Beauty Product Reviews | Page 16

Great Product

What an awesome MU remover! I got a full size of this in the Estee Lauder Holiday 2011 Makeup Kit Limited Edition Gift Set. I hadn't gotten around to using it, until recently, that is. I am really getting into E.L. because of the amazing quality of the gift set I got for xmas. I like the bottle- there's plenty of product, and its not a mini, like a lot of the stuff in the set. Its great to use this with a q-tip or cotton pad- just tip this over like you would a nail polish remover onto the cotton pad. Keep doling it out this way until you get the desired amount that will take off your MU. I like using the pads, then the q-tips for the lower lash line. What I really like about this MU remover is how its not very oily/greasy. I used to use Baby Oil as a MU remover because of the mineral oil, and it worked wonders but left my eyes so bleary. This might do that a little bit, but barely. There's another bottled MU remover that does make my eyes blearier than this, and I'll review it later, once I've really confirmed my suspicion. Besides my HG Neutrogena MU wipes, this just might become a second place fave!

Just as good as good as Cherry Me

I'm reviewing 25 Pink Punch. I really like Cherry Me but wanted to get an even more wearable color- something even more casual then a red tint and could go with a variety of makeup looks. I kept looking through the reviews here and selected Pink Punch as the next one to get, because it was such a crowd pleaser, and I didn't want to go to the store and get suckered (or puckered ;D) into getting them all. I'm glad I waited and thought it out, because Pink Punch was a great choice. I love how vibrantly pink and glossy this is, even swatched on the back of my hand. Its a tinted lip balm, but leaning towards a light lipstick/gloss hybrid. Love the smell of Pink Punch, I think it smells spot on to the name, and its a pet peeve of mine when a MU product's scent is advertised to smell one way, then fails miserably, ending up smelling kinda gross and noxious (of course they are fake scents and the products are full of chemicals anyway, even with "good" stuff laced throughout). Love the packaging- I tip my hat to Maybelline's artists and creative directors when it comes to ads and packaging design- this clearly embodies the product at hand. I also quite enjoyed layering this over Revlon's Matte Lipstick in Sky Pink- they matched nearly perfectly and it gave the matte lipstick some luster and shine, and even more softness and suppleness (and the 2 pinks I got from that matte line are silky smooth- a truly exceptional thing when it comes to matte lipsticks). I also think layering this over the lippie helped the color to stay truer and less likely to fade. This shade is even intense enough to use as a cheek base for blush, and its glossy shine can act as built in highlighter. If this pink is this pigmented, Cherry Me, could surely do the job as a nice blush base! Not only does this add intensity to already painted lips, this looks great on bare lips- I had a friend with huge pouty lips wear this, and her kisser looked even more delectable. These are super mess-free as well, so easy to touch up and rub away any mistakes made during application. I think these would also be good for teens and maybe pre-teens to experiment with lipcolor, without going overboard. I likes the rounded nub for application, but the product is so soft and buttery its easy to nick it with the lid when capping it. However, the cap is sturdy which is oh so important when lugging lippies in your bag. This does fade somewhat quickly though, but reapplication is no biggie when this is so handy and easy to use, and feels like silk on the lips! The color does blend in with your natural lip color, so keep that in mind. It would be best to layer this over another pink lippie for more color intensity or just add a littIe foundation or concealer to the lips prior to application, so the color may stay true. I can't say I've used this enough to see any difference in my lips, but that's fine with me.

Miss!

I totally forgot about these! (Just saw it while perusing reviews). Haha. I guess that says something too- how crappy and forgetable they are/were! My take on this is pretty much the same as Haley P. However, I got this a few years ago: before I used Beautylish, was just starting to get more into makeup, and before I knew about the importance of setting creme products with powders to lock down the product and increase the color intensity. So, I could have set this with some translucent powder or e.s. that matched the color combo of the duo shadow stick, but unfortunately I didn't. I too, was seduced with Drew Barrymore's MU in the commercials for this product, when it was launched, and waited awhile to get it. I love bronze on my eyes, and thought the citrus/lime punch would add a cute pop to the bronze eye look. All I know is that with a primer under- pretty sure my UDPP, this creased in a few hours. I remember seeing the creases in the bathroom mirror at my community college. After that, I had no qualms with ditching it. And looking back, I'm sure it could have performed better with some powder over, but it still would have been a hassle- there are creme shadows, even from the drugstore, that would perform way better- even without powder to set it. (I'm looking at you, Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo!). Plus, I always have so many products to use more of or still need to use :P that I don't need something sitting around that I most likely won't use. I don't recall if one of the shadow sticks broke, but judging by the negative reviews, my product probably would have at some point, anyway. I did like the product design and the rounded nub on one side, for all over shading on the lid/ brown bone, etc., and the pointed end on the other side- for crease work and precise eye lining. As cool as this seemed, the product just didn't hold up. I think this even turned me off of Cover Girl for awhile too!

Pretty good, but not must have

I got two of these brushes a while back, and of course, I can't remember my silly reasoning. I think I wanted to put one in my MU kit, and have one for my personal collection. Luckily, the ones I got have not fallen apart, but I also don't reach for this all the time. I do know that elf is constantly inconsistent, if that makes any sense. What I mean is you can count on their products performing from shoddy all the way to excellent. This goes for their brushes. I am addicted to their Blushing, Bronzing, and Blending brush, yet the brush already came off the ferrule- yet is still useable. This goes to show you how cheap their products, especially their brushes are. They are only a few bucks, after all. That being said, I like using this brush to flick away fall out- its bristles are soft and don't irritate my skin, and so far this brush hasn't fallen apart, shed hair all over the place, including my face/hands/clothes, and the handle is firm. ( However, I do have a Sephora powder brush that is super dense and soft that is great for mopping up fall out). Its easy to work up enough torque to flick the fall out off your face. I am glad I was reminded through the review thread about how multi-use this fan brush is. (Elaina Y. :D) I need to use this for highlighting and pressed powder dusting. To sum it up, this isn't a must have, but its nice to have. You can come up with a few uses for it, yet there is a chance the brush might be great, or crappy.

Sent to the garbage

I got this awhile back, when I was first getting into E.L.F. I hadn't yet learned about their reputation for making rocking e.s. shades- as well as barely pigmented chalk- filled pans sold as eye shadow. I really thought the design of this kit was adorable- I was totally into the back to school themed "notebook" with the little elastic strap/band to hold it together, and cute, easy to read/understand directions. The colors looked great in the pan- a mix of pinky/girly neutrals, and vampy smokey eye shades. I swatched a few and quickly realized they were thin and a little crumbly- nothing like UD or Stila shadows. I tried a look with the paler shades and could barely get the color to show- even with a primer (but this was before I was savvy about eye shadow creme bases, granted). I had a friend from school tell me he couldn't make the same palette work for him either (not sure if it was the same, but still) and with his banishment of the palette, I too rejected it. I saved the cute little notebook how-to excerpt (but I've even ditched that since then). I do think I might have prematurely written this off, in hindsight- I could have used bases, and tried out the darker shades- not just the pale ones. But judging by the poor swatches I was too lazy to attempt a smokey eye, and was spoiled anyway, probably because of the high quality of my go to smokey eye palette- Kat Von D's True Romance e.s. palette in Adora. So, I honestly haven't thought twice about cutting up the cardboard, and throwing away the e.s. After all, I have found other E.L.F. e.s. palettes that are performing loads better than this one ever would. No hard feelings, ELF, I still love you! :D

An Old Favorite

I got this as a gift a long time ago, and am pretty much finished with the mini size Eau de Parfum spray, which is .25 fl oz. I'm not sure if this is the standard size, but I think it is a mini gift size/version. This is sexy. Its not too strong and overwhelming and its not obnoxious old lady smelling either. I am not an expert with perfume so I'm not sure I can decipher what is what within this "Very Sexy" elixer, but I do know it smells great. It has such a particular scent, almost with its own personality-super confident. The bottle is very elegant and sexy- a long rectangular column with a red tint, and a glamourous, show stopping cap. While I love trying new makeup/skincare/perfumes, and I've gotten way more into scents now that I'm older, I do think this perfume deserves its place in my own or anyone else's perfume collection. Its one of a kind scent is casual enough to throw on when you're not sure what to spritz or spray, but its still delectable enough to be the olfactory main event. I think it is like an old stand by- something you can count on, no matter what. I would consider getting the full size, (maybe more for nostalgia's sake) if its still available, but I'm broke, and would love to try other things first, if given the chance.

Mid to High End Shadows Disguised As Drugstore!

I can only repeat like a parrot about how these eye shadows are just as good as any eye shadows in a 30 or 50 dollar palette. Growing up I thought Wet n Wild was a cheapie brand, not praised for its quality but good for lipglosses and such. But eye shadows, bronzers and the like? Who do they think they are- Urban Decay or even MAC? Well, I think the drugstore brands have stepped up their game tremendously to compete with other cosmetic companies and have launched very professional lines at a much better cost. I'm a college student who can't afford a lot of top notch products, so when I kept reading rave reviews on these trios, I figured I should give Wet n Wild more credit, and trust that their new, grown up stuff won't let me down!

I decided to start with a "safe" palette, their neutral/natural shadow trio. The "eyelid" shade, the 3rd shade at the bottom is a gorgeous pinky/gold shade, which is super sumptuous when swatched and worn- just a dab on the finger or brush picks up so much product, which is silky and rich and very pigmented. The "crease" shade is a bronzey medium brown, great for crease work. The "brow bone" shade is perfect for inner corner highlighting and brow bone highlighting and is just as rich as the other two. They are all super soft, so watch for fall out, and remember to tap the excess in the tray before applying. While a little fall out is not a problem, it makes me remember that the texture of the product is so high end, and that just a little can go a long way!

The pinky gold shade and bronzey brown shade honestly make me think of Urban Decay eye shadows in their texture, performance and especially pigmentation. The pink/gold lid shade makes me think of Snatch from UD's Show Pony Shadow Box, a shimmery pink with gold glitter flecks, a color now discontinued. Snatch is cooler and more pink, than the more yellow/gold/pink eyelid shade in the trio. The brown in the trio recalls Smog from the Shadow Box but Smog is a little cooler and more metallic. The brow bone shade is a great dupe for any light shimmer highlighting shadow and I like how it is a warm ivory with a gold and pink undertone to compliment the other 2 shades in the trio.

I like how stream-lined the packaging is but they are a little clunky with a somewhat annoying enclosure, and a weird space left over from the place the crappy brushes were stored (this makes for a great fall-out tapping well, though, where you can collect the excess later).

I docked half a star because as pigmented as these shadows are swatched and worn, their mica shimmer might dull some of the color, making the brown crease color a little less defined (at least in this trio). I imagine this could be remedied by applying them wet and doing different shadow looks, like lining the eyes with the crease shade, as well. (My pesky camera phone might partially be to blame, too!)

I created two looks with this trio- one look using the "directions" on the back, which are sometimes helpful, depending on the shadows and how they might compliment each other, (and in this case the directions did work with the shadow colors), and another look creating a natural/neutral smokey eye with a light brown eye pencil as a base. Both looks were really pretty and natural (a look I love). I have maybe 2 or 3 more I wanna get, (even though I probably have the same shades already) and price wise these are a steal. They're about three bucks, so a dollar a shadow, and we're talking really high quality shadows. Not only has Wet n Wild gotten so much better as a brand, their trios have too- I got Spoiled Brat awhile ago (not currently in the data base but I've seen on some Beautie's vids) and I was not the most pleased with the pink shade, although the silver and black were again, almost high end- almost like Kat Von D's True Romance eye shadow palette in Adora.

All in all, go grab some and get wild for these Wet n Wild trios! <3

Great in the eyes of a nail noob!

Let me just preface this review with I am really out of the loop with the nail art trend! I have a decent collection of nail polish, but they're mostly from my childhood, with a few additions here and there. I'm new to the top and base coat thing, and haven't done the shattered or magnetic polish thing either. I haven't gotten tips or fake nails, and only get manicures every so often. I would love to do my nails more often but I'm lazy and a painter/artist. Luckily, I use plastic gloves to oil paint- because I'm not an idiot amateur anymore and oil paint can be toxic, especially on hands. So the moral to that story/rant/ramble is that If I do my nails, they won't get messy with paint all over them! Color wise I do love milky beiges and light pinks, bronzes and golds, and black reds and bloody garnets. Pinks and aquas are fun too! As far as "nail art" I know how to make flowers with a tooth pick and some acrylic paint, but that's where it stops. I do know that because I'm an artist I could get more creative- I just need to stop being lazy and do it! Anyway- If anyone actually reads these rambles, let me know about any beginners nail sites, or just fill me in on anything you find helpful. My nail polish education stopped when I was nine, so I'm pretty basic with all things nail polish! Also, I used to have really pretty, fast growing nails, but over the years they peel like crazy and the weak layers are always peeling and chipping off. I think its because of not drinking enough water/poor diet, but I'm not sure. So, that might also be a reason I stopped playing with my nails so much, because they are gross!

Anyway! I got this I think in the discontinued bin at my grocery store. (I think, don't hold me to it! :P ) Its a cute little bottle and the color Sunset Prisms, 330 is a bright, electric fuchia. (Maybe the display color for this review on Beautylish?) It has a very chemically smell- very strong, and probably not the best or healthy ingredients (if I can decipher them! Its a little shady actually because the ingredients on the back of the bottle are in extremely fine print- impossible to read without a magnifying glass!). The brush is long and fans out, and accumulates a lot of polish, so be sure to scrape the excess on the neck of the bottle (as everyone does anyway :P). This particular color/polish is super thick, and for my toes I only needed 1 coat! It was so opaque and bright, with no streaks. I've had it on my toes for exactly a week and there is barely any chipping- maybe a tad from being at the beach, rubbing my toes a little un-carefully in the sand. :D

Anyway, I might have gotten lucky with this shade and the majority of this line is crap- and I'm pretty sure this is a discontinued nail polish line. Overall I'm happy with its performance, at least on the toes, and dry time is pretty quick, but probably more like a few minutes than exactly 50 secs.

Update! This does take a lot of effort to take off. It doesn't leave a yellowy stain behind but it does sink into grooves, cracks, and cuticles. It took a lot of pads and polish remover to take off, and even q tips, still not getting each speck. I'm not sure if its my toes, this polish, or the color, but it does take a bit of work to remove.

Not my fave face TM/face product

Judging by the pretty large amount of fans of this product, I might need to rethink why I disliked this product. I got this way back when I was getting into face products and was starting with TMs. I was trying so many tinted moisturizers it was like makeup's doomsday was upon us!

I probably should apply this differently, (with different tools) - mix it into a primer/light foundation or moisturizer, and set it with a more full coverage powder. I'll share my initial opinion, but now that I know so much more about MU and TMs, I have more realistic expectations, and ingenious ways to doctor products, and use it in the most beneficial (and correct) way! It wasn't too expensive, so I'm not feeling too guilty about letting it sit in my makeup rejects basket, but I will try to use the little tube up, at some point. I actually wanted to get the Essentials TM as well as the Studio line, and I think I might like the essentials TM more. I love the little Shimmering Facial Whips tubes, especially to mix into foundations to create a luminous finish- so I assume the essential TMs will have a similar, liquid/creme consistency, perfect for mixing and playing with. Anyway, I might change this review if I re-try this product, but right now, I'm gonna just relate my initial impressions and dissatisfaction when I tried it the first time.

The packaging is cute and looks high end- Nars much? Its less than a fluid oz, so there's not much there, but I'm OK with that. I'd rather get a little product for cheap, instead of a lot of something I realize I'm not digging. It does separate in the tube, but thats no biggie. Color wise I got Porcelain 10614 but in the tube and when swatched it certainly leans more peachy/orange. I'm a huge texture MU person, so I need the texture of the product to perform just as well as the other factors. I like to apply tms/bbs with my hands, and rub it in like a facial moisturizer. I feel I can be more precise with blending- going behind and on ears, and blending/rubbing well onto my neck/chest- so no unsightly line between foundation face and bare neck. This felt tuggy/draggy and hard to blend/sink in. It didn't feel all that moisturizing and it was quite sheer. ( At the time, I didn't know how buildable it was).

So, again, I might have better luck if I change how I apply this, and if I manipulate the product a bit. I am still interested in the essential's tm and I find hits and misses with both of ELF's Studio and Essentials line.

Not my fave

My friend had two mini sample sizes of this mascara that she hadn't been using. I don't have any other Clinique products so when she asked if I wanted them I was happy to "take them off her hands" :) In the interest of crafting the most accurate review, I might edit this If I find I take to this mascara, or if trying it once more, I am confirmed of my negative opinion. I love the chic, minimalist packaging. The cap screws very tightly, so no messes made on that part. But I'm not a fan of how wet the formula is. I like my mascaras to be a little wet, but definitely more tacky and damp then full on liquidy. (Maybe I'll leave the cap a little loose to dry it out a tad.) This also (might have) irritated my eyes- maybe from the wet sensation on my lashes, or just by the formula. I find it a little ironic that Clinique is a sensitive skin based brand, yet it bothered my eyes! I do admire their safety factor. The label reads "In case of eye irritation, discontinue use and see your ophthalmologist at once". Thanks for the consideration Clinique! :) (I'm not running to the doc anytime soon, though.) I don't recall anything outstanding about lash separation, lack of clumps, major lengthening or volume, but I'm sure it looked just fine. It just didn't seem to jive with my eyes the most comfortably. Mind you, I do have sensitive eyes, and when I have makeup on, it takes my eyes a few hours to settle and become friends with its its new partners- liner, shadow and mascara. Would I try something from Clinique again? Yes- maybe a mascara, but most definitely some of their facial products! I still have plenty of product with the two of my minis combined. If my eyes will be behave I might take an angled liner brush and swipe over the bristles and on to my lash line for a little quick cat eye.