Beauty Product Reviews | Page 22
Same as Midnight Blue, but doesn't perform as well
To get a better take on this pencil, visit my other review on the Midnight Blue shade. Basically, this is waxy, a little crumbly, and takes a few tuggy swipes to build up the color. It is not as pigmented as Midnight but the color is beautiful- its a grey/ warm sandy brown with a very faint hint of shimmer. This pencil looked great with my cloudy blue/green/grey eyes, and enhances brown lashes in a subtle, natural way. Taupe would make a great partner with a bronze shadow for a light and shimmery, summery smokey eye (I'll have to try that!) ATM, this pencil is chilling with Midnight Blue in my MU rejects/OK products basket, but, as I've said, they might rejoin the mini hoard now and again. I guess I'm a fair weather friend to these pencils! They really are half Pro and half Con.
"meh" to pretty good
I'm also a little on the fence about this product. I got these from Sally's for a reasonable price, and at the time I was pretty new to Sally's Beauty Supply and the Palladio brand. It def. is a 50/50 kinda product, with clear pros and cons. When I first got this shade I really liked the pigmentation and color. My eyes are a cloudy grey-greenish blue and the navy color really made them pop. I wore Midnight Blue as a thick, slightly smudgey/messy cat-eye, paired with a metallic silver or shimmery white highlight in the first third of the eye as well as the tear-duct area. With any of my primers Midnight lasted for along time. Now for the drawbacks. For some odd reason Midnight AND Taupe when swatched and worn create a pigmented line but with some added crumbles. Even after wiping off that dry layer encasing a new eye pencil, the pencil tugged a bit and you had to make a few swipes to evenly distribute the color. I noticed that with Taupe particularly, that I had to work and apply a few layers for the color to be evenly distributed and not patchy. That being said I love both colors and have had some moderate success with them, but I might have moved on to bigger and better things, so to speak. I might use them on occasion, but for now they sit in my MU rejects basket.
Not what I thought it would be
This product had very nifty and persuasive advertising. Using catch phrases like "Studio Secret" and "Professional" all probably ensnared us one way or the other- subconsciously or otherwise. Color correcting is promoted by some MUA's and is not hyped by plenty of others. I think a color corrector's success also depends on the thickness of the product as well. A basic guide line for color-correcting is as follows:
-Yellows can help neutralize purples/blues -Green can cancel out any unwanted redness -Purple can balance out yellow or sallow skin -Peach is good for dark spots. (There are variations to color-correcting and most of it has to do with the color wheel/color theory, also what works for you and/or your client! The list above is just one color-correcting theory/technique.) This anti-redness primer didn't do much for me. I didn't notice a marked, or even faint difference after I blended it on my face, with foundation, or alone. Color correctors are used to counter act or cancel out an unwanted facial color AND then once the color is neutralized, add skin tone matching concealer/foundation/face products. This primer was liquid-y and sheer, so no visible coverage. The packaging is slim, sturdy and portable, and I think the pump is OK, seeing as how there are PLENTY of skincare and MU products' whose pumps clog up and get all gooky and dry, thankfully this fail product was not one of them. You can control how much you pump, but its easy to accidentally deposit too much product with a small pump, so be careful. But even if you do use a ton of product, its sheerness cancels out any beneficial effects. I was excited about this product because I have dry, cool undertone skin with some yellow/tan patches, high, ruddy color in my cheeks with large pores and my jawline/chin is slightly acneic.I have a red, very dry T zone and dry skin at the base of my brows, as well. I also have dark circles/no bags. This product would have been great to neutralize all of that. I can't remember the price but it might have been over 10 bucks. In comparison to some fancy shmancy primer this is def. cheaper, but for drugstore its still a little pricey, especially when added to the tally of your additional purchases.
Inexpensive but Impressive eye shadow primer
This eyeshadow primer is comparable to many other primers on the market- but at such an affordable price. I also got this at Sally's Beauty Supply and was happy with my purchase. The primer is in a cute, chic container with the very pretty Palladio logo on it, and like the old UDPP containers, it has a doefoot applicator. I've had a few issues with other Palladio products and other brands exclusively sold at Sally's so I was glad this primer was what I was hoping it was- a cheap but effective primer- that I could use and rotate with other primers, to help me stretch out my UDPP. Come to think of it, this primer is VERY comparable to ELF's eye shadow primer- another fave!
Really Fun and Funky Liner
I love this product by Urban Decay. Stagedive is a bright, teal glitter liner. As one of you gals mentioned, the glitter is nicely suspended in the clear gel base. I love the liner brush as well, because its a thin brush that tapers at the end-so its guaranteed to provide precision when drawing lines. It does take a few swipes to build up the product and equally distribute the glitter on the lash line. If you're a perfectionist you can build the line up and get every speck of glitter in place, or be a little messy and carefree. I also like to pair Stagedive with a black liquid liner, for a funky fresh cat eye. I usually apply the cat eye liner on the outer third of my eye, and the glitter, on my inner eye or just layer it over a black cat eye on my top lash line, for a two toned effect. Believe it or not, the glitter liner looks great as is with some bold, black lashes- falsies or just your own! Great product and I wouldn't mind owning the whole collection!
Everyone's Favorite Primer
What can I say that HASN'T been said about this marvelous product? This was my first eyeshadow primer and I would say will always be my favorite. ( Although I want to get soo many others). I really want to get the new tinted, shimmery shades- Eden, Sin and Greed and I'm so stoked there are tubes with squeeze tips, as well as a huge tube for makeup junkies and MUA's kits. Want that too! I'm glad the product is the same but the packaging is better- I feel like Urban Decay knows whats up and knows how to please we very demanding beauty addicts! Also the old potion shaped bottle is coated with a pearly purple paint- that with time chips and flakes away- all over hands and clothes- not fun.
Love it!
I got this eyeliner a long time ago- as a xmas gift. One of the best gifts ever! Anyhow, I think this is one of Urban's best products and a staple for any beauty kit or makeup collection. Oil slick is a sexy, sparkly black with an oily wet sheen. I love that it is a great black liquid eyeliner- but with a little edge. The little bottle is very cute, and though small, still holds a good amount of product. I haven't experienced any dried up product either. The liner has a nice consistency and the brush is pretty good for a liquid liner brush. Its thick enough that you can lay the brush flat on the eye to create a thick cat-eye and has a nice tapered tip for thin lines (although it doesn't have the precision of a felt-tip eyeliner pen). Oil Slick and my regular black drugstore liquid liner are my two go-tos for a sexy cat eye- either jet black and glossy( drugstore liquid liner- CORRECTION : L'oreal Lineur Intense), or grey and sparkly( Oil Slick from UD). I really wish I had more of these liquid liners because the formula and pigmentation is so great. I know gel/creme liners are so popular now but I still love me some liquid liner!
one of elf's better products
This is one of Elf's better products. These shimmering facial whips are way better than the all over color sticks. Spotlight is a beautiful white shimmer shade and is great for highlighting the tops of the cheekbones, browbone, inner eye area and for general highlighting when contouring ( down the bridge of the nose, above the brow, forehead, cheekbones, tip of nose and chin, etc.) It is very shimmery, so a little does go a long way. This might not be the best for oily skins, so use sparingly, if you find it makes your skin look shinier. The shimmering facial whips, including Spotlight, would make good eyeshadow shades- but use a primer- they crease without one. My only issue is how watery they are. You must shake the tube ( I like the container) and squirt a little on the back of your hand, blend, then apply with your fingers and blend. That's easy enough but it being prone to separating is a little annoying. But for 1 buck that's quite alright. These whips have the same scent as the all over color sticks- slightly fake fruity, a little weird, but tolerable. I'm planning on mixing some into my TM or foundation for a little sexy glow. <3
Really good product hidden under hardened shell!
I basically feel the same about Pink Lemonade as I do about the Golden Peach shade all over color stick. Where Golden Peach is more shimmery gold and less peach, Pink Lemonade is way more true to its name- relatively well pigmented. It has the same scent as the other one and for me, the texture is so-so. I love creamy, silky products and this is more on the dry side. For the low price point, 1dollar at Target, it is alright. Many ELF products are cheap and not the best quality- although with any brand there are hits, and misses. I think as far as an all over color stick Pink Lemonade is better- better on the lips and cheeks because its way more pigmented. I haven't tried these on the eyes- but if I do, I most assuredly will use an eye primer or make a primer from concealer or foundation with some translucent powder to set it.
Update! I realized that this product worked better if I scraped off the dried layer on the top! Under the tough exterior, so to speak, the rich, creamy pigmented product was hiding. I love how smooth and rich this is, but I still think Golden Peach is not as good. I love the shine and that its as pigmented and sits between Revlon's Super Lustrous Matte Lipsticks Pink Pout and Sky Pink, color wise. Great on lips and cheeks. I am glad I took a better look at this. Sometimes its easy to write something off because you didn't closely examine a product and were too eager to search for something new. I think you could use this for a rocking pink shadow eye base as well.
cute but dries out quickly
When I first got this product I thought it had cute packaging and a cool concept. A chubby, mini all over color stick- what a great idea! To use a phrase that's popular around here, you basically get what you pay for. I think these sticks were around a buck, at Target. When swatched the Golden Peach shade comes up more gold, than peach- because there is a ton of gold microglitter in the stick and the peach base is not very pigmented. If one is looking for a peachier, creamier highlighter- look elsewhere. For a sheer, golden with hint of peach highlighter this is ok. My main issue is that the product is quite dry thus making it somewhat unusable for me. For a buck I don't mind not using it, but I probably will try to resurrect it somehow, perhaps applying the color with a foundation brush from the stick, instead of drawing on the product with the stick and blending. If you add layers the peach color does show up better, but more effort is involved. Layering the swatch on my hand makes the peach pop more. Because its so dry (but not overly) blending too, is not the best either. But in a jiff, this is a cute highlighter ( I like ELF highlighters in the tubes better) and can be carried around pretty well (although the packaging is flimsy and cheap- might break). It has a fruity-ish scent and apparently you can wear it on, eyes, lips and face (hence the lovely acronym).