to their Great Lash line- but better. The packaging is primo- you can easily uncap the lid and roll the product out of its tube- with no need to sharpen. Even with a blunter edge the eye liner nub is still easy to work with. It has suffered no damage in its duration in my care and the packaging is not only cute, but durable, something I find pretty important in any cosmetic or skincare product. The smudger on the other size is cozily nestled under another pretty durable, clear plastic cap. Because the liner is so smudgy/pliable, I find the smudger sponge only good for removing product from the eyes, not simply smudging. That's not good, and I've since stopped using it, and I didn't use it much to begin with. Plus, even though its your personal e.l. that seems hella unsanitary. And near the smudger side is a sharpener, which of course I forgot to mention/use. My b! The products that encompass this three-in-one might be good to sub-par, but at least you get a few things to play around with.

I like the texture and pigmentation of this liner. Its creamy and spreadable and obviously appears blacker and more pigmented the more product you apply, be it swatched on your hand or on your eyes. However, like many of you mentioned, and I agree- it doesn't stay on the lid without creasing (I think that's happened even with primers) and its notorious for slipping off the waterline. On the other hand, like Erin Z. mentioned, its great for a momentary touch to top off an eye look. I like to use this on my waterlines and to tight line (because its so smooth and won't tug on delicate lid skin) and it will show up great on camera. Its always been a must for me when doing a gothy smokey eye- to fill in the eye area completely with black- especially the waterline.

I find it will stay for a little bit, and the worst its done for me is slip to the lash line- but not much under. I've been lucky and had no raccoon/crying eyes with this, but it might have slipped even under the lash line and hit my under eye creases. It has the tendency to mix and muddy up the shadow or liner lining your bottom lashes so its ideal to wear it when you have darker shadow on, to keep your eye colors purer and less disturbed from mixed in black liner. But again, it will stay on the waterline for a bit, long enough to snap a nice pic, and for some, the most damage it will do is falling to the lash line- which makes the bottom lashes look darker and fuller at the root. Forget lining the top lid, and forget the smudger, it will only wipe away the hard work you did on your eyes.

Even though this has many cons, its a nice, cheaper eyeliner that you can grab on the go and have for awhile. It doesn't need to be the best eye liner on the planet to have a place in your beauty collection. Its great for balancing out a colorful eye with a little black in the water/tight lines, or adding definition to a neutral eye, and most importantly, filling in areas for a dark smokey eye- but of course capture this on the video or camera because in a few hours it will have faded or not even be there. I might be rating this higher because of nostalgia but I find it to be useful in some ways, so I've kept it around. But I don't reach for it for many of the reasons stated above.

Great pink to have in your lip product collection!

I know I've written separate reviews on these puppies- but I can't help but want to give them breathing room in their own separate reviews- they're that good! I have Sweet Tart, which is great, although I had originally wanted Cupcake (However, Revlon's Matte Lipsticks in Sky Pink and Pink Pout are similar in color, both are faves atm). I didn't go back to get Cupcake or any other ones (until I got Creme Brulee- HG nude lip right there) so I was pleasantly surprised and had to laugh when my bf's mom asked if I wanted it- it was a little too young looking for her... and I loved being gifted with it...C'mon, another lip butter, this time for free!?! I think Strawberry Shortcake is very cute, and I must have underrated it because it wasn't on my original lip butter list. Its a very cute and girly pink- but with a cool pearly shine. If you don't like something with a little frost, this might not be for you- but again, its very minimal. This is not a must have shade in my lippie wardrobe, only because I have other lippies similar in color- but it makes a great addition and is a good staple girly girl pink. Plus, who can only have one pink lippie? (I can't! ) All in all, love having this in my Revlon lip butter collection, and glad my bf's mom asked if I wanted it....of course I did! :D