Beauty Product Reviews | Page 5

Favorite foundation!

LOVE this! I love the buildable coverage, it offers medium to full coverage if you layer it twice. Love the smooth, silky texture and how it feels so light and comfy on skin. It never looks or feels cakey. It has a slightly luminous quality that makes my skin look glowy and healthy. I've gotten numerous compliments on my skin when wearing this. I did have issues color matching, however, which shows my inexperience with base makeup! I tried the first shade (Ivory) and it took me till a fourth of the bottle down to realize it was wayyyyy too light and pink toned! I recently got Vanilla (too light but better undertone for me) and Shell, which seems to be a great match. Finally! So, I had to play around to find the best fit, unfortunately, because drugstore makeup prices are rising, especially for foundations. This buffs out perfectly on a brush and I love the full coverage and finish when I use my beauty sponge. As soon as I heard about this foundation and its sorta dupey nature to UD's Naked Skin, I was all over the cheaper, easier to buy alternative. I wouldn't say this foundation is a dupe for the Naked Skin, but its such high quality and feels high end, for being in the drugstore. The design is adorable and super chic, the only caveat being there is no pump so sometimes more spills out on the back of you hand, that you don't need. But honestly, I could bathe in it. I'm not a hundred percent sure this is a perfect match, but its close- and its kinda impossible to find one as the color on our face, neck and chests are totally different! Surprise, the wonders of our natural pigmentation! But anyway, I don't see the need to run off for a super high end foundation when this is right at your drugstore. I don't experience any flakiness with this even if I haven't exfoliated the day I'm wearing it. (Although the NN powder emphasizes my flakes). Its very moisturizing and refreshing to skin, so great for dryer skins, but I'm not sure how much an oily person would like this. Seriously my HG foundation. And if you need to customize a shade further, just mix and blend a few together. I am still really bad at foundation matching, but I think I've finally figured this one out. In the future I need to get MAC matched, though. That might help when I get other foundations in the future.

Second favorite to my cheapo makeup sponge!

My best tool for applying my liquid foundation was my drugstore SOHO sponge. I had wanted to get this way before stumbling upon the sponge, so after falling in love with the beauty blender dupe, I finally had the chance to get it and see if it was worth the hype. I like the handle, soft bristles and tight bundle. I agree the bundle is kinda small in circumference, which means it takes longer to apply foundation. I don't get streaks on my face, but I notice my nose gets a little streaky in that the bristles create speckles that are hard to blend in. I've found that I just have to blend and stipple my nose more, since I don't notice any issues elsewhere. With my sponge, its a dream- you don't notice anything and my face looks flawless. The sponge emulates the surface of the skin. So I like this brush, but don't love it. I still want to get a flat top kabuki brush at some point. I do like using it though, it feels great in my hand and its been my new go to brush. I think this would be good for blending liquid concealer on the face, although it might be a little bulky for that. It is a great brush but my best finish has been from my cheap-ass beauty sponge!

Don't use them nearly enough. Really good but I like the High Shine glosses better

I tried these in the shades Eclair (blue-pink bubbegum) and Apple Strudel (peachy pink) I haven't been reaching for these that much, or my Soft Matte lip creams because I haven't been in a really pink mood. (Got too many pink shades). I think these are better than your typical drugstore gloss- much more pigmented but NOT as pigmented as their High Shine glosses or the lip creams. These would look great over another pink lip product, and do look nice over normal lips, but the ones I got provide a subtle tint. The darker shades are brighter and more pigmented. I do like the silky, buttery feel and buttery shine. They feel moisturizing too. I just seem to not pick them up and use them enough! Please avoid getting any gloss from the drugstore and get these! Or the High Shine lipglosses because those are also kick-ass!

Great product, but the shade doesn't match the outer color of tube!

I made sure I snatched up a few of these much hyped babies when Target started carrying the brand. I got Antwerp and San Paulo. I liked how Antwerp photographed, its a nice, light, yellow pink, if you wear it sort of in the center of the lips, it gives a healthy, natural flush to the mouth. I couldn't decide which colors to get, so besides Antwerp I got San Paulo, which I thought would be much darker than it really was. Both shades don't really match or wear like the tube's color. I thought SP would be darker. On the doe foot applicator it looks like darkish rosey blue based pink. Its a medium rose although it looks almost bubble-gummy on. Its almost a darker version of Antwerp. I love the applicator, creamy texture and the feel of the product. It feels silky on and dries down, yet comfortably. It lasts forever and I seem to be one of the few who didn't get super dried out lips. I've been in a sort of anti-pink lips phase and maybe I'm not super enthused because I picked relatively pink shades. I kinda wish I picked others/more shades. But these are really pretty. When I get in a pink mood they really fit the bill, and I think they have the my lips but better look.

Serioulsy blows all drugstore glosses out of the water!

Love these! I had heard good things for a long time, so when I finally had access to them in store at Target, I was all over them! They DO meet the hype. Sugar Pie is the perfect, creamy shimmery champagne nude, looks great over any nude lip product. I have Natural which is a lovely nude rose-brownish beige, which looks good with any nutmeg lip liner and I also have Plush Red, a cherry gloss which I have yet to rock, but I know it would look killer over any red lip! Here's why these are awesome: PIGMENTED. There are so many drugstore glosses that look great in the tube, but are so sheer! These are like two steps down from a liquid lipstick. They provide a decent amount of color without anything else on the lips. They make great toppers for lipstick but work great on their own or over lip liner. For the price, these are amazing. I've checked the ingredients and they aren't any different than any other gloss formula, but its obvious they pack more pigment in every tube. So happy Target decided to stock NYX, although the selection is limited.

Geat pigment, want to try others. Not really plum, though.

I stumbled upon these babies when looking up blush reviews. I was interested in the True Match line initially for their powders but noticed these also had good reviews. I like their extensive shade range and the hearty size of the blushes. I have a few I still want to try, but am now using a really good palette that has shadows/contour/blush colors, you name it, so I have to put a hold on sampling these. I got the shade Spiced Plum because I LOVE burgundies/plums/roses/mauve etc colors- on lips/eyes/and the CHEEKS. So of course I was stoked and the picture here made the blush actually look like...spiced plum. However the real blush is kind of a medium pink/rose shade that at times can lean coral. So its not the shade I actually wanted but it looks great, very natural, creates dimension and contours well and is really pigmented. Just a few taps and you're good. Its not a creamy powder, but the stiff texture does not mean lack of pigmentation. With the brighter shades use a lighter hand and build up from there. I really want to try the apricot/light pink and beige shades but that will have to wait, especially since I have even higher quality ones in my Sorme Treatment Cosmetics palette I got through beauty school.

Must have gotten a dud!

I got this on my second ever trip to Ulta. All the girls there suggested I get this- my original choice was They're Real. Let's just say I should have stuck to my original choice. Did I get a dud? Probably, since almost everyone on the planet seems to LOVE this mascara! Mine was definitely dried out. As soon as I got back to my motel room (on a mini trip) I tried it on and was so incredibly disappointed by what I spied. It was sticky, clumpy, kinda dry and gave me spider lashes. Ugh! Instead of trying to make something work that I know I wouldn't want to use (and waste a good chunk of change) I went back the next morning and returned it, swapping it for my original choice, which is MUCH better. I'd only reconsider buying it again with the hopes I got a crusty, defected mascara the first time. It's one redeeming feature was it gave some volume and a lot of length, without a curler. In general, some of my faves have been Rimmel London, Benefit and Estee Lauder.

Go-to, my love for it might be waning.

I was in the market for a new concealer a few months ago and already had a few in mind, this being one of them. I've been using this solely for awhile now, but might be getting hooked on something else (always happens before I ever finish something). I like the crayon shape and the fact that its twist up- you get a lot of product. I like the blush in the True Match line and have wanted to try the face powder for eons but opted out for another. I think this is super blendable and creamy. Sometimes I feel like it takes a little while to really blend it in, but it feels creamy and looks matte, covers pimples and dark circles very well and the shade matches me perfectly. There was one time I had trouble blending it in because it did not react well with the foundation I was trying out, but this works great with my current go to. I even think it has a subtle highlighting effect to it. I wouldn't recommend trying to use a brush or sponge with it- its best to draw it on and blend and pat with your fingers- they will warm it up. If anyone got a bad one, it might because it dried out and got too flaky. This is also good for brow highlighting, it emphasizes them well and blends out nicely. The main con is when the point gets dulled down. I don't know if I have jumbo sharpener, and I don't want to risk it breaking. I'm starting to get interested in the Maybelline age rewind dark circles corrector, but I don't want to abandon this yet, as I often do! The liquid-y Maybelline one feels even easier to blend and has similar coverage, plus I like the sponge, as "unsanitary" as it is! I keep thinking its starting to drag a little when blending but that might just be me. I would recommend this, although I might have a new fave concealer on my hands.

HG Lippies. Run and get them!

LOVE these! My most used lippies, ESPECIALLY the vampy shades! And there are so many MAC dupes in this already extensive range of shades! The packaging is cheap, but the price is amazing, (only $2.99) these lippies are outstanding! They are NOT totally matte, which is something that keeps going around. They are super creamy, pigmented and not really drying. I love the satiny shine- and some can be a little too glossy, so just mattify with a tissue. Its best to exfoliate before applying, and a lip liner helps because the bullet is slanted and it can be hard to apply neatly. You can also use a lip brush for more precision. I really love Vamp it Up, Raisin' Raisin (really creamy/smeary), Cinnamon Spice and Cherry Bomb. I also have Sugar Plum Fairy, Stoplight Red, Carrot Gold, Wine Room (not a fave), Just Peachy, Bare it All (more matte and dry), Don't Blink Pink, and Purty Persimmon. And I course I want the rest. These and Revlon's lipstick lines are amazing quality, right at the drugstore and have so many MAC dupes. I have some MAC lip products and they're not much better than my fave drugstore lip products (including Jordana easy liner for lips, which looks amaze with these lippies).

Not the best neutral palette. A little overhyped, they have better boxed eyshadow kits. Has a few standout shades.

Last XMAS, I was dying to get this. I got a bunch of other neutral eye palettes (my thing) and this one, which I thought would be my fave! Honestly, since then, its my least used. Don't get me wrong, there are some beautiful shades in here that create beautiful looks! But there are only a few shades that perform really well, and its not worth the money to buy an eye kit for only a few eye shades. The light lid/highlight colors are really thin and sheer in texture, and I like their finely milled, silky quality, but they lack pigmentation. I have a pretty big chunk of neutral eyeshadow palettes and the lid colors can hold their own without a base. They aren't super super bright, but that's to be the case without an eye base like Milk. So, I was a little annoyed with that, especially since this particular palette was and still is getting praised to high heaven. I am one of those people that finds it a little hard to stand alone on a differing opinion on makeup- sometimes its easy to go with the crowd and modify a slightly negative opinion. However, the lighter shades might just blend into my own lid shade, which explains the lack of pigmentation, but still. I think the other eye kits that come in these little boxes are probably better quality though, and this is still OK, especially for beginners looking for something really soft and natural. What I do like about the kit is the packaging- its adorable. Too Faced has some of the best packaging on the market- and they know it! But in this instance, I kinda felt like the packaging had more substance than the product. I do however really love a few shades and I will briefly describe them. The names are super adorable. Like a Virgin is a grey color, its a little stiff, not super pigmented and hard to blend but its a great outer corner shade. Satin Sheets is one of the best shades. Its a golden shimmery pink with a greenish duochrome tint to it. Really beautiful and great as a lid shade with a twist. Unmentionables is shimmery gunmetal grey and Lapdance, another favorite is a silvery taupe grey with a brownish/lilac sheen. Those are both crease/outer corner shades. Its quite adorable and so portable, anyone who sees this is your makeup bag will be jealous. I just find the lighter lid shades to be not so useful. However, you can always supplement the good shades with other shadows! <3