Beauty Product Reviews | Page 7

Awesome blushes- would love some in full size, not just sample. Want to try more!

My friend was selling MK this year and brought her special bag to school with all the mini samples. I didn't want to buy full size items without trying them in sample form first, so she was nice enough to give me plenty of free samples (although the goal is to make a sale). She gave me 2 Color Cards- 1 Neutrals and 1 Berries. They have a lipstick sample, blush and three eye shadows on them. I still haven't played around with these but I have used up some blush samples she gave me and they were great!

Cherry Blossom- A lovely rosey color that really stands out when paired with deep reds/plums on the lips. Great just as a nice contouring blush.

Sunny Spice- A more coral, matte, light colored blush/bronzer. Sort of light brownish/beige. Reminded me a little of ELF's Studio Blush in Candid Coral and Wet n Wild's Color Icon Bronzer in Reserve your Cabana. Pigmented enough to do a little light contour. Very pretty and versatile.

What's great about the blush samples is that I got at least four applications outta them!

The Color Cards feature Strawberry Cream (which is nice so far) and Bold Berry, so I'm confident they too will be just as great as the two I reviewed. I would definitely get these blushes full sized- they are great, with a really nice color range.

Have a go to, but I like to explore with wipes

I have a go to wipe that doesn't irritate me in the least, and that is the Neutrogena makeup remover wipes in the baby blue package. But, I got bored with them and wanted to shop around for new scents/textures. So I went through Burt's Bees, Olay and Aveeno, then this and all of them couldn't compare to my HG wipes. The Aveeno wipes and these both irritate my skin. I like this for the scent as I enjoy the scent of the cream cleaner in this line, (and the cleanser doesn't irritate my skin) so that's how I decided on getting it- hoping the scents would match up. But the wipe itself is a tad more textural and leaves my eyes stinging and my lower cheeks/jaw line itching, currently over a 2 day span. So, I do have uses for this so the product doesn't go to waste (spot brush cleaner, hand wipe for makeup on hands, etc) but I know I need to go back the my go to's! The last time I got an itchy jaw was from an Alba cream, so I'm not sure what these wipes and that cream share ingredient wise, but I got the same reaction. So, I don't think I would repurchase these unless I want to look a little deranged, clawing my face!

Wasn't surprised as I knew what to expect

When these were super popular I wasn't that interested. When I did a Dollar General haul awhile back and noticed they had a ton of ELF, including this, I figured the makeup gods wanted me to get it. As everyone has said you can't always get a fully pigmented line, the brush is a little flimsy/not precise (and for some frayed out a bit) but I am willing to deal as I already have a great liquid liner- Prestige liquid liner in black. I chose a brown shade in case I wanted a more subtle cat eye. And its actually great for that. When you want a cat eye, but not in black, it looks beautiful, and its great to just add definition to the lashline if you were doing a brown smokey eye. I recently lined my inner eye with Coffee and my outer/wing with a black liner to create a subtle, two-toned effect, although it didn't really register as anything other than a cat eye. So, while it is a little sub-par and not something I'll use all the time, I do believe a brown liquid liner is a must in any kit/collection. (And I needed a new one, since my other brown l.l. had expired).

Now I know where to get foolproof, highly pigmented blush

I wanted to try out NYX for the first time this past XMAS, and they have so many different products, I didn't know where to start. So, I went with the blush as I love blush and after some investigating I knew their blushes would deliver true to pan color on application. Of course I battled over the Taupe for contouring or the bright red shade, but I settled on Pinky. Pink is a great go to when it comes to blushes. Pinky is so PIGMENTED. I need to dab my brush and try to get mere specks on it or it WILL BE TOO BRIGHT. Its a great color for when you need to add something more to a peach or coral- it will instantly kick up that notch. And of course Pinky looks great with your choice of contour/bronzer/highlighter. The package did not break in the mail, and the blush itself was intact, no breakage whatsoever. I did notice that these blushes are famed for not matching their online description swatch pictures, but I got lucky with Pinky- it is pretty straight forward. I would love to try out all the other colors but I have too many blushes as is.

Don't have much of a need/use for it as I have new white shadows

I got this a while back when I wanted to try this brand and needed a white shadow for a look. It looked great over a white pencil in the tear duct area. Unfortunately, I haven't needed to use this as the white in the LORAC Pro Palette is what I reach for when I need a creamy, pigmented white. I didn't use this shadow alone so I'm not 100 percent its that pigmented without some kind of base but it was pretty good. I might go back to it to see how it compares to the Pro or theBalm's 'Nude 'Tude Palette as far as whites go, but it also seems like a great choice if I were to do a makeup swap. For those looking for a pretty good white eyeshadow I would say this is your best bet, especially if you don't have the funds to shell out for a more expensive alternative. I have a hankering the Pro palette's White and this white are one in the same.

Want to try other shades

After thinking about these on and off for awhile I was happy to spot one in the marked down cosmetic bins at the grocery store. I saw Snow Plum, which was a little cracked, and didn't think about how light and shimmery it would apply-true to color. (Wasn't looking for a highlighter blush, wanted something more pigmented). I kinda dumbly selected it (no other shades to select) and was surprised to find its a great dupe for one of my go to powder highlighters- the Physician's Formula powder palette mineral glow pearls in Translucent. So, I'm glad I have a smaller, more travel friendly dupe, but I kinda wish I could have found a different shade that was also marked down. Snow Plum is a frosty, opalescent highlighter pink, nothing plum about it, for the record! Its a nice, shimmery, cool toned highlighter- and would make a great h.l. on the eyes. So I do like it, I just need to justify snagging a few other shades!

Nice, a little over-hyped perhaps?

Oh MAC.... this and the painterly paint pot were my first MAC purchases (an eyeshadow on amazon included). My lovely boy treated me which was very thoughtful. I like this and use it to set my makeup but I find its a bit over hyped. I don't find my skin to be super duper soft or that its sets and locks my face makeup in an outstanding way. I can't even really see it, even over bare skin. (That could count as a good thing). It is also easy to whip through, which I've realized I shouldn't do as its a little pricey. My dome is a little flattened so far. I am aware that it doesn't have a lot of coverage like a powder foundation. I like to use this over my fave powder foundation with the EcoTools bamboo bronzer brush (a combo a fellow Beauty uses). It is certainly lovely to look at and soft to the touch, and for all I know it could be doing wonders and I'm too much of a numbskull to notice. I am more interested to see what their higher coverage powders are capable of. This a great setting powder but I wouldn't call it epic, for instance.

Super gentle, but effective exfoliant

I was in need of a new exfoliant and either researched this first then bought it, or just bought it. The package is way cute, first of all. I love the scent- its mild but still pretty, not overpowering at all. Here's the kicker- the "micro beads" are exactly that- its more of a barely grainy paste than a cream with hazardous chunks thrown in (won't name any names!) I would definitely recommend this. Its one of the least abrasive scrubs out there- you could even use it daily, but I wouldn't recommend potentially hurting you skin from too much scrubbing. I think this would suit sensitive skin and noses, especially since its not too perfumey- but just enough to feel a touch girly! I'm wee bit surprised I haven't seen more reviews on it!

Meh, might like it later

I got this on a total whim/impulse, but since it was cheap and I was obsessed with brow stuff at the time, I got it. Usually I try the product I got out 3, 5 or more times before I review it, but this I only tried once. I can see the appeal- nice fine tip/precision, etc. But I got the wrong color, and I almost wanted the pen to be more pigmented and liquidy, and wanted to use it with a heavier hand. I felt like I would need to take a lot of time filling anything in or just shaping because not a lot comes out of the tip and its too thin. Almost too much of a good thing. I have other products I use for brows that I really like, so this wasn't too much of a blow. However, I am known to trying something out and not liking it, only to try it later and like/love it.

Might be doing this wrong?

In the past few months I've been paying attention to brows and trying out a ton of products. I checked the reviews on here and this product tested positive. Plus the packaging is cute- although smaller than I thought, and its cheap! But, this didn't do much for me the few times I tried it out. The gel seemed clear, barely tinted on my brows, and the powder was so chalky and non pigmented. In flash photography I could see it tinting my brows, but applying it felt like nothing was going on. Its too cute and cheap not to use, so I'll probably fiddle around with it in my free time, combining it with other fave brow products.

My fave brow combos are using shadows from the Lorac Pro and theBalm's 'Nude 'Tude e.s. palettes to create thick, ombree brows, and using my Ardel brow sculpting gel and Sorme eye brow pencil together. Those combos work great for me, so its not a biggie this didn't work. There's a definite possibility I will like it later, but it didn't amaze me initially!