Beauty Product Reviews

Awesome traincase for Makeup Artists!!

I ordered this traincase from <a class='textlink' href='http://amazon.com' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>amazon.com</a> almost a year ago for $200, free shipping (it's now going for $175 on amazon). This has been such a lifesaver for me. Prior to ordering this, I was carrying around 3 bags plus my old MAC traincase. Needless to say, my back and shoulders would hurt badly, on top of bending over for 2 hours putting on makeup and hurting my back even more. This is a 3-tier case. It has SO much room in it! I also do hairstyling, and this case allows me to conveniently carry all the makeup and hairstyling tools that I need for my gigs. This includes, my curling wands, flat iron, all hair sprays and hair products, even a full roll of paper towels can conveniently fit in the bottom compartment. I usually put my hair tools on the top removable tier, and all my makeup and palettes in the 2nd tier with the folding trays. You can see how I organize everything in the picture. Because it has so much room, it can get really heavy. But thankfully, I haven't had any problems with the handle and it is very well made. I had to carry it up a steep hill while walking to someone's house and it held up just fine. There are also 3 side pockets on the sides, perfect for folders for your contracts and business cards, or a planner. I would suggest not carrying it by the top handle, use the two handles located on the sides, they re more sturdy. Another thing I love about this traincase, is that if I'm only doing makeup, I don't need to bring the middle tier. You can just take off the middle part and the top part locks in to place with the bottom compartment, which makes it lighter for travel. Overall, I love my traincase just as much as when I first got it. It also looks very professional and I've gotten a lot of compliments on it as well. If you are a Makeup Artist looking for a really good traincase, I highly suggest this one, you won't regret it and it is an investment so it is definitely money well spent as far as the quality and versatility of it. I read a lot of bad reviews on the hard case traincases from yazmo, saying that they break easily. Which is why I went for this case, and I'm so glad I did. :)

A new found LOVE!

I decided to pick this up on a whim while spotting it at CVS a couple of months ago. I'm usually very picky with my eyeliners. Let's just say that this eyeliner exceeded my expectations. The packaging is awesome, I think it's the perfect size, not too long and skinny and not too short. It is a liquid liner with a felt-tip. (I'm a fan of felt-tips) I have tried other drugstore liquid liners and this, by far, surpasses them all. I also didn't have much luck with the coveted L'oreal Lineur Intense eyeliner. I liked the Sephora Doe-eyed liquid liner which was similar, but I would have to go over my lines all the time to get that true black. A lot of times with felt lip liners, I feel like it's not as black as it should be after going over your lid with eyeshadow already applied. I have never experienced any drying or skipping like a lot of felt-tip liners, where you feel like you have to shake it to get the product going. I'd say as long as you keep the cap on when not in use, it'll be good to go every single time. This has been a staple in my kit since I've purchased it and so I also needed to get one for myself. It applies like a dream! The tip is long and not as short as MAC's Penultimate. Super black and very pigmented, which is hard to find in a really good liquid liner. I am able to get a perfectly lined eye everytime and with such ease and precision! This also lets you create that beautiful, sexy cat eye, perfectly every time! I was also in love with Urban Decay's liner in Perversion but I'm pretty certain I wouldn't go back to that since I've found this. Awesome quality at a fraction of the cost of higher-end brands. Try it! I doubt you'll be disappointed. ;)

Smells so good! Absolute love!

I gotta thank my other half for getting this for me for Valentine's day. I've been true to my Gap Heaven for over 10 years and I also loved my Dior Addict Shine (which is sadly being discontinued) I absolutely love this! I'm a fan of fresh, clean, floral-y scents and this is right up my alley. Not too overpowering or too sweet or fruity. It's perfect! I know for sure I'll be getting a second bottle. And I love the bottle, it's very feminine and suits the name of the perfume perfectly well. <3

Awesome dupe for MAC Spiked Brow Pencil

Eyebrows are everything to me. So it's natural for me to be drawn to any and all types of brow products. For years I had been using the MAC brow pencil in Spiked which is a dark brown, brunette shade. But I was looking for a cheaper alternative that would also perform well. I then discovered the Maybelline Define-A-Brow pencil which I used consistently until I just recently found out from a friend that they have discontinued my shade, Dark brown. Needless to say, I was devastated and began to look for another dupe because I did not want to go back to using Spiked. It was just too much to shell out for something I use on the daily and would need to constantly replenish. As I was in CVS, in the beauty aisle of course, I spotted this Almay Brow defining pencil in the shade Brunette. I had already noticed the similiarity to the MAC Spiked and Maybelline define-a-brow pencils-they were long and skinny. I am so used to using the kind of twist-up brow pencil rather than the ones you need to sharpen. So I didn't even have to think about purchasing it, I kinda had a feeling I would love it. And sure enough, I did, and I do! I also love that it comes with a detachable spoolie brush. This is more useful than the brow comb that was on the end of the Maybelline Define-A-Brow. I like that it's detachable so you can fit it into your makeup bag, if you have a small one, like me. I'm waiting for the next 40% off deal on Almay at CVS so I can stock up on these. I highly recommend this product! :)

LOVE!

This is one of those products where you either love it or hate it. Personally, I LOVE it! I do prefer my matte and satin lipsticks but these have the wear of a gloss in the convenience of a lipstick tube. After hearing about all of the rave reviews on these, I just had to try a few out. My first ones that I picked up were Gumdrop, Cupcake, and Creme Brulee. I would say that for those three, I didn't get amazing color payoff but I still fell in love with them for the consistency, cute packaging and cute names. So I went ahead and picked up a few more. And then a few more. And now I have 10 of them lol. My favorites are Strawberry shortcake, Raspberry pie, Lollipop, Pink Truffle and Candy Apple. I was also able to get a good amount of wear with these, 4+ hours which is not bad at all. Honestly, I don't mind re-applying after that 4-hour mark. It's no biggie. I absolutely love these! ;)

Pure LOVE!

I recently got a chance to try out this lipstick and I can't stop raving about it! I got the shade Magenta, which is a very bright blue-based magenta pink. When I first applied it to my lips, I was amazed by the pigmentation. I barely swiped it on my bottom lip, smacked my lips together and the color was so bright, bold, and in your face. My kind of lipstick! It is definitely worth the $14. I also like the sleek, matte black packaging. There is a little color disk on the end of the tube, similar to NYX round lipsticks, which I absolutely love so if you're rummaging through your makeup bag, you can spot it very easily without having to open all of your lipsticks. I've also tried other shades in 'Papaya Whip' and 'Nude'. Both of which are incredibly smooth, pigmented, creamy and applies like a dream. I also like that there is a wide variety of shades to choose from, so there is something for everyone. If you are a lipstick junkie or if you just haven't tried Motives Cosmetics, I would highly recommend giving these a try. You won't be disappointed!

My new favorite!!

I absolutely am in LOVE with CND!! I was able to purchase several of these at a local nail supply store that is sadly closing down after 25 years. :( I noticed that the brush was a little wider than the usual brushes so I decided to give it a try and boy am I glad I did! These polishes are AMAZING! I've tried other brands with wider brushes such as Rimmel, but the brush on these are excellent quality so it distributes the polish evenly on the nail. It makes application that much easier and faster. I also love how they provide the undertone and finish on the bottom label (i.e. Cool, Opaque or Neutral, Sheer), something I haven't seen with other brands. It helps a lot in picking out colors that would suit your skintone best. I love how opaque these are, I have never needed more than 2 coats for any of these and with 1 coat it is already close to true-to-bottle color. I am so happy that I was able to purchase these, they are my new favorite brand of polish! ;)

*I used Wet N' Wild's Party of 5 Glitters with CND's Plumville

Awesome drugstore powder!

I've heard a lot of good things about this powder so I finally threw in the towel to purchase it. When I first looked at the powder in the pan, it looked so smooth as if it was very finely milled. I just picked up the same shade of the liquid foundation that suits my skintone which was caramel beige. I have to say that this is by far the best drugstore powder I've ever tried. I have the MAC Studio Careblend powder and this L'Oreal powder makes my face look flawless, just like the Careblend! It goes on just as smooth and silky as it looks. I got great coverage with this powder so a little bit of product goes a long way. I would say this is way better than the Maybelline Fit Me powder. Another plus is that there are many different shades to choose from with 3 selections of undertones, warm, cool and neutral. This powder did not look cakey on my face at all, it gave me a matte finish which I love. The only thing I do not like about this product is the packaging. I wish the mirror wasn't on the other side because it's kinda awkward having to go back and forth if you're trying to use the mirror. However, it's not really a biggie for me because I really love the product itself. If you're looking for a really good drugstore powder I would totally recommend this!

I love these!

I picked up 2 of these lipsticks in Divine and Sultry and I am so glad that I did. The two are such pretty colors, especially Divine which is very similar to MAC's Up the amp lipstick. I love how these feel on my lips. It's very moisturizing while still being very pigmented. I also like how they have so many colors to choose from, which is an excuse for me to go back and purchase more!

LOVE this brush!!

I absolutely love this brush! I think it's the best brush made by e.l.f. I use it to set my foundation or if I just want to use pressed powder. It's very dense and firm so it's great for setting your foundation. It's also very soft! This has been a staple in my kit and I have 5 of them! This is such a great buy, excellent quality at an amazing price that can't be beat.